I wish to
thank you sincerely for speaking with me the other day and for agreeing to review
this document. This can be such a skeptical and pessimistic world!
You are the only one of twelve contacts that I’ve made who cared enough to
give me the opportunity to forward this introduction. The lack of faith
and the prejudgment by others has been my greatest obstacle in trying to achieve
my goal. I’m desperately seeking someone to take me seriously, and to hear
and believe in me and in what I have to say.
As I’m sure you’ve already surmised, this is an unusual case - and far more so than
we briefly discussed. I’ll bet to say that when you’ve finished familiarizing
yourself with it that it will be the oddest one to ever come your way.
Of that I have no doubt! LOL! I’ve already done most of the
research so it will not be a time consuming case. Please understand that
I do not perceive this as a negative situation. There is a lot of magic in
"Donnie Darko" and in everyone who created it, as it is a movie about an angel struggling to earn
his wings. I hope to weave you into the magic and intrigue of "Donnie Darko" by having you keep an open mind in the way that we proceed. I wish to proceed
in what I’m sure you will find a highly unorthodox way. There is a method
to my madness, however, which will reveal itself to you the more you familiarize
yourself with the film, those involved, and with supporting documents.
You asked me why I want to create a business partnership with the writer/director
if he stole my ideas. The answer is because he knows me more than anyone
else in the world and he knows of my potential. I don’t believe that he
stole my ideas because he was sleazy, I believe that he stole them because he
was genuinely impressed by them for reasons you will read below. In the film,
the main character is portrayed as both a devil and an enlightened angel who
transcends his physical body. Because the writer/director read my autobiography
he knows I'm also a devil and an enlightened angel who transcends my
physical body. Transcendence is separating ones soul from ones physical body
and is a natural part of the dying process. I acquired this skill as
I lay dying in 1995 after 14 years of battling HIV. Because I was saved by
Protease Inhibitors at the eleventh hour in 1996 I didn’t die - but I maintained
my ability to transcend my physical body. It is not something that goes
away. My transcendent journey is what my autobiography and "Donnie Darko" are about and is why the writer/director found it so compelling.
I have written an eighty five (85) page "Message" to the parties involved
in the production of the film. In this "Message" I formally introduce myself,
explain exactly what has transpired and do my best to convince Mr. Kelly to
admit that my autobiography was the genesis for his films. Also in this
"Message" I express my desire to create the sequel to the film. I have already
written the script and have fully developed the plot. The film is
a seamless transition from "Donnie Darko." I also discuss in this "Message" some ideas I've created that do not currently
exist in "reality." Among them is what I call "The Future of Entertainment."
This entirely new form of entertainment, and its affiliated businesses,
are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The reason that I desire
to have Mr. Kelly validate my claim to the other members of his production team,
and to the investors of his films, is to secure their investment in "The Future
of Entertainment." The financial rewards from the sale of this radical
new form of entertainment will be far greater than any amount that I could
hope to receive from an infringement settlement. If the investors are savvy
business people they will want to exploit my talents and my mind for further
financial gain and I gladly offer it up as such. Some of them will be skeptical
and will be non believers - but all I need is one who believes in me and
in what I have to say. When they know that I am a real and alive person
then they will know of my potential to bring them further wealth.
This entire
movie affair is an unexpected opportunity for me to come out of the closet as a
"perceptual transcendent" and make contact with those who will exploit my talents.
I need to find investors and this is a great opportunity to do so.
I know what I’m capable of - my seemingly daunting task in this skeptical
world is to convince others of what I’m capable of. Up until now I have had
little opportunity to fully exploit my talents as I have spent the past ten
years very sedated and placated! Should you desire to assist me with my efforts
then when I fly out to the west coast I will bring this "Message" and all
related documents discussed in this introduction. I cannot achieve my goal
alone - I need partners in order to actualize it. I know that Mr. Kelly
believes in me and I’m asking you to believe in me as well. After familiarizing
yourself with this introduction you will decide whether or not you desire
to assist me with my efforts. If you decide to do so then in addition
to retaining you as my attorney for these cases, I will invite you to represent
me in every business deal that we make with each party for whatever good or
service we contract, including the sequel to "Donnie Darko" and "The Future of Entertainment." I know how crazy all of this sounds but
I also know of my potential because I know how rare and unusual people like me
are. I didn’t ask for this life and on one hand it has been absolutely effortless,
while on the other hand it has been maddenning!
