tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post4037045896812941700..comments2024-02-19T08:20:10.456-06:00Comments on Public Transportation Snob: Investigating Michael Mann: Miami ViceDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-8496830441136645132023-02-11T08:41:44.310-06:002023-02-11T08:41:44.310-06:00I disagree but totally understand given how differ...I disagree but totally understand given how different this adaptation is than the original show. Thanks for the comment! Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-20244132882982132422023-02-10T22:59:25.271-06:002023-02-10T22:59:25.271-06:00This movie is a vile disgusting despicable pile of...This movie is a vile disgusting despicable pile of absolute garbage. It's an insulting embarrassingly stupid representation of one of the best if not the best show of the 1980s. The creators of this movie and especially the actors are pitifully pathetic little maggots, feeding on the demands of a braindead population.The fans of this movie are suffering from brain retardation. All those involved in the making of this abomination are amung the most pathetic little slimy scum on the earth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-1458669768437171072016-11-18T20:59:16.554-06:002016-11-18T20:59:16.554-06:00The editing in the opening sequence of Ali might b...The editing in the opening sequence of Ali might be my favorite Mann sequence, maybe up there with the best moments in Heat. It's a gorgeous film, but it doesn't look like so many others. I think it threw many viewers for a loop. I saw it with a big group, and I remember a lot of my friends not loving it. That surprised me but was a good reminder that Mann's approach still throws off some viewers. Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-87556287105645619992016-11-18T04:46:08.020-06:002016-11-18T04:46:08.020-06:00Yes, "Ali"'s opening is quite incred...Yes, "Ali"'s opening is quite incredible, we run with Ali in the night streets, it's beautiful and thrilling, with the music overwhelming everything, and the various locations, eras/times, faces...great piece of editing, framing and storytelling here. And Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography is gorgeous, too bad he did only one movie with Mann.<br />It was Mann's last film on 35mm. Guillaumenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-34953698414071799802016-11-17T23:10:48.910-06:002016-11-17T23:10:48.910-06:00That's quite a list! The Heat opening is a gre...That's quite a list! The Heat opening is a great example. Neil's group are pros so they wouldn't waste words. I also like the way our first shots of Ali are just him jogging while the Sam Cooke concert is happening. It gives us a chance to get acclimated to the world before we get to the weigh-in and really hear Ali's voice get rolling.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-36523290639244851412016-11-17T06:25:22.233-06:002016-11-17T06:25:22.233-06:00"Great point of the lack of dialogue in the f..."Great point of the lack of dialogue in the finale. In fact, I think the whole movie does well in not piling on too many lines."<br /><br />Mann is skilled with dialogues/lines but many of his most striking scenes are the "mute" scenes:<br />"Manhunter"s tiger scene, the "Mohicans's' finale, "Ali"'s train/subway ride and running through Kinshasa streets, "Miami Vice"'s ending, "The Keep"'s opening scene, "Thief"'s ending, "Heat"'s opening, "white tunnel" bit and airport scene, "Public enemies"'s theater and police station scenes, the tarmac bit of "Blackhat", etc.<br />Mann tends to be more and more abstract on his last movies, relying more on gestures, body language, glances than words, often. It's a more elliptical, subtle storytelling maybe.Guillaumenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-49572829789741800062016-11-16T22:59:59.166-06:002016-11-16T22:59:59.166-06:00Great point of the lack of dialogue in the finale....Great point of the lack of dialogue in the finale. In fact, I think the whole movie does well in not piling on too many lines. These guys are all about the action, so why waste unnecessary words? I agree that Gong Li is really good. Some of the female characters in Mann's films seem underwritten, but this isn't an example. Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-38910091807101448852016-11-16T15:05:38.360-06:002016-11-16T15:05:38.360-06:00"The very end of this movie got so much flak,..."The very end of this movie got so much flak, but it’s honestly one of my favorite film endings. Like, ever. Farrell’s rushed entry back into the hospital, Mogwai’s “Auto Rock” blaring away. It’s so cinematically perfect, it gives me chills."