Let me preface this anecdote by saying it did not feel sad at the time, but as a teenager, I created a personal tradition that every Valentine’s Day I would watch Richard Kelly’s edgelord opus Donnie Darko. Did I do that because I didn’t have any dates planned – and also would not have dates planned for the many following years? Maybe! But guess what? While other high-schoolers wasted precious allowance and afterschool job dollars on crummy teddy bears or cheap chocolates, my cinephile ass was enjoying this Jake Gyllenhaal thriller gratis thanks to the whole film being broken into 10-minute videos on YouTube. Times have changed, though, and if you didn’t buy the Blu-ray at a Hastings closing sale like I did, you can instead enjoy the mindbending magic on the big screen at this Second Street cinema. Listen to your elder, young aspiring emos: This is the freakin’ blueprint. – James Scott
March 23 & 26
