1, 2, 3, 4 …and now 5. Where will it end? When will it end? (will it ever end?!) Well there’s certainly going to be a sixth, and I’ll bet you a couple of quid it’ll be released sometime around Halloween next year. In fact there’s been an imdb page for Saw 6 for quite some time. This fact alone detracts somewhat from the impact of this year’s Saw sequel tagline – “you won’t believe how it ends”. It will end, as all films do (however boring), but like all Saw sequels it won’t be the end.

The now-iconic “billy the toy”

If you’ve never seen any of the Saws… well, they aren’t really (and by not really, I mean not at all) family friendly. Like other recent gore-fests, e.g. Hostel (2005), they are designed to make you bring up whatever you ate for lunch and possibly breakfast too. For instance, the first film gave you a man forced to saw off his own foot, the third a nice bit of brain-surgery and the last sequel the full autopsy of the recently-deceased antagonist/antihero of the entire series - John Kramer (Tobin Bell), AKA “The Jigsaw Killer”. These films aren’t, as you would imagine, everyone’s cup of tea.

While the first film provided a different and imaginative take on horror, whereby the enigmatic killer allegedly never actually killed anyone and prayed on those who had wronged, the sequels have done little to alter the formula. However, provided you liked the first act then the other parts are worth giving a go. Gore is much increased with parts 3 and 4, and it all becomes a bit like “Se7en Lite: the series”* to watch.

I was particularly interested when they planned a sequel (part 4) despite the fact that Jigsaw was out of the picture, and they vowed they wouldn’t bring him back in a Michael Myers-esque fashion, or to make him some sort of ghost. As it turned out, we were treated to more flashbacks, which felt somewhat stretched in this instalment and a brand new killer to boot. It was OK, entertaining in fact, but how long can they keep it up, especially now there’s no way for Kramer to return? Hopefully there will be more flesh on the bones of any future flashbacks we will undoubtedly see, giving more of a kick to Kramer’s story, which is an interesting one. He is (or was) a cold bastard, but when dying of cancer he had an epiphany that he would put people through a series of deadly traps and trials to make them respect life. He is clearly a nutcase, but at least he tries to give a logical argument.

Dr Gordon weighing up priorities

I am fascinated by trends that form when a mythology is born, and the desire for recurring/returning characters is one of them. For example, Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) first seen in Saw 2 who returned in part 4 and most fans are still hoping to learn the fate of (now vertically challenged) Dr. Gordon and see him one more time. I’d like to see Glover back as Tapp as he’d been driven mad by Jigsaw in the first place and was his own brand of unhinged, but I’m pretty doubtful on that count (the character being dead and all). While the sequels all try hard to fit in and allude to each other (like pieces of a jigsaw, hahaha), I think it’s very unlikely that the makers know exactly where it’s going. They just leave leftovers and catalysts, unexplained bits and bobs that can be used to spark interest in a sequel. Which is cool, really. At least some thought goes into it.

Arguably Saw was only ever meant to be one film, despite the open-ended finale. Arguably Saw was only ever meant to be three films, as Jigsaw pops his clogs. Arguably again, they are milking the Jigsaw cash-cow, but somehow it’s nice to see a trashy, gritty, gory horror franchise still going strong with an army of drooling fans.

Amanda shocked by her new braces

Now here’s a quick list of my “Sickest Saw moments”

Saw: The sound of the saw – imagine having to do that to yourself? Yeesh

Saw 2: the needle pool - a nightmare for anyone who like me hates injections.

Saw 3: brain surgery – if the stuff on screen didn’t make you queasy, the sounds must have. I’d also like to mention the rotting pigs on hooks/grinder scene, which although not at all bloody was to me, much grosser than yet more blood and guts being fired every which-way. Kinda like the little crazy ghost girl/person in the Japanese Ring.

Saw 4: opening – this is the only Saw to date which I’ve seen at the cinema. While I was used to the formula by this time, it wasn’t a pleasant autopsy to watch. Much worse than the real autopsies they did late nights on Channel 4, in fact.

Which ones did you reckon were worst, huh, huh?!

Saw 5 hits cinemas on the 24th October 2008 in the UK and America.

*no such series I’m afraid. To be honest it’d probably be a bit gash, wouldn’t it?

It’s finally here, the edition that fans of the understated cult film Dark City have been waiting years for. I take a look at the film then and now, as I wait impatiently for the new edition, released in the UK August 8th, and July 29th in America. For the benefit of those who have not yet seen the film, I have tried to ensure the following is spoiler-free.

