Dark City (New Line Platinum Series)

Amazon.com

If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from The Crow (1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you might be tempted to call Dark City an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly enough to grab your attention (Blade Runner is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that Dark City has precious little heart and soul. One-dimensional characters are no match for the film's abundance of retro-futuristic style, so it's best to admire the latter on its own splendidly cinematic terms. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that the film's 50-plus sets (partially inspired by German expressionism) were built at the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, home base of director Alex Proyas and producer Andrew Mason. The underground world depicted in the film required the largest indoor set ever built in Australia. Befitting a film of such ambition, the DVD includes a feast of bonus features, including audio commentaries by the director, producer, writers, and cinematographer, and also by film critic Roger Ebert, who named Dark City one of the best films of 1998. Also included is an isolated music track, an interactive game, and a photo gallery of production stills and set design sketches. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Alex Proyas, (The Crow) directs this futuristic thriller about a man waking up to find he is wanted for brutal murders he doesn't remember. Haunted by mysterious beings who stop time and alter reality, he seeks to unravel the riddle of his identity.

Customer Reviews:

Style Maximum and Substance Medium.......2007-09-17

I recently watched this again to see if it might warrant being on my listmania list for my favorite SF movies. Since the plot has been rehashed through many other reviews, I probably do not need to recap the story.

This is a hugely stylish film with a definite sense of what it wants to look like. The film noir setting, dark and elaboate sets - makes Batman movies seem bright and cheerful in comparison. The visuals are detailed, coherent and rank with Blade Runner in complexity.

The plot is dense and the action hurtles along with brakes off. Unfortunately, the headlong action leaves not nearly enough time for one to begin to build any insight into the characters. Things are moving so fast, that while one might sympathize with them, we are never given any time to know them. It is like watching people being swept away in a river, you feel worried for them - but you don't know who they are. As close as we get to knowing anything about any character's inner life is that we do realize that the main character John Murdoch loves his wife.

The other major problem is the rapid editing that rarely has any shot last longer than 5 seconds. At one point, I had the feeling that I was watching the world's longest movie trailer. All hook and punch in order to get you to go see the movie - except you ARE watching the movie already. An hour into it, one yearned for a long establishing shot, or a dialogue where actors were in the same frame and the same time for 15 seconds or more.

There is a great deal to like about this movie, which is a near masterpiece visually. It is a shame that character development was not of the same order as the sets and graphics. Most movies usually could benefit by being cut, in the case of Dark City it is the opposite - it's the stuff that doesn't show up on the screen that holds this movie back from being a true sci-fi classic.

Sci-Fi Film Noir.......2007-09-09

Here is a film rich with atmosphere, mystery, set in a puzzling retro-world, almost a dream-like (nightmare) environment. My only complaint is a lack of explanation as to why the hero has the power to "tune". Otherwise this is my favorite Sci-Fi movie. You can see how it must've inspired the Matrix. The extras are great.

Within the new generation of Sci-Fi movies-ala-Matrix and space/aliens spicy!!!.......2007-09-03

Among the questionining reality movies I just purchased Dark City and hell of a movie!! The plot takes us to a super doomy/glommy always-at-night city where a guy is chased by cops and some strange men who have the ability to alter time and the city itself into the reality they want and need. The matter is they are experimenting with human beings and there is only one guy who knows the truth (a bizarre performance by Kiefer Sutherland) This takes into not so deep philosophycal themes but good pace of twisted tricks and a climax totally unexpected (not telling you the end!!!) But if you like Matrix where ''external'' creatures are toying with humankind destiny and make you think what reality ''really'' is about then I highly recommend this to you. Go and get it, I did it and believe me, I am a sci-fi fan, so if you like it as much as I do you will not be disappointed!

An attempt to save you just under 2 hours of your life........2007-08-17

Dark City

In what appears to be the 1940's-50's a man wakes up in a bath tub with no memories of who he is or what he is doing there. He quickly wonders through the apartment to find a woman murdered. The phone rings in the apartment and a stranger on the other lines informs him that people are looking for him and he must escape and adventure ensues.....