The next paragraph is
the formal letter that I created for my prospective attorney. It was written
before I spoke with you on the phone. You are the first one that I've
had the privilege of sending it to! Thank you very much for giving me that
opportunity. My contact with you doesn’t just represent the fourteen
years that went into the events that made up my autobiograph, or the four years
that it took me to write it, but my entire life. This is the moment I have
waited for and is why I've survived.
As of 1995, I’d been living with HIV for fourteen
years. I began writing the story of my journey toward death so that it might
help my friends and family with their ultimate trip! I began a new HIV
drug therapy in 1996 which immediately resurrected me from deaths doorstep and
gave me a second chance at life. That sudden, and literal, overnight transformation
from a dying, impotent old man into a young, virile teenager full
of desire was a very enlightening and transcending journey. That experience
motivated me to complete my autobiography which I entitled - "Tiny Little Virus - HIV, Death, Resurrection and the Second Coming." It began as the thoughts of my imminent death but instead became so much more.
"Tiny Little Virus" is a written documentation of the knowledge that I acquired on my journey from life,
toward death, and back into life again. It is my personal experience
of what life is really like on this world when entering it from the other side
of life – the side of death! "Tiny Little Virus" recounted in words all of the physical, emotional, psychological, hormonal, sexual
and spiritual "FEELINGS" that I experienced on that journey. That second
chance at life was quite an epiphany for me. The greater the perfection
that I "felt" on that journey the greater the imperfection I "felt" as well.
Following my resurrection my "task" became to understand and record, in WORD
and EMOTION, the massive spiritual and evolutionary gap between Human’s perfection and our imperfection. My hope was that "Tiny Little Virus" would help others understand their spiritual and evolutionary gap and bridge it
in order to gain control over their lives. "Tiny Little Virus" is about the knowledge I discovered about human behavior on my transcendent journey and is literally my life, death, and rebirth story.
Believing that I’d experienced something quite rare,
I had the synopsis of "Tiny Little Virus" copyrighted in 1996 and the full manuscript copyrighted on October 26, 1998.
Below is a copy of the registration from the Copyright Office and the receipt
for delivery dated October 26, 1998.
On
November
4,
1998
I
forwarded my completed manuscript to Scott Meredith
Literary Agency in New York, NY for critique. Below is a copy of the
attached letter.
In September, 2005 I viewed the film "Donnie Darko - The Director’s Cut," which I know is based upon "Tiny Little Virus." One cannot create a film about a transcendent re birth and convey it through
film as convincingly as Mr. Kelly did unless one lives it personally, or by
reading the honest words of someone who has. When one reads of someone else’s
experiences they "FEEL" the emotions vicariously as if they were their own.
If not for "FEELING" the emotions that others have experienced then how
else are experiences shared?
As has been established, the effective date
of my copyright is October 26, 1998 and on November 4, 1998, I mailed a copy of
"Tiny Little Virus" to Scott Meredith Literary Agency in New York, NY for review of content. In
an interview conducted with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004
he asked Richard Kelly: "Where did the script come from?" He replied by
saying: "I just locked myself in a room for a month and a half and started writing, and
when I was finished, I was, like, whoa . . . Okay. I kind of set out to write
the most elaborate, complicated, ambitious thing that I knew how to write
and then try to get an agent off that. It worked." I believe that Richard Kelly received a copy of "Tiny Little Virus" from someone who was affiliated with Scott Meredith Literary Agency in New York,
NY. In an interview on the DVD extra, that was made after the theatrical
release of "Donnie Darko" in 2001, Richard Kelly is quoted as saying that the script was written "two years ago," which implies in was written in 1999.
In an interview dated July 19, 2002,
Chadwich Clough of scrimpimp.com, asked producer Sean McKittrick when was the
first time he saw the script to "Donnie Darko." He replied by saying: "I believe it was ‘98 - it was the holidays. It was really long but obviously
he was a talent that doesn’t come around very often. So we spent maybe
3, 4, 5 months kind of just streamlining, getting the script perfect, and cutting
like 20 pages out of it and focusing all of his ideas." Mr. McKittrick’s statement corroborates Mr. Kelly’s DVD statement that the
script was written in 1999. That month and a half where Richard Kelly locked
himself in his room corresponds exactly to the length of time when I forwarded
my manuscript to Scott Meredith Literary Agency in New York on November 4,
1998 until Christmas '98 as Sean McKittrick stated.
