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Reviews
Miami Vice (2006)
Michael Mann's takes a dive
I'm not sure what's happened to Michael Mann over the past few years, but the performance he turned in as director of "Miami Vice" is shockingly bad for a talent filmmaker. One might try to argue that the stars salaries were such a big part of the budget that no money was left for a good cinematographer, gaffer, or camera operator. In truth, it seems Mann opted for a lazy directing style he could try to pass of as "artistic". Many of the scenes shot at night have a graininess indicitive of too little lighting or a student film shot poorly on 16mm. The focus drifts in and out throughout the film and, perhaps most annoying is the DP playing with an intermittent zoom that looks more like someone's hand accidentally hit the zoom button for just a moment and was quickly pulled off. I don't know if this film should be called underdirected since a little more effort would have yielded a much more watchable and even good film. Perhaps it's just the new, irritating style of overdirection where the filmmakers feels a need to call attention to themselves and the camera at the cost of the story. We've seen the same tragic results in "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Constant Gardner"; another two films that would have been considerably better if the directors knew that the "MTV" -style of shooting and editing might work for a 30-second commercial or music video where the image is secondary, but it detracts from a feature film. How a director like Mann can makes these mistakes is a mystery. Let's hope he's learned his lesson and returns to his roots for future endeavors.
Wait for video on this one.
Bachelor Party Vegas (2006)
Worst movie every made? It's close.
How does movies like this get made? I can understand the writer not being able to see the material for what it is, but how does ANYONE read this script and think it will make a good movie. It was about as far from funny as an alleged comedy can get. This sad attempt is a rehashing off all the old, older and oldest gags and bringing nothing new to the table.
I was going to go on, but I can't waste any more time with this. My request to the producers, director and writer - "You don't have a clue about film-making. Please seek alternate work rather than continue to disappoint those investing their time seeking entertainment!"
Domino (2005)
Terrible direction ruins a potentially entertaining movie!
Somewhere around 1997 Tony Scott shifted moods from a solid, impressive action director to a frenetic, incoherent seemingly drug-induced focusless madman behind the camera. I was expecting that no film would ever top Natural Born Killers as the worst directed film of all time, but Domino has done just that. The story and the cast were in place to make, at least, a fun action film. Instead, Scott ruins another project either by being clueless as to the need for the narrative thread to be accented by the direction and editing, or out of simple laziness. After all, it's far easier to shoot everything quick, choppy, slick and moving and throw it all together in post and try to pass it off as a "style". People can be overwhelmed for a few minutes like that in a music video, but don't want that for 90-120 minutes. It DETRACTS from the story, not enhances it.
However, sloppy direction seems to be new trend. The Constant Gardener would have been a much stronger movie as well, but it too suffered from and incompetent or lazy director behind the camera. On behalf of audiences everywhere, I hope this is the caliber of talent we're cranking out of films schools today, or I'll go back to just watching TV!