Smoke
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Movie Reviews of Smoke
Movie Review: Ensemble Cast, First-Rate Acting, and Raw Storytelling Power
Summary: 5 Stars
In a world where Big-Budgeted Blockbusters rule,....it's a nice refreshing turn to see "little films" soar! I had the distinct pleasure of viewing this simplistically, yet elegantly shot masterpiece in the art-house theaters,.and it's just damn good storytelling,with NO special digital effects or CGIs from ILM!William Hurt and Harvey Keitel (in his best performance since Mean Streets and Bad Lieutenant) are incredible followed by a bunch of supporters like Stockard Channing, Forrest Whitaker,Ashley Judd (like you've never seen her!)and Oz's Harold Perrineau Jr. All of these characters are intertwined like the best Robert Altman film you've ever seen plus some! Be warned! It IS slowly paced,.but the highlight of the film is the story Keitel tells Hurt in the coffee shop at the end. Just notice how slowly Keitel tells the story,and the slowest dolly push in shot, and how beautifully framed that one shot that covers the whole scene pretty much looks. It's ALL character-driven performances are top-notch all around,and Auggie's(Keitel)Brooklyn Cigar Shop (the central setpiece) will mesmerize you long after the credits roll! Once again,.this film is not for kids, or Steven Segal or Van Damme fans with 1/2 hour Springer time-slot-esque attention spans! Enjoy, and e-mail me with your opinions!( Also check out the sequel called Blue in the Face!It's from the same writer/director team (Paul Auster and Wayne Wang) who brought us Smoke. New music from the Jerry Garcia Band,too!)
Movie Review: This "Smoke" Doesn't Stink
Summary: 5 Stars
This little gem is one of the unsung classics of the nineties. Director Wayne Wang and co-director and scenarist Paul Auster have crafted a film that at turns funny, poignant, and tragic in a way that will always stay with you. Some may be turned off because the film centers on a Brooklyn tobacco shop and for sure there is a lot of casual smoking here but that's just a starting point for a script that follows a variety of interesting characters and many intriguing story twists. Harvey Keitel as Auggie the owner of the store gave what I thought one of the best performances of his career. The film is populated by great work(William Hurt, Forrest Whitaker, et. al) but Auggie is the glue that holds the film together. The extended scene where Auggie relates to the writer played by Hurt a Christmas story is worth the price of admission alone. Even better is the scene over the end credits where Auggie's story is visualized as Leonard Cohen warbles on the soundtrack. Also noteworthy is an unforgettable cameo by Ashley Judd as Stockard Channing's drug-addled daughter. This rank's with Alec Baldwin's work in "Glengarry Glen Ross" as an example of an actor making a major impact on a film with minimal screen time.Movie Review: Character driven bliss
Summary: 5 Stars
How much does smoke weigh? This is the question that William Hurt ponders as he makes his daily visit to Harvey's cigar shop. He speaks in such understated eloquence that you find yourself wanting to scoot in closer to hear his answer. You're soon swept into the lives of a diverse group of people, each with a compelling story to tell. The scene where Harvey is showing William his photo album--Harvey would take a picture at the same exact spot at the same exact time of day, everyday--is gut-wrenching when William suddenly comes upon a photo of his wife crossing before the camera. His wife had died a while back, a loss that Willima had never really healed from, and here she was, alive, walking down the sidewalk, an unwitting subject of one of Harvey's daily photos. Harvey, (Augie) matter-of-factly tells William that she was in several of his photos.
Perhaps that is an ample metaphor for the remainder of the movie, where each character is show-cased in his own scene, a little piece of their lives being filmed for the rest of us to see. A remarkable film about ordinary people who have a few extraordinary moments of pain, melancholy, and generosity.
Movie Review: Subtlety
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is subtlety at its finest.
The story really is nothing like what you might see in the preview or get an idea from the cover. It is a story about relationships and storytelling, the way we converse with one another.
The overall plot is good, slow at times, but it is meant to be. First time I saw it I thought it was good and boring, but over the years Smoke has grown into one of my favorite films ever to put on.
Writing: Flawless
Acting: Flawless
Directing: Quiet and Simple, beautiful.
Also, if you have seen "Blue in the Face", which covers more story about some of these same characters (Also by Wayne Wang), this film is SOO very different. That movie was upbeat and silly, this one is so understated and brilliant.
Hiding underneath it all is a soundtrack spotted with Tom Waits. The entire ending credits acts out one of the stories told within the film to "Innocent When You Dream (Barroom Version)" by Waits. I was amazed. When I first saw it and even today.
Movie Review: Quick Comments
Summary: 5 Stars
First, don't let the sophomoric picture on the box (two attractive cigar-smoking women flanking a self-satisfied-looking guy) mislead you: this is an art film - and a good one.
The plot is inspired by a line from "My Dinner With Andre" which was quoted almost verbatim in the original trailer. The thesis of the film is that if one were to tune one's mind and senses sharply enough to really see reality, even the corner tobacco store would be a philosophical minefield, perhaps too terrifying to traverse.
However, while the film is well written and well acted, one may be forgiven for some serious eye-rolling as regards one subplot in which a white man "saves" a troubled black youth - I'm all for Liberal Guilt, but please, filmmakers, give us a break!
Still, if you're into thoughtful films, check out Smoke with some of your film-buff friends - it'll be an evening well spent.