Mr. Kelly states in
both a printed and DVD interview that the script is composed of details or "dots"
which he connects to create the film. The most relevant "dots" of the
film are also in "Tiny Little Virus." Before the first word is even spoken there are seven (7) "dots" that connect
"Donnie Darko" to "Tiny Little Virus." Altogether, I have documented ninety five (95) "dots" that connect this film
to my autobiography. The film runs for approximately one hundred and thirty
two (132) minutes so there is approximately one "dot" for every eighty seconds
of film. Below are pics of the ninety five (95) "dots."
It
is
my
claim
that
Richard
Kelly
read my autobiography during the month and a half that
he locked himself in his room. There he jotted down the elements, themes
and "dots" from my manuscript that he wanted to use in the film. He modified
my circumstances and my character to create many characters to fit into
what he believed he could sell as his own material and that Hollywood would buy.
When the script was completed it was edited and hocked around Hollywood
for a year by both Mr. Kelly and his producer friend Mr. McKittrick. The
script was finally accepted by Actress Drew Barrymore and her partner Nancy Juvonen
of Flower Films.
There are some very interesting, controversial and provocative topics discussed
in "Tiny Little Virus," not the least of which is the scientific FACT that orgasm cause’s shrinkage, or
contraction, of INAH - 3 (Interstitial Nuclei of the Anterior Hypothalamus) brain
neurons. Neurons are brain nerve cells which transmit both sensory stimuli
and motor impulses from one part of the body to another. The Anterior
Hypothalamus is that part of the brain that regulates body temperature, certain
metabolic processes and other autonomic nervous system activities. The
autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary action and comprises the sympathetic
nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic
nervous system opposes or inhibits the physiological effects of the sympathetic
nervous system and consequently opposes or inhibits the physiological
effects of the autonomic nervous system. This scientific research was conducted
by Dr. Simon Levay and a scientist at the University of California at Berkeley
by the name of S. Marc Breedlove. Dr. Levays work was published in
the August 30, 1991 edition of SCIENCE magazine Vol. 253 pages 1034 - 1037 and
is reprinted below.
Mr.
Breedlove's
research
and
evidence
was
published
in
the
October
23,
1997, edition
of "Nature" magazine and is reprinted below. The studies involved in
this research used both Human and rat INAH 3 brain neurons, but the two species
neurons are reciprocal so what is true for mice is also true for Humans.
The last sentence in this article is the genesis for "Donnie Darko."
Below is an excerpt from "Tiny Little Virus" which discusses the research by both LeVay and Breedlove.
"The comparative results showed no difference in neuron size among the three groups
for either INAH 1, 2, or 4. The size of the INAH 3 neurons, however, were
twice as large in the group of heterosexual men as they were in the group of
homosexual men. The size difference was just as significant when the INAH
3 neurons of the homosexual men who died from AIDS were compared to those from
the six heterosexual men who died from AIDS. From this evidence, clearly
HIV itself did not cause the shrinkage, or dimorphism, to occur to the INAH
3 neurons.
There were several 'exceptions' that occurred during the research where
several heterosexual men had smaller INAH 3 neurons and several homosexual men
had larger ones. This suggests that sexual orientation, in and of itself,
may not be the sole determinant of the size of INAH 3 neurons. In summary,
LeVay’s groundbreaking and controversial research raises the very important
question of whether the reduction in size of the INAH 3 neurons is the cause,
or the consequence of, the individuals sexual orientation, or is it influenced
by some 'third, unidentified variable.'
LeVay’s work on the autopsied brains of homosexual men showed smaller neurons than
those found during the autopsies of heterosexual men’s brains and ignited the
controversy that the structure of homosexual and heterosexual brains were different.
Breedlove’s work disproved LeVay’s hypothesis that the smaller neurons
pre - determined sexual orientation and proved that the AMOUNT of sexual
behavior influences the size of the INAH 3 neurons and not the other way around.
