BRADLEY -Vs- “DARK CITY”: A Rematch 15 Years In The Making!

Opening Night.

1998.

I Was There.

I’ll Never Forget That Night, Honestly.

Dark_City_poster (via Wikipedia)

My Friends And I Had Decided Long Before It Was Released We Would Be Seeing This One On Said Opening Night.

Back In The 1980s And 1990s, That’s What Everyone Did On A Friday Night. You’d Meet-Up With Your Friends And You’d Head To The Local Movie Theater.

It Was Almost Like A Ritual. We Simply HAD HAD HAD To Go See Something.

Living In A Small Midwestern Town, It’s What We Had To Do.

It Was Our Best Option For Having A Good Time. It Was Either That, Or Go Walk Around The Mall.

I Know, Right, We Were Lame.

ANYWAY…

…We All Loaded-Up And Drove A Few Towns Over To The Much Larger Theater.

It’s About A 25-Minute Drive.

(((well we probably made it in less than 20-minutes, but it's SUPPOSED to take longer)))

Upon Entering The Theater, I Was Immediately Horrified To Find It Totally Packed.

The Only Seats Left Weren’t Ideal, To Say The Least.

We Took Said Seats, Anyway.

We Weren’t About To Miss This Flick.

Period.

Sadly, The Theater Was BLAZING-ASS-HOT!

Not Hot As In “Hip & Cool”…

…No…

…I Mean It Was F-in’ HOT HOT HOT Like Hell’ishly HOT!

Like 714-Degrees HOT!

It Was February, And Therefore Cold Outside.

So, The Theater People Had The Heat Cranked Allllll The Way Up.

That’s How It Felt, Anyway.

Couple That With A Totally Packed House, And Yeah.

HOT HOT HOT!!!

The People Sitting In Front Of My Friends And I Never Stopped Gabbing. Someone’s Pocket-Pager Went Off Like 10-Times. I Couldn’t Follow The Plot Very Well Because Of The Distractions And Became Very Confused As To What The Hell Was Really Going On.

It Was All Too Much.

Add In The Fact That “DARK CITY” Is A Dark, Slower-Paced Thriller And It Becomes Easier To Understand Why I Left The Theater Afterward Vowing To NEVER Watch This Flick Ever Ever EVER AGAIN!

And I Didn’t.

For 15 Years, My Vow Stood Strong And Unwavering.

That Is, Until Very Recently.

Seeing “DARK CITY” On Opening Night Was THE WORST THEATER EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE.

Period.

It Had Totally Tainted My View Of The Movie.

You See, I Took-Out My Frustrations Of The Night On The Film. I Shouldn’t Have, But I Did.

My Bad.

Upon Watching It Again, Finally, After 15 Years, I Finally Realized I Had Made A Horrid Mistake.

DARK CITY” Really Is A Quality Flick, My Peeps.

Watching It In The Comfort Of My Own Home, Without Distractions, I Was Able To Finally Appreciate It For What It Is.

A Very Good SCI-FI THRILLER.

It’s Well Acted.

(((starring RUFUS SEWELL, KIEFER SUTHERLAND, JENNIFER CONNELLY, and WILLIAM HURT)))

It’s Well Directed.

(((craftily done by ALEX PROYAS whom also directed another favorite of mine "THE CROW")))

The Sets And Special F/X Are Very Cool.

The Plot Can Be A Touch Confusing At Times, But You’ll Eventually Get It In The End.

All In All, I Was Saddened It Had Taken Me So Long To Finally Give It Another Chance.

BUT, In The End, I’m Super Glad I Did.

DARK CITY” Deserved Better Than What It Got.

It Deserved Better Than What I Gave It.

SO, Here I Am, Trying To Rectify The Problem.

๐Ÿ˜€

If You’ve Seen This One, GREAT.

If You’ve Not, Well, DO SO.

Some People Can’t Get Enough Of “DARK CITY“…

…Some People Can’t F-in’ Stand It.

WHICH ONE ARE YOU?!??!?

My Curiosity Abounds.

