John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) is having a bad night—a bad night that never, ever ends. His misadventures begin when he awakes alone in a dank, scummy hotel to discover that his memory is gone. What's more, there's a corpse in his bathtub with a bunch of weird, swirly symbols carved into her hide. He staggers out into the streets, desperate for answers, but the city and its people keep twisting and transforming around him, and he's the only one who seems to understand something screwy is going on. Will the sun ever rise on Murdoch again?
Best known for directing commercials, music videos, the wearisome 1994 Goth superhero flick The Crow and I, Robot, Alex Proyas is the last guy you'd expect to dream up an honest-to-gosh sci-fi classic. But 1997's Dark City is that unlikely classic, featuring a killer cast (including Jennifer Connelly, Keifer Sutherland, William Hurt and Rocky Horror's Richard O'Brien), stunning visuals and a wonderfully tricky plot. Like the similarly astonishing Blade Runner, Dark City opened to so-so reviews and lousy box office. Blade Runner was eventually embraced by many of the same critics who originally panned it and is widely regarded as a masterpiece today. Here's hoping a similarly sunny future awaits Dark City. Edwards Rancho Santa Margarita, 30632 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 888-3358. Tues., 8 p.m. $6; Edwards South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (800) 326-3264. Wed., 8 p.m. $6.
Also Showing:
Bon Voyage. Santiago College's Free International Film Festival presents this 2003 French picture about France's elite gathering at a swank Bordeaux hotel to escape the Nazis. Santiago Canyon College, D-101, 8045 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, (714) 480-7500. Fri., 6 p.m. Free.
Enter Imbroglio. Local surfers Micah Byrne, Brett Simpson, Jesse Evans and Ted Navarro star in this new documentary, the screenings of which they'll be at for a Q&A session. There will also be raffles for DVS shoes, CarveBoards, surfboards and other stuff. Mann's Pierside Pavilion, 300 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (714) 969-3151; www.bigredprod.com. Thurs., March 9, 7 N 9 p.m. $9.25.
Letter to Three Wives. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1949 melodrama stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell and Ann Sothern as young lovelies with something most unfortunate in common. Long Beach School for Adults Auditorium, 3701 E. Willow St., Long Beach, (562) 997-8000, ext. 7198. Fri., 7 p.m. $1 materials fee.
Save the Green Planet. Jang Jun-Hwan's Korean oddity about a luckless fellow convinced that the sorry state of his life is the result of a plot by nefarious aliens who have infiltrated human society. UC Irvine Film and Video Center, Humanities Instruction Bldg., Room 100, Campus N W. Peltason drs., Irvine, (949) 824-7418; www.humanities.uci.edu/fvc. Thurs., March 9, 7 p.m. $3-$5.
Seville Southside.Dominique Abel's documentary travels to Seville's Tres Mil viviendas neighborhood to explore the roots of Flamenco music. Cultural Stage of Art, 410-B W. Fourth St., Ste. 4, Santa Ana, (714) 543-0613. Sat., 6 p.m. $1 suggested donation.
Mail your press releases (and a videotape, if available) to Special Screenings,OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701-7417. Or send e-mail to gr*******@ea*******.net. All materials must be received at least two weeks before the screening.
