{"id":153,"date":"2025-05-28T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/?p=153"},"modified":"2026-05-15T17:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T00:25:17","slug":"podcast-212-dark-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/?p=153","title":{"rendered":"Podcast 212: Dark City"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"153\" class=\"elementor elementor-153\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-593820bf e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"593820bf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7fefac3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7fefac3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><iframe style=\"border: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/player-v2\/?share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=1&amp;fonts=Verdana&amp;skin=c73a3a&amp;btn-skin=1b1b1b&amp;multiple_size=515&amp;square_size=300&amp;order=episodic&amp;filter=all&amp;limit=100&amp;season=all&amp;tag=all&amp;font-color=auto&amp;i=3yd7d-18bf4c6-pb\" width=\"800\" height=\"150\" scrolling=\"no\" data-name=\"pb-iframe-player\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p><div class=\"qMYqUG_convSearchResultHighlightRoot\"><div class=\"\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-WEB:45583f79-e9f1-4b57-be89-4f2dcda0f9a1-84\" data-is-intersecting=\"true\"><div class=\"relative w-full overflow-visible\"><section class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:45583f79-e9f1-4b57-be89-4f2dcda0f9a1-84\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-WEB:45583f79-e9f1-4b57-be89-4f2dcda0f9a1-84\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-8\" data-scroll-anchor=\"false\" data-turn=\"assistant\"><div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"><div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\"><div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"><div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"0\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"75f9d38c-541f-48c5-b5e4-6d518726e702\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-5\" data-turn-start-message=\"true\"><div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"><div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full dark markdown-new-styling\"><h3 data-section-id=\"86qg72\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"12\">Details:<\/h3><p data-start=\"13\" data-end=\"621\"><strong data-start=\"13\" data-end=\"29\">Movie Title:<\/strong> Dark City (1998)<br data-start=\"46\" data-end=\"49\" \/><strong data-start=\"49\" data-end=\"67\">Released Date:<\/strong> February 27, 1998 (United States)<br data-start=\"101\" data-end=\"104\" \/><strong data-start=\"104\" data-end=\"116\">Tagline:<\/strong> \u201cThey built the city to see what makes us human.\u201d<br data-start=\"166\" data-end=\"169\" \/><strong data-start=\"169\" data-end=\"181\">Runtime:<\/strong> 100 minutes (theatrical cut) \/ 111 minutes (director\u2019s cut)<br data-start=\"241\" data-end=\"244\" \/><strong data-start=\"244\" data-end=\"257\">Director:<\/strong> <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Alex Proyas<\/span><\/span><br data-start=\"295\" data-end=\"298\" \/><strong data-start=\"298\" data-end=\"324\">Screenplay Written By:<\/strong> <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Alex Proyas<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Lem Dobbs<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">David S. Goyer<\/span><\/span><br data-start=\"440\" data-end=\"443\" \/><strong data-start=\"443\" data-end=\"456\">Based On:<\/strong> Original screenplay<br data-start=\"476\" data-end=\"479\" \/><strong data-start=\"479\" data-end=\"499\">Is it a remake?:<\/strong> No. It is an original film.<br data-start=\"527\" data-end=\"530\" \/><strong data-start=\"530\" data-end=\"541\">Budget:<\/strong> Estimated $27 million<br data-start=\"563\" data-end=\"566\" \/><strong data-start=\"566\" data-end=\"581\">Box Office:<\/strong> Approximately $27.2 million worldwide<\/p><hr data-start=\"628\" data-end=\"631\" \/><h3 data-section-id=\"aq4z1u\" data-start=\"632\" data-end=\"646\">Main Cast:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"647\" data-end=\"1005\"><li data-section-id=\"qec5bc\" data-start=\"647\" data-end=\"703\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Rufus Sewell<\/span><\/span> \u2014 John Murdoch<\/li><li data-section-id=\"2s2a0\" data-start=\"704\" data-end=\"767\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Kiefer Sutherland<\/span><\/span> \u2014 Dr. Daniel Schreber<\/li><li data-section-id=\"e9d8vj\" data-start=\"768\" data-end=\"824\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Jennifer Connelly<\/span><\/span> \u2014 Emma Murdoch<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1mj0ruv\" data-start=\"825\" data-end=\"893\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">William Hurt<\/span><\/span> \u2014 Inspector Frank Bumstead<\/li><li data-section-id=\"11cigyb\" data-start=\"894\" data-end=\"946\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Richard O&#8217;Brien<\/span><\/span> \u2014 Mr. Hand<\/li><li data-section-id=\"747vo9\" data-start=\"947\" data-end=\"999\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Ian Richardson<\/span><\/span> \u2014 Mr. Book<\/li><\/ul><hr data-start=\"1006\" data-end=\"1009\" \/><h3 