Magnavox DVD/VCR Dual Deck, MWD2206

  • Plays these formats: DVD, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/-RW, MP-3, video tapes
  • Component video output
  • S-video output for improved picture quality
  • Front audio/video input jacks; fast hookup of video games and more
  • 4-head VCR for top-quality images

Product Description
You like watching movies on DVD. But you still own many in the older video tape format. There’s no problem when you’ve got the Magnavox DVD/VCR Dual Player. Rent and enjoy movies on either disc or tape with this versatile, value-priced unit that handles both…. More >>

Magnavox DVD/VCR Dual Deck, MWD2206

Read More »

Blue Ray Media Technology

Since the inception of the home consumer electronics industry, nearly every major update or new iteration of an existing technology has been accompanied by at least some type of format war, to some degree of severity or another. When Sony’s Betamax ruled the home video market after its release in 1975, it was soon after challenged – and later usurped – by the VHS format introduced by JVC. Years later, in order to avoid another costly format war, Phillips and Sony both abandoned their initial plans for a video disk format – CDi – and instead collaborated on what would eventually become DVD.

Later, DVD’s position on the video rental market was challenged by Circuit City’s ill-fated attempt at replacing them with DIVX – disks that, in spite of one’s ownership, still required a small fee paid via an internet phone line connection to activate for viewing. By the late 90s, a large number of various file formats for video data struggled for domination, but given the sheer number of formats and selective compatibility of many popular media programs, incompatibility issues plagued each format with equal severity. And for the past ten years or so, satellite cable has been at odds against increasingly popular digital cable packages. This trend is a natural consequence of the free market and has persisted in any industry as long as there have been multiple variations of a similar technology or product offered by more than one source.

After a long period of cooperation between companies in developing next-gen formats to avoid costly and destructive format wars – most notably the universal standards developed for DVD, HDTV, and Wi-Fi – the ceasefire had ended. This applies for the blue ray media as well since they play a huge role in the world of blank media these days. Recently has been one of the most drawn out and enduring format wars of attrition since the contention between Betamax and VHS, between the next generation of high definition optical disk formats – Blu Ray disk, and HD DVD – from which Blu Ray disks have emerged victorious.

Both formats emerged between 2000 and 2002, each offering high definition video and audio and storage capacity that far surpassed their mutual predecessor, DVD, while still maintaining the exact physical definitions and ease of use that consumers had gotten used to. Though each format maintained the same physical dimensions that consumers were familiar with – 12cm diameter discs almost identical in appearance to DVDs and CDs – the exact manner in which data was stored on the discs and read by hardware differed drastically, making them entirely incompatible.

Each format was soon supported by an alliance of software and hardware developers, as well as production studios. Most notable perhaps was HD DVD’s adoption by Microsoft and Blu Ray’s sponsorship by Sony, firmly integrating the format war into the high-profile competition in the home videogame console market, with Microsoft’s X-box 360 arming itself with HD DVD and Sony’s Playstation 3 with Blu Ray. The decisive factors between Blu Ray’s eventual victory was the shift of support by major production studios, and Sony’s decision to directly incorporate Blu Ray technology as the standard for their PS3 – as opposed to the X-box 360’s requirement of an addition peripheral to play HD DVDs. Because Blu Ray was now used as Sony’s format for games as well as movies, PS3s alone outsold HD DVD players almost 10 to 1 – including both the X-box 360 peripheral and standalone units. Shortly thereafter, HD DVD’s primary supporter, Toshiba, announced its abandonment of the format in 2008, cementing the victory of the Blu Ray disk.

Read More »

VHS To DVD Vacation Memories

Well, summertime is just about here. People are preparing for all those many details of their anxiously awaited vacations. Packing the family video camera is at the top of most of those vacation checklists without question. But how many home videos are going to end up on a shelf with all the other videos of family vacations and holidays? Just the thought of going over all of those darned VHS tapes and Super 8 films can be scary. However, we do not really need to be afraid of all our new videos we take today. Fortunately, they are not the media that is going to disappear tomorrow. It’s all that archaic magnetic tape and ancient Super 8 film about which we need to be concerned.

VHS and many other magnetic tape media formats can lose a lot of quality over time. To save the quality of these dear memories we are going to need to transfer them to a safe format before it’s too late. All of us will need to do this soon if these images are to survive for other generations.

