kpm@drufl.UUCP (MalloyKP) (10/01/85)
**REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR FAVORITE VICE COP SHOW**
Just thought I'd throw in my 0.02 worth on the Miami Vice season premere,
"The Prodigal Son", seen on KCNC-4 (NBC) 8:00pm (MDT) Friday 27 Sept '85.
First the high points. I thought the show was technically great --
fabulous photography and choreography (especially the vertical shots of
NYC's skyline and Crockett's "You Belong to the City" stroll), wonderful
music ("You Belong to the City" and Jan Hammer's instrumentals), and
fantastic sets, as expected. The show was worth wasting a Friday night,
just on its technical merits.
However, on first watching, the show left me flat -- I was disappointed.
If you took out the panoramic photography, great choreography, shoot-em-up
scenes, and the love scenes, you'd have about 15 minutes of show. The
script tries to spin a web that just doesn't hang together. I thought
the dialog was really contrived, some of it made no sense at all. Some
of Sonny's (Don Johnson) lines seemed out of place, as did some of his
shots. (I wonder if his contract states that he is to have so many lines
and a minimum percentage of screen time). I also thought that the show was
**much** too violent (I lost count at 35 dead).
I watched it again on the following Saturday, thanks to the magic of
VCR and an *early* fall snowstorm here in Denver, and I liked the show
a lot more. Maybe all of the media hype had worn off and I wasn't
expecting as much. (Maybe I picked out a bit more detail and the plot
wasn't as bad after all!)
As for resurrected characters, I was surprised to see Pam Grier (Valerie)
back, somehow she was acquitted of murdering the man who pimped for her
sister in "Rites of Passage". I was even more surprised to see Bill
Smitrovich back -- I suppose he was fired from the DEA for selling
information to the Colombian cocaine kingpin Calderone ("Miami Vice --
The Movie") and was hired by ATF. Also, Miguel Pinero appears in the
credits of both the original movie and "The Prodigal Son". I believe he
is both Calderone in the original movie and the lead Colombian gangster
in "the Prodigal Son" (good eye, Jeff Meyer).
I'm a devoted fan -- I don't miss an episode. I bought a VCR so my
Friday nights could be free again but now I stay home so I can tape the
show without commercials! I'm looking forward to a great new season.
I hope there'll be some real gems like last season's premere, "Smuggler's
Blues", and "Evan". My expectations have not been relaxed by a season
premere that was not up to snuff (in my book).
BTW, the soundtrack (MCA-6150) is worth getting. It has "Smuggler's
Blues" (Glenn Frey), "In the Air Tonight" (Phil Collins) [I an see the
Ferrari heading down the Boulevard now], "You Belong to the City" (Glenn
Frey), "Better be Good to Me" (Tina Turner), and some great instrumentals
by Jan Hammer. I made a tape of the album and replaced "Vice" (Grandmaster
Melle Mel) [not my type of music] with "You Only Left a Picture" (Fashion)
[from "Evan", much better].
'Til next Friday night, 0900pm (MST). My VCR will be on, my phone will
be busy, and I'll be glued to the TV, because once again, the drums will
sound, the sun will shine through the palm trees, the familiar chords will
strum (my, aren't we getting carried away), and it will be time for Miami
Vice, again ... I am ...
K. P. Malloy (Kevin)
ihnp4!drufl!kpm
601 W. 11th Ave., #108
Denver, CO 80204
These are the views of ... (standard disclaimer)rastaman@ihdev.UUCP (Herb Scyphozoan) (10/01/85)
In article <44@drufl.UUCP> kpm@drufl.UUCP (MalloyKP) writes: > As for resurrected characters, ... Miguel Pinero appears in the >credits of both the original movie and "The Prodigal Son". I believe he >is both Calderone in the original movie and the lead Colombian gangster >in "the Prodigal Son" (good eye, Jeff Meyer). Ok, that's two people who saw Calderone. I didn't; I'll rerun my tape but until then, where is he? In Columbia? He wasn't the guy that escaped in the swamp. I did notice that one of the hitters with the machine gun was the same guy who hit Tubbs' brother in the premiere episode. >I made a tape of the album and replaced "Vice" [not my type of music] with "You Only Left a Picture" [from "Evan", much better]. Can anybody tell me who does the piece in the opening of "Evan"? It starts out with a heartbeat sort of rhythm with lyrics like "The ground is strong here, strong beneath my feet...". Then Evan starts blasting with two MAC-10's. ihnp4!ihdev!rastaman "B-A-bay, B-E-Bee, B-I-Bicky-bye, B-O-Bo, Bicky-bye-Bo B-U-boo, Bicky-bye-bo-boo" --C. Howard
moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (10/02/85)
In article <44@drufl.UUCP> kpm@drufl.UUCP (MalloyKP) writes: >**REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR FAVORITE VICE COP SHOW** > > As for resurrected characters, I was surprised to see Pam Grier (Valerie) >back, somehow she was acquitted of murdering the man who pimped for her >sister in "Rites of Passage". I was even more surprised to see Bill >Smitrovich back -- I suppose he was fired from the DEA for selling >information to the Colombian cocaine kingpin Calderone ("Miami Vice -- >The Movie") and was hired by ATF. I had forgotten about Valarie (though I seem to remember an episode last which Tubbs was not in, where he is mentioned in passing as being in "New Yahrk" with Valarie...). Perhaps Tubbs and Sonny lied and said she had not gone there to kill the pimp? Unethical to the extreme, but the guy *was* a slime (oh-oh, moral issues). However, I don't think the fellow who played Smitrovich in the series premiere was playing Smitrovich in this season's premiere -- I can't believe they'd re-instate him. Did they call him Bill anytime in the show? "He was sweet and sincere and giving and good... AND A CHERISHED NEIGHBOR UNDESERVING OF SUCH A FATE!! "Nevertheless, better him than me. Amen." Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty <*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>
gnome@olivee.UUCP (GNOME) (10/04/85)
> >I made a tape of the album and replaced "Vice" [not my type of music] > with "You Only Left a Picture" [from "Evan", much better]. > > Can anybody tell me who does the piece in the opening of "Evan"? It > starts out with a heartbeat sort of rhythm with lyrics like > "The ground is strong here, strong beneath my feet...". Then Evan > starts blasting with two MAC-10's. > > ihnp4!ihdev!rastaman > > "B-A-bay, B-E-Bee, B-I-Bicky-bye, B-O-Bo, > Bicky-bye-Bo B-U-boo, Bicky-bye-bo-boo" > --C. Howard I believe that it is Peter Gabriels "Rythm of the Heat" (?) Most of the music in that episode was Gabriel, when it was shown the first time, it was aired on Peter's birthday. (Yes, when I mentioned that the first time, I had the date wrong.)