DOOMED MOVIE MARATHON: Dark City

For the first movie of the evening, I chose to begin with one of my all-time favorite films. Dark City is an amazing movie from start to finish, and I never tire of watching it. It's also one of those rare films that reveals something new every time you watch it. It's like a Christmas present that you get to open again and again.

I can't say enough about this movie. The acting is incredible. The story is incredible. The cinematography is incredible. Oh my god, just go out and buy or rent this movie right now! The movie features several of my favorite actors including Kiefer Sutherland in one of my favorite Kiefer roles ever. For once instead of playing the bad guy or the hero, Kiefer stretches his acting chops and plays a bumbling scientist with a strange way of speaking. He steals every scene he's in. William Hurt, as usual, is Mr. Superawesome Supporting Actor in a Cop Role, and Jennifer Connelly is tragically beautiful in one of her best roles. I love this woman, but she tends to be hit or miss, but her role in Dark City is definitely a hit. Even Riff-Raff himself from Rocky Horror Picture Show shows up as the viciously creepy Mr. Hand.

But the movie would be nothing without Rufus Sewell. His performance as John Murdock, the man who liberates the human race from the oppresive brain aliens, is unforgettable. The story begins with Murdock awakening in a hotel room with no memories...but that is soon realized to be the least of his problems. As he stumbles through a wonderfully imagined noir landscape of a decaying city, he learns that the world at large is being controlled by beings known as Strangers. These Strangers shut down the place every night and imprint everyone with new memories in an attempt to learn what it means to have a soul. Through a series of events Murdock learns that he has the same abilities as the Strangers and that he is the only one who can save the last vestiges of humanity. What follows is a battle of epic proportions for the human soul...oh man, this movie is just so damn good. For a film made in 1998, the special effects are incredible and on par with a lot of films that are made today. Check this one out already!