data-section-id=\"1adtnke\" data-start=\"1010\" data-end=\"1021\">Awards:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"1022\" data-end=\"1292\"><li data-section-id=\"1uhmwoc\" data-start=\"1022\" data-end=\"1081\">Won Best Science Fiction Film at the 1998 Saturn Awards<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1uicz9e\" data-start=\"1082\" data-end=\"1164\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Alex Proyas<\/span><\/span> won Best Director at the Saturn Awards<\/li><li data-section-id=\"zc6zjk\" data-start=\"1165\" data-end=\"1224\">Nominated for Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation<\/li><li data-section-id=\"rxml72\" data-start=\"1225\" data-end=\"1286\">Later gained strong cult status and critical reevaluation<\/li><\/ul><hr data-start=\"1293\" data-end=\"1296\" \/><h3 data-section-id=\"d7y6md\" data-start=\"1297\" data-end=\"1320\">Short Plot Summary:<\/h3><p data-start=\"1321\" data-end=\"1770\">John Murdoch awakens in a hotel bathtub with no memory and discovers he is wanted for a series of murders. As he searches for answers, he uncovers a mysterious group known as the Strangers, beings capable of manipulating reality, memories, and the city itself. Murdoch gradually realizes the city is part of a larger experiment designed to study humanity. His growing powers place him in direct conflict with the Strangers\u2019 control over the world.<\/p><hr data-start=\"1777\" data-end=\"1780\" \/><h3 data-section-id=\"13cvgci\" data-start=\"1781\" data-end=\"1796\">Key Quotes:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"1797\" data-end=\"2082\"><li data-section-id=\"idntz8\" data-start=\"1797\" data-end=\"1868\">\u201cFirst there was darkness. Then came the Strangers.\u201d \u2014 Dr. Schreber<\/li><li data-section-id=\"gjkhs4\" data-start=\"1869\" data-end=\"1902\">\u201cSleep. Now.\u201d \u2014 The Strangers<\/li><li data-section-id=\"tjuds4\" data-start=\"1903\" data-end=\"2017\">\u201cYou have the power now. I can give you the memories. Let me help you become the man you were.\u201d \u2014 Dr. Schreber<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1rqnfl7\" data-start=\"2018\" data-end=\"2076\">\u201cThey were looking for the human soul.\u201d \u2014 Dr. Schreber<\/li><\/ul><hr data-start=\"2083\" data-end=\"2086\" \/><h3 data-section-id=\"qfsr5j\" data-start=\"2087\" data-end=\"2097\">Trivia<\/h3><p data-start=\"2099\" data-end=\"2108\">Director:<\/p><ul data-start=\"2109\" data-end=\"2362\"><li data-section-id=\"9etjuu\" data-start=\"2109\" data-end=\"2231\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Alex Proyas<\/span><\/span> developed the film after the success of <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">The Crow<\/span><\/span>.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1tfzyt3\" data-start=\"2232\" data-end=\"2362\">Proyas has stated that film noir, German Expressionism, and classic science fiction heavily influenced the movie\u2019s visual style.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2364\" data-end=\"2379\">Cast \/ Casting:<\/p><ul data-start=\"2380\" data-end=\"2788\"><li data-section-id=\"gvtk7m\" data-start=\"2380\" data-end=\"2551\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Kiefer Sutherland<\/span><\/span> intentionally modeled Dr. Schreber\u2019s unusual voice and mannerisms after psychiatrist and hypnotist performances from older films.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"oj77hc\" data-start=\"2552\" data-end=\"2660\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Jennifer Connelly<\/span><\/span> recorded musical nightclub performances specifically for the film.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"hxzaxs\" data-start=\"2661\" data-end=\"2788\">Many viewers later recognized similarities between the Strangers and the agents from <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">The Matrix<\/span><\/span>.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2790\" data-end=\"2809\">Soundtrack \/ Score:<\/p><ul data-start=\"2810\" data-end=\"2988\"><li data-section-id=\"vvf320\" data-start=\"2810\" data-end=\"2878\">The score was composed by <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Trevor Jones<\/span><\/span>.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1nuy74s\" data-start=\"2879\" data-end=\"2988\">Music from the film blends orchestral noir themes with science-fiction atmosphere and jazz club influences.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2990\" data-end=\"2999\">Location:<\/p><ul data-start=\"3000\" data-end=\"3208\"><li data-section-id=\"j2vud8\" data-start=\"3000\" data-end=\"3068\">The movie was filmed primarily at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1wfqvih\" data-start=\"3069\" data-end=\"3208\">Several sets from <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Dark City<\/span><\/span> were later reused during production of <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">The Matrix<\/span><\/span>.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"3210\" data-end=\"3228\">Behind-The-Scenes:<\/p><ul data-start=\"3229\" data-end=\"3597\"><li data-section-id=\"2vsgng\" data-start=\"3229\" data-end=\"3373\">The theatrical version includes an opening narration explaining much of the mystery; the later director\u2019s cut removes most of this exposition.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"5pqnpq\" data-start=\"3374\" data-end=\"3490\">Critics and fans frequently recommend first-time viewers watch the director\u2019s cut for a less revealing experience.