But that is not the pick.  Shocking, I know, because it isn't as though you've already seen the picture of the movie I selected until after you finish reading this sentence.  Surprise, bitches:

Donnie Darko

/drunk

Direção: Richard Kelly

Roteiro: Richard Kelly

Gênero: Comédia/Drama/Ficção Científica

Duração: 144 minutos

Trailer:

Southland Tales é o segundo filme que Richard Kelly, responsável pelo cult Donnie Darko, dirige. Em Cannes, foi muito mais vaiado que aplaudido, e a Sony impôs que o longa tivesse sua duração diminuída. Faz sentido: o filme, que possui mais de duas horas (mesmo após a edição), apresenta uma trama complicada que se desenvolve lentamente e acaba sendo um teste à paciência do espectador. Apenas depois de uma hora os fatos começam a ser mais dinâmicos e as relações entre os inúmeros personagens um pouco claras.

Em 2005 um ataque nuclear destrói parte do Texas e o governo americano passa a intervir na liberdade da população. Três anos depois, Boxer Santaros (The Rock), um famoso ator ligado ao partido republicano, é encontrado no deserto sem memória. Ele passa a viver com a ex-atriz pornô Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar), com quem escreve um roteiro que revela o que acontecerá na realidade futura. Enquanto isso, um grupo revolucionário “neomarxista” tenta acabar com a ditadura através de métodos violentos, e um policial (Seann William Scott) se envolve em uma grande conspiração. Cabe a Abilene (Justin Timberlake), um veterano da guerra do Iraque, narrar de uma perspectiva distante este iminente fim do mundo.

Trata-se, em resumo, de uma crítica aos Estados Unidos pós 11 de setembro em um roteiro totalmente ambicioso e não-funcional. Belicismo e totalitarismo são tratados de forma satírica e jogados no liquidificador junto à indústria pornográfica, viagens no tempo, outras dimensões (lembrou Donnie Darko?), teoria da conspiração, crime e castigo, algumas boas sacadas e uma trilha sonora excelente. O resultado não poderia ser outro: seqüências que hora causam estranhamento, hora irritação, e que, em alguns raros momentos, trazem tomadas surreais que chegam a lembrar David Lynch.

Assim como em seu filme anterior, Kelly utiliza a música como complemento aos diferentes climas vividos no filme, e é justamente quando isso acontece que Southland Tales traz lampejos de genialidade. Justin Timberlake chapado cantando The Killers é algo que vale a pena assistir. Radiohead e Pixies também figuram na trilha, o maior acerto do trabalho.

O elenco duvidoso até surpreende. Os personagens demonstram saber que há algo muito errado nas situações que vivem, e isso acaba sendo muito mais cômico do que as piadas sexuais que têm tanto destaque. Entretanto, a impressão final é mesmo de que a pretensão de fazer uma obra grandiosa subiu a cabeça do diretor, que se perdeu ao tentar reunir todas as idéias que teve. A enorme quantidade de informações confunde e esconde a crítica proposta, e ela passa a ser apenas um pano de fundo para as loucuras bipolares de um megalomaníaco.

A sci-fi film that is funny? A teen film that makes you think? A love story that shocks? A cult film that questions the nature of the universe? Yes, Donnie Darko is not exactly your typical Hollywood film and does not easily fit into any genre. The film had only a small release in 2001 but grew in popularity on DVD and gained a rather large cult following, which prompted a director’s cut release in 2004. It is director/writer Richard Kelly’s film all the way and is quite a delving into the slightly odd thoughts that must be going through his mind. But that little bit off oddity, along with the obvious passion he has, make this film a must see.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular Donnie, we are drawn into the world of this prodigiously intelligent young high school student in the mid eighties who starts experiencing some rather strange hallucinations, involving a giant bunny rabbit that is heralding the end of the world. Still with us? Good. Well after having found out that the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds from this rather specific and oddly disturbing giant bunny rabbit, we follow Donnie as he navigates his way through suburban America and all the trials that a typical teenager encounters. Only Donnie’s world is not typical at all. Sure he deals with problems at school, teenage love and friction with his family but it all occurs in a rather skewed reality where there is a real feeling of impending doom and more than a touch of supernatural weirdness. To go more into the story would only ruin it as the film is best experienced with an open mind and there is real joy in watching this very original narrative unfold.

