Is Donny Darko any good??

Dewey · 30-05-2004 02:18AM #1

my friends keep telling me about this film i have never heard of called Donny Darko. they keep saying its brilliant but i just wanted to ask you guys if it is any good. i know mad world is on the soundtrack.

so is it worth getting?

phreak · 30-05-2004 02:21AM

yes its brilliant

30-05-2004 02:28AM

I have heard about the "critics" view that the film is fantastic, but I have to admit, I thought the film was the type of film which thought of itself as being too clever and presented itself to the audience as such, hoping that people would forget about its lack-lustre acting, annoying plot and stupid "twist"...too many films believe that they are good , purely because of the fact the story does not make sense...that, for me, cheapens the effect of cinema.

Ronan|Raven · 30-05-2004 02:45AM

Truely fantastic film, go and rent it out.

ixoy · 30-05-2004 02:56AM

Originally posted by MoonHawk
too many films believe that they are good , purely because of the fact the story does not make sense...that, for me, cheapens the effect of cinema.

What? Give some other examples of this please. Remember to differentiate between "complicated", "I didn't understand it", and "doesn't make sense". They're not the same thing.

GoneShootin · 30-05-2004 02:56AM

I had to buy DVD, it deserved far better attention than it got.

GET IT

ObeyGiant · 30-05-2004 10:25AM

Originally posted by ixoy
What? Give some other examples of this please. Remember to differentiate between "complicated", "I didn't understand it", and "doesn't make sense". They're not the same thing.

Do they still have a "Post of the month" thing on here? If so, this gets my vote.

Karl Hungus · 30-05-2004 10:29AM

It's a good film but I wouldn't say its the masterpeice some people make it out to be.

Just try and set aside the hype when you do watch it, and you should enjoy it.

Tusky · 30-05-2004 11:22AM

Really good yea

I thought the acting was great.

Agent Orange · 30-05-2004 12:04PM

A disappointing movie.

Good set-up, lousy pay-off.

Much ado about nothing.

Buck Owens · 30-05-2004 02:23PM

I think it's an amazing film, advise you to buy it it's one of those films that gets better every time you watch it. as far as i know there's a director's cut coming out later this year so you could wait for that to come out in the cinema. Any film with Patrick Swayze in it is great!:D

28:6:42:12

MisterAnarchy · 30-05-2004 02:52PM

One of the most over rated films of this decade.
First hour is tragically slow moving,almost unbearable , then it injects a bit of life in the final 20 minutes.
The writer/director tried to be smart by seemingly leaving out huge parts of the plot without which the film didnt make sense.
The soundtrack is excellent though.
Worth a watch I suppose.

herobear · 30-05-2004 03:56PM

the unfortunate thing with donnie darko is that its purely a cult film that due to its HUGE popularity is seen as a mainstream film.
thats the best and simiarly worst thing going for this film.....because of its popularity and hype factor many people are watching this film, but very small percentage of the mainstream audience are getting it, so they automatically view it as sh!te because they dont understand it.
also another issue with this film was the way it was marketed, it was marketed as a mainstream teen movie when in fact its anything but that. many VERY important scenes also had to be cut from the film because of time length and for ambiguity.
i have to be honest here, the first time i saw this film in january 2002(i imported the american r1 version), i thought it was great, but hardly understood any of it......only by watching it over and over did i start to really realise the film's power and strength.
if i had a suggestion for people who've never seen it before, it would be just to watch it! dont take other peoples opinions to be your own.
and if you can, try and get the NON-prism edition, since that has all the necessary extra's you need to understand the film further.
if you like the film check out the official website which will give you further information about the film and its characters http://www.donniedarko.com/
and for further information, including answers and clues to the film's message
check out: http://www.stainlesssteelrat.net/dd.htm & http://www.richard-kelly.net for information about the director.
also, ironically, the director's cut of the film premiered last night at the seattle film festival check out the details here: http://www.seattlefilm.com/film/detail.aspx?id=290

talking_walnut · 30-05-2004 04:54PM

I must say I enjoyed this film. Wasn't the best movie I ever saw or anything but was definitely good and I'd recommend it.

Whats not to get in the movie?? I found the plot perfectly understandable. But then I've never found a film where the plot confussed me. I couldn't believe it when some of my friends told me that they hadn't understood what was going on in the matrix.

Sure give it a watch Dewey. Just don't go in expecting a life altering experience.:)

fragile · 30-05-2004 05:17PM

Originally posted by seker16
Whats not to get in the movie?? I found the plot perfectly understandable.

really :dunno: most people I know who have seen it agree that it is completely open to interpretation, with vastly different opinions on the more subtle points in the plot. I would recommend getting the DVD to watch the deleted scenes, it offers even more food for thought

Duffman · 30-05-2004 05:26PM

Great film, one of my favourites... You can buy it on DVD for about €5, do it...

