They were acctually great films, some great action and the star is acctually a good watchable guy. He impressed someone, as was the new upgraded Agent in The Matrix Reloaded who fights agaisnt Fishburn on the back of the Truck
They even bring back Big Donald Gibb as Jackson in the Seqels well worth seeing them if you like part 1 at all, and they cost pennies!
I saw all 3 sequels for £1.50 in WHSMITH ages back bargain! Fullscreen, but hey they were probibly made that way.
I suspect the films were shot open matte 1.37 with 1.33 in mind unless they played theatrically anywhere in which case the intended ratio would have to have been 1.85.
The great Clint Eastwood returns to the front of the camera in this drama of an elderly,hard as nails veteran who befriends the vietnamese family next door.interesting if not quite great,change the character's name from Walt to Harry and this could be seen as a swansong for his legendary character and how he'd be in retirement..well worth catching,Clint still has it at 78.what a legend he is.
I enjoyed this more than I expected. A definite step-up from Kill Bill and a lot of fun to watch. I think I preferred the first half of the movie because of its more suspenseful build up; also it has more Kurt Russell (who's superb). The crashes are spectacular and Zoe Bell earns her paycheck with an outrageous stunt in the second episode. Tarantino indulges his foot fetish big time with cute girls' tootsies on constant display. A lot of fans opt for Planet Terror as the best half of Grindhouse but my vote goes to this.
20 minutes too long and come to think of it, only about 20 minutes of good stuff in that bla bla borefest. Bad actresses trying to talk like Samuel L. Jackson. No thank you.
I don't think the actresses gave bad performances. Considering it's supposed to be an exploitation movie I think they did a good job. Actually I was pleased that it was less exploitative than I expected. The violence is used sparingly and the sleaze is toned down considerably (from many-a-70s example). As for sounding like Sam Jackson... well, that's just how Tarantino writes his dialogue. They sound like him, not Sam.
I watched Miami Vice on BD last night. It was the most film-like transfer I've seen on BD yet, which is quite ironic considering quite a few shots were done on HD cameras!
Love the film though, its just great. I really feel "involved" in Michael Mann's films because he always seems to put the viewer right into the scene.
I'm very much looking forward to Heat and Collateral arriving on BD at some point...
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I liked Death Proof too. I agree with Mark. I also don't think it would've sold well being "as" violent as those 70s movies. Rambo 4 got a lot of flack. I still wish QT would return to true film-making in the style of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Those are in another league.
I couldn't disagree more about Mann. His films are always excellent and I always feel so involved. They have lots of heart and passion. How can you say Mann has no passion? What about Last of the Mohicans? Manhunter is also great, a little cold but that's a deliberate choice.
bradavon wrote:I couldn't disagree more about Mann. His films are always excellent and I always feel so involved. They have lots of heart and passion. How can you say Mann has no passion? What about Last of the Mohicans? Manhunter is also great, a little cold but that's a deliberate choice.
I never really give a shit about the characters in Mann films. They're technically well-made but coldly clinical in execution. Thus I admire them but never really like them. MOHICANS should be passionate but it's stiff as a board. The only heart in it is the one Wes Studi carves out and holds aloft. Where's the passion in MANHUNTER? I must've missed it. COLLATRAL, HEAT: The same. GOOD films, but no heart, no passion. The reason why I don't own a single Mann film yet have admired many.
I thought you own the Mohicans UK DVD? Mohicans has loads of heart, particularly in the Native America speeches etc..
I wasn't really saying Manhunter has heart, just that it's brilliantly executed. Heat doesn't but again it's not really supposed to. Ali has heart too.
bradavon wrote:I thought you own the Mohicans UK DVD?
Sold it.
Mohicans has loads of heart, particularly in the Native America speeches etc..
Platitudes.
I wasn't really saying Manhunter has heart, just that it's brilliantly executed.
Which is largely what I'm saying...
Heat doesn't but again it's not really supposed to.
I disagree. You are supposed to care about these characters. Pacino's troubled family life and DeNiro's "principled" villain most noteably. It just didn't make me feel anything. HEAT was meticulous but cold.
Ali has heart too.
Must confess I haven't seen that one. Nothing to do with Mann, I just don't have any interest in Ali - the person. And I suspect it's a hero-worship whitewash job, which glosses over the fact that its subject was a racist, arrogant dickhead. Am I wrong?
Manhunter, The Insider, and Thief have a lot of heart and passion. The fact Manhunter has a narrative that dissects the pyschological state of its cop and killer then draws parallels between each other gives it tremendous depth. Ultimately all of Mann's films are about outsiders, and I genuinely believe he's put a lot of himself into many of his films.
Markgway wrote:Must confess I haven't seen that one. Nothing to do with Mann, I just don't have any interest in Ali - the person. And I suspect it's a hero-worship whitewash job, which glosses over the fact that its subject was a racist, arrogant dickhead. Am I wrong?
How can anyone NOT have any interest in Muhammad Ali the man!? He's one of the most interesting and important figures of the last century.
That said, you are much better off watching some great documentaries about the guy, instead of watching Michael Mann's biopic. The real deal is just so much more interesting than Smith's portrayal.
I was there, the big BNB blackout of november, 2008. We lost many that day...
romerojpg wrote:Esspecially his Digital shit looking movies.
The first 2/3rd's of Collateral were great, too bad that film didn't star Val Kilmer has they originally planned. He would've taken role of Vincent to a whole 'nother level.
Man, that 3rd act was poop though. The bad guy was should've won. Such a mainstream Hollywood cop out.
I saw Mr. Brooks starring Kevin Costner recently. Underrated film and performance IMO. Definitely a nice break from the Hollywood norm.
romerojpg wrote:Esspecially his Digital shit looking movies.
The first 2/3rd's of Collateral were great, too bad that film didn't star Val Kilmer has they originally planned. He would've taken role of Vincent to a whole 'nother level.
Man, that 3rd act was poop though. The bad guy was should've won. Such a mainstream Hollywood cop out.
The screenplay is quite bad with all the stupid cliche (with the final third showing the biggest prolems), but technically the film is fantastic. Actually, the problems didn't bother me as much on the second viewing when I knew what to expect.
Thankfully Miami Vice improved on this. Although it still suffered from the same "black woman tries to sink the film" syndrome
well worth seeing them if you like part 1 at all, and they cost pennies! 