In other words, the reason that gay men’s neurons were smaller was because
they had more sex. The AMOUNT of sex is what causes dimorphism or shrinkage of the INAH 3 neurons and
is LeVay’s "third, unidentified variable." The "exceptions" that appeared in LeVays work where several heterosexual men
had smaller INAH 3 neurons and several homosexual men had larger ones proved
that the former group had more sex and the latter group had less sex. LeVay's
and Breedlove’s research leads us to ask the following questions;
"What are the EFFECTS from the contraction
that
occurs to the INAH 3 neurons
as a result of orgasm?
"How do those EFFECTS influence
WHAT we
THINK, PERCEIVE, BELIEVE and "FEEL"?
How
do those
THOUGHTS, PERCEPTIONS, BELIEFS and "FEELINGS"
INFLUENCE the BEHAVIOR of our species?"
"How does that
INFLUENCE MANIFEST
in our personal lives
and in our collective society?"
The ramifications of all of
that "brain jargon" is that, from a scientific and factual perspective, the contraction
of INAH - 3 neurons opposes or inhibits Human sensory stimuli, motor
impulses, consciousness, perception, empathy, sentience, evolution and our ability
to connect with others, ourselves and the soul within us. Of these the
sentient aspects of our being are be FAR the most inhibited. The definition
of sentient in The American Heritage Dictionary is - "experiencing "FEELING"
or sensation." The inhibition of sensory stimuli, motor impulses, consciousness,
perception, empathy, sentience and evolution because of the contraction
of INAH - 3 neurons due to orgasm is literally, figuratively and scientifically
the biting of the fruit from "The Tree of Knowledge" and Adam and Eve’s subsequent
banishment from the Garden of Eden. The consequences of our "original
sin" is that when one reaches puberty humans become less aware and less
in control because of this brain damage and it’s all downhill from a cognitive,
perceptual, empathetic, sentient, spiritual and evolutionary perspective.
This research proves that the more sex one has, the more brain damage that occurs
and the less aware and in control we are and the less we are capable of "FEELING",
empathizing and LOVING! Not necessarily what any of us wants to hear but it is, nevertheless, scientific fact.
In "Tiny little Virus" I refer to the shrinkage of human INAH 3 brain neurons as "Instinctual Blindness" because sex is an instinctual act innate in all species. In "Tiny Little Virus" I refer to the inhibition of sensory stimuli, motor impulses, consciousness, perception,
empathy, sentience, evolution and our ability to connect with others,
ourselves and the soul within us as the "BEAST." In "Donnie Darko," Mr. Kelly refers to it as "Frank the Bunny Rabbit" because, as he says, "rabbits are always having sex." I acquired this personal
knowledge following my resurrection and my "second puberty" after not being
physically able to have sex in two years. When I was "reborn" all I wanted
to do was have sex! I took my personal knowledge and experience of my
second puberty, with its accompanying brain damage (de - evolutionary process),
and created what I call, "The Human Behavioral Equation" which reads as follows
-
BEAST (Frank) = SEX = ORGASM = INSTINCTUAL BLINDNESS =
ANXIETY, INSECURITY
AND FEAR = OBSESSION =
MORAL, ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL INDIFFERENCE
AND IGNORANCE =
CRISIS OF CONSCIOUSNESS = PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE
DELUSION =
PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE CHAOS =
PERSONAL AND
COLLECTIVE PROBLEMS.
That this
"brain damage" occurs at puberty is not revealed as fact in the film, but at
one point Donnie tells his girlfriend Gretchen, "its complicated, it’s like a force, you know, in your brain, it just sends you some
place, each time I keep waking up farther and farther from my house." In 1988, when the film takes place, the fact that sex causes brain damage was not
known as fact. I’m sure that no one who viewed the film had any idea what
it was really about, except for me, Mr. Kelly and Mr. McKittrick. This
explains why there was so much confusion with the audience who couldn’t figure
out what the film was about. In the DVD interview, Mr. Kelly shares his
script with famed director Francis Ford Coppolla who comments: "The children better save themselves because the parents haven’t a clue!" That brain damage is caused by the amount of sex one has is, in my opinion, the
most profound scientific research since the discovery of DNA.
