DONNIE DARKO Playing Midnights this Weekend at The Tivoli

“Some people are just born with tragedy in their blood”

I could be mistaken, but I don’t think DONNIE DARKO played theatrically in St. Louis during its initial 2001 run. I believe it was re-issued a year or two later and played here briefly then and has played midnights once or twice since. It will be showing this weekend (October 11th and 12th) Midnights at the Tivoli as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli film series. DONNIE DARKO is an excellent combination of teen angst, dark comedy, fantasy, and time travel science. The film may address existentialism and free will as part of the human condition, blah blah blah….but mostly, it’s one whacked mind trip!

DONNIE DARKO is the story of an emotionally troubled young man who attends a stereotypical high school. The film opens with an airplane engine crashing into Donnie’s home. Donnie doesn’t die in the crash because he is called out of home by a mysterious giant rabbit. He then experiences visions from the ghostly rabbit that represents the other choice that some god could have chosen for him or that he otherwise avoided. The apparition tells him the world will end at a set time. This occurs because Donnie’s continued life altered the course of time. Donnie unintentionally discovers how this will happen, but it isn’t obvious to either the audience or to Donnie himself. The rabbit’s haunting allows Donnie to know the truth behind actions and intentions. He discovers a child pornographer’s secret and realizes why Smurfit exists. Donnie is also able to see future where people will walk before they do. While this may sound trite, I assure you that it isn’t. He doesn’t see visions, just a celestial, amorphous figure that appears in front of the person. Finally, a wormhole opens over his home and the airplane part from earlier falls on Donnie’s home which kills him. This is what would have happened if the rabbit hadn’t removed him from the home. I’m no theologian, but this film seemingly supports the theory that the divine has a set plan for all of us. Why then would Donnie have survived when the plane originally crashed? It would appear as if Richard Kelly may have had included his own religious views as writer/director of this film.

Jake Gyllenhall does a spectacular job as Donnie. He always has stooped shoulders as one would imagine an emotionally troubled, quasi-depressed person would. His speech appears schizophrenic and conspicuous. Patrick Swayze is shockingly good as the child pornographer, and watch for Maggie Gyllenhall , Drew Barrymore, and Katherine Ross in key roles.

DONNIE DARKO is actually the perfect movie to play at midnights in 2013. The classics (VERTIGO, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S) aren’t pulling in the big crowds, but the 18-25 demographic that is the bulk of the Reel Late at the Tivoli crowd has been showing up for these millennial cult films (MEAN GIRLS, SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD) and a lot of them probably saw DONNIE DARKO on DVD when they were young.

The Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!

The Tivoli’s website can be found HERE

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/st.louis/tivolitheatre.htm