Maybe it is my inner geek speaking, but Donnie Darko may be one of my favorite movies of all time, and I just saw it tonight for the first time.
There was one scene in particular, that, to me at least, was everything right about movie making. I don’t even know what the terminology for this technique is, but at around 16 minutes, when Donnie jumps out of the bus, and Tears for Fears Head over Heels starts, the entire scene travelling through the school was masterful. There was no dialogue, but you saw a great number of different people in their own lives, and you knew who they were, what they were feeling. You just got it. At least I did. What a way to set the stage for a movie about the corruption of time travel and abstract perceptions of reality- by showing the inconsequential actions of numerous people all happening at the same time.
Can’t wait to watch it again.
And before the obligatory snobs come and tell me that this isn’t a new idea- I have seen 12 Monkeys. I own Memento. I own Jacob’s Ladder. I have read An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge. This was better.
*** Update ***
Apparently I have an eye for something. In the comments section, Jim points out the scene I discussed is called a ‘tracking shot,’ and I am not the only one who ‘got it:’
The film’s cinematic signature, one which will probably be studied in film schools for years to come, is a long tracking shot following Donnie through the school’s hallway, featuring speeded-up and slowed down segments, accompanied by yet another Tears for Fears song, “Head Over Heels.” Though showy, it also provides a remarkably compact introduction to many of the movie’s characters: the school bully, Gretchen, Farmer, the principle. By and large the film is very tightly edited, providing just enough information before moving on to the next scene.
Jim Treacher
Tracking shot. Yeah, that was great.
A couple years back, Salon had an article about the various theories as to what it all meant.
dklittl
Gotto agree with you John. Donnie Darko is so ahead of its time. I’m a big fan of 12 Monkeys and Memento, but Darko is as original a movie as I’ve ever seen. I haven’t seen in about a year and my girlfreind and I still crack up about Sparkle Motion.
Jim Treacher
“I’m not afraid anymore!”
Mason
Jen bought this on DVD a few weeks ago.. With that recommendation of yours, I’ll have to take some time and watch it.
Justin O.
Mulholland Drive, my absolute favorite movie of all time. Hit the mark to the head like no other movie I’ve seen. Plays out perfectly…. and incorporates a true reflection of reality and fantasy when facing fear.
norbizness
If you get the director’s cut and the added commentary (writer/director Richard Kelly with Kevin Smith, of all time), it actually begins to make less sense. It’s a great movie, but Kelly tried to retroactively load up the movie with too many flashy extras that make sense to him and like one other guy. I’ll stick with the theatrical version for best impact. Swayze rulez!
Joel
Yeah that tracking shot is one of the highlights of the movie. It’ll probably go down in the annals of cinema as one of the more successfull uses of what can be a pretty distracting device. I recall Elephant , the Gus Van Sant film from a couple of years back, also made good use of longish tracking shots through the corridors of the high school it was set in. An interesting, if depressing double bill would be to pair Elephant w/ Darko. Probably the most famed tracking shot is the opening sequence to Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, another great one.
Jim Treacher
Speaking of tracking shots, a movie called Running Time is worth a rental. It’s set up like one 90-minute tracking shot. (Like Rope, only not boring.) It’s not actually one shot, because film cameras can’t hold that much, but they manage to shoot and edit it to look almost seamless. And it stars Bruce Campbell, so there you go.
Also, Timecode was one uncut tracking shot, or actually four simultaneous ones via split screen, done on digital video. More of an experiment than an actual movie, but there’s a Salma Hayek sex scene, so you make the call.
Bryant
That tracking shot ruled. My other favorite thing about the movie was the way Kelly used and abused the John Hughes story structure — the 80s music, the high school, the way the climatic scene occurs at a party while parents are out of town, etc. It’s a pastiche, in a way, but it rises far above that.
Ben DoubleCrossed
Maybe that is why we are all reporters .. being responsible for the abuse of that liberty.
Kentucky Constitution, Section 8
Freedom of speech and of the press.
Printing presses shall be free to every person who undertakes to examine the proceedings of the General Assembly or any branch of government, and no law shall ever be made to restrain the right thereof. Every person may freely and fully speak, write and print on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty.
Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891.
History: Not yet amended.
10to2
I’d have to agree as well on the quality of Richard Kelly’s directorial debut. It’s in my top five of all time. I’d like to second the notion that the original theatrical release is a much better film. I enjoyed the director’s cut but it just seemed to hit you over the head with plot elements that had to be (and could be) figured out with less. Actually I had a similar experience with this movie as I did after seeing the Matrix for the first time. Lots of coffee and philosphical discussions.
In the end, I think they’re both good movies, and I’ve wondered what effect the order in which you watch the versions has on one’s perception of the films. Either way, if you want to explore a lot more details of the storyline, visit the website for a strange journey through visual puzzles.
By the way, I believe Kelly is viewed by many to be the next wonderkid writer in Hollywood, and he’ sdeserving of the praise. His next screenplay, Domino, was written specifically for Tony Scott to direct (of True Romance fame – another top 5) and he wouldn’t let anyone else direct it. It’s a semi true story about a model turned bounty hunter in Los Angeles… and it’s got Mickey Rourke in it. I can’t wait.
wild bird
I once saw OCCURANCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE and its realy strange when this guy who is about to be nung supposedly escapes and make it back to his wife only to find out it was all a dream in the seconds he was hung