Donnie Darko is IMDb's second top movie of the last decade

I think this is worthy of a special emergency post.... IMDb is celebrating its ten years of existence by looking back over its most popular and searched for movies and stars over that decade. With thanks to Deadline, just take a look at the list of the Top 10 Films of the Last Ten Years (judged from the IMDbPro MOVIEmeter ratings).

1. The Dark Knight

2. Donnie Darko
3. Pulp Fiction
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
8. Twilight
9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
10. The Godfather

So, Donnie Darko, one of Jake Gyllenhaal's lowest budgeted of movies, filmed over what is quite possibly the shortest amount of time (under a month), is there at number two on the list. I think Richard Kelly, Jake and Drew Barrymore deserve a congratulatory champagne shower for that. And how good it is to see a Heath Ledger film at the top.

Jake Gyllenhaal gets arty, talks about Richard Kelly and gravity, and a WDW Prehistoric Interlude. Plus more exlusive Berlin pics.

Last Thursday, not content with the Banksy print on his own walls, Jake Gyllenhaal went to have a look at more at the opening of the Art in the Streets exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA last Thursday. A bunch of celebrities were on hand, including Donnie Darko friends Drew Barrymore and Seth Rogen, the latter is photographed with Jake below. Picture thanks to Seth Rogen Online.


Talking of Donnie Darko, during the publicity for Source Code, Jake was asked why he picked Duncan Jones to direct the film and not Richard Kelly, the director of scifi classic Donnie Darko: '“I thought Duncan might not do it because he writes the things he wants to direct, and Richard is the same way,” he says. “Richard is always doing something odd, but Duncan kept coming up to me saying, ‘Make it weirder.’ Maybe Richard’s stuff is already too inherently weird. “As a person, Richard is more mysterious than Duncan. With the press, Duncan is so outgoing, but when he’s on set, he reminds me of Ang Lee. He’s very quiet. He hardly says a thing, and when he does, it’s very simple and specific. You’d think English was his second language, but it’s not. Being British, he’d probably argue it’s our second language.”'


'“Obviously this is entertainment, but I hope there’s a 13-year-old kid who sees this movie and it inspires him to invent something like [the source code],” he says. “It’s weird, wishful thinking. But if I had only had a minute to live, I think I’d call my family and try to have a good laugh. It’s nice to laugh entering and nice to laugh exiting.”'


On London Marathon day, I was interested to here in an interview with the LA Daily News that Jake was distracted by the LA marathon taking place outside the window as he spoke. 'I love endurance athletics'. Jake also talks about how he would like to direct one day: '"I loved playing this role because I love thinking about the audience every step of the way. You feel like you're part of the storytelling process, which is really fun," he said. "I would love to make movies someday, but the acting thing is going pretty well, so I'll stick to that now."'


Jake likes to read books on eastern philosophy and this brings out a comment from Jake which I've heard before, about entering into the dark to watch a film. It's a special time: '"I like the concept that there is sort of relative reality of gravity and that I can't necessarily put my hand through this table," he says, gesturing. "But there are other things at work, like an absolute reality where people do have the ability to walk through walls. It's not outlandish when you see it in the movies, and movies in my opinion are a representation of the unconscious and how we work in a dream state. We go into the dark to watch them."'


This post contains stunning pictures from the Berlin screening on 7 April, with many thanks to Sandra, who sat to my left. It was great to meet you!

A WDW Prehistoric Interlude

It was a beautiful warm Sunday today and so out came the Triumph and off we went into the heart of the beautiful countryside of Hampshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire. After visiting the Iron Age hillfort of Inkpen (we broke down there once so I had the shivers), we headed off to find a pub garden for lunch and came across the village of Ham. Further down the road we came to Eggs. That may or may not be true.