<br /><br />The ending is powerful indeed, the way Mann uses music and editing (Isabella and Sonny parting ways when at the same time Trudy is slowly coming back to life at the hospital), the way Mann frames the faces of his actors and the locations are stunning, pure Cinema, without obvious lines (just one word during the finale: "Nurse!") And Gong Li is very good, i think...Mann tends to be underrated but most of his actresses have delivered compelling, mature performances in his movies, from Tuesday Weld in "Thief" to Tang Wei in "Blackhat".Guillaumenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-82951516670751903982015-10-30T14:05:47.561-05:002015-10-30T14:05:47.561-05:00Robbery Homicide is one of the few Mann projects t...Robbery Homicide is one of the few Mann projects that I haven't watched so far. I feel like his work really connects to the slow burn approach of TV, particularly a network like F/X or AMC. Hopefully he'll take another shot. Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-62884180385478093102015-10-17T04:06:31.162-05:002015-10-17T04:06:31.162-05:00I really enjoyed the movie too. I hoped that Mann ...I really enjoyed the movie too. I hoped that Mann would get a chance to complete his planned trilogy. A couple of years ago I got to watch the 10 episodes of the shortlived Robbery Homicide Division which he produced and brought his visual style from the movies to television. It had growing pains but held up well. It felt so far ahead of its time. That I don't think CBS has a crime drama with the same Aspirations and Authenticity since. Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17300483174314112744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-30156042307111078812015-02-27T15:28:51.801-06:002015-02-27T15:28:51.801-06:00Thanks Alex; it means a lot. This was only my seco...Thanks Alex; it means a lot. This was only my second time watching Miami Vice, and I liked it even more this time. I feel like it's a movie that's barely remembered by more than a small group, and that's too bad. There's so much to like!Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-6110529118822388952015-02-27T12:11:25.514-06:002015-02-27T12:11:25.514-06:00LOVE this review. Your second paragraph is basical...LOVE this review. Your second paragraph is basically a list of reasons why I love the film. The dense plot, the consistent melancholy, the lack of resolve. They seize some dope, kill some low level-ish people, but the big dog gets away clean (love those shots of Montoya’s empty mansion). <br /><br />“Questions of morality are gone; this conflict is personal.” What a line. So well said.<br /><br />The very end of this movie got so much flak, but it’s honestly one of my favorite film endings. Like, ever. Farrell’s rushed entry back into the hospital, Mogwai’s “Auto Rock” blaring away. It’s so cinematically perfect, it gives me chills. <br /><br />Great review, Dan. Miami Vice is one of my favorite films, and deserves to be discussed more.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-63290568776936246462015-02-22T09:47:42.841-06:002015-02-22T09:47:42.841-06:00I really need to go back and revisit the show, esp...I really need to go back and revisit the show, especially the pilot. I watched it here and there in the '80s, but I was a bit too young for it. I think what threw off some audiences with how serious Mann took the material. You're right to point out the lack of humor; these characters are all business. Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-30523836145953580592015-02-22T09:24:51.756-06:002015-02-22T09:24:51.756-06:00I love this movie. Until the Jump Street flicks ca...I love this movie. Until the Jump Street flicks came out, I can't think of any "remake" that purposely subverted its source material, yet was still an excellent film. I used to watch the show every Friday night and while it dealt with lots of drug lords and other criminals, it certainly made a point of romanticizing the "glamour" of Miami and was slyly humorous. Mann's version of Miami is a darker, seedier place with nary a funny bone in its body. Great review!Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-53810017606428816392015-02-22T08:45:41.248-06:002015-02-22T08:45:41.248-06:00I'll agree that the dialogue is still pretty t...I'll agree that the dialogue is still pretty thin, especially with the romance. Still, I think that it works in the context of this story. These guys rarely waste words. If you do give it another shot, let me know what you think. It has a lot of similarities to Blackhat with both its positives and some issues. Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917634143872972680.post-62636039891137467392015-02-22T08:22:46.096-06:002015-02-22T08:22:46.096-06:00Okay, you have convinced me to look at this film t...Okay, you have convinced me to look at this film through a different lens. I had major issues with the film the first time I saw it, some of which had to do with Farrell and Li mumbling their way through the scant dialogue. However, enough time has passed and I am ready to revisit it. I will definitely give the director's cut a spin. Courtney Smallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00045575858464121137noreply@blogger.com