Coffee and Cigarettes Reviews

(MU) Various independent sketches, of encounters with cofee and cigarrettes; tongue in cheek aproximation to real ridiculus extraordinary characters (the Alfred Molina, Steve Coogan sketch is the best), somo other wasted as the sisters played by Cate Blanchett. Tom Waits and Iggy Popp amuses themselves

Back in the 90’s, I was a huge fan of Jim Jarmusch so I was really eager to check this flick. It also sounded like a really intriguing concept. Indeed, for a 17 year period, Jim Jarmusch was shooting some short movies always involving people smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. Apparently, the first movie was shot in 1987 with Roberto Benigni. Eventually, it was not bad but the whole thing was somehow still rather underwhelming. Indeed, it is always the same thing with a collection of short movies, some of them are pretty good but some of them are rather weak and, therefore, the end-result is not really impressive. Personally, I really liked the one starring Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, the one with Cate Blanchett, the one with GZA, RZA and Bill Murray and the one with Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan. The rest, however, didn’t really blow me away though. Eventually, after the amazing ‘Dead Man’ and impressive ‘Ghost Dog’, I had some pretty big expectations with Jim Jarmusch, this movie was a step down in my opinion and, even though ‘Broken Flowers’, his following directing effort, was another critical success, I didn’t think it was that amazing (I should re-watch it though). Anyway, even though it is a minor effort in Jarmusch’s career, it is still not bad at all and definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in this director.

I believe this is a interesting movie , hope to have time and watch it soon. The title has captured my attention and the actors.

With Jim Jarmusch's film Mystery Train disappointing me to a relatively large extent, I almost immediately gave up hope on his work. Now I understand that his filmmaking technique is rather unique, obscure, similar to that of a Wes Anderson or David Lynch. They all go above and beyond Hollywood's mainstream material, forcing the viewers to really ponder what they had just watched, delving very deep into the human psyche, or maybe they just enjoy being obscure, I haven't a clue. Either way, like his work or hate his work, you will most likely end up respecting it, at least.

Coffee and Cigarettes is one of those pictures that don't come around too often, and catch viewers off guard. That sometimes seems too "different" for their liking, and quickly turn away from them, opting for something much easier to watch. The flick begins (and ends) with a multitude of restaurant meetings, often featuring some highly known movie stars. For movie-goers interested in a fast paced film filled with a lot of things going on, you most definitely should steer clear. The first story is one of my favorites. It shows one man waiting for another. Shortly thereafter, the other man arrives, and they begin a pretty hysterical, awkward conversation about numerous topics. My favorite type of comedy is dry, relaxed and awkward, so I was glued to the screen. The majority of actors present are indeed unknown faces. But there are some impressive appearances from the likes of Bill Murray, Steve Coogan, Alfred Molina, and Cate Blanchet. All in which do what they're supposed to, albeit not being required to do much.

There are a whole lot of mini conversations throughout "Coffee and Cigarettes", and that may bore some people, I understand that. I was able to find the wit and charm that was present within most of them, and it's a very easy movie to watch. Jim Jarmusch's black and white shooting technique seemed to work to a tee, really setting the perfect atmosphere within the various restaurants. The message behind this flick isn't a large one. In fact, it's rather small. That is if you consider life to be a miniscule thing, because that's what Jarmusch portrays here: the things that appear minute. Friendship, trust, human emotion, human behavior, and generally the low-key things that occur in everyday life. Look deeper into "Coffee and Cigarettes", and you'll be delighted at what you see.

6.8/10

Finalmente. L'ho visto. E devo dire che sono ampiamente soddisfatta. Contrariamente a quanto mi succede di solito, ovvero che le aspettative nei confronti dei film vengono deluse in maniera direttamente proporzionale alla loro grandezza. Invece in questo caso sono davvero contenta di aver dato retta all'istinto che mi porta a scegliere i film spesso in base a semplici parole chiave, come i tags nei post sui blog ad esempio. E in questo caso i tag sono stati caffe, sigarette, bianco e nero e qualche nome che avevo intravisto su non so quale recensione del film: Roberto Benigni, Tom Waits, IggyPop, Jack White. Mi sono detta, chiudendo all'istante la pagina per non rovinarmi una qualsiasi parte del film, devo vederlo...
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