Rather than do the complicated digital transfer yourself (it isn’t necessarily complicated to get it transferred – but it is complicated to do a QUALITY transfer), I would try to persuade you to use a pro transfer service. Professional transfer service companies, while possibly expensive, will be able to make it easier for you because they have already spent a lot of money on state-of-the-art machines to provide you with the best quality possible. They already digitize a lot of video and film every day and, as a result, they get very good at doing it.

These digital video transfer houses use very advanced technology compared to other companies – and compared to what most of us can afford. Just be sure to pick the best company you can afford for your digital transfer.  If you need help choosing either a local or national company, you can go to my site where I show the BBB (Better Business Bureau) ratings for many nationwide companies that provide these services.

Do you need all of your home movies converted directly to DVD disc or some kind of digital format on a hard drive? If it’s a direct transfer to DVD disc then one of the least expensive services is probably the best choice for you and your media. Home Movie Depot and Yes Video have a very good reputation for converting directly to DVD – and for some of the lowest rates. At the end of the process you will receive a DVD that can play in your home DVD machine or DVD/VHS combo machine. You will not be able to edit it on a PC or Mac but you can play it on a DVD player or computer with a DVD player/recorder built in.

But if you want to actually edit your home video, you are going to need to have the analog video converted to a high-quality uncompressed file format on a hard drive. The higher-end digital transfer houses are best for that kind of transfer service without question. In many cases the hardware they possess is equal in quality to that of the Hollywood movies that play on the big screen. The better the digital technology, the more expensive the digital transfer, of course. Some of these digital video transfer companies can even correct flaws in the tapes and Super 8 and 16mm film – whereas the companies with the lower rates cannot. It is just a matter of the right kind of digital transfer equipment. You get what you pay for – but paying more might be what you want and what you need if your goal is to preserve all of those family memories so they will last for generations to come.

 

Read More »

Finding the perfect portable camcorder

Portable camcorders have evolved in leaps and bounds over the past few decades, leaving the days of clunky VHS tapes far behind and entering the digital realm. Today’s camcorders are sleeker and more compact than ever, making them a convenient option for taking on holidays or bringing along to special events, which they can record at a level of quality previously unheard of for home movies.

There are numerous types of camcorders available, so it’s important to choose the one that works best for you. If economy and space-saving is important, a mini HD camera could be the ideal option, allowing you to record large quantities of high definition video on devices small enough to fit in a handbag. On the other hand, you may prefer mini DV cameras if you’re looking for the cheapest option available, which are capable of storing up to 60 minutes of footage at a time onto small discs that can be played on your DVD player or computer.

Finding the best deal on digital video cameras doesn’t have to mean settling for undesired formats though, especially when you shop online rather than rely on the limited selection in your local electronics store. When you look into the various features that can be added or removed from cameras as you desire, you could find the price drops drastically when you get rid of a few unnecessary extras too.

One such example is digital zoom, which many video cameras boast of, but in reality just offers an enlarged and blurred version of the frame, rather than anything in higher definition. If quality is important, you should also base your choice of portable camcorder on factors such as the number and size of chips it features, to deliver deeper and more defined colours, rather than relying on megapixels which are only relevant for static images.

There are a number of features you should consider opting for, however, such as the ability to capture high quality images even in low levels of light. If you are buying your camera from a store, it’s a good idea to ask for a trial run first, to see how well the camera captures images indoors as opposed to just outside. There are also practical considerations to make, such as whether the size of the camera is right for you – especially if you’re planning on taking it on holidays or having it on you for long periods of time, where a compact and lightweight design would be preferable.

Read More »

Sony VRDMC5 DVDirect DVD Recorder

  • Record video to DVD from DV or analog video source – Playable in most home DVD players
  • Record AVCHD video from Sony HDD/MemoryStick Handycam Camcorder to DVD playable in most Blu-ray Disc™ players
  • Backup digital photos to DVD or create photo slideshow on DVD from Memory card or Sony HDD/Memory Stick Handycam camcorder via USB
  • Playback/viewing on built in 2.5” LCD display, only discs created by

