When I was about 15 years old, I just couldn't get enough of "Miami Vice." It just had more style and attitude than anything else on TV, and I was hooked on it.
So when I heard that MV executive producer Michael Mann, now an accomplished movie director, was bringing it to the big screen, I was definitely wary. How could you re-create the excess of the '80s and transport it to 2006?
Well, now that it's almost here, I'm a lot less worried. Over at a site called Rope of Silicon, they've managed to finagle 10 clips from the flick starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, and they look great.
These are only small snippets, of course, but you can see in them that, like in his best work, Mann sets a definite mood for MV the movie, and never lets it go. It should be a gritty, realistic look at undercover work, something you never really got from the TV show. Plus, you apparently get Ciarin Hinds, which is never a bad thing in my book.
Anyways, click here and enjoy. Let me know what you think.
Sayles set to bring the rock
Any news about John Sayles is good news to me, but this nugget sounds like it could just turn out great.
According to this morning's Hollywood Reporter, Sayles has written and will direct "Honeydripper," a period musical drama starring Danny Glover, blues guitarist Keb' Mo', R&B singer Ruth Brown and Gary Clark Jr., a Texas blues guitarist.
Set in 1950s Alabama, Sayles' script centers on Tyrone (Glover), owner of the Honeydripper juke joint. When business at Tyrone's blues club begins to drop off, against his better judgment, Tyrone hires Sonny (Clark), a young electric guitarist, in a last-ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
"It's about that Bo Diddly moment, when music moves from the blues to rock 'n' roll," Maggie Renzi, Sayles' longtime producing partner, told the HR. "John would say he likes to make movies on subjects he doesn't already know, and he knows there's lots of room to explore here."
This definitely sounds like it could be indeed be electric.
Sayles is at his best when he uses his ability to tell entertaining stories that put you right in a specific time and place, and at his worst when he just lets his considerable conscience take control. (Think "Casa de los Babys," which, remarkably, turned out to be even worse than its horrendous title.)
This one, thankfully, sounds like it will definitely be the former. It's description reminds me of a mix of "Lone Star" and "Passion Fish," his bayou drama about a wheelchair-bound former soap star (Mary McConnell) and the nurse who cares for her (Alfre Woodard), which remains my favorite Sayles film along with "The Secret of Roan Inish."
Plug it in, John, and definitely just let it roll.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
"Miami Vice" clips and John Sayles news
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5 comments:
I am soooo excited about "Miami Vice". They got me with the trailer. That song on the trailer (from the Linkin Park/Jay-Z Mash-Up CD) totally rocks. I know, such a shallow reason to get excited but I just can't help myself sometimes!!! However, I'm happy to report that everything I've seen and heard so far have me a very excited girl. I can't wait to see it!
There are certainly far worse reasons to get excited about a movie than the music, Marina!
I saw a trailer for Miami Vice yesterday, and can't wait to see it. It looks like Mann at his best, and I'm eager to see how he completely overhauls these characters by sticking them in a more modern setting with a wider scope.
Hopefully Sayles lets the sociological studies in his films rest a bit and just tells the story. It worked in Lone Star but it has hurt his films ever since. This film seems ripe for that kind of thing though. In any case, you know the music will be good.
You're definitely right, Erik .. I know he apparently has a humongous brain, but he's definitely at his best when he keeps it in check a little and just lets the story flow
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