The opening scene of Donnie Darko incorporates Michael Andrew’s “The Killing Moon” with peaceful and mystifying shots to introduce the main character, Donnie, as he discovers he slept-biked to the top of a mountain.…
A psychologist is researching whether men or women are better drivers. To determine this, he decides that he will measure driving ability by examining the number of automobile accidents people have been involved in as a driver. The number of accients is a:…
The movie Donnie Darko by Richard Kelly shows how existential life really is. Donnie Darko was a young boy who was living in a tangent universe. He was reliving his life over and over again until he finally dies the way that was predetermined for him. Frank the rabbit was sent to make sure that he chose the right decision instead of having to repeat in a whole other universe. Donnie experienced the tragedy that happened because he chose not to follow the pre decided path. In the end he made the right choice in order to save the lives of everyone around him. Donnie Darko is an existential movie because it addresses the idea of a tangent universe and how life is predetermined.…
Years of experimentation and discovery later, his artistic eye sharpened, revealing the blink of a multi-dimensional universe. “I was able to train my eye,” Kenny said. “The picture came along…Everybody went nuts.”…
Donnie Darko has always been one of my favorite films, and its sheer originality has inspired many of my own screenplays. It is considered a cult classic and has been the subject of critical acclaim, as well as being widely renowned as an incredible piece of intellectual and thoughtful work. The film’s unique use of form affects and alters its content greatly, and it’s a big part of why the movie is so fantastic.…
Directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich is a comedy –drama film that revolves around the filmic technique of characterization and identity. Craig Schwartz, an unemployed puppeteer, whose wife Lotte does not return his affections, gains a file clerk job in the 7½ floor of a New York office building. Soon enough, in his office, Craig discovers a modern-day rabbit hole, and inside, he gains the ability to experience life through actor John Malkovich’s mind. It’s a surreal, subversive, and wonderfully original premise, the execution of which encourages our minds to ponder how our lives would change if this fantasy element existed. Throughout Being John Malkovich’s later acts, the strange fantastical portal to the mind of Malkovich is explored in a very complex manner; it leads us to question what is right and wrong, our own morals, and life itself. Some viewers may find the whole idea of the film consistently questionable and, though it requires some suspension of disbelief, the execution of the character arcs is beautifully weaved into the narrative. The arc of Craig, especially, undergoes a significant evolution from a…
The movie that I chose is Good Will Hunting. The theories that I was able to recognize at first was the Hypnotherapy. I recall slightly discussing this therapy in class. However, I did some research and it is link to psychotherapy through a hypnotic state which allows people to explore painful thoughts, according to the American Psychological Association. However, Will was not about this type of therapy, I got to say it, Will was extremely smart. I felt that hypnotherapy is not the best way for therapy in his case. There was some Developmental therapy with Sean because he was trying to dig deeper into Will’s childhood. Sean did not do it as let’s talk about your childhood, Sean just through the question there and it worked. The therapy that…
In the film Psycho there are many reoccurring motifs such as birds, mirrors, and voyeurism, which are implemented by Hitchcock and often may be unnoticed by the viewer. Mirrors frequently appear throughout the movie, for example when the bathroom mirror reflects on the money Marion has taken. Probably the most noticed use of mirror is when Marion’s sister sees her reflection in two mirrors and is startled because she thinks someone is behind her. Voyeurism is also a reoccurring motif, not only seeing characters spy on others, but also making the viewer feel like they are also the ones spying. This is seen when Norman, the owner of the hotel, begins to spy on Marion and then the camera view enters the view of Norman causing the viewer to feel like they are also spying on Marion. The most used motif by Hitchcock is reference to birds as the film opens in a bird’s eye view and then enters through an open window. There are also many references to birds in conversations between characters like when Marion is told by Norman she eats like a bird. Norman also has a collection of birds in his parlor the mains ones being an owl and a hawk. The continuous reference to birds placed throughout the film help symbolize life and the aspect of predator and prey. The types of birds seen in Norman’s parlor and more predators which could suggest he is associated with the killer. Hitchcock’s ability to implement various reoccurring motifs throughout his storyline helps suggest a deeper and in depth meaning to the film.…
