ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Dotbankey A lot of fun.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

larevodocumental Communication is much more than what we say in words. The gestures, the looks, the silences or our way of sitting, often say more of us than any phrase. I do not know if talking is an excuse to drink coffee and smoke, or if coffee and smoking are excuses to talk. But it is clear that of these three vices, the biggest and most necessary is to communicate, interact, interact. Luckily, nobody has died of that.

Egwin This a rather unusual series of shorts. I will review every short individually.Strange to meet you- A rather strange little segment. Wright's "dream faster" monologue is best part. Twins- Well-done, although Buscemi's fake Southern accent is awful. It will probably be funnier for those who have seen Mystery Train.Somewhere in California- Great with appealing Waits and Pop. Those Things'll Kill ya- Funny, but fairly short.Renee- Terrible. Almost no dialog, and pointless.No Problem- Pointless, but De Bankole is always good. Note: Only segment with any dialog in a foreign language (French).Cousins- Great acting from Blanchett, though overrated skit.Jack Shows Meg his Tesla coil- Bad. Unfunny and unappealing bro-sis combo. Cousins?- The best. Very funny, with a comment on modern society and its "rules". Delirium- Quite good. Wonderful combo of Murray and Wu-tang clan. Champagne- Silly, but good finale to the film. Overall, *** out of ****

Bolesroor Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee & Cigarettes" is a black & white series of vignettes between people meeting for caffeine & nicotine. And that's exactly how the movie plays... like an afternoon spent with a friend yakking about nothing... or everything. And just like those afternoons, some segments are better than others.The shorts are a mix of styles... some are more glossy Hollywood with a scripted narrative, some feel more improvised or indie-style, and some have a distinctly New York vibe. I'm not sure the film hangs together... I'm not sure it's supposed to. Other reviewers here seem to dislike the movie for not being uniform in tone or coalescing into a grand theme or plot line. But be fair: Jarmusch never promised a wrapped package with interweaving story lines... this isn't a "Seinfeld." The joy of an anthology like this is that one chapter can be broad and comedic, and the next can go in a completely different direction. Perhaps some folks would have liked to see a cliff-hanging, on-again/off-again, will-they-or-won't-they love triangle, or maybe even a talking dog with a gangster attitude. They're in the wrong theater.This is a movie I could picture adding to my DVD collection and enjoying in a different way every time I watch it... one day I might love one segment, a year later it's my least favorite. Contemplation is not a bad thing.Neither is black & white... it helps to set the movie's tone of honesty, but unfortunately most people associate B&W with film noir- they think it means a movie is "dark." I think it just makes a movie more visceral... the tragedy is more heart-breaking, the comedy more crisp. In the oddball scene featuring Iggy Pop & Tom Waits I just enjoyed watching these two men sitting still in relative quiet in shades of black & white... it emphasizes the lines on Iggy's face from a lifetime of rock living and the furrowed brow on Tom Waits from his years of music/medicine. The slow pace also lets the actors b r e a t h e, so their dialogue is conversation, not characters spitting out exposition to set up the next plot point.My highlights:Strange To Meet You: Steven Wright's deadpan genius meets Roberto Benigni's electric comedian. One of the best in the film.Somewhere In California: Tom Waits and Iggy Pop as unlikely "chums" who fail to hit it off...Cousins: Cate Blanchett in a dual role as herself and her bitter Australian cousin. Brilliant...Cousins?: Watching the worm turn can be so satisfying...In conclusion I would not recommend this if you don't like offbeat films. But if you are feeling adventurous this is the perfect film to sample... especially on DVD. You can try a chapter, and if it doesn't engage you, CLICK- you can move directly to the next. You'll find something worth watching, at least...Now where is that damn waiter with my coffee? GRADE: B

Sandcooler This movie starts out promising with a piece of absurd comedy that actually works. Though you really can't do anything wrong when Steven Wright is in your scene, I had high hopes. I mean you have everything, a good setting, bizarre dialogues and the complimentary clever twist. However, the movie pretty much goes downhill from that scene on. Jim Jarmusch tried to make art people would speak of in every lounge bar from Europe to Eastern Europe but he just comes of as lazy. He had an insane amount of time to figure how he would bring it, and then he comes up with this. It doesn't even seem like he did any writing or anything, all he did was set up the camera and hope Iggy Pop and Tom Waits would say cool lines because they're Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. Most of the material carries that bothersome "almost funny"-label. Steve Buscemi's theory on Elvis and his twin brother is almost funny, but then again no. Teaming up a near-insane Bill Murray with guys from the Wu-Tang Clan, well that was funny. Both The White Stripes and Alfred Molina have a pretty good segment too but all in all I just felt bored with the whole thing. I like the idea, but some good writing wouldn't have hurt.