In "Tiny Little Virus" I discuss that Humans have a counterpart to their BEAST (Frank) which I call "The Universal Natural Phenomenon of GOD." In "Donnie Darko," this counterpart is referred to as "traveling in God’s Channel." Donnie Darko is portrayed as "DELUSIONAL" and his battle between his BEAST, portrayed as "Frank" and his GOD, referred to
as "traveling in God’s Channel," occurs during most of the 132 minutes of the film.
The mascot at the school where "Donne Darko" goes is called "The Mongrel."
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the definition of a
mongrel is "a mixed breed or a cross between one thing and another." In
the film the Mongrel is the cross between my BEAST and "The Universal Natural Phenomenon
of GOD" or Mr. Kelly’s "Frank" and "traveling in "God’s Channel."
During the film, "Donnie Darko's" BEAST (Frank) succumbs to ANXIETY, INSECURITY,
FEAR, OBSESSION, CRISIS OF CONSCIOUSNESS, and DELUSION which creates all kinds
of CHAOS and PROBLEMS. This is exactly what I went through following
my resurrection and my second puberty as documented in "Tiny Little Virus.
On December 10, 1998, I received my evaluation and critique back from Scott
Meredith Literary Agency in New York, N.Y. Below is reprinted the cover sheet
of that critique and between the two PURPLE blocks is discussed The BEAST (Frank) and the main theme of both "Tiny Little Virus" and "Donnie Darko."
Besides
the
battle between the BEAST
(Frank) and GOD (traveling in God’s channel,) the other main theme of "Donnie Darko" and "Tiny Little Virus" is that we both transcend our physical bodies. Other similarities between
"Tiny Little Virus" and "Donnie Darko" are a plane crash, fear of dying alone, therapists, medications, placebos, libido,
Ronald Reagan and the notions of fear and love. In "Tiny Little Virus" I have chapters called "Fear - the essence of HIV," and a chapter called "Love."
In the film the writer/director creates a "Fear - Love Lifeline" that is
a major component of the story. There is a gay self help guru in the film
who preaches this "Fear - Love Lifeline" philosophy. I reveal myself as
a gay man in "Tiny Little Virus" and I preach the same FEAR / LOVE self help philosophy that the fictitious gay self
help guru in the film preaches. I preach that "Fear" is the trait of
our BEAST (Frank) which prevents us from being at one with "The Universal Natural
Phenomenon of GOD, or Mr. Kelly's "traveling in God‘s channel." I also
preach that Love is the trait of our GOD and the only way to be at one with "The
Universal Natural Phenomenon of GOD" or Mr. Kelly’s "traveling in God’s channel."
This ongoing battle between fear and love is a major component of both
"Tiny Little Virus" and "Donnie Darko."
In an interview conducted with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004
he asked Rich: "Where did the script come from?" He replied by saying: "I was living with a bunch of friends in this house in Hermosa Beach serving cappuccinos
at a post production house four days a week - you know, poor, broke and
post-college. Like, now what? So I just locked myself in a room for
a month and a half and started writing, and when I was finished, I was, like,
whoa . . . Okay. I kind of set out to write the most elaborate, complicated,
ambitious thing that I knew how to write and then try to get an agent off
that. It worked. I didn’t know anyone in this town. I still don’t
know anyone, really. I didn't have that many contacts from film school.
One of the producers was a frat buddy from college. He was working
at New Line after college and said the script was good enough that if we stuck
by it, we might luck out and get it made, but that I‘d definitely get an agent
off it. He sent it to three assistants at three of the big agencies.
Assistants at studios know all the assistants at agencies, they‘re the gatekeepers.
The script was read over a weekend. Monday I got a call
and the next day I was at (an agency) and they wanted to sign me. It was
awesome."
That month and a half where Mr. Kelly "locked himself in his room and wrote the most elaborate, complicated, ambitious
thing that he knew how to write" corresponds exactly to the length of time when I forwarded a copy of "Tiny Little Virus" to Scott Meredith Literary Agency in New York on November 4, 1998, until Christmas
1998, as producer, Mr. McKittrick stated.
I have in
my possession forty five reviews and interviews of the film in print and on DVD
by various critics and reviewers. In these interviews, Mr. Kelly is clearly
struggling to explain his film by offering various versions of his intent.
In all there are thirty eight (38) self incriminating, confusing and contradictory
quotes.
