«
»
Editorials

PONDERING ’80s PANTERA AND DONNIE DARKO

 Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 11:00am by

I’m socially retarded when it comes to film. Ask Axl. I’ll be at a social gathering and people will be laughing at some funny line in a legendary movie and I’ll just have no idea what’s going on and look around awkwardly. When I admit that I haven’t seen said movie people just stare at me in shock. It’s actually a pretty fun game to play (for everyone but me); ask Vince if he’s seen any particular very famous movie from the past 30 years, and 9 times out of 10 the answer is going to be “no.” If I were to make a list of movies people told me “oh my God, you HAVE to see this!” I’d have to lock myself in the Mansion for several months in a row. It’s not that I don’t like movies; I guess I just always chose to fill my time with other things [metal, baseball].

Fortunately MetalGF is in the same boat as me — though admittedly to not as severe a degree — so it works out well when we want to get a movie from Netflix to scratch off the list. The latest was Donnie Darko, a film lots of folks has said is an absolute must-see. It was enjoyable. I might use the words “pretty good” (not in a Larry David way) to describe it. As a fan of L O S T, I found the time-travel theoretical element particularly interesting. But neither MetalGF or I really saw what the big fuss is about. Definitely not a movie I’d say “OMG!!! See this movie right away!!!” as opposed to how I felt after… let’s say The Wrestler.

What do you guys all think about Donnie Darko? What am I missing? Enjoy the glam-era Pantera track “Proud to be Loud” from the film’s soundtrack as you ponder.

-VN

Tags: , ,
  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-John-Crispen/100000169530540 Jason John Crispen

    i own it, i enjoy it. still not 100% sure what the hell is going on in it. i think it’s a lot like LOST in that it’ll make you say “sure I know, what’s going on, but maybe YOU should tell me what you think is going on…”

    • pornstar

      I didn’t get what the two bad guys were doing in grandma death’s cellar.
      That’s bullshit, I didn’t like that part, it spoiled everything.

  • therealmetalmatt

    I’m in the same boat you are Vince with regards to the movie. It’s good but I don’t think it’s amazing that many people make it out to be.

    The Wrestler on the other hand, was fantastic

    • nuke

      Donie Darko sucks.
      The Wrestler sucks.
      I hate those intellectual movies that don’t mean shit.
      My favorite movie of all time is Iron Eagle, you gotta watch it cause it’s fuckin A.

      • CARLTRON300

        As far as “intellectual” movies go, the wrestler was pretty good, most “intellectual” films don’t have someone stapling dollar bills to their fore heads then passing out in the dressing room from steroid abuse.

        • nuke

          the wrestler sucks cause there is not even a good fight in it.
          if you wanna watch good fights with blood and broken bones and shit you gotta watch Bloodsport cause it’s fucking A as far as blood and fights and broken teeth is concerned

          • major

            you’re too fuckin stupid to have an opinion

          • Igottawocket

            yeah, your an idiot, and thats fuckin A.

          • Slaughterhouse

            Bloodsport is the shit! But one of the best fight movies is “Fight Club”….Movies are like music…all based on opinion

          • nuke

            no, Fight Club kinda sucks too cause Brad Pitt can’t fight for real. He’s acting not fighting.
            If you wanna watch real fights with real blood and shit you gotta watch Bloodsport cause Van Damme is a real fighter. You can see it on the screen when he hit some dudes it’s for real, no bullshit !

            I hate those pussies that dig Donnie Darcko and shit and brag about it like “look how clever I am, I watched Donnie Darko last nite and then I listened to Gojira cause I’m an intellectual guy I’m clever and shit”.
            Pussies !

          • Sammy

            nuke, how high is the lift kit on your pickup truck (to further make up for your insecurities)?

          • bearbomb

            Reading your posts makes me dumber than about 30 Van Damme blows to the head. Fuckin A.

          • nuke

            you’re the dumb one cause you don’t even realize that Van Damme would never ever have to blow some fucker like 30 times cause one single blow would be enough to knock anybody out.
            No, truss me ,what makes you dumb is proberly watching Donnie Darcko too many fucken times and listening to that Gojira bullshit whining about saving them fucking whales and shit.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Brady/5027798 Michael Brady

            Successful troll is successful!

          • Kyle Heath

            ^This.

          • http://evilsausage.livejournal.com/ Evil

            So anyone who’s smarter than you is a pussy, that about right? I’m thinking that’s gonna include about 98% of the human race. Dipshit.

