tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post763334010840667011..comments2024-02-23T05:17:08.682-05:00Comments on The Film Freak Central Blog: Public Enemies TalkbackBill Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-62786966515006725002009-07-20T15:05:49.973-04:002009-07-20T15:05:49.973-04:00I sympathize with the need to defend a beloved aut...I sympathize with the need to defend a beloved auteur who has admittedly made some pretty good movies (none that I love, but a few that I admire). But I assure you that <i>Public Enemies</i> is indeed the worst looking and sounding studio film I have ever seen. Sure there are a few good shots - there are a few good shots in <i>Patch Adams,</i> too - but for the most part it is ugly on top of Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08399465920468380826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-88298490684184564262009-07-20T14:20:10.666-04:002009-07-20T14:20:10.666-04:00I realize that hyperbolic overstatement is the lif...I realize that hyperbolic overstatement is the lifeblood of blogging but Public Enemies is certainly not the worst looking big studio film in the history of cinema (I mean, its Mann—not Tom Shadyac) Dillinger’s arrival in Indiana; Baby-face’s giggling, idiot-death mask lit up by glowing gun bursts and the numerous gorgeous CU of Cotillard’s expressive eyes (She could have fit right into ManhattanDave Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02066153251478580642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-81522042237222214002009-07-15T19:40:08.850-04:002009-07-15T19:40:08.850-04:00Considering Mann is supposedly a perfectionist, ye...Considering Mann is supposedly a perfectionist, yeah, they're choices. And there's nothing "qualitatively" bad about the cinematography and sound design. There are gorgeous shots throughout, and some of the sound design is really effective, especially during the shootouts. Is the occasional line hard to hear? Yeah, but you get the gist, and since this and Miami Vice (which I JF (nee theoldboy)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-42552952372533697282009-07-15T19:22:39.629-04:002009-07-15T19:22:39.629-04:00Sa-weet!<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yipee-Ki-Yay-Moviegoer-Writings-Important/dp/184856371X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1247216481&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">Sa-weet!</a>jer fairallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16032172895204505671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-74839638079575910222009-07-15T19:16:45.219-04:002009-07-15T19:16:45.219-04:00I don't think that having qualitatively bad ci...I don't think that having qualitatively bad cinematography and sound design make a movie "interesting;" I think they make it incompetent. It's entirely possible that I would have loved the very same story had Mann employed a more standard, or less jarring, approach to the audio and visuals. But the incomprehensible choices work against the content of the film. Were they even Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08399465920468380826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-47631988428475869472009-07-15T19:04:41.967-04:002009-07-15T19:04:41.967-04:00I think I'm aligned with Bill in really liking...I think I'm aligned with Bill in really liking/possibly loving Public Enemies. The technical qualities (the HD, the unusually mixed sound) purists are griping about are part of why it's such an interesting object to me; that a mainstream studio spent 130 million on something this aesthetically challenging is a wonder. And the last 20 minutes or so are really moving, smart filmmaking. Kim&JF (nee theoldboy)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-83964856296119684502009-07-15T19:00:04.958-04:002009-07-15T19:00:04.958-04:00No. I don't feel anything. How is there genu...No. I don't feel anything. How is there genuine fear and peril in the underwater zombie sequence? Felt exactly as boring as the rest of it to me and, frankly, exactly as scary and perilous as the bad mermaid bit in pt. 4. So Dumbledore is powerful? In what way is he powerful when he's a "weathered and aged old man"? True he fades away from the promise of the first five Walter_Chawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14314737706201691225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-15786166975790219332009-07-15T04:53:43.408-04:002009-07-15T04:53:43.408-04:00Walter, I was surprised to see that Yates had slip...Walter, I was surprised to see that Yates had slipped so badly (you've convinced me to wait until home release for the first time in the series), until I read the rest of your review and realized that he just wasn't up to the, well, alchemy that would have been required to make a good film out of book 6.