Jake Gyllenhaal as the ill-fated Donnie is truly a memorable performance. He manages to capture a mergence of rebellion, teen awkwardness, eccentricity and cult hero, all which seems to be encapsulated in the name, Donnie Darko. Gyllenhaal is joined here by a splendid supporting cast who portray a group of characters that are fascinating in the duality of their normality and strangeness. Holmes Osborne and Mary McDonnell as Donnie’s parents are terrific, both genuinely interesting characters who only add to the audience’s understanding of Donnie. Jena Melone as Donnie’s love interest is both sweet and alluring, while Patrick Swayze steps right out of his comfort zone and into Jim Cunningham, a deluded and sleazy self-help guru with much to hide. Noah Wyle, Drew Barrymore, Katharine Ross ,Beth Grant and Maggie Gyllenhaal (real life sister to Jake) round out the cast, and look out for a young Seth Rogen.

An interesting blend of science fiction, humour, drama, teen-love and a touch of sadness, all encased in a dream-like surrounding, at first indicate a project perhaps a touch too ambitious for Richard Kelly’s first major film. But you get the sense that this inexperience is a blessing for the film. Donnie Darko is unhindered by any standard Hollywood parameters that have turned so many modern films into regurgitated clones of everything else. Kelly’s powerful script mixed with his directing style full of sentimental nuance, together with the richly acted characters has created a very unique cinematic experience. Donnie Darko is one of those films that transcends the screen and really connects with the viewer on a deep, emotional level, and stays with you long after the credits have faded to black.

Die vergangenen Zeiten sind schon lange her und inzwischen wartet jede Woche in unserem Leben mit Filmstarts bis zu sieben und mehr Werken auf. Lediglich wenn ein Großkaliber wie Indiana Jones droht, werden die Starts gerne verschoben, aber Filme sind inzwischen vollkommen nach der Nachfrage ausgerichtet. Hin und wieder gibt es sie aber noch, die kleinen Geheimtipps, Filme, die im Auge der Öffentlichkeit untergehen, durch Mundpropaganda oder letztlich auf DVD zu Ruhm aufsteigen. Oft finden sich auch Filme darunter, die von Kritikern, Fans oder beiden schlecht geredet werden, mitunter werden sie auch deswegen erst wirklich interessant. Einen solchen Geheimtipp - zwar nicht schlecht geredet, aber kaum beachtet - lieferte Richard Kelly 2001 mit seinem apokalyptischen Mysterie-Thriller Donnie Darko ab. Inzwischen hat das Werk nicht nur Kultstatus erreicht, sondern auch die Hollywood-Karriere von Newcomer Jake Gyllenhaal begründet, der sich demnächst als Prince of Persia verdingen darf. Regisseur und Autor Kelly selbst wurde hochgelobt, gefeiert und sein nächstes Projekt mit Hochspannung erwartet. Vier Jahre arbeitete Kelly an seinem neuesten Film, der den Titel Southland Tales tragen und als multimediales Konglomerat funktionieren sollte.

