Miracle Mile

Glad i hung in there and went broke making it.... no regrets .... nice it is a finding an audience out there again.

BOTTOM LINE: An interesting, engaging doomsday flick that's mainly a romantic love story, MIRACLE MILE has plenty of thrills & tension, too. If you missed this 'under the radar' nugget from the 80's then do yourself a favor and check out this impressive new Blu-ray. I was happy to upgrade from the ratty old DVD release and think that the outstanding bonus content, along with significant audio & video improvements, make this MIRACLE MILE Blu-ray from Kino Lorber a worthy double-dip. 4 STARSTHE STORY (contains spoilers): Carefree jazz musician Harry Washello has finally met the girl of his dreams in spunky young waitress Julie Peters. When a fateful accident causes him to oversleep and miss their first "official" date Harry races to the all-night diner where she works. Despondent that he's missed her, he leaves... but not before answering a persistently ringing phone in a booth just outside the diner. The frantic voice on the other end claims to be a soldier stationed in a missile silo in North Dakota. Thinking he's reached his father, the young man begins apologizing for everything he's ever done wrong. Before Harry can tell the distraught kid that he's dialed the wrong number the soldier says that his base has just launched all of their ICBM's. World War III will begin in less than two hours! A dumbfounded Harry re-enters the diner, asking the at-first disbelieving patrons if what he heard could really be true. As Harry recounts details of the bizarre conversation, a young businesswoman, (who says she knows a guy who might have insight regarding such matters), makes a quick call... and confirms that, like it or not, what Harry was told by the solider is true. As the reality of what's about to happen becomes clear, a wave of mounting hysteria overtakes the diner. The handful of terrified customers pour out of the diner and word of the impending Armageddon quickly spreads through the streets. Fighting his way through the growing mob of panicky looters & rioters, Harry is determined to reach Julie - and spend what might be their last few moments on Earth, together.THOUGHTS: A tense thriller that spends the first third of its length setting up all of its dominoes - before tipping the first one and sending the rest chaotically tumbling during the remaining runtime. Mare Winningham & Anthony Edwards are perfect as the star-crossed young lovers. Ambitious location work and a slick synth score by Tangerine Dream add plenty of atmosphere to the proceedings. Some great co-starring turns by the likes of Denise (STAR TREK: TNG) Crosby, Robert (ROBOCOP) DoQui, Mykelti (FORREST GUMP) Williamson and genre legend John Agar, among others, up the respectability of this modestly budgeted but intense little independent film. Most of the big action occurs during the final sequence, set along a crowded stretch of L.A.'s Wilshire Boulevard overflowing with panicked citizens desperate to escape to... somewhere. Streets are jammed with cars and more keep piling (crashing) in, until the gridlocked city street resembles a can of sardines. The crude but serviceable F/X are kept to a minimum since the incoming nuclear arsenal is a backdrop to the real heart of the film: the two lovers. There are some surprisingly pithy & poetic thoughts and warm moments for an end-of-the-world flick. The final scene remains one of controversy and is the reason why the film took so long to get made; the big studios insisted on an upbeat finale. But how do you have a happy ending in a nuclear war?!? Kudos to writer / director Steve De Jarnatt, who stuck to his guns and gives us a very honest yet metaphysically upbeat ending.THE BLU-RAY: The folks at Kino Lorber have done a great job giving us a nice-looking & sounding hi-def transfer of MIRACLE MILE that's also loaded with a bevy of terrific bonus features. There's no artifacting or pixelation that I could detect and only a small amount of crush (video noise) in some of the murkier low light scenes. Soundmix is strong, clean & level. The wealth of bonus goodies makes MIRACLE MILE a real score. First, there are 2 separate full-length audio commentary tracks: one with the director Steve De Jarnatt and the other with De Jarnatt, his director of photography, and the film's production designer. Then we get a bunch of deleted scenes, outtakes & bloopers. There's a supporting cast & crew reunion, and a brief new interview with stars Anthony Edwards & Mare Winningham. An alternate ending & trailers for Miracle Mile and Cherry 2000 round out the extras. Whew!

Surreal & sublime. The range of tone in this movie, from innocent romance to nightmarish nuclear threat, gives you a hell of a jolt! I've been going thru an 80's nostalgia kick anyway, so it was a blast (no pun) to see all of the retro fashion, colors, BIG hair, BIGGER cell phones, etc. Is the nuclear threat real? A prank? Is the messenger responsible for a needless widespread panic? Lots of fun cameos too! John Agar, Jenette Goldstein (Vasquez in James Cameron's Aliens), even a very brief outtake of Joe Turkel (Tyrell in Blade Runner). The soundtrack by Tangerine Dream is brilliantly hypnotic as usual. This film is a work of art! Miracle Mile [Blu-ray ]

Rented this one because I have a nostalgia for all things 80s right now AND I didn't remember this one from back then. Tangerine Dream on the music, my home turf of LA as the back-drop and a pending apocalypse; what could go wrong? Everything. This movie starts off with a flat Anthony Edwards, must've been his big vehicle after ROTN and before Downtown (with Forrest Whitaker) maybe a year later. The St. Elmo's Fire actress was already FUGLY, but they went and cut her hair to boot and made her the leading lady, which is nuts! Mykelti Williamson has this annoying voice, that the director's probably made him use; a sort of RACIST nod to black characters of the 70s. Kelly Minter in her umpteenth role where her billing in the opening credits is longer than her actual part (see Lost Boys, New Jack City). The brother that got dragged to death as a pimp in Coffy and the dykey blonde from Star Track-Next Generation, run around saying stuff that makes absolutely no sense. Every other line in this movie makes no sense. I have to say, Tangerine Dream get a lot of credit for little work and it all seems to be in highly over-rated movies. Just saw Sorcerer for the first time...with the exception of the bridge scene, their music was a non-entity, just like that film should be. Ditto Risky Business. Aye Aye Yikes! THIEF (James Caan, 1980) is the only picture where the music mattered any, it seems. Anyways, do not watch this movie unless you are bored and dumb.

