Dark City Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Back in July, Eugene brought up the initial teaser for Nicolas Cage's new thriller, Knowing, and as Cage struggled to crack a numerical pattern that has a nasty habit of correlating with major disasters past and future, it struck me as some sort of cross between The Mothman Prophecies (not bad) and his own Next (not good).

Now, this latest trailer comes across as more of a mix between Mothman and Dark City, which was also directed by Knowing helmer Alex Proyas, which gives me mild cause for concern. It's nothing against Dark City -- which is a fine film and all -- but I find the introduction of pale figures known only as "the whisper men" significantly less intriguing than the central doomsday concept. Whatever answer I had hoped might be behind the mystery at hand simply didn't involve creeps who often stand on the horizon and, well, whisper.

The train and plane crashes seem creep enough as it stands, and for all I know, those fellas on the outskirts could figure into the plot quite nicely. I, and we, won't know until March 20th if my skepticism is unfounded. At the moment, though, are any of you guys and girls sold on this?

When Scott, my editor here at Cinematical, sent around an invitation to write a brief blurb about a movie each of us is Thankful For this holiday season, I decided to take the prompt as literally as I could. It's easy enough to churn out 250 words on what one thinks is a great film. But no: the question is what movie I'm thankful for. What seems most like a blessing, or a gift? What movie feels like it was made specifically for me?

I'm thankful for Dark City. I don't think there's another movie out there that's so in tune with my sensibilities. It mixes elements of fantasy, science-fiction and noir into something wholly original -- and frightening, and beautiful. It has a boundless imagination, with a story that expands from compact and eerie to mind-blowing and huge. The world it creates lives and breathes and has no limits. At the same time, I'm thankful for the details: everything down to the villains' names -- simultaneously prosaic and otherworldly -- is thought out and thought through.

Both fans and newcomers should favor the director's cut, which, among other things, excises the expository voiceover narration. In doing so, it turns Dark City into a genuine mystery and brings it even closer to its noir ancestors. The movie looks awesome on Blu-Ray, too.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

What is the appropriate reaction to have when a movie you love, adore, and cherish is somehow ... improved? I know, it's a strange feeling. I happen to think my all-time favorite film (A L I E N) is much better in its theatrical version than in its extended -- but where Aliens is concerned, I much prefer the longer version! It's something you have to approach on a case-by-case basis, of course, and it's the sort of movie-nerd activity that should be attempted only by those with a lot of free time -- or someone who gets paid to write about this sort of stuff. (Fortunately I am both.)

So it was with MUCH enthusiasm that I sat down with the brand-new Director's Cut of Dark City, a film that I absolutely love a whole lot -- and I know I'm not nearly alone when I say that. Like many of the finest sci-fi films, Dark City was pretty much overlooked for a good long while -- put once it hit DVD and heavy rotation on the cable channels, the sci-fi freaks found a film worth watching and re-watching, to say nothing of analyzing, deconstructing, and debating. And so I happily continue that trend by explaining what the fans will find in New Line's very impressive new Dark City package...

Hi. I like movies by Alex Proyas. Everyone likes Dark City and The Crow, but I like I, Robot, too. Is it a visionary masterpiece like Dark City? It is not. But in 2004, it was the most seamlessly beautiful f/x spectacle I had ever seen. If there's one thing Proyas can do, it's make one hell of a great-looking movie.

By the look of the trailer that debuted at IGN yesterday, Knowing, Proyas's new sci-fi project with Nicolas Cage, will be along the conventional, expensive lines of I, Robot rather than his earlier work. The plot seems like a less-than-promising mix of Next and The Number 23, and Cage looks like he'd rather be somewhere else. But, uh... it sure looks great. And the thing that happens about a minute-and-a-half in convinces me that everything they said after September 11th about what we will and will not be able to consider entertainment from here on out has gone completely out the window. Which is just as well.

Despite my affinity for all things Proyas, I'll take yesterday's genuinely creepy trailer for The Day the Earth Stood Still over this one. But at least we have some non-comic-book sci-fi to look forward to.

