Donnie Darko - B+

On DVD (Released 2001). Rated R, 118 minutes.

Movies with demonic bunnies aren't my favorite, generally speaking. Donnie Darko, however, was interesting and different enough for me to make an exception. Written and directed by Richard Kelly (this was his debut, he has gone on to make Domino and Southland Tales), this is a hard-core indie that only a small sliver of people will enjoy.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Donnie Darko, a brilliant but disturbed 16 year old in suburban Virginia. The film tracks the month of October, 1988 in his life. He is heavily medicated by his therapist and given no direction by his smart but oblivious parents. In his subconscious, he is visited by a demonic bunny named Frank, who coaxes him to do several destructive things that disrupt the town. He is obsessed with time travel and is too smart for his school and the other kids around him. All of the things he does at Frank's behest end up being part of a grand plan to correct a time/space issue that you won't figure out when you watch it.

The best parts of the movie are the mystery that is difficult to unravel (impossible without visiting http://ruinedeye.com/cd/) and Donnie's dialogue. He gets the tone perfect when rightly questioning the simple-mindedness of his teachers and a self-improvement coach (played by...Patrick Swayze). This is a really interesting and dark movie, with shades of The Shining, Heathers, and Blue Velvet. Bonus...Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) as one of the bullies.