Product Description
Sony’s newly re-styled DVDirect® DVD recorder, the VRD-MC5, allows home video and digital photos to be recorded to DVD without a PC. The VRD-MC5 can be connected to virtually any camcorder, VCR, even Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) for direct recording of video to standard DVDs playable on most consumer DVD players. The MC5 also incorporates memory card slots for the 5 popular camera memory card types and will directly record images from the memory card to DVD a… More >>

Sony VRDMC5 DVDirect DVD Recorder

Read More »

What You Need To Know About Stereo Receivers

There has been a revolution taking place in the home entertainment and electronics field in the past decade that will change how we view and listen to entertainment forever. Not long ago, you watched TV and listened to stereo music separately. But increasingly audio and video sources have become combined and now we have a multitude of audio/video devices that we can choose to enjoy including dvd players, camcorders, video games, HDTV, and more. And with this audio/video consolidation the home stereo receiver has had to keep up with the times.

Today we have a wide selection of receivers to choose from. Of course, you can still get the most basic stereo receiver that accepts sound inputs and powers only two speakers at a time. In fact, you can get some very high quality equipment in this area very inexpensively now. In fact, you can build a very cheap and basic home theater setup by using the stereo receiver to process sound from a DVD player, VCR, and your TV.

If you get a receiver that has support for Dolby Pro Logic, Pro Logic II, and Pro Logic IIx, you can even get simulated surround sound from your home theater system if you have four or more speakers. Of course, the pro Logic formats are not digital, they are for analog sound inputs but it can help improve your sound quite a bit if you still use analog components.

For most modern uses though, you will need a receiver that can handle both digital audio and video inputs and then routes the signals to the correct component like your TV and speaker setup. On the video side look for receivers that have enough video inputs to support all the video devices that you plan to use, and also be sure that the connection types match up between the video devices you have and the receiver inputs. On the audio side, if you plan on using the digital surround sound capability that much of today’s entertainment is going to, your receiver should be able to decode both Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround sound and then support at least 5 speakers and a subwoofer to distribute each channel’s sound to the appropriate speaker.

You will want to have plenty of power to accomplish all of this and so for a typical home theater setup you will need about 50 watts of power for an average room, 75 watts per channel for a larger room, and for very large rooms 100 watts per channel or more will be needed to truly get the sound you want.

The top stereo receiver manufacturers are Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer, and Yamaha. If you browse their current offerings you will find that most of these companies make high quality products that will work well. The biggest question is what your needs are instead. Once you understand what your needs will be, you can then choose the best stereo receiver from any of those brands to fill those needs very well.

Read More »

Donnie Darko

Plot

In 1988 Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a brilliant teenager, has been seeing a psychiatrist, as he seems to be going through a particularly painful puberty. His mother becomes worried about him, after his sister suggests over dinner that he hasn’t been taking his medication. Later that night (October 2) Donnie is awakened by a voice and goes downstairs as if sleepwalking where he meets Frank (James Duval), a man in a menacing rabbit costume. Frank tells him that in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds, the world will end. While he is outside, a jet engine crashes through Donnie’s bedroom.

Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) wakes Donnie where he had fallen asleep on the golf course. Donnie notices his forearm where the numerals 28:06:42:12 are written in jagged script. Returning home he is surprised to find police and firemen have cordoned off his home. Donnie is told a jet engine has fallen through his room, although it is unknown where it came from.

As Eddie, Donnie’s father, drives him to the office of Dr. Thurman (Katharine Ross), Donnie’s therapist, Eddie nearly runs over Roberta Sparrow (Patience Cleveland), also known as “Grandma Death”: a seemingly senile old woman who spends her days walking back and forth from her house to a mailbox for a letter that never comes. Grandma Death whispers something in Donnie’s ear that startles him. It is later learned that she had whispered, “every living creature on earth dies alone.”

In his English class Donnie meets a new student, Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone). Meanwhile, Frank continues to appear to Donnie and tell him that he can do anything and will not get caught. Frank also tells Donnie about time travel, further confusing him. Donnie, apparently at Frank’s urging, commits several acts of violence against property; flooding the school and torching the home of Jim Cunningham, an inspirational speaker. Cunningham’s methods have been much admired by Kitty Farmer, one of the teachers at Donnie’s school.

Gretchen and Donnie grow closer. She is one of the few people he opens up to about his time-travel visions. Dr. Thurman increases Donnie’s medication and begins hypnotherapy with him. Frank continues to appear to Donnie.

