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 DizzyMissLizzie1 |
Donnie Darko (FC) *spoilers* |
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Permanent Resident
Posts: 3857 09/12/2007 22:11 Distressed Damsel
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Careful, this thread is only for people who have seen the film and want to discuss it, so it will contain spoilers.
This is also why you don't need to use the spoiler tags in this thread. Have Fun! |
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DizzyMissLizzie1 |
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Permanent Resident
Posts: 3857 10/12/2007 01:29 Distressed Damsel
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...alright I'll start then...
I just saw it...a few minutes ago...still have that song at the end in me head...the dreams in which I'm dying is the best I've ever had...I found it very disturbing. Had a pretty emotional effect on me...never thought it would. I still don't get everything from it and I really should watch it again...though I don't think I will. Maybe after some time...Usually I'm very critical with that actress Jena Malone...but I was really surprised...she did well in this!!! And I was also surprised that Drew Berrymore(not sure how to spell her last name) was in this film...mostly because of that small part she had...but at the end it came to me...I can see why all those huge actors wanted to be a part of it. I mean the moment that car rode over that girl...and all those following events...it really ripped a part of my heart...I'm still surprised by the film...but I think it was very good. Mad world... |
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mcavoyfan |
#2 | |||
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Permanent Resident
Posts: 2645 10/12/2007 02:21 Would love to photograph James nekkid
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I watched it a couple times and I still don't get all the nuances. Of course the reveal did explain a lot of why he was so messed up, but it's still
very trippy. I guess a lot of things can't be explained because they're really there to show how messed up his psyche was.
~Theresa~
Just *slightly* obsessed with JM 
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hannah kipje |
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Permanent Resident
Posts: 8355 10/12/2007 14:09 Master of the House (Owner)
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I like the fact that it is left open whether this was mostly a figment of his schizophrenic mind or if there was actual time-travel going on that only he could
perceive because of his heightened sensitivity. Or maybe a little of both..? Because after all, where did the air plane motor come from if the plane it was
attached to landed safely with both motors intact?
That is what I love about this film, that it has no easily explained ending. It is open for a lot of debate. I think you really need to check out the website after you have seen the film as well, since it enhances the conspiracy feel a lot! (and because it is the most awesome website I have ever seen) http://www.donniedarkofilm.com/ (make sure you turn the sound on) I loved the whole atmosphere in the film, the music, the cinematography, the voice of the 'rabbit' (is he God? They edited out some scenes that pointed in this direction, but apparently that was what the initial thought behind 'Frank' was. I loved Noah Wyle in this but I thought Drew Barrymore did a bad acting job.. however I thinks she produced the film, so without her there wouldn't have been a Donnie Darko. But the most surprising performance came from Patrick 'Dirty Dancing ' Swayze who had mostly played handsome hunks in which roles I really hated him, but he was fabulous as a kiddy porn collecting new age guru! It was the first thing I saw Gyllenhaal and his sister in and I became an instant fan of both. I do think this film is a required taste, but after a first small release in 2001/2 it slowly turned into a absolute cult film in the DVD/Video scene, so that a few years later they did a new release in the movie theatres! (how often does THAT happen?!!) I must say that I loved this film in the theatre even more because I remember jumping three feet in the air when the motor falls through the roof in the beginning of the film because of the enhanced cinema sound. But then I love both SciFi and stories about mentally unstable main characters that show the world through their eyes (Spider by Cronenberg is another nice example) plus that I am not seriosuly into conspiracy theories, but i do love stories about them! So this is three into one for me! 
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Selivia |
#4 | |||
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The Help (Mod Squad)
Owns spare key to the front door
Posts: 992 12/12/2007 04:11 If found, return
to Viggo
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It has been a while since I watched this movie - and not at the theatre but on a rented dvd. In this light, please forgive that I do not recall any names and
only a few of the scenes. what I have is a more general impression and my emotive response having scene it.
It was fighting an uphill battle to get my attention in the first place - as I was renting it, it means that I must have been on leave - possibly silly season holidays in the heat and dearth of anything acceptible on tv. Secondly, I was "giving it a go" because acquaintances had raved about it even after they had just finished trashing a few movies that I had considered had some merit. Perhaps I have read and seen too much in this genre. I found it mostly predictable and had it pretty much tagged from the begining and the revelations to be quite ordinary. The acting was fair to ordinary - no great performances to rave about or recommend. A few confusing scenes that could have been presented better. Generally, I found it quite ordinary and nothing special, nothing that I would recommend to others as "must see" - there are far more that I would recommend ahead of this one. Not particularly a "bad" movie, but not among my list to see again, let alone own. |
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hannah kipje |
#5 | |||
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Permanent Resident
Posts: 8355 12/12/2007 16:31 Master of the House (Owner)
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That's funny Seli, because this one will probably always be in my top 10...
