Donnie Darko (2001) [second viewing]
A remarkable debut film, really -- but also kind of frustrating. It's a dark, wonderful movie.... but dammit, it never develops into the full-blown masterpiece it should be! So close... so close.... Still, it's better upon a second viewing, mainly because I finally understood the ending. What had first seemed befuddling and unsatisfactory became, upon review, poetic and heartbreaking. (I suppose the tipoff was Jena Malone's line, "I guess some people are just born with tragedy in their blood"; it forced me to re-examine the impact that Donnie's climactic actions had, and more importantly, the ripples that would be both caused and avoided.) It still has its flaws, but I'd still recommend it to pretty much everyone. This Richard Kelly, he's going places....
Grade: A-
A remarkable debut film, really -- but also kind of frustrating. It's a dark, wonderful movie.... but dammit, it never develops into the full-blown masterpiece it should be! So close... so close.... Still, it's better upon a second viewing, mainly because I finally understood the ending. What had first seemed befuddling and unsatisfactory became, upon review, poetic and heartbreaking. (I suppose the tipoff was Jena Malone's line, "I guess some people are just born with tragedy in their blood"; it forced me to re-examine the impact that Donnie's climactic actions had, and more importantly, the ripples that would be both caused and avoided.) It still has its flaws, but I'd still recommend it to pretty much everyone. This Richard Kelly, he's going places....
Grade: A-
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