has anyone seen this? several reviews say its good but you know how some reviews go....

I just got a review copy for my site yesterday. Ill post a review probably next week.

One thing to think about is that it was supposed to be a theatrical release but with the subject matter after 9/11 they made it a straight to video.

The previous poster is either misinformed or writing in a farcical manner!

I saw it in the theater.

Nonsense. It definitely was shown in the theaters.

A very few theaters in select cities. It did not have a full theatrical release by any means.

And yes, the release was truncated by the events of September 11th. After that, a movie about airplane parts falling from the sky didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.

Unless you're getting a great preorder deal, rent first.

I thought it a very promising debut, but what do I know.

But getting a subsequent limited theatrical release is different from "straight to video". It WAS shown in theaters, and any insinuations that it wasn't is nonsense.

Perhaps adding the qualifier "practically straight to video" would be sufficient?

It's playing theatrically in Kansas City as we speak. I saw it twice last weekend.

cheers, Tony Block

To be honest with you; I was indeed misinformed. Im indeed sorry about my post. Thanks for the heads up everyone.

I don't even know about "practically." It played on 58 screens in the United States. That may not seem like much, but it's more than, say, Larry Clark's Bully, which played on 20 screens last summer but which no one would intimate was a straight-to-video release.

If anybody's interested, here's our review of the Darko disc.

Bill C
filmfreakcentral.net

I highly recommend DONNIE DARKO. Fresh, inventive, clever
and well executed. It's a shame that this film never received
the theatrical run that it so richly deserved.

Hopefully on DVD, DONNIE DARKO will acquire the audience
that it was so unjustly robbed of during its limited theatrical run.

Check it out, it's like nothing that you've ever seen before.
It's a real treat.

Here's my review of Donnie Darko

Damn, this is a great movie...

Jesus, how stupid is that?!?

Well, you've all convinced me. This has become a definite pick up, eventhough I've never seen it (with Say Anything, and Sexy Beast this is my third blind pick up in as many weeks)

Instead of some endless posts debating whether is was in the theaters or not how about some more reviews? It sounds like something I would love but would like to get some other feedback on what you think before I but it blindside.

Thanks!

See my post for my review.

The movie is incredible...

I put this movie in my top 10 of the year. Never got to catch it in the theater (I'm not even sure it played around me), but I'm so glad I had preordered it. Wasn't sure what to expect, and after seeing it last night, I'm still trying to figure it out. Gotta watch it again tonight. Very spooky film! Great performances by everyone involved. Patrick Swayze was perfect in the role of the "inspirational speaker" and the confrontation between him and Donnie in the auditorium was classic!

The disc was excellent as well. Good job, Fox! When I went to check out the deleted scenes, I thought there were only the four that were shown on the menu screen, but then I noticed the numbers at the bottom, indicating 20 in total! Wow, pretty good stuff in there.

after all the glowing reviews on here and elsewhere I picked this up..I just got through watching and must say that this movie sucked big time...this is the fastest Ive ever dumped a dvd on Ebay..I cared nothing for any of the characters here and the whole strangeness of the film seemd forced an put on...was this guy trying to make a David Lynch film? Lynch does it a whole lot better

Films like this are, if anything, NOT to everyone's taste.

My advice was to "rent first," but I hope you get most of your money back.

I dont normally rent as I find that I can sell a used dvd on ebay and get all if not most of my money back-certainly more than the 5 bucks it would cost to rent..I normally like these type of movies but this one was a mess

Alright. Donnie Darko. I bought the DVD based on recommendations from some people in the David Lynch circle. I just finished watching it and...it's not bad.

It's not a "great" film. The build up to the end is fantastic, very tight, very eerie. It's the end of the film that is a big let down. Many characters seem to have no role whatsoever in the grand scheme of things. Certain characters seem forced. But...it's not a bad ending. 90% of the film is very good...it's that last little bit that leaves you saying, "Oh come on!"

I do recommend it though, certainly not anything like a Lynch film. Once the ending is revealed the audience will understand that it is a completely normal film.

On the contrary, most of the characters do serve as "messengers" of some sort, and are pivotal in the scheme of Donnie's discoveries.

I guess you've never sat through the awful nightmare known as "Lost Highway"