blanche-2 I run hot and cold with Jim Jarmusch. His "Stranger than Paradise" is a fantastic movie - he has a quirky sense of humor that I love, and also much of "Mystery Train" is wonderful. I liked some of "Coffee and Cigarettes" and some I just didn't.This is a series of vignettes revolving around - well, coffee and cigarettes. My favorite was "Twins" which, besides being a funny segment, has a hilarious performance by Steve Buscemi. "Those Things'll Kill Ya" is also amusing, though it goes on a little long. "Strange to Meet You" stars Robert Begnini and was the first of these vignettes, filmed in 1986, and it's fun - strange, but fun."Cousins" stars the chameleon Cate Blanchett as a well-known personality who visits with her not famous and jealous cousin, also played by Cate Blanchett. This was an interesting personality study of both women, the famous one very sweet and shy, and the not famous one more out there and vocal. It's a real tour de force.Jarmusch really goes back to his student film roots here, with the black and white, simple, low class sets, and his subtle humor. For me some of the vignettes just seemed to have no point, but I think that was the point. Life discussed or happening over coffee and cigarettes can sometimes be crazy, absurd, fun -- or just ordinary.There were several posters here who claim not to know Jarmusch's work. I highly recommend both Stranger than Paradise and Mystery Train.

Zed Misrahi I am sure Jarmusch intended Coffee and Cigarettes to be better than the ordure that poured forth endlessly onto the screen before me - perhaps that was the realisation of the concept! I admired the attempt at something different, but frankly the result was eye wateringly awful with a bitter aftertaste. When even Steve Wright and Roberto Benigni can do no better than college level falseness and over acting you just know something ain't right. The African 'No Problem' sketch with the Dice Man undertones? Please tell me Jarmusch was being blackmailed by one of those two guys into including that stilted and inept nonsense into the final cut! Coogan and Molina, and Blanchet are the few that emerge from this execrable disaster with reputations intact. And Iggy, you just died, mate.The Passenger will never sound the same again.This film will be called wonderful by many, simply because of the cast, because of the Jarmusch reputation, and because love is blind. This was seen as a seriously off day for Jim by those of us that don't wear rose tinted or sun glasses in cinemas. The funniest line in all of this was actually posted right here on IMDb, with a poster explaining that Tarantino can't do great films like Coffee and Cigarettes because " Tarantino is a cinematographer not a writer (for film)". Thankyou that man. I am still chuckling now.

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

hanzo-5 Seriously, every reviewer on IMDb has crud for brains. It's a complete piece of bile tripe.The entire thing is shot in black and white, the acting is supremely sub-par, the camera work is crap. Forgivable in 99% of the indie films out there that are carried by a story. Or even engaging dialog. This movie has *NONE* of it.The vignettes are standalone (although the bit with the RZA, GZA and Bill Murray was referential), pointless and trying too hard to capture absurdist humor.The use of Black and White does not provide deep arty scenes, or work as an illustrative device. The only reason to opt for black & white is so that Art House snobs will accept it as "brilliant".I am a fan of deadpan absurdist comedy, I really am. In fact one of the biggest selling points was Steven Wright.This is not a comedy. There are half-hearted attempts (Chick who is looking at handguns, Bill Murray "hiding out" drinking a pot of coffee straight, etc), but it falls short. Waaaaaay Short.Look, I revel in "bad" films. I forced a friend to go and see "Slither" in the theaters. I have a collection of zombie movies that, if moved to a physical medium, would crush a small child. I enjoy the likes of Kafka, HS Thompson, the Vandals, Monty Python, Firesign Theater, Hedberg, etc et al.This movie is a failure, epic and tragic.