The target for the day was Avebury, a unique Neolithic landscape, more than 6,000 years old, which comprises the largest manmade prehistoric mound in Europe - Silbury Hill (we saw a rat running by - Silbury rat), processional avenues of monoliths, long barrows, barrow upon barrow along the horizon, many covered in trees, the superb henge with its ditch and mound, and the inner circle of massive stones. With sheep. A most lovely day.










Pictures from Seth Rogen Online, the lovely Sandra and WDW.

The PoP DVD will have an extra scene, Donnie Darko perplexes and dressing Jake Gyllenhaal

The Prince of Persia DVD is heading our way in September and we're starting to get the odd hint or two about what we might get on it. At this point, may we all give thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer because 'we always add things that are fun and interesting for you guys to look at'. I certainly wouldn't say no to a lot more fun and interesting Jake Gyllenhaal to look at.


Although Jerry tells us that not too much filming was left over, "There’s actually a scene that we didn’t use, as you’ll see,” says producer Jerry Bruckheimer. “[Director] Mike [Newell] was very economical in his shooting, so there weren’t that many [extra scenes]. But we always add things that are fun and interesting for you guys to look at [for home video].”


'“The chief thing about a Bruckheimer movie is it never stands still, and it’s got all this stuff in it,” Newell says. “It’s got romance, it’s got action, it’s got mystery, it’s got comedy, it’s got dancing, it’s got everything all whirled up into this wonderful kind of entertainment soup. That’s what I thought we should be making.” If anything, Newell was adding layer upon layer to scenes for the movie, not cutting them out. “I was looking at certain things, saying, ‘You know what? I know he’s doing that, but in a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, people never do only one thing at one time. There’s always kind of simultaneous action going on like that, so what else should he be doing?’” Newell says. “It was never a set of rules, and it was never, ‘What would Jerry want?’ It was like making a cowboy movie. This is what happens in cowboy movies.”' Source. (Maybe not all cowboy movies.)


If Avatar is to be re-released with an extra few minutes depicting Na'vi hanky-panky in the woods, then I think the least we deserve for Prince of Persia is a little bit more of the flirtation between Dastan and Tamina and maybe a few more moments of the two trapped in the sandstorm tent. Either that, or the obligatory shower scene that we expect and demand in all Jake's films these days, since having insisted it be written into his contract back in the days of the Brothers shoot. Failing all that, I'd settle for more ostriches. And a commentary. And behind the scenes features. And blooper reel. Not that I'm demanding at all... And the tale of the escaped scorpion at Pinewood - that must merit a feature.


Perplexing film with rabbits

Another of Jake's movies has been in the news today. Readers of LoveFilm have been voting in their thousands to reveal the top 10 most perpexing films ever. While, Vanilla Sky (reasonably perplexing) is at no. 1 and Mulholland Drive (utterly perplexing and completely unfathomable) is at no. 2, Donnie Darko is third. Obviously, after having seen both versions countless times, having read the book, and a large number of perplexing interviews with Jake and Richard Kelly on the movie, I can almost explain it to you - but don't ask me about the rabbit and its relationship to Maggie's boyfriend.


Here is the rest of the perplexing list:
1. Vanilla Sky (2001)
2. Mulholland Drive (2001)
3. Donnie Darko (2001)
4. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
5. Memento (2000)
6. 12 Monkeys (1995)
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
8. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
9. Revolver (2005)
10. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Some are indeed more perplexing than others, while others are about black obelisks in space.

As for Donnie Darko, Jake said (in his foreword to Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko book) 'What is Donnie Darko about? I have no idea, at least not a conscious one...no one - including the man from whose mind it emerged - ever had a simple answer to that question. And that, ironically, is the very thing the film is actually about. There is no single answer to any question.'


A hero's fabric

Clothes on Film published a fascinating interview with Penny Rose, the resourceful designer of the Prince of Persia costumes and it gives us some more insight into Jake's role in determining the shape and fit of his costumes. It's a matter of give and take between designer and actor.


