Dark City (1998): an overlooked gem *spoilers*

I’m not often blown away by a movie on a second viewing. That makes this entry an unusual occurance. I watched Dark City about ten or more years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought the DVD soon after, but over the course of the next few years, I sold it. I didn’t give the movie much thought. It’s a movie that comes up often among film geeks and sci-fi geeks, most notably film critic Roger Ebert. I saw the DVD for $6 recently, and I felt the pull to re-investigate this flick.

I had really forgotten how well this movie was made. Parts noir, mystery, sci-fi, action, and mindtrip, Dark City predates Inception and even The Matrix in creating a world within a world. Production design, cinematography, script, and acting are all first rate. I’ll keep the synopsis as spoiler-free as I can. A man (Rufus Sewell) awakes in a bathtub. His clothes are folded and draped over a chair. He stands to look in a mirror, only to see that there is a spot of dripping blood on his forehead. He wanders out of the bathroom and discovers he is in a hotel room. He happens upon a dead body near the bed. He has no memory at all prior to waking up. The deeper he tries to dig, the more mysterious his circumstances seem to be.

Dark City leaves much to interpretation, but it’s a movie about the human spirit and whether it can ultimately triumph. There’s plenty of fun along the way, and plenty to think about. There is room to interpret what the film has to say. Indeed, it teems with subtext. Theres much I would like to say about the experience of watching this film. The less I say, the more you can watch it on its own merit. I feel like saying more would be criminal. I wouldn’t want Mr. Hand to come after me… 🙂

Re-Incepted: my second screening of the much-hyped flick

If you read my stuff regularly, then you know that I was chomping at the bit to see “Inception” again while it was still in theaters. On August 29th, 5 days after my birthday, I got my wish. Hollywood Blvd, a favorite theater of mine, sends out a pass for birthdays that’s good for free admission for up to eight people. We had 5: my girl Samee; her mom, Mary; Samee’s sister, Erica; Erica’s friend Mike; and, of course, myself. If you’ve never been, the great thing about Hollywood Blvd. is that they do full food service while you watch the movie. Said service is typically first rate. On this day, unfortunately, our waitress was nearly incompetent. Our drinks didn’t come. In fact, I had to track down another waitress to retrieve them. We weren’t asked if we wanted free refills OR dessert. Again, I had to track someone down. To top it all off, the waitress never brought change. Had I not asked for said change on my way out, she would have had a $10 tip for lousy service. Even this, though, could not ruin my experience with Inception: round 2!

The fun of the second viewing for me was in trying to see little details that I hadn’t seen the first time, while enjoying the things that had impressed me before. Honestly, though, I got so caught up in the experience that I didn’t always remember to look for new things. The actors all commit to the material in a way that made me want to follow their individual and collective journeys, even though I knew their outcomes. If anything, I questioned the motives of Cobb (DiCaprio) more in this viewing. He seemed to me to be more of a protagonist by default this time around. He has the capability of throwing anyone under the bus if it means he can see his kids again. The only reason that Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) has avoided this is because he reads Cobb like a book. The tension in their professional relationship is partly there because Arthur could potentially be a more efficient team leader than Cobb, and Cobb is threatened by this knowledge. Ariadne acts as a sort of conscience to Cobb, right down to forcing him to confront the projection of Mal in limbo. I didn’t fully appreciate her role in the overall plot the first time. And while Eames (Tom Hardy) isn’t crucial to Cobb’s story, I had forgotten what a brilliant character he is and how well Hardy brings him to life.

Nolan’s eye for an evocative image is certainly no less present here. I found myself staring in awe at many of the wide shots. His DP, Wally Pfister, knows how to frame gorgeous shots, as evidenced in many of Nolan’s films. It’s obvious here as well, with the snow scenes being an obvious standout. The filming angles in the anti-gravity scenes are also stunning.

For me, the bottom line is this: Inception entertains me. It engages me mentally. I enjoy the hell out of it. I doubt that it’s actually as deep as some people want it to be, but who am I to say? I love it. It’s a new classic and I will likely buy the DVD on the day of its release so that I may watch it many more times.

Also, the pizza was delicious.

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