'90s Class: Dark City

 One of my unspoken Resolutions for 2021 is to check all sorts of Cult Classics off of my list.  This is Dark City, a 1998 Film that impressed Critics.  As far as Audiences go, the Film grossed its Budget and no more.  D'oh!  This is a Film with a very tumultuous journey getting to even the beginning of Production.  By all accounts, the Script was written by Alex Proyas (who also Directed)…the first time.  It was then rewritten by someone else.  Finally, the Budget was increased and it was rewritten AGAIN for, thankfully, the last time.  On top of that, there was apparently even a big fight over just the Title of the Film itself!  The short version- many Directors thought the alternate Titles were too similar to their own Films and blocked them.  Would you mix up Dark World with The Lost World: Jurassic Park?  Really?!?  The Plot is one that gets SPOILed pretty quickly, so there's not much to hide.  Essentially, a World is not what it seems and one man is woken up to this reality.  Can he wake everyone else up and save them?  Yes, there are overlaps between this and The Matrix (including shared staff).  Yes, they did reuse some props and Sets for that Film in Australia.  Should this Film sit in the shadow of that '90s Classic?  To find out, read on...

In the Theatrical and DVD Cuts, we get some Voiceover by Kiefer Sutherland where he straight up explains the Plot.  

The Studio insisted and Proyas hated it.

The Director's Cut omits this- shocking.

An amnesiac man wakes up in Dark City and can't figure out what is happening.

Somewhere else, his Wife- Jennifer Connelly- is a Lounge Singer, because cliché.

Of course, this is intentional, so am I really critiquing this?

Kiefer Sutherland is a Psychiatrist who tells Connelly that he just wants to help him.

Gee- I wonder if I can trust him.

Oh right- the Intro Narration...

John Hurt is a Detective who wants our Hero for questioning about a murder.  To be fair, he did flee the scene.

As a bonus, his former comrade has gone crazy, talking about a conspiracy about the City.

As the narration explained, the strange creatures control the City (which is a Colony in Space) and study the Humans inside.

They are The Strangers.

They have strange powers that allow them to put people to sleep and warp the City, changing its layout and making people not realize it.

I guess since it is vaguely 1950s in there, they have no Security Cameras to see stuff like this.

Our Hero- John Murdoch (named after a Missionary)- has resisted the Strangers' powers and gained them for himself.

Even when they inject his memories into one of their own, they are no match.

He ends up in their clutches eventually and is injected with something to erase his memory of this.

However, it was a trick by Sutherland- who's character is named a Judge who suffered severe psychosis- to empower him and talk to him through his memories of before he ended up in Dark City.

It all ends with him battling the lead Stranger in a duel that is reminiscent of what we'd get 5 years later in The Matrix Revolutions.

He takes over Dark City and turns it towards the Sun.
Did I mention that it was a Spaceship?  Well, it is.

I guess they have to rename the place now.  The End.

A hidden gem, at least for modern viewers.  This is honestly my first time watching this Film- shocking, I know.  I wasn't really interested in this kind of thing as a Teenager, at least until The Matrix came out and changed everything.  Teenaged-me probably wouldn't have gotten it anyhow.  The whole feel of the Film is pretty interesting.  It is supposed to be Noir, but also not realistic.  It is how the Aliens view people's ideas of what the World was like back then.  We also get a whole Plot Point involving people dreaming of a Beachside Area when they are trapped in an artificial environment.  Between this and The Truman Show, was that just a common thing in the '90s?  The Film has really great visuals and there are honestly only a few dated-looking VFX here.  Given that it is over 20 years old, that's pretty damn good!  The turn from Faux Noir to Sci-Fi is an interesting one and it works here.  The Strangers look neat here.  It is just too bad that Dustin Rhodes abandoned the Seven gimmick instantly- damn Network heads!  It is easy to see why the Film is a Cult Classic.  Just don't accidentally share Screen Caps like this, lest you encourage Celebrities who want you to think that the Earth is flat...

Next up, a Film from the Director of Killer Crocodile.  It is the knock-off of something that has since inspired a popular Show, so let's see how it is.  Stay tuned...

Very Rare Flix: Kung Fu- The Next Generation (1987)

 Many things would be lost to time without YouTube.  Admittedly, alot of the things they save are Viral Videos and YouTubers who can't stop saying the N-Word.  

