First Time Watching Dark City (Director's Cut)! -- MOVIE REACTION -- bunnytails
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.พ. 2024
- Thanks for watching "Dark City" with me! I hope you enjoy my reaction and review!
Edited by: bunnytails
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Dark City is the thinking man’s Matrix. People were so mind blown with the Matrix that they weren’t ready for a film like this.
Not exactly true, DARK CITY (1998) was made one year earlier than THE MATRIX (1999). I saw them in the theaters in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
@@hughjorg4008if you look close in the opening roof top chase in the matrix you will see some of the dark city set
@@hughjorg4008 The roofs trinity is running on at the beginning are stage props from Dark City. Hell.. Maybe The Crow as well. Why not? Same Director.
Dark City came out first. And no, Dark City is fun but quite silly and goofy, it's no Matrix.
@@alittlebitgone It got overshadowed because of the hype for the Matrix. And you know what’s interesting? The original script for the Matrix had the machines use humans for processing power, not energy. Humans cannot create enough or the kind of electricity that can be used to power much of anything. However, the amount of neural links each human is capable of creating is extraordinary. They changed the script because most of the movie going public didn’t know much about computers at the time. They had to dumb down the script so people can get it.
Btw, I find much of the Matrix to be pretty goofy myself… but to each his own.
From IMDB "In the movie Emma Murdoch (Jennifer Connelly) is depicted as a singer in a nightclub. Despite the fact she is seen performing two songs, actually she isn't singing them. They were sung by Anita Kelsey. However, in the Director's Cut, Connelly's vocals were used." So, it was Jennifers doing the singing.
This movie is like A 1000 piece puzzle, but every piece is just straight edges, and the box is blank so you don't know the full picture till its assembled.... And I loved it.
Great analogy. 😅
I remember being so impressed at the time this came out. The visual effects combined with the uniqueness of the narrative and world in which it occurred really appealed to me. I'm a big Salvador Dali fan and the surrealist aspect of "the tuning" is something that sets this movie apart.
As a kid, my Father took me to the last Automat in NYC just before it closed. Just so I could experience it before they went away. What a marvelous creation they were and actually ahead of their time.
Wait, those were a real thing!? I’ve never heard of it before!
@@bunnytailsREACTS Oh, yeah! They actually began in Philadelphia, but became more associated with NY. In the 40's and 50's they were huge. Very clean and stylish. You would go to a little window with a door and inside there would be a sandwich or pie..or whatever. You'd put some change in and you could open the little window and get what you wanted. The best thing is that this wasn't fast food quality. They had chefs in the back and the food was fresh and delicious..and inexpensive!
@@bunnytailsREACTS They're even mentioned in a Frank Sinatra Christmas song:
"Give me an old fashioned Christmas, an old fashioned Christmas,
Family faces, wide open spaces, covered with snow,
Right now my mom there in the kitchen, basting the Christmas bird,
You'll have to take my word, you can't find that at the automat..."
@@bunnytailsREACTS yes, automats were a thing. They get mentioned in "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," a song popularized by Marilyn Monroe:
"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental
But diamonds are a girl's best friend.
A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental
On your humble flat... or help you at.. the Automat!"
I, too, feel fortunate to have eaten lunch in Washington, D.C.'s downtown automat, when I was a kid in the early 1960s.
'Dark City', 'The Truman Show', and 'The Matrix' were modern takes on Plato's allegory of the cave. All released within the span of roughly a year (1998-1999).
The European film ABRE LOS OJOS (1997), remade as VANILLA SKY in 2001, is the first film where the world we live in is not what we think it is. Abre Los Ojos precedes all the other films: The Truman Show (1998), Dark City (1998), The Matrix (1999) and Vanilla Sky (2001).
I haven’t seen this in ages, such an imaginative, unique film. Let’s also not forget the beautiful Jennifer Connelly.
This movie came out the year before the Matrix. The Wachowskis visited the set during filming and asked if they could use some of the set. Trinity's rooftop chase at the beginning of the Matrix is on the Dark City set.
