Miracle Mile
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Movie Reviews of Miracle Mile
Movie Review: "On our 3rd date, Harry, I'm gonna screw your eyes blue."
Summary: 5 Stars
MIRACLE MILE is above all a love story; boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boys runs frantically around L.A. trying to get heavily sedated girl on an airplane bound for the antarctic. But perhaps I should start at the beginning as Harry Washello does when he tells his story of how he came to meet his perfect girl after 30 lonely years on planet earth, and I'm not kidding--he really goes back to the beginning. To the very dawn of creation in fact, 15 billion years ago when a tremendous burst of pure energy spread swirling clouds of star stuff that eventually formed the galaxies. I'll skip the next few billion years of planet formation, evolution etc to get down to the real business at hand--the day Harry met Julie Peters at the La Brea tar pits' museum. It was love at first sight, and it was in some ways both the best thing and the worst thing that every happened to them both.They spent the rest of the day together doing the type of things that only people falling in love in movies do; riding a carousel, liberating lobsters from a restaurant tank, and so forth. Later that night, when Julia got off her job at Johnnie's Diner, they planned to go dancing.
Harry goes back to his hotel to get some sleep before their big date, and before lying down he casually tosses a cigarette off his balcony. This one insignificant act will change the course of the rest of his life and hundreds of thousands of others. A bird carries off the still smouldering cigarette to use in its nest which then catches fire and knocks out the electricity in Harry's building. By the time the power is restored and his clock finally goes off, he is 3 hours late for his date with Julie. On the off-hand chance that she might still be there, he races off to the diner. His car bumps into a palm tree in the parking lot eeriely dislodging four or five rats onto the hood of his car. Out front of the diner the neighborhood psychotic is raving about whatever those guys rave about. The phone in the phonebooth is ringing. Julie is nowhere to be seen. She long ago went home to the condo she shares with her grandmother and took a nice heavy dose of valium.
In another one of those life altering twists of fate Harry winds up answering the ringing pay phone, and what he hears on the other end of the line sends him staggering into the coffee shop. The man on the other end of the line, Chip, was nearly hysterical. He thought he was calling his father, but it was obviously a wrong number--he had dialed the wrong area code. He had said that we had fired our missiles in a pre-emptive strike and that we would be getting it back in an hour and ten. He was talking about nuclear war! "Tell Dad I'm sorry about that summer!" And then there was a commotion, gun fire, and another voice came on the line and said, "Forget everything you just heard and go back to sleep." Only one person in the coffee shop takes what Harry has to say the least bit seriously, a regular patron named Landa, a woman who obviously has a bit of money and whose opinion everyone seems to respect. She asks Harry to repeat exactly what he heard, and its more than enough to convince her. She makes a few telephone calls of her own and then then announces that "4 out of 5 of her friends are in transit to the extreme southern hemisphere" which she finds more than a mere coincidence. Before you can say "make a plan" Landa is making one. And anyone who can keep up with her is welcome to go along. The plan? Meet at The Mutual Benefit Life Building and take a helicopter to the airport and then a plane to the antarctic where there will be plenty of snow for water, rainfall is negligible, and fallout will be at a minimum.With Landa's acceptance of the phone call as fact, chaos and panic breaks out in the diner.
Not everyone is buying all of this however. The local drag queen points out Los Angeles is crammed full of actors with insomnia and nothing better to do than pull elaborate pranks. Just exactly who is Landa, we and some of the characters wonder? Could she just be another part of a highly involved prank? Are we supposed to take her word as gospel because she dated a guy who worked for the Rand Corporation? It doesn't matter, everyone else believes her. She even has two people making a list of "great minds" who should be contacted in order to make the trip with them. Their highly dated list includes "Tom and Jane. Danny Berrigan and his brother, Bobby Seale, Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, and Oprah. Say, has anybody got their phone numbers?" They've all crammed into the diner's catering van, promising Harry that they'll pick up Julie on the way--which, of course, is a lie. So Harry bails out as they slow down on the freeway ramp and heads back in the general direction of Julie's condo--he can't leave his one in a million girl to die in a nuclear holocaust.