In this case, we are dealing with a long-lost Pilot aired once in 1987.  Kung Fu: The Next Generation was an updated Pilot that followed the TV Movie's attempt to continue the Series.  What changed?  Well, they jumped to the Modern Day...and also lost Carradine.  I can't find out why and I can't exactly ask most of the people involved, unfortunately.  

Regardless, this aired as a big deal...if you consider a dumping ground to be a big deal.  The CBS Summer Playhouse was a way to show off Pilots and then gage whether or not there was interest.  

The copy I found was not on DVD or even VHS- it was taped off of TV back in 1987, it seems.  Sadly, they cut out the commercials!  

Let's get to the real interesting question- which came first?  Was this branding an attempt to copy Star Trek: The Next Generation?  Well, they both debuted in 1987 on TV.  However, this showed up in the Summer, while Trek showed up in Syndication in September.  

So I don't think anyone ripped each other off...or did they?!?  Probably not.  No, you'll just have to live with Ator 3 stealing its Theme Music in the same Year instead.  

While it didn't work for CBS, is this a hidden gem of a Pilot?  To find out, read on...

The only copy of this easily available still has the lead-in for it- neat.

I could probably do without this lady doing that pose and the voice you think she does though.

In the Present (of 1987), Brandon Lee is his own descendant and he's up to no good.

He's robbing a House with Miguel Ferrer (who has a history with unsold Pilots) and gets caught, while his cohort escapes.

Kwai Chang (not Carradine- aw!) takes his son under his supervision while charges are being considered.

The pair don't get along as the Mother left (presumably to return in the Show) and haven't spoken in a year.  On top of that, Lee is the first man in the family to NOT take the Kwai Chang name, going by Johnny instead.

Trying to adapt to a new life with his Dad, Lee is distracted by Ferrer's return and offer of- say it with me- one last job for his Boss to repay his debt.

Lee declines.

A trip to Kwai Chang's old home sees the pair reconcile, as well as Carradine's Force Ghost making a cameo.

We also get an odd explanation for his death- he was dying and then just vanished.

Yep- Jedi.

Lee thinks he can make right by setting up the Boss, only to find out *gasp* *shock* that Ferrer was the Boss the whole time!

Kwai Chang shows up to have an over-dramatic fight (which covers how little Kung Fu David Darlow can actually do).

To wrap things up, the pair agree to trust each other and set up the Show.

…only the program ACTUALLY ends with the Hosts telling you a number to call to decide the Show's future fate.

Just like Jason Todd, it didn't end well apparently.  This does though.  The End.

A good to strong start to the Show.  The positives for me outweigh the negatives.  Darlow is a decent replacement for Carradine here and is solid on his own.  I can't blame him for the other Actor not being here (presumably).  Lee is good as well, playing up his character's anger and unhappiness with his Dad.  

They feel like a real estranged father-son duo, which makes for a good Story.  Their reconciliation works quite well and they obviously set up a good idea for a Show.  Ferrer was always good and this is no exception.  It's weird seeing him as 'the young friend' when he was my age at the time, while Lee was 22 at the time.  

The twist with him as the Boss is good, even if it is a bit silly when you think about it.  

How much work has he put into tricking Lee for so little payoff?  

 The Series setup is pretty transparent here, which is kind of fun looking back at it.  I wish I could find more out about the Show, but the Internet has so little info on it.  

As far as I can tell, Darlow is sadly the only Lead from this still alive (he last acted in 2019), so it is a bit of an uphill battle.  

Regardless, this is a bit of a hidden gem for fans of the Characters and it is just a shame that a Series couldn't happen.  If only there was someone there to, you know, make it so...

Next time, I cover a Film that is a Critic darling and a Cult Classic.  Was I right to take this long to go to the City?  Stay tuned...

