|
 |
An Open Letter To Richard Kelly by jeremy padow Jeremy Padow ♦♦♦♦♦ Labrador Street ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦, CA 91311 Richard Kelly c/o Creative Artists Agency 9830 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90212 July 31, 2004 Dear Richard, First, I have to tell you that I have been a huge fan of Donnie Darko since I saw it in the theater back in 2001. I like to think that my telling my friends all about the film back then added to its cult status. This past weekend I saw your Director's Cut, and though the scenes you added were not totally necessary, I did not really have a problem with any of them. What I did have a problem with is your alteration of the film's classic alt-rock soundtrack. Any good Darko fan knows that at the start of the film, Donnie rides his bike back home to Echo and the Bunnymen's "Killing Time." Why on earth did you change it to INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart?" That song may have been more appropriate at the climax as Donnie drives Gretchen's corpse back to the spot where it all began, but I think Echo and the Bunnymen's song is more appropriate in setting the film's ominous, angst-ridden tone. More important, I am upset that you have put another song in your movie that I one day hope to use in one of my own. Now I begrudgingly accepted your use of Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels" in the first high school scene, only because it was done so brilliantly, but I had always planned to use that eventually in one of my own scripts, probably in a love montage or something. But now that you've used "Never Tear Us Apart", well, frankly (no pun intended) I'm pretty pissed. That's another great song for a love montage that I had hoped to use that you plucked away from me. You see Richard, you and I are the same age, so we both grew up with a lot of the same songs. These songs have become part of our psyche and even back when we were kids we knew that one day we wanted to be filmmakers, and would want to use such songs in our movies. Like me, you had probably always planned to use Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels" since you first heard it back in 1985. As I've mentioned I'll let that one slide since it is utilized so well. I realize now that you've become filmmaker you are free to use such songs in your movies as you see fit. But I beg you to please save some songs for me, for one day I hope to get my scripts filmed, and I sometimes write scenes with certain songs in mind. I even include the songs in the scripts, though I know every screenwriting teacher I've had has taught me differently. So, if you could please refrain from using the following songs in your future films, I would be eternally grateful: 80's Songs: Public Enemy - "Night of the Living Baseheads" Van Halen - "Panama" Ah-Ha - "Take on Me" Paul Young - "Everytime You Go Away" Duran Duran - "New Moon on Monday" The Hooters - "And We Danced" Bryan Adams - "Summer of '69" Jefferson Starship - "We Built This City" Beastie Boys - the entire Paul's Boutique album Young MC - "Bust a Move" 90's songs Blur - "The Universal" Smashing Pumpkins - "Today" Queen - "The Show Must Go On" (Actually, come to think of it, the entire Queen catalog, since I would like to write a Freddy Mercury biopic a la Oliver Stone's "The Doors.") 2000 and beyond Anything involving Dan the Automator (Handsome Boy Modeling School, Deltron 3030, Dr. Octagon, Lovage, Gorillaz, etc.) Those are the only songs I can think of for right now, but I'm sure I'll think of more after I send this letter. Your inclusion of Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry" in the Director's Cut was a bit odd, though I'm not very upset, since I never really planned to use that in any of my films. (Was this your attempt at paying homage to Paul Thomas Anderson who used Aimee Mann's songs so well in Magnolia?) Anyway, thanks in advance for reading this letter. Good luck with the Donnie Darko re-release and I look forward to seeing you future work -- without any of the songs I have listed above of course. All the best, Jeremy Padow p.s. I've seen Donnie Darko like a jillion times. I still don't know what the fuck it means. Can you please explain it to me? |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| lunchboxing.com 2003 | all content © | all rights reserved | suck it so hard | feel the rhythm of the night |