๐Ÿ˜‰ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜‰

So... Are YOU Jivin Me -questionmark-

“One Of The Things I Learned The Hard Way Was That It Doesn’t Pay To Get Discouraged…”

“…Keeping Busy And Making Optimism A Way Of Life Can Restore Your Faith In Yourself.”

LUCILLE BALL

Lucy_YankArmy_cropped (via Wikipedia) Lucille_Ball_John_Wayne_1955 (via Wikipedia)

-((19111989))-

(((MODEL)))

(((ACTRESS)))

(((COMEDIENNE)))

(((TV & FILM EXECUTIVE)))

(((EMMY AWARD WINNER)))

(ALMOST) Random (MIDNIGHT) Movie Mention: “UNKNOWN” (2011)

UNKNOWN (2011)

UNKNOWN

…Stars MY MAIN MAN Himself…

LIAM NEESON

๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€

…And Stars…

AIDAN QUINN

JANUARY JONES

DIANE KRUGER

&

FRANK Skeletor LANGELLA

๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€

It’s Also Produced By “Mr. UBER PRODUCER“…

JOEL SILVER

๐Ÿ˜€

Alright, My Peeps…

…Check-It-Out…

LIAM NEESON

Is

Dr. MARTIN HARRIS

…He Thinks?

But, Is He Really?

Well…

…We Really DON’T KNOW.

((wink wink))

You See, Shortly Into The Flick, He’s In A Car Crash.

He Hit His Head Hard.

He’s Now In The Hospital.

And, He’s Just Awakened From A Four (4) Day Coma.

He’s In Berlin.

He Doesn’t Speak German.

He Has No Official Identification.

He Might Know Some People, But We’re Not Really Sure.

He Just Remembers That He’s Dr. MARTIN HARRIS And That His Wife ((played by JANUARY JONES)) Doesn’t Know Where He Is, Nor What Has Happened.

He Then Remembers She Should Be At The Hotel They Were Originally Going To Stay In, And He’s Got To Go Find Her.

BUT…

…When He Does Get To The Hotel, And He Does Find His Supposed Wife…

…SHE DOESN’T CLAIM TO KNOW HIM AT ALL.

And Now Another Man ((played by AIDAN QUINN)) Shows-Up And Says That HE’s ActuallyDr. MARTIN HARRIS!!!

W.T.F.

?!?!?!?!?!?

And NOW The Flick Really REALLY Begins!!!

๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€

UNKNOWN

…Is Really A MUCH BETTER Flick Than A Lot Of Folks May Have Told You.

It Just Had The Bad Luck Of Coming Out After LIAM NEESON‘s Surprise Mega-Hit-Flick…

TAKEN

๐Ÿ˜ฆ

UNKNOWN

…Is Fun.

It’s Exciting.

It’s Suspenseful.

It’s Clever.

It Was Good Enough For Me To Wanna Buy It, My Peeps.

I’d Say That’s PLENTY Good.

๐Ÿ˜‰

Some People Told Me “UNKNOWN” Was Slow In Too Many Places, Which Ultimately Hurt The Overall Presentation.

To Those People, I Simply Say…

YOURE IMPATIENT!”

Dammit.

I Thought This Was A Classically Paced Thriller.

I Could EASILY See ALFRED HITCHCOCK Directing Something Like This.

HITCHCOCK Loved The Whole Idea Of The MISTAKEN IDENTITY Caper.

I Think He Would Have Relished In Directing This Flick.

Or, At Least, A Flick Like It.

I’m NOT Saying “UNKNOWN” Is The Greatest Flick Ever, My Peeps.

I AM Saying “UNKNOWN” Is A Lot Better Than You May Realize.

It’s Also Got MORE DEPTH And A THICKER PLOT Than People Gave It Credit For.

It’s Got MORE DEPTH And A THICKER PLOT Than “TAKEN” Had.

And That Is A FACT.

Period Period.

If You Haven’t Seen “UNKNOWN” Yet, Give It A Go, Kids.

If You’ve Seen It Once, And Didn’t Bother Going Another Round…

…Please…

…Do Yourself The Favor Of Checking-It-Out AGAIN.

It’ll Only Cost You 113-Minutes Of Your Life.