      • Hammer_Smashed_Hurtt

        Dude you’re Dumb as fuck, but you win like GANGBUSTERS for droppin Iron Eagle! NO ONE in this post saw that coming.

        As for fight scenes theres only ONE true fight scene;

        Keith David Vs Roddy Piper

        They Live.

        End of Fucking story.

  • NoNameNoSlogan

    One of my favorite films…I would suggest watching the directors cut. Although I wouldn’t suggest watching Donnie Darko to someone who is completely ignorant when it comes to film. There are probably a 100 movies you should watch before you get to Donnie Darko.

    • Vakarm

      i didn’t like thge idrector’s cut. They keep on showing random passages of the Book and it makes it more confusing for nothing. i prefer the original because there is a lot more mystery, we keep on asking whats in the book but we never know

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-John-Crispen/100000169530540 Jason John Crispen

        and they changed some of the music, which was a bummer. “under the milky way” was a killer way to start the movie. not that “never tear us apart” isn’t good.

    • Igottawocket

      I don’t like the director’s cut, it just lays everything out for you.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bobby-Tims/1313713879 Bobby Tims

    I’m a film major : 3

  • Vakarm

    it’s a really good movie to get a mind-fuck to. I enjoy those kind of movies. But if you want my advice, don’t get the “extended director’s cut”: the original is better

  • You Don’t Know Me

    I didn’t like it. It didn’t live up to all of the hype around it and it’s so boring that it almost put me to sleep.

  • Zoker

    I’m in your same situation Vince… except I’ve seen a lot of semi-obscure or low level movies instead of those cult movies that people like to quote… as for Donnie Darko, I’ve never seen it…

  • bearbomb

    Not bad, but incredibly overrated IMO.

    • Genial Gentile

      This x 10.

      • yetzer hara

        put it in the same category as “requiem for a dream.”

  • Austin

    Overall I’d have to say that I prefer this 80s Pantera which I’ve never heard before to Donnie Darko. I was alright, but this tune is great! One thing metal needs more of is fun.

    • Austin

      Modern metal, I should say.

  • http://www.hibernum.net hibernum

    I’m pretty much the same way with movies. Whenever someone says have you seen this movie and I say no, I always tell them “I’ll put it on my Netflix queue”. Hahaha, that means I am not watching your stupid movie so shutup. It works too, they usually shut up about it. You should try it Vince.

  • HolyShitBalls

    I could’ve watched this a while ago and passed but I might watch it some time in the future.
    You like baseball? What a boring (wussy) sport to like.

  • http://www.theatomicbombaudition.com Aleezy

    I loved this movie but I was quite a bit younger when it came out. It’s kind of a sleepy suburban take on “The Matrix” if you can imagine that having an appeal (that movie was still quite fresh in mind at the time). Also helps if you were into mysticism and Philip K. Dick and if you’ve personally entertained any of the ideas in this film.

  • bearbomb

    In better movie news, I finally got to see The Hurt Locker the other day. Highly recommended. And I’m someone who generally doesn’t like war movies.

    • Genial Gentile

      I really enjoyed it too, although I thought the ending wrapped up a little too quickly.
      I also really liked The Assassination of Jesse James despite it being really slow in parts.
      Jeremy Renner has turned out to be a pretty talented actor.

      • bearbomb

        Yeah, I thought the ending was also a bit on the cheesy side in contrast to the rest of the movie. Not sure it deserves best picture, but Bigelow should definitely get best director.

  • Vince

    Donnie Darko is a good movie b/c it involves human sacrifice for others and also some element of anti establishment. The butterfly effect is about the same (minus establishment part), but DD is a little creepier. If you want to talk intellectual movies rent I heart Huckabees. If your dumb and dont use your brain much dont see the movie, you wont get it anyway. But since this is a metal site and most metal people are intelligent, yall should see it. One could base their own worldview around that movie, plus its got great actors.

    • Steph

      But the Butterfly Effect is awful.

      • Igottawocket

        second.

  • Sammy

    This is a metal site. Large, creepy Easter bunnies are metal. And I think whoever above said baseball is a wussy sport should have to bat left handed against Randy Johnson in his prime. Yes, that is a shitstain you’d find running down your leg.

    • Genial Gentile

      Ha! The unit was no joke!

  • Igottawocket

    Donnie Darko is so good I think becuase it makes you think. I love it because what everyone who sees it walks away with can be something completely different. It fucks with your brain and everyone has a different opinion about it. Few movies can do that.