Wow what a terrible movie. It appears that this movie tried something similar to the Matrix with the whole illusion of reality thing except that it didn't work......at all.

The Good: ?

The Bad: To start a terribly thin plot. The aliens need the humans but the actual reason is never revealed. Their powers are never explained with any detail nor the reason the main character was able to develop similar powers or how. They have all this technology and awesome powers but for some reason need to try and become like humans to keep from going extinct. The aliens are going extinct but somehow managed to find the time to build a huge replica flying city with accurate clothing buildings and automobiles for humans and stock pile enough food and water for them just so they can do experiments on them. I could keep going on but the bottom line is that the plot and story are very thin and the whole thing doesn't really make any since. The Acting. Keiffer Sutherland may be the man in 24 but he is quite poor as the "Mad Scientist" character in this movie. He has to be one of the poorest casting choices ever made.

Overall: There are substantially better ways to spend 101 minutes. A root canal would probably be a less painful way to spend 101 minutes than watching this movie. Skip this one if at all possible.

"You must concentrate!".......2007-08-11

Dark City works as a concept movie (what is the nature of reality?),but in practice it doesn't work out as well. It makes a good cinematic introduction to Buddhism,superior to the Buddhism/Taoism lite of Star Wars. Dark City even leaves the viewer with questions,making the shiny happy ending bittersweet.

Rufus Sewell,who resembles a young Ian McShane,is John Murdock,an insomniac who has been framed for murder.While he's trying to solve the mystery,he encounters the detective,Bumstead,a half-hearted performance from William Hurt, and the mad stuttering scientist Dr.Schreber,expertly played by Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland shows his versatility as an actor;in contrast to his character on "24",he plays a maddened,bumbling scientist. Jennifer Connelly stars as Anna,John's wife. Her role is primarily to be a double agent&a damsel in distress.

In the end,John learns that the Strangers (who look like a cross between the Borg,Nosferatu&Pinhead) are trying to find out what makes humans human through their experiments,and want to be immortal because their race is dying out. Since they're all male (except for a demon child),one wonders if an alternate title could be "The Matrix Needs Women." The last battle between John&the leader of the Strangers (Ian Richardson,who was an evil British Prime Minister in a BBC series)is a cheesy metaphysical shoot 'em up.It goes on and on and on.It comes across as a staring contest crossed with a fireworks show.

However,the movie brings up intriguing ideas,especially Buddhist ones. Sutherland's character brings up reincarnation ("you have lived many lives"),that reality is an illusion,and that it's a person's responsibility to create their own world.In the last battle,he tells Sewell that he "must concentrate." Concentration is important to all forms of Buddhism.

There are also aspects of Dark City that are intriguingly open-ended:
Were the Strangers a figment of John's imagination? Was he hallucinating due to his insomnia?
Where were the people of the Dark City from before they were abducted?
Was it all John's dream?
When John reunites with his wife,is he still within the Dark City,making memories that are only an illusion?

While the movie has its cheesy aspects (the Strangers floating around,having hilarious names&menacingly intoning "Sleep"),it does bring up fascinating philosophical questions.It makes for fun viewing.

Average customer rating:

Amazing!!!
mandatory viewing
This may be all of us, after a cataclysm
Evocative film
Dark Days - Got Balls?

Dark Days
Director: Marc Singer
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005NSY6
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Amazon.com

For two years Marc Singer lived with the people who make their home in the tunnels beneath Penn Station in New York, creating an unflinching portrait of a part of society that is literally and figuratively beneath our notice.

"You'd be surprised what the human mind and body can adjust to," says Tito, one of the tunnel dwellers. He and his neighbors are homeless, but the tunnels offer them a degree of safety that doesn't exist on the streets above. In this strange place they manage to achieve a remarkable degree of domesticity, building shelters, keeping pets, and cooking meals.