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1rc6zyg\" data-start=\"3491\" data-end=\"3597\">The constantly shifting city required extensive practical sets combined with early digital effects work.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"3599\" data-end=\"3609\">Nostalgia:<\/p><ul data-start=\"3610\" data-end=\"3849\"><li data-section-id=\"1v32ltp\" data-start=\"3610\" data-end=\"3682\">The film became a cult favorite among late-1990s science-fiction fans.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"tcyo1d\" data-start=\"3683\" data-end=\"3849\">Its themes of memory manipulation and artificial reality became more widely appreciated after the release of <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">The Matrix<\/span><\/span> one year later.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"3851\" data-end=\"3863\">Easter Eggs:<\/p><ul data-start=\"3864\" data-end=\"4159\"><li data-section-id=\"6xepm\" data-start=\"3864\" data-end=\"3989\">The tuning ability used by the Strangers and Murdoch was inspired partly by telekinetic concepts from pulp science fiction.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"hx8ngi\" data-start=\"3990\" data-end=\"4159\">Visual references to noir classics such as <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Metropolis<\/span><\/span> and <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">The Maltese Falcon<\/span><\/span> appear throughout the production design.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"4161\" data-end=\"4166\">Misc:<\/p><ul data-start=\"4167\" data-end=\"4411\"><li data-section-id=\"1t031zy\" data-start=\"4167\" data-end=\"4294\">Film critic Roger Ebert later recorded a commentary track praising the film and included it in his \u201cGreat Movies\u201d collection.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1qwuja0\" data-start=\"4295\" data-end=\"4405\">The movie\u2019s mix of noir and sci-fi helped influence later psychological and dystopian science-fiction films.<\/li><\/ul><hr data-start=\"4412\" data-end=\"4415\" \/><h3 data-section-id=\"w6fdil\" data-start=\"4416\" data-end=\"4434\">Sources Cited:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"4435\" data-end=\"4825\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"><li data-section-id=\"7wttpp\" data-start=\"4435\" data-end=\"4484\">IMDb: <span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0118929\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IMDb &#8211; Dark City (1998)<\/a><\/span><\/li><li data-section-id=\"55hxl6\" data-start=\"4485\" data-end=\"4539\">Wikipedia: <span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><a class=\"decorated-link cursor-pointer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikipedia &#8211; Dark City<\/a><\/span><\/li><li data-section-id=\"u2eoal\" data-start=\"4540\" data-end=\"4600\">Box Office Mojo: <span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boxofficemojo.com\/title\/tt0118929\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Box Office Mojo &#8211; Dark City<\/a><\/span><\/li><li data-section-id=\"qujsdf\" data-start=\"4601\" data-end=\"4661\">Rotten Tomatoes: <span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\/m\/dark_city\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rotten Tomatoes &#8211; Dark City<\/a><\/span><\/li><li data-section-id=\"o21d68\" data-start=\"4662\" data-end=\"4711\">TMDb: <span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themoviedb.org\/movie\/2666-dark-city?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TMDb &#8211; Dark City<\/a><\/span><\/li><li data-section-id=\"6nk9fp\" data-start=\"4712\" data-end=\"4825\" data-is-last-node=\"\">Additional Sources:<ul data-start=\"4738\" data-end=\"4825\" data-is-last-node=\"\"><li data-section-id=\"1cz4ynp\" data-start=\"4738\" data-end=\"4781\"><span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/dark-city-1998?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roger Ebert &#8211; Dark City Review<\/a><\/span><\/li><li data-section-id=\"o1n7hx\" data-start=\"4784\" data-end=\"4825\" data-is-last-node=\"\"><span class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"><a class=\"decorated-link cursor-pointer\" href=\"https:\/\/thedigitalbits.com\/item\/dark-city-dc-uhd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Digital Bits &#8211; Dark City Director\u2019s Cut Retrospective<\/a><\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><div class=\"contents\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"pointer-events-none -mt-px h-px translate-y-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom)-14*var(--spacing))]\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff Details: Movie Title: Dark City (1998)Released Date: February 27, 1998 (United States)Tagline: \u201cThey built the city to see what makes us human.\u201dRuntime: 100 minutes (theatrical cut) \/ 111 minutes (director\u2019s cut)Director: Alex ProyasScreenplay Written By: Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, David S. GoyerBased On: Original screenplayIs it a remake?: No. It is an original film.Budget: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=153"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1452,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions\/1452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}