I love Borders and their easy to get 30% off coupons. So, there I was in Borders with two boxes of DVD's in my hand. In one hand was the History of Dusty Rhodes the "American Dream". In the other hand was Miami Vice Season One. The Dusty Rhodes box had a button you could push on the box to hear a Big Dust 30 second interview, or promo if you weeeellll. I hit that sucker four times in a row before I realized people were staring at me while I was...well who knows what I was doing. I could have been shaking around doing the Dusty walk down the aisle or cocking my bionic elbow. Shit like that happens when I get lost in nostalgia. Try to be around me anytime "My Sharona" comes on in a convenience store. Anyway, there was a sobering moment in Border's when I realized that I'm not twelve...then I kinda got embarrassed. So I did what anyone else would have done. I shoved the Dusty DVD compilation on the shelf, took the Miami Vice Season One set and briskly walked up to the counter.
So now I get 22 episodes of Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas! Now I watched Miami Vice when I was a kid, but I wasn't a geek for it. Plus, like everyone back then, I had that one friend who took Miami Vice waaaaaaay too seriously. When you have a friend like that, you DON'T want to be that friend. He's the one who talks you into an aquamarine Ghostbusters shirt rather than a black one. He's also the guy who keeps telling you to mousse your hair. So no, I didn't do the pastels and white suits with the pants tacked. Plus, I was like 12, dressing like that would have been really really dumb. Besides none of that would have gone with my red leather jacket with the 26 zippers...joking. So here is my last chance to see Crockett and Tubbs before they turn into these guys.
Now, I just got this over the weekend so I haven't seen the whole season, but I did make it through both sides of the first of three DVD's. Here are my early impressions:
First of all, I may not have realized it back then, but there is no cooler television character than Sonny Crockett. This guy RULES!!! His job is having Miami drug dealers believe that he is one of them. Now to put this in perspective, imagine you had to convince people in Texas that you were a cowboy, Californians that you were a movie produce, or New Yorkers to believe you were an asshole. You'd have to go pretty fucking far. So he gets the "life" handed to him on house money, including Ferarri Daytona, Cigarette boat, and all the Armani he needs. The first couple of episodes show him juggling reconciliation with his ex-wife, while he bangs away at Gina, the hot Latina cop. Oh yeah he also has a pet alligator named "Elvis" too.
The main thing is that makes Crockett so cool is that Tubbs is such an unintentional cheeseball dork. I hope they rewrite the part of Tubbs for the movie, because I don't think the trying, but failing to be hip, second fiddle is going to wear well with Jamie Foxx. I hate that fake ass Jamaican accent he speaks with when he's under cover, I hate his "hey mamma" look that he gives anyone who walks by in a swim suit. I especially hate the scene in the Pilot where he's sitting the foot of the stage lipsynching to "Somebody's Watching Me" to a stripper...who the hell does that?
My favorite thing so far about the show...the nightclub scenes!!! I can't put into words how awfully dated this is when you have scenes of people dancing in the clubs. It's just headbands and glitter...it's so filled with arms flailing...I can't do it, you just need to see it for yourselves.
Seeing Al Bundy from Married with Children play a possible rouge federal agent was one of the greatest things ever. One thing I loved about Miami Vice were the guest appearances. I just saw Dennis Farina play a bookie!!!
There is no one harder than my man, Lt. Castillo. I'm working on his deathstare, seriously you won't be able to look me in the eye without feeling two foot small when I'm done. I can't believe this is the same guy who taught all those cholos math. I might have to buy season two for the episode where it turns out he was a ninja.
Oh yeah, if you watch an episode and think it looks a lot like most of the cop shows now with their use of music and the pacing...you're right on, since every action drama in existence today is in some form derivative of what went on in Miami Vice. Whether, it's the use of music, the inventive camera angles, or the spare dialogue, this show technically led a revolution mofos.
Here's a sample:
3 comments:
Yeah Man!!!!!!!! Just last week I went on a ten minute tirade about how Crockett was the coolest dude on TV...ever. Krissy and I were in the car, Phil Collins came on, and it began...
We were on our way to bust some drug dealers, terribly outnumbered and out gunned...driving with purpose into certain death. Of course, I was Crockett, she was Tubbs, because, as I said earlier, Crockett was the coolest, had way better hair, and I sure as shit wasn't getting shot.
Don't feel bad Paj, The American Dream would have bought the Vice box set too...
Yeah but did she come out of nowhere and toss you a gat while some huge guy was coming at ya? "Here ya go Juano!!!!"
Hey dude remeber that time you laughed so hard you cried?
Dude...Don't do that to me...I'm at work!!!!!!
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