Rare Flix: Kung Fu- The Movie (1985)

 A rare and forgotten look at what could have been.  This is Kung Fu: The Movie, a 1985 Backdoor Pilot for CBS.  After years away, there were plans to bring back the classic TV Show.  This was made to set it up.  Of course, you likely know that this didn't succeed and was instead brought back about a Decade later as Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.  I haven't seen that Show in ages, bur I was a fan.  Would I have liked this Show better though?  The Plot is a continuation of the original Series, as opposed to making him Caine's descendant in the later Show.  With new Villains and a new Plot, could this work?  The notable Cast includes Brandon Lee in his first Role (at least as far as billing goes) and Martin Landau.  This came and went in 1985, but it does have a DVD.  As for me, I found a VHS Copy 'in the wild' and bought it.  Ah, glorious Hi-Fi!  To find out how this mostly-forgotten Film turned out, read on...

Caine is still in the Old West, but he can sometimes summon his Dead Master Superman-style with a necklace.

Hey, they wanted him to be in the Film, so why not do this nonsense?

An old 'Chinese' man (actually Mako) and his young companion (Lee) show up and the latter seems to be easily set off by something.

He beats up the guy who wanted to rob them, giving us the only Action Scene for the first 1/3 of the Film.

After a faux Preacher is killed while looking into an Opium Den, Caine appears and is dragged into this mess.

He's also followed by Lee, who eventually tells him that he wants to be trained.

Well, he seems so friendly! 

He gets him a job at the Factory, but he almost instantly tries to kill the Racist guy who runs it.

He has much to learn.

In the least surprising Plot Twist ever, we learn that he's actually Caine's Son.

They use Stock Footage (alot of it, in fact) to make him the Son from an earlier Episode's hook-up.  Also that's Barbara Hershey, if I'm not mistaken.

Lee is under the control of Mako, who wants revenge on Caine for killing his Brother in the Pilot (the first one).  He'll kill the Son if Caine won't show up...to be killed by his Son.  Tough choices.

As my VHS Copy doesn't work in a Computer and Google is short on Images, you'll have to live with this kind of visual filler.

Just imagine Landau's handle-bar mustache and enjoy that glimpse of Mako's silly armor below...

Can Caine save his Son from Mako's mind-control?

Can he stop the obvious bad guy in Landau?

Will this not actually wrap up the Plot since it was meant to be the start of a TV Show ?

To find out, watch this Film like I did.

A nice little hidden gem.  For better or worse, this feels like a continuation of the original Show.  I guess you could make the fair argument that feeling *exactly* like a 1970s Show in the mid-80s was a bad thing.  To a certain extent, I can see that.  At the same time, the formula worked and everyone delivers here.  Lee doesn't do all that much, but he's also the newest of the bunch.  The heavy lifting is done by Carradine and Mako, though Landau does much in his small role.  The format here really does him a disservice as he was setup as the bad guy for the Show.  So with no Show, no payoff for him.  Given how much he does indirectly in this, it is a real shame.  There's some obvious stuff you have to ignore as a modern viewer if you watch this today.  For instance, Mako is JAPANESE and playing Chinese and, you know, the whole Carradine thing.  That leads to a fun irony of the Film...that was likely unplanned.  Famously Bruce Lee pitches a version of this Show, but can't get the Lead Role.  As such, a reliable hand like Carradine gets it.  A decade later, Lee's Son is now Carradine's Son!  No way they meant to do that.  If you like the original Show, this is quite good.  It can be a bit slow- since it feels like the Show-, but I found it quite enjoyable.  As you can see, I'm not the only one who had a good time...

Next up, I cover...the other one?!?  Yes, there's apparently ANOTHER TV Pilot, this time splitting the difference between this and The Legend Continues.  Stay tuned...

Old School TV: Alfred Hitchcock Presents- 'The Perfect Crime'

 Good Evening, Readers.  One of my Christmas Presents was a DVD with 4 Episodes of the Classic TV Show that you see listed above.  The Disc was chosen due to a name on it- Vincent Price.

You all know that I love Vincent Price by now, right?

Well, let's see how well his Guest Starring Role on this 1958 Episode went...

Price plays a Detective who is sitting at Home one night.  He's quite a celebrated one.

His night is interrupted by a Guest- a Lawyer who often defended those accused/proven guilty by Price.

They discuss Price's previous cases and he sticks on one in particular.

He tells him a shocking possible truth- his last Case (which ended in conviction and the Death Penalty) was wrong!

He claims that Price missed key evidence and that that wrong man was executed for it.