With the inspirational speaker, Jim Cunningham, accused of running a “kiddie porn dungeon”, Kitty Farmer asks Donnie’s mother to accompany the schools dance team to LA for an appearance on the show Star Search. Donnie’s sister Elizabeth (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Donnie decide to throw a Halloween party while their mother, Rose, and younger sister are away. The night of the party, October 30, Gretchen comes to Donnie’s house for safety because her mother has suddenly disappeared.

At midnight, Donnie realizes that the 28 days have passed, and that only 6 hours remain until the end of the world. Convinced that Grandma Death is in some way connected to Frank, Donnie persuades Gretchen and two other friends to leave the party and go with him to her house. There, they are assaulted by the high school bullies (Alex Greenwald and Seth Rogen). Gretchen is knocked unconscious and thrown into the street. An approaching car scares the bullies off but swerves to avoid Grandma Death who is standing in the road and runs directly over Gretchen. Stopping the car, Frank gets out and starts yelling at Donnie, who lifts his father’s stolen pistol and shoots Frank through his right eye (a wound seen earlier as the ‘menacing rabbit’ Frank pulled off his mask).

Grandma Death tells Donnie (Director’s cut) that he must hurry as a storm is forming and he has a lot to do. Donnie can’t wake Gretchen and ends up carrying her lifeless body to his home. There he kisses his sleeping sister’s forehead, grabs some keys and speeds away in the family car with Gretchen. We see a strange, inverted, black cloud forming over Donnie’s house. Next Donnie watches from some road in the hills above town as a tornado forms over the city. Donnie seems at peace now, as a vortex engulfs the jet his mother and sister are returning home in, apparently they are caught up in the storm above Donnie’s home. Suddenly the jet is shaken violently and we see the engine torn from the wing and begin to fall, creating a whirling pathway through the sky.

Director’s cut ending

Suddenly Donnie’s elder sister opens the family’s home’s front door, closes it, and leans against the door, as she had done at the beginning of the film. Her father is asleep in his chair. Donnie, lying upstairs in his bed, starts to laugh maniacally, then the noise grows as the house begins to shake violently. Donnie is now seen asleep in his bed. As the house starts to fall apart, we see his mother in her bed as the massive jet engine that had, only minutes before, fallen from the plane carrying his mother and sister, crashes through Donnie’s bedroom.

Theatrical version ending

In the theatrical version it is once again October 2. Donnie is once again in bed, having possibly travelled back in time to create an ontological paradox, where his future self takes the place of his past self. On this occasion Donnie has returned to his bed, where in the beginning of the film he had followed a strange voice, as he walked outside and met Frank. As he laughs maniacally, a jet engine crashes through the roof, killing him.

Common ending

All the people affected by Donnie’s actions are then shown in short scenes that briefly reference the events as they happen with Donnie never having taken his walk to meet Frank. The Tears For Fears’ song “Mad World”, covered by Gary Jules, is played with the words matching the scenes. As Donnie’s body is taken away, Gretchen, having never met Donnie, rides by the Darkos’ house on her bicycle. She learns from a neighborhood boy about what has just happened and then waves to Donnie’s mother who stands smoking a cigarette.

Director’s interpretation

This section does not cite any references or sources.

Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

Writer/director Richard Kelly does not deny the validity of personal interpretations, but has expressed his own theories through the extra commentary on the two DVDs, and in various other interviews.

According to Kelly and his fictional Philosophy of Time Travel, at midnight on October 2 – a Tangent Universe branches off the Primary Universe around the time when Donnie is called out of his bedroom by Frank, immediately before the appearance of the Artifact, the faulty jet engine. The inherently unstable Tangent Universe will collapse in just over 28 days and take the Primary Universe with it if not corrected. Closing the Tangent Universe is the duty of the Living Receiver, Donnie, who wields certain supernatural powers to help him in the task.

Those who die within the Tangent Universe (and would not have died otherwise) are the Manipulated Dead (Frank, Gretchen). Frank, at least, is also given certain powers in that he is able to subtly understand what is happening and have the ability to contact and influence the Living Receiver via the Fourth Dimensional Construct (water). All others within the orbit of the Living Receiver are the Manipulated Living (e.g. Ms. Pomeroy, Dr. Monnitoff), subconsciously drawn to push him towards his destiny to close the Tangent Universe and, according to the Philosophy of Time Travel, die by the Artifact.

