Post by klep on Apr 13, 2020 7:13:53 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/13: Miami Connection
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK!
Richard Park's and Y.K. Kim's Miami Connection is a fascinating film. It's a film with wooden acting, disjointed plot threads, inconsistently fleshed-out characterization, and occasionally sloppily-filmed stunt work. On the other hand, it's a film with an engaging concept, strong music, a remarkably non-toxic male friend group at its core, fun martial arts action, and ninjas. It's a film with good ideas but poor execution, and that makes it ripe for becoming a cult favorite the way it has.
The thing about Miami Connection's flaws is that they aren't the flaws of filmmakers who are just bad at making films. Instead they're the flaws of filmmakers who are amateurs themselves (at least in the writing, where this is Richard Park's first writing credit), working with amateur actors, and doing so on a shoestring budget (Y.K. Kim financed the film almost completely by himself). It's clear that this film is the work of people who cared about and believed in what they were making; they just didn't have the experience or resources to do it in the "best" way.
The best example of this is Jim's (Maurice Smith) plotline. A little ways into the film there's an awkward scene where Jim receives a letter from Washington D.C. that we learn in a tearful monologue made to the camera (with the rest of Dragon Sound in the background) is part of his search for his father, who left him and his mother when he was nine. It's a weird scene. The setup for his monologue is awkward and competitive between him and John (Vincent Hirsch) in a way that the friends normally aren't, and Smith is working too hard to sell the emotion of his story. It's a scene that feels like a non sequitur when it happens, and it doesn't come back up again for a long time.
But when it does, it's right before the climax of the film. And as John and Mark (Y.K. Kim) are taking Jim to the airport so he can reunite with his father, the ninjas ambush them. The ensuing desperate battle has a horrible irony to it and heightened stakes that just wouldn't have existed if we didn't have that thread about Jim. It's an awkward plotline, but it's clear the filmmakers knew they needed something to give the story that extra punch at the end. And it's effective! When Jim goes down it's a harrowing moment and you spend the rest of the film worrying about not just whether they'll win, but whether Jim's arc will have that happy conclusion we want for him. It's not elegantly done, but it works because it's based in basic character development. They knew what they needed to do, they just weren't sure how best to do it.
And there are other things the film does well. While the stunts are sometimes inexpertly filmed, the actual performances of martial arts are convincing and compelling. Kim of course was a Tae Kwon-do instructor and no doubt insisted on his art being portrayed well. The fights are staged well and frequently in interesting locations. And the final battle is genuinely tense and thrilling as John and Mark battle ninjas in a dense Florida swamp.
The music is also pretty great. It's a very eighties score in the best way, full of synths and power rock. The Dragon Sound songs we hear are genuinely catchy and solid tunes, giving them credibility as a band that might play in a popular nightclub.
And above all, Miami Connection is fun. It clocks in at only 83 minutes so it doesn't have time to drag, and the action is worth watching even when the stunts are obvious. It's not the best film ever made, but when you truly care and put your heart into the work, just making the film at all can be enough.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/20: The Philadelphia Story
SCREWBALL WEEK!
For Screwball Week we'll be watching and discussing The Philadelphia Story, a classic romantic comedy from George Kukor with an unbeatable cast including Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Come join us next week for our discussion of this film, available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/14: Swallow
Concluding the current podcast pairing is this new film from Carlo Mirabella-Davis about a newly pregnant woman who develops a dangerous form of pica. Come join our discussion next week of Swallow, available for rent in the usual places.
MARTIAL ARTS WEEK!
Richard Park's and Y.K. Kim's Miami Connection is a fascinating film. It's a film with wooden acting, disjointed plot threads, inconsistently fleshed-out characterization, and occasionally sloppily-filmed stunt work. On the other hand, it's a film with an engaging concept, strong music, a remarkably non-toxic male friend group at its core, fun martial arts action, and ninjas. It's a film with good ideas but poor execution, and that makes it ripe for becoming a cult favorite the way it has.
The thing about Miami Connection's flaws is that they aren't the flaws of filmmakers who are just bad at making films. Instead they're the flaws of filmmakers who are amateurs themselves (at least in the writing, where this is Richard Park's first writing credit), working with amateur actors, and doing so on a shoestring budget (Y.K. Kim financed the film almost completely by himself). It's clear that this film is the work of people who cared about and believed in what they were making; they just didn't have the experience or resources to do it in the "best" way.
The best example of this is Jim's (Maurice Smith) plotline. A little ways into the film there's an awkward scene where Jim receives a letter from Washington D.C. that we learn in a tearful monologue made to the camera (with the rest of Dragon Sound in the background) is part of his search for his father, who left him and his mother when he was nine. It's a weird scene. The setup for his monologue is awkward and competitive between him and John (Vincent Hirsch) in a way that the friends normally aren't, and Smith is working too hard to sell the emotion of his story. It's a scene that feels like a non sequitur when it happens, and it doesn't come back up again for a long time.
But when it does, it's right before the climax of the film. And as John and Mark (Y.K. Kim) are taking Jim to the airport so he can reunite with his father, the ninjas ambush them. The ensuing desperate battle has a horrible irony to it and heightened stakes that just wouldn't have existed if we didn't have that thread about Jim. It's an awkward plotline, but it's clear the filmmakers knew they needed something to give the story that extra punch at the end. And it's effective! When Jim goes down it's a harrowing moment and you spend the rest of the film worrying about not just whether they'll win, but whether Jim's arc will have that happy conclusion we want for him. It's not elegantly done, but it works because it's based in basic character development. They knew what they needed to do, they just weren't sure how best to do it.
And there are other things the film does well. While the stunts are sometimes inexpertly filmed, the actual performances of martial arts are convincing and compelling. Kim of course was a Tae Kwon-do instructor and no doubt insisted on his art being portrayed well. The fights are staged well and frequently in interesting locations. And the final battle is genuinely tense and thrilling as John and Mark battle ninjas in a dense Florida swamp.
The music is also pretty great. It's a very eighties score in the best way, full of synths and power rock. The Dragon Sound songs we hear are genuinely catchy and solid tunes, giving them credibility as a band that might play in a popular nightclub.
And above all, Miami Connection is fun. It clocks in at only 83 minutes so it doesn't have time to drag, and the action is worth watching even when the stunts are obvious. It's not the best film ever made, but when you truly care and put your heart into the work, just making the film at all can be enough.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/20: The Philadelphia Story
SCREWBALL WEEK!
For Screwball Week we'll be watching and discussing The Philadelphia Story, a classic romantic comedy from George Kukor with an unbeatable cast including Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart. Come join us next week for our discussion of this film, available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/14: Swallow
Concluding the current podcast pairing is this new film from Carlo Mirabella-Davis about a newly pregnant woman who develops a dangerous form of pica. Come join our discussion next week of Swallow, available for rent in the usual places.