He posits a story in which the executed man was there, but not actually the killer.  Instead, he took the fall for his star-crossed lover.

Of course, we don't actually *know* if this is true.

Regardless, it fails to matter as Price attacks him from behind after being blackmailed with the knowledge (thus ruining Price's reputation as a faultless Detective).

We cut to 2 years later and Price is returning from a long vacation.  He shows off his most recent Trophy- a Vase he made before he left.

Well, he committed The Perfect Crime after all.

A darkly-funny bit of TV.  Hitchcock was and is a brand name.  When you see that name, you expect certain things.  You expect a good Plot.  You expect some good Acting,  You expect a twist or two.  This is no exception for his Show.  The story involving a Master Detective facing down a possible failure from his past is good.  I like that we can infer that he was wrong, but we are never 100% made certain.  Its either that or I just refuse to believe that Price could fail, I suppose.  The use of Flashbacks is good here, something that TV Shows would definitely abuse in later years.  Price is quite good here as he stays rather sedate, not playing the Character broadly.  It is only a bit at the end that you get a more overtly humorous performance from him.  Even that is pretty mild and makes sense- he's very happy!  Gregory holds his own as a Character that starts out nice and slowly turns more vindictive.  His anger is justified, so he doesn't seem like a bad guy.  Well, at least not until the end, really.  At that point, he's pretty bad and gets a dark, but fitting punishment.  It also makes you wonder what kind of secret people are hiding when they show you their Pottery.  Who did you kill, Grandma?!?  It's a good Episode and a great use of Price.  I'll have to see if there are more treasures on this Disc, but, for now, I sleep like the dead...

It is also worth noting the fun that Hitchcock had to have had doing his 'blowing bubbles' Intro.  What a wacky guy!

'70s Trash?: Captain America II- Death Too Soon

 Ah, it's a New Year and I'm ready for new disappointments.  This is Captain America II: Death Too Soon, the (obviously) Sequel to the 1979 TV Pilot.  Why did it get 2 Pilots?  I should probably look that up.  In the meantime, what has changed?  Well, they randomly switched out their Lady Scientist and hoped that nobody would notice.  We did (obviously)!  Otherwise, this is a Sequel in every way.  I still don't know why they got this second chance, other than the ability for Universal to market the TV Movie as an actual Film overseas (like they did with Spider-Man and was done with Batman in the '60s).  Just think, Europe was sending Films by Francois Truffaut and other Arthouse Directors and we were sending them Captain America II!  We get some great, but also dubious Casting as we see Reb Brown and Christopher Lee teamed up for the first time.  The duo would reunited for another II Film- Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf.  Is this Film that bad?  To find out, read on...

Out at Muscle Beach, Steve Rogers is drawing an old Lady when he learns about some Muggers.

He arrives on his super-bike to take them down, though he does so in silly fashion.

First- he takes out one with the shield, which looks like it wouldn't knock over a gingerbread house.

Second- he chases a Dune Buggy ON FOOT rather than use his Bike.

The bad guy here is Miguel (just Miguel!) who is played by...Christopher Lee.

They throw in a bit about how nobody knows who he truly is, so it is not quite cultural appropriation.

Besides, the only fake I can stand is Fake Reb Brown from Howling V.

His plan is to make a kidnapped Scientist create a super-aging formula to hold Cities hostage for a ransom.

To find him, Steve has to follow some leads and go to...Oregon?!?

The Town is not friendly and is clearly hiding a secret.  That leads to some fight scenes to thankfully break up the monotony of Steve working on a Farm and romancing some lady.

Meanwhile, Lee hides out in a Prison and gets the formula to work... 

To prove the veracity of his claims (which are questioned loud enough for an impossible phone hack to hear), he has his people gas the City of...Portland.

Yes, the thriving utopia of Portland is where you should target and not, say, Los Angeles or NYC.
To expensive to shoot there, I guess.

We get far less motorcycle action in this one, but we do get a big stunt in the form of Cap jumping off of a Dam...which I guess was easier than just jumping OVER THE BAD GUYS.

Oh and he retrieves the bike with no issue too.

He eventually finds proof that the Town was the first test area for the formula.  Thanks to a dead Sheep, he knows the truth.

Meanwhile, a Panther given to the good guys to prove Miguel's formula works ages up, given us the concept I hope to use again- Time Lapse Panther.

