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Dark City

Author	Message
zingy College Boy Z Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662	Dark City Dark City Quote: Dark City is a 1998 neo noir science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas. It was adapted from a screenplay written by Proyas, David S. Goyer and Lem Dobbs. The film stars Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, and Jennifer Connelly. Sewell plays John Murdoch, a man suffering from amnesia who finds himself accused of murder. Murdoch attempts to discover his true identity to clear his name while on the run from the police and a mysterious group known only as the "Strangers". Dark City asks the question of what it means to be human, and explores the relationship between memory and personal identity in an attempt to answer it. The majority of the film was shot at Fox Studios Australia. It was jointly produced by New Line Cinema and Mystery Clock Cinema. New Line Cinema and New Line Home Video commercially distributed the theatrical release and home media respectively. The studio was concerned that the audience would not understand the film and asked Proyas to add an explanatory, voice-over narration to the introduction. The film premiered in the United States on February 27, 1998, competing against James Cameron's blockbuster Titanic. Dark City performed poorly at the U.S. box office during its initial release and received mixed reviews. Following its screening in wide cinematic release, the film was nominated for the Hugo and Saturn Awards. With the help of Roger Ebert and home screenings, the film has since become a cult classic. In the years since its original theatrical release, critical and scholarly reviews have reevaluated the significance of Dark City with positive reviews. A director's cut was released in 2008, restoring and preserving Proyas's original artistic vision for the film.
Tue Oct 19, 2004 3:44 pm

Plot Cream of the Crop Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:40 pm Posts: 2987 Location: Free Country, USA	I recommend this movie if you liked The Matrix, but didn't the sequels 'cause you heard that they sucked. Many parts of the two sequels were obviously inspired by Dark City, so by watching this good movie, you can determine what the sequels are about without actually having to watch them. Actually, I recommend you see Dark City even if you did see the sequels. _________________ "How you uh, how you comin' on that novel you're working on? Huh? Gotta a big, uh, big stack of papers there? Gotta, gotta nice litte story you're working on there? Your big novel you've been working on for 3 years? Got a, got a compelling protaganist? Yeah? Gotta obstacle for him to overcome? Working on, working on that for quite some time?" Battle of the 2005 movies - Vote Now!
Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:33 pm

trixster loyalfromlondon Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie	Great film. Very noir and stylish. The ending goes off on a tangent a bit, but the rest is classic stuff. Definitely the inspiration for The Matrix. _________________ Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict. Last edited by trixster on Sat Apr 21, 2007 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:43 pm

Goldie Forum General Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:38 pm Posts: 7286 Location: TOPSECRET ***************** **************** **************** ******************	Great movie even with the ending, maybe a little weak, and Keifer Sutherland.
Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:46 pm

zingy College Boy Z Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662	To be honest, I have never seen this movie. I always wanted to, but never did. I need to add this to movies I need to rent.
Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:08 pm

kypade Kypade Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 7908	l picked it up cuz it was only 5.50, and l'd heard it was good...very good movie. right up there with the matrix...A
Sat Jan 01, 2005 9:37 pm

Box Extraordinary Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:52 am Posts: 25990	A superb sci-fi film. I loved it, everything about it. Watching this film makes me wish that Proyas had been allowed to be more daring with I, Robot. He might have produced a classic like this one will be (or is already). Great film, I strongly recommend it to any who likes sci-fi or film-noir. The film works perfectly well as both, as well as a thriller. Actually, if you're just a plain movie fan, go watch it. A _________________ In order of preference: Christian, Argos MadGez wrote: Briefs. Am used to them and boxers can get me in trouble it seems. Too much room and maybe the silkiness have created more than one awkward situation. My Box-Office Blog: http://boxofficetracker.blogspot.com/
Tue Jan 04, 2005 12:15 am

El Maskado Arrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh! Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 8:17 pm Posts: 21572	This is why I love Alex Proyas movies. Despite its unsuccessful run, Dark City is one of my favorite cult classic. Its like something out of art school and a comic book A 9.2/10
Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:46 pm

Squee Squee Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:01 pm Posts: 13270 Location: Yuppieville	This was a very good movie. The only real problem I had is that the ending seemed off... It turned into like an action movie, just didn't feel right. Anyway: *1/2 _________________ Setting most people on fire is wrong.** Proud Founder of the "Community of Squee."
Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:52 pm

Libs Sbil Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA	Outstanding. A
Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:04 pm

trixster loyalfromlondon Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie	After seeing this again, I can appreciate it even more. One of the most stylish, intriguing, and fiercely original films I've ever seen. The production design is top-notch, and the effects are impressive, if not overtly flashy. Strong performances from the cast, especially Kiefer Sutherland as the anti-Jack Bauer, and a thought-provoking story. The happy ending doesn't quite fit, but I'll let that slide. One of my all-time favourites. _________________ Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict. Last edited by trixster on Sat Apr 21, 2007 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:48 pm

zingy College Boy Z Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662	It's great. Stylish sci-fi flick with some great performances. Ending's a bit off from the rest of the film, though. A-
Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:23 pm

