| 3/28/2005 |
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MAD WORLD by Gary Jules
While it wasn’t planned this way, it ended up being a pretty lazy weekend.
I did watch Donnie Darko over the weekend. More on that in a minute. I guess it is a little ironic that I watched a movie with a demonic looking bunny on Easter weekend.
I have spring fever bad!! We have been having more and more good weather days. Even the mediocre days are still welcome. It was rainy for a few days last week and just the smells of moist, fresh, and green were thick in the air. Good times. I can’t wait for the days where it is warm enough to open the windows of the apartment or to be able to drive around with the windows down without freezing to death. While I am ok with the cold. I prefer the warm/hot. Actually, I prefer the ‘knowing.’ In the Summer I know it’ll be hot. It the Winter I know it’ll be cold. The Spring and Fall are a little less predictable. Other than being predictable for being unpredictable.
Either way… Spring is here! Let the sun shine in!
Ok, now after all that sunshine and happiness I bring you:
Donnie Darko – (C+) When looking at movies that have come out I don’t take what critics say too seriously. I will read what fans have to say about the film, but even then I take it with a grain of salt. I’d heard this was one of those ‘cult classic’ films. You get a small devoted group of fans who know everything about the film. This movie is great for them, but for the rest of us… find Cliff's Notes.
The movie had a great cast. Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Mary McDonnell, and Patrick Swayze of all people. Donnie, (Gyllenhall) is going a little mad. He's acting out in school. His shrink has him for weekly hypnosis sessions. Did I mention he also has a demonic bunny rabbit, named Frank, for a 'friend.' Yeah... Donnie seems to be a little off. Frank isn't as bad as he seems. He does save Donnie from a freak accident and leads him to 'help' others in a backhanded fashion. There are so many little questions about this film. After a while they start piling up. By the end I was hoping for some answer to what I had been watching for the last two hours. Did Donnie figure out how to travel through time? Was Frank a 'real' time traveling Sacajawea or just a product of Donnie's mind? Did Patrick Swayze know what type of movie he was auditioning for or had his career hit 'that' level?
I'm torn on this movie. I liked the acting. I liked the overall story that was being told. I was unhappy that it was left somewhat up to the viewers interpretation as to what certain things meant. That it typically difficult for me. I can lose myself in a movie. Yet, if the movie asks me to then report back what I thought I learned from it, I'm screwed. There was so much that was left open for interpretation that I was struggling to figure it out. Like reading a mystery novel that is ends by the author saying... "Who do you think did it? The butler? No... Look deeper. Who had it done to them?" In the end, there were too many loose ends that were tied up in slipknots. I think it was meant to be that way so we could decide for ourselves what things meant, but this isn't the type of movie that people are going to debate at the water cooler.
Good... story. Great cast. A lot of interesting possibility. It is refreshing to see a science fiction movie that isn't relying solely on special effects.
Bad... idea to have too many open ended questions that don't have answers by the end of the film. So debate I can handle finishing a movie. Too much to debate and I'm only left with questions.
See it... when you can rent it and have time to watch it a couple times to gleam all you can from it. Or if you decide to find an explination to the film there is always the internet handy. |
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I posted this @ 3/28/2005 02:41:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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