Singer has an eye for telling images, such as Dee dragging a sofa along the train tracks like Sisyphus rolling his stone in Hell. With its grainy black-and-white photography and haunting soundtrack, this is a surprisingly beautiful film, but it is never sentimental, nor does it try to impose a false nobility on its subjects. Dark Days simply shows us a world that we never knew existed, and in this simplicity lies its power. --Simon Leake

Description

"Dark Days" is the multi-award winning documentary from Marc Singer about a community of homeless people living in a train tunnel beneath Manhattan. The film depicts a way of life that is unimaginable to most of those who walk the streets above. In the pitch black of the tunnel, rats swarm through piles of garbage as high-speed trains leaving Penn Station tear through the darkness. For some of those who have gone underground, it has been home for as long as twenty-five years. The director abandoned life on the outside to spend all of his time in the tunnels, making it his home for two years. Surprisingly entertaining and deeply moving, "Dark Days" is an eye-opening experience that shatters the myths of homelessness with the strength and universality of the people the film represents.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!!!.......2007-06-19

This film is the antithesis of our seemingly endless obsession with the vacuous lives of rich and famous celebrities. This film examines the lives of people who are infinitely more interesting and far more resourceful than Paris Hilton or Oprah Winfrey could ever be. I must admit to not having the highest opinion of homeless people prior to seeing DARK DAYS, because I often felt like a magnet to which panhandlers were always attracted. It got to be a bit much at times. However, I now feel somewhat petty about getting angry with people who out of desperation (sometimes fueled by drug or alcohol problems) approached me for money. DARK DAYS opened my eyes to the plight of the homeless more than any other film I've seen. It did such a wonderful job of humanizing its subjects. When I watched the "making of" featurette on the DVD I understood how it accomplished that feat - the filmmaker lived among his homeless subjects in rat infested tunnels for an extended period of time and, in effect, became one of them. It's very obvious that he earned their respect and trust - something that really comes through in the film. In fact, I consider Marc Singer, the film's director, to be a remarkable human being. I sincerely believe he did this great work of art to help his homeless friends get out of the dark, dank tunnels in which so many of them lived for over a decade. My hat is off to Mr. Singer. What a great man!!

See this film. You won't regret it.

mandatory viewing.......2007-04-10

Consider this mandatory viewing. Forget Paris Hilton and all that crap; THIS is reality TV. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I promise you won't regret watching it. It is enlightening. (It's not all grim either, there is humor too.)

This may be all of us, after a cataclysm.......2007-03-29

Thoughtfully done by an apparent empath, without hurrying, without staging. The pace seems to faithfully replicate the actual days lived by each person who was kind enough to let us into their lives. Well done.

Evocative film.......2007-03-07

DARK DAYS goes underground to show how the mole people in the tunnels of New York city live. By showing the homes that they've built and their attempts to yield power over their lives DARK DAYS emphasizes the universal need we all share for a sense of home.

As we shift through the dark space of their world that is at once claustrophobic and cavernous, we see the mundane rituals of ordinary life play out: cooking, raising pets, cleaning, and showering. The men (and one woman) of this film speak of a life lived autonomous from societal intervention. One senses that the filmmaker, and more adamantly the homeless themselves, are trying to convince us that here in the subterranean garbage disposal of life, their needs are being provided for by the trash of the world that is chewed up and spit out. In the film, these leftovers become a metaphor for the people themselves - as they revel in finding a treasure of discarded donuts, or show their opportunist nature by collecting cans for cash to buy heroin. As our waste becomes their livelihood, we start to see them more and more as individuals. "We're not homeless," one man tells us, "homeless is when you don't have a home." But then his friend corrects him. "Nah, you're still homeless. You just ain't helpless." But as the film progresses, we start to perceive something in the darkness, something invisible around the edges that keeps them buried underground; it's their addiction to drugs, and the memories of past lives that are fraught with anguish and suffering. They are lost souls - shadow people moving through an ethereal, timeless landscape.

