Donnie Darko

This was a seminal piece of media for me in my mid to late teens. I think this movie creates atmosphere at the highest level. It's a period piece that really draws you into the setting. The music is really good and the score is very effective. I really enjoy that this movie is eerie, creepy, and odd without buckets of blood and horror set pieces. We mostly just follow Donnie, our autistic, schizophrenic, troubled, confused, superhero protagonist as he comes to terms with being a sacrificial lamb for the universe. It's not a perfect film; some of the dialogue has an unreal quality. I do think most of the performances are quite naturalistic, even in bizarre scenarios. But if you're a stickler for plot and really need to understand what a movie is about, this won't really be your jam. I tend to put story pretty high in my hierarchy of enjoyment of film elements, but this is one to just let wash over you. Some people have taken the time to get to where they feel like they can say, "I know what happens; I know what this is about," but I don't even want to. I enjoy taking away new ideas each time I see it. This will continue to be a late October staple for me going forward.