Die Vorgeschichte des Filmes würde in ein sechsbändiges Comicheft verpackt, der Film selbst sollte die letzten drei Kapitel der Geschichte beinhalten. Vor zwei Jahren feierte Southland Tales schließlich auf dem Filmfestspielen in Cannes seine Weltpremiere mit einer Laufzeit von 160 Minuten. Anschließend wurde der Film von den Kritikern verrissen, niedergemacht und die Karriere von Kelly quasi ad acta gelegt. Niemand konnte etwas mit den Visionen des jungen Regisseurs anfangen, geschweige denn die erzählte Geschichte ansatzweise begreifen. Doch Kelly ließ sich nicht unterkriegen, schnitt den Film um und änderte seine gesamte Planung des Projektes. Es wurden nicht nur zwanzig Minuten des Filmes zugunsten der Fokussierung auf eine Hauptfigur (Boxer) geschnitten, auch die Vorgeschichte wurde statt in sechs Comicbände der Einfachheit halber in drei Comicausgaben verpackt. Während manche Rezensenten wie das EMPIRE Magazin ihre Meinung anschließend verbesserten, blieb dem deutschen Kinopublikum bis heute eine Sichtung des Filmes verwehrt, auf DVD ist der Film nur im Bundle mit Donnie Darko erhältlich.

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a whimper but with a bang.

Die drei Bände erschienen von Mai 2006 bis Januar 2007 und sind inzwischen auch zusammengefasst im Handel erhältlich. Zwar lässt sich Southland Tales auch ohne die Kenntnis der Comics verfolgen, doch helfen diese einzelne Beziehungen wie die zwischen Roland Taverner und Pilot Abilene besser zu skizzieren und nachzuvollziehen. In Two Roads Diverge wird das Geschehen eingeläutet, so wie es Kelly zu Beginn von seinem Film nacherzählen wird. Der ehemalige Football- und jetzige Filmstar Boxer Santaros wacht in der Wüste von Nevada auf, orientierungs- und erinnerungslos. Zufällig stößt der Spieler und Kriminelle Fortunio Balducci auf Boxer und sammelt diesen auf. Da Fortunio aufgrund von Spielschulden Los Angeles verlassen muss, braucht er ein Visum, um die Grenzen passieren zu können. Hierfür sucht er die ambitionierte Pornodarstellerin Krysta Now auf, die Verbindungen zu Regierungsbeamten hat. Die gesamte Handlung findet hierbei in einer alternativen Zukunft der Vereinigten Staaten des Sommers von 2008 statt. Al Quaeda hat zwei Nuklearwaffen am amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitstag 2005 in Amerika gezündet, ein Ereignis, das als „American Hiroshima“ in Erinnerung blieb.

I took the one less traveled by,

the shadows of the evening sun

Aber es lassen sich durchaus einige Dinge mehr oder weniger identifizieren, so zum Beispiel Utopia Three als das Wasserungeheuer Leviathan und sein Äquivalent Behemoth zu Land (der Megazeppelin). Mit diesem geht letztlich auch der falsche Prophet Boxer unter, gemeinsam mit der Hure Babylon (Krysta Now), dem Antichristen (Baron), sowie seinen Puppen und Marionetten. Was genau mit dem Messias (Roland/Ronald) passiert, bleibt am Ende des Filmes offen, wie auch einige andere Fragen noch ungeklärt sind. Eine von ihnen wäre, wie Roland aus dem Treer Fahrzeug gelangen konnte, während Boxer mit diesem in die Luft gesprengt wurde. Oder wie es den Taverners gelang, beide Exemplare von Roland einzusammeln, nicht aber Boxer, denn die Beteiligung von Fortunio war insofern nicht von Anfang an geplant (siehe Temptation Waits). Vielleicht wird hier jedoch der Director’s Cut, ein Audio-Kommentar oder Bonusmaterial zukünftig noch etwas Licht ins Dunkle bringen. Vielleicht war dies von Kelly aber auch nie beabsichtigt, denn das Tolle an Southland Tales ist, dass der mit jeder Sichtung wächst, man jedes Mal etwas mehr versteht. Mit seinem Donnie Darko–Nachfolger ist Kelly ein außergewöhnlicher Film gelungen, ein satirischer Seitenhieb auf die heutige Gesellschaft und ein äußerst amüsantes und verqueres Zerrbild einer apokalyptischen Vision. Die Reaktionen auf den Film zeigen, dass er beileibe keine einfache Geschichte erzählt, wer sich auf den Film einlässt wird allerdings belohnt.