'When it came to Jake’s costume, I found an original piece of Persian embroidery probably seven or eight hundred years old. We used it as inspiration to create his signature coat. It took a week for each one to have the material made. But with all the action, smoke and stunts, it has a great identity to it and you will know it is Dastan in that scene.'


A favourite costume? 'Yes, Dastan’s spiral coat. I was like a terrier, so determined it would have a very special identity. It is the plainest and least leathery but it is quite iconic and Jake loves it, so we are both happy. Before I met Jake, I wanted to use it and felt it was a good hero fabric, but if he hadn’t liked it, I’d have gotten rid of it. It is vital to me that the actor likes what they are wearing and feels comfortable in it.'


'Our clothing is a nod to the games. When I did Evita with Madonna, I made a great point of not seeing the stage play. I wanted to go off on our own little route with no influences. The game in this is obviously what the film is spun from but inspiration is not the word I’d use. But it is a guideline. When you’re working from a video game, the characters are one-dimensional. Although they move within the game, there isn’t any textile flow. So I felt it important to add that to it. With Jake’s leather vest, he wanted it shortened because he felt it would get in his way. I stood my ground on that. When you are moving you need the length and flapping, it looks dramatic. If I’d have shortened it, then he would have been just another guy with long legs on the move.' Much more here and it's well worth the read.


Includes pictures from Disney and IHJ.

Donnie Darko - 'the perfect teen movie'

Another old interview tonight - this time, from the Erie Times back in 2001, it's the time of Donnie Darko and that ever relevant, always constant question of 'Donnie Darko? What's that about then?' While Jake Gyllenhaal makes it clear that no-one on set really had much of an idea, including Donnie himself, when all is said and done, it tells the tale of the reality of life. Sort of. And it's about your typical teen. Sort of.


'Ask actor Jake Gyllenhaal to describe his latest film, "Donnie Darko," and he gets straight to the point. "Every single person who worked on it, including the writer-director himself, has no idea what it's really about -- and that's probably the perfect reason for someone to go and see it," he said. Gyllenhaal, who plays the title character, is only half-joking. "It really is impossible to come up with any neat description that covers all the bases," he adds, "but I think that's its strength. There's so much going on."'


'Donnie, an extremely bright student who has the usual teen-age problems -- with authority, with his parents, with girls -- along with a few highly unusual ones: he sleepwalks, he has hallucinations and he's being followed around by Frank, an eerie, demonic presence. Yet these are the least of his troubles. He's also trying to make sense of the terrifying world around him -- a 1980s reality besotted by pop culture, material excess, fundamentalism, encroaching cynicism, prescription drugs and hypocrisy. "In that sense, I think it's the perfect teen movie," says Gyllenhaal. "It's all about what growing up is really about -- all the delusions and illusions and hallucinations of that whole experience. Can I walk through that wall? Can I time travel? It's about the realization that everything is different from what you've been told it is by your parents, or school or society, and now it's up to you to decide the reality of world around you and how to deal with it."'


'As Donnie begins to explore what it means to still be alive, and then to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a power to alter time and destiny. Or does he? "For me, what's so interesting and appealing about this film is that it's all left ambiguous and open," Gyllenhaal said. "We all actually had a lot of discussions about the nature of time and the possibility of time travel, and when I first met Richard I'd just been reading a lot of philosophy like Plato and Kierkegaard, and also people like Freud and Jung, so it was really on my mind... But as soon as we began filming there was a conscious move away from thinking about anything in intellectual terms," he notes. "And it was the same with my role and trying to get inside the character of Donnie. Once we had the script in shape, it was all instinctual, and I never tried to analyze Donnie. I just went with it, and the material never failed me."'


Jake went where Richard Kelly led: "He was humble, a quality you don't often see in young first-time directors... He was open to changing anything, including lines, to make the film better. In fact we shot a much longer film, but a lot of great stuff had to be cut in the end." The film also features a strong ensemble cast that includes Drew Barrymore as a sensitive English teacher, Katherine Ross as Donnie's therapist, Noah Wyle as his science teacher and Patrick Swayze as a sleazy fundamentalist preacher. "I was just in awe of all these actors and what they did with their roles," adds Gyllenhaal. "The film may be called 'Donnie Darko' and center on my character, but they really root it in the reality of everyday life and family, and that's what makes it work for me. Yes, it deals with some pretty wild ideas, but ultimately it's about how people relate to each other."'