MIRACLE MILE is very simply the most frightening, touching, funny, thought provoking, romantic,(did I say frightening?) movie you are ever going to see. Writer/director Steve DeJarnatt has crafted a nearly perfect film that keeps you wondering up until the very end whether Harry is truly the harbinger of doom or the first victim of a horrible prank, a real life Chicken Little whose unwitting participation in a very sick joke will cause the death of countless numbers of innocent people. He's aided by a cast that can't help but elict the audience's immediate sympathies. Anthony Edwards plays the likeable, good natured Harry Washello who is very much the everyman, unable to control the events around him but determined to at least be with the woman he loves now that he has finally found her. Mare Winningham has that sort of oddball vibe that is needed for the role of a woman who can fall in love at first sight, and she is charmingly kookie as Julie. The only other characters of any real consequence are Julie's embittered grandparents (played by John Agar and Lou Hancock) who haven't spoken for 15 years but are as much in love as ever, and Mykel T. Williamson as a petty crook who named Wilson who gets caught up in Harry's nightmare via a chance meeting on a freeway ramp. Even the film's musical score by Tangerine Dream, which is something I ordinarily would never even notice much less mention, is exceptionally effective. It deserves special recognition for creating the tense and eerie mood that enables the film to succeed in hitting us where we live.
SPOLIER SECTION
The ending of this film is beautifully constructed, it takes us right back to the beginning in every sense. Not only are we back in the La Brea tar pits, not only are we seeing the end of our own species as we saw the end of the dinosaurs and the mammoths portrayed earlier, we are also back to the beginning of Harry and Julie's relationship--back to the place where they first met, and maybe we are also back to the dawn of creation in a sense as well.
Trying to calm Julie who is hysterical as the helicopter sinks into the tar pit Harry says hopefully, "Maybe we'll take a direct hit! It'll metamorphosize us. Superman, he can take a lump of coal, he can squeeze it and make a diamond."
Julie: "Us, diamonds?"
Then there's a tremendous burst of pure energy.
Movie Review: Soul Shredding Nuke Film
Summary: 5 Stars
I think anyone who lived during the nightmarish years of the cold war will recognize the awesome power of "Miracle Mile," a 1988 film starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham. There are many films dealing with different aspects of the nuclear nightmare from different perspectives, from "Dr. Strangelove" to "The Day After" to "Testament." There are many other films, most quite good in conveying the stark, mind blasting terror of a nuclear conflagration. I have seen many of them, and a read a few books dealing with atomic Armageddon as well, but none of these books or movies instilled the visceral, pulse pounding fear that I felt after watching "Miracle Mile." Director Steve De Jarnatt created an edge of your seat thriller about everyday people confronting the unthinkable. It's a movie about blind chance, and how people cope when they learn their lives might end in less than an hour. "Miracle Mile" forces you to consider what actions you would take when confronted with the same choices the people in the film face. While we would probably do something different than Harry Washello (Edwards), the final result might well be the same.Harry Washello is unlucky when it comes to women. Then Julie Peters (Winningham) walks into his life while Harry is in Los Angeles touring the tar pits. The two really hit it off and go on a date, then make plans for another outing set for fifteen minutes after midnight when Julie gets off of work at a diner. Harry goes back to rest in his hotel room so he'll be ready to meet Julie later. In what is the first of many morbid "chance" incidents, Harry flips a cigarette butt off the balcony before turning in for his nap. A bird picks up the cigarette and sticks it in a nest on some power lines. The resulting fire, while not serious, does cause a power loss in Harry's room. Harry oversleeps and misses Julie, leading to a devastating situation for Harry because he answers a ringing phone in the booth outside the diner. The man on the other end is a gibbering wreck, ranting and raving about how "it's started" and we only have about an hour before the retaliatory strike reaches the United States. The guy on the phone thought he called his father, but he made a mistake and dialed the phone booth instead. A sinister incident at the end of the phone call convinces Harry that the warning is the real thing, that the end of the world as we know it is a mere seventy minutes away. What follows is a breakneck race for survival as word spreads about what Harry heard on the phone. Harry decides to find Julie so the two can escape from the city via helicopter and then fly out of the country before the bombs hit.