Yep, both were made at Fox Studios in Sydney, when I was living there, within a short time of each other. Certain ideas were "in the air", so to speak.
Yes, the Matrix ripped off this film. Not just the sets. All three movies. Watch it from the start and point out all the matrix rip-offs.
5:20 "So, Husselbeck, what kind of killer do you think stops to save a dying fish."
Ah. Key question.
Equilibrium with Christian Bale is a lesser known, but solid dystopian future flick.
Gunkata!😁
This movie was a total surprise for me on release. I remember thinking it was an unusual role for Kiefer Sutherland, compared to some of his others around that time.
Oh, the effect Jennifer Connolly singing "Sway" had on teenage me...
I forgat how beautiful She was. :)
Yup.
She is soooo sexy in this .. love the affect she put on her voice
Finally, in recent months I have seen 1-2 reaction videos about this masterpiece. I think it deserves much, much more recognition and attention than it has received. To me, this is one of the most unique dystopias ever made. Thanks bunnytailsREACTS!
I would recommend 12 Monkeys (1995), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), Existenz (1999), and Donnie Darko (2001) for films with similarly strange vibes.
And Franklyn (2009).
"What does she do?" Oh you sweet summer child.
I think that "nature vs nurture " was the phrase you were in search of.
This is one of those incredibly weard and yet very interesting and entertaining films that sadly so few know about
I saw this in the theaters and I barely remember it so many years later. I’m excited to watch this reaction to revisit something buried so deep in my memory!
This and The Crow are just 🧑🍳😘
I envy you, Bunny Lady.
I saw the theatrical cut of this after it came out and before a director’s cut was available.
The theatrical cut gives it all away in the opening, taking away all the questions and exploration.
Makes me sad I didn’t get to see this as it was meant to be seen.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
@20:25 -- the aliens seem to be a hive mind without individuality. they kidnapped humans to see if individuality (the "soul") was the cure to their ills.
Bunnytail! Did I miss a memo? Nice gloves! I love this film. When I saw the trailer that no one understood, I could not wait to see it. When I saw it I felt that many in the theater did not understand it. Even between my brothers I am the only one who liked it. As a teenager I begun to have lucid dreams, where I was aware I was in a dream. Instead of letting the dream dictate my actions, I stopped and looked around. I could never control anything, but once things got scary or dangerous I would scream again and again “Wake up! Wake up!!!!” A few days ago I realized I had a dream that I had forgotten, so spent the entire morning trying to remember, because I felt it was important. I looked at my son and I remembered. Four days ago I dreamt of ‘chapter 1’ of a dream, woke up and forgot all about it. The next day I dreamt of ‘chapter 2’, a continuation which made me remember chapter 1. Woke up and forgot both chapters. The next day I dreamt chapter 3, continuing the story where I remember the two previous chapters. It ends in a cliffhanger! I woke up and forgot all three chapters. The fourth night I dreamt the final chapter, with the memory of all three previous chapters. The stakes were high as I needed to save my son. There was a final ‘boss fight’ where I saved my son. I woke up and forgot about everything. Until I saw my son’s face that morning. I slowly remembered fragments, until at the end of the day I remembered four separate dreams that are continuation of one story with an ending. I know all that could be ‘false memory’ as a result of that last , OR only one dream. As an illustrator and sculptor I often fall asleep frustrated with projects where I hit a mental block. In my dreams I see the finished artwork or sculpture. I wake up and replicate what I did in the dream. Dark City is a personal favorite because of the way I dream.
"The Quick and the Dead" is a 16th-17th Century English Biblical translation, meaning "the living and the dead." So when they said "Mr. Quick, dead," it was a bit of a joke.
Corpses are not very quick moving.
I love how deep ur discussions get when u get good material
Stigmata 1999 is dark and gritty
With a score soundtrack that complements all scenes throughout the movie. It really is aesthetically pleasing beautiful.
@Bunny one of my favorite 20 to 25 films of all time, was a treat to see you fall in love with this amazing gem so many do not even know about. Tho the Matrix was far more popular this was my more favorite film between the two sci fi classics
"he can tune" Such a fun movie. We don't get enough of these.
