<![CDATA[
<BODY>
<I>Dark City</I> - Director <B>Alex Proyas</B>' follow-up to <I>The Crow</I> didn't get the attention it deserved during its brief theatrical release. A trippy flick that's equal parts <B>Fritz Lang</B>, <B>Raymond Chandler</B>, and <B>Phillip K. Dick</B>, <I>City</I> is full of intriguiging concepts and eye-watering set design. Although the film does tend to lose some of its impact on the small screen, it's still well worth checking out. <B>Rufus Sewell</B> is an amnesiac who awakens disoriented, confused, and in the company of a dead prostitute . . . Is he a murderer? Is he being blackmailed? Or is it something much larger and more insidious? The film's puzzles begin to unfold both for the viewer and the main character until the (somewhat overextended but still visually stunning) climax.
<I>Body Snatchers</I> - This third filmic version of <B>Jack Finney</B>'s novel is another paranoia fantasy that never got the credit it deserved. While the other two <I>Snatcher</I> films hold secure spots in the pantheon of film history, director <B>Abel</B> (<I>Ms. 45</I>, <I>Bad Lieutenant</I>, <I>Driller Killer</I>) <B>Ferrara</B>'s version fell by the wayside. In the 90s version, the infamous pod people begin to take over a southern military base. Always uncomfortable and ten times more icky than the previous two versions, <I>Body Snatchers</I> pairs the stifling "evil conformity" message with a bleakly ambiguous ending - we love those. EXTRA NOTE: <B>Ferrara</B>, always ahead of his time, cast two <I>Beverly Hills 90210</I> stars in <I>Body Snatchers</I>. If the film had been released a mere 5 years later, it would have probably made a bundle at the box office (hmm . . . shades of the upcoming <B>Kevin Williamson</B>/<B>Robert Rodriguez</B> "sci-fi paranoia" flick <I>The Faculty</I>).
<a href= "http://www.tapehead.com/index.html">Back to TapeHead.com Home</a>
</BODY>
]]>