Coffee and Cigarettes

In class this week we watched "Cigarettes and Coffee." After class I decided to look up the film, however I searched "Coffee and Cigarettes" by mistake. This brought me to the films of Jim Jarmusch, a director whom I have never watched but I have alway been interested in looking into.  I finally decided to watch this movie based on the cast, which includes Steven Wright, Roberto Benigni, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Cate Blanchett, Meg White, Jack White, Alfred Molina, Steve Coogan, Bill Murray, RZA, and GZA.

The movie is actually 11 short stories about people talking, drinking coffee, and smoking cigarettes.  Each of the films are unrelated and involve characters just participating in conversations. They are almost always playing themselves. The discussions do connect a little bit in theme; people talk about enjoying coffee and cigarettes, or why those things do not constitute a meal, Tesla Coils, familial relation, the music business, and celebrity life style. I also noticed that an Iggy Pop song plays during the Jack/Meg White short.

I thought some of the stories worked and some of them didn't just because the discussions were not too interesting. My favorites were Steve Buscemi as a waiter bothering two twins, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits (who apparently is a doctor) meeting, Bill Murray  (as himself) waiting on RZA and GZA, and Cate Blanchett meeting with her non-famous cousin Shelly (played by Cate Blanchett too).

Each short was in black and white and features many above-shots of the coffee being stirred on tables. I thought the shots were well composed and the shorts were well directed. Some of the subjects were boring, but I will definitely remember the ones I mentioned above. Although I wouldn't say that this is a must see, I do recommend checking out a few of the films.

Below is a link to "Delirium," starring RZA, GZA, and Bill Murray. Sorry that I couldn't get the video into the page, but it's not on youtube.

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v426774KxRb5qFG?h1=Delirium+-+Gza%2C+Rza+%26+Bill+Murray