Florian Lieb

zuerst erschienen bei: Symparanekronemoi

El Festival de cine fantástico más importante de USA, el Fantastic Fest, de los favoritos de directores como Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Guillermo Del Toro, Eli Roth (Hostel) y Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), ha sido el lugar elegido para celebrar la première mundial y en Estados Unidos de SANTOS, donde se proyectará dentro de su Sección Oficial a concurso el sábado 20 de septiembre.

Su estreno en España (antes de que llegue a las salas de cine, el 10 de octubre), será en el Festival de Sitges 2008, en octubre, también a concurso dentro de su Sección Oficial.

Escrita y dirigida por Nicolás López, SANTOS está protagonizada por Javier Gutiérrez, Elsa Pataky, Leonardo Sbaraglia y Guillermo Toledo, y producida por José Manuel Lorenzo y Eduardo Campoy para Boomerang Cine y Telecinco Cinema, en coproducción con Sobras Producciones (Chile), distribuida por Buena Vista.

El Fantastic Fest se celebra en Austin (Texas), ciudad donde también están establecidos los estudios Troublemaker de Robert Rodríguez y Elizabeth Avellán, quienes estuvieron a cargo de gran parte de los efectos visuales de SANTOS.

El prestigioso festival norteamericano ha estado detrás de las premières en USA de IRON MAN y HELLBOY 2, así como de las producciones españolas EL ORFANATO y LOS CRONOCRÍMENES.

Aquí os dejo su tráiler definitivo en español.

Eco-friendly actress Cameron Diaz (What Happens In Vegas) is apparently also animal-friendly. The 35 year old blonde airhead took in an injured lost dog over this weekend, and reunited him with his owner, even going to the trouble of later visiting the pet at the vet's.

Diaz, despite being one of America's highest paid actresses, is believed by many to be one of the least deserving, most untalented, annoying and ugly A-list actress out there, with people nicknaming her "Pizzaface", "Joker smile", or simply "hag", but I on the contrary think she's a knockout and one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood. So, what does that say about me? All I know is I'm glad her heart matches her looks (or according to some people, transcends them).

Cameron Diaz will next be seen alongside James Marsden (27 Dresses) and Frank Langella (Superman Returns) in the science-fiction thriller The Box, written & directed by Richard Kelly (Southland Tales) and based on a short story by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend).

Source

"Ladies und Gentleman, das Ende der Welt. Nicht mit einem Wimmern, sondern mit einem Knall.
Doch eines können wir gewiss sein: Niemand reitet einen Schwanz wie Krysta Now. Und ich meine niemand."

Juli 2008: Nach mehreren Atombomben-Explosionen in Amerika befindet sich die Welt im Krieg. Die USA stehen kurz vor dem Kollaps, fossile Treibstoffe werden knapp. Boxer Santaros ist ein Schauspieler ohne Erinnerung, der scheinbar für die Pornodarstellerin Krysta Now, einigen neomarxistischen Bewegungen sowie einer Abteilung der US-Regierung namens USident von enormer Wichtigkeit ist. Letztendlich geht es um nichts weiter als Zeitreisen und das Ende der Welt...

Wenn der Debut-Film eines Regisseurs unerwartet zum Kult-Film avanciert, sind die Erwartungen natürlich hoch. So ist "Southland Tales" nichts geringeres als das Zweitwerk von "Donnie Darko"-Regisseur Richard Kelly.

