tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post5168427975240751845..comments2023-07-23T09:45:33.199-05:00Comments on the last lullaby (and) peril: 1995: Heat (Michael Mann)Jeffrey Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-50060993874204828222010-04-17T08:10:03.081-05:002010-04-17T08:10:03.081-05:00Dave, great to hear from you! And I really apprec...Dave, great to hear from you! And I really appreciate your kind words. HEAT is definitely one of my faves.<br /><br />Thanks, Dave. Always great having you here!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-50455499323092193052010-04-17T07:48:06.471-05:002010-04-17T07:48:06.471-05:00Late getting to this one, Jeffrey, but I can't...Late getting to this one, Jeffrey, but I can't miss an opportunity to second one of your selections! HEAT has long been my favorite Michael Mann film, although I do go back and forth with The Last of the Mohicans. I don't consider it quite as highly as you - in terms of it being the best crime epic since The Godfather... Goodfellas, anyone?! LOL - but your analysis of its strengths and style is outstanding. Definitely a "go to film" in terms of just putting on a movie for enjoyment.<br /><br />My only close contender would probably be Jim Jarmusch's DEAD MAN, which is a film that I'm still not sure I completely know what to make of, but I adore it nonetheless.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-74472270168478535942010-04-16T16:14:09.524-05:002010-04-16T16:14:09.524-05:00Drew, great to hear from you and thanks so much fo...Drew, great to hear from you and thanks so much for the incredibly kind words! We're totally on the same page with this one. <br /><br />From your list, I still need to see UNDERGROUND and THE UNDERNEATH. And I like BEFORE SUNRISE, although a little less than the others I mentioned. <br /><br />Thanks, Drew! Always great to hear from you.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-67909400260825533722010-04-16T16:01:18.741-05:002010-04-16T16:01:18.741-05:00Doniphon, I'm a huge fan of Mann's, too. ...Doniphon, I'm a huge fan of Mann's, too. I can't say I share your opinion of some of the later works. But I know you are not alone in those feelings. <br /><br />There's no doubt that his style really shifts after HEAT and becomes much more "impressionistic" as you mention. But some of those later films don't have the same purity and cleanliness of form that really appeals to me here. I also am not as emotionally involved in some of the later work as I am with HEAT. The last film of his that I really love is THE INSIDER. After that, his films just ring a notch below for me. <br /><br />Great to have your take here, Doniphon. And always awesome to hear from you!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-59476379134545814692010-04-16T15:03:31.875-05:002010-04-16T15:03:31.875-05:00You won't hear any arguing from me! Heat is on...You won't hear any arguing from me! <i>Heat</i> is one of my favorite crime films of all time, and in fact one of my favorite films of all time period. Pure poetry in motion. Your breakdown of what makes this film so great was fantastic to read Jeffrey, kudos. I agree on every exceptional point. <br /><br />This was an awesome year, too. While my favorite is clearly <i>Heat</i>, 1995 produced a handful of bona fide masterpieces: Todd Haynes' <i>Safe</i>, Jarmusch's <i>Dead Man</i>, Kusturica's <i>Underground</i> and Linklater's <i>Before Sunrise</i>, all of which are films I hold dear.<br /><br />I also really like Godard's <i>JLG/JLG</i>, Kassovitz's <i>La Haine</i>, and Soderbergh's <i>The Underneath</i> from this year.Drew McIntoshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07054307044280470117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-14056422660158544392010-04-16T14:43:46.167-05:002010-04-16T14:43:46.167-05:00Well, I love Mann, he's one of my favorite dir...Well, I love Mann, he's one of my favorite directors, but I don't think nearly as highly of Heat as everyone else does. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good movie with some great scenes, but I think everything he has done since is better. The Insider, Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice and Public Enemies are astonishingly impressionistic, they exemplify not only new ways of telling stories but of exploring the image itself, and I don't get that at all with Heat. Heat is a very much an expansion upon a classical model inspired mostly by Melville and Hill Mann seemed to have in his head, and I feel like it wasn't until he discarded that model he could make his most extraordinary films.<br /><br />My choice would for 1995 would probably be your runner-up. Dead Man is just an incredible film, and my favorite of Jarmusch's.Doniphonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02407443845368110678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-89911265193334076702010-04-16T12:08:23.486-05:002010-04-16T12:08:23.486-05:00M Roca, you bring up a great point. It does seem ...M Roca, you bring up a great point. It does seem that HEAT has grown in reputation since it first came out. And I'm hoping it will only continue to grow in stature. I really think it's something special.<br /><br />Thanks so much! Always great to have you here.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-2819393216708425162010-04-16T11:24:07.438-05:002010-04-16T11:24:07.438-05:00I love Heat as well. Its been interesting watching...I love Heat as well. Its been interesting watching the reputation of this film grow through the years. I don't remember as many people loving it through most of the 90's. Well my favs of 1995......