The late Roger Ebert raved about this film upon theatrical release. I saw his review on TV but didn't see "Dark City" until it became available on VHS, then later Blu-ray.
He does an audio commentary on one of the DVDs. It's really great to listen to him geek out.
Congratulations! Few reactors have watched this masterpiece, which is one of my 10 favorite science-fiction films. I loved your perceptive reaction to this. You did a spectacular job of figuring out what was happening at each stage. Like “Blade Runner,” this is a science-fiction noir, but with an actual 1940s noir setting. I especially like how the film imitates nightmares, so appropriate to its subject matter. The idea of aliens kidnapping a whole community of humans for an experiment was also the basis of one of the great episodes of the original “Outer Limits” TV series, titled “A Feasibility Study” (April 13, 1964).
Based on what you said you like, I highly recommend “The Thirteenth Floor” (1999).
Seen this movie many times, and never made the connection that love was a constant, despite the memory & life swaps.
Thanks for this video!
If you've never seen 'Brazil' by Terry Gilliam, I highly recommend checking it out. Same ballpark, with a dystopian futuristic-ish city, but different in tone as it leans quite a bit towards absurd comedy. It's still pretty dark, though.
As for 'Dark City', that's a good one too, thanks for sharing ! Still, I'm wondering : aren't Persona users supposed to come out during the dark hour ? 🤔
The director is Alex Proyas who did another dark sci-fi movie called 'Knowing' that I think you would like. Another incredibly dark and mysterious sci-fi movie called 'Under the Skin' starring Scarlett Johansson would blow you away.
This came out about a year before "The Matrix", and there are a number of similarities. (Aside from kung-fu, bullet-time, and black leather.)
The theatrical version of "Dark City" gave away most of the mystery in a narration in the first minute. So, the audience members like me weren't as confused about what was happening.
Someone else mentioned watching "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon" as other Film Noirs to watch. One benefit is that both of them feature actor Peter Lorre, whose unusual line delivery inspired Kiefer Sutherland's in "Dark City".
RIP William Hurt (Detective Bumstead), who died of cancer a couple years ago.
I think me and my friends where late to the theater, so we all showed up just when John woke up in the bathroom and just like him had no clue what was really happening until the scene at "shell beach."
YAY! Absolutely one of my favorite movies ever. This was fun watching along through fresh eyes again.
"Gattaca" (1997) has a theme surrounding its futuristic tale of a society molded to fit expectations and pre-dispositions. And some attractive people.
Yes, please do Gattaca, and watch the coda after the end as well. Very thought provoking.
All love and respect to bunnytails! Wow, you are on top, I mean, on top of this movie. So impressive.
This was another great reaction video. You are so good at figuring out the plot of movies early on. Very impressive.
I watched this movie so many times when it first came out. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before and I loved it. Since you enjoyed this, you should most definitely watch Jacob’s Ladder. I bet you’d love it!
3:51 RIP William Hurt.
So rad that you're doing this. This movie is really one of a kind!
The actor who played Mr. Hand was also in the movie Rocky Horror Picture Show as the character Riff Raff. Your reaction was great! I love this movie and it was like getting to watch it for the first time through your eyes! Thanks!
"Riff Raff" - Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in 1973. Later adapted to the movie.
This is one of my all-time favorite movies and I wish more people watched it. A great reaction is a great start.
love isnt a constant. we can see this every day. people who were once in love become enemies, jaded, apathetic...
Bunnytail. You look Udderly amazing. Lol. Suddenly I want a cookie and I don't know why...
Oreo?
Maybe try Outland starring Sean Connery. I’d say it’s a Film Noir/Sc-Fi Thriller/Western all rolled into one. Or Arrival starring Amy Adams. You’ll wonder what the heck is going on, then it’ll all click into place. Or there's the Twilight Zone film, 4 different stories in one movie.
one of my all time favorites! its so different and weird and creepy and stunning! glad you liked it too!
I watched this in Theaters back in the day. I love this movie. Its super underrated. When I heard there was a director's cut and this version of the movie was better and nearly a whole different film I was even more blown away how they could make an already good movie even better.