For it being made in 1960, this film is edited very well. There is perfect transitions into the story and what is going on. It definitely draws you in, whether you like classic movies or not. The editing goes at a slower pace and then builds up as the stabbing starts to happen. The editing creates super suspense. The shot being utilized in this scene is the direct cut. The editing in this clip is quite good. The editing builds up the suspense of the scene just right. The editing creates an illusion in this scene that makes you feel like you are there so you do not fully notice that you are not seeing any nudity or the knife actually stabbing the body. “It is deservedly one of the most…
In Richard Kelly's controversial cult classic, Donnie Darko, the characters are isolated, confused and many are unable to cope with reality. The film presents a potentially disturbing portrait of human existence in terms of a dual reality. The interpersonal relationships displayed in the film are complex and present a disconcerting view on such relations between people. The characters in the film all share this inner confusion and inability to cope, and yet, on the outside, they are all different and appear to be handling their situation in different ways.…
Donnie Darko, released in 2001, did not do well in the box office. The director, Richard Kelly, brought the script to many producers before it landed on Drew Barrymore’s desk, who ended up playing a prominent role in the film. Kelly had a budget of $4.5 million, and on its first release, the movie only made back $515,000. Despite its rough beginnings, Donnie Darko raised one of the biggest cult followings since Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film was originally branded as a science fiction film, but was later categorized as a cult phenomenon. Donnie Darko is the best cult classic film because of its independence, comic absurdity, and mystery.…
The topic I have chosen to discuss is the function and meaning of dreams and dreaming in fantasy texts. Dreaming, in this context, is an implicit representation of the characters ideals and their wants. I believe the function of dreaming in fairy tales to be a temporary escape from ones reality, a reflection of ones true desires, as well as a tool that gives dimension to the characters, while at the same time allowing the reader to better understand the mind of the characters. This is demonstrated with the characters of Cinderella, in the different versions of Cinderella in the classic Fairy Tales, as well as with Isabelle Marie, in Mad Shadows.…
Coppola can be remembered as an auteur in specific for his concepts of self – conscious films that pay homage to the past’s new wave cinema. As Turner discusses, Coppola was fascinated by the idea of a misanthropic man that lives alone and is constantly preoccupied with surveillance, drawing ideas from films like Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up (Turner, 9). This 1996 film centering around a photographer who accidentally photographed a murder, also features the subjectivity of perception and can be traced as the origins of Coppola’s mime reference in the opening shot (Turner, 4). Coppola also borrows sequences from Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) in the sequence where blood is flowing from the toilet (Braudy, 25). Moreover, Coppola adapts the story in Apocalypse Now from Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, and morphs the story’s structure and material to reflect his own experience (Kinder, 13). Kinder agrees that this is a prime example of Coppola’s auteurism as he has the ability to adapt someone else’s story and still let his vision shine through to such a large extent.…
In his movie Jerry Maguire, director Cameron Crowe illustrates how failures and successes are all part of life and if you have love and are happy with your life then you will shirley succeed. It is part of life to experience failure which propels one forward to take risks and make changes to find the answers on how to succeed in lives little games. Jerry Maguire is an inspiring movie based on this theme, demonstrating success and failure with business endeavors, love relationships, friendships and self realization. Relationships between characters in this movie were numerous and were very intense. The relationship between Jerry and Rod Tidwell was initially one of strong control exhibited by Tidwell when he asks Jerry to yell "show me the money!"…
Genres of psychological horror are stories or movies that fall under the view of horror that include a few essential elements: a villain or one seen as evil to create an initial story line. The foil is the next element; a foil is a person who tries to stop the villain from going through with the evil plan or plot.…