July 29, 2006
Miami Vice
I’m trying to think of something to write about Miami Vice, but the thought that keeps popping into my head is, “Colin Farrell is pretty.� Okay, focus, focus. Here’s my impression of Miami Vice
- Hand-held camera – This is what killed Ali for me. Thankfully there wasn’t a lot of it, but what there was of it was bad. At least try to make a half-hearted attempt at framing the shot properly.
- Close-ups and extreme close-ups - These showed bodies intertwined, at the clubs, when dancing, or having sex. Sometimes the shots worked well, such as the close-ups of Trudy when she is being help captive. The angle, the shot and sound transferred the fear (or anger). But the rest of the time it was just distracting.
- Mise-en-scene - Everyone comments on the colors Michael Mann films. But the use of color also is found in the scenery and the sets, all of which help create that mood. But what is the mood? It seems very theatrical to me. Perhaps that’s the idea.
- Gong Li looks sick through most of the movie. The Gong Li you see in this movie is just a shadow of the Gong Li you would see in her Chinese films, or even Memoirs of a Geisha. She looks beautiful when she’s having sex and in that final shot as she leaves on the boat. The rest of the time she looks pasty. Obviously this is intentional.
- Would it have killed Jamie Foxx to smile? At least Colin Farrell threw in hand gesture or two for good measure. How many ways did he use the beard stroke to convey emotion? The TV Tubbs was far more interesting.
- It’s hard to tell the characters apart. Crocket and Tubbs are the same man. Actually, all the men in the movie are exactly the same. Even the women in the movie are incredibly similar to the male characters. They just get in the way of the men most of the time, it seems. Essentially, there really isn’t any depth to the characters. The only moment where there may be is when Crocket lets Isabella go and tells her that he won’t follow her. He didn't do what was expected, which was save the girl and live happily ever after. Thank you!
- Music - It was very subtle most of the time; just a note, a chord here and there to carry the mood in the picture. Music should just enhance the scene, not demand that you cry on cue. (Hear that Peter Jackson?) The sound design was also a departure from most action pictures. It wasn’t loud all the time. Often, it seemed a bit like a silent picture. And, that gun battle at the end really sounded like a gun battle. Ever watch the news and hear gunfire?
- Colin Farrell is pretty. See SWAT and watch the outtakes. He’s hilarious in them. I need to buy SWAT now.
- Digital projection is pretty awesome.
at July 29, 2006 1:41 AM
This movie was a disaster. Story line was practically non-existant. Acting from Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx were medicore at best. As an Asian-Canadian, I support asian actors in mainstream media, however Gong Li's acting was terrible, and her english was barely even comprendable. It sad that this movie was allowed to be made and even released in this format. The potential was there, but the movie sank and died after the first phone call on the rooftop of the club. Whatever happened to movies being made like Heat? and Traffic? Hollywood needs to seriously reinvent its game plan. Movies of this calibre should not even be released yet alone written.
There was a story? Dang! Guess I missed that. ;-)
Thank you for mentioning Heat. What a great film that was! I still love the scene where Val Kilmer's character is stopped outside the flat where his wife is being held by the police.
It is true that this film was a waste of Gong Li's talents. Not much talent to waste with Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, even if Jamie Foxx is an Oscar winner. Julia Roberts is, too, if you remember. As far as I'm concerned winning an Oscar means about as much as the amount of money they are paid to be in the picture. The more money they get, the less they can act. I think there is actually a mathematical formula somewhere to calculate this.
Hate to pour cold water on evryone's impression of Gong Li, but she's definitely lying about her age. I met her in the early 70's in Hong Kong when she was just a minor starlet. She was around 18 to 19 at the time. I was 15. I was born in 1956. She definitely wasn't born in 1965... No wonder she looks pasty with all that make up.
Ha, Its funny, This is the first blog that I've found that actually addressed the hand-held camera issue. Believe me, it drove me nuts!!!