In the interview with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com,
dated January 5, 2004, he asks Richard Kelly: "Were you trying to follow the formula and beats of scriptwriting?" Mr. Kelly replied by saying: "Well, I wasn’t aware of, like, Joseph Campbell and the whole mythology of the hero’s
journey. I read that (Christopher) Vogler book ‘The Writers Journey’
after I wrote (this film) and thought, ‘Oh wow, I have a shape shifter and a
mentor figure and a gatekeeper.’ I didn’t plan on it. I think I had
seen so many movies that in my own way I’d adhered to the Campbell formula, which
gave me a little more confidence. I took one screenwriting class in college,
and it was kind of a joke. Screenwriting classes can be dangerous.
You just need to watch a lot of movies."
When asked by Lesley O’Toole at
guardian.co.uk dated October 26, 2002 about the film’s apocalyptic aspect, Rich
replied that he: "always had this obsession about the end of the world which just comes from any reading
of science - fiction. I was obsessed with sci - fi fantasy literature
and also with the superhero mythology of it all. Saving the world became
a theme that seemed necessary to the narrative. And the superhero element,
the time travel element and the apocalyptic element - they had to be in there.
Of course!"
The interview continues
with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004 where he asked: "What inspired the character of Donnie Darko." Mr. Kelly replied by saying: "I set out to create an archetype that was hyperdysfuctional on every level, but
at the same time was a good kid. We’ve explored suburban dysfunction many
times in many films, but I was trying to do it within the structure of a science-fiction
fable."
In
the interview with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004 he says:
"It’s a very ‘written’ movie." Mr. Kelly replied by saying: "Ultimately, that’s why this movie got made. Everyone read it, and I took
every meeting in town, and a lot of people were just like, ‘Listen, this is a great
writing sample, but this movie’s just never getting made. It’s unproducible.’
They were skeptical that I could direct it, and I wouldn’t sell
it unless I could. I knew that I was the only one who really understood
the ideas. To be honest I was more confident in my ability as a director
than as a writer. No one knew that, because I hadn’t directed anything (long)
yet. I just knew it about myself."
The interview
continues with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004 where
he asked Mr. Kelly: "When did the consciousness behind the film develop?" He replied by saying; "Growing up, I read every Stephen King novel, and a lot of Dean Koontz and these
pop horror novelists. I discovered The Twilight Zone when CBS started it
up again in the mid -’80’s. Naturally from the new Twilight Zone I discovered
the old Twilight Zone, which is a big inspiration for me in terms of science
fiction and fantasy and big, gigantic ideas in the context of a half - hour
series. It wasn’t until later that I discovered Philip K. Dick."
The interview continues with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004
where he asked Mr. Kelly: "Where did your awareness of the tenor of (the 1980’s) come from, the reductive
discourse of the self help guru?" He replied by saying: "When I set out to write the movie, to make it a late - 80’s piece, to explore the
Reagan era, I just started thinking, ‘Where was I and what do I remember from
school?’ I actually got into a fight with my gym teacher about the love-and-fear
lifeline, because we had to walk up to the chalkboard and chart where
we were on it. It’s reducing the world to these pop categories. It
pissed me off. It made me very skeptical of the educational system and made
me realize how one generation can mislead the other."
Mr. Kelly goes on to
say: "What’s even more dangerous than the hypocrisy is the person who rebels against it
to the degree that they put people in danger. We’ve seen that happen now
in really horrible ways, people rebelling against the system in horrible ways.
Where did this start? Let’s go back and look at where we got off
course."
The interview
continues with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004 where
he asked: "What is the mystery that the lead character solves?" Mr. Kelly replied by saying; "The mystery he solves is that the world is about to collapse. He sees this
crazy image of this apocalyptic time portal, and in seeing that, he sees that
there is a God, or that there is an order, and that’s why he’s laughing.
He has this great faith now and he accepts what’s going to happen. Or you
could see it as if he thought it was all a dream, and he’s laughing, like, ‘Thank
God it’s all a dream. I’m going to go to bed,’ and doesn’t know the jet
engine is going to fall on him."
