Team Pineapple Express is thrilled that it's time to make another pick! With this fifth round pick,
Team Pineapple Express is proud to select in the category of Sci Fi, Donnie Darko. (It was difficult to categorize this movie, so IMDB did it for me.) This film, released in 2001, was written and directed by Richard Kelly. It stars the lovely and delicious Jake Gyllenhaal as the title character, a teenage boy who escapes death when he avoids being crushed by a jet engine that falls into his room. After this, he experiences many odd things, including visions of a giant bunny named Frank, who has odd and frightening predictions for the future. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wylie and Mary McDonnell round out the cast of Donnie Darko.
It's a very odd movie, difficult to describe, that takes several viewings to appreciate, IMO. I first watched it and I didn't like it, but it stuck with me. When I watched it again, I picked up on a lot more and really started to like it.
So, in summary, good story, good acting, good cast, good 80s soundtrack.
Some trivia...
-The movie was shot in 28 days, the exact timespan of the film.
-The DVD contains several hidden items. Two are visible in the "Philosophy of Time Travel" book in the Special Features. Another can be found after selecting the "Cunning Visions" menu screen.
-Jason Schwartzman was originally supposed to play Darko, but had too many scheduling conflicts, so the part was given to Gyllenhaal.
-This film marks the feature film debut of the awesomely funny Seth Rogen.
Some youtube clippys:
The trailer
A clip from the movie. Donnie discussing Watership Down and bunnies, possibly NSFW:
Another clip, Donnie dealing with The Lifeline, again possibly NSFW:
And finally, the popular Gary Jules Mad World tune that appears in the film. It worked really well in the film, IMO, it fit perfectly with the tone and themes, etc. This is just the video for the song, no clips from the movie or anything, just figured I would add it for those that like it, myself included: