MIAMI VICE and SKY HIGH

[thehefner]

MIAMI VICE is hardcore.

Now, I'm not gonna say it's a perfect movie. It certainly isn't Michael Mann's best; HEAT and COLLATERAL are superior, and I personally adore MANHUNTER, which is ripe for revisiting again. And sure, the plot's not exactly original or free from Hollywoodization (love story, etc.). Really, it's perfectly understandable that the movie's got about a 50% rating on rottentomatoes.com. I'm not saying that you, average Heffie-fan, will necessarily enjoy it.

No one, and I mean NO one, can do cinematic atmosphere like Michael Mann. I am a sucker for good use of music in movies, and Mann understand how to utilize score and pop songs to tell the story better than any other director out there.

I mean, hell, remember the revolutionary MIAMI VICE pilot episode? How the HELL did they use a Phil Collins song and make it totally badass? God DAMN, I love that clip.

As such, the movie may be unoriginal, but it is thoroughly watchable and entertaining. The dialogue and action is all wonderfully understated, giving even the more over-the-top elements a nice bit of gritty realism. spacechild and I both thought it was a pretty intense flick, filled with a number of nice little, "ROCK!" moments. I can't speak for anyone else, but I certainly dug it.

I also saw SKY HIGH, which was fun, even though it did kinda feel like the Disney Channel wanting to rip off Harry Potter but with superheroes. Thankfully, every second that Kurt Russell, Lynda Carter, Bruce Campbell, Kevin MacDonald, and Dave Foley (playing grown-up sidekick named Mr. Boy... brilliant) were on screen was magical. But unfortunately, the focus was too much on the kids, of course, and I couldn't shake the damn HP-ness of it all.

Still, when your version of the Sorting Hat is Bruce Campbell, that definitely earns you some points.

Comments

[kali921.livejournal.com]

Bruce Campbell is love, pure and simple.

Sorry, Hefster, I have to most respectfully and affectionatley disagree. I think Miami Vice is trash, and not even the good, vicarious trash, like a Russ Meyers film. Yes, Mann can do ambience, but poor acting is poor acting, poor scripting is poor scripting, and, well...you grok me.

I also love how you type the NAMES of Michael Mann FILMS in all caps. Heh. I oft do the same thing, so THANK GOD I AM NOT ALONE.

Also: battle of the Galactus icons...GO!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Hey, based on the general mixed reaction to the film, I certainly wasn't going to say that anyone else was gonna like the flick. Shame you didn't, though; Danny and I rather enjoyed it. I didn't notice the poor acting, and I'm usually rather attuned to such things.

And I don't just do Mann's movie titles in all caps. I do that with all titles, period. It's a bad habit of mine; my ex-girlfriend once remarked that it scared the piss out of her whenever we talked on IM. "So, have you seen... THE NINTH CONFIGURATION?"

Aw, I'm all outta Galactus icons. Here's Doom with Thor's Hammer.

[kali921.livejournal.com]

Have you seen...KAGEMUSHA THE SHADOW WARRIOR?

Have you seen...IRREVERSIBLE?

Have you seen...GASTROPODS ON A PLANE?

Heh. Fun.

I counter with VICTOR VON DOOM.

[kimberlyknits.livejournal.com]

Bruce Campbell rules.

The first couple of times I saw Sky High, I was pleasantly charmed but not really thinking of it as "good". I've now seen it twice more, and my opinion has changed--it's a damned good flick. It takes more than one viewing to catch all the little touches thrown in, which raises it from "Disney flick" to "damned good flick that happens to be from Disney" in my book.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

If you're actually asking, I have not seen any, but I have KAGEMUSHA on my Netflix queue. I have a strong feeling that I wouldn't like IRREVERSIBLE, though.

I counter your counter!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I need to see it again, yes. I was cringing like hell for the first half hour, but it slowly got me into it. I do think it could stand to be revisited a couple times, aye.