Count me among the ranks of drooling Dark City fanboys. The original DVD is a prized possession of mine -- aside from being a good transfer of a great film, it also features one of the best commentary tracks I've ever heard (thanks Rog!). There had been whispers of a Director's Cut DVD as early as 2005 and as late as three weeks ago. Now, courtesy of Ropeofsilicon, we have hard facts.

The new disc will hit on July 29th, in both standard and Blu-Ray formats. The new cut isn't just a "little longer," as previously reported, but 15 minutes longer -- 111 minutes instead of 96. And you can see the beautiful new cover art below the fold. No official word on the other rumored additions Scott talked about earlier in the month -- a new score, new special effects, new interviews, a possible theatrical re-release -- but since those had come from co-writer David S. Goyer, we can assume that they're forthcoming (except the theatrical re-release, which seems like wishful thinking). Warner Bros. did say that the DVD will include "new special features."

Director Alex Proyas, meanwhile, is back in the sci-fi saddle, working on the intriguing-sounding Knowing with Nicolas Cage. A movie of Dark City's caliber is unlikely, to put it mildly, but we can dream.

Like many passionate but busy fans of science fiction cinema, I "discovered" Dark City just a little too late -- but I've slowly become one of the flick's biggest fans. Aside from a few minor gripes (yes, the narration), I think it's an absolute masterpiece; a nifty mixture of lofty sci-fi, moody film noir, convoluted "whodunnit" and eye-popping spectacle. And I know I'm not alone in my appreciation of the Alex Proyas film.

So here's some good news for my friends: According to BD.com, Dark City co-screenwriter David S. Goyer just dropped a few juicy nuggets regarding a digital upgrade: "In addition to the special features, Goyer reveals that there's more to the re-release than just special FX upgrades. "[They re-did] the score and the cuts a little longer," he reveals, "all of the parties involved did fairly lenghtly interviews with us, they'll be incluced on there." New FX? Fresh featurettes? A possible theatrical re-release? Wowwy wow, that's awesome. But this new DVD better keep that Roger Ebert commentary track!

Check out Monika's earlier piece on the Dark City revisions right here. And I can't believe I made it all the way through this post without mentioning Jennifer Connelly...

The dude (sorry, David Goyer) has come a long way over the last 17 years. He came onto the scene when he wrote the super-awesome Jean Claude Van Damme and Robert Guillaume flick, Death Warrant -- the movie that, for some reason, I had a poster of as a teen. After that came a whole slew of different supernatural flicks. His pen has been behind the likes of everything from Dark City to Batman Begins, and he's been getting into the directorial side of things with films like Blade: Trinity and the upcoming Magneto.

Now The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Goyer is signing up for his next helming gig -- an untitled supernatural thriller for Rogue Pictures. They're not saying too much about what Goyer's script entails, other than that it "follows an 18-year-old who realizes she is slowly being possessed and then begins to fight back." Am I the only one imagining a modern-day Ash? I'm sure this will be much more serious than my musings, but I can't help but picture a girl dealing with a demonic hand and chopping it off.

They're looking to start this puppy in February (not sure what that means for Magneto), so we should start hearing more soon. In the meantime -- what girl can pull this off? The only one that comes to mind for me is the young actress who has become the champion of young female talent -- Ellen Page. She'll hit 21 when the production starts, but I can't think of anyone even close to comparable. How about you?

If people are thinking that David Richard Kelly is taking his time with the cuts for Southland Tales, that's nothing compared to how long the Director's Cut for Dark City is taking. Back in October of 2005, Cinematical's Ryan Stewart wrote a review of the film for the column "Cinema of the Caribbean." The post got thumb-raiser Rogert Ebert to add his two cents, mentioning that a director's cut was going to come out "in the next few months." In November, Cinematical brought word that Ebert had recorded a commentary for the edition (he is also on the original DVD release). After a bit of silence, we mentioned it again in June of 2006.