Dark City

In 1998, shortly before sleeper-hit movie The Matrix made it big and spawned two lackluster sequels, Alex Proyas’s Dark City was released. You may never have heard of it, but its cult success is soon to earn it a director’s cut in little over a week. Fans have been awaiting a special edition – more like the original theatrical release for nigh on a decade, and their wishes will be answered roughly around the time of the film’s tenth anniversary. What makes the film so special to those who have seen it? A good question… as a big fan myself I will try to answer. While The Matrix reused some of Dark City’s sets and the two films are often compared, they are, when you think about it, entirely different animals.
To list their similarities (and there are a few, but only rudimentary themes) may well reveal too much and spoil Dark City for the viewer. 

Essentially Dark City starts out as a murder mystery/Neo-noir as we follow a man called John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) who has lost his memory and discovers that he is connected to a string of murders. While searching for the real killer, Murdoch is pursued by a grim-yet-endearing cop Frank Bumstead (William Hurt) the slightly loopy Doctor Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland) and the creepy Strangers, who seem hell-bent on Murdoch’s destruction. While it does indeed incorporate elements of mystery, crime drama and noir, it is also a sci-fi film and it keeps you guessing about what exactly is happening from beginning to end. Helpfully, Murdoch is in the same position as the audience. Luckily, all (barring one*) of the major plot questions are resolved and the film ends in what I would describe as one of the most satisfying finales in cinematic history.
 
The cast are notable actors and actresses, with Rufus Sewell (A Knight’s Tale, The Illusionist), Kiefer Sutherland (24) and William Hurt (The Village, A History of Violence) heading up proceedings. Richard O’Brien’s portrayal of the sinister Mr Hand is played with such unique mannerisms that the rest of the Strangers (pale-skinned, well-wrapped top hats) were told to imitate his performance. Other notable characters come in the form of Jennifer Conelly’s Emma Murdoch, who lends to the proceedings a little love and at times desperation. Also, Ian Richardson’s stone-cold Mr Book, who puts in some noteworthy appearances. Absorbing all the nuances of the plot could take some time, there’s foreshadowing of events that give you the “Ahhh” factor when you remember something earlier that slightly jarred. In piecing together the rich tapestry that is the plot, you will, if you are anything like me, want to go back and watch it again. 

Sets are subtle, sometimes twisted and in places breathtaking, e.g. the Shell Beach billboard scene and the great clock. Visual references to films like Metropolis (an inspiration for the film) and The City of Lost Children while present, do not detract from the film’s wholly unique look and feel. Pacing is fast with three-second cuts, and the score fits perfectly, slowing towards the end as the film winds up. The world the peopple of Dark City inhabit - a city of perpetual night as the film’s title suggests, is a melding of past and present architecture.

There have been one or two so called plot holes* which I would argue aren’t plot holes at all, but merely ambiguities and open for interpretation (to explain what these are, may prove spoilerish, but I am open for discussion). 

Dark City Director’s Cut

At its time of release, Dark City came and went without much recognition - an unsung hero of cinema. Many of those who did see it enjoyed it immensely, although they remarked that the theatrical cut was a richer treat than the DVD release**, with better special effects for the parasite creatures (so I’ve been told). Dark City’s relatively poor takings at the box office have been accredited mainly to a poor marketing scheme and misleading trailers - it is difficult to summarize a rich story in a trailer or a blurb so that it reflects the flavour of the story in question, and even more so with a highly intricate story like Dark City.

Donnie Darko came out at the wrong time - 2001 was a bad year for releasing movies concerning plane crashes and consequently it suffered from a sporadic cinema life. However, the DVD release made it a cult and mainstream success, and soon everyone was talking about it. Fans of Dark City may hope that it will do the same in its new extended form - wishful thinking perhaps, but we shall have to see. A cinema re-release would also be nice, but you can’t have everything! 

Director’s Cut: Features 

Boasting an extra 15 minutes of footage, an already highly acclaimed commentary by Roger Ebert and others, new special effects and a silent intro (without Shreber’s voice-over, which disappointed fans of the original cinematic release, but which I actually rather like). Take a look at the following link for disc extras on the Dark City Blu-Ray version. I plan on making a follow-up post with some Dark City Noir-ish posters I’ll put together and my thoughts on the new cut.
 
The Dark City Director’s cut will be released on 8th August in the UK and July 29th in America.

Links:

Dark City Blu-Ray
Amazon Listing
HMV Listing

 **All references to the original DVD refer to the region 2 copy, without the Shell Beach game and special features.