<br /><br />I'm guessing that you haven't read the books (can't blame you)Carl Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10844566112033689884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-57577654891950541072009-07-15T03:39:16.984-04:002009-07-15T03:39:16.984-04:00Comments for Walter re: the Potter 6 review - you ...Comments for Walter re: the Potter 6 review - you declare that the film is about nothing and that you felt chills from the opening, reading it as perhaps suggesting that the film is about the crumbling of the protagonist's image and fame as "the one," yet Yates chooses to fade that scene out on Dumbledore's hand on Harry's arm, taking him away from the Paparazzi. I don'tAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-13590814765653310442009-07-14T00:14:26.726-04:002009-07-14T00:14:26.726-04:00Just saw it myself and it is, without a doubt, the...Just saw it myself and it is, without a doubt, the worst-sounding and worst-looking big budget movie I have ever seen. It actually made me angry. If a studio gave me $130 million to make a movie and this is what I turned in, I would be embarrassed. <br /><br />As for the movie itself, eh. I couldn't care less about the characters or the story. I liked the scenes with Marion Cotillard. Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08399465920468380826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-49710114822784441902009-07-13T17:40:33.441-04:002009-07-13T17:40:33.441-04:00@Bill C: I was definitely being tongue in somethin...@Bill C: I was definitely being tongue in something, but when I consider what interests me about manly-man stuff, it's punk rock that doesn't need guns, videogames full of guns (but, where the lead character can be a woman), and great dialogue (and priceless small moments of character-driven action) from the better parts of Elmore Leonard, and I think the latter takes the piss out of Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13762164283789249806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-29487834221047352402009-07-10T10:40:35.818-04:002009-07-10T10:40:35.818-04:00I'm a Mann apologist--hell, I even dug Miami V...I'm a Mann apologist--hell, I even dug <i>Miami Vice</i>--but for me <i>Public Enemies</i> was his weakest film since <i>Ali</i>. My dislike of the film is almost entirely due to the way Mann shot it -- shaky camerawork, ugly HD, and an overuse of closeups rendered the whole film painful to watch. The siege on the house in the woods could have been the equal of the street shootout in <i>Heat<Paul Clarkenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-45967423461846719922009-07-09T12:14:09.816-04:002009-07-09T12:14:09.816-04:00"Band of the Hand" and "The Running..."Band of the Hand" and "The Running Man" a year later solidified actor-turned-director Paul Michael Glaser as a first-rate action director -- sort of like a Peter Berg in the day. Disappointing that his career behind the camera didn't take off like it should've, though "The Cutting Edge" and "The Air Up There" are still perfectly fine entertainments.jacksommersbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-11130782064552981152009-07-09T08:44:14.920-04:002009-07-09T08:44:14.920-04:00Will add, though, that that shootout in the woods ...Will add, though, that that shootout in the woods was fucking fantastic -- a wonderful sequence that justifies Mann's style. If only he'd cheer up though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-4572063405591501082009-07-08T23:32:19.881-04:002009-07-08T23:32:19.881-04:00Just saw the movie we're all talking about, an...Just saw the movie we're all talking about, and yeah, I've already said I don't like Mann's work, but even I'm surprised at how much "Public Enemies" was a fucking disaster -- perhaps Michael Mann's worst movie. I'm beginning to suspect that Michael Mann's only trick is to suck the life out of everything and then turn up the volume really loud during the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-80265814242566230192009-07-08T14:49:52.112-04:002009-07-08T14:49:52.112-04:00Not just Stephen Lang, but John Cameron Mitchell ....Not just Stephen Lang, but John Cameron Mitchell ... Hedwig! IMDB diving is a fun way to murder free time.Jefferson Robbinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356665406917571985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-87796027636253806672009-07-08T12:19:18.516-04:002009-07-08T12:19:18.516-04:00Holy cow, I just looked up Stephen Lang's IMDb...Holy cow, I just looked up Stephen Lang's IMDb page and had totally flaked that he played Freddie Lounds in MANHUNTER.Bill Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-45592471828519582542009-07-08T12:14:08.756-04:002009-07-08T12:14:08.756-04:00@Jefferson: Oh I remember BAND OF THE HAND. (That&...