I highly recommend this film.

Dark Days - Got Balls?.......2006-10-27

People live in the NYC subway. Are you freaking serious? That's awesome! We should all aplaud Marc Singer for making this documentary about real people who live down there. Why? Because I sure as hell wouldn't do it. Have you ever seen a NYC rat? They could eat your foot. Cinematically it doesn't even matter because the story is enough, but Singer does a great job given the circumstances. He even won the cinematography award at Sundance in 2000. I was a little shocked by that one. Just validates the expression, "only two kinds of people can afford to live in New York, millionaires and the homeless." I don't know who said that.

The Island of Dr. Moreau / Dark City / The Hidden

Average customer rating:

The Island of Dr. Moreau / Dark City / The Hidden
Starring: Warner Triple Feature
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000HT38E4
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Average customer rating:

Great Late night Sci-Fi
Men-In-Monster-Suits Beneath the Sea
Sonny Chiba and the Sea Monkey Men...
"NOT THE X-1 YOU'LL BLOW UP THE WHOLE OCEAN!"
A childhood favorite

Terror Beneath the Sea
Starring: Gunther Braun , Sonny Chiba , Mike Daneen , Mike Daning , and Franz Gruber
Director: Hajime Sato
Manufacturer: Dark Sky Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Science Fiction | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000A2XC3U
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Customer Reviews:

Great Late night Sci-Fi.......2007-08-16

A very well made sci-fi movie of late night tv. If your into horror/sci-fi and love the late night films that were shown during your favorite horror host(s).. then this movie will be very good in your DVD collection. Recommended!

Men-In-Monster-Suits Beneath the Sea.......2007-03-17

Being a fan of 50s style sci-fi and Japanese Hero television shows like ULTRAMAN, I recently heard of TERROR BENEATH THE SEA and thought I'd rent it and give it a shot. I wasn't disappointed. This, by far, is not Academy Award material, but neither are any of the other sci-fi B movies which I enjoy. But, a cool science fiction story? This film's got it. A secret base 3,000 feet beneath the sea? This film's got it. A pretty girl? This film's got it. A diabolical leader wanting to conquer the Earth? Got it. Evil Nazi-esque scientists doing experiments on humans? Got it. Men in monster suits? Radioactivity? Human beings getting captured and changed into Water-Cyborg slaves? Ditto, ditto and ditto. Sure, the acting is not the best and many times the audio is not synchronized with their mouths, but the story is fun and the special effects are good. The monsters in the film (the so-called "water cyborgs") are reminiscent of the Creature IN THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. Obviously, the creature costumes aren't done half as well as Universal's Creature, but they're adequate and serve their purpose. One of the neat things about the half-man-half-monsters is their ability to be remotely controlled. They work, fight and "freeze" all on command ... is that cool or what? If you enjoy watching GODZILLA, ULTRAMAN, or any of the sci-fi B movies from the 50s and 60s, I think you'll like this modest little monster flick, I know I did.

Sonny Chiba and the Sea Monkey Men..........2006-02-20

Yes, you can finally toss away your old, crummy VHS copies of Terror Beneath the Sea (1966) as Dark Sky Films, in their infinite awesomosity, has provided an excellent looking DVD release of this rather obscure and offbeat film. It's worth mentioning up front this is the 73-minute U.S. version, and not the 90-minute Japanese version. Directed by Hajime Sato (House of Terrors, Body Snatcher from Hell), the film features Peggy Neal (The X from Outer Space), Erik Neilson, Franz Gruber (The X from Outer Space, The Last Days of Planet Earth), and Sonny Chiba, who had yet to garner the popularity soon to follow with his popular `Street Fighter' films released through the 1970s. Chiba, approaching 70 years of age, can still be seen kicking ash in recent releases like The Storm Riders (1998) and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003).

