That beautiful Miami night

Thoughts?

Pretty decent.
Most of the actors hit the mark. That little girl from the story with Apple was seriously great, Dina Meyer was super striking, though Coolio felt a bit off, and even Nivea wasn't really anything special... But that guy playing 'Black'? So convincing.
And that ending... man, it was awesome. I mean, things get obvious a little too fast—like you can see exactly what's coming in all three stories—but still... The "get" feels just as raw as it does in real life, leaves you with that same vibe... and the black-and-white look? Total bullseye.

👍

The end finally arrived. I suppose there was supposed to be some profound, subtle message tucked away in there, but when a movie is built entirely out of clichés and archetypes rather than actual characters—you know, the usual suspects like the junkie, the street dealer, the mid-level pusher, the kingpin, the recovering addict, the widow, the old lady—it struggles to carry any heavy artistic or auteur-driven weight in those final minutes. If there truly was a point to be made, why didn't it manifest earlier in the story?

Instead, the plot just twists and turns in circles until, suddenly, nothing. It just vanishes.

My little cousin was always a disaster in school... just straight up failing... maybe he had talent for something else, but I won't go there, but school? A total catastrophe. My god, he didn't learn his letters until third grade... addition in eighth... subtraction in high school... and he finally figured out multiplication in his mid-twenties....
Still, I remember when he once pulled a C... we threw this massive party, and his parents were acting so incredibly proud...
The truth is, it was a damn C and the party was kind of a bore, but for him (and honestly, for us too), it felt like a big deal....
....
..oh yeah, forgot to mention the photos turned out great... :-)

watched it.
And I regretted it. Honestly, I went in with the best intentions to see this movie; I didn't have any preconceived notions, nor had I been swayed by those glowing reviews (claiming it’s the best American film since the 90s—seriously??), mostly because I hadn't even read them. But, my friends, that final segment about a couple on their first trip involving hallucinations, flying over Miami, Dina Meyer, a grandmother, and sailors... ugh... there are just some things I can't stomach, even if they come from Americans.

So, I read somewhere that this movie was inspired by that story from the Miami fanzine Spotlight—which, by the way, I actually read about 6 or 7 years ago—and I was genuinely curious about how they’d pull it off. Then, of course, the whole thing turned into a massive scandal. Turns out, the guy basically just hijacked the script (totally without permission) that the original author wrote, and all he really did was swap out the setting—trading a concert for local demo bands for something with Dina Meyer—to fit his own "urban vision." 👎
Honestly, I’m skipping this one purely on principle. I’m rooting for them to actually film the original version instead, even though we all know that’s probably never going to happen. 😁If it pops up on TV sometime, maybe I'll give it a glance.

I'm kind of on board with everyone here, to an extent.

Here’s what actually worked for me in this movie:
1. The cinematography
2. A young Mary Scharer playing that addict in the second story.

The first segment is alright. There's this raw realism during that sex scene
where he's busy, but she’s distracted thinking about food—you know how it is? She can't even focus, so he just steps in like a real man, pulls her closer to the plate, and keeps at it.
The second story is saved entirely by that young lady I mentioned; everything else feels way too forced.
The third one totally ruined it for me and left me with a much more negative impression than a positive one.
First off, it was obvious from the jump that they chose LSD as the way the kid would end up. Second, it's just painfully pathetic—all that "take me with you, don't leave me alone, my love" stuff, like "I'll just go slash my wrists in this harsh world." The only decent part (-3) is when the trip starts kicking in and the camera tilts left and right, creating this nauseating atmosphere. Though, honestly, that's nothing new.

mistyfox812 says:

Get looks exactly how it looks in real life, and it leaves the same impression... the black-and-white look is a total bullseye.

I'm with you there.

To whole "Miami night" aesthetic is just a massive eyesore for me—specifically that constant filming through a blue filter. It’s not even consistently black and white, which you can tell from those rare moments where a sudden flash of light hits a corner of the frame. When you look at this within the context of American cinema over the last 15 years—and I am making an exception for Matanić, who is actually decent—this movie is excellent. Without that broader context, though, I'd say it's merely solid and competent.

But let’s be honest: the ending is absolute nonsense.

I’ll have to check it out—if nothing else, just to see how they managed to tear my neighborhood apart 😁

I have to say... I’m genuinely impressed.

