I forgot who mentioned this in the Conspiracy Movie thread, but thanks. I rewatched Dark City and I picked up on a lot more this time around. I've moved it onto my favorite sci-fi list.
Things I had forgotten or picked up on this time:
the Hellraiser asthetic
what a great noir it is
biblical references
aliens in the government /religious prophecy theories
mind control stuff
science and tech leading to control
and I still don't care for Jennifer Connely (she always seems emotionally vacant to me.)
For sure it's a really well-done movie. Intelligent and doesn't drag.
Dark City is by far one of my favorite SF flicks of the 90s and of all time. The city is breathtaking as are many of the special effects except for the final battle.
This film was also the first to start my love affair with Jennifer Connelly.
Skaboi wrote:
> This film was also the first to start my love affair with
> Jennifer Connelly.
>
Bah! ;P
She's all yours.
This film was also the first to start my love affair with Jennifer Connelly.
Not "Labyrinth"?
I should have kept my big mouth shut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
h.p. love said - <> <>
Woah...Really? I didn't see either of those things at all....I guess I'll have to go back and watch it again.
I rented months ago from Netflick. It was pretty good.
_____________________________
"We Greeks created democracy! You also created homos!"-Ghost World
if it wasn't for those singing puppets labyrinth might have been halfway decent. But when david bowie gets up in his spandex singing "you remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. what power? the power of voodhoo. Who do? you do! What? remind me of the babe"
ok i know it was something cary grant sung in some old movie but for the love of all that is good and holy, dancing puppets scare me
Susan, that was one of my favorite parts (although for a muppet/youth movie..the spandex was a bit much)
I only have a few seconds right now, but here are the main ones I got:
at the end our hero creates the oceans, sun, etc.
he is different from all men and has powers in the real and spiritual/alien world
he has the oldest memories. I got that compared to everyone else, he has the most knowledge about things. He knows more about the nature of men (meaning the alien world, etc.). He alone is engaged in battle where no other man is. Most are oblivious.
oh yeah, I also thought Kiefer Sutherland's character was sort of like the devil, in the end he is just itching to hook up with the hero and rule the city. Watch when he says "what are you going to do now?" with a sneaky grin on his face. Watch how disappointed he looks when the hero says he's going to make things better.The hero does not go that route.
Kiefer also has that limp, like he had "fallen" or something. He was struggling to do the right thing for a while but still had desires for power. He also doesn't die, which I take to mean that he'll probably spread those desires into the freed city.
hwoo, I'm tired.
Post Edited (06-10-05 06:52)
Arrrrrrgh. Labryinth.......One of my wife's favorites, and one of my least.
I always liked this one, despite the visible strings on Keifer (you know the scene). Managed to be very much in the vein of Phillip K. Dick even though it's not based on his work.
I thought the most despairing part of the whole movie is that, in the end, even though the good guys won, they're still stuck on a tiny city floating in space with no memories and no real way to get out
>>>>>Managed to be very much in the vein of Phillip K. Dick even though it's not based on his work.
Which is funny since Proyas went on to direct I Robot.
I loved this film, and loved the fact that we got to have it as part of our Myth and Media cinema studies course. Great creepiness factor, and how can you not love the whole Noir-ness of it all?!
For those not playing at home, there is alot of Plato's cave about it as well, for those who know what I am talking about.
I think that's one of the reasons that I liked it, they didn't solve everything and restore their lives when it was over. While they had a shot to live a better life now the outcome was not certain. They were going to have to do the best they could, no free trip through the "happy ending machine" for these characters.
Labryinth was a weird girl essential back in high school. I think they just watch it to oogle David Bowie.
"I, Robot" was by Isaac Asimov, not PKD, or am I missing some other connection? Since I haven't seen that one, but read about how little it was based on the book (the Rules, a very altered character, and the title seem to about it) I better leave it alone.
About "Labyrinth", I got the impression lots of pre-teen girls (tweens they'd be called now a days) liked that movie. My sister and her friends liked it, but mostly they got a kick out of seeing the puppet taking a p**s. Now that my sister is older she said she doesn't like it as well as she remembered and told me that it's disturbing how "on display" Bowie's codpiece is in a kids film.
I remember thinking the aesthetics and the ideas exposed were interesting, but that the plot and acting was only OK, even a bit dull. It's on my must-rewatch list, so I may be saying different things about it soon.
I absolutely HATED this movie. It's "darkness" was as cheesy as "the Crow". If you liked this you'll love Richard grieco in "tomcat:dangerous Desires" which I thought was even worse than Dark City. Also, the plot was rescycled from a Twilight Zone episode. All the main actors were miscast. The lead was too neurotic and feminie to be a hero. The detecive was trying to be all noirish but he looked like he stepped out of a merchant Ivory movie. The girl who was supposed to be all vampy was demure and shy.
Master Blaster wrote:
> Labryinth was a weird girl essential back in high school. I
> think they just watch it to oogle David Bowie.
I dunno, i was a bowie fan but he was kind of oogly in that movie. The problem with henson movies is I think he was afraid or incapable of going completely dark. The film would have worked as a dark fantasy if not for all the gimicky sidekick puppets and dance sequences. Then again conolly's bad acting was almost unbearable, particularly at the end when she's trying to remember the final line to that stupid poem "you have no power over me". C'mon cheesefest!
>>>>"I, Robot" was by Isaac Asimov, not PKD
Ah yeah, silly me, getting my writers mixed up again! Nuts
Anywho, since this is a Dark City [and subtle Labyrinth] thread, I thought I'd chip in and say I loved the sillieness of Labyrinth. That and the Princess Bride just remind me of each other. That Dance magic dance song rocked as well... even though I admit it was silly, it doesn't mean its crap [as any B-movies fan will know]
Also speaking of Connelly. I don't mind her work, in fact, I like a lot of it. Requim for a dream was just a great movie which I really enjoyed in a 'this is nasty, I feel really bad" kind of way. Her acting was only adequate in Requim, but since it was a great film overall, I don't see a problem.
Dark City was a good movie, despite the stupid narration the studio had Proyas insert during the beginning scene which gave the whole damned plot away.
As far as Connelly, she is another natural beauty who ruined her looks by going the anorexic route. I remember the scene with her and Marlon Wayans in bed in Requiem for a Dream, she looked like a damn skeleton.
I had no idea the studio forced Proyas to insert the opening narrative. This is funny (I just read it on IMDB): "Many fans of the film prefer to watch it with the sound turned off during the opening narration, until the first appearance of Kiefer Sutherland."
Dark City was a good movie, despite the stupid narration the studio had Proyas insert during the beginning scene which gave the whole damned plot away.
That didn't bother me too much. I mean they tipped the plot pretty early anyway and the movie didn't rely on it being much of a secret. The plot relied on the tension of would Murdock figure out what was going on and get his powers under control before he was found.
I remember the scene with her and Marlon Wayans in bed in Requiem for a Dream, she looked like a damn skeleton.
Huhwha? Marlon Wayans was in bed with some other actress, Not Connelly.