A WDW Interlude

I have two big interests in my life. The first I think you can guess, the second is natural history and the world about us. Today I met a British wildlife photographer and programme maker who has been an inspiration to me for many years. Brits may know Simon King from Spring/Autumn Watch and the Big Cat Diaries but these programmes comprise a fraction of a fascinating life and career behind the lens. It was a thrill for me, so I'm afraid a picture follows.


I thought I'd take a plunge into the tweeting pool. You can find me here and on the sidebar, looking for fellow Jakers to follow.

Includes pictures from IHJ and WDW.

Dining out, drawing Jake and no more Donnie Darkos... EVER

Jake Gyllenhaal is a man with a mission - to continue his Dining with Jake Good Food Guide by dining out at every restaurant in Philadelphia. Last night, Jake and Reese were seen eating with Paul Rudd at the Marathon grill. The menu demonstrates that the cost of a three course meal at the Marathon will buy you a small piece of fruit in Oxford. Here you can see a tiny photo of the diners, showing that the Hat is Back.


Monday night was sushi night and the Hat got another outing. Jake and Reese were seen 'at Morimoto on Chestnut Street. Gyllenhaal kept his hat on through a two-hour meal that started with a beer flight for him and a glass of wine for Witherspoon. Then they went maki-wild, sharing spicy tuna maki, California maki, spicy salmon maki and yellowtail maki before segueing into sake sashimi, hotate sashimi, and saba sashimi. And a side of rice.' It's a well-known and oft-repeated truism that you can never have enough maki. One glance at the website reveals intriguing furniture.

As for tonight - can I recommend fish, chips, mushy peas, a pineapple fritter and a pint of best.

Comic-Con continued

Comic-Con may be over but more details are emerging about the Prince of Persia graphic novel panel: Artist 'Stewart said that he was assured from the beginning by editor Nachie Castro that this book wouldn’t be a typical movie tie-in. “I asked Nachie, ‘Is this going to be micro-managed? Does every drawing have to look like Jake Gyllenhaal?’ He said no. One of things interesting is there are all these different artists with different interpretations. I think that’s cool, it’s going to make it very different than a typical movie tie-in.”'

'He said no'! I shake my head in bewilderment at Disney missing the point - of course every picture should look like Jake Gyllenhaal, and a good 50% should also include a water feature.


The movie itself didn't make much of an appearance at Comic-Con - bar some mini figures and a random ostrich. Disney's Head of Production, Oren Aviv, was asked why: '"Prince of Persia" just didn't have the effects done, so to bring stuff that wasn't quite ready, we just all agreed, "Let's wait until we're ready and then when we've got the stuff, let's show it." I think in both cases [referring also to the Sorcerer's Apprentice], I think your instinct is right is my belief, I think this stuff is so cool, but it's unfinished, so we didn't want to risk showing it here or anywhere else until it's ready."


However, there is much more chance of a showing next month at Disney's Expo D23: 'D23 members will also get advance looks at two spectacular live-action fantasy films from Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films — Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (with Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Atherton) and The Sorcerer's Apprentice (starring Nicolas Cage).'

And finally...

'MTV News got a chance to sit down with Kelly and find whether there is any truth to that. "Absolutely not," he said. "I know nothing about it and I would never have any involvement with any existing or future sequel to 'Donnie Darko' ever—ever!" And to make it absolutely clear, he added: "Never ever ever ever would I be involved with anything like that."

So, is that a no?


Includes pictures from IHJ.

Happy birthday Stephanie!

