That was an excellent one.

Simply A Masterpiece

Pretty Good

People are voting emotionally.

Not good at all, drab and boring, which life really isn't. I thought it sounded like a nice simple idea, which would probably either be warm and life affirming or darkly funny (or possibly a bit of both), and definitely topped off with a healthy sprinkling of insight. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed.Before watching this I'd always assumed it would be pretty hard to go wrong with dialogue. There are plenty of films in existence with less than great dialogue, but in the past I'd always been able to accept that it had been neglected in favour of other things, like car chases (where I guess chatting isn't really conducive anyway). Oh well, I guess writing a decent chin wag must be harder than it looks.

The world said you can't make a movie with no plot, character story arcs, or a variety of set pieces. Jim Jarmush said nay. And so he did it, and he did it well. Coffee and Cigarettes is a very bizarre film. All it is, is a collection of vignettes that each take place in a diner, usually only have two characters conversing with one another, and coffee and cigarettes comes up in the conversation somewhere. Looking at a synopsis like this you would have to stand up, point a critical finger, and shout, "No! You can't do that!" But Jarmush proves any naysayers wrong and pulls it off extremely well.There is one basic principle that carries the entire movie and that is the diner setting with the overall coffee and cigarettes based theme. But the series of characters and scenes have such a great variety to them that it makes each separate segment enjoyable in its own off kilter way. We have all kinds of different scenes ranging from Cate Blanchett having a conversation with herself playing her cousin to Bill Murray hanging out with RZA and GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan talking about alternative medicines and the uses of nicotine. In once scene Jack and Meg White of the alternative rock band The White Stripes (one of my favorite bands of all time) stop for some coffee and a couple cigarettes while Jack shows off his tesla coil machine. We move along to Alfred Molina meeting with Steve Coogan to tell him that they're cousins. Later on we watch Iggy Pop and Tom Waits sarcastically and solemnly insult each other without even noticing it. Coffee and Cigarettes has a little bit for everyone and a whole lot to enjoy.The film may not seem like much on the surface, but underneath there is a lot of great cinematic artistry being achieved. The film can be interpreted as pointless, but in many ways that is the point. It's the paradoxical nature of this film that makes it out to be much more than it could have and even should have been. Coffee and Cigarettes shows us the mundaneness of your typical diner conversation and then gives it a lot of heart and a lot of life. It goes to show just how interesting your typical day to day conversation can be if you take a moment to slow down and have look. This idea is even eluded to in some of the dialouge. There are two instances of characters talking about their lives or their dreams whizzing by them like they are the camera of a race car driving down the Indy 500. In fact there are a lot of aspects that carry over from one segment to the next. You notice these things in retrospect, and it really binds the film together. The segments are different in subject matter but very similar in themes and subtextual meaning.There's a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Coffee and Cigarettes and you really have to put some thought into the film to notice everything about it. But on the surface there is also a lot of good going on. For one, the film is extremely funny. It has some moments that are absolutely hysterical because of the complete oddness of what is happening and the diverse characters it is happening to. You would never expect to see RZA and GZA sit down with Bill Murray and have a conversation, but here you see it and its hilarious just to think about the idea of these three talking with each other, and then the actual dialouge which transpires during their segment is hilarious. Jim Jarmush also shoots the film very well for what it's worth. There's only so much you can do when your set pieces are all small diners and camera focuses on two to three people at a time, sitting at one table. But Jarmush makes sure to keep his direction interesting without being distracting. He doesn't over direct at all and he keeps the focus solely on the actors.Coffee and Cigarettes is a fantastic film and it is unlike anything you will ever see in your life. Filmmakers don't take these kinds of risks very often so it's nice that we can find strange films that break all the rules of conventional storytelling and filmmaking. This film works on a lot of levels and is also a lot of fun to watch.

It is cinema or art? No, its Coffee & Cigarettes. Like all great art, Coffee and Cigarettes is a deeply personal statement, and we feel privileged to share Jim Jarmusch's lens on the world.We eavesdrop over 13 seemingly ordinary and unconnected conversations over coffee and cigarettes which start to get eerily jagged and surreal as we are drawn in.The movie is a visual treat and its striking black and white images and stylized depictions of gritty diners linger in the mind long after the movie is over.I love this movie for many things: the strange and sometimes bizarre characters, its quirky sense of humor, the pop culture references, the continuing obsession with Nikola Tesla, and its ability to make the twin vices of coffee and cigarettes seem sexy.But, most of all, I love Coffee and Cigarettes because it forces the viewer to re-examine the regular and the ordinary and discover the irregular and the surreal.If this is cinema, I could get easily addicted...

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