comment #1

Anonymous says ...

Legendary pictures is going to go bankrupt.

And the masses seem to hate Vice. I enjoyed it, but thought Mann could have been the same film for half the cost.

comment #2

John Cocktosten says ...

Vice is a big disappointment. There's nothing in it resembling human behavior whatsoever. There's completely laughable dialogue in there; people were snickering at some of Jamie Foxx's cheeseball lines. It's well-made, of course, and the crime procedural issues are slickly displayed. The sex scenes are laughable and tacked-on, particularly Foxx's. But the whole thing seems pointless--no envelope is pushed as far as story or script, and we've seen this story a billion times with characters we actually cared about.

Jeff, stop grasping for Mann-straws.

comment #3

Thung says ...

It's unbelievable, but the best summer movie is MI:3.

comment #4

Amy says ...

The 49% or is it 43% doesn't add up to pleasurable and rich!

comment #5

Paul8148 says ...

Yeah, Suhshine has a chance to go 500,000 in it first 5 days on just 7 screens.

comment #6

Joe Corey says ...

North By Northwest is "a rare instance of a sensual and sophisticated adult popcorn movie."

comment #7

Anonymous says ...

Thung, you crack me up.
But it's kind of true isn't it?
MI3 is the only one I saw twice in the theater.
LOL

comment #8

TPK says ...

Maybe it's just me, but none of my female friends want to see Miami Vice. They find Colin Farrell vile. I will see it for no other reason than Mann.

comment #9

Scott Mendelson says ...

In my opinion, the two best mass-entertainment movies this summer were both cartoons... Monster House and Over The Hedge (which was everything that most CGI cartoons aren't... well paced, sparse with dialogue, full of flesh-and-blood characters, etc).

In the slightly artier circuit, Little Miss Sunshine was very good too as was An Inconvenient Truth (got to meet Al Gore to boot). The Propisition was slightly overrated but pretty good. When Clerks II is one of the best films of the summer, there's something seriously wrong with summer.

By big problem with MI3 (coming from someone who still defends MI2 and loves MI1) is that, scrape away all the alleged emotional naval gazing, it's the same plot as every 80s action movie... hero goes after bad guy, who makes it personal by abducting his hot girlfriend and holding her hostage at gunpoint. Just because we hadn't seen it in awhile doesn't make it good. As for that emotional naval-gazing, save for the second act chit-chat between Cruise and Rhames, most of it was underwhelming since it's been done better on Alias.

Truth be told, the best film I've seen this year BY FAR is Akeelah And The Bee. It's one of the very best 'underdog makes good' films ever and it has the best ending for an underdog sports movie since Tin Cup. Haven't seen Miami Vice, Cars, or United 93, so maybe that'll change.

Scott Mendelson

comment #10

Rob says ...

I hate when we try to draw conclusions from anecdotal evidence, but I saw Vice in a sold-out, 500-seat Boston theater, and folks were applauding the action scenes at the end.

I think it really delivers. The trailer park scene, the final shoot-out, and the sequence with Colin and Gong Li taking the boat to Havana - awesome.

comment #11

James Wallace says ...

You know I was hoping this film was not as bad as I heard and when I read reviews saying it was not Mann's best - I thought okay well, then subpar will be good. However, I went to a screening with a friend last night and we both thought this film was awful, boring, cliched, looked like a terrible VHS tape or like Mann through the HD tapes in a washer for fun. What the hell were you thinking by giving this film a good review? I am one of Michael Mann's biggest fans and this film was utter garbage. To get over it I'm going to put "Heat", "The Insider" and "Collateral" on a constant loop in my apartment to get over this crap that is being billed as "a great adult summer movie". Until Michael Mann makes a good film he is dead to me.

comment #12

James Wallace says ...

You know I was hoping this film was not as bad as I heard and when I read reviews saying it was not Mann's best - I thought okay well, then subpar will be good. However, I went to a screening with a friend last night and we both thought this film was awful, boring, cliched, looked like a terrible VHS tape or like Mann threw the HD tapes in a washer for fun. What the hell were you thinking by giving this film a good review? I am one of Michael Mann's biggest fans and this film was utter garbage. To get over it I'm going to put "Heat", "The Insider" and "Collateral" on a constant loop in my apartment to get over this crap that is being billed as "a great adult summer movie". Until Michael Mann makes a good film - he is dead to me.

comment #13

Thung says ...