Ken (Chiba) and Jenny (Neal) are a pair of reporters, who seem more than just professionally involved, currently aboard a futuristic submarine, covering the navy's testing of a newly developed homing torpedo. After a spiel by a navy spokesman, who seemed to give away an awful lot of what I would consider classified information, the test begins, and everything goes well except for the brief appearance of an odd looking creature across the view port. Being good (nosy) reporters, Ken and Jenny take it upon themselves to do a little follow up investigating, diving near where they saw the anomaly, which happens to be near an underwater, atomic waste site (skin diving near radioactive toxic waste? Where do I sign up?). Eventually the pair gets separated, Jenny has a run in with a sea monkey man, snaps a photo, drops her camera, and, as a result, has no proof the event ever happened, so no one believes her except for Ken, and even he seems a bit skeptical. The plucky pair, returning to retrieve Jenny's camera, find an underwater cave, are captured by a small group of sea monkey men, and end up in a vast, underwater facility developed my a egomaniacal scientist type named Dr. Rufus Moore (Neilson), who has grandiose visions of a fabulous, futuristic, utopian society under the sea, one in which he's obviously in charge. As a means to an end, Dr. Moore has been turning poor schlubs into water cyborgs, altering not only their outer appearance, but their innards too, in an effort to create an army of computer controlled, sea monkey men to do his bidding (he can even make them fight like Rock `em Sock `em Robots). As the navy continues to search for the two, missing reporters, Ken formulates a plan to escape (one that involves throttling a woman and stealing her access card...you da man!), but Dr. Moore, being the rotten no-goodnik he is, has different plans for the couple, nefarious ones that involve turning them into mindless water cyberborgs (that might be an improvement for Jenny, especially if it puts a stop to her endless shrieking). Soon after the navy does find Moore's secret underwater base, there's some missile action, and the stuff hits the fan as navy rockets knock out the controls that keep the sea monkey men in check, causing them to not only turn on their masters, but anyone who doesn't sport gills, including Ken and Jenny...

I enjoyed the hell out of this film, produced at Toei Studios, mainly because it was just so weird. It's sort of a strange hybrid between the spy films of the 1960s and a creature feature from the 1940s/1950s. The acting is lousy, even ridiculously so at times, but that ended up being part of the fun here, for me, at least. This movie is worth watching if only to see the scene featuring the main scientist working for Dr. Moore spouting off pompously and dramatically about all they've achieved, and their goals for the future. Another great scene occurs near the end, aboard the navy submarine, right after a sort of play by his own rules navy guy orders the firing of some super powerful, awesoma weapon called the X-4 ("Not the X-4 you'll blow up the whole ocean!"). After successfully nailing the intended target, the one navy guy says to the other, with an incredulous look of surprise on his face, "Wow! You've hit the jackpot!"...as for what follows, you have to see it for yourself, as I can't adequately describe it...one thing's for sure, Sonny Chiba and Peggy Neal have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. Neal, who has the personality of a wet noodle, runs around for about a third of the film screeching, squealing, and shrieking, in no particular order, continually throwing her hands up in a defensive manner to avoid looking at whatever unpleasantness there is to see (turns out for the viewers, she was the `unpleasantness'), and just flogging the `damsel in distress' routine within an inch of its life. Her character is a useless piece of flotsam whose only purpose is to look good on the screen, and provide a sort of love interest for the hero...not that I mind that sort of thing, but one doesn't have to make it so obvious. As far as Sonny, it was kinda neat seeing him prior to his Street Fighter days, with his fashionable uni-brow coming in nicely. He does get in some decent fight sequences, but it's all kind of tame compared to some of his later movies. The sea monkey men looked funky, but I think maybe back in 1966, when the movie was released, they probably looked better, perhaps even scary. I thought the special effects were pretty cool, especially the sequence involving the transformation process of human to fish man, including a surgical process to install a new set of organs (none of which we actually get to see) for a more amphibious lifestyle. The miniature work was very strong, matching most anything coming out of Toho Studios at the time. The story moves along pretty well (if you don't mind a few, plodding scuba sequences up front), and then picks up a whole lot more after the fish men, who've been trained extensively of the use of automatic weapons and spear guns, turn on their human overlords once the computer controls are disabled, making use of their acquired talents to do a whole lot of killing. Woo hoo! All in all this is a silly movie, but a whole lot of 1960s swinging fun with some decent production values, a third rate James Bond villain, some scaly, hostile gill men, a young Sonny Chiba, dubious science fiction, some blood, and a really irritating blonde girl with a propensity for screaming unnecessarily.

