Donnie Darko (2001)

  I didn't see this movie when it came out. I was desperately trying to learn Arabic in California. Obviously, my time could have been better spent by watching this movie again and again and again.

It wasn't even on my radar until my cousin told me she had tripped over it on MTV while channel-surfing. According to her, this was definitely my kind of movie. She was so adamant, I bumped it up to the top of my Netflix queue. Thursday was the first available night I had so I threw it on while I waited for my new paramour to arrive.

Disclaimer: I try not to get spoiler-heavy in these reviews because I realize that there are still people who haven't seen stuff no matter how old it is. My cousin has never seen Casablanca, and I worked with two people who had never seen, respectively, The Godfather and Star Wars (the original trilogy). There are spoilers here. So, you know, fair warning.

I really liked this movie. The soundtrack was badass, full of my favorite dark wave 80's fare (which iTunes does not have, much to my dismay). There are tons of actors you'll recognize including Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, and even Seth Rogan as an aspiring rapist.

Jake Gyllenhaal is easily the creepiest thing in this movie. And when there's a six foot tall rabbit with a metal face and human teeth playing opposite you, that's not an easy feat.

The scene where he stabs reality with a cleaver was easily the most disturbing to me.

I found the story compelling for several reasons but mostly because it presents a dark mirror to the warm and fuzzy It's a Wonderful Life. What if you could look into the future and see that the most beneficial impact you could have would be to die? That digs deep into the ego, don't it? Everybody wants to feel special, to feel like they leave a mark on the world, but is it really for the best? And could you take that last sacrificial step? It goes against every instinct. Maybe you'll hate it, but I love movies that make me question myself. For that alone, Donnie Darko is a winner. That and you just can't beat a six-foot metal-faced rabbit costume.