Colin is a beauty, but he looks like shit in the movie, wrinkled forehead, no lighting, thick sweat, it's so laughable from the start when the female bartender gets hot for him, that you don't buy the Gongster falling for him at first sight either. Thank you above, if there were some kind of bet one could have made that it would have been all downhill from MI:3, they'd be rich. I got, a summer-movie-hit derby, I'm on it.

comment #14

KellyShaw says ...

James: I could not agree more with your thoughts on Vice. Like others here, I'm a huge Mann fan and consider him responsible for some of the best Hollywood films of the past twenty years. Which makes Vice all the more unforgivable.

comment #15

Anonymous says ...

I do agree with what you say about MI3, Scott. There's not much to it and Abrams seems to be aping the DiPalma movie rather than cutting his own path, But it really was entertaining in a lean, mean way you didn't see this whole summer and surprisingly nasty for a big tentpole. It was also first out of the gate in May which really hurt it's momentum (that and of course the micro time bomb implanted in Cruise's career seems to have gone off).

I regret missing Over The Hedge. Everyone I respect loved it. Word is it's genuinely funny. Imagine that.

comment #16

Larry says ...

To me the biggest surprise this weekend was the huge drop of Clerks II. Sure, the first weekend was for Kevin Smith fans, but I thought the film was pretty good. I figured with positive word of mouth it'd have legs, donkey sex or no.

comment #17

Todd says ...

I agree with Mendelson that Monster House and Over The Hedge are the two best movies so far this year. I saw Ant Bully at the IMAX in 3D and it was excellent to watch in this kind of venue. Again I must state all movie chains should start putting at least one IMAX screen in their multiplex. It makes watching a film like Ant Bully like going on an "E" ticket ride at Disneyland.

comment #18

Steve Felix says ...

It will age well.
From http://www.slate.com/id/2145622 :

"The key on looking at the profitability of Michael's movies is that they've got a very long tail, well after the theatrical run," Shmuger maintains. "Everybody's seen Heat. Everybody's seen Last of the Mohicans. … [The films] do fantastically well in video, on all television outlets, overseas."

comment #19

Scott Mendelson says ...

As for MI3's nastiness, the only really nasty part was the one part that kind of offended me... (spoilers).

I'm referring to the resolution to the countdown scene. After its revealed that it was really Bahar Soomekh under that mask and not Michelle Monahagan (sp), we're supposed to be relieved that a completely innocent bystander got her head blown off (after being subjected to a torturous countdown where she knows she's a goner) as long as it wasn't the lead's maiden faire. Granted, many action films don't deal with the random innocents who die along the way, but we're rarely supposed to cheer when a bystander gets it between the eyes.

Again, Alias had similiar scenes, but they at least dealt with the moral ambiguity behind it.

Scott Mendelson

comment #20

BL says ...

I honestly don't know why in the hell Farrell keeps on getting these leading man parts - either he's great at auditions or he's sleeping with whomever he has to to get the roles.

In any case, I was initially pretty negative about the idea of this film before it came out, but enough good reviews would have changed my mind - however, that didn't happen and now the only way I'll see it is if a friend drags me aginst my will.

This is truly the crappiest summer for movies I can remember. Saw a couple of good foreign films so far ("Hidden Blade" and "Water") and that's it. I AM hoping "Little Miss Sunshine" is decent - that's next up on my list.

comment #21

Poor Warners says ...

At the beginning of the year, Warner looked like the only studio with an almost daring lineup of movies coming. "Scanner Darkly" looked cool, "Lady in the Water" was a big mystery, "Superman" had yet yet to return and they had kicked off the year with "V for Vendetta." "Poseidon" always looked like crap so it's failure was no surprise. But one by one those pics mentioned above opened and have gone splat, some louder than others. Bad marketing and bad movie making, I'm looking at you Night, have ruined their year. They still have "The Fountain" which looks incredible, and part of "The Prestige" which looks fun, but the year as a whole is a total wash. It's unfortunate that their attempt at more daring movies has ended in disappointment. They'll fire everyone, install new leadership and commence with making crap pictures like Fox loves to make.

comment #22

christian says ...