A recent viewing of "Miracle Mile" did turn up a few niggling problems. For one thing, the clothing the characters wear is slightly amusing because it's the late 1980s, when clothing looked stupid. I also found the Landa character, played by Denise Crosby, a bit unrealistic. She just happens to be in the diner when Harry fields the phone call? What's with the Cliff Notes for Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow"? Are we to believe Landa has an inside track to what's going on because she happened to date someone at a big corporation? How does this enable her to find out most of the American leadership fled the country? I laughed out loud when she orders some of the diner's customers, who quickly come to believe in Harry's announcement about impending nuclear attack, to make a list of great minds they should warn about the coming conflict. You have a little over an hour to live! You simply don't have time to contact Linus Pauling or other big shots! At this point, any priorities I would have involve getting out of the city before everyone else discovers a nightmare is mere minutes away. And why should Harry spend so much time finding someone he just met? I'm actually not criticizing the film with these comments; I chuckled over Landa referencing Pynchon's magnum opus and checking it against the stock market. And to be fair, Landa does immediately attempt to set up an escape route from the city. I just thought her pronouncements were slightly off kilter. As for Harry hunting down Julie, who knows what we would do in such a situation? I hope I never find out.
As a whole, the movie works because the suspense is absolutely grueling. What will happen to Harry and Julie? Will they make it? Moreover, is the threat of war actually real or has it somehow been averted at the last minute? The conclusion to the film is devastating the first time you watch it, and only loses a bit of its impact the second and third time around. Edwards is totally believable as the energetic Harry who functions even though he suspects the worst. I've never cared for Mare Winningham as an actress, but she does a good job portraying the initially clueless Julie. Look for Mykelti Williamson (Bubba from 'Forest Gump') in a small but effective role.
A pox on MGM for releasing this on DVD in full screen with a trailer as the only extra. I think a commentary would have been an excellent addition for this powerful film. At least they did release it, and that's better than nothing. I'd love to watch this again for the first time because "Miracle Mile" is most effective when you have no idea what is going on. If you haven't seen this film, get it now.
Movie Review: whoa, awesome stuff this one is
Summary: 5 Stars
Well I can honestly say I'm completely SHOCKED right now with Miracle Mile.
At first what seemed like a typical relationship kind of movie involving a man finally finding the perfect woman, quickly turns into one of the most bizarre storylines imaginable. I was ALMOST ready to stop watching the film after 10 minutes when I thought I began getting a good idea what kind of movie from the late 80's I was getting myself into. I was WRONG, plain and simple.
When the main character is walking outside a diner and hears a pay phone ring, the guy on the other end claims an attack is going to happen to the city, and after the conversation ends, the guy who picked up the phone runs back into the diner and starts having a panic attack as he tries to explain to all the people around him what just happeend. He explains to all the people at the diner that he just had a conversation with a man on the phone who claimed a nuclear war was going to occur on the city. At first the people don't believe him and think he's drunk, but he soon convinces everyone.
Interesting this part was, because I thought we were going to be introduced to the main characters we'd see throughout the movie right here, but 10 minutes later we never see these characters again. I guess this was just part of the tricky and clever writing of this movie (not to mention a frighteningly realistic possibility).
The movie then turns into an incredibly wild ride with the guy who picked up the phone outside the diner rushing around through the city at night time, trying to find his girlfriend and escape. How does he do this might you ask? By risking his life in several instances, being involved in situations where things blow up, and stealing cars and threatening people with guns.
It's not quite a cheesy action film though, thanks to the storyline. This is mainly due to the realistic setting the writers were going for dealing with what could possibly happen when a city is threatened to be under a nuclear attack.
Of course things really get heated up when everyone in the city finds out what's about to happen. Some really memorable moments then occur.
Unfortunately the soundtrack SCREAMS late 80's completely, and maybe I was seeing things, but I thought I saw the words "Tangerine Dream" flash on screen in the very beginning. Tangerine Dream is a really unique band that specializes on atmosphere, but if they were a part of the movie, I can't say they really delivered with a memorable soundtrack. Just typical late 80's musical and atmospheric pieces that are severely dated by todays standards.