The picture quality on this Dark Sky Films DVD release, presented in widescreen (1.85:1) anamorphic, looks excellent, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio comes through beautifully. There's zippo, nada, zilch for extras, but there are English subtitles available.

Cookieman108

If I learned anything from this film its that sea monkey men are a hostile bunch, and wouldn't hesitate for a second to fire a spear into your guts...and if you're going to construct a vast, advanced, futuristic, undersea base, avoid doing so near an unstable navy atomic dumping site.

"NOT THE X-1 YOU'LL BLOW UP THE WHOLE OCEAN!".......2005-08-11

Wow! I can finally toss my old clumbersome vhs version release back
in the '80's by Montery video. This low budget scifi gem was and is
still a kick in the pants. A Creature Feature favorite this flim is
one of Sonny Chiba's 1st roles before he would later become stapled
in the "Street Fighter" series. The story concerns that of a madman
bent on ruling the world thru the underworld (the under "sea world"
that is) by using a procedure that changes men into "seacyborgs" He
then uses these god forsaken creatures to carry out his evil plans,
like kidnapping scientists or mucking up submarine targets which is
what brings the coastal Navy into the fray. Atomic waste piles, Sub
battles, step by step man into monster transformations,Underwater
cities and of course that great Peggy Neal ("Ken,Ken!") are just
a few of the old fashion Saturday morning thrills waiting ye! And
in widescreen to boot I can finally all of that "Underwater snow"

A childhood favorite.......2005-08-08

Okay, so I don't know how the DVD release will be but Amazon's listing states "widescreen" so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Anyway, this colorful 1966 flick stars Sonny Chiba in an early role as he battles through a mad scientist's underwater base of fishmen.

Now, I haven't seen this film since I was a wee little one, but I recall enjoying the heck out of it. The fishmen suits are cool in that rubbery Japanese monster movie kinda way--and they shoot harpoons which I thought was neat. It has a lot of goofy energy and style and if the DVD is truly in its origial Toeiscope then I'll be happy.

Average customer rating:

D.A. Bullock has delivered a solid film.
Dark... has a lot of bright spots... great cinematography
gritty, intelligent, and entertaining

Dark
Starring: Duane Sharp , Patrick Yacono , Vince Green , Sonny Coleman , and Lanre Idewu
Director: D.A. Bullock
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000BC8SY2
Release Date: 2005-12-13

Description

A 21-year-old black man in dire need, Dark has a dilemma and can't choose between two worlds. One is the privileged University of Chicago, where elite minds mingle. The other is the South Side of Chicago, filled with violence, fear, and unrealized potential. Going to school in the first and living day by day in the latter, Dark must survive, keep his sanity, and succeed at all costs. Everyone around him will have a deep impact, able to give him wings or send him into the abyss. This unflinching, dynamic look at urban life in the tradition of Boyz N the Hood and Juice will haunt you long after the powerful final scenes.

Customer Reviews:

D.A. Bullock has delivered a solid film........2006-10-31

I came across this DVD the other day sitting on the Independent film section at the library and thought I give it try. I thought the dialogue and acting of the movie was very natural and well-done, and I thought it captured the atmosphere of the South Side of Chicago pretty well.

In his feature film debut, independent director D.A. Bullock introduces us to 21-year-old Dark Freeman (Jason Bonner), a University of Chicago student who grew up in the violent South Side neighborhood that surrounds the prestigious campus. Caught between two disparate worlds -- neither of which seems to be wholly his -- Dark must discover his true identity -- or face a lifetime of feeling like a fake.