You can't always blame marketing if a film doesn't "open." Marketing is a bastard science; if it truly "worked" then every film or product would succeed.

Sometimes, audiences just don't care. "The Ant Bully" might be at the tail end of an awful trend on non-stop animal toons with the same exact emphasis on star voices and pop cultural yucks. Yawn.

comment #23

Thung says ...

Where's FX Feeney on this now? How will the whole thing be written up in the Mann book? Were there test audience screenings? Maybe there'll be a better cut on DVD. And I know just the folks to dig out the production sound and give it a home theatre mix: Mi Casa Multimedia.

comment #24

Eric says ...

Wow. Even with it's low-end P&A budget of 15-20 mil, Clerks 2 is officially a bomb now.

A shame. I liked it.

comment #25

nemo says ...

Maybe it's just me, but none of my female friends want to see Miami Vice. They find Colin Farrell vile.

Man, I'm there with your female friends. I've passed on every film Colin Farrell has been in, just to avoid seeing his shoe-button teddy-bear eyes in his dissipated unshaven mug.

But I'm also there to see anything Michael Mann makes. My visceral repulsion towards all things Farrell may win out this time.

comment #26

Mark says ...

Has everybody gone insane? Did I see the same Miami Vice everyone in here did?

I found it completely and utterly satisfying on just about every level. Thought that Farrell and Foxx were both fine - there's a difference between being wooden (Star Wars prequels) and underplaying - these guys were practicing the latter. The Farrell-Gong Li romance was expertly handled (and is brought to its logical conclusion, which I actually found quite moving), the violence is sparse but totally effective and the hi-def completely worked. Yes, some of the lines were a bit on the cheeseball side and the story didn't re-invent the wheel, but I found it better and more competently made than any other film I've seen this summer. In fact, I find it alarming that everyone has turned on Mann so violently for this film, which is clearly a polished and, at least stylistically, beautifully-composed piece of work. I disagree with Jeff about a lot of things, but he's right on the money here.

comment #27

BL says ...

I've passed on every film Colin Farrell has been in, just to avoid seeing his shoe-button teddy-bear eyes--Posted by: nemo

Well said, but the way I put it is he has 'dead' eyes. This can be a real problem unless an actor knows how to work it (Tom Cruise has kind of dead eyes, but still finds a way to project emotion as well as knowing how to pick the right parts).

Obviously casting directors see SOMETHING in Farrell - maybe he'd better as a stage actor where the whole eyes thing really is not so much of an issue.

comment #28

nickc says ...

Miami Vice was amazing. Completely and utterly. Only an asshole could walk out of a theater and not be impressed and/or entertained by the brilliance that Michael Mann gave his audience--yet again. All the haters can eat a fat one!

comment #29

Anonymous says ...

"Obviously casting directors see SOMETHING in Farrell - maybe he'd better as a stage actor where the whole eyes thing really is not so much of an issue."

What eyes thing?

comment #30

BL says ...

to July 29, 2006 05:35 PM

I said earlier in my post that I think Farrell has 'dead eyes'.

comment #31

Patrick says ...

'Miami Vice' was a total piece of shit! Mr. Mann
has dropped big time in my favorite directors poll.
Nothing made any sense and I doubt anybody making
the film cared just as long as they were getting
their pay checks. SHAMEFUL!

comment #32

Frank says ...

It will be interesting to see what happens to Mann's career after Vice. He only got to make the film because Collateral was a hit (thanks to Tom Cruise knowing to push a film). But now he's got three major duds out of four. Say what they will about a long tail, but will Disney ever consider The Insider a true gem in their collection? What about Ali? Mohicans and Heat are films made over a decade ago. And both films didn't completely tank at the boxoffice.