Neon drenched streets. Check.Gym wear. Check.Tangerine Dream on the soundtrack. Check.It must be another '80s film, and it is but one thats getting its first release since the days of VHS.Miracle Mile is one of my favorite films, I long ago wore out my old copy taped from terrestrial TV, so its great to finally have a region 2/B friendly copy. Its basically a love story set during an imminent nuclear holocaust, a bleak but wonderfully engrossing film that defies easy pigeon-holing.Arrows Blu/DVD combo has a nice booklet with liner notes from the mighty Tim Lucas and the usual reversible sleeve art and for once I prefer Arrows new artwork on the cover.Extras are good with features, interviews with the cast and director, although the alternative ending is a letdown.Grain is present and correct and the picture is beautiful with vibrant colors, blacks good etc. However there is very slight print damage, back and white specks, evident more or less the entire run-time. You can go 20-30 seconds without seeing damage but some will find it unacceptable. Arrow must have looked at the figures and known full restoration costs would not be recouped in the UK.Its a price to pay I suppose just to have this long overlooked film in my collection.

Miracle Mile is one of those unforgettable films that you watch and it stays with you for not just days, but years later. I remember being blown away (*ahem*) by it when I first saw it at the cinema on my university campus in 1990, I have watched it many times since and it still grips from the outset to the heart wrenching conclusion.Other posters have set out the plot, which gets more tense (and hysterical) as it goes, so I won't repeat it. There are so many things I love about the film: the wonderful, neon saturated LA architecture and nightscapes (similar to To Live and Die in LA); the amazing, pitch perfect Tangerine Dream score (it's just as great as their wonderful score for Risky Business); the kooky characters like the transvestite in the cafe, Wilson with his trunk of stolen radios, the ripped bodybuilder etc (it's very similar to another outstanding film that explores city life at night, Martin Scorsese's After Hours, which bizarrely has never been released on Blu Ray); but the best thing is how believable and realistic Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham are as Harry and Julie: they look like everyday people not plastic Hollywood babes and their relationship is so tender and touching. If I have a criticism, it's the way Harry and Julie - and may other characters - willingly get separated at times to fit the story, when in practice I am sure they wouldn't choose to be apart. I also wished it finished with them kissing, but that's getting picky.Miracle Mile is also surprisingly funny with some clever gags along with some very dark humour, and the film does become darker and bleaker as it evolves. The sequence when the TV reporters are shot during a live broadcast and Harry is shot at by fleeing Los Angelenos perfectly captures the terror and horror accompanying a breakdown in civil society. The Gerstead character (yuppie at the top of the skyscraper) is particularly unpleasant and his offensive language does somewhat jar, but he is a counterpoint to the decency of Harry and Julie.When Miracle Mile was released it was a flop, which is hardly a surprise given the lack of A list cast, bizarre story and very dark themes, but it's the perfect cult film.The Arrow Blu Ray release isn't the sharpest image, it's not as saturated as some releases and it's grainy in the early nighttime scenes, but it's still a decent and must-have release and the extras are excellent. The booklet makes for interesting reading too.

Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham have just met and fallen in love... right before the end of the world. Edwards plays a musician who meets and falls for Winningham.They set up a date for that night, but when a power cut zonks his alarm he arrives very late to the diner. He answers a nearby ringing telephone and speaks to a man in a missile silo who's trying to call his father. Turns out the birds are flying and the city is about to be destroyed. Fortunately one of the people in the diner knows someone who works for the government and can verify that this is true. Then begins a race for Edwards to find Winningham and try and escape the city in a hastily arranged helicopter flight out, as the city begins to fall apart.Budget limitations aside, the movie does exactly what it sets out to do and does it well. There is a feeling of tension from the moment the phone is answered to the end credits and you really feel invested in what happens to the characters. Not a big hit when it came out, but it's since gathered itself a deserved cult following for being one of those "Do you remember a movie where..." type of films that sticks in the brain not just because it's a good movie, but also because it's so unique.The DVD / Blu Ray release by Kino Lorber comes with commentary tracks (Director - no cast), new interviews with the leads, a 'diner reunion' with the supporting cast, outtakes, deleted scenes and bloopers, and an alternate ending.

Miracle Mile. R1 DVD R-rated. 1988.The picture quality's excellent, widescreen 1.85:1& fills all the screen on a modern T.V. L.A nuclear lovestory, a race against time & bodybuilders. How far wouldyou go to save the person you love?, it's an amazing film,beautiful to look at while fantastic Tangerine Dream musicplays in the background. A true classic...the countdownbegins now- 3 Mississippi...2 Mississippi...1 Mississippi...falloutRun time:1hr 28min 9sec. Extras: commentary's, deleted scenes,outtakes & bloopers, supporting cast and crew reunion, interviewwith stars, alternate diamond ending & trailers.MAY.CO 5900

Be aware that this is actually a region 1 dvd and will not play in Britain. If you want a region 2 for the UK then you need to buy the Blu-ray version which comes with a bonus non-Blu-ray disk that works. Amazon you are not making this clear at all - do better please.