I love the 80s..,

minority · 30-05-2004 08:55PM

Originally posted by fragile
really :dunno: most people I know who have seen it agree that it is completely open to interpretation, with vastly different opinions on the more subtle points in the plot. I would recommend getting the DVD to watch the deleted scenes, it offers even more food for thought

Whats the point of only getting a movie by watching the deleted scenes. I've heard this so much it hurts. The director obviously did a **** job then if he deleted scenes important to the movie.

Donnie Darko is a rubbish movie. Yes i did understand what they were trying to do with it but thought it was a weak excuse for a movie.

In fact the best thing about it was the marketing. They have now established it as a movie that you must be intelligent to like and if you're not you wont like it. If you are a 'true' movie buff then you will 'understand' it but if not you wont.

Now people feel they have to pretend they liked it in order not to be tarred with the 'Your too dumb to get it then brush'

There's a reason it did crap at the box office. They didnt have time to plant thewir seeds so nobody fell for it at that stage.

ixoy · 30-05-2004 09:06PM

Originally posted by minority
Whats the point of only getting a movie by watching the deleted scenes. I've heard this so much it hurts. The director obviously did a **** job then if he deleted scenes important to the movie.

Ah right. Because all scenes deleted from a movie are always because the director wanted them gone. Right. Go study some movie production. And then, once you're done, come back and eat humble pie when you realise the director didn't get his own vision out and will do so, later this summer, with the release of a Director's Cut.

In fact the best thing about it was the marketing. They have now established it as a movie that you must be intelligent to like and if you're not you wont like it. If you are a 'true' movie buff then you will 'understand' it but if not you wont.

Now people feel they have to pretend they liked it in order not to be tarred with the 'Your too dumb to get it then brush'

Crap. Where? The paragraphs above. The marketing never did any such thing. Now if you, yourself, feel under some pressure then fine but it's you who brought it solely on yourself. Is it because you don't like it that you feel the need to react so strongly?

There's a reason it did crap at the box office. They didnt have time to plant thewir seeds so nobody fell for it at that stage.

Hah! You're equating box office success with quality? Oh my. My oh my. It did do well in home release then (much like "The Shawshank Redemption" which, by your logic, must be dreadful too). Seriously you'll completely invalidate an argument whose premise is financial renumeration equates with good movie making.

Fuhrio · 30-05-2004 09:19PM

I thought it was an excelent film, for some reason my friends didnt understand a lot of it, i didnt think it was that hard to understand tbh.

nice little paradox majig in the end

herobear · 30-05-2004 09:20PM

the studio had no faith in kelly, thats why they massacred the film the way they did.......if kelly had his way originally there wouldnt be any deleted scenes.
new market were pratically forced to give kelly more money to produce a directors cut version due to its HUGE popularity, they basically f***** him over the first time.
there are two reasons this film flopped in cinema's,
1. new market had no faith in the film, basically giving kelly very little money to work with, and not marketing the film AT ALL originally in the u.s.
2. the movie came out before and was still showing around the september 11th '01 atttacks in new york.....you CAN'T say that didnt make any difference to its viewing figures.
not only that but shortly after its dvd release in the UK and ireland newmarket decide to scrap the normal edition dvd with all its necessary extra's and market the film for only about 7/8 euro.......if i honestly saw a film that i hadnt heard about, selling for that price i'd automatically think it was a piece of sh!te.

Donnie Darko is a rubbish movie. Yes i did understand what they were trying to do with it but thought it was a weak excuse for a movie.

Now people feel they have to pretend they liked it in order not to be tarred with the 'Your too dumb to get it then brush'

so you're pretending to "understand" it, just so we cant argue with the fact that you dont like it then ?

They didnt have time to plant thewir seeds so nobody fell for it at that stage.

you're making absolutely no sense here

edit: heh ixoy, got there first, but my points still stand

Fuhrio · 30-05-2004 09:40PM

Cos it was out in september 11 people didnt much want to see a plane engine fly into a building like in the movie, that affected sales hugely, athough in the states for the next 2 years it showed latenights in loads of cinemas.

minority · 30-05-2004 09:45PM

dont go regurgitating ****e that you read on some dd website so as to make people feel like you know what you're talking about either.
Allow people to have their own opinions on films. Dont try and brand them as unintelligent because they liked or didnt like a movie you did.
Simple rule - If you enjoy it, its a good movie. It did its job. Some may not have liked it but thats up to them and vice versa.

'he studio had no faith in kelly, thats why they massacred the film the way they did.......if kelly had his way originally there wouldnt be any deleted scenes'.

My god, listen to yourself. If the studio massacred the movie, why did you think it was a great movie then ????

Zapper · 30-05-2004 09:49PM

The movie's pretty good. Not life changing but still one of the best american flicks of the past few years.

