First off I'd like to say Welcome Back, mainly to myself as I've been away for awhile. As many of you know my good friend Katherine had to have emergency Brain surgery just as finals started at the law school, she still has a long way to go, but she is slowly making improvements which you can read about here. Then finals began and I was packing and then graduation and moving and no internet and starting my class to study for the bar, and it's been busy.

But I'm back and as I promised I'll be posting some reviews up here in the coming days (Iron Man, Speed Racer, Indy IV, Son of Rambow, and possibly The Strangers (depends on if I go see it tonight or not). Also my first 2 experiences at the famed Alamo Drafthouse.

But right now I want to talk about something I'm calling The Idiot Box, and no not the television. This is my imaginary box for idiotic moves by people in the industry.

In Today's Idiot Box is Simon Crowe, Fox, and everyone else involved in bringing us the unnecessary sequel to the cult classic Donnie Darko (So loved by me that I own 2 versions on DVD).

The movie was perfect and wrapped up it's story without needing anything more. And to add insult to injury original director Richard Kelly isn't even involved. Instead Chris Fisher will direct with creepy kid, Daveigh Chase, reprising her role of Samantha Darko, Donnie's little sister and member of Sparkle Motion. The movie, titled S. Darko (What a worthless title) follows Samantha and a friend as they take a roadtrip while plagued by nightmarish visions.

The worst part is they are wasting some good talent in the forms of Justin Chatwin (The Invisible) and Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl, Son of Rambow). It doesn't instill much more confidence in the project that while it has a cast, a director, and producers, there doesn't seem to be a screenwriter involved with the project. What is this, improv moviemaking? (Although maybe if they gave this over to Christopher Guest and his improv crew it would be worth watching.)

Another bad sign is the recent announcement that D-Lister Elizabeth "Showgirls" Berkeley had signed on to play "a speed freak-turned-Jesus freak whose sentiments about ridding the world of its exponential sin are rivaled only by her infatuation with her dreamy pastor."

So friends I ask, why would anyone want to sully the name of such a great mind-bender as Donnie Darko by making what's sure to be a far inferior sequel?

Also tell me whose in your idiot box?

Labels: Casting, News, The Idiot Box