'I knew Jake was the one' - Easter bunnies, scary rabbits

Whoever thought that the Easter Bunny was a good idea knew very little about rabbits. I'm not too young to fear and dread Monty Python's Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog, and the trauma of Watership Down is not easily forgotten. But when I think of intimidating rabbits, I don't think of Harvey - or even Wallace and Gromit's Were-rabbit, it is Frank, the Six Foot Bunny, that makes me want to keep the light on at night. We had better let Donnie Darko explain:



Fans even today, no doubt, stop Jake Gyllenhaal when he's on his coffee run and, after saying 'You're even hotter in real life than on the telly' ask what that film with the rabbit means. Jake said (in his foreword to Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko book) 'What is Donnie Darko about? I have no idea, at least not a conscious one...no one - including the man from whose mind it emerged - ever had a simple answer to that question. And that, ironically, is the very thing the film is actually about. There is no single answer to any question.'


One of the curiosities about Donnie Darko - and there are countless of those - is it never loses its appeal and it constantly pops up. Gary Jules' version of Mad World was a Christmas No 1 in the UK, a huge hit, and now the song is getting some renewed interest in the US, thanks to its appearance on American Idol. The song, like the film, is a phenomenon:


'That more haunting, slowed-down and melodic version was performed by little-known California singer/songwriter Gary Jules, who recorded the song with his childhood friend and producer Michael Andrews for the "Darko" soundtrack. The tune also appeared on Jules' 2001 indie album Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets. Two years later, the "Mad World" cover started getting played on the radio in England — some say it was Robbie Williams who spun it first during a guest DJ slot; others claim Radiohead's Thom Yorke brought it to light. In December 2003, the song made Jules and Andrews only the sixth American act ever to win the coveted Christmas #1 position on the British charts.'


Director Richard Kelly has said that the film was odd even before filming began: '"It seems there's always been this weird cult awareness of the film... Even before we started shooting, there was already a fan site, which was very bizarre to me. I mean, the script had been passed around by a lot of people, but I had no idea that anyone would be interested in tracking our film. Although," he adds with a laugh, "I think the original fan site maybe had a little more to do with teenage girls who wanted to know about Jake."' Surely not.


In an online chat with fans of the film, Richard Kelly talked about some of the astounding cast that he won over with little promise of booty. Patrick Swayze for example: 'I guess I was very persuasive with this cast. But the screenplay was what ultimately attracted them. Swayze wanted to completely destroy his image, and I think he should be applauded for doing that.' As for Jake: 'Jason Schwarzman was originally attached to the film, but had to drop out because of a scheduling conflict. When I met Jake, I knew he was the one.'


So, if you want your own Frank the Bunny, can you get one? Richard: 'There has been talk of some "Donnie Darko" toys which, to me, is completely insane. But as of yet, no one has manufactured a replica of the costume. I'd imagine it would be quite expensive.' Well, that's what Richard thinks...


Although, I'm kind of sad to say, that this particular rabbit has come a cropper and is no more. There is now no escape from the needle-and-threat option if you want your own Frank costume. But you can buy, courtesy of Amazon, 12" and 7" figures of Frank, the larger of which speaks or whispers: 'Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?; I can show you the way; Wake up, Donnie; I can do anything I want. So can you; Don't worry... you got away with it; They're in great danger; Do you believe in time travel?' Eerily, Amazon is suggesting that the smaller figure be bought with your very own Hannibal Lecter toy- just what you want for the bedside table. You could get one of these for your bedroom wall instead.



I think I'll wait for the lifesize Prince of Persia model... Happy Easter to all those who celebrate and Happy Holidays to everyone! Here are some treats from me.



Includes pictures from IHJ and links.

Rabbit-centred movies - making sense on some level

Jake is not the only Gyllenhaal to have recorded the narrative for an animated tale - you can also listen to Maggie tell the tale of the Voyage to the Bunny Planet. This describes the spacefaring adventures of three young bunnies (and is told in a manner that is unsuitable for under 6 year olds). As I get ready to leave the magical world of Walt Disney, which features a whole array of big and floppy eared creatures, it doesn't take much to make the leap to Jake's own experience of rabbits, the six-footed kind.