  • Gecko

    I dug this movie. That’s the film dork in me. I’ve seen way too many movies, and I still have a huge list of things to see. But side note on this one…Seth Rogen’s first film. There’s some trivia for you. Yay!

  • Deucemon

    Right with you on Metal, and Baseball huge dork for both. Question is does that include fantasy baseball, and or actually playing in a league?

    • http://www.metalsucks.net Vince Neilstein

      Nah, just being a sad and lonely Mets fan.

      • Deucemon

        Eeesh the Mets, rough offseason, hopefully Beltran comes back healthy for the whole season.

      • http://evilsausage.livejournal.com/ Evil

        This is a year we have to suffer through in order to get a new management who will start rebuilding the team next year. Chin up, Vince, it won’t last forever.

  • gauche

    i dig Donnie Darko. i also really dig The Nines with Ryan Reynolds. he was surprisingly fantastic in it. anyone else see it?

  • Bicro

    Donnie Darko is the shit.

    Pantera is the shit.

  • Octillus

    Sure loved it when I was 15. It hasn’t aged that well over the last 8 years.

    • DT

      Totally agree. I used to hype this movie when I was in High school. Last time I watched it, I ended up turning it off half way through. Although Patrick Swayze (RIP) is timeless.

  • boob

    yeah, everyone told me that i would love that movie, so I finally got around to seeing and it was probably too built up…. it just didn’t pull me in in any big way

    but, neat story, ok actors, certainly not a bad movie in any way

  • Daniel N.

    I’m quite a big cinema guy. Anyone from Antonioni to Lynch I can enjoy and I can safely admit without feeling anything like a snob that I can’t really enjoy any type of mainstream film without feeling a greater sense of moronic guilt.

    Having said that, Donnie Darko works in several ways. For one it captures the cynical and uneasy mood around that time when 9/11 happened. It’s nto so much the story that I care for in films but the execution. Cinematically, Richard Kelly is known for creating a great sense of mood and atmosphere, from use of slow motion shots to lingering shots to juxtaposition of music to scenes that the music doesn’t necessarily mirror – thus creating this new element or emotion in our minds. He’s greatly influenced by David Lynch in this sense and you can see it better in his follow up film ‘Southland Tales’ which has been received as a mess but I think is an underrated gem which will be better understood in maybe ten or fifteen years.

    • nuke

      Yeah sure, slow motion shots to lingering shots to blah blah blah that’s the point that’s what make a good intlectual flick nobody will ever watch but some hot shots fron New York !
      You talk about this and that without knowing shit, you’re bragging about your cinematically bullshit from Harvard and I’m pretty sure that you ain’t even seen Iron Eagle.

      • Daniel N.

        Giterrr done!

      • wordMCface

        nuke MASTERSON me and my retarded uncle love iron eagle, bro that hellfire bomb/aka napalm, fucked that runwayUP

  • http://corduroymountain.blogspot.com/ Peter

    I never understood the hate for pre-CFH Pantera. Their Power Metal album sounds more like Judas Priest than any hair-metal band. Give those early records new artwork, and I think most people would change their opinions.

  • http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r143/damageddeathdoll/145881009_l1.jpg B6!

    Oh the misery of that game! Same thing happens to me, everyone says ” YOU HAVEN’T SEEN __________?”

    As for Donnie Darko, I do have to agree that The Wrestler was a more enjoyable watch.

  • DustintheWind

    Must see movies…..

    Fight Club
    A Clockwork Orange
    Dumb and Dumber
    Snatch
    Forrest Gump
    Point Break
    Inglourios Basterds
    District 9
    The Usual Suspects
    The Dark Knight
    Boondock Saints
    Blazing Saddles
    Zoolander

  • wordMCface

    bro, the mets suck, except for hojo and kevin mcreynolds who i have met(he is from arkansas and is a total redneck metalface turkey killing squirrel blasting magnum mAn) all time greatest movie PREDATOR hands down tr0ll that nuke “the mans losin it, hes losin his cooool”

  • http://www.myspace.com/stonecuttersky Cliff

    People told me the same thing and after finally watching it… fuck that movie.

  • http://evilsausage.livejournal.com/ Evil

    Awesome movie. I loved it. Course I also loved The Wrestler.

  • Mitchell

    Vince, we’re pretty much the same. Except mine (might) go [baseball, metal] …really not sure what order