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jaysinclair105
Reviews
Cold Weather (2010)
An Utter Waste Of Time
This film was described by Spin Magazine (in a 3-and-a-half star review) as a mystery that takes its time. I'm all for that. But did it have to take SO MUCH time to resolve a mystery that was UNINVOLVING and BORING? Just another bunch of aimless 30-somethings in the damp upper Northwest who apparently never shave or wash their hair, mumbling their way through life and never doing anything even remotely interesting. Believe me, I've sat through plenty of quirky indie films with little complaint, but I was literally shouting at my TV screen when this DVD ended. An hour and forty minutes of my life utterly wasted. I will avoid this talentless filmmaker like the plague for the rest of my days. SKIP THIS MOVIE!!!!!
Miami Vice (2006)
Enjoy This For What It Is
The TV show is my favorite of all time, so like most other people I was underwhelmed by the movie upon first seeing it in theaters. Much of the cinematography is too dark. Too many characters either mumble their lines or speak with such thick accents that you can't discern important dialogue (I literally had to watch the movie with subtitles to finally understand the plot). Zito and Switek barely register. And some sequences toward the end allude to a sequel that we supposedly will never see.
However, having purchased the Unrated Director's Version on DVD and watched it a few times, I've come to enjoy this movie for what it is: cool eye candy for action fans! All those sleek guns, cars, planes and boats are really bitchin'! And boy, does Michael Mann know how to film them! Most of the action scenes are well-executed (especially the scene in the trailer with Gina's perfectly-timed headshot, which had the theater audience I saw it with applauding and cheering). This movie is all surface and tone, and if you just give in to it and soak up the scenery and visuals, you'll find it fun. Just make sure you're viewing the Unrated Director's Version, which is 6 minutes longer than the theatrical version and is, in my opinion, the definitive one. If the DVD you're watching starts off with a boat race, you've got the right one. If it starts with a nightclub scene, stop viewing immediately and get the Director's Version... pronto!
Is Miami VICE as good as Michael Mann's THIEF, MANHUNTER, COLLATERAL or his masterpiece HEAT? Nope. But even mediocre Mann is better than no Mann at all.