Oh...my...god (small G).  A few nights ago, I went and saw the Director's Cut of Donnie Darko.  I would have written about this sooner, but it's taken a few days for the shock to wear off.  This post is not going to serve as a review of Donnie Darko, for that go to google.com and enter donnie darko review, or something like that.  I'm tried of creating links.

The original theatrical and DVD release ( note the word original ) of Donnie Darko is without a doubt, one of the one-hundred films in my top 10 list.  It is brilliantly surreal, pointedly metaphorical, and diabolically bewildering.  The whole movie exists in this dream like state that keeps you wondering what the hell is happening.  Donnie Darko (the original) is genius for the way it creates this bazar confusion, then quickly pulls it all together at the end of the film.  You are overcome with with sense of "ahhh" as the last few scenes play out, yet, enough is left to explore that you're never quite sure what you had just seen.

Now... If you're one of those people that likes everything spoon-feed to them, with no sense of mystery or after-viewing conversations... if you're one of those people who thinks movies should be wrapped up in a nice little ball, every question answered... if you're one of those people who likes movies where every ounce of joy and creativity is mercilessly sucked out as it screams for it's life just to be ended... if you're one of those people... please, go see the Director's Cut of Donnie Darko... you'll love it.

The box-office success of the original release of Donnie Darko was a disaster, grossing only $500,000.  It got limited distribution due to it coming out right after 9/11 and a movie about a jet engine falling off a plane into someone's bedroom was not something audiences were told they wanted to see.  The movie attracted a small cult following on DVD and then a few years later (I might have time-line wrong -- I'm just making this shit up), some European radio stations started playing the Tears-for-Fears cover song that ends the film, and a new interest in the movie started to grow.

The studio responded with a re-release, but not just any re-release, a re-release of the Director's Cut.  And as we all know, the Director's Cut is always better because it's the true vision of the film the director wanted us to see before the pin-heads in studio marketing made them hack it up so the brain-washed masses would accept it better.

But with Donnie Darko, just the opposite seems to have happened.  Donnie Darko was re-released with a more mass-appeal cut, rather than the more edgier, more artsty, Director's Cut we're used to seeing.  Or are we?  I can really only name a few Director's Cuts of films that I thought were better than the originals.  Most are just different and everyone but the stark-raving movie buff wouldn't even be able to tell the difference.

Has the term Director's Cut become nothing more then a marketing term to sell more DVD's?  Cram a bunch of footage that should have been left out in the first place back into the movie and call it a Director's Cut?  You'd think the Director's artistic conviction would win out.  Maybe... But after all, they are making money off the DVD, so if it helps and doesn't wreak the movie, why not?  Maybe I am just naive and idealistic to think the Director's Cut represents a purer version of the film and Director's will die over defending the artistic integrity of their work.

Stay with me, we're almost done and something vaguely resembling a point is close at hand.

In it's never ending quest to become completely and fully jealous of Hollywood, the gaming industry also releases Director's Cuts of various games.  We'll ignore the fact that games don't traditionally call the creative lead a Director, but hell, it's an easy sell for our pin-heads in marketing.  The term has built up some cache in the consumer world.  Stamped on anything it means more, which we all know means better.  1/3 more fun.

Some of these games include:  Medal of Honor: Director's Cut, Grand Theft Auto: Director's Cut, Resident Evil: The Director's Cut and of course, no list would be complete without Hub Gam 3D the Directors Cut.

Not to be out done, GameSpy has the DOOM 3: The Director's Cut Review, which isn't a review of DOOM 3: The Director's Cut, it's the Director's Cut of the Review of DOOM 3.  Now that's funny.

Maybe Director's Cut is just a fancy word for Patch.

OK, I lied.  There is no point.