Frank appears in the story in two guises (three guises if we assume that he ‘never’ dies on account of the restoration of the Primary Universe through the negation of the Tangent Universe). First, there is the Manipulated Dead Frank who appears to Donnie as a premonition from the future of the Tangent Universe in the disturbing rabbit suit. Dead Frank is aware of Donnie’s fate and destiny, and impels him to realize it so that the Primary Universe can be restored at the point where/when the Tangent Universe branched off from it. Secondly, Frank appears alive as Donnie’s sister’s boyfriend, whose fate unfolds within the Tangent Universe by means of Donnie’s successes in realizing his mission. This living boyfriend is fatally shot by Donnie towards the end of the film, a killing which was foreseen by Donnie.

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko

Jena Malone as Gretchen Ross

James Duval as Frank

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Elizabeth Darko

Mary McDonnell as Rose Darko

Holmes Osborne as Eddie Darko

Katharine Ross as Dr. Lilian Thurman

Drew Barrymore as Karen Pomeroy

Noah Wyle as Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff

Patrick Swayze as Jim Cunningham

Daveigh Chase as Samantha “Sam” Darko

Beth Grant as Kitty Farmer

Stuart Stone as Ronald Fisher

Alex Greenwald as Seth Devlin

Seth Rogen as Ricky Danforth

Patience Cleveland as Roberta Sparrow (“Grandma Death”)

Jolene Purdy as Cherita Chen

Ashley Tisdale as Kim

Jerry Trainor as Lanky Kid

William Adams as little boy in the end

Production

Filming

The Long Beach, California home used in Donnie Darko as the fictional, upscale home of motivational speaker Jim Cunningham.

Donnie Darko was filmed in 28 days on a budget of $4.5 million. It almost went straight to home video release but was publicly released by the production company Flower Films.

The film was shot in California. The “Carpathian ridge” scenes were shot on the Angeles Crest Highway. Loyola High School, a prominent Catholic school in Los Angeles, California, was used as Donnie’s high school. The house where the Darko family lives is located in Long Beach, California. Donnie awakens in a golf course in Long Beach, California; the hotel where his family lodges is the Burbank, California, Holiday Inn; and the Aero theater where Donnie and Gretchen watch the double feature is a cinema in Santa Monica, California.

The home of Patrick Swayze’s character, Jim Cunningham, is at 4252 Country Club Drive Long Beach, California.

Music

Main article: Donnie Darko (soundtrack)

In 2003, composer Michael Andrews and singer Gary Jules found their piano-driven cover of the Tears for Fears’ hit “Mad World”, featured in the film as part of the end sequence, and the song was the UK Christmas Number One single in 2003. One continuous sequence involving an introduction of Donnie’s high school prominently features the song “Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears, Samantha’s dance group, “Sparkle Motion,” performs with the song “Notorious” by Duran Duran, and “Under the Milky Way” by The Church is played after Donnie and Gretchen emerge from his room during the party. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division also appears in the film diegetically during the party and shots of Donnie and Gretchen upstairs. However, the version included was released in 1995, although the film is set in 1988. The opening sequence is set to “The Killing Moon” by Echo & the Bunnymen. In the theatrical cut, the song playing during the Halloween party is “Proud to be Loud” by Pantera, a track released on their 1988 album, which would concide with the time setting of the film. However, the band is credited as “The Dead Green Mummies”.

In the re-released Director’s Cut version of the film, the music in the opening sequence is replaced by “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS; “Under the Milky Way” is moved to the scene of Donnie and his father driving home from Donnie’s meeting with his therapist; and “The Killing Moon” is played as Gretchen and Donnie return to the party from Donnie’s parents’ room.

Release

The limited release of the film occurred during the month after the September 11 attacks. It was subsequently held back for almost a year for international release, where it garnered more favorable reviews.[citation needed] From this point, a large cult following for the movie began. Its DVD release gained an increased American audience for the film.

Marketing

The Donnie Darko Book, written by Richard Kelly, is a 2003 book about the film. It includes an introduction by Jake Gyllenhaal, the screenplay of the Donnie Darko Director’s Cut, an in-depth interview with Kelly, facsimile pages from the Philosophy of Time Travel, photos and drawings from the film, and artwork it inspired.