YES. Hope everyone else finally gets the idea to react to this from you.
I'd like to suggest "Existenz", directed by David Cronenberg. I think it's your kind of movie.
She should definitely watch that. It got buried in The Matrix’s shadow, but it’s really good.
@@wackyvorlon there was another simularly themed movie called The 13th Floor that came bout a month before The Matrix.
Love this film.
The 1990's was wild! I saw this at Cedar Lee theater in Cleveland. It specializes in foreign, independent, and art movies. This was weird but so good.
I saw the promo for this when I saw Spawn the movie when I was a kid. I've been obsessed with these 2 movies for years
Yeah, this is a favorite of mine. The director is Alex Proyas, which means you should now check out his flick, THE CROW (1994). It's another stylistic flick with a similar dark vibe. That one, though, is based on a graphic novel about a dude back from the dead for revenge.
And it stars the son of famous martial artist Bruce Lee!
Hey, Bunnytails! This is one of my favorite films! The Director's Cut was definitely the way to go because it eliminates the spoiling opening narration. I saw this five times in a packed NYC theater and the audience audibly gasped each time they burst through the wall at Shell Beach! Collective mind-blowing!
Director Alex Proyas really should revisit this story to chronicle Murdoch's godhood and the search for home. Absolute power corrupts and Proyas once considered a sequel with a villainous Murdoch which would have been really interesting.
Late film critic Roger Ebert was an outspoken champion of this film.
The Wachowski siblings used some of the sets from this movie when they shot "The Matrix" at the same Australian studio.
Rufus Sewell has also been in "Dangerous Beauty", "The Illusionist", "The Legend of Zorro", "The Man in the High Castle", "John Adams" and, currently, "The Diplomat".
You should watch The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Seconded! Also a great movie, very similar vibe.
Great review, definitely have to check this movie out sometime. I am amused by the juxtaposition between the cow outfit and a dystopian science fiction movie.
The plot you are describing about two people with the same genetics but different upbringing is the plot of a very good musical call Blood Brothers.
Yay! I'm so glad you watched the Director's Cut... the studio made them add an intro that explained the entire plot for the theatrical version. Any chance of watching director Alex Proyas' previous movie The Crow?
I don't know if "Altered States" (1980) is available, but that would be the earliest movie I know of in this genre. "Flatliners" (1990) feels like a variation on that theme.
Also recommended are "The Matrix" and "Oblivion." "Vanilla Sky" is not as famous as those.
Great movie!! Great reaction and analysis Bunnytails!!
Nice. Again, one of my favorites. Try "City of Lost Children" next. It's another truly great original sci-fi, it is a bit creepier. edit: Oh, it has subtitles.
The questions you are asking are a whole school of thought. Nature Vs. Nurture and Fate Vs. Freewill.
If you liked this movie, you should check out Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. I love both of these movies and they’ve got a similar vibe. Though this one is more on the neo-noir side with a bit of The Matrix and as you said, Lovecraft,
Brazil! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Dar City, The Thirteenth Floor and Matrix they debuted months apart and they have a lot of similarities, I think they are very good at showing perspectives on a good topic.
Jennifer Connelly is perfect in any time
The maid cosplay is udderly fantastic!
Even the jellies have Riff Raff! This was only the second movie I'd ever seen with Richard O'Brien, who played Mr. Hand. He/they wrote The Rocky Horror Show and The Rocky Horror Picture Show; he/they also had a starring role and sang.
Another fun mind bender is Strange Days (1995) starring Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett. Its director Kathryn Bigelow was married to James Cameron at the time, and he did some uncredited work on the movie. They also invented a special camera to shoot scenes from characters' points of view for this movie. Strange Days is quite different from Dark City in terms of plot, setting, characters, and direction, but to me the two films have a similar feel.
This is, to me. one of the best Australian movies of all time. People expect Australian movies to be a certain way (outback, adventure, weird comedy etc) this movie is very different from those stereotypes.