It's now July of 2007, and what's come of this forever-in-the-works cut? According to Twitch, Fangoria Radio recently chatted with David Goyer (who co-wrote the screenplay) about The Invisible. While chatting about the film, he mentioned that he had been working with director Alex Proyas on the director's cut -- with, as Twitch describes, "beefed up special effects and a new and improved sound mix." I can only hope that means effects that work with the style and age of the movie, because new additions can be a bit jarring, or in some cases, completely change the story (cough-Han shooting-cough). Not surprisingly, there was no word on when it would be released. By now, I think it would make sense to wait until 2008, and have it be a 10th Anniversary Edition. Stay tuned -- maybe we'll have more info next year!

Like a whole lot of you, I "discovered" a strange little sci-fi flick called Dark City right after it hit DVD. (I do remember wanting to see the film during its theatrical run, but it opened opposite David Schwimmer's Kissing a Fool and Richard Dreyfuss' Krippendorf's Tribe, and I wasn't about to miss either of those.) (If I have to tell you I was just kidding, you might be drunk right now.)

So after hastily unwrapping the brand-new New Line DVD (and noticing that the platter came complete with a Roger Ebert audio commentary!) and grabbing a few snack items, I sat down to enjoy what I'd hoped would be a pretty nifty science-fiction movie. And nifty it was. Also dark, moody, disturbing, intelligent, bizarre, intense, strange, and oddly beautiful. It was a full-bore neo-noir mystery combined with a really convoluted (yet still decipherable) episode of The Twilight Zone. It had brilliant set design, retina-tickling visual tricks, brilliantly bombastic music, some really creepy villains, and a cast of old-school archetypes portrayed by some rather brave actors. (Rufus Sewell and William Hurt are great; Keifer Sutherland is wonderfully unhinged; and then there's the achingly lovely Jennifer Connelly, whom, according to court order, I'm not legally allowed to write about, so let's just move on.)

So the recap is this: Dark City made less than $15 million during its theatrical run, but (like many excellent sci-fi films *koff* Blade Runner) it has since gone on to become a wiiiiidely-adored piece of filmmaking. That's not to say that everyone loves the thing, but those who do -- do so with much fervor. (Good ol' Ebert called it the best movie of 1998, god love him.)

Segue from unnecessarily lengthy intro into the meat of the matter:

In a message board post right here (which was brought to our attention by this kook right here), Dark City / The Crow , I, Robot director Alex Proyas just dropped two little tidbits that had my geek light flashing:

1. As we already know, New Line is working on a big swanky Special Edition of Dark City, which isn't a big shock considering the fanbase its built over the past few years. It is, however, very good news, despite the fact that the original DC DVD is a dandy release all over, what with its lovely anamorphic transfer, a pair of commentaries, a featurette comparing Dark City to Metropolis, thoughts from Neil Gaiman, etc. Bottom Line: This movie is worthy of the "double-dip" treatment.

2. Does Proyas actually intend to make a Dark City ... sequel??? Really?? This comes from the keyboard of Proyas himself (we think): "DC was hardly a smash hit at the box office so it is unlikely, if a sequel was made, they'd give me a huge budget to work with. So don't worry too much about that! I am more and more interested in the idea of a sequel, and who knows, after the special edition comes out, with everyone's support behind it, a sequel... maybe who knows... but I've already said too much."

Fans of Marvel's Iron Man Tony Stark have had a roller coaster of an emotional ride over the past couple years, as news regarding the possible silver screen appearance of the Avenger has been confirmed, denied, reported and rebuked. Scripts have reportedly been written and discarded, deals have been made and broken, and liscenses have been picked up and let drop again.

Well, True Believers, you can allow your hopes to climbing that hill yet again as news on the Iron Man front has finally started surfacing anew. The folks over at IESB recently caught up with producer Don Murphy , and he stated that he is still committed to making the projects, although he declined to comment on a director, saying only that they were looking for someone who has a "Sam Raimi style." Don said to expect news "very soon."

IESB did some digging on their own, and have produced the name Alex Proyas, saying that he "kept popping up" in their hunt. An email to Murphy produced no answer, however.

So, what do we think of Proyas as a possible Marvel director? I, like most geeks, loved his work on The Crow and Dark City, but was only moderately impressed with the overly Hollywood-ized I, Robot. Overall, I think he's got as good a shot as anyone (and probably better than most) at bringing Iron Man to life. Thoughts?