Film
A lot of people must be worrying about Donnie Darko. Primarily, they are going to be members of the film's marketing team. Taking the big cigar from his mouth and shifting a little in his bathtub full of gold (hey, I know what studio officials get up to: I read The Morning Star), the head of distribution rifles through a report from his minions, which notes the film's similarities to everything from Harvey to Halloween, and despairs of finding any unifying thread. The report concludes with the following recommendation: "Perhaps file under 'cult'?"
The marketing man will settle back and ring for another bucket of caviar, safe in the knowledge that his pay check should be covered by Terminator 3: he might even get enough for another golf course. He has other people to review the thing for him.
However, this is a cop-out, and ignores the fact that Donnie Darko is an excellent film. It is exciting, interesting, funny, scary, has some moving scenes about two thirds of the way through, and is really well acted, especially by the Scrabble-surnamed Jake Gyllenhaal as the eponymous hero, who manages, with the aid of moody lighting, to be effectively deranged.
If you need some extra background, and won't go to see the film just on my say-so (so choosy), then here goes. Gyllenhaal is teenager Darko, probably a paranoid schizophrenic, as his shrink diagnoses late on in the film. This allows the director, Richard Kelly, to spend the majority of the film refusing to allow anyone in the audience to distinguish between daytime hallucination and so-called real life.
Both are as weird as each other, anyhow. Donnie's hallucinations involve the destructive companionship of a six-foot tall rabbit-like creature called Frank, who is the manifestation of the voices in Donnie's head. 'Real life' in Donnie's small-town high school existence contains such grubby details as a scarily sexualised prepubescent dance troupe and a school monopolised by the cult (in the Waco rather than the marginal sense) teachings of a motivational guru, played by Patrick Swayze, whose face is so fixed and tanned that any reasonably house-proud person would, upon seeing him, immediately reach for the furniture polish.
If there is any slight problem with the film, it lies in the script. Not that it isn't funny, or coherent, or anything like that. Tongue-tied on first meeting his lurve interest, Gretchen, (Jena Malone) Donnie grabs at any conversational straws he can: "Yeah, we had to move here because my mother's ex-boyfriend has mental problems" - "Oh, really, me too! What kind?"
However, in a film which deals with some interesting ideas, there must be some better way to introduce them than having Donnie approach his physics teacher and say "So, tell me about time travel"; maybe that's just me.
The film will probably be filed under 'cult' anyway, and get stuck onto the late-night circuit, which is why it makes sense to see it now, when it is being shown at a reasonable time.
Sending a soppy English Literature student to review a film about love and literary discovery was never a great idea. However, this excellent film cannot fail to delight even the most hardened cynic.
It helps that the exceedingly good-looking Aaron Eckhart stars as spontaneous American research scholar of Victorian Poetry, Roland (a brilliant adaptation of Byatt's meek British original). He stumbles upon evidence that fictional Victorian poet laureate ''Randolph Henry Ash' (Jeremy Northam), famed for love poems to hs wife, may have had an illicit affair with fellow poet 'Christobel La Motte' (Jennifer Ehle. This revelation would indeed 'change history', and Roland appeals to La Motte expert, Dr Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow) to share his literary espionage.
The juxtaposition of original romance and modern re-enactment cannot help but to enthral even a Scientist! Admittedly, the initial attraction between Maud and Roland is entirely predictable, but the romance never becomes formulaic - and this film is as much a study into the depth and darker side to love, as it is a celebration of it.
Possession contains many genuinely funny moments, as well as engrossing romance (Aaron Eckhart tearing off his shirt before diving into a river nearly equalling the standard set by the classic Mr Darcy), and the beautiful backdrop of our beloved Blighty will surely have American viewers reaching for their holiday brochures. But above all, the thirst for knowledge - both of the self and of the past - consumes this film with a magnetic ardour. Literary research has never been so sexy.
Dir: Roger Michell; Starring: Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Toni Colette, William Hurt
Recovering alcoholic (Jackson) and hot-shot lawyer (Affleck) tear each other's lives apart in this unravellingly edgy drama.
RELEASED: 1st November
Dir: Don Boyd; Starring: Richard Harris, Lynn Redgrave
Dividing up his docklands-empire, the late great Richard Harris shines as the Merseyside godfather in this modern-day King Lear.
RELEASED: 1st November
Dir: Christopher Nolan; Starring: Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, Robin Williams
Sleepless detective (Pacino) hunts the murderer of a dead girl under the icy glare of Alaskan sunshine in this cold, disturbing thriller.
SHOWING: UPP 1st November
31st Oct 2002