Nein, dies ist keine Kritik. Denn auch wenn ich versucht habe, den Inhalt kurz wieder zu geben, es geht einfach nicht. Der Film verlangt nicht nur ein aufmerksames, konzentriertes Zuschauen, sondern vielmehr verlangt er mit Sicherheit auch einen zweiten Blick, und das werde und muss ich glaube ich auch noch nachholen. Ich hätte mit diesem Text natürlich auch noch warten können, bis ich das gemacht habe, um dann meine endgültige Meinung zu schreiben - doch ich gehe lieber den Weg, dies als "First Look" abzustempeln (diesen Text dann auch nicht als offizielle Kritik zu betiteln), dieses dann aber nachzuholen. "Southland Tales" sind 145 min Science Fiction, Fantasy, Drama, Gesellschaftskritik - mit politischen Ansätzen, Umweltaspekten und theologischen Fragen. Dazwischen blitzt noch ein Hauch Komödie und Musical auf - dass dann zusammen mit der komplexen Story zu "verarbeiten" - das habe ich noch nicht getan, werde es aber noch versuchen...

So viele Gedanken mache ich mir zwar relativ selten bei einem Film, doch auch wenn mein erstes Gefühl war "konfuser Ende-der-Welt-Mist der auf den Donnie Darko Zug aufspringen will", so glaube ich dennoch, dass da wohl ein wenig mehr hintersteckt. Der erste Eindruck ist also auch deshalb gut, da Richard Kelly wie schon bei "Donnie Darko" weiß, wie man Filme macht - optisch, technisch, musikalisch wieder einmal vom Feinsten. Das größte Manko allerdings, das ich bis jetzt feststellen konnte: Dwayne „The Rock“ Johnson. Wer auch immer dem Mann erzählt hat, er wäre Schauspieler, ist ein ganz gemeiner Mensch und schamloser Lügner.

Bis zu meiner endgültigen Review (wann auch immer das sein wird) würden mich allerdings eure Meinungen interessieren, falls ihr den Film schon gesehen habt. Oder vielleicht wollt ihr ihn noch sehen, oder vielleicht auch nicht, in beiden Fällen: Warum?

This overly-ambitious movie from the writer-director of Donnie Darko will leave you more puzzled than entertained. Despite an able ensemble cast and a whole lot of unique imagery, ST is simply too much story, too much existential philosophy and ultimately, too much movie. The dream-like near-future narrative presents us with a handful of days' events that eventually lead to the end of the world. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is pretty good as a movie action hero who wakes up in the desert with amnesia. He's taken in and manipulated by Sarah Michelle Gellar's good-hearted porn star with reality-show ambitions (Krystal Now -- great name). He's eventually stricken with the realization that a screenplay he's written with Krystal, about the end of the world, is coming true. His life dramatically intersects with Sean William Scott (playing twins) and Justin Timberlake (our mysterious narrator). Wallace Shawn, Bai Ling, Poltergeist midget, Zelda Rubenstein and Curtis "Booger" Armstrong are members of a science-based end-of-the-world cult who (unlike us) know what's up. Kelly's epic grandeur on display reminded me of P.T. Anderson's Magnolia, but far less coherent and much more surreal. There's a great musical number, a finale aboard a mega-zeplin, and tons of great ideas. Too many in fact and we're left with a collection of visionary moments rather than a movie. Is Southland Tales bad? Not exactly. If nothing else it is an interesting case-study in cinematic philisophical excess. There's enough going on to keep us engaged (even at a 144-minute running time), but when it's over you'll be wondering what in the hell just happened. The outstandingly eccentric collection of actors that make up ST's bizarre ensemble (which earn it an extra half star at least) include Miranda Richardson, Jon Lovitz(!), Mandy Moore, John Larroquette(!), Christopher Lambert(!), Nora Dunn, Cheri Oteri and Amy Poehler. There's a fine line between ambition and pretentiousness and Kelly seems to be walking it carefully. ST never got the wide-release Sony Pictures had originally planned, and that kinda' makes sense. I suspect time will allow ST to be better appreciated much like Terry Gilliam's Brazil, with which it has a great deal in common.
** 1/2

Before appearing in The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up or Superbad, or even showing up as Eager Cameraman in Anchorman, Pineapple Express star Seth Rogen played bully Ricky Danforth in director Richard Kelly's 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko. While Rogen didn't get too much screen time, he was present the first time Donnie and Gretchen spoke, delivering the classy line, "I like your boobs," and was also responsible for throwing Gretchen to the ground moments before she was hit by a car. Not exactly the funniest role ever, but at least it served as a stepping stone for Rogen from his TV roles in "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" to his current streak of feature film success.