DP07 Homo Dperious Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:26 am Posts: 14480 Location: Everywhere	One of my favorite movies of all-time. 9.1/10 - A+
Sat Jun 24, 2006 1:27 am

Dkmuto Forum General Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:00 am Posts: 6502	It was very cool, but I found it to be a bit of a let-down after all the Ebert hooplah. Style-over-substance, I remember thinking, actually. B
Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:14 am

MovieDude Where will you be? Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 4:50 am Posts: 11675	I wasn't blown away, but it's an interesting, unique, and ceaselessly clever mess of a narrative. Oh yeah, and it's really pretty to look at. B
Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:40 am

zennier htm Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:38 pm Posts: 10316 Location: berkeley	I would say perfection... until the ending. Not that it was bad, but, like others have said, a bit too "action"ish. Still a strong A.
Thu Jun 29, 2006 6:41 pm

Jeff Christian's #1 Fan Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:25 pm Posts: 28110 Location: Awaiting my fate	It was great...until the end. It just went so far off course unfortunately. Still, a good movie but it could have been a lot better. I think its real strength was in its potential subject matter as it is quite interesting -- what makes us human? Are we just the result of our memories? etc... But there were problems with the film. The editing was off, the style was sometimes too dark for its own good and the acting really was not that great, especially from Sutherland and Seawell. Not a bad film, enjoyable until the end. B+
Sun Oct 15, 2006 1:53 am

BJ Killing With Kindness Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:57 pm Posts: 25020 Location: Anchorage,Alaska	BJs Grade: B+ Interesting watch........ _________________ The Force Awakens
Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:04 am

zennier htm Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:38 pm Posts: 10316 Location: berkeley	If you haven't seen Dark City but would like to, the whole film is up on youtube with decent quality. If anything, get a taste of it. It's a fantastic treat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHh0BUm69ac
Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:00 am

baumer72 Mod Team Leader Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:00 pm Posts: 7087 Location: Crystal Lake	There were three films that were in theme, Matrix, Dark City, and 13th Floor. All are an A....including this one. Fantastic film. _________________ Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident. Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:10 pm

Groucho Extraordinary Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:30 pm Posts: 12096 Location: Stroudsburg, PA	Roger Ebert listed this as the Best Film of 1998, topping Saving Private Ryan and others. It is only one of two films he has done a DVD commentary track for (the other being Citizen Kane). Not that it means much, but I thought that was interesting. I liked the film when I saw it but it hasn't stayed with me all these years, and I'm not sure I could even summarize the plot now... _________________ Buy my books! http://michaelaventrella.com
Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:43 pm

Jmart Superman: The Movie Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:47 am Posts: 21152 Location: Massachusetts	Groucho wrote: Roger Ebert listed this as the Best Film of 1998, topping Saving Private Ryan and others. It is only one of two films he has done a DVD commentary track for (the other being Citizen Kane). Not that it means much, but I thought that was interesting. I liked the film when I saw it but it hasn't stayed with me all these years, and I'm not sure I could even summarize the plot now... He's also done a commentary for Casablanca and his own film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Both are great listens. As for Dark City, unlike say a 300, this is a visual masterpiece with a backbone and heart to it. A+ _________________ My DVD Collection Marty McGee (1989-2005) If I’m not here, I’m on Letterboxd.
Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:08 pm

Shack Devil's Advocate Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am Posts: 38007	Re: Dark City I thought it was a pretty fabulous sci-fi trip. I liked it a lot more than The Matrix and Blade Runner actually. The look is great, but I also loved the questions of memory, what is human?, and general existentialism that it brought up. In that sense I thought the villians' motive was probably one of the most ingenious I've seen in a film. It makes all kind of sense, really. I don't get how a lot of critics could label this as "style over substance"... there's a LOT of meat to dig into here, I mean the movie is about exploring what humanity is. I mean even the spiral symbol alone can offer philosophical depth, Ebert mentions on the commentary it represents the chaos theory and how one disturbance to the circle like Murdoch can disrupt everything; it also represents how the people in the dark city can only go in circles and never get out, a philosophy that can be applied to life in general... I liked how Jonathan discovers the world around him and the mystery of his own life just as we do. We live it through his perspective, and learn as he does. My favorite parts of the film were the first act with Jonathan trying to figure out what he is and what is going on. I do agree that the "showdown" is maybe a bit too big in the context of the film, but it didn't really hurt my enjoyment of the film that much. The scene after where Mr. Hand finds John helps balance it out by being one of my favorites in the movie, I also thought the sun coming up over the city and him walking out into the sun and meeting Anna worked too. Maybe one of the best sci-fi movies I've seen. 5/5 _________________ Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227
Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:54 am

Johnny Dollar The Lubitsch Touch Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:48 pm Posts: 11019	Re: Dark City In retrospect, it's hard to understand how completely the world overlooked one of the most visually audacious movies to come along in ages. I blame Rufus Sewell. _________________ k
Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:10 pm
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Dark City

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