It has become clear to me over the years that Donnie Darko is not about rabbits, or about many other things that one can relate to from everyday life. You have to look at it in a certain way... Jake agrees '"I'm a firm believer of the unconscious being the teller of some truth, and I feel Richard wrote the script very unconsciously," Gyllenhaal said. The issues that Donnie Darko confronts are "metaphors for things in [Kelly's] life .... They obviously resonate with him in a pretty intense way .... I mean, there must be some stuff going on in Richard Kelly's mind."' There must indeed.


The film is a special one, not least because noone can understand it. Pieces of it speak to pieces in us all, leading to hours of discussion over a pint in the pub or to letters to filmmakers or questions to actors in the street: '"Drew [Barrymore] and I consider 'Donnie Darko' our most satisfying producing experience not because of what it did at the box office, but because of the personal letters and words people have shared with us regarding how much the film has meant to them. Knowing how affecting an experience is to the individual filmgoer makes it a true accomplishment," said Nancy Juvonen of Flower Films."' The cult film became such a success it was reworked and reissued (although don't get me started on what they did to the soundtrack...).


Seth Rogen had a part in Donnie Darko. He was proud of it, he just didn't get it: 'So I was there a lot. And I really had no idea what the movie was about! I didn’t get it at all! And I remember being at a party with the director (Richard Kelly) about halfway through shooting, and I was really drunk, and so was he, and I was just, like, “Dude, I don’t get it, man!” And he was, like, “I don’t think anyone’s gonna get it, man! I’m really scared!” It turned out great; I think it was just beyond me...and still is, to some degree! But it definitely makes sense on a much greater level now. It’s amazing. I knew it seemed good; I just didn’t understand why it was good. It just seemed like something interesting. It’s really funny to me that that turned into this huge cult thing, and that people in England are grafitti-ing “Donnie Darko” on walls. It’s great. I couldn’t be happier for Jake (Gyllenhaal) and Richard Kelly; those guys are great guys. I’m glad I was there to watch it, even though I had no clue what I was watching at the time!'


Being at the heart of the movie, as he was, it's best to leave it to Jake to describe what the film meant: 'When I read the script I was in college studying eastern religions - Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, basically - and the issues in the movie were metaphysically similar to things I was thinking about at the time.. That half-conscious state when dreams feel completely real is fascinating to me. At the end of the film, you ask: is it a dream or isn't it? Is this a dream that we're living now? Those questions are really interesting because the unconscious hasn't really been explored yet. People think there's not much more to discover, but there is - there's this fourth dimension, or whatever it is.'


'When people ask me, 'What does the rabbit mean?' I say, don't ask me, and don't ask anyone else involved, because we have no fucking idea. It's something out of the director Richard Kelly's unconscious and even he has no explanation for it. To me, the film is about that initial entry into what could be adulthood, when everything loses its context and all of a sudden nothing feels solid. The rabbit and the spears coming out of people's chests are almost literal manifestations of those questions everyone asks at a certain point: am I crazy? Does God exist? I was asking myself those questions when I was growing up.'


Glad that's sorted that out.

Jake did give another, more farmyard, reason for taking on the role: 'Since I was a little kid I always wanted to act, and because of family friends such as Billy Crystal, I started acting in small parts in movies like "City Slickers" in 5th grade. I was the cow... That's what drew me to a rabbit-centered movie like Donnie.'



I was very interested to read of director Richard Kelly's future collaborative dreams: 'I would love to write something for David Fincher. I’m angered that he hasn’t won an Oscar yet. My goal is to somehow help David Fincher win an Oscar before he turns 45. I would love to collaborate with him, I would love to collaborate with Terry Gilliam, and I would love to collaborate with Peter Weir. The list goes on and on and on and on.'


Includes pictures from IHJ and links.