NECA released first a six-inch (15 cm) figure of Frank the Bunny and later a foot-tall (30 cm) ‘talking’ version of the same figure.

Home video

The film was originally released on DVD and VHS in March 2002. Strong DVD sales led Newmarket Films to release a “Director’s Cut” on DVD in 2004. Bob Berney, President of Newmarket Films, described the film as “a runaway hit on DVD,” citing United States sales of more than $10 million.

The director’s cut of the film was released on May 29, 2004, in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle International Film Festival and later in New York City and Los Angeles on July 23, 2004. This cut includes twenty minutes of extra footage, an altered soundtrack, the director’s commentary assisted by Kevin Smith, the director’s interpretation, and visual excerpts from the book The Philosophy of Time Travel. The director’s cut DVD, released on February 15, 2005, included the new footage and more soundtrack changes, as well as some additional features exclusive to the two-DVD set: excerpts from the storyboard, a 52-minute production diary, “#1 fan video,” a “cult following” video interviewing British fans, and the new director’s cut cinematic trailer. The director’s cut DVD was released as a giveaway with copies of the British Sunday Times newspaper on February 19, 2006.

The film was released on Blu-ray on February 10, 2009.

Reception

Box office performance

Donnie Darko had its first screening at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2001, and debuted in United States theaters in October 2001 to a tepid response. Shown on only 58 screens nationwide, the film grossed $110,494 in its opening weekend. By the time the film closed in United States theaters on April 11, 2002, it had earned just $517,375. It ultimately grossed $4.1 million worldwide.

Despite its poor box office showing, the film began to attract a devoted fan base. It was originally released on DVD and VHS in March 2002. During this time, the Pioneer Theatre in New York City’s East Village began midnight screenings of Donnie Darko that continued for 28 consecutive months.

Critical reception

The film received widespread critical acclaimotten Tomatoes gave the film an 84% rating (the Director’s Cut received 91%), while Metacritic gave it a 71 out of 100 (the Director’s Cut received 88 out of 100). Critic Andy Bailey billed Donnie Darko as a “Sundance surprise” that “isn’t spoiled by the Hollywood forces that helped birth it.” Jean Oppenheimer of New Times (LA) praised the film, saying, “Like gathering storm clouds, Donnie Darko creates an atmosphere of eerie calm and mounting menace — stands as one of the most exceptional movies of 2001.” Writing for ABC Australia, Megan Spencer called the movie, “menacing, dreamy, [and] exciting” and noted that “it could take you to a deeply emotional place lying dormant in your soul.” At first when the movie was released, Roger Ebert gave the film a less than positive review but later became more enamored by the film after seeing the release of the director’s cut.

Awards

2001 Richard Kelly won with Donnie Darko for “Best Screenplay” at the Catalonian International Film Festival and at the San Diego Film Critics Society. Donnie Darko also won the “Audience Award” for Best Feature at the Sweden Fantastic Film Festival. The film was nominated for “Best Film” at the Catalonian International Film Festival and for the “Grand Jury Prize” at the Sundance Film Festival.

2002 Donnie Darko won the “Special Award” at the Young Filmmakers Showcase at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The movie also won the “Silver Scream Award” at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. Kelly was nominated for “Best First Feature” and “Best First Screenplay” with Donnie Darko, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal being nominated for “Best Male Lead,” at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film was also nominated for the “Best Breakthrough Film” at the Online Film Critics Society Awards.

2003 Jake Gyllenhaal won “Best Actor” and Richard Kelly “Best Original Screenplay” for Donnie Darko at the Chlotrudis Awards, where Kelly was also nominated for “Best Director” and “Best Movie.”

2005 Donnie Darko ranked in the top five on My Favourite Film, an Australian poll conducted by the ABC.

2006 Donnie Darko ranks ninth in FilmFour’s 50 Films to See Before You Die.

It also came in at number 14 on Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 50 Best High School Movies and landed at number 2 in their “Greatest Independent Films of All Time” list.

Sequel

Main article: S. Darko

A 2009 sequel, S. Darko, centers on Samantha Darko, Donnie’s younger sister. Again played by Daveigh Chase, Samantha begins to have strange dreams that hint at a major catastrophe. Donnie Darko creator Richard Kelly has stated that he has no involvement in this sequel, as he does not own the rights to the original. Daveigh and producer Adam Fields are the only creative links between it and the original film. The sequel received mostly negative reviews.

