Wish I could have gone back in time and got this post up sooner - as this week sees the 15th anniversary re-release of director Richard Kelly's modern cult classic Donnie Darko.
I say modern cult classic as, well, not to labour the point, but there are precious few good cult films that can be found for our viewing pleasure (in proportion to the number of films released a year) and even fewer that have been made in the last 15 years and still even fewer hailing from the United States that have anything near Donnie Darko's cult factor.
Perhaps unsurprising as increasingly film producers/studios test film concept to the nth degree before committing to finance to a potentially risky proposition - it is afterall Showbusiness and film marketeers have become more savvy and quick to label a film as "cult" when it doesn't have a wider demographic appeal.
So Donnie Darko is something of an enduring anomaly and a cult film, possibly the last American cult film, in the truest sense of the definition. I hasten to add I have as not yet seen Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Dance of Reality or completed Álex de la Iglesia's The Last Circus - both of which may well fit the bill, albe they not American.
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| Donnie Darko New Quad Poster [Enlarge] |
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| Donnie Darko 28:06:42:12 [Enlarge] |
DONNIE DARKO 15th Anniversary 4K Restoration will screen at the BFI from 17th December (with Special Director Q&A) and in cinemas nationwide from 23rd December
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| Jake Gyllenhaal as the eponymous Donnie Darko Jena Malone as Gretchen Ross [Enlarge] |
I'm going to tell you a little story today...
| Donnie Darko (2001) A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after he narrowly escapes a bizarre accident. Director: Richard Kelly Writers: Richard Kelly Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Patrick Swayze, Seth Rogen, Noah Wyle, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal |
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Donnie is a troubled high school student: in therapy, prone to sleepwalking and in possession of an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days 06 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank s maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum.
Described by its director as The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick, Donnie Darko combines an eye-catching, eclectic cast pre-stardom Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, heartthrob Patrick Swayze, former child star Drew Barrymore, Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell and Katharine Ross, and television favourite Noah Wyle and an evocative soundtrack of 80s classics by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran. This brand-new 4K restoration, carried out exclusively for this release by Arrow Films, allows a modern classic to finally receive the treatment it deserves.
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| Donnie Darko Frank [Enlarge] |
The Establishing Shot: WAKE UP DONNIE! MODERN CULT FILM CLASSIC DONNIE DARKO TO BE RE-RELEASED & 4K RESTORED IN UK CINEMAS FROM 17 DECEMBER AT BFI AND 23 DECEMBER NATIONWIDE! THE ULTIMATE ALTERNATIVE XMAS!
 | Craig is a retired superhero, an obsessive hobbyist, comics fan, gadget lover & flâneur who knows an unhealthy amount about Ian Fleming's James Bond. When not watching or making films he takes pictures, eats, drinks, dives, tries to connect to nature whilst mentally storyboarding the greatest film ever made. He also & sometimes utilises owl-themed gadgets to fight crime. A list of his 133 favourite films can be found here! If you would still like to contact Craig please use any of the buttons below:      |
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