@Jefferson: Oh I remember BAND OF THE HAND. (That's where Mann met Stephen Lang, whom he'd eventually cast in "Crime Story".) Always found it odd, by the by, that "'Miami Vice' chic" was more prevalent at the movies than on television, since TV loves to Xerox its hits. In '86 you had BotH, FIRE WITH FIRE, BLUE CITY, on and on, but it seemed like on the Bill Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-4748412707092901112009-07-08T11:44:32.396-04:002009-07-08T11:44:32.396-04:00Does anyone remember Band of the Hand? The movie M...Does anyone remember <i>Band of the Hand?</i> The movie Mann produced with Paul Michael Glaser directing after "Miami Vice" hit TV? The one he got Dylan to do the soundtrack song for?<br /><br />Or was it all a dream I had while running a high fever?Jefferson Robbinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356665406917571985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-25989077986654308982009-07-08T11:04:16.408-04:002009-07-08T11:04:16.408-04:00Haven't seen Public Enemies yet, and haven'...Haven't seen <i>Public Enemies</i> yet, and haven't seen <i>Last of the Mohicans</i>, <i>Heat</i> or <i>The Insider</i> since they were all new releases, but my long standing impression of him is that he makes action thrillers for adults, which is to say that he makes action thrillers that aren't any fun. I think that my positive but not <i>that</i> enthusiastic reaction to Nolan'jer fairallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16032172895204505671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-49448136189545392172009-07-07T23:36:26.973-04:002009-07-07T23:36:26.973-04:00Kim, I have to say I also find Mann's work rep...Kim, I have to say I also find Mann's work repellent. To me, all he has to say is less than "Pretty Vacant". Maybe it's because his take on men bores me to tears. I probably won't see this movie. I will play some Ramones, some Sex Pistols and Johnny Thunders at home, on the stereophonic device handiest.<br />Then I'll read some Elmore Leonard.<br />Then I'll play Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13762164283789249806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-2631518843717894432009-07-07T20:40:06.029-04:002009-07-07T20:40:06.029-04:00Long time listener, first time caller. I wrote my ...Long time listener, first time caller. I wrote my thoughts about Public Enemies last week after seeing it, and was a bit taken aback to find that I had given it the same rating and felt much the same about it as Walter did (Hell, I even wrote a similar pseudo-pun about Heat). Chalk it up to visiting your site almost compulsively, perhaps.<br /><br />Honestly, I simply found the whole piece ratherAlex RoQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11262166257448370833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-8205613242890884572009-07-07T09:36:02.728-04:002009-07-07T09:36:02.728-04:00James: Hell, a lot of the "message" pict...James: Hell, a lot of the "message" pictures of today are already exercises in eye-rolling burlesque. If they're being laughed at and dismissed now, then they'll be forgotten or derided by the next generation's equivalent of Mystery Science Theater.<br /><br />To the topic at hand: I haven't seen Public Enemies and haven't formed a firm opinion of Mann's body ofHasturtiumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11862042252658790443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-48547979011682947732009-07-07T06:13:26.391-04:002009-07-07T06:13:26.391-04:00Good to see Travis around the site again (hope eve...Good to see Travis around the site again (hope everything's going well for you, Travis). <br /><br />I can't remember when I saw <i>ZPG</i> it was so long ago- I suppose that means it didn't really register with me, and Travis' piece basically spells out why. I wonder if the "message" pictures of today will seem as dated and irrelevent 20 or 30 years hence.James Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03964207789326645793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-82613582277335289902009-07-07T00:53:56.880-04:002009-07-07T00:53:56.880-04:00Haven't seen Public Enemies yet (will soon), b...Haven't seen Public Enemies yet (will soon), but it occurred to me while reading this thread how much I don't like Michael Mann. "Accused" of trafficing in ciphers, nothing -- that's what he does, full stop. In fact, I'd call "Collateral" (and "Manhunter," I guess) his best films simply because they have characters who have a pulse, that's why I&#Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com