(no subject)

[threeplusfire]

So, Donnie Darko. I was warned a mere couple of hours before the show that it was creepy. I am sorely perturbed that no one told me how fucking scary and strange that movie is. One might think the bunny would tip you off, but gods above. It was a very strange and intense theater experience, and perhaps moreso as this was a director's cut. It made me very nervous.

Is it love? Is it fear? Is it self sacrifice? Is it the absolute frailty of our lives? Is it just that we are all alone when we die? I can't sleep for thinking.

To try and take the edge off, I watched O Brother Where Art Thou?. That happens to be another movie I had never seen. Shockingly funny, and I think the parallels to Homer were well played.

Comments

[razorart.livejournal.com]

DD is one of my favorite movies of all time. I don't think there is adequate preparation for it b/c not everyone is as effected by it, you know? Some people are extremely dismissive about it, in fact.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

It is a really good film I think. It's well crafted, and there's a lot to be said for making something that no one sees in exactly the same way as the person next to them.

I'm still boggled by it this morning.

[ekatarina.livejournal.com]

If you liked "Oh Brother" I highly recommend "Sullivan's Travels" which is where they got the name from.

(Oh, and Veronica Lake is a good light comic actress as well as a fabulous hair model.)


Ekatarina

[patchwolf.livejournal.com]

I get more out that movie every time I watch it.

But if you want more, be sure to check out the website. It picks up from where the movie left off -- but set aside a couple of hours to explore it all...

As a bonus, you can actually read a few pages of The Philosophy of Time Travel on the site.

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

I have seen DD too many times to count. It grabs deep in my chest, and is probably my favorite movie of all time. So beautiful. Did you like it?

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

I really did like it. I think it was beautiful. It did however scare the ever living daylights out of me in some ways.

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

Was it just the bunny? I know Frank isn't for everyone. I think the more times I watch it, the less scary/creepy it gets, but I do understand where you're coming from.

One of my friends saw DD on my recommendation, and afterwards felt terrified and lonely. Terrified, I supposed, of dying alone. I think he still resents me for that recommendation. It's interesting because I didn't really have that response to the film; for me, it was a truly optimistic ending (don't want to say more in case anyone on your FL hasn't seen it yet and might!).

I also teach DD every time I get the chance--it's so brilliant! I could talk about it with you 4eva. :P

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

Isn't the Web site totally cool? It adds a whole new dimension to the movie. There's even a ton of back story on Donnie's criminal history and his psychiatrist's notes (was he taking placebo pills, or...?).

Technology is so cool. :P

Did you see the director's cut or the original release version of DD?

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

P.S. Which version of the film did you see--director's cut or regular type?

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

The guys who did Q&A afterwards sang the praises of the website. From that I learned that the engine came from 1992. Weird.

They ran the director's cut of the film at the screening.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Well, the bunny is definitely creepy. And I have a phobia/fear of eyeballs, so poor Frank.

Part of the movie that frightened me was the terrifying sense of inevitability the film had. It was as if there was never any choice for Donnie and the build up was about him coming to terms with that. When he talks about how there's no proof and he just doesn't debate that question anymore, I almost burst into tears because it hit home awfully hard. I mean, he does come to the end with a sort of grace that is admirable and beautiful. It's just scary. I don't know if I'll ever have that kind of acceptance. No one gets out of here alive, but still.

[patchwolf.livejournal.com]

Did you see the director's cut or the original release version of DD?

Yes. I started off with the OTR (Original Theatric Release) -- then got the Collector's Edition DVD. When the Director's Cut was released, I got that DVD and passed on my Collector's Edition to a friend.

[patchwolf.livejournal.com]

I mean, he does come to the end with a sort of grace that is admirable and beautiful.

I saw him come to the end with a sense of relief, personally. It was the end, and he understood that his choice would make life a lot better for those he cared about. Couple that with the fact that he would also be relieved from the burdens he bore. I saw all that in his smile as he went back to bed.