The Donnie Darko trailer begins with Drew Barrymore reciting a melodramatic passage from a novel to her English class, which includes Jake Gyllenhaal, or Donnie, and Seth Rogen. From there, it transitions to explaining Jake's fragile mental state and his frequent conversations with a giant, sinister bunny rabbit. After Patrick Swayze makes a brief appearance as a motivational speaker, Jake begins talking about time travel and predestination with Noah Wyle, his science teacher. All in all, the trailer has a very bleak, creepy feel to it, and it's clear that they decided to try to market it as a kind of horror film, even though it's really not. I think it would have helped if they incorporated some clips that show the dark humor that runs throughout the film, and played up the fact that it takes place in the 80s by including some music from the soundtrack. My favorite part of the trailer is when Jake looks into a mirror and sees Frank, the giant rabbit, and creates a ripple in the spacetime continuum when he tries to touch the image. Donnie Darko opened October 28, 2001. Check out the trailer at Zuguide.com.

he was born march 28, 1975 in newport news virginia. before moving to midlothian, va in the early 80's he lived in poquoson, va.

he wrote and directed cult film, donnie darko. also, southland tales with sarah michelle gellar and the rock.

donnie darko is supposed to take place in a "crisp upper-middle-class Virginia suburb."

for more information:

• richard-kelly.net/index.php
• imdb.com/name/nm0446819/
• myspace.com/richardkellyofficial

¿Por qué llevas ese estupido traje de hombre?

Conejo Frank

El Sábado pasado quedamos para obligar a Carlos a ver esta película que tenia pendiente y nos las tuvimos que volver a tragar.

Solo por ver las caras que ponía mientras veía la peli valió la pena.

La película tiene buenas ideas pero esta muy mal desarrollada, en la ultima media hora esta condesado el "argumento".

Momentos "épicos" de la película:

• El enano policía
• Cristopher Lambert apalizado por una lesbiana gorda neo-marxista
• The Rock conversado con al doctora Muriel en la playa. Diciéndole esta que si no se la deja chupar se mete un tiro. Las caras que pone The Rock no tienen precio.
• Te Rock bebiendo cervezas de 6 en 6 y preparándose para pelear.
• La furgoneta voladora
• El barón
• Los coches copulando (esta escena tuvimos que abrile los ojos a Carlos)
• Justim Timbarlake cantando

La entrada original aqui

Frase de la noche: El Bocado del Barón

Nota revisionada: un 4

La pelicula no soporta que la veas una segunda vez hace aguas por todas partes.

It's clear that Kelly has a lot to say about everything, but the movie just gets so rediculous that you can't help but not take it seriously, and that was the point where I started to really enjoy the movie. The plot makes little to no sense, it just sets the pieces in motion in order for Kelly to make his allegory to the Book of Revelations (if you've seen the movie, check out the FAQS on the IMD page, it really adds more depth and layers to this mess). I'm not going to keep dwelling on this because this isn't exactly a review and I can't really recommend this to anyone, but If you've seen and liked Southland Tales, you're definately not alone. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece like some of Kelly's fanboys or even a good film, but I did find it to be an entertaining and ambitious mess...with a pretty  cool soundtrack.

We get this news via /film

"Richard Kelly’s new film The Box finished shooting four plus months ago, and the first test screening is supposedly later this week. So we can probably expect to see the movie in theaters in October, November or December, right? Wrong.