A Drop In The Bucket, Ya Know?!

๐Ÿ˜‰

๐Ÿ˜€ย ย ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€

So... Are YOU Jivin Me -questionmark-

What’s On Now?! ORSON WELLES’ Production Of “THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI” (1947)

The Lady From Shanghai (1948)

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI

…May Not Be Exactly What ORSON WELLES Had Envisioned…

(((His Original-Cut Was About 155-Minutes, The Studio Release-Cut Was About 87-Minutes)))

…But You Can Totally Still See Plenty Of His Vision.

I Will Say It’s Loaded With Intrigue…

…Murder…

…Plot Twists…

…Exceptional, Quirk’ish Acting…

…And Quirk’ish’ly Exceptional Directing.

The Film Stars…

RITA HAYWORTH as Elsa Bannister/Rosalie

(((HAYWORTH Was Actually Still Married To WELLES At The Time This Flick Was Made)))

ORSON WELLES as Michael O’Hara

(((WELLES Also Wrote The Screenplay, Produced AND Directed)))

&

EVERETT SLOANE as Arthur Bannister

(((SLOANE Was Also A Performer With WELLES' "Mercury Players")))

*** *** ***

Michael O’Hara, against his better judgement, hires on as a crew member of Arthur Bannister’s yacht, sailing to San Francisco. They pick up Grisby, Bannister’s law partner, en route. Bannister has a wife, Rosalie, who seems to like Michael much better than she likes her husband. After they dock in Sausalito, Michael goes along with Grisby’s weird plan to fake his (Grisby’s) murder so he can disappear untailed. He wants the $5000 Grisby has offered, so he can run off with Rosalie. But Grisby turns up actually murdered, and Michael gets blamed for it. Somebody set him up, but it is not clear who or how. Bannister (the actual murderer?) defends Michael in court. Written byย John Oswalt <jao@jao.com> (Via The IMDB ((http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040525/plotsummary)))

*** *** ***

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI

…Is Now Over 65-Years-Old.

Yet, It Remains As Wildly Fun As It Ever Has.

As Others Have Said Of This Film…

…It Is TOTALLY Classic ORSON WELLES.

Kinda Hard Not To Be Since He Wrote, Starred-In, Produced, And Directed It.

CITIZEN KANE

…Is The Flick Most People Remember When Thinking About ORSON WELLES.

Of That, There Can Be No Debate.

But, Sometimes I’d Much Rather Kick-It-Back And Watch…

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI

Period.

It’s A Lot More Fun, That’s A BIG Fo SHO.

When I Watch “CITIZEN KANE” I Say…

"Well, Now I've Seen It. I Can Totally Understand Why It's Such An Important Flick. I Might Watch It Again At Some Point."

When I See “THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI” I Say…

"Did I Just See What I Think I Just Saw?! I'm Gonna Have To Watch This One Again!"

See The Difference?

Trust Me, Watch Them Both.

Then You’ll Totally Get My Jive, My Peeps.

And It’s Worth It!

It’s So VERY Worth It!

No Foolies, Kids.

Sooo…

…If You Like Quality Murder-Mystery-Noir-Thrillers…

…And ORSON WELLES‘ Unique Filmmaker Qualities…

…I Say Give This One A Go.

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI

…May Very Well Be Right Up Your Proverbial Alley, My Peeps.

You Really Should Trust Me On This One.

Give It A Go, Fo SHO Fo SHO!

M’Kay?!?

MMM’KAY!!!

๐Ÿ˜‰ย ย ย ย ย ย  ๐Ÿ˜€

“Pain Nourishes Courage…”

“…You Can’t Be Brave If You’ve Only Had Wonderful Things Happen To You.”

MARY TYLER MOORE

-(1936Present)-

ACTRESS

EMMY AWARD WINNER

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD WINNER

PHILANTHROPIST

20 Questions Every Film Freak Should Be Able To Answer…

.

… …

… … …

(Q#1)

What Was The FIRST Film You REMEMBER Seeing In A Theater And WHEN?

(A#1)

The First Flick I Was Taken To Was “E.T.” In 1982, But The First Flick I Actually Remember Seeing Was “RETURN OF THE JEDI” In 1983.