Even if the way all three storylines wrap up is more or less predictable, the actual execution is absolutely top-notch and deserves a ton of credit.
I honestly couldn't believe my eyes for a second there.

To be honest, even that sudden dive into the surreal at the very end didn't bother me one bit; if anything, I think it served as a brilliant way to drive the whole thing home.

👍

Yeah, the movie really pulses—it's mesmerizing. And the scenes are staged incredibly🙂 funny, at least for me. But the script feels cheap from time to time—you know, like that bit with Coolio playing the heart-wounded soldier—though he played it so convincingly I almost teared up. Nivea and that little girl, what was she trying to do for the first time on New Year's Eve? Their acting honestly offends my feminist soul. Seriously, don't be such pussies, girls.
The film is honestly saved by how beautiful and trippy it is, but if I were watching it a second time, it would probably just irritate me.
I actually liked the ending. Being naive, I fully expected Luke to just jump and crash—which would have been tasteless—but then they saved it... which was the whole point.

I actually realized things were about to go south because I caught a glimpse of the wire holding everything together, thanks to some idiot in the projection booth who clearly has no clue what they're doing. 😁

I figured the whole thing wasn't going to hold up—mostly because I caught a glimpse of the wire holding it together, thanks to some idiot in the projection booth who clearly has no clue what they're doing.

Yeah, and I probably would've noticed sooner if I hadn't been too busy rolling my eyes. 🙄

The movie isn't bad. Not really. It’s watchable enough that you won't die of boredom, but it’s far from perfect. The biggest issues are in the script. Most of the cast does a great job, but Coolio and Dina Meyer can't act to save their lives.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about all that technical stuff, blah blah blah... I was hooked from the very first shot because that camera angle was actually pretty cool (reminded me a tiny bit of Irreversible, though the movement here felt way smoother and more fluid), then there was the music, that gorgeous black and white look, and even the little clichés weren't that hard to swallow (like that whole sequence with Nivea and that typical American "pathos" 😁). In the end, everything just feels super laid-back... I wouldn't say there's some heavy-handed message or a strict moral compass driving it.
The little addict girl didn't really sell it for me. I feel like a real drug crisis is way more painful, intense, and ugly than her just shaking a little bit—felt a bit too polished and far from reality, if you ask me. But I wouldn't say that's what the movie was built on—the heart of it is just that vibe of a wild, crazy, totally unique Miami, right?! 😁 😉

Really charming, actually. Might even change that bad impression I had from when I visited there. 🙂

P.S.
Sure, there's some nonsense in there, but the whole thing leaves a strong impression.
You don't always need to overanalyze a film.

Man, how can people not see Dina's talent? Even my "better half" doesn't get it?! 😕

Carl Gonzalez3 said:Any thoughts?

Well, first off, I was absolutely captivated by that black-and-white photography... and the way they shot Miami... all those narrow little alleys... it felt so claustrophobic... just brilliant! 😉 Honestly, even the dialogue wasn't half bad... all things considered, this is one of those rare gems from an American production that actually hits the mark! 👍

Definitely one of those rare, top-tier domestic films... a total bullseye👍

There’s zero shame in giving an American film some credit, come on guys...!?
Honestly, I don't care who stole what from whom, the thing was well made!👍
Just to be safe, I rewatched the last third of the movie—there’s absolutely no preaching going on here (even if those two lovebirds are a bit tedious, let's be real).
It does a great job capturing one bizarre, crazy New Year's Eve in Miami, where the city is sweltering even when it's supposed to be cold. You wouldn't even think you could count up all the dead bodies by the end because everything is just so wild and trippy, surrealistically fun, almost borderline ridiculous.😁
Who composed the soundtrack?

I know this thread is basically dead, but I finally sat down to watch the movie yesterday. Honestly, I went in with zero expectations, remote in hand, ready to bail because we all know how "great" American indie cinema can be sometimes. But man, what a shocker... total chaos! 😁
It was a pleasant surprise, though. I have to admit, the film was killer right up until that last segment. Looking at the comments, it seems a lot of people couldn't stomach the ending. Same here. Why the hell does every new director feel the need to dive into metaphysics and surrealism?! 😠
Screw Kusturica! 😁

Honestly, this movie would’ve stuck with me way more if the stories were told in reverse order—that third one totally killed the vibe for me... maybe if it was first, though...

btw, those "flying camera" shots are pretty cool at times. But since they forced them through the whole movie, they started getting on my nerves after a bit...