Adaptations

Marcus Stern, Associate Director of the American Repertory Theater, directed a staged adaptation of Donnie Darko at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the fall of 2007. It ran from October 27 to November 18, 2007, with opening night fittingly scheduled on Halloween. An article written by the production dramaturg stated that the director and production team planned to “embrace the challenge to make the fantastical elements come alive on stage.” In 2004, Stern adapted and directed Kelly’s screenplay for a graduate student production at the American Repertory Theatre’s Institute for Advanced Theatre Training (I.A.T.T./M.X.A.T.).

A 60 second version was created for the Empire Film Awards by Tea Fuelled Art

References

^ a b c Richard Kelly (director). (2004). Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut. [DVD]. 

^ a b c d “Donnie Darko”. The Numbers: Box Office Data, Movie Stars, Idle Speculation. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2001/DARKO.php. Retrieved 26 August 2009. 

^ The AV Club – “The New Cult Canon: Donnie Darko”

^ a b “Donnie Darko film review”. Rotten Tomatoes. IGN.com. 2001. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/donnie_darko/. Retrieved 2008-09-11. 

^ “‘Darko’ takes a long, strange trip”. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-02-14-dvd-donnie-darko_x.htm. Retrieved 2005-02-14. 

^ Poster, Steven (Cinematographer). (2004). Donnie Darko Production Diary. [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 

^ a b “Donnie Darko”. Indie Wire. http://www.indiewire.com/movies/movies_040722darko.html. Retrieved 2006-05-17. 

^ a b “Donnie Darko (2001)”. Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donniedarko.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-25. 

^ “Donnie Darko”. Indie Wire. http://www.indiewire.com/movies/rev_01Sund_010121_Darco.html. Retrieved 2006-05-17. 

^ Review of Donnie Darko, by Megan Spencer, for ABC Australia.

^ “Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut”. Rogerebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040820/REVIEWS/408200303/1023. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 

^ “My Favourite Film”. ABC. http://www.abc.net.au/myfavouritefilm/. Retrieved 2006-07-11. 

^ “C4 relaunches Film4 with ‘50 films to see before you die’ list countdown”. Brand Republic. http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/br/article/567497/c4-relaunches-film4-50-films-die-countdown/. Retrieved 2006-09-16. 

^ “IGN Article”. IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/873/873472p1.html. Retrieved 2009-01-28. 

^ “S. Darko review”. A.V. Club. 2009-05-13. http://www.avclub.com/articles/s-darko,27924/. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 

^ “rottentomatoes.com”. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/s_darko_a_donnie_darko_tale/. Retrieved 2010-02-03. 

^ Sarah Wallace (2007-08-07). “Bringing the End of the World to Life”. American Repertory Theatre. http://www.amrep.org/articles/6_1c/bringing.html. Retrieved 2007-10-14. [dead link]

^ “Done in 60 seconds competition”. empireonline.com. http://www.empireonline.com/awards2010/donein60seconds/. Retrieved 14 February 2010. 

Commentary with Kevin Smith (2003), Donnie Darko Directors Cut, Faber and Faber, ISBN 0571221246 

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Donnie Darko

Official website

Donnie Darko at the Internet Movie Database

Donnie Darko at Allmovie

Donnie Darko at Rotten Tomatoes

Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut at Rotten Tomatoes

v  d  e

Richard Kelly

Director

Donnie Darko (2001)  Southland Tales (2007)  The Box (2009)

Writer

Donnie Darko (2001)  Domino (2005)  Optimistic (2006)  Southland Tales (2007)  The Box (2009)  Vanishing Point (TBA)

Short films

The Goodbye Place (1996)  Visceral Matter (1997)

Categories: English-language films | 2001 films | American coming-of-age films | American drama films | American satirical films | American teen films | Time travel films | American tragedy films | Art films | Avant-garde and experimental films | Directorial debut films | Existentialist works | Fiction narrated by a dead person | Films about suburbia | Films directed by Richard Kelly | Films set in the 1980s | Films set in Virginia | Films shot anamorphically | Flower Films productions | Goth films | Neo-noir | Psychological thriller films | Plays based on media | Wormholes in fictionHidden categories: All articles with dead external links | Articles with dead external links from February 2010 | Articles needing additional references from May 2009 | All articles needing additional references | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from March 2009

