Donnie Darko (2001)

A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident. (IMDb)

Carried by snappy dialogue and a memorable soundtrack is this mesmerizing mix of poignant teenage drama (the one-take high school montage is fantastic) and strange pyscho-horror (wait, the rabbit is real?), with undertones of eerie sci-fi, with Gyllenhaal excelling as a brilliant but tortured youth with a penchant for rebellion that comes to the forefront in his trance-like late-night escapades. The meaning of it all isn’t totally clear, but the film still manages to resonate and feel cohesive.

8.5/10 (Amazing)

Ghost (1990)

After an accident leaves a young man dead, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic. (IMDb)

A misguided jumble of genres: The romance is repetitive (cue the corny love song, awkward medium third wheel [“Tell her…”; “He says…”] and slow touching), the supernatural element is consistently cheesy and visually awful (the dragging to hell and ascending to heaven are particularly distasteful), and the comedy is nothing special (Goldberg is alright but the writing is mostly forced). Leading man Swayze, meanwhile, gives a good effort but it’s just hard to take him seriously.

5.5/10 (Poor)

The Outsiders (1983)

The rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, only heats up when one gang member kills a member of the other. (IMDb)

The story and characters here definitely have their youthful charm, with the film’s grimy aesthetic and dark plot twists adding some grit. Technically, however, the film is hit or miss. Dialogue delivery (and there’s a lot of it) is suspect and causes some scenes to really drag, and the rollicking soundtrack, while at times enjoyable, at others blares on through conversations and contrasts with what feels like should be somber moments. An engaging story that could have been presented better.

6.5/10 (Alright)