I find that anyone could relate to Dark Freeman. Everyone has had a moment in their lives where they plateau. Nothing seems good enough and motivation towards everything runs low. This is exactly what Dark is going through. The scenes are very well directed and shot. Especially those cycling scenes. However , the story was a bit weak. There is a bit of a monotone throughout the beginning, but to my surprise it ended up displaying a nice moral of strength, commitment and dedication.

"Dark" is not the greatest movie in the world but if you have two hours to kill I wouldn't recommend against it.

Dark... has a lot of bright spots... great cinematography.......2006-05-02

The editorial view of this movie is quite misleading to say the least... As the plot isnt as clear cut as suggested about the main character dark... This is a movie about a young bruhda who is pretty much struggling with demons... mainly of his father killing his mother when he was a boy... As the movie shows flash back scenes of the incident,indicating that the main character is traumatized about his past... In addition to that, it affects his relationship with his girlfriend and how he relates to his friends in general... which he spends a lot of time running through the movie and snapping over whatever it is that makes him feel insecure in the moment... If anything the title is true to the character... Dark is very withdrawn and internally out of touch with reality as he appears to be more of a drifter who just draggs himself through life being absorbed by self-pity... Very mundane in the end... but is very realistic about most ppl probably... The cinematography is excellent in this movie... and the behind the scenes of extra footage and how the film was made is well worth the purchase for anyone who is interested in how a movie is made and the hard work that is involved... D.A Bullock has delivered a good movie... That isnt over the top with the typical black on black violence... I like how he kept those types of elements controled and subtle through out the movie... Me, being a screen-play writer looks for work that doesnt follow the normal script... especially when it comes to black films... As most just go for the buck and give the usual stereotypical nonsense... Nehow, I enjoyed this film for moving at a slow pace and letting the characters unfold on there on... Instead of trying to create a superflous action ghetto exploit... I look forward to the next film from D.A Bullocks... Nuff said!!!!

gritty, intelligent, and entertaining.......2006-01-24

By its cover, you might think that 'dark' is just another sweet love story, but it is so much more. Finally, a movie portrays the complexity of black life-- beyond the standard monoliths that is typical of black life on the movie screen. Its a coming of age story minus gun scenes and minus the typical buppy ensemble. Yes, it has its share of grit. Set on the gritty south side of Chicago, it is impossible to ignore the bleak and violent surroundings. Yet, the movie is not wholly about those surroundings, those surroundings set the stage, acting as a backdrop to understanding what 'dark' the man is all about. And yes, the buppy makes an appearance in this flick, but we are treated to a more complex, less glamourous portrayal. dark's themes are subtle, yet riveting and familiar. We root for dark because we know him in all his complexity and confusion-- a man caught between two worlds, neither of which seem to fulfill his dream. In one world on the south side of chicago, the streets call-- dark, hopeless and despairing. Yet his deepest ties are here-- family and childhood friends. In scenes that are often haunting flashbacks, we see these ties created, deepenend and sometimes severed. dark's roots are affirmed here while his often hypnotic and aloof appearances make it clear that this place is no longer home. In the other world, the halls of his predominantly white, ivy league university-- dark is just another black face fully described in the minds of his white professors before he ever opens his mouth. While clearly having the aptitude, he just can't find the motivation. The thing he yearns for-- self realization, the answers to the larger questions-- eludes him in both places. Broken and misunderstand, we watch dark's hasty spiral downward. Congratulations to actor Jason Bonner for an outstanding debut performance. He keeps viewers on the edge of their seat by so deftly displaying the complexity of his character. He is listless and confused and he is also a ticking time bomb. He is lonely and depressed and also angry and disengaging, his anger seemingly fueled further by his girlfriend's indelible sweetness. He is intelligent and articulate and also self destructive and unproductive. The ending is a treat, providing lure for a sequel. Congratulations to director D.A. Bullock, also for an outstanding debut. Movie-goers want more movies like his, which affirm the belief that movies can be both highly entertaining and highly intelligent. If you judge this film against others on a similar budget, 'dark' is easily a 5.