I'd try to avoid listening to too much hype if i were you, i think that was my mistake when watching it the first time and it hampered my enjoyment a bit as it doesn't really live up to it.

It does suffer terribly from over editing and the pace is a bit screwed up due to this.
If i were you, i'd wait til the xtended version of it comes out and catch that first. If not, it's still worth the eight euros or whatever it is now.

minority · 30-05-2004 09:55PM

Originally posted by Zapper
I'd try to avoid listening to too much hype if i were you

right on. Goes for any movie.
I never go into a movie expecting to hate it or love it. I try not to hear anyone elses opinions on it either.
That way i actually enjoy or sont enjoy, rather than trying to pick holes or fantastic parts of it.

Its amazing, even on boards, the amount of people posting about big releases who have already decided it will be a crap or excellent movie. These are the people who cannot take an objective point of view on a movie and are the type of people who will read the reviews from the 'experts' and take the same line even before seeing for themselves, just to sound like they know what they are talking about. Just look at the threads on Troy, Day after tomorrow and Van Helsing.

31-05-2004 12:29AM

I thin that the film is excellant. I remember getting it on R1 about three years ago and trying to get people I knew to watch it. Noone would, but once it bacame well known they all wanted to see it.

There is a directors cut being released in cinemas during the summer. It is supposed to be what Kelly wanted originally

Whats the point of only getting a movie by watching the deleted scenes. I've heard this so much it hurts. The director obviously did a **** job then if he deleted scenes important to the movie.

That is such a load of bollocks. Studios have been responsiable for cutting numerous good films. Brazil springs to mind.

lodgepole · 31-05-2004 12:40AM

I saw it in Ocotber of 2001 in the IFI, it showed during the Horrorthon that year. It replaced whatever film was supposed to be the secret film because the print hadn't arrived or something. I was very impressed by it, as everyone was. I don't think the cut scenes will improve it, but they probably won't detract either. It'll probably feel a little too long with them all put back in.

Uthur · 31-05-2004 12:42AM

I like Donnie alot. I've got a crappy cheap DVD with no extras though. Anyone get
the other DVD? Any good?

TCamen · 31-05-2004 12:44AM

I didn't really know what to expect when I rented Donnie Darko when it came out first. I enjoyed it though, neither LOVED it, nor hated it. I've only watched it the once, so I'll prob take a look at the extended version when it comes out.

Its amazing, even on boards, the amount of people posting about big releases who have already decided it will be a crap or excellent movie. These are the people who cannot take an objective point of view on a movie and are the type of people who will read the reviews from the 'experts' and take the same line even before seeing for themselves, just to sound like they know what they are talking about. Just look at the threads on Troy, Day after tomorrow and Van Helsing.

Granted there are people who post about movies prior to seeing them, but there are also a great number of people who post honest opinions that aren't regurgitated reviews from magazines/newspapers.
Personally I don't visit threads or post about movies I haven't seen, nor do I read reviews prior to seeing a movie. I can't comment on the 'Troy' thread, since I've not seen the movie, but 'The Day After Tomorrow' and 'Van Hesling' threads are filled with decent reviews from posters who just want to give their opinions/thoughts.
It bugs me when I notice the odd troll who just wants to crap all over other people's opinions by claiming the movie in question was great/rubbish and anyone who disagrees is a fool. Mostly though, I enjoy reading what other people thought, and comparing their ideas to my own.

ixoy · 31-05-2004 12:59AM

Originally posted by minority
Its amazing, even on boards, the amount of people posting about big releases who have already decided it will be a crap or excellent movie. These are the people who cannot take an objective point of view on a movie and are the type of people who will read the reviews from the 'experts' and take the same line even before seeing for themselves, just to sound like they know what they are talking about. Just look at the threads on Troy, Day after tomorrow and Van Helsing.

A challenge: Point out these reviews. Go on. Point out, with evidence, how these are people who can't make up their own mind and have been influenced by others. Or are you saying that anyone who liked a movie that you personally disliked is merely bowing to critics? The thrust of your argument, essentially, is that anyone who liked "Donnie Darko" liked it because they were told to like it by reviews. Not only is that plainly crap, it's also incredibly condescending. Now you didn't like it, and that's fair enough, but where do you get off implying people who did like it, didn't enjoy it based on its merits and not the review?

blobert · 31-05-2004 01:22AM

Like many of the other posters here, I thought this film was very overhyped, but nonetheless it is fairly entertaining.

When people tell you something is going to be the "best ever" before you see it, in inevitably leaves you expecting too much.

It's good but by no means great.

somano · 31-05-2004 07:22AM

Haven't seen it yet myself but as the cost of buying it is the price of renting it - can't really go wrong. Why is the dvd so cheap, so quickly ?

Is Donny Darko any good??

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