Read More »

Pinnacle Systems 210100316 Dazzle DVC 80 USB Video Capture Device

  • With included Studio SE version 8 software you can easily edit your video to make it look however you want
  • Share your video with video email or streaming webcast
  • You can even take digital snapshots from your videos!
  • The USB 2.0 – 1.1 interface makes connecting the DVC-80 a breeze
  • Includes – audio extension cable, installation CD-ROM, & Quick Start guide

Product Description
Pinnacle’s Dazzle Digital Video Creator DVC 80 is the ultimate USB 2.0 – 1.1 video connector that lets you capture video & stereo (left & right) audio from a camcorder, TV, or VCR directly to your PC. Requires – Pentium II 300MHz or higher computer with 64MB of RAM and Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP installed… More >>

Pinnacle Systems 210100316 Dazzle DVC 80 USB Video Capture Device

Read More »

The DVD and How It’s Evolved

After the huge success of the introduction of the CD in the mid 1980s, soon the public wanted more in terms of storage capacity. The  DVD was introduced to the general public in in the 1990s and it offered five to tens times more storage capacity. This came as welcome news and soon consumers were spending their hard earned money on DVD media. DVDs are the exact same dimensions as CDs but store much more data. With the next generation of HD formats such as blu ray and HD DVD having been developed, the original DVD is often referred to as SD DVD which stands  for standard definition.

The DVD is so standard today in computer and media playback devices and many people are still trying to catch up with the lightening fast development. Electronic stores the world over offer burning drives of varying degrees and the shelves are full of recordable media in a wide variety of formats. It is enough to make your head spin!

 

Here we will take a look at some of the most common types of DVDs with the hopes of making things easy to understand and perhaps the next time you stop by your local electronic store, you will not feel so overwhelmed.

 

Dual layer DVD media is very common and there are two types: single side and double side. On the single sided DVD all of the data is read on one side of the disc. Double sided dual layer dvds use both sides of the disc. A dual layer DVD holds double the amount of data compared to a standard recordable DVD disc.

 

Verbatim is a branch of the Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation that is a world leader in the computer and chemical industry. Verbatim was the very first manufacturer to receive the de facto standard for quality management. The Verbatim DVD R dl disc is a professional grade, dual layer,  DVD disc that offers outstanding reliability and consistency. This disc carries a branded surface that allows users to write on the surface of the disc with a DVD pen. This is especially user for the professional or the consumer who has a large library of discs and wishes to keep order.

 

As you can see, the DVD has evolved considerably in the past several years. If you still find yourself a bit overwhelmed by the variety of DVD formats available, the trained personnel at any electronic store will be more than likely to answer any questions you have.

Read More »

The Newest And Coolest Gadgets…

Everyone loves the newest and coolest gadgets, particularly men in general. This is by no means anything against the male gender; simply put men are ten times more likely to buy certain gadgets than women are. However, throughout the years there have been many extremely popular gadgets, which have become extremely popular for both men and women. Gadgets are typically expensive when they are first released, then years later they are extremely cheap. For example, in 1979 Sony released the Walkman, this was new and exciting for users, it was considered a luxury item. The Walkman originally sold for $200, this hard to imagine in this day in age, when we can purchase them for $10 or $20.

Another extremely popular gadget in today’s society is the Apple iPod, this gadget was released in 2001. When the iPod first appeared on the market, it was simply a tiny electronic that only possessed a hard drive with 5GB and a wheel that mechanically scrolled, only available for Macs. This $399 gadget has evolved to 80 GB hard drives and video capabilities.

Other popular gadgets include TiVo, which has taken the place of another popular gadget the VCR, and the PalmPilot has made the way for busy execs to keep track of all their business ventures from one day to the next. The CD player and the cellular phone are still extremely popular gadget that keep getting better and better. There are more features than ever with the cellular phone and the CD player is a fixture in nearly every home world wide.

No matter what gadget you choose there is something for everyone. There are gadgets for children, men, women, young, old and everywhere in between. Little gadgets and large gadgets, the electronic world is always inventing new and exciting things for consumers to enjoy and help simplify their lives.

Read More »
Page 20 of 186« First...101819202122304050...Last »