… … …

(Q#2)

What Is Your Favorite Film EVER?

(A#2)

“KRULL” (1983).

… … …

(Q#3)

What Is Your LEAST Favorite Film EVER?

(A#3)

Sheesh. This Is A Toughie. Um. Hmm. I’m Still Going With “JACKHAMMER MASSACRE” (2004).

… … …

(Q#4)

What Was The FIRST “R-Rated” Film You REMEMBER Seeing And WHEN?

(A#4)

“THE ROAD WARRIOR” (aka “MAD MAX 2” (1981)) And It Was In 1984.

… … …

(Q#5)

Who Is Your Favorite ACTOR?

(A#5)

I Have THREE Faves. VINCENT PRICE, PETER SELLERS, And BURT REYNOLDS.

… … …

(Q#6)

Who Is Your Favorite ACTRESS?

(A#6)

JODIE FOSTER.

… … …

(Q#7)

Who Is Your Favorite DIRECTOR?

(A#7)

I Have TWO Faves. STANLEY KUBRICK And ALFRED HITCHCOCK.

… … …

(Q#8)

What Is Your Favorite GENERA?

(A#8)

It’s A Toss-Up. SCI-FI Or HORROR. I Love Them Both Very VERY Much.

… … …

(Q#9)

What Is Your Favorite CONCERT Film?

(A#9)

“STOP MAKING SENSE” (1984) By TALKING HEADS.

… … …

(Q#10)

What Are Your Favorite HORROR Films?

(A#10)

I’m Going With “THE SHINING” (1980), “DIARY OF A MADMAN” (1963), And “WITCHFINDER GENERAL” (1968)

… … …

(Q#11)

What Are Your Favorite ACTION Films?

(A#11)

Um. Hmm. “THE ROAD WARRIOR” (1981), “DEATH WISH” (1974), “THE TERMINATOR” (1984)

… … …

(Q#12)

What Are Your Favorite DRAMA Films?

(A#12)

Hmm. “NIXON” (1995), “SCHINDLER’S LIST” (1993), “BEING THERE” (1979)

… … …

(Q#13)

What Are Your Favorite COMEDY Films?

(A#13)

“SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT” (1977), “DEAD ALIVE” (1992), “BULWORTH” (1998), “THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN” (1976)

… … …

(Q#14)

What Are Your Favorite SCI-FI/FANTASY Films?

(A#14)

“KRULL” (1983), “THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER” (1982), “STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN” (1982), “SERENITY” (2005)

… … …

(Q#15)

What Is Your Favorite Film WESTERN?

(A#15)

“ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST” (1968) Is By Far My Favorite Western.

… … …

(Q#16)

TWO-PART Question: WHO Is Your Favorite BATMAN And Which Is Your Favorite BATMAN Film??

(A#16)

MICHAEL KEATON Is My Favorite BATMAN, And “BATMAN RETURNS” (1992) Is Still My Favorite BATMAN Film, Hands Down.

… … …

(Q#17)

What Is Your Favorite Film SCORE?

(A#17)

Actually, It’s The Score From “STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE” (1979)

… … …

(Q#18)

What Is Your Favorite TITLE-SONG/THEME?

(A#18)

“A VIEW TO A KILL” By DURAN DURAN, From The 1985 JAMES BOND Flick Of The Same Name.

… … …

(Q#19)

What Is Your Favorite Film QUOTE?

(A#19)

It’s From The Movie “NIXON” (1995):

“Always Remember, Others May Hate You. But Those Who Hate You Don’t Win Unless You Hate Them. And Then You Destroy Yourself.”

… … …

(Q#20)

What Is Your Favorite Thing About Films In General?

(A#20)

Actually, It’s The Escape Factor. Things Can Get A Bit Crazy In Real Life, And I’m Often In The Need Of A Mental Break-In-The-Action, So To Speak. My Love Of Film Has Always Provided The Best (legal) Escape. Period. That, And It’s About The Only Time You Can EVER Get Me To Focus On Anything For 2-Hours (bad bad ADHD hehehe)!

… … …

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