Some things I liked some I did not.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

A violent and often hilarious crime story of living the American Dream through any means necessary, even if you know it won't last forever. Fred (played ruthlessly by Alec Baldwin) is a man who doesn't seem to think ahead all the time. He comes to Miami to make a living after getting out of prison. He wants to start over, but that doesn't mean he's giving up the crime gig. Committing crimes to Fred seems like a drug, the first thing he does getting off the plane is steal and then another more violent crime right after that.Getting to his hotel he orders a hooker. The innocent hooker is Suzy Waggoner, or Pepper, who seems oblivious and always has her head in the clouds. Jennifer Jason Leigh gives Suzy a believable innocence and is responsible for most of the emotional expression throughout the movie. Suzy coming into Fred's life seems unexpected to him, but it gives him something to work toward, the American Dream.Fred Ward plays an at times pitiful Sgt Hoke Moseley. He is always two steps behind Fred when it comes to solving the crimes he's committed. The real relationship and core of this crime story, is between Suzy and Fred. Suzy asks Fred not to do any more crimes. She doesn't go out of her way to investigate and she doesn't ask questions out of fear of the truth. All of this leads up to a fantastic third act that, while exciting, does all of the characters justice.

A man gets off a plane in Miami to upset world of normalcy. In simple terms the story is that he seduces an innocent waif and goes on a crime spree around the city, one of those sociopath protagonists who do whatever they please. Baldwin is superb in the role; if Fight Club was adapted a few years earlier he would have been the ideal Tyler Durden.It's actually more elaborate than that. At first it seems he might be doing all this for just money but there's no calculated rhyme to his madness or anything he plans to do with that money. What we have instead is an inscrutable narrator pulling a prank on reality. Posing as a cop, he beats and robs people, then later prevents a robbery. He has come to Miami with a stolen identity, a suitcase full of women's clothes, so we get to understand that all this has been going on for some time across the country. This part makes for some great viewing if you're someone who enjoys caprice. But what I loved more, was seeing him through the eyes of the girl in a way that it provides a center, elevates it above crime fantasy. She's a a naive creature in the big city, innocently trusting in peoples' good intentions; working as a prostitute but she dreams of an idyllic American life where she can own her own burger joint and have a house with a white- picket fence to come back to, a husband and kids. She's a marvel to watch, very serious about love. And us knowing he is playing with her heart, feigning love, without knowing how much he's prepared to prey on her.Abstract sparks fly. His fooling with reality, in and out of guises to no purpose other than he can get away with mischief, versus her deep yearning to be grounded. The most marvelous scene is when he takes her to a large house he has rented for them and seen through her eyes is a dreamy haven come true.You can think of it with Lolita in mind, the portion from Lolita's disappearance on, with Baldwin in the role of Quilty and the cop as the narrator who is continuously flummoxed by his wily nemesis. It captures more of Nabokov's mischievous spirit than Lynne's square adaptation.It shows up sometimes in lists about modern noir but it doesn't belong really. Instead I put it up for inclusion in my short list of cult items from the 80s (released right after but very much a product of the time), next to Breathless, Society, Blue Velvet and Repo Man.Noir Meter: 1/4

Everything about this production works. The casting was brilliant, the dialogue is spot on, and the charming menace of Alec Baldwins character is perfectly disturbing. This film balances between amusing, and unnerving. The musical score adds an emphatic punch. Every actor acquits themselves to perfection.I Never get tired of returning to this little masterpiece. George Armitage did a wonderful turn at refocusing the Charles Willeford pulp novel about Hoke Mosely, and redirected the focus on Junior Frenger. This comes off as a love story gone wrong in the wildest way.. Susan Wagners dream lover, and the the AKA of Herman Gottlieb are not the stuff of possibilities, but of unrelenting, and relentless, sociopathic behavior.This is akin to Billy Wilders ability to blend comedy and tragedy. For me, this is 5 Star stuff.

Edgar Wright's The Wright Stuff II went to LA's New Beverly Cinema early this year. Edgar's movie selection (some of his favourites) of this year consisted in the following double feature shows: "Brazil" (saw it) & "Delicatessen" (saw it) - I actually was in LA the weekend The Wright Stuff II began, and was lucky enough to see both "Brazil" and "Delicatessen" on the big screen for the first time (and second time overall) and get to talk with Edgar, who was kind enough to sign my "Hot Fuzz" Blu-Ray! - "Dirty Harry" (saw it), "The Super Cops" (never heard of it before), "American Graffiti" (heard of but have yet to see it), "Animal House" (heard of but…), "Frenzy" (heard of but…), "Dressed to Kill" (heard of but…), "The Driver" (never heard of it), "Duel" (never heard of it), "Wild at Heart" (saw it), "True Romance" (saw it), "The Wanderers" (never heard of it, and I'm dying to see it!), "The Warriors" (saw it), "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (heard of but…) and this one, "Miami Blues". I never heard of "Miami Blues" before. I finally saw it on DVD last night. I'm so glad I got to know about it. It's really a great piece of entertainment. For sure I will be recommending it to every movie fan I know, and right now I'm so much more excited to check out those other recommendations of Mr. Wright. Anyway, this is such an overlooked gem, such an overlooked phase in the career of Alec Baldwin (at least for me). I sort of get used to the fat Baldwin from "30 Rock" so this was surprisingly great, like a fantastic breathe of fresh air. He is really cool here (hilariously insane!). The whole thing is, but is like you need to wait a bit, even though it starts off with the immensely cool "The Spirit in the Sky". And you sort of need to wait because at first sight it may appear this is low-budget late 80s/early 90s action, so yes there's some bad background music. But once Jennifer Jason Leigh appears, the great show really begins. She plays a hooker who falls for Baldwin's character, Junior. There is certainly a pre-"True Romance" kind of thing with these two (you just have to love that scene with the pie, I mean, that's love!). But is Fred Ward who also steals the show. He plays a cop and all of the scenes with him and Baldwin's Junior are pure gold, it's just a great rivalry what we have with these two. "Miami Blues" is fast, fun, it f****** surprises you (fingers anyone?), really my kind of thing, just my kind of thing.