I'm glad you liked it, and I'm glad you saw the director's cut, the regular one spoils everything at the beginning with narration. In case no one said, this atyle and aesthetic is called neo-noir.
"THE EARTH IS FLAT!!" LOL!!
Nature versus nurture. It brings up the question as to how malleable our psyche is.
If you want another great sci-fi movie that makes you try to figure out what's going on until the very end, you GOTTA do "Predestination"!
one of my favorite Dark Sci-Fi moveis ever.. sucha mind trip back in the day
Yes, what a ride this was!
Great review, and you made some astute observations, like wondering about the dark ("jelly brain") men controlling the town, and the possible arrival of daytime and its significance, even while trying to work things out. Good to see you watching this one! An underrated classic, and not viewed on anywhere near enough reaction channels! And it features the fantastic British/New Zealand actor Richard O'Brien (from Rocky Horror Show, and original host of a classic British TV game show The Crystal Maze) as Mr Hand.
"Let's go. We need some vitamin D up in here. Can you imagine the vitamin D deficiency that everyone has in this place?!" - that made me smile! 😅
Another good one sci-fi/mystery I'd suggest is The Thirteenth Floor.
Beautiful film. I love the slow burn.
This film was critical acclaimed when it was released. Roger Ebert Called it "The best movie of the year."
The era of great movies is over.
I remember seeing this in the 90s , blew me away, great ending, thanks
Richard O’Brien plays Mr Hands in this. Also famous for being in The Rocky Horror Picture Show film, hosting U.K. adventure puzzle show The Crystal Maze and was in the Flash Gordon movie along with loads of other things.
A bit of an understatement to say he was in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, given that he also wrote the original stage version and co-wrote the film adaptation.
@@maxducoudray I humbly stand corrected 😁
@@Temeraire101 Perhaps not corrected! But I thought it was worth adding any way.
Heck yeah! Great reaction!
Wow. Your analysis of the film after viewing it was really good.
Glad I finally got to watch this movie which has been on my list for....decades? God I'm old 😂
There are some studies about identical Twins who were separated at birth.
They often had similar interests to each other, to the point of going into similar jobs and studying similar subjects in school.
But they were also in the same nation.
IDK if studies have been done where they might be in completely different cultures.
Fantastic film and I enjoyed your reaction to it. You might like The City of Lost Children. It's French so there's not many reactions to it on TH-cam.
Such a fantastic 🍿 It's been quite a long time since I've seen this. Great choice April.. Btw. I really like your outfit. So adorable and cute.😊
theres been a lot of twin studies, twins seperated at birth and there seems to be a lot of similarities between their lives. theres so many out there, one of the largest is twinsuk ac uk just put dots
Theres a stephen king movie called Hearts in Atlantis ( 2001 ) that i like to pretend is a sequel to Dark City . John Murdoch finds his way back to earth and as an older man moves from town to town trying to stay 2 steps ahead of a group of tuners trying to hunt him down
Mr. Hand is Richard O'Brien. Creator of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Plays the creepy butler/handy man. "Riff Raff".
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Ever since I discovered channels like yours I have been asking for this movie and I'm thrilled it was you who chose to take the leap. To one of your questions - there are studies of identical twins separated at birth and experiencing totally different lives. Throughout your reaction to this I found myself quoting a line from 'i Robot' again and again. "That is the right question." This movie blew my mind even more than the Matrix, and the Matrix ripped off many ideas and even camera angles and settings (eg the subway where Neo and Agent Smith battle) from this movie, as it also did from Tron. I have been a fan of Jennifer Connelly ever since her first movie as a teenager, The Labyrinth (with David Bowie). The Crow, by the same director has the same fantastic cinematography and is worth a look. Thanks again Miss Bunny!
Part 2: I view movies like this as if somebody just moved the radio dial a tiny bit to one side or the other, and many just can't grasp or enjoy what is going on because their minds aren't "tuned in" to that wavelength. Movies like this and The Matrix ask the question, "What is real?" and I'll never understand why so few have ever heard of this movie. Suggestions? Apart from 'The Crow', Terry Gilliam's 'Brazil' is another totally out there movie, and I've always been a fan of 'Bagdad Cafe' with Jack Palance where the cinematography is superb and asks the question, "Is magic real?" and is another of those movies that some people love but most just don't quite understand or think is too slow.