According to Collider, Warner Bros is planning a 2009 release for the Donnie Darko director’s ney’s w sci-fi film. Not only that, but the date they are eyeing is over a year away - September 11th 2009. Why are they interested in a date so far away? And why September 11th? Does the date have anything to do with the plot? Not that I’m aware of. Of course, everything could change if the test screening scores are through the roof."

This does seem a bit strange. But if you think about it, Richard Kelly's films haven't exactly been huge box office successes. It's not like he's had any huge failures (at least not that I'm aware of), but his biggest hit was Donnie Darko which nobody had even heard of until it hit dvd. So my best guess is that Warner Bros wants to find an opening weekend with little competition, so they're gonna sit back and see how things go. But what do I know, that's just a guess.

Herkunft und Jahr: USA 2001

Originaltitel: Donnie Darko

Regie: Richard Kelly

Darsteller: Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Holmes Osborne, ...

Genre: Thriller

Inhalt:

1988, in einer amerikanischen Kleinstadt: Der 16jährige Donnie Darko durchlebt eine schwierige Pubertät und wird von seinen Eltern zu einer Psychiaterin geschickt. Sein imaginärer Freund Frank, ein Mensch in einem Hasenkostüm, warnt ihn eines Tages vor drohendem Unheil und rettet Donnie so vor einem Flugzeugtriebwerk, das in sein Zimmer stürzt. Als Donnie am nächsten Morgen auf dem örtlichen Golfplatz aufwacht, ist eine Zeitfrist auf seinen Arm geschrieben; Was wird in 28 Tagen, 6 Stunden, 42 Minuten und 12 Sekungen geschehen?

Kritik:

"Donnie Darko" ist einfach Kult, obwohl in keiner versteht (oder gerade deswegen). Für das mysteriöse Ende gibt es hunderte an Intepretationen. Auch wenn man das Ende nicht versteht wird man voll und ganz zufriedengestellt. Obwohl während dem Film durchgehend eine düstere Grundstimmung herrscht verursacht er eine gute Laune beim Zuschauer. Richard Kelly hat sich offensichtlich an den Filmen von David Lynch orientiert und das Ergebnis kann sich ohne weiteres mit den Werken des Mystery-Großmeisters messen.

Wertung: 9/10

IMDb

1. Beerfest (2006)

Drunken Lizard's Beerfest details the experiences of two brothers and their friends who travel to Germany to enter an underground beer-drinking competition in order to restore both familial and patriotic glory. Despite the silly premise, the movie is nonetheless an epic adventure story that dutifully moves through each phase of Joseph Campbell's hero's journey. It's also, of course, very, very funny.

2. Hot Rod (2007)

Hot Rod was in the theaters for about five minutes last year and was unfairly criticized for being derivative of every other sports spoof ever made. Sure, Andy Samberg was following a model that anyone who's ever seen a Will Ferrell comedy will be familiar with, but it's the small touches, the strange little nuances that make the delicious dumbness of Rod Kimble's sorry attempts at dare-devilry so funny. Ian McShane (Deadwood's Swedgin) is fantastic as the malevolent stepfather and Chris Parnell is too fucking funny in his bit part.

3. I Think I Love My Wife (2007)

Everyone knows that Chris Rock is hilarious, so why did no one go see I Think I Love My Wife? Well, it could be that the story of an African-American executive who feels constricted by his upper-middle class lifestyle, kids, wife, etc. and daydreams of having sex with lots and lots of other women simply couldn't find it's niche; I Think I Love My Wife is a cult film with no cult. In an interview with the AV Club last year, co-writer Louis CK says that he warned director/writer/star that the film would be a mistake to make. I think he's wrong. Although the film is very much a monoglossic, one-voice escapade--this is Rock's tale, of course--that voice is funny and insightful, and often says things that most married men are apt to feel on a daily basis (but not me, honey!)

