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22 December 2023
Welcome to the first installment of Darby’s DVD Stash. We start this new section off with an older title, but it\'s a movie that may have fallen through the cracks. And here’s the best part: it just recently had a price cut from $29.99 to $11.99, making it a must have DVD. Donnie Darko is a kick-ass movie that keeps its audience on its toes. This movie has it all: throwbacks to the \'80s, the ending of a generation, a teenage boy discovering the world, time travel, and 6-foot bunny named Frank. Confused? Don’t worry, it will all make sense by the end. One thing’s for sure: Harvey doesn’t have shit on Frank the Bunny. As far as DVDs go, this one is packed. There are over ten hours of extra materials on this disc.
COMMENTARIES:
- Commentary Track #1: Featuring Writer/Director Richard Kelly and Jake Gyllenhall - With a movie like Donnie Darko, it’s nice to have the chance to see where the filmmaker was coming from. The film is so open to interpretation, that getting some insight to the writer/director’s initial idea of the story is great. The best part of this commentary is that Richard Kelly doesn’t really give all the answers. He just gives you an idea of where he was coming from when he wrote it. As a side note, Jake Gyllenhall does a killer Christopher Walken impression while describing what he thinks it would be like if Christopher Walken had played Frank the Bunny.
- Commentary Track #2: Featuring Writer/Director Richard Kelly, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Katharine Ross, James Duval, Producer Sean McKittrick, and Nancy Juvonen - This commentary has more of a laid back, hanging with the cast, kind of feel to it. The cast and crew share their views of the film and its meaning. This commentary is a little more chaotic at times, but still adds to the understanding of the film. At times everyone is talking over each other, and it tends to give you a headache. But the insight to their memories of making the film are worth it.
DELETED SCENES:
- 20 Deleted/Extended Scenes: Each with optional commentary by Writer/Director Richard Kelley - Most of these deleted scenes don’t really add anything to the film, which is probably why they were cut. Actually, they add too much. One of the extended scenes is the first meeting between Donnie and Frank. I’m truly glad they cut this scene down, because it really gave away too much information of the story much too early in the film. There were some scenes, however, that I did wish had stayed in the film. I think the father and son scene was nice; it gave Eddie Darko more of a connection to Donnie.
MAKING-OF FEATURETTES:
- None
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- “Cunning Visions” Infomercials - Patrick Swayze plays Jim Cunningham, a motivational speaker that has a series of books and infomercials. These are the videos for those infomercials. These are hysterically funny. If you haven’t seen the film yet, it’s better if you watch these after you’ve seen the movie. There is also an unbelievably funny commentary by Cunning Visions CEO, Linda Connie and director Fabian Van Patten. It’s things like this that make a great DVD. The fact that they would take the time to record a fake commentary just for the DVD should say it all. This section also has the covers of Jim Cunningham’s books.
- The Philosophy of Time Travel - This is the book that Donnie is reading in the film. This just adds some reality to the world of Donnie Darko. I love when DVDs add shit like this.
- Donnie Darko Website Gallery - A collection of items from the website. There are FBI files on the mysterious jet engine, police records of Donnie’s first fire, and the Middlesex Times Dispatch, which give us some insight into what happens to some of the characters after the movie. I went to the website when the movie first came out, and it was unbelievable! It had all this backstory, and you had to answer questions to proceed to the next level of the investigation. It was great. I’m glad to see it archived here.
- The Soundtrack - A copy of the liner notes to the CD. It is a reflection of director Richard Kelly’s memories of working with composer Michael Andrews.
MUSIC VIDEOS:
- “Mad World” Performed by Gary Jules - Richard Kelly directs the video that features scenes from the movie.
TRAILERS:
- Donnie Darko Theatrical Trailer
- Five TV Spots
PRODUCTION STILLS:
- Production Stills of Cast & Crew
- Concept Art - A look some of the great artwork of the film, from logos of Middlesex, to poster designs.
EASTER EGGS:
There is one Easter Egg on the DVD, and it is on the Cunning Visions page. Go to Cunning Visions, then press the button onto the Special Features section. Don’t select Special Features; just press the right arrow key. An icon will now be highlighted. Press select, and you will be taken to the Cunning Visions Website.