Part 3: You ask so many really deep and personal questions often about what makes us become who we are. I spent decades as a very successful character actor on the stage which can't be done without getting inside the head of the character I was playing, and even inventing memories to help me understand why he is like he is. Being autistic, I also found it wonderful to be 'somebody else' for a while, as each character allowed me the chance to explore my own humanity, although I know I will never really come to terms with 'not being perfect' or slightly defective, much like the radio dial analogy in my 2nd comment. Never quite on the same wavelength but close enough to stumble through life even if I'm totally alone and dreadful at any kind of relationship. Movies like this are wonderful for me because I know I'm not so alone as there are others asking exactly the same questions.
one of my favorite most under appreciated movies. glad you saw the directors cut they ruin it a bit in the original. thanks for shining a light on it a little more. and for doing it as a cow girl maid. because that's just fun. (and you rock at cosplay).
If you want to learn about studies between nature/nurture, I suggest googling studies on separated twins.
There are many instances of identical twins that get separated at birth (or at a very young age) and it's amazing how similar their lives often turn out- wives that look the same, similar jobs, cars, etc.
It's pretty wild
If you like this... you'll love City of Lost Children.
After six years of therapy as a child of abuse and neglect, I think upbringing has more to do with certain behaviors, like perfectionism, avoiding social situations, or being a people pleaser, but things like artistic talent, intelligence, or musical ability seem to be more genetic. Then there are things like empathy that seem to be equally affected by both genetics and upbringing.
I think that's wrong about intelligence. We evolve very slowly but in a relative parallel way as a species. And there are people who are literally raised by a variety of animals, who end up acting more like them intellectually, while not being able to assimilate back into human society. So it's really far more nurture than nature in that regard too, at least outside extremes from genetic abnormalities.
In the theatrical release they dubbed over Jennifer's voice with another singer. Eventually I got a version on disc that had her real voice and it was just fine.
Interesting thoughts at the end. I think it's true because siblings raised by the same parents have different personalities.
I only got to know the film myself a year ago. First certainly had an influence on some of the films that came afterwards.
This is the first movie I owned on DVD. I bought it again when the director's cut came out.
About Jennifer Connelly's singing voice. She is dubbed in the theatrical cut, but it's her voice in the director's. I like her voice better, because even though she is not as good a singer as a professional, she is acting through her singing, which adds to the scenes.
I believe John loved Emma before the movie began, which is why he rebelled when being implanted with memories that would cause him to kill her.
I like the professional who sings "Sway" on the soundtrack, but it makes sense in the context of the movie to use Jennifer Connelly's voice.
After all, the Strangers have temporarily given her the life of a lounge singer, so it tells the audience that something is off when the singer has an average, non-professional voice.
The question you raise at the end of the movie is what scientists want to know. The closest I am aware is the Twin tests where they were followed throughout their lives to determine how experience impacts them and also to see how close their personalities are even when they were separated at birth. I think the movie's point was to ask that question.
one of the best sci fi films ever made.
Existenz (1999) is a great mind bender from director David Cronenberg. Stars Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
As a bonus I also recommend Altered States (1980) starring William Hurt. Extremely trippy and out there.
And for one more (a more recent film) recommendation, I highly suggest Gaspar Noé's Enter The Void (2009). A psychedelic trip from from death to resurrection.
Renaissance (2006) is a great dark and gritty future dystopia type movie you will enjoy.
You can sort of compare the Tuning ability to Wanda's ability in the MCU. They just manifest reality into existence.
So now you know how to frighten flat earthers. Start clicking your tongue repeatedly and walk away from them as if they were merely playthings that you are tired of.
Jennifer Connelly is a Goddess.
Dark City is one of my favorite films, very under rated in my opinion. Another odd movie I found very interesting is The Fountain, with Hugh Jackman. It's another movie that slowly plays out and slowly makes sense.