The
interview continues with Joe Donnelly of laweekly.com, dated January 5, 2004
where he replied: "I thought the mystery was that he realized that his girlfriend was the one who was
going to die alone, so he rewound everything to give her the opportunity not
to die alone." Mr. Kelly responded by saying: "That’s just as valid and true as my interpretation. When I was going around
trying to sell this movie, I said, ‘He saves the girl. It’s all about saving
the girl.’ That’s easy for a studio executive to get."
In the interview
with Lesley O’Toole at guardian.co.uk dated October 26, 2002, Mr. Kelly
explained the genesis for the film as follows: "I began with this freak event (jet engine crashes into family’s home and (main character)
survives only after being lured to safety by an enigmatic stranger in
a rabbit suit) then, as a sci - fi writer, I tried to figure out how I was
going to solve that mystery. In doing so, the script became a sort of
socio - political black comedy/satire of the end of the 1980’s and the end of the
Reagan era. The jet engine was sort of a metaphor for that - a gong sounding
the end of the 1980’s."
In another interview with Lesley O’Toole at
guardian.co.uk dated October 26, 2002, the reviewer states: "‘Kelly himself describes "Donnie Darko" as ‘indeed a science fiction film (as well
as an 80’s period piece)’ and I have no issue with that description. The
class act of Kelly, though, neither falls into Sci - Fi conceits, nor goes too
far in the setting of the 1980’s."
In a review of "Donnie Darko," by Mark Bourne
of DVD journal.com, dated January 2, 2004, Rich described the film as "Maybe it’s the story of Holden Caulfield, resurrected in 1988 by the spirit of
Philip K. Dick, who was always spinning yarns about schizophrenia and drug abuse
breaking the barriers of space and time. Or it’s a black comedy foreshadowing
the impact of the 1988 presidential election, which is really the best way
to explain it. But first and foremost I wanted the film to be a piece
of social satire that needs to be experienced and digested several times."
In the review of "Donnie
Darko" on DVD journal.com, dated January 2, 2004, Mark Bourne made the following
observations about Rich’s description of the film: "The potentially ‘80’s - dissecting ‘social satire’ is so far in the background that
it’s virtually superfluous . . . Worse, because some seemingly important things
go unexplained, (the film) risks frustrating even it’s savvy Gen X audience.
Claiming that they explain everything that needs to be explained, (the
writer/director) posted his own chapters from a fictitious book central to the
movie, to the impenetrable - I mean challenging. As fan - geek fun as that
is, it strikes against a prime dictum of a filmmaker’s craft - if it ain’t on
the screen it doesn’t exist. No fair hiding important stuff somewhere else.
Whether or not all of (the films) dots completely connect or whether
its fuzzy logic climax works as strongly as it should are questions with wobbly
answers. "Donnie Darko" benefits from a second viewing, so Kelly has either
engineered fodder for stimulating and lively interpretation or else befuddles
by being a bit too enthusiastic about his own ingenuity. His DVD commentary
track with (the main character) fills in some gaps and illuminates some
of his intentions, but still doesn’t fully satisfy anyone hoping to be told what
it’s all about."
In a review of "Donnie Darko," by Tiffany Bradford
of dvdtimes.com, dated September 5, 2002, she stated that Rich was: "inspired in part by an Urban Legend involving a chunk of ice that fell from a jet
engine onto someone’s house killing that occupant while they slept. After
modifying it a bit he created the basis for (the film)." He grew up fascinated
with time travel and gives proper credit to La Jetee and 12 Monkeys for
setting the bar on films dealing with that subject matter."
In another review of "Donnie Darko" on
variety.com, dated January 22, 2001, critic Todd McCarthy observed: "By piling on so many layers of conflict and unclear meaning, Kelly has distanced
the viewer too much from the central character and core subject."
A review
of "Donnie Darko" by Rod Armstrong on reel.com, dated January, 10, 2004 reads
as follows: "(the film) is an everything but the kitchen sink kind of film . . . . Kelly‘s goal
is to expose and satirize the shallow, materialistic society created by the
Reagan era and furthered along by George Bush Sr., but he’s too obvious at some
times and too elliptical at others to achieve his desired result . . . . . There
are other problems with "Donnie Darko" as well. The ‘Frank the Bunny Rabbit’
persona, though appropriately creepy and cryptic, never quite pays off.
