Adjust Your Tracking is back to talk about cult movies and the often tepid results from attempting to catch lightning in a bottle again. While the box-office and critical reception for “Blair Witch” was underwhelming, to say the least, we still find other aspects around the film and the franchise to dig into. All of which nicely ties into the latest edition of our special segment HOLD UP: “Donnie Darko.”
READ MORE: ‘Blair Witch’ Can’t Capture The Mystique Of The Original
My co-host Joe von Appen and myself have often championed the work of director Adam Wingard and screenwriter/producer Simon Barrett (we’re big fans of “The Guest” and “You’re Next“). But though we were excited for their first attempt at studio franchise filmmaking with their sequel to “The Blair Witch Project,” it turned out to be a dud. So while most the attention on the film has already passed, we instead look at the problematic reasons for even attempting a sequel to the original in the first place. This all ties in nicely with our second half of the show, in which we discuss Richard Kelly‘s first two films, cult phenomenon “Donnie Darko” (still one of my all time favorite films from the past 16 years) and his, err, troubled follow-up, “Southland Tales.” Both films are evidence of a gifted, smart filmmaker with loads of ambition, but clearly show how results can wildly vary.
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