Sci-Fi Pick: Donnie Darko (2001)
I don’t doubt that a good majority of you have already seen Richard Kelly’s 2001 film Donnie Darko, but it’s one of those special movies that I believe must be revisited at least every few years. What if you actually haven’t seen it yet? Well, then that’s all the more reason to watch.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Donnie Darko, a troubled suburban boy who’s disturbed by visions of the world ending, specifically ending 28 days from the start of the film. Through interactions with a talking bunny, weird moments of hypnosis, a sleazy motivational speaker (Patrick Swayze) and plenty of teenage angst, Donnie winds his way through those 28 days, ultimately reaching the final moments of his reality and coming to terms with just what awaits him on the other side.
Also starring Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell, the reasons why this film is a cult classic with such a devoted following begin with the fact that it’s really, really good. There are plenty of other, smaller things worth noting though. For example, fans love the fact the film takes place over 28 days and was filmed in 28 days. Actually, the director’s cut has 28 scenes and just about everything about the movie comes back to the number 8. The ambiguity of the film has left it open to plenty of various interpretations and thus arguments about which ones are right. Gary Jules’ version of Mad World is even more haunting than the Tears For Fears original. Plus, “cellar door” really may be the most beautiful phrase in the English language.
When you’re looking at sci-fi, you really can’t go wrong with a timeloop film, and I’d be happy to get stuck in a two-hour timeloop where I watch Donnie Darko over and over and over again.
That’s it for today, but be sure to tune in next week though for another edition of We Got Netflix Covered! Also, be sure to leave a comment and let us know if you enjoyed any of these picks.
Published: Jun 2, 2014 05:12 pm