Mann brought Universal a sure fire hit. How could it fail? This should have been money in the bank. SWAT made over $100 million. And they gave Mann a budget and got out of his way. He's got nobody to blame for this film not being an audience pleaser except himself. Maybe he can blame the ghost of Miguel Pinero - seeing how he ripped off the Smuggler's Blues episode. Did Calderone get his revenge on Vice?

comment #33

Patrick says ...

'Last of the Mohicans' was a hit!!!It played in
my city for over a year! 'Heat' really
underperformed at the time it was released. 'The
Insider' was fucked over by Disney (ditto 'Quiz
Show' and 'Nixon'). 'Ali' made $10 million alone
on Christmas Day, but couldn't continue at that
level. It still made more than 'Moulin Rouge'
though.

comment #34

maggie says ...

I think Kris is right this time. You BOMBED AGAIN,Mr.Wells,so is Mr Poland.Cant believe you two give positive review to this SHIT.sigh

love you Kris,you are my favorite now

comment #35

Eric says ...

Despite an awful crowd in the theater tonight, I managed to enjoy much of MV. I thought there were a few iffy spots, technically, which was surprising, and certain shots really did look bad on video (a few hot spots and some awkward wide angle stuff in close-up), which depressed me, since I do want to see the format take off. But other shots were stunning, and the classic Michael Mann quiet moments counter-pointed with cold, ruthless violence... You don't get that anywhere else, and it was good. I am so fed up with teenagers in movie-theaters laughing during sexual moments and yelling shit like "I want to rewind that!" when someone gets blown away. I think I'm only safe in the art house now, which is rather sad. I'd like to think bad films are the reason why attendance will continue to fall each year, rather than bad audiences.

comment #36

Daniel Zelter says ...

Collateral was actually a disappointment, considering Cruise was attached. It did do better than Terminal, though, which is why it's considered a "hit" for Dreamworks.

comment #37

Collateral $$$ says ...

Just so everyone can be clear, "Collateral" did 100 million domestic, and 116 million overseas. Not great. Not terrible. Just average by most of todays warped standards and below average by Cruise standards.

comment #38

Terry McCarty says ...

Curious as to why there's nothing about Woody's SCOOP?

comment #39

DSG says ...

I really liked MI3...I wasn't expecting to, but it was just so damn quick & entertaining!

comment #40

Martin Benitez says ...

How can your female friends find Farrell vile? Hell i`m hetero and I would fuck him.

comment #41

Linden says ...

I'm a woman and I don't get the Colin Farrell appeal either. And many of my friends feel the same way.

I think he definetely has appeal to some women, it's just that his appeal is rather limited, he doesn't have the broad appeal that the media and Hollywood seems to think he does.

comment #42

oddDuck says ...

I saw Miami Vice yesterday and found it a decidedly mixed bag. The HiDef was at times simply sublime -- for that reason alone I can see myself watching this flick, at least on DVD, repeatedly. However, there were some shots where it just looked like...complete shit. The nighttime car ride with Crockett and Tubbs in the first few minutes comes to mind. The picture was grainy and muddy beyond belief (like watching a UHF channel in 1980 with very bad reception) and I couldn't figure out why. There were plenty of darker shots that looked fine, but this one was just shit.

The acting was fine. I prefer underplayed acting, even if it borders on wooden, much more than over the top histrionics (like, say, Pacino in Heat). Will admit I only understood 90% of what came out of Gong Li's mouth but still liked her.

What really surprised me were the action set pieces. Color me underwhelmed by the last shootout. I'm sure upon repeated viewings its technical merit will be appreciated, but for me it just didn't crackle and pop like some of Mann's other work. Perhaps Mann's bank heist in Heat set the bar impossibly high. But it's more than that. Heat had SO MANY moments of action, violence and suspense. The armored truck robbery, the drive in theater shootout, the depository, Waingro at the hotel, the airport showdown, and of course, the bank heist. All those great scenes, surrounded by great character work, atmosphere, and story. Damn I love that movie. Maybe I need to see Vice a few more times, but I don't think anything from it will stick with me like the work in Heat does.

