richard kelly | the m0vie blog

309. Donnie Darko – Halloween 2022 (#—)

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Doctor Bernice Murphy and Joey Keogh, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

So this week, a Halloween treat: Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko.

Donnie Darko is a teenager living a seemingly normal life, but who is prone to sleep walk. The peace and tranquility of suburban existence is disrupted when a mysterious jet engine falls from the sky on to the family house. Donnie finds himself haunted by strange visions and eerie prophecies, with the end of the world seeming to loom just over the horizon.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

Continue reading →

Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: 1980s, bernice murphy, david lynch, donnie darko, eighties, halloween, Jake Gyllenhaal, joey keogh, nostalgia, podcast, richard kelly, suburbia, The 250 | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Box

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Darren

I have an offer to make. If you push the button, two things will happen. First, someone, somewhere in the world, whom you don’t know, will die. Second, you will receive a payment of one million dollars. You have 24 hours.

– “Arlington Stewart”

Such is the premise of The Box, a movie based on a short story by science fiction icon Richard Matheson, but one of the movie’s many problems is that director Richard Kelly apparently doesn’t find that premise interesting enough to sustain his film. That seems inherently pithy, considering that Matheson’s story Button, Button has been adapted for The Twilight Zone and as a radio play for CBS Mystery Theatre – there must have been something there. Instead, Kelly uses the eponymous box as a jumping off point into what can only really be described as “abstractsville”, taking a left at “crazy town”. There are moments in this film which work, but they are few and far between – there are large stretches of time when it is just infuriating.

James Marsden counts up the box office receipts... they aren't good...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: box, button button, cameron diaz, films, frank langella, james marsden, Movies, non-review review, review, richard kelly, the box, the button, twilight zone | 12 Comments »

There’s Something in The Box!

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Darren

The trailer for The Box hit the internet yesterday and I’m… not really impressed. From what looks like an attempt to turn a moral quandary (would you take an action that would kill a stranger for a huge sum of money?) into a brainless action movie to the use of the Saw theme (“Hello Zepp”) as an overture at the end of the movie, it’s striking all the wrong notes. On the other hand, I’m quite taken with what looks to be a sixties-style design, so who knows? Director Richard Kelly can be really good (Donnie Darko) or really terrible (Southland Tales). Pending reviews, this is probably one to rent. Since the fad of remaking has spread to remaking episodes of old television shows, I’m wondering if there are any other anthology episodes that warrant a remake?