I do wonder what you thought was predictable about it, because this is one of the least predictable films I have ever seen. Are you sure you remember the right film? It is too bad you didn't rewatch it with us though, because rewatching can sometimes change your mind about films. And since you said you liked Gyllenhaal, it may be worth the try to see if maybe it wasn't because of the mood you were in that first time you saw it. Of course it could very well be you would still not like it a second time, but aren't you at least a little bit curious to why it grew out to such a huge phenomenon 'underground'? |
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Selivia |
#6 | |||
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The Help (Mod Squad)
Owns spare key to the front door
Posts: 992 13/12/2007 04:16 If found, return
to Viggo
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but aren't you at least a little bit curious to why it grew out to such a huge phenomenon 'underground'?
Not particularly, because it already had a huge underground swell when I first saw it, and because that was one of the main reasons to give it a try. Yes, I most certainly am remembering the right movie. Admittedly I did not pick the reveal in 'The Sixth Sense' until it happened, but I did pick Unbreakable, and The Others, and Secret Window among a host of others. Darko was sort of like Fight Club meets Sixth Sense. I have been watching horror and psycho-thrillers for about 40 years, and reading a lot of SF and Fantasy so I did not find anything that I hadn't seen something like it before. Sorry to say, it will always fall into the 'also-ran' category. Not a bad film as such, but not exceptional either. |
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Bluebell66 |
#7 | |||
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Owns spare key to the front door
Posts: 920 13/04/2008 06:40 |
I love Donnie Darko. The first time I watched it I was like "wow, what is this!", because it's really a rare thing these days for a film to
surprise me. I felt the same when I watched "Mulholland Drive", by David Lynch, or "Heavenly Creatures"
by Peter Jackson. If there's one thing I like about these films is the surreal atmosphere, the dream state, even though they're all very different
stories.
Donnie is an enigma, and I try not to decypher it too much. I read that the new director's cut offered too much explanations on the commentary, but I really can't be bothered with it. When we try to explain things like this film too much they lose their mistery, which is their main attraction, after all. Other films that I like very much with that surreal / dreamy quality: "Blue Velvet", "The Virgin Suicides", "Picnic at Hanging Rock", "The Fountain", "The Company of Wolves", "Rumble Fish"... ...do you have more? 
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hannah kipje |
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Permanent Resident
Posts: 8355 14/04/2008 01:35 Master of the House (Owner)
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You should watch (even) more Lynch Bluebell, you will love his other work as well probably. Lynch is too scary for me. I
can watch blood and guts, but it's the atmosphere that gets me.. especially the ones Lynch is able to create.
I agree with the enigma of DD. Although some explanations are welcome, some things should always stay mysterious though. That is what I liked about the website. Even when you get through the whole thing, none of the really impartant questions are ever answered.. the mystery has only gotten bigger |
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Bluebell66 |
#9 | |||
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Owns spare key to the front door
Posts: 920 14/04/2008 03:41 |
I shall check the DD website asap!
I've had some interesting conversations with friends about the enigmas in DD, but I don't think I can write some of my theories here. They were "flow of the moment" conversations, things that are easier to talk about then to write about. And sometimes, you know...it's quite difficult to theorize in another language! I try, though... 
From Lynch, the only film I didn't have the opportunity to watch yet (I even watched his crazy "Eraserhead") was "Inland Empire". Missed it on theaters, so I'll wait for the DVD release. A lot of people hated it, so I'm curious... My favorites are "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive". I also love "Elephant Man". Blue Velvet was a big shock for me, back in the 80's! Another favorite from that time was Peter Greenway...
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Selivia |
#10 | |||
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The Help (Mod Squad)
Owns spare key to the front door
Posts: 992 14/04/2008 04:50 If found, return
to Viggo
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If you don't get to see "Inland Empire" don't grieve too hard. Devotee's of Lynch's work walked out of the theatre. It's 3 hours
long, apparantly starts out artsy for the sheer sake of it and gets worse and boring. He's been accused of doing it "just because he can" and
trading off his own name and reputation.
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