TECHNICAL FEATURES:
- Anamorphic Widescreen (Aspect Ratio 2.35:1)
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
OVERALL DVD RATING: 9.8
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
COMMENTARIES:
- Commentary Track #1: Featuring Writer/Director Richard Kelly and Jake Gyllenhall - With a movie like Donnie Darko, it’s nice to have the chance to see where the filmmaker was coming from. The film is so open to interpretation, that getting some insight to the writer/director’s initial idea of the story is great. The best part of this commentary is that Richard Kelly doesn’t really give all the answers. He just gives you an idea of where he was coming from when he wrote it. As a side note, Jake Gyllenhall does a killer Christopher Walken impression while describing what he thinks it would be like if Christopher Walken had played Frank the Bunny.
- Commentary Track #2: Featuring Writer/Director Richard Kelly, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Katharine Ross, James Duval, Producer Sean McKittrick, and Nancy Juvonen - This commentary has more of a laid back, hanging with the cast, kind of feel to it. The cast and crew share their views of the film and its meaning. This commentary is a little more chaotic at times, but still adds to the understanding of the film. At times everyone is talking over each other, and it tends to give you a headache. But the insight to their memories of making the film are worth it.
DELETED SCENES:
- 20 Deleted/Extended Scenes: Each with optional commentary by Writer/Director Richard Kelley - Most of these deleted scenes don’t really add anything to the film, which is probably why they were cut. Actually, they add too much. One of the extended scenes is the first meeting between Donnie and Frank. I’m truly glad they cut this scene down, because it really gave away too much information of the story much too early in the film. There were some scenes, however, that I did wish had stayed in the film. I think the father and son scene was nice; it gave Eddie Darko more of a connection to Donnie.
MAKING-OF FEATURETTES:
- None
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- “Cunning Visions” Infomercials - Patrick Swayze plays Jim Cunningham, a motivational speaker that has a series of books and infomercials. These are the videos for those infomercials. These are hysterically funny. If you haven’t seen the film yet, it’s better if you watch these after you’ve seen the movie. There is also an unbelievably funny commentary by Cunning Visions CEO, Linda Connie and director Fabian Van Patten. It’s things like this that make a great DVD. The fact that they would take the time to record a fake commentary just for the DVD should say it all. This section also has the covers of Jim Cunningham’s books.
- The Philosophy of Time Travel - This is the book that Donnie is reading in the film. This just adds some reality to the world of Donnie Darko. I love when DVDs add shit like this.
- Donnie Darko Website Gallery - A collection of items from the website. There are FBI files on the mysterious jet engine, police records of Donnie’s first fire, and the Middlesex Times Dispatch, which give us some insight into what happens to some of the characters after the movie. I went to the website when the movie first came out, and it was unbelievable! It had all this backstory, and you had to answer questions to proceed to the next level of the investigation. It was great. I’m glad to see it archived here.
- The Soundtrack - A copy of the liner notes to the CD. It is a reflection of director Richard Kelly’s memories of working with composer Michael Andrews.
MUSIC VIDEOS:
- “Mad World” Performed by Gary Jules - Richard Kelly directs the video that features scenes from the movie.
TRAILERS:
- Donnie Darko Theatrical Trailer
- Five TV Spots
PRODUCTION STILLS:
- Production Stills of Cast & Crew
- Concept Art - A look some of the great artwork of the film, from logos of Middlesex, to poster designs.
EASTER EGGS:
There is one Easter Egg on the DVD, and it is on the Cunning Visions page. Go to Cunning Visions, then press the button onto the Special Features section. Don’t select Special Features; just press the right arrow key. An icon will now be highlighted. Press select, and you will be taken to the Cunning Visions Website.
TECHNICAL FEATURES:
- Anamorphic Widescreen (Aspect Ratio 2.35:1)
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Surround, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
OVERALL DVD RATING: 9.8
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
artid
1217
Old Image
5_7_dvd.jpg
issue
vol 5 - issue 07 (mar 2003)
section
entertainmental