So fine, this ain't Mann's best work or even close to it. It's still probably my favorite movie of the summer.

And to those singing the praises of MI3, I'm right there with you! That movie got it completely right. The action was intense and pleasantly STRAIGHTFORWARD. None of the shots were too fancy and I always felt like I knew where I was in an action scene. As far as its genre work goes, MI3 for me is the king of the hill for me.

comment #43

Frank says ...

Hit or miss is all relative to the movie's budget. Moulin Rouge cost half as much as Ali. Just in the US it made $57 million on a budget of $52. Ali cost $107 million and made $58. If given a choice between watching When We Were Kings and Ali - which one would you put in the DVD player?

The Insider is just part of the American public's general "whatever"attitude when it comes to tobacco scandal films. It just didn't have enough juice to lure in an audience.

At least Mann's already got The Kingdom in production. But the folks at Universal aren't going to suck up to him. I've already heard that they've told him that if he wants a longer cut of Vice for the DVD - he's paying for it. They're cutting loses.

Mann has entered Michael Cimino territory of course the difference is that Cimino always has his Oscar.

comment #44

Alexander says ...

I completely agree with those who say Miami Vice is a mixed bag. The bad guys are so over-the-top BAD that you don't ever feel one ounce of empathy towards them (although the guy who played Jesus was brilliant, and therefore I accepted his character completely) which is different from Mann's other work where you're almost invited to root for the bad guys a bit.

The visual nature of the film was pretty good--not Mann's best stuff and I agree that too many shots, mostly at night, were grainy and looked like crap. I'm not sure of Mann was going for The Shield-like look or what but it didn't transfer well to his film. There were some shots that *were* great, like of that bridge at night with all the light as the cops go to save Foxx's squeeze. That was cool.

The acting? Farrell, for the first time sine Minority Report, really impressed me--it makes me think he's wired to play a cop. Foxx? He really didn't have that much to do, and, frankly, it seemed to me he kind of slept through his role at times.

OVerall, a disappointment, but not of epic proportions. I think it'll be seen as lesser Mann, but still a decent entry.

comment #45

Patrick says ...

"all relative to the movie's budget" No, it isn't!
Please! More people saw 'Ali' than 'Moulin Rouge'
(at least in North America) and yet everybody
acts like 'Moulin Rouge' was such a huge hit.

Oh, I'd rather watch 'Raging Bull' or 'The Boxer'
than 'Ali' or 'When We Were Kings'...documentaries
leave me cold every damn time. 'Ali' was all style
and no emotional involvement. Although, the opening
sequence of Ali training for the fight with the
Sam Cooke number was fantastic!

"American public's general "whatever"attitude
when it comes to tobacco scandal films" WHAT!!!
How many tobacco scandal films are there? Please!
It was sold as a film where people would actually
have to think while watching and therefore the
American people rejected it! End of Story! In
addition to Disney blowing the marketing of it
as they've done with just about every other
drama they've made over the past decade.

'Miami Vice' was just awful and Michael Mann owes
me big time for having to sit through that money
grab.

comment #46

Frank says ...

Patrick,
How can you say that more people saw Ali than Moulin Rouge? Based on box office grosses? That's just the price of the tickets collected. Maybe more kiddie tickets, matinee and second run tickets were sold for Moulin? Maybe Moulin sold more tickets outside of NY-LA where the price of admission isn't $10 a pop? And maybe more people snuck in to see Moulin after seeing another film in the multiplex. A million bucks isn't that much of difference. Ali cost twice as much and did the same amount of business - which for a Will Smith flick was pathetic.

Thanks for insulting America because we don't like thinking at the movie theaters. Maybe America didn't want to think about what exactly was the BS appearing on the screen - especially when it turned out that Wigand might have planted the bullets in his mailbox to make himself out to be a bigger victim - a thread that isn't explored in the film. And because of the whole Oscar season buzz (back when Oscar season was a month longer), the publicity for The Insider was supped by the freebie entertainment shows. If there was an audience for this film, they would have found it.

comment #47

Patrick says ...

Frank,

This is going nowhere. We don't agree. Next!