Reviews of Miracle Mile 1989
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Film 2 of the Mystery March Challenge
Well this was a really surprising film.
I have to admit I was a little apprehensive going into this as I was thinking 80's disaster flick starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham, doesn't sound promising.
And to be fair the opening, hell the majority of the film, is incredibly dated, the script is not great and the acting is mostly average (though I have to say Winningham really surprised me in the final…
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Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.102
Apparently the script for this film was considered for the Twilight Zone film. And that's exactly the type of film this is, it's the kind that could have started with: 'Submitted for your approval: A man picks up a ringing payphone and hears things he shouldn't hear, the world is about to end because a nuclear war will start today'.
Twilight Zone episodes always require a healthy dose of suspended disbelief and this…
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Miracle Mile hasn't aged well, it was low-budget in the 80s which means it is super low-budget by today's standards. However, it still manages to be gripping and intense through its fast-paced real-time structure. The third act will have you on the edge of your seat as our hero races around the Los Angeles trying to get everything and everyone together to escape. It is angry and bleak, with its depressing finale being quite refreshing. As it has aged poorly and flopped on release, this is exactly the kind of film Hollywood should remake.
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Mystery March Challenge - Week One
I didn't know what to expect going into this film, and I think it's safe to say that it surprised me. This is essentially one long tangent, with scenes taking unpredictable and slightly unbelievable turns throughout. But despite its flaws, Miracle Mile is undeniably a brave and entertaining apocalyptic thriller.
Harry and Julie are young lovers caught up in the midst of a nuclear war, and to be honest, that's about all I can…
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Man, I did not see this one coming.
Starting off like any number of romance films of the time, this slowly but inexorably builds to a devastating climax, with an emotional punch unlike anything I've seen in a long time.
The whole thing plays out like a nightmarish lucid dream, underlined by a typically evocative Tangerine Dream score. One thing I really liked was that for a large amount of the film, you're never sure if the whole thing is a big hoax. But once the horrible truth is revealed...well, it's not something you'd forget in a hurry.
Blisteringly good.
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Miracle Mile is a weird movie.
I didn't really enjoy this for the first hour. It feels pretty dated and nothing really happens for quite a while. I'm also fairly averse to Anthony Edwards just on general principle. I just don't think that the guy is a good actor and I can't really stand to look at or listen to him.
But as the film goes on everything comes together pretty well. The paranoia and escalation of anxiety and madness…
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An masterful film that manages an astonishing volte face, setting the audience up for a kooky romcom before completely turning that on its head and offering a chilling, energetic look at human nature. The build up is sublime but the ways it pays off are even better.
The turn towards the film's infinitely bleaker elements is helped by the presence of Anthony Edwards as our reluctant hero, whose never-histrionic turn lends a crushing inevitability to events.
It is possible to…
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Memorably intense thriller that explores this nifty TWILIGHT ZONE-style premise: What would you do if you were the first civilian to find out that the world is one hour away from nuclear war? Very '80s and pretty cheesy at times, but also surprisingly powerful and visually striking. Great Tangerine Dream score, too!
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