Donnie Darko

Pros: Imaginative film, Compelling soundtrack, Great camera work
Cons: Multiple layers lack clarity

The 2001 film debut by Writer/Director Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko is one of those films that cries out for analysis, but in the end, the viewer is left with the uneasy feeling of staring at a jigsaw puzzle with a few of the pieces missing....

Pros: Solid story, good acting, some nice satire, suspense, and sci-fi concepts.
Cons: Some violence, some language...but it's worth it for the story.

Yup, I’ve seen 1,111 movies. I keep track of them. Chalk it up to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder if you like. And this one was worth my time, and enjoyable, but not quite the mind-blowing experience I was hoping for. Maybe my mind was blown a long time ...

Pros: Jake Gyllenhaal in school, cinematography
Cons: concept, direction, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, etc.

I guess one could say that writer/director Richard Kelly's relatively low-budget 2001 movie "Donnie Darko" could be labeled "ambitious," though the primary ambition seems to be to opaqueness. The movie is an incoherent mixture of what seems intended as...

Pros: Amazing script, casting, story, and theories
Cons: May be a bit too strange for some viewers

I like to pick movies at random off of the shelves at the local video store. Recently, this was the case with Donnie Darko. I vaguely recalled hearing about the little indie film last year but then heard nothing more about it upon its release....

Pros: story, pacing, acting
Cons: confusing to some

I’d heard so much through the years about the film Donnie Darko, and yet I still didn’t know what I was in for when I finally watched it. Although parts of the story became clear early on, some of it even after the film was over ...

Pros: excellent performances and satire
Cons: ambiguous, confusing ending that left many scratching their heads

There are two versions of this film: The original theatrical release and the director's cut. For my money, the original is by far the better one. Released in 2001, Donnie Darko is a reaction to the world created by the massacre at Columbine High - a ...

Pros: Extensively thought-provoking. Nice atmosphere. Tons of great characters. Jena Malone is divine.
Cons: Those with soft heads and brick walls, tread softly.

It's funny how when you hear bands or movies mentioned in groups, the same ones so often get lumped together. I see U2 and R.E.M., I know Pearl Jam is coming. I see Travis and Coldplay, I know Radiohead is coming. And if someone mentions Magnolia, The ...

Pros: An Excellent, Provactive Film From Newcomer Richard Kelly.
Cons: The Dark Overtones & Genre-Bending Style Might Turn Off Some.

Throughout the late 1990s and early 21st Century, teen-horror thrillers have always been a genre that has been prominent in Hollywood but has recent shown its weariness. The concept of scaring teens and creeping them has run out of ideas and the plots ...

Pros: Acting, story, setting, characters, music...
Cons: Creepiest darn bunny I've ever seen.

I’m not sure how I went so long without seeing this. It’s been on my radar for quite some time now. I’ve long since known how Shelly felt about it, and she’s rarely recommended something so highly that I ...

Pros: Thought-provoking, interesting concept, variety of actors and actresses
Cons: Some people may not get it

28 days... 6 hours... 42 minutes... 12 seconds... That... is when the world... will end.People have been telling me to watch the 2001 film Donnie Darko for quite some time now, and while I've meant to see it for what seems like ...

Pros: Acting, dialogue, direction, music, production values
Cons: Murky ending; Drew Barrymore

A friend of mine, a former English teacher, often rails against deliberately obscure narratives, suc ...

Pros: Dark, mysterious, confusing and intriguing.
Cons: Almost none.

Donnie Darko (2001) Written and Directed by Richard KellyDonnie: Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit? Frank: Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?Ever so often, something comes along that is hard to ...

Pros: The cast, story and photography-Fascinating blurring of reality, metaphysics, and psychosis
Cons: slow starting, somewhat confusing at first

This movie is Richard Kelly's first effort as a director and it is a fine first effort. He also wrote the movie, inspired by a Graham Greene story he had read. The images are used superbly, the music is sparse but very effective, and the movie turns out...

Pros: Visceral
Cons: Intentionally obscure, 2-dimensional bad guys, dubious DVD commentary tracks

I've watched "Donnie Darko" three times now in the last five days, and still can't say definitively if I like it. I appreciate the heck out it, am impressed by the imagination and creativity of the filmmakers, and admire the fact that what they put on...

Pros: Fascinatingly complex, quality acting
Cons: Incredibly strange, perhaps too much for some

Admittedly, when I first heard of Donnie Darko, I was more than a bit cynical. When you hear ...