10 Accidental Masterpieces From Otherwise Bad Directors
5. Donnie Darko Richard Kelly
Donnie Darko is a film that is a mix of genres: part comedy, part sc-fi, part teen drama, part horror and many parts something else. It deals with some very complicated ideas of time travel and tangent universes juxtaposed against the awkwardness of being in high-school. In theory, this film has no right being as good as it is but director Richard Kelly is able to mesh all the ingredients and bake a very palatable and very unique film that gets better upon multiple viewings. It was a slow burn with audiences, eventually becoming a popular cult film that sparked a horrible sequel and a chance for Kelly to write and direct again. That film was Southland Tales: a horribly cluttered, self-indulgent mess that showed that the writer/director couldn't make up his mind on what kind of film he wanted to make. The interesting thing is that both Donnie Darko and Southland Tales share some similar themes such as time travel and spirituality. While able to successfully combine genres with Donnie Darko, lightning didn't strike twice for Kelly. Kelly has since directed a film called The Box. Heard of it? Possibly, you think? Exactly.
My name is Alejandro.
I answer to Alex, Al the pal, Uncle and various other pet names. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and currently live in San Diego, Ca. Being a native Southern Californian, I have been spoiled by good weather, beautiful women , celebrity sightings and diverse culture.
I have a season pass to Disneyland and despite this, I still consider it to be the happiest place on earth.
I am an avid film geek and gamer. There are many reports of expletives omitting from beyond my bedroom door during marathon sessions of Call Of Duty.
I spend a lot of my free time writing, playing/producing music and playing bass in a 90's cover band called The Big Lewinsky (www.facebook.com/thebiglewinskyband).
I also enjoy iphone-ography with my 4- in-1 Ollo clip and gorilla tripod along with the countless apps available for photo editing.
My favorite films of all-time (currently) are The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, The Exorcist and anything by Stanley Kubrick, except Barry Lyndon...and maybe Lolita.