I recommend this movie to just about anybody. The storyline will make you think, and the ending. The ending? It will leave you speechless.
Movie Review: I need a miracle!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first rented this movie in the early 1990s I wanted to buy it, but it was out-of-print on VHS. I figured I would never be able to purchase it, but the world of DVD has changed that. Thankfully, its release on DVD is a very welcome addition to my cinematic library.
Anthony Edwards, best known for his portrayal of Goose in TOP GUN, plays an everyday guy. Mare Winningham plays an everyday girl. The two fall in love & look like they're well on their way to living happily ever after when their Romantic interlude is interrupted by a nuclear war.
There is nothing more heartbreaking than a terminally ill person who has only weeks or months to live. Situations like that bring out the best in all of us. We treat that person like royalty as we know they will not have a tomorrow; every moment counts.
However, in a grotesque world where EVERYONE is terminally ill, with only hours or perhaps minutes to live, things don't work like that. Instead what you end up with is anarchy & absolute mayhem. It is this snapshot of the death throes of a civilization that forms the centerpiece of this movie's plot.
The film has some very nice symbolism. I particularly liked the obvious parallel between the end of mankind and the demise of the dinosaurs. The scene of the two being trapped in the helicopter is a nice touch as well as it brings out the clausterphobic terror of a nuclear war. Quite simply, there IS no place to run to, and there is no escape.
At the beginning of the film, inside a museum of Natural History, there is a voiceover on a presentation of the history of the universe. A 15-20 billion year old universe, a 4 & 1/2 year old planet, sundry lifeforms that have taken millions of years to evolve. The film is noteworthy for how it makes one realize that nearly every species on earth could be wiped on in a matter of days.
While the Cold War is now over & terrorism is the new threat that has emerged to cause us all anxiety, this movie remains a classic. I cannot help but think that the human race is not "out of the woods" as far as a nuclear arms race goes. Someday there will likely be a country that will stockpile enough nukes to take the place of Russia as a nuclear weapons rival. If / when that happens, MIRACLE MILE will have more relevance to our day-to-day lives than ever.
Movie Review: this film is a little diamond in the rough
Summary: 5 Stars
i saw this movie in 1990 at a local independent cinema in sydney.
the poster for the movie said "be prepared to be blown through the back of the cinema"
i thought "typical overhyping of a low budget piece of crap". i was very skeptical.
i watched the film, and 90 mins later,i had to eat my words. I WAS BLOWN THROUGH THE BACK OF THE CINEMA.
that's the exact way of describing how i felt after watching this movie.
i cannot to this day put my finger on the reason why this film resonates so much with me.
when people ask me "what are your top 10 films of all time" i always include this film, and people say "huh, never heard of it"
it has a certain b-grade feel to it in parts, probably due to the support cast, but don't let that put you off. the 2 leads (anthony edwards and mare winningham are excellent, and mykelti williamson is also great in his role).
the movie never lets up and has absolutely no flat spots.
the soundtrack is brilliant, like almost all of tangerine dream's film scores . there are some mesmerizing sequences from the opening credits, to the scene where anthony edwards' errant cigarette butt triggers a remarkable chain of events as day becomes night (my favourite sequence in the film) right through to the gripping finale.
you never quite know whether or not the unthinkable is going to happen, until,....
well, let's just say i'm glad the film closes out the way it does. it's poetic.
the end credits roll, and i was absolutely dazed.
i watched it again 2-3 more times over the next 2 weeks, and found it to be just as effective.
16 years later as i write this review, i still remember how it felt. it doesn't happen often in the world of motion pictures for me, but this was one of those rare times in my life, where a movie left me completely stunned.
maybe the film might look a little dated now, but it's a gem, for those of you who make time for it.
watching this film in the cinema was one of the best 5 motion experiences of my life.
i wondered whether or not it was worth writing a review for a low budget film from 1989, with no real big name stars, that very few people will ever come across, and then i thought YES. this film is worth it.
this film deserves a wider audience.