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Reviews
Donnie Darko (2001)
Too many questions, too few answers
Being a college student in Virginia when Donnie Darko was released, I heard about how marvelous it was from every pretentious and self-aggrandizing intellectual I knew. But when even my close friends said it was a great film, I made it a Blockbuster night and watched it one summer evening. After certain scenes, I would skip back and watch them again, to make sure I grasped all of the themes going on in the film. And there are A LOT of things going on in this movie, too many, in fact, to make a clear statement about any of them. This is writer/director Richard Kelly's biggest mistake.
First of all, I didn't like Jake Gyllenhaal in this movie. He seemed to be weird for the sake of being weird, and his character lacked motivation to do anything short of acting on impulses. I suppose that was the point of his psychological problems, but I was more disappointed in Gyllenhaal's portrayal than the actual content of the character of Donnie. The rest of the cast did a serviceable job, Mary McDonnell and Holmes Osborne did a great job as Donnie's parents, but the roles played by Patrick Swayze and Drew Barrymore seem somewhat transparent; they are unimportant parts given weight by the actors' fame. I did like Noah Wyle as one of the professors who tries to relate to Donnie.
What the film tries to do, and succeeds on a certain level, is dissect middle-class life in the suburbs of Virginia. Growing up here, I can tell you that some of the elements to this movie hit very close to home. I would have loved for Kelly to cut out some of the external things going on in the film, and really focus on Donnie, his relationship with Gretchen, and what was going on with Frank and Grandma Death. But he tries to do too much, tackle it all at once, and squeeze it into 100 minutes. Everything gets attention; wealth, religion, middle-class society, youth and innocence, the nature of man, even the Washington Redskins. But what does 'Sparkle Motion' have to do with what's going on with Donnie? What does Jim Cunningham have to do with Donnie? There are some good moments including Jim, but it's just another thing to muddle the picture.
This movie is original, and thought-provoking, and that is always a good thing. But the actual content of the film lacks a direction or an edge that really makes it great. I'd be interested to see what Kelly's future projects are like. But as for 'Donnie Darko,' it's just not a complete film in my mind. If you can set aside the cult hype and accept that it's not the greatest film of all-time, you will definitely take something away from it.
5/10
Loser (2000)
The title says it all...
Although Amy Heckerling (director of "Clueless", "Fast Times at Ridgemont High") tries to create another teen pop film, "Loser" is shallow and boring. The script leaves a lot to be desired, which is most evident in the ending sequence between Jason Biggs ("American Pie") and Mena Suvari ("American Beauty"). Both actors give a lackluster performance, riddled with clichés and stereotypes. Greg Kinnear ("As Good As It Gets") does a fair job, which seems god-like in comparison to Biggs, Suvari, and the rest of the cast. The trio of Thomas Sadoski, Zak Orth, and Jimmi Simpson, who play Biggs' college dormmates, form one of the worst groups of characters in recent film history. Their senseless mockery of Biggs' character borders on the ridiculous. Cameos from Andy Dick ("NewsRadio") and David Spade ("SNL", "Tommy Boy") were entertaining, but were quickly lost in the abyss of stale plot lines and bad acting. The saving grace of this film is the soundtrack, which features some of the year's best like Wheatus' "Teenage Dirtbag" and SR-71's "Right Now".
3/10
Boogie Nights (1997)
Overrated, overrated, overrated...
Except for a few bright spots, Boogie Nights was a total bust. Mark Wahlberg proved his total lack of talent in this film by completely over-acting most of his scenes. Julianne Moore and John C. Reilly proved to be extremely annoying, and I had no compassion for any of the characters. One of the scenes that put the icing on the cake is with Don Cheadle in the donut shop. The whole thing seemed to have this Hollywood fakeness that, in my experience, is unparalleled. The savior of this film was Burt Reynolds, whose portrayal of the film maker Jack Horner was exceptional. Other than Reynolds' performance, and for the guys, Heather Graham's presence, this film is not worth the trouble.
Oz (1997)
The best show on television. Period.
OZ brings to life the concept of creating a working, positive society in prison. Em City, the main arena the show takes place in, is a state-of-the-art cell system in which Tim McManus experiments with programs to rehabilitate hardened criminals. The best part of the show is the power struggle, the politics, and the workings of the different groups in Em City. And there is no one better at manipulating it than Ryan O'Reilly. Watch the show, and you'll understand. If you don't get HBO, I suggest getting it for a month, watching OZ regularly, and trying to cancel. You won't be able to after you meet Adebisi, O'Reilly, Beecher, and the other thugs of the Ozwald Correctional Facility.