As this cult classic approaches its 20th anniversary, I revisited Donnie Darko, a story about a teenage boy and good old-fashioned teenage angst (that still holds up today), as well as his mysterious new friend, a six-foot demented bunny named Frank. To summarize, the film centers around Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), described to be a “troubled teenage boy”, who sleepwalks outside one day and sees Frank, tells him that the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. The next day, he returns home and sees that a jet engine crashed into his house, more specifically his room, further implicating that he’s either just seeing things or the world is really ending. One of my favorite parts about how the film plays out is the subtle-yet-not subtle foreshadowing throughout. The best example would be how Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) asks the students who asked him a question to come on stage next to him, and then, later on, we see that he gets arrested for ch...
The Lighthouse By Julia Hunt “Salvation, says he” Those words, paired with the black and white film and somewhat classic cinematography, is what makes Robert Eggers’ sophomore film “The Lighthouse” seem like something from another time (one that might not exist) and placed in your local theatre. History comes naturally to Eggers, having spent so much of his childhood intrigued by the past. This is one, out of the many reasons my sister and I have been enamoured with his two films. What can we say? We love historical accuracy and care. But “The Lighthouse” is so much more than just historical accuracy. It pokes and prods at the what is truly terrifying. Through some of the most impeccably written dialogue and wonderful performances by Willem Dafoe (Thomas) and Robert Pattinson (Winslow), a wonderful cocktail of isolation, hating your boss, and farts make the film one of the most interesting I have yet to see this year. The film’s premise is simple. Winslow, a young m...