Is he (the main character’s) alter ego, a real life person, the President
of the Society for the Proliferation of Wormholes or what? . . . And a subsidiary
plot - line about an old woman who is the author of a book given to (the main
character) is underdeveloped. In the final analysis, there is just too
much going on in (the film) and the script would have needed further honing in
order for (it) to be truly effective."
In an interview
on guardian.co.uk dated October 18, 2002, with Jake Gyllenhaal, the actor
who played Donnie Darko, he stated: "When people ask me ‘What does the ‘Bunny 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 Mr. Kelly’s unconscious and even he has no explanation for it."
(That "Bunny Rabbit" is my BEAST!)
Richard Kelly made the following comments about "Donnie Darko - The Directors
Cut," to Rebecca Murray in an interview on about.com, dated May 27, 2004: "I felt like there were always some plot holes and some moments that might have appeared
like ‘Oh, he’s just trying to confuse us’ or ‘He’s just trying to be weird.’
Where it was like ‘No there was really a point to all this and a logic
behind it." He went on to add: "I also believe that there is a whole
new layer of mystery added that people will respond to. I think it just comes
more out of my love for science fiction, more than anything."
When asked by Rebecca Murray in an interview
on about.com, dated May 27, 2004 if having the three year window between cuts
changed the way Rich sees (the film), he replied: "You know I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the three years have allowed me to calm
down and see the world with more mature eyes, and to look at the world in a
way where I’ve had three years to digest the story and really decide what it means
to me and ultimately what my interpretation of the story is."
(If Mr. Kelly did not know what his story meant to him and
what his interpretation was when he made it three years prior then HOW could
he have possibly made it in the first place?)
Roger Ebert at rogerebert.suntimes.com,
gave the following review of the film: "‘Pay close attention,’ warns the website for (the film) because ‘You could miss
something.’ Damn, I missed it." He goes on to say "the movie remains impenetrable to logical analysis. 'Donnie Darko' adds footnotes
that count down to a deadline, but without explaining the nature of the deadline
or the usefulness of the countdown (I think it comes from an omniscient narrator
who, despite his omniscience, sure does keep a lot to himself. Let
it be said that Kelly‘s film engages us so intriguingly that we desire an explanation.
And there is the case of the wizened old lady who lives down the
street and once wrote a book which hinted or warned or predicted or intuited something
ominous, I think although I have no idea what it might have been."
(I know what it is!)
Roger Ebert continued his review by adding:
"the movie builds twists on top of turns until the plot wheel revolves one time too
many, and we’re left scratching our heads. We don’t demand answers at
the end but we want some kind of closure. My objection was that you couldn‘t
understand the movie, which seemed to have parts on order."
In
a printed interview by Rachel Basse from producer.com, dated March 17, 2005, Sean
McKittrick is asked to explain the film. He replied by stating: "It’s really hard to describe the film because it defies description … I always sound
like an idiot trying to describe it. I always dodge a question like
that by telling people to go see it. Get the DVD and decide for yourself
what it’s about. I’m not smart enough to describe it".
(If the producer isn’t smart enough to explain the film then
how could he possibly have produced it? I'm the only person in the world
who CAN explain this film - from beginning to end!)
In another review of "Donnie
Darko" by Jean Lynch of closeupfilm.com, dated January 5, 2004, Sean McKittrick
says: "Every moment in this story is there for a reason, every little character and every
set piece is there for a reason. There’s not a shot in the film that doesn’t
mean something."
Compare this quote to the previous one where the producer
Mr. McKittrick has no idea how to explain the film and you begin to understand
how easy it is for me to prove my claim.
In an interview with Sean
Axmaker of static multimedia.com, at the World Premiere of "Donnie Darko - the
Directors Cut," at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 29, 2004,
Rich commented: "Sean said to me: ‘I’m producing this movie, you’re directing it. Never let
that go, don’t let them take it away from us. This is our ticket’.
WE were committed to supporting each other."
What in particular made this scrip their "ticket" and why should this movie
be any more of a "ticket" then any other movie they would write?
In another interview posted on richardkelly.net on May 26, 2004, Mr.
McKittrick is referred to as: "Richard's number one partner in crime."
In an interview posted on
richardkelly.net on May 25, 2004, Flower Films producer Nancy Juvonen stated that
Sean McKittrick "always has Richard's back."
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