I'll make that a Meme, dammit!

After finally suiting up again to take down the Prison, Cap must first face off with...dogs?  Really?

He breaks out and chases Lee down...for ages.  It's a good 5-10 minutes of Cap on his silly Bike-Hang Glider combo (ironic given Lee escaping Bond in a Car-Plane combo).

They finally face off and it is pretty anti-climactic.

Cap smashes the bottle of super-aging formula on Lee and he dies.  All is well...but no Series.  The End.

An improvement, but also a step back.  First off, the positive.  Aside from the silly helmet (there due to US Highway Safety Administration apparently), I like the suit.  Yes, it doesn't compare to the MCU one.  For a 1970s Cap outfit, I like it.  Just ditch the helmet when you're not on the bike.  Also be on the bike less- it's just silly.  Right- the positives!  I like that Cap is more proactive as a Hero in this one.  I like that they show off his super-powers in a pretty silly way.  Basically, there's a knock-off Six Million Dollar Man Sound Effect for him bending bars or throwing people.  Speaking of which, there's a funny bit where he beats up some evil Dock Workers...who just might be regular Dock Workers.  Oh well!  Lee does his best with the limited role, playing it straight and being menacing enough.  The Doctor and new Scientist Lady are sidelined to Lab Scenes and the like, which is disappointing.  The big problem- the Plot.  They make Cap hide out and look around a small Town.  It just turns into a pretty generic Story that could be featuring any number of Characters, but especially The Incredible Hulk.  Hell, if you want something that clearly followed this, you have The Greatest American Hero, which did this quite often.  As a bonus, New Scientist Lady is Connie Selleca, who was on that Show just 2 years later!  The Film starts out with promise, but soon becomes kind of boring and generic.  Speaking of which, here's them reusing the footage of Cap driving his Van around during the Intro (the one that was destroyed and rebuilt differently)...

Next time, I try to start making a dent in my random DVD pile.  What treasure or trash will I pick out next?  Stay tuned...

Quick Reviews: Tenet

 For better or worse, this is a Film that defines 2020.  Will it be for good reasons or bad?  Let's see...

A man working for an Intelligence Agency works on a Mission that goes awry.  On top of that, he has a strange experience with a masked man who saves him.

His day (and life) are only going to get weirder.

Despite things going badly, he's recruited by a mysterious Agency called Tenet to work on a mysterious mission.

This is one of those Films where SPOILERS will only make things more confusing, so you can thank me later.

Without attempting to give too much away, it all revolves around a Russian Tycoon/Arms Dealer who is trying to access a secret weapon.

On top of that, his innocent Wife is stuck in the middle.

No knock on Kenneth Branagh, but when did people decide that he looked/acted Russian?

Why is he needing an oxygen tank?
What is up with the stuff running backwards?

Why is a red clasp hanging out of someone's bag a key Plot Point?

To find out, watch the Film.  I got my $2 worth.

It is dense.  It is complicated.  It takes a while for anything to really make sense.  The Soundtrack is often louder than the dialog.  It is beautifully shot.  In other words, it is a Christopher Nolan Film!  The only thing we're missing is Tom Hardy wearing some sort of face mask.  For better or worse, you can tell his Films from anyone else's.  All of the nitpicks and critiques of his previous Films hold true.  That said, all of the positive analysis and accolades also hold true here.  The Film looks amazing, using real locations- like a Sea full of wind turbines- and real on-set effects.  Who else would go 'yeah, I'm going to crash a plane into a warehouse- let's do it for real!' during their production.  I guess Michael Bay, but it would have been covered in American Flags AND be set at Sunset.  The Plot is very, very complicated.  It was a long time coming for Nolan apparently and it shows.  Everything is thought out and ultimately does make some kind of sense.  Like with Inception, I 'got it' at the end.  No, that's not a brag.  There's enough here for it all to tie together, especially if you watch it again.  I don't think it *needs* that, which is a plus.  Nolan knows what kind of Films he wants to make and hopefully you like him.  For better or worse, he's not going to change.

A big, boisterous Film with alot of depth to uncover.  It's not so dense that it is incomprehensible, but it might feel like that at first.  Just go with the flow.