Boondock Donnie/Darko Saints
Look. Here's what I'm saying. Donnie Darko and The Boondock Saints are two mediocre movies that people treat like the second coming. They achieve "cult" status the likes of movies such as A Clockwork Orange, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Brazil, Eraserhead, etc. There is a difference between "cult" films the and "fanboydom" some of us possess for things such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Joss Whedon, etc. The difference is that "cult" films challenge the norms, they aren't overwhelmingly popular, this is because they are too "weird" for most people to handle, yet there is a small group of people who get them, or at least pretend to, and become part of the films "cult" following.
Problem with Boondock Darko/Donnie Saints:
Person - Donnie Darko is my favorite movie of all time.
Me - Really? When did you see it?
Person - Yesterday. I rented it on DVD and watched it last night. Now it is my all time favorite movie.
This happens all the time. Lack of hindsight. Lack of proper film vocabulary, and the memory of a gold fish. Same thing happened with The Matrix. It's like you're in love with Shiny Thing A entirely... Shiny Thing B catches your eye, and BOOM! It's all over. Shiny Thing A becomes a distant memory, Shiny Thing B is all you can think about. Movies, as do all things, take time before we can step out of the cloud of excitement, and look back and decide if it was as amazing as we thought it was, or if it is just pretty good.
Person - Donnie Darko blew my mind man!
Person is obviously high right now and must not of had much of a mind to be blown. Anyway, Donnie Darko is an ok film, I kinda like it, you could think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and that's your own (uneducated) opinion. Good for you. The Boondock Saints has a few things ok about it, but it's no where near as sadistic and violent as people think it is. Wow! He shoots a cat. Well Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) kills a homeless person then kills his little dog with his shiny polished designer shoes. Alex de Large (A Clockwork Orange) ties up and beats the shit out of an old man, then rapes his wife in front of him. Point being, "cult" films are "cult" because they aren't universally acceptable. Donnie Darko and The Boondock Saints is spoon fed art, and is very accessible and easily understood, but it can make you feel like it's risky, unique, controversial, etc. Really though, most mainstream Armageddon lovin' movie goers are going to "get it." Realize, this isn't an attack against these movies... I'm pretty indifferent, they're so-so, nothing to get worked up about, my problem is that people worship them, and pretend like it's a secret, when they most definitely are not. I'm going to throw Napoleon Dynamite in there while I'm at it.
posted by Kevin Lewis | 5:02 PM
12 Comments:
You honestly knew everything that was happening in Darko the first time you watched it? Every little piece of the puzzle? I'd believe it if you saw the Director's Cut first, because that puts everything into plain English, but the theatrical version, not so much.
And your problem isn't with the films, it's with the people. People that aren't as film literate as you, and don't care to be. I charge you with elitism. There is nothing wrong with proclaiming that Captain Ron is your favorite movie of all time. It tells people that you have crap taste, but there's nothing wrong with it.
I probably should have read all the way through. Oh well. Live and learn. I don't think anybody's treating these like a secret. Since the vast majority of people still haven't seen either flick, you are going to run into people and have to go "have you seen that? Not a lot of people have. It's good though."
My brain totally crapped out on me, so feel free to kill either of these posts.
Touché. Who are you?
It is I......The Green Goblin. Or Alex. One of the two. Only one person has come in and gotten a movie tonight, so my brain is completely mush. And such. Blarh.
Alex... Alas! The question is this... does either Donnie Darko, or The Boondock Saints deserve "cult" status? Or should we reserve it for films that aren't as "accessible" (Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, etc.), such as A Clockwork Orange, Rocky Horror, etc.? If so or not why? Write something long enough and I'll just publish it as it's own article... or write something small, succint, righteous, etc.
Roy roy roy... just doesn't understand. Just think, we've been learning english for 22 years now, and that's a long time.
Cult is a word, usually it applies to religion (very small ones), but now in our modern world it applies to films, and is a part of film vocabulary. "Cult films," what does that mean? I definitely don't think every cult movie is good, some are very bad indeed, but I'm trying to define them as movies that 1. Challenge norms (aren't generally accepted by society), 2. Have a following (a small one, because what's a cult many members? A religion.), and 3. They cannot be new films, otherwise it's just a fad. In example, Donnie Darko, The Boondock Saints, Napoleon Dynamite, three easily consumable films, seen by most frat boys as being edgy, non-mainstream (but which are actually a main tributary to the "mainstream"), and it gives them a sense of purpose and makes them feel good about themselves. Congratulations, ignorance is bliss. Enjoy it Roy.
I meant... (a small one, because what's a cult with many members? A religion.)
So new films can't be cult because their too new, a potential fad. Isn't this because DVD has given films a faster afterlife (rather than the midnight screenings that went on for years at a time for films like Eraserhead and Rocky Horror)? More people can see more films more faster (or quickly if you must) than they used to, cult or not.
And I knew you'd toss out frat boys sooner or later.
Only as a reference to your earlier comment.
Sure sure. I still think we should have walked down Greek Row blood vomiting on everybody. Wait. I am possibly coming up for Halloween.......
Plus I am in need of an editor. "their" instead of "they're". What was I thinking?
This movie might not deserve cult status exactly, but it is good that stupid people are watching semi-good movies and maybe movies like this will let them watch movies outside of the box, plus now it is ok to kill people if you are killing them for a good reason???
Roy, you are sir, a fine cheese. That pretty much says it all.
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