4. Crank (2006)

Crank should be taught in film classes. In the most wonderfully stupid plot imaginable, professional assassin Jason Statham (who's made a career out of these kinds of roles, it seems) is injected with a lethal poison. Here's the twist: if his heart rate drops too low, he'll die! For the next 90 minutes, he engages in every kind of adrenaline-jumping escapade imaginable including drinking lots of Red Bull, snorting mounds of cocaine, driving really, really fast, and, uh, fighting all the time. Lots and lots of fighting. In one memorable scene, Statham publicly schtups his annoying girlfriend while a busload of Japanese tourists cheers him on. Why this film didn't win an Oscar, I'll never understand.

5. Southland Tales (2006)

I've already reviewed Southland Tales but it belongs on this list. For all its many, many faults, Richard Kelly's sprawling opus is a weird, sardonic mess of smart satire and goonish toilet humor, the kind of movie that seems to be mocking both itself as well as its audience at every turn. Not everyone will get this movie, but there are some of you out there who will love it even as it bewilders you.

Notevole film d’esordio per Richard Kelly. Atmosfere malinconiche, senso di catastrofe imminente, l’impressione che tutto sia vano: questo film decisamente dark è una delle espressioni più riuscite del malessere di oggi visto dagli occhi degli adolescenti. Donnie Darko ci racconta un mondo dove l’alto è considerato basso, la follia è istituzionalizzata e l’intelligenza bandita, i ragazzi sono educati ad atrofizzare il proprio pensiero, a renderlo lineare, banale. Proprio il mondo in cui Bush spende miliardi per predicare, nelle scuole, l’astinenza sessuale contro l'Aids, ben esemplificato dal preside della scuola di Donnie, che licenzia l’insegnante Drew Barrymore colpevole di seminare l’ombra del dubbio dentro menti destinate alla lobotomia. In questo mondo Donnie va dallo psichiatra e trangugia farmaci: in realtà è solo troppo sveglio, intelligente e vivo rispetto ciò che lo circonda.

Soffocamento e senso di angoscia invadono a più riprese, soprattutto nei rallenty che ritraggono bambini sorridenti saltare su tappeti elastici, o ragazzine che imitano le spice girls: la follia collettiva, come un cancro, cresce. Svagata e priva di pensiero. Per contrasto con Donnie Darko viene in mente un altro bel film sull’adolescenza, Stand by me (1987) di Rob Reiner: opposti sono i destini dei ragazzini di ieri e di quelli di oggi. Se alla fine di Stand by me (ambientato nei primi anni '60) c’era la conquista della vita adulta, della maturità, la possibilità di mettere a fuoco la propria individualità, in Donnie Darko non c’è nulla di tutto ciò. C’è solo dolore e implosione, perché oggi non è più possibile un romanzo di formazione, essendo la libertà individuale l’oggetto più temuto e meno desiderato, quello che, se non si sta attenti, fa diventare pazzi. O ti fa entrare in un buco spazio temporale, o addirittura ti fa morire, tutte tracce che il film prende in considerazione. Un protagonista alla Tim Burton (che un po’ ricorda Johnny Deep di Edward mani di forbice, ma anche la Ryder di Beetlejuice), un tono del racconto che va da Spielberg a Solondz a Lynch, personaggi secondari ispirati ad altri film (come Patrick Swayze che sembra un po' Tom Cruise in Magnolia): la cinefilia del regista è evidente, e lo aiuta a dare solidità al racconto. Nonostante ciò, Donnie Darko non è un film perfetto: la striatura paranormale è irrisolta e poco chiara, alcuni personaggi non sono ben comprensibili. Ma chi se ne importa. Questo è un film coraggioso, che racconta un personaggio forte in un’America avvilente. E dice cose su cui vale la pena di riflettere.

Donnie Darko, di Richard Kelly, Usa, 2001, 108 minuti

Cast: Mary MacDonnel, Jena Malone, Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Patrick Swayze

Uscita: 26 novembre 2004