Public Enemies - A Michael Mann Film

Just saw the film tonight. I really enjoyed it. Felt a bit slow at some points, but the gun fights definitely made up for that.
 
Just got back from seeing it. I thought it was alright, Bale and Depp played their parts really well. And the cinematography was really good in my opinion, I'm glad Mann went with the shaky, realistic style rather then the traditional steady camera style. It enhanced the realism.

But on the downside, half the movie was really boring, like literally just 15 minutes of sitting and talking. And when it ended, I felt like I was missing something, like everything in the movie was good, but it was missing that spark that pulls it all together.
 
Just got back from seeing this, definitely looked like a History Channel piece in some sequences, the most jarring was a 180 degree whip around, by the camera during the shoot out at a Wisconsin Hotel in the woods. It looked bad. I know it is a period piece and film would have done justice.

Overall an ok movie, I live in Chicago so it was fun to spot local locations.
 
i wasnt a fan. i was so distracted by the digital look to it. i also wasnt a big fan of how shaky the camera was. i understand that it is trying to make the scenes more intense but i felt myself being pulled away from the story because i was focusing on the cinematography. I love michael manns other work, i am not trying to bad mouth him i am just saying this movie didnt impress me.
 
Saw it today, it was pretty good. It did drag at times, but the gun battles kind of made up for it. It wasn't great but it was good.

I saw a documentary about Dillinger a few years back, the documentary was so compelling, for those who haven't seen the documentary, you should definitely check it out.

And I thought the Cinematography was great on the film, I only had a few issues with some of the night shots, like the ones in the woods and the Beach, but Depp gave a hell of a performance. It did have the potential to be an Epic film, but something was just missing...
 
Was unfortunately less than impressed. The first part of it felt (to me) like a spider on caffeine. Just spazzing out. There were at least a couple places where the score would be building up then abruptly stop. Some spots seemed to be a bit too dark while other spots appeared to be too blown out, especially the sky. Too discombobulated. Mind kept wandering.
 
I thought the gun fights were breathtaking. I did feel like things were a little slow, but always moving forward. Some of the noise/gain was just too much, felt like I was watching a VHS that had been copied again and again. But overall, very breathtaking film with great memorable scenes.
 
ITs going to be a long while before VIdeo looks like film..lol a long time..

I saw PE last night, and not because of the story or but because i wanted to see if Mann figured out a better way to make digial look better... in my opinion he didnt. There were so many gross pans etc..

I just hate the look, i support him going to digital and all but in my opinion.. DIGITAL only works for green screen/heavy post(Ie: 300, sin city) and or documentary work... not for features like that. There were some scenes that i just coudlnt get over the poo pooing look...

I didnt find the movie boring @ all.. but was distracted by the inconsistency of digital
 
? @ saturnin

Michael Mann has a very specific way of shooting digitally - a way in which he DOES NOT want to mimc film. His last couple films have the similar look.

Have you seen Benjamin Button? Slumdog Millionaire? The Knowing? Paul Blart Mall Cop? Superbad? Get Smart? Che?

These were all shot digitally.

Public Enemies is not the film to watch to see how close digital cinematography has come to film. Not by a long shot.
 
Most people have no idea that Superbad was acquired digitally.

And Slumdog is pretty much the end of film vs digital. It's now film AND digital.

Better listen to your Kenn Michael. Ayup.
 
yes i've seen all those.. and it didnt bother me as much as the last Mann film, ie Maiami Vice. Collateral i didnt mind because it was his first fore into digital so i gave him the benefit... but maiami vice..omg and now this...

It is all subjective, i know. I dont like what Mann is doing, because it reminds me of video wich i dont enjoy watching, becuase it takes me away from the story. Unless its a documentary wich i dont mind because to me a Doc is more personal and therefore video represents personality, to me.

I didnt enjoy Apocalypto's look either... it ruined it for me.

whatever.. we all have our views and feelings, no ones mind will get changed lol..ahahah good dabte


kenn michael said:
? @ saturnin

Michael Mann has a very specific way of shooting digitally - a way in which he DOES NOT want to mimc film. His last couple films have the similar look.

Have you seen Benjamin Button? Slumdog Millionaire? The Knowing? Paul Blart Mall Cop? Superbad? Get Smart? Che?

These were all shot digitally.

Public Enemies is not the film to watch to see how close digital cinematography has come to film. Not by a long shot.
Click to expand...
 
Just got back from watching the film, and well I have a lot of mixed feelings towards what I just saw, the story is great, I've always liked the story behind the film but wow what happened? this is the guy that made "Heat" one of my personal favorite films of all times
I am not gonna bother asking why he made the film look the way it looks what I want to do is understand why he did what he did, video look all the way, overshapening in camera, gain up to the wazoo and some scenes where not even white balanced correctly, I wish I could just undestand the reasons behind the technical flaws of the film
 
I don't think any of Mann's looks are technically flawed. I find them beautiful and they bring me deeper into the story. But that's just me.
 
I have seen it twice, once at an all digital test screening at the studio and another in the theater
It seemed to vary screen to screen. Some of the shots were excessively grainy at the theater, but not so much projected digitally. When transfered to film negative , it displayed a lower quality in general i thought. I noticed the uncorrected "white balance "look in the car shots on their faces. I also thought the hand held camera work at times looked like he was adjusting something. But overall the film drew me in the characters and i enjoyed it. I really don't think the general audience will not care or notice about the flaws we all see with technical eyes, it's just we all know what we could have done in that kind of budget, grading and a little more finesse ! i agree, i found that frustrating as well. What will be interesting though, is how it will look on DVD-Bluray or VOD.
Cheers
 
thre was a scene in the hide out house during the day early on in the film, it looked so bad. It looks like there were no lights used and wasnt WB, jsut garbage.

I'm a fan of Mann but i wont suck his dick, he needs to go back to 35mm, i'm all for trying new shi* but it just doesnt work for what hes doing in my opinion. I dont want to watch something that looks like a bloody reeanactment from some A&E show.

On another note, i was @ a local Future sHop and they were showing the Hulk movie with Ed Norton on some new $4 grand tv, wow... it was so clear it looked like handycam. I was not pleased. All this technology is great but geez, everything is going to look like home video soon, i just dont like that. YEs i know we are used to seeing movies on tvs look like **** becaue of the limitations of tube tv's and all and now that tech is expanding, tvs are much clearer etc..... yada yada.. but still ....just sux
 
I actually didnt even know Button was shot digital...This movie however, I won't watch because it looks (visually) so video like, I am going to have a real hard time taking it seriously as a period piece.
 
I was so disappointed by the film. Walked out about halfway through and got a refund, which I never, ever do.
I wanted to love Public Enemies, been looking forward to it since I saw the first trailer, and more than anything I'm just baffled.

Why why why does the entire film look like it was shot on a stock 60i HV20 with in fully auto mode??!
 
^^ some ppl on here will argue that MANN "WANTED THAT LOOK" .. i call BS on that.
Why would MAnn put out films that look like garbage when he's made some of the most meorable films out there.......

i'm not feeling this Digital **** in the wrong hands..and it seems that Mann needs to go back to shooting 35mm(its more forgiving and not as much care needs to be taken- so to speak)
 
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