was confused about why the hell I should care

Yeah, me too. A non-linear should be more involving than a linear, to account for the work the viewer has to do to piece things together.

Wasn't sure if I got it, because I rapidly stopped caring. Now I don't remember enough to say.

I think I found the director's cut kind of irritating (for large part because of the changes in the musical cues, and a lesser part because it was more fun before it put in all the explanations of what was going on), but I liked the released version of DD as a mood piece.

I just watched several parts of Walk the Line over again this morning, before I had to take the DVD back to the video store.

Now, I still haven't seen any of the best picture nominees (though we're watching Good Night and Good Luck tonight), and I gotta say that Walk the Line was robbed big time for not being on the Best Picture nominee list.

Also Robert Patrick was amazing.

I love Donnie Darko, but can't really articulate why. It's just a, "Oooh, someone made a movie just for me!" thing. Alienated teenage comic-booky comedy-drama time-travel puzzle with 80s music? Sold.

I liked The Frighteners, but from what I remember, at a certain point the premise was a lot more interesting than the actual plot, which wasn't big with the sense.

I finally saw Walk the Line tonight. Holy smokes that was an incredible movie. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were absolutely jaw dropping in their performances. And T-Bone Burnett continues to write the most amazing music. A masterful film all around.

I adored the film. But I did find the event timeline sort of plodding at times. But as long as I focused on the portrayals, I sort of forgot about that, though. They really are amazing and the music was incredibly well done.

Now, I still haven't seen any of the best picture nominees (though we're watching Good Night and Good Luck tonight), and I gotta say that Walk the Line was robbed big time for not being on the Best Picture nominee list.

I think we're almost through the list of BP nominees and I'm not too sure I feel like it was robbed because of the slowness at times. It may not have seemed like a fully well-rounded picture (but I've not seen Capote, yet, so I want to compare it to the other biopic).

Is there, in fact, a place where I'm supposed to go with general TV discussion that's not about the spoilers? I'd appreciate it if someone could enlighten me.

That said, all the talk out in the media about spinning wheels on The Sopranos seems most wrongheaded. This seasons have cycled about a bit, sure, but this one is cycling in a rather subtle and beautiful way.

Hrm, likely whitefont in Natter or Bitches. Not ideal for your purposes, but that's pretty much what there is.

Thanks! I should probably just keep my off-topic opinions to myself, though. I skip around too much in Natter & never go into Bitches.

I think there's an on-again off-again debate about whether we should have a general TV thread or not...you could kick that debate off again!

Back to Donnie Darko, I didn't think it was the kind of movie where you were supposed to care (although I think you have to care some to be at all invested), but instead was an allegory or at least a thought piece on theology and theoretical physics.

Although, I did kind of care about Grandma Death, and thought she was a fairly tragic figure.

I've been reading a bunch of internet stuff on the movie though, and am liking it less and less. I guess there was this whole X-filian backstory where the physics teacher formerly worked for the CIA and was assassinated so the CIA could get the secret of time travel, and the FAA is all spooks, and other whacko stuff.

The stuff you say in that last paragraph sounds pretty fake to me, Raq. Never trust internet sources about cult phenomena. I've seen the movie with commentary and, though spectaculary uninteresting and unhelpful, it certainly mentioned nothing at all about a backstory like that.

I think of Donnie Darko as almost entirely a mood piece. If you actually start to think about the plot, it gets nonsensical - I actually almost like it best as a surreal exploration of a schizophrenic break, except I also love the ending, which doesn't work without the time travel bit.

Anyway, it sure has really, really good music.