<br /><br />1. Seven<br />2. Heat<br />3. The Usual Suspects<br />4. La Ceremonie<br />5. 12 Monkeys<br />6. Casino<br />7. City Of Lost Children<br />8. Fallen Angel<br />9. Dead Man<br />10. Apollo 13.......M.RocaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-37478253852416717472010-04-16T11:08:42.881-05:002010-04-16T11:08:42.881-05:00Jeremy, what an excellent post! You and I are com...Jeremy, what an excellent post! You and I are completely on the same page when it comes to this one. I love everything you say here and get excited thinking about HEAT, just reading your excitement. Glad to know this one has some other fans. It's a towering work to my eyes.<br /><br />Thanks, Jeremy!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-18479111867517443382010-04-16T11:02:15.687-05:002010-04-16T11:02:15.687-05:00JD, wow, what an excellent addition! I agree with...JD, wow, what an excellent addition! I agree with you on all counts, too. And I particularly like what you say about the freshness of the locations, Spinotti's work, and Mann's choice to go without music during the heist scene.<br /><br />Totally with you on this one. Thanks so much, JD!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-77552465338955952692010-04-16T10:59:44.089-05:002010-04-16T10:59:44.089-05:00Sam, thanks so much for the kind words! That mean...Sam, thanks so much for the kind words! That means a ton. <br /><br />I definitely really like your pick, too. What incredible tension Chabrol's able to create.<br /><br />Thanks, Sam! Always a treat having you here.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-32201324836933780472010-04-16T09:39:03.777-05:002010-04-16T09:39:03.777-05:00I'll never forget the first time I saw this. ...I'll never forget the first time I saw this. I was a student at the University of Kentucky and actually skipped a class so I could see the first show of it the Friday it opened. The excitement at seeing Pacino and De Niro together, in a Michael Mann film no less, was incredible at the time and a lady in the theater asked if I had been waiting for this my whole life as well. I was absolutely blown away by the film and it remains a favorite. I think The Insider might be Mann's best film but this is his most special work to my eyes. Thrilling, moving, epic and impossible to take your eyes off of, I have probably watched Heat more than a dozen times since that first experience but it never loses its edge for me. The fact that I still get chills during certain moments, Pacino racing down that Freeway after De Niro to Moby's Joy Division cover to that stunning final shot, speaks to just how mesmerizing and powerful Mann's direction and his actor's performances are. Heat is one of the great films as far as I am concerned...great, great pick Jeffrey.Nostalgia Kinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02506680500183270767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-55761819102121556242010-04-16T09:19:24.871-05:002010-04-16T09:19:24.871-05:00I would certainly agree with you on all counts! I ...I would certainly agree with you on all counts! I know he made a concerted effort to shoot in locations that had never or rarely been shown on film before and it gives the film a freshness as he doesn't rely on the stock, cliched shots of Los Angeles.<br /><br />I also love how Dante Spinotti shot the hell out of this film. It looks great and use of blue filters in certain scenes is incredible. Most impressive is the choreography of the action sequences, esp. the famous bank heist. I really love how Mann doesn't play any music over the shoot-out, instead letting the near-deafening sounds of the gunshots take over. I remember seeing this is in the theaters when it first came out and being struck by how jarring it was. The gunshots actually sounded like the real deal and not the Hollywood sounding ones you usually get.<br /><br />And, of course, you get the classic meeting of the acting heavyweights with De Niro and Pacino. Amazing stuff. A film that actually lived up to the hype, unlike their later pairing RIGHTEOUS KILL which was horrible.<br /><br />This would definitely be my fave of the year and I also agree with you on DEAD MAN, incredible film.<br /><br />But as for Mann's best, I still think that THE INSIDER is his finest moment.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-15798549062898490572010-04-16T08:28:23.509-05:002010-04-16T08:28:23.509-05:00Your argument for HEAT here Jeffrey, is utterly ma...Your argument for HEAT here Jeffrey, is utterly magnificent. I'm not a huge fan, but you are in a vast majority here by regarding this film as a masterwork, which is more than fair enough. I have still included the film among the runners-up, as there is enough excellence in a number of ways worthy of mention.<br /><br />My Own #1 Film of 1995:<br /><br />La Ceremonie (Chabrol; France)<br /><br /><br />Runners-Up:<br /><br />Safe (Haynes; USA)<br />A Self-Made Hero (Audiard; France)<br />Babe (Noonan; Australia)<br />Sense and Sensibility (Lee; USA/UK)<br />Fallen Angels (Kar-Wei; Hong Kong)<br />Gabbeh (Makhmalbaf; Iran)<br />City of Lost Children (Jeunet; France)<br />Lone Star (Sayles; USA)<br />The Addiction (Ferrera; USA)<br />The White Balloon (Panahi; Iran)<br />The Kingdom (Von Trier; Denmark)<br />Seven (Fincher; USA)<br />A Close Shave (Park; UK)<br />Apollo 13 (Howard; USA)<br />Toy Story (Lasseter; USA)<br />Land and Freedom (Loach; UK)<br />Nixon (Stone; USA)<br />Dead Man (Jarmusch; USA)<br />Clueless (Heckerling; USA)<br />Heat (Mann; USA)<br />Leaving Las Vegas (Figgis; USA)Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.com