Average customer rating:

Successful Formula As Before, Sharply Scripted.

Big Town After Dark
Starring: Phillip Reed , Hillary Brooke , Richard Travis , Ann Gillis , and Vince Barnett
Director: William C. Thomas
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Detectives | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0007OP0U4
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Customer Reviews:

Successful Formula As Before, Sharply Scripted........2005-11-30

"Big Town", a shallowly disguised New York City, is of importance in a number of modes for popular United States culture, initially being a radio programme from 1937 until 1962, then on to television episodes, 1952/1956, and eventually as a comic book series. 1956/1958, with the protagonist in each manifestation being Steve Wilson, originally a reporter working for the Big Town Illustrated Press, later becoming its editor-in-chief, and played in this, the third of four films based upon the radio show, by Philip Reed who is featured in all of the four. In the production here, Wilson's almost girl friend and ace crime reporter Lorelei Kilbourne (Hillary Brooke), after her first novel has been accepted for publication, gives him two weeks notice of her resignation from her newspaper position but, to her chagrin, she is almost immediately replaced by the Illustrated Press owner's niece Susan (Anne Gillis), who by appearances also wedges herself into Steve's affections, although in reality he is using her to discover information of crooked Big Town activity involving an illegal gambling ring that preys upon college students. Susan is possibly not what she appears to be, and while Steve explores the girl's connection with local gambling kingpin Chuck LaRue (Richard Travis), owner of the Winners' Club, a night spot for gambling that is near to the campus where Susan attends, Lorelei also investigates her new rival's activities, with her efforts yielding more than she has expected, as all three of them may be in serious peril from the Forces of Evil. This is better than a routine "B" programmer, as it provides some incisive and hardbitten dialogue, a clever subtext based upon poker playing, and a generally edgy quality pervading the characterizations that lifts the work above the norm and, in spite of budget restrictions that rule out retakes, and a necessity for filling demands of its melodrama genre, there is plenty of "business" for a viewer to enjoy. Reed and Brooke make an elegant and worldly pair, veteran charcter players William Haade and Joe Sawyer perform as LaRue henchmen, and Vince Barnett has a substantial part in this Pine/Thomas production with producer William Thomas also directing and capably utilizing a crisply composed Whitman Chambers script in an always interesting, skillfully edited, briskly paced and well-cast film that additionally includes an effective original score by Darrell Calker, Gotham flavoured, of course, although the extensive location shooting is along Normandie Avenue on the east side of Hollywood.

Average customer rating:

Amazing!!!
mandatory viewing
This may be all of us, after a cataclysm
Evocative film
Dark Days - Got Balls?

Dark Days
Director: Marc Singer
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0000A1HRS
Release Date: 2003-08-26

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!!!.......2007-06-19

mandatory viewing.......2007-04-10

This may be all of us, after a cataclysm.......2007-03-29

Evocative film.......2007-03-07

Dark Days - Got Balls?.......2006-10-27

City After Dark - Philippines Filipino Tagalog DVD Movie

Average customer rating:

City After Dark - Philippines Filipino Tagalog DVD Movie
Starring: Lorna Tolentino , Alma Moreno , Charito Solis , Rio Locsin , and Cherie Gil
Director: Ishmael Bernal
Manufacturer: Regal Entertainment, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000L42NI2
Release Date: 1980-11-15

New Line Platinum Series Box Set - DVD F/X (Lost in Space/Dark City/The Lawnmower Man)

Average customer rating:

Not Worth It
fx

New Line Platinum Series Box Set - DVD F/X (Lost in Space/Dark City/The Lawnmower Man)
Starring: Rufus Sewell , William Hurt , Kiefer Sutherland , Jennifer Connelly , and Richard O'Brien
Director: Alex Proyas , Brett Leonard , and Stephen Hopkins
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

New Line Platinum Series | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video