HeadOverHeels Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Our Favorite Montages: Donnie Darko
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Fandom », Trailers and Clips »
I'm not sure that much can really compare to Erik's inaugural choice (Footloose and "Let's Hear it for the Boy"), but the Tears for Fears montage near the beginning of Donnie Darko is, by far, my most favorite in years. I can't say why exactly, but the simple act of tipping the camera as the bus' back door opens -- with Donnie's feet hitting the ground in time with the music -- instantly charmed me, and my instantaneous love for the scene grew with each passing moment.
I was never a Tears for Fears fan, but my opinion started to change as "Head Over Heels" pulled us through the pre-bell morning. Usually there is a longer passage of time for montages, but this time around, things are just slightly sped so that we may spy on the power dynamics at Donnie's school -- the self-help obsessed teacher, the bullies, the loner, and Drew Barrymore's thinly veiled disgust of Sparkle Motion.
Of course, this scene is one of a few montages and music-led sequences in the film, and I'd be remiss not to mention the second-best, the other bookend to the film. Once again, it's led by Tears for Fears, but this time under a heart-wrenching delivery by Gary Jules. You can watch both after the jump.
All around me are familiar faces...
From the "About Time" Files: Dreamworks Sued for Ripping Off 'Rear Window' in 'Disturbia'
Filed under: Classics », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Universal », Celebrities and Controversy », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg », Remakes and Sequels »
The basic plot of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window -- man believes he witnessed a murder, has to prove it really happened -- has been reused for so many films and TV shows that it's not that surprising when another homage or ripoff comes around. Yet last year's Disturbia, starring Shia LaBeouf as a guy under house arrest who thinks his neighbor is a serial killer, bore close enough resemblance to be labeled an update on Hitchcock's film. And now, not surprisingly, Dreamworks, its parent company Viacom and Universal Pictures, are being sued for creating an unauthorized remake.*The defendant in the case is not exactly related to Hitchcock's film, though; the lawsuit was filed by Sheldon Abend Revocable Trust, which owns the rights to Cornell Woolrich's original short story "It Had to Be Murder" (called "Murder from a Fixed Viewpoint" in the article), upon which Rear Window is based. Film business followers may remember the name Sheldon Abend from the important Supreme Court copyright case of 1990, Stewart v. Abend, in which Abend sued James Stewart and the production company Patron Inc. after Rear Window was aired on television.
If you've seen both Disturbia and Rear Window do you think the case is valid? Is Disturbia really that much more of a ripoff than Manhattan Murder Mystery, Head Over Heels and most of Brian DePalma's early career? Even Antonioni's Blow Up and Coppola's The Conversation are fairly similar in concept. Obviously some works, such as the Simpsons episode in which Bart thinks Flanders murdered his wife, are okay because they fall under the permissions of parody.
*Note: We accidentally listed Steven Spielberg as an executive producer on Disturbia, though he was not. That information has been removed from the post. [ed]
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