‘Knowing’ Alex Proyas is Awesome!

Alex Proyas is arguably (no!) IS the coolest sci-fi filmmaker out there that most people have never heard of… here, let me jog your memory. The Crow, Dark City, Garage Days, I Robot and coming soon Knowing.

Yep, that’s the guy that made all these cool movies. Proyas averaged four years between his first three movies and two years between Garage Days and I Robot, making him a director that takes him time to get his films right. I appreciate that!

Let’s go back in time for a minute. (Ha! Knowing pun intended.)

The Crow (1994) is just simply a masterpiece! ‘Nuff said. What a brilliant adaptation of James O’Barr’s graphic novel and so well done. Visually, the only way to have done this film more justice would have (maybe) been to shoot it ‘Sin City’ style to further emphasize the graphic novel feel, but honestly, the judgement is still out on that one. I love it the way it is. Brandon lee was incredible and, despite his unfortunate and untimely death, had given his best performance and proved to mass audiences that he would have been a stellar action star and very possibly become a serious actor.

Dark City (1998) is a film that, better than any other, perfectly melds the genres of science-fiction and film noir. What a great concept that is and an even better movie it became. This just recently got a Director’s Cut DVD re-release (finally) and deserves to be seen multiple times. Again, visually an incredible film and Jack Bauer, I mean, Kiefer Sutherland even did a decent job. Dark City also stars Rufus Sewell and William Hurt. The movie is dark and gritty, dismally beautiful and had some nifty special FX for the time it was made. If you haven’t seen it, what the heck are you waiting for?

Garage Days (2002) is the one movie, guaranteed, that most people are thinking “Huh?” This little gem totally slipped under the radar for most as it’s theatrical play was extremely limited. What’s intriguing is that Garage Days may be visually Proyas’ best achievement so far. The movie is about an Australian punk garage band who bomb miserably during their first “gig” and the lead singer sets out on a journey to find the “best” manager. A great comedy, somewhat in the style of Trainspotting and a fun rock-n-roll movie to boot. If you haven’t seen it yet, go out and rent it… NOW!

I, Robot is easily Proyas’ most recognizable film, but even with that said, I promise most people probably have no idea who directed it. Yeah, it was Proyas. Imagine that? Based on Isaac Asimov’s story, the movie stars Will Smith and is a smart science-fiction/action movie that doesn’t get dumbed down and is a rare example of how a movie like this can survive the Hollywood machine that often ruins great stories.

Knowing is his newest movie and comes out in theaters on March 20, 2009. The movie stars Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne. I’m intrigued to find out how Proyas’ manages to use Cage and whether Cage works in the role or not, seeing as he always plays, well… Nic Cage. To read more about the movie, check out my original post here and watch the trailer here.

Now that you’re up to speed on the past works of Alex Proyas, you may be asking what he has in the works. Good question! He’s got three projects on his plate currently, two of which he’s moving forward on and one that he’s optioned.

Dracula Year Zero – (Est. 2011) Vampire mythology combined with the true history of Prince Vlad tell the origin of Dracula. A script has been written and the movie is currently in the budgeting phase.

The Tripods – (Est. 2012) Beings known as the Tripods have conquered Earth and turned the human race into slaves by implanting everyone over the age of 14 with a mind-control device. 13-year-old Will Parker and his friends, however, plot to defeat the Tripods before a humans are no more. Currently in development with a script either written or being written, based on the books by John Christopher.

The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag – (Est. 2011) The story focuses on a man who realises that he cannot remember what he does for a living. He recounts his problems to a husband-and-wife detective team who subsequently uncover a series of revelations about their client. This is an optioned property, based on the novella by science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein.