A Review of the Arts

I've been rather fortunate recently to have been impressed by that which I watch, read and listen to.

I saw Miami Vice this evening, and it was all that I'd hoped. Michael Mann has always been a favourite director of mine, especially with his film Heat. This film version of Miami Vice doesn't seem to really pay too much of a homage to the t.v series, from what I understand, but I think that's probably a good thing. A 1980's period film wouldn't have worked very well unless it was a comedy. Perhaps the only thing that remains is awesome vehicles, because the automobiles are certainly very, very impressive. The film is hyper-realistic, in the same way that Heat and Collateral were. And even more so in the photography, which is now handled entirely by Dion Beebe, who shows his ability to work with digital here. I remember some friends of mine cynically suggesting this film would be just another action film, to which I replied, simply, "It's Michael Mann". And it seems I was right, because although there are some spectacular action sequences, they are few. The film is instead more concerned characters, particularly Sonny.
The storyline moves ahead pretty fast and there's no simplification, so in that aspect it's similar to Syriana. But it also has some very poignant moments, and it is these which I love the most.

I bought The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips yesterday, and it's an incredible piece of work. The orchestrations in it are beautiful, and Wayne Coyne's lyrics are simple yet very deep and thought provoking. In each of their albums they create a universe of their own, and in The Soft Bulletin it's the nicest of them all. The Flaming Lips now have reached my top 4 favourite bands. From what I've read, their live shows are stunning. I'd like to see them very much.

And I started reading Crash, by J.G Ballard. It's quite shocking, but it's also beautifully written and has a very interesting commentary on modern society. I'm enjoying it tremendously.