catapult magazine

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discussion

Coffee and Cigarettes

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CercatoreDelDio
Apr 14 2004
12:51 pm

Jim Jarmusch is sort of an off-beat director that has no real “hits” but a lot of little cult classic kind of films. Dead Man with Johnny Depp is a classic example of his style and influence. I believe Criterion released one of his works, Down By Law, which is a humorous portrayal of three eclectic men and their attempted prison break. Jarmusch said it forms a loose trilogy with his films Stranger than Paradise and Mystery Train. Stranger than Paradise, by the way, was really an amazing breakthrough for american indie filmmakers. The black and white deadpan style of the film brought to light new and innovative ideas about how someone can use black and white, not only to render a film as emotionally raw, but also as a character in of itself. My favourite film of Jarmusch’s is, and always will be, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. There is no better film than a “gansta” twist on the traditional codes of the Japanese Samurai and Warlords of the era. So, what about Coffee and Cigarettes? Well, I think that Jarmusch is about to overdo the idea of black and white in film. This looks like it will have a good comedic effect, but I believe that it will lack in many elements that he has been slipping in lately. He does seem fairly confident about it’s acceptance among american indie film fanatics, so I hope it works for him. I just believe that he may be overdoing the plot devices which he is so famous for. Good look Mr. Jarmusch, I hope it works out for you, and I will most certainly be seeing and probably owning when it makes the great leap from the silver screen to my humble television screen.