I'm quite lazy at maintaining a blog apparently--how long has it been since my last entry, six weeks? Since my girlfriend is away in Edmonton getting drunk right now, I'm home alone with the cats, an episode of Kids in the Hall flickers in the background and it's a perfect time to write a new entry.

Movies. I'm not one for attending a lot of the summer blockbusters, but I've managed to see a few of them lately (thankfully not Pirates of the Caribbean--I just don't like pirates):

Superman Returns I'm a big fan of the first two Superman movies, so when I heard Bryan Singer was directing a new Superman movie, my curiosity was piqued. Some people were put off by the lack of action or the reverence to the first two Superman films, but I quite liked the new film. Brandon Routh is very impressive as both the Man of Steel and as Clark Kent, no easy task considering the late Christopher Reeve is worshipped by many. Kevin Spacey is reminiscent of Gene Hackman's oily Lex Luthor, but he's much more menacing, but I confess to disliking Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Maybe it's my love affair with 70s Margot Kidder (Black Christmas, Sisters, Reincarnation of Peter Proud and Superman, drool...), but Bosworth's Lane isn't brassy or bold enough to impress. I love the fact that Singer uses John Williams' original Superman theme, the finest score of all the superhero films. The Christ allegory is heavy-handed, but it was also heavy-handed in Richard Donner's Superman too. Yeah, some kids probably think Superman is dull compared to the flashier Marvel heroes, but just remember: Superman could kick Wolverine's ass all the way to Krypton.

Miami Vice I'm a Michael Mann fan. I have all his films on DVD (would Paramount finally release The Keep please?) and am patiently waiting for Miami Vice Season Three on DVD. Mann's films are some of the most visually sumptuous films you'll find of the past two decades. His mixture of cool cinematography, hip soundtracks and understated performances are personal trademarks. Mann's newfound love for digital video carries over from Collateral to his big-budget treatment of the 80s series.

Many people are disappointed that Miami Vice isn't tongue-in-cheek like Starsky and Hutch and some feel that the film bears no resemblance to the source material. Okay, let me address both contentions. I don't feel the movie should have been played as a farce. The TV series was remarkable because it employed a distinctive, cinematic look, unheard of for television back in the 80s. The only thing really laughable about Miami Vice is the fashions and hair styles. While I hope pastels and fluorescent clothes never come back, everything becomes dated eventually. People will snicker at early 21st Century fashions ten years from now, trust me. Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas? Not world-class thespians to be certain, but their casual acting styles suit the series' gritty and dark plots, so there's not much to mock (although Johnson's Crockett's various usages of "pal" can be humourous).

I think the film is very much like the series. Both versions show a cool, forboding visual look, minimalist acting, hip soundtrack, scary South American drug lords, a stoic Lt. Castillo and a very loose plot. Colin Farrell and Jamie Fox's Crockett and Tubbs go undercover to topple a Colombian drug lord, that's all there is in the way of plot, an execution of style over substance; all very much like an extended Miami Vice episode. Farrell's Crockett gets involved in a doomed relationship with Gong Li and that's exactly what Don Johnson suffered through all five seasons of Vice.

Michael Mann does a fine job transferring the key concepts of his series into a very stylish film. It's not Mann's best work by any means, but it's a delight to see him playing with Crockett and Tubbs in a big-budget film. It's style over substance once again, but it's far more entertaining than the usual summer fare.