|
|
Post by mikef6 on Mar 11, 2021 15:43:32 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by movielover on Mar 11, 2021 15:49:42 GMT
I saw the theatrical version and loved it. My favorite movie from 1998.
9/10
|
|
Eλευθερί
Junior Member
@eleutheri
Posts: 3,710
Likes: 1,670
|
Post by Eλευθερί on Mar 11, 2021 15:56:54 GMT
SHUT IT DOWN!
|
|
Eλευθερί
Junior Member
@eleutheri
Posts: 3,710
Likes: 1,670
|
Post by Eλευθερί on Mar 11, 2021 16:03:44 GMT
I started making a list of allusions to other films/stories for Dark City a few weeks back, but got distracted.
Just a few:
The Raven (1963) - John vs Mr. Book in battle of psychic energy
Brazil - the psychiatrist torturing victims, sort of steampunk
The Wizard of Oz - Mr. Hand telling people to "sleep"; the Others are afraid of water
Dracula - the Others cannot tolerate exposure to sunlight
War of the Worlds - aliens come to Earth because their own world is dying
Hellraiser - alien monsters who come in pack of threes
Rocky Horror Picture Show et al. - aliens who are not as they initially appear
|
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Mar 11, 2021 16:20:52 GMT
I liked it but didn’t love it, and I was expecting to love it. The city is wonderful—and, more than that, wondrous, exciting the imagination. The actors, particularly Hurt, all do a fine job. Jennifer Connolly is, as usual, gorgeous. The sequence in which the aliens reset the clock—and, thus, alter people’s lives—is first-class. For some reason I’m drawn to stories in which the protagonist finds his entire life has been a lie. Unfortunately—at least in the theatrical cut, which I watched—the script reveals its secret too early. The solution’s being sci-fi aliens is fine, but not telling us what was going on so soon would have increased the hero’s—and the audience’s—paranoia and left us unsure where the characters are, whom they (and we) should believe, and what is going on.
Even worse, the climax—which one rogerebert.com commenter deemed “an over-the-top battle-of-the-psionic-wizards”—is terrible. It’s a basic superhero-flick ending, with explosions and a vortex in the sky, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. After so much good material, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes at how bad it was. Again, that’s all too bad. This material is right up my alley, and I so wanted to love the movie. |
|
|
|
Post by truecristian on Mar 12, 2021 12:20:49 GMT
As a documentary, however, the film has two very distinct flaws. The least obvious of these is the fact that the prostitutes are selling more than their bodies: they are selling illusions, fantasies, and dreams. This is pointed out by more than one subject, and it has implications in terms of how much of their statements we can believe--but the film never really follows this up in any statement-making sense. The most obvious flaw is that it is in some ways superficial; the subjects are taken at their word and that is that, there is no real context and ultimately nothing we can describe as "cold reality." Both flaws feed into each other and tend to create a "how much of this can we truly believe?" quality.
|
|
|
|
Post by truecristian on Mar 12, 2021 12:23:02 GMT
The filmmakers demonstrate that they haven't really been listening to these pieces of meat at all, that their own sentiments shall prevail. I have never seen a movie that showed such little respect for its subject, and that's saying a lot with films like "the mayor of sunset strip" out there. . . . disgusting, callous, another film about hustlers clearly made out of a desire for revenge against guys who are paid to have sex. gag me.
|
|
Eλευθερί
Junior Member
@eleutheri
Posts: 3,710
Likes: 1,670
|
Post by Eλευθερί on Mar 12, 2021 13:21:12 GMT
The filmmakers demonstrate that they haven't really been listening to these pieces of meat at all, that their own sentiments shall prevail. I have never seen a movie that showed such little respect for its subject, and that's saying a lot with films like "the mayor of sunset strip" out there. . . . disgusting, callous, another film about hustlers clearly made out of a desire for revenge against guys who are paid to have sex. gag me. Are you feeling ok?
|
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Mar 12, 2021 15:38:19 GMT
Great film. Certainly Alex Proyas' best directorial effort. How on earth did he go from directing movies like this and The Crow and even I, Robot (which I enjoyed a lot) to that horrendous piece of shit Gods of Egypt?
|
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on Mar 12, 2021 15:48:13 GMT
The filmmakers demonstrate that they haven't really been listening to these pieces of meat at all, that their own sentiments shall prevail. I have never seen a movie that showed such little respect for its subject, and that's saying a lot with films like "the mayor of sunset strip" out there. . . . disgusting, callous, another film about hustlers clearly made out of a desire for revenge against guys who are paid to have sex. gag me. Thanks for your comments on whatever movie you're commenting on.
|
|
|
|
Post by mikef6 on Mar 12, 2021 15:50:45 GMT
I liked it but didn’t love it, and I was expecting to love it. The city is wonderful—and, more than that, wondrous, exciting the imagination. The actors, particularly Hurt, all do a fine job. Jennifer Connolly is, as usual, gorgeous. The sequence in which the aliens reset the clock—and, thus, alter people’s lives—is first-class. For some reason I’m drawn to stories in which the protagonist finds his entire life has been a lie. Unfortunately—at least in the theatrical cut, which I watched—the script reveals its secret too early. The solution’s being sci-fi aliens is fine, but not telling us what was going on so soon would have increased the hero’s—and the audience’s—paranoia and left us unsure where the characters are, whom they (and we) should believe, and what is going on.
Even worse, the climax—which one rogerebert.com commenter deemed “an over-the-top battle-of-the-psionic-wizards”—is terrible. It’s a basic superhero-flick ending, with explosions and a vortex in the sky, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. After so much good material, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes at how bad it was. Again, that’s all too bad. This material is right up my alley, and I so wanted to love the movie. Yes, at that climax I was immediately reminded of the lightning out of the Emperor's fingertips in "Return Of The Jedi" 15-years earlier and of the unintended laughter in the theater at that scene.
|
|
|
|
Post by lordquesterjones on Mar 12, 2021 15:59:26 GMT
Brilliant Movie.
Can we not forget that the great Shakespearean actor Ian Richardson was also in it.
|
|
Eλευθερί
Junior Member
@eleutheri
Posts: 3,710
Likes: 1,670
|
Post by Eλευθερί on Mar 12, 2021 21:42:59 GMT
Thanks for your comments on whatever movie you're commenting on. For anyone who is just casually following along, my name was attached to that quote, but I never wrote that. An internet search indicates the text was lifted from some user's review on IMDb.com for a completely different film.
|
|
