Smoke | | Cast : | Harvey Keitel, William Hurt | | Director : | Paul Auster, Wayne Wang | | Studio : | Miramax Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | June 09, 1995 | | DVD Released Date : | January 25, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | April 06, 2005 | | Summary | Y'know What? | Content
 | This is one of the best movies I've ever seen.
I had read a Paul Auster novel before (BOOK OF ILLUSIONS) and it was a fine read, but this film that he wrote and co-directed just surpasses any possible expectations I could've possibly had going in.
I highly reccomend that you put captions on this, so you don't miss a line. This is what cinema was truly meant to be. Tremendous acting, brilliant script, deep characters, thoughtful camera work...flawless.
The plot is irrelevant. It is one of those films that you just have to let unfold so to admire the intertwining of the lives that are portrayed.
Bravo to Keitel, Hurt, Whittaker, and all the actors and crew members who managed to pull this off.
Do not hesitate in checking this out. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 05, 2005 | | Summary | Everynight it's just the same, you leave me lonely now... | Content
| Outside another yellow moon
Has punched a hole in the nighttime, yes
I climb through the window and down to the street
I'm shining like a new dime
The downtown trains are full with all of those Brooklyn girls
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds
Well you wave your hand and they scatter like crows
They have nothing that will ever capture your heart
They're just thorns without the rose
Be careful of them in the dark
Oh, if I was the one you chose to be your only one
Oh baby can't you hear me now, can't you hear me now
I know your window and I know it's late
I know your stairs and your doorway
I walk down your street and past your gate
I stand by the light at the four-way
You watch them as they fall, oh baby, they all have heart attacks
They stay at the carnival, but they'll never win you back...
-This movie is outstanding, top to bottom, start to end. This movie's got a vibe to it that just doesn't let up and if it connects with you like it does with me, you'll love it. Dialogue and writing that will just pierce through you like a round from a thirty-ought-six. Direction that is amazing. And, if you're at all familiar with NYC - I'm a SF native myself, but know NYC far better than any two-bit bowery boy - then you're in for a treat as well too. It's just got a flow to it that you're gonna connect with.
If you've seen this and like it, check out the "sequel" Blue in the Face." It too is right on par with this. Also, check out any of Jim Jarmusch's films too (e.g., Down By Law, Mystery Train, Dead Man, Coffee and Cigarettes, etc.).
Oh, the piece above? It's relevant to the movie. Those who have seen it know what it is if they were paying attention. Others may know it just by knowing it or knowing that it was written by one of the greatest songwriters/performers alive. But, it is a part of this movie and I just wanted to include it for you. Another reviewer here *hinted* at it in their excellent review when they mentioned some of the scenery. Anyway, maybe it'll serve as some motivation for some of you to finally break down and get this absolutely stunning film finally. I hope so.
Enjoy. |
| Rating | | | Date | September 23, 2004 | | Summary | Fresh, New and Different | Content
| Smoke is a great off beat film that took me by surprise. I just happened to catch it on cable one day. For those of you that live in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, you'll love seeing that part of town on film including the "J" train as it slowly creeps up the track towards the Williamsburgh Bridge and BedStuy off in the hazy distance and the old Williamsburgh Bank in the foreground. It's a long lazy shot and I find myself sometimes watching that scene over and over again. It's a beautiful shot of that part of Brooklyn. Close enough to hear the train but far enough to keep the other city noises in the background. Utterly beautiful!
This film is full of quirky characters. Auggie (Harvey Keitel) is probably the most off beat and quirky of them all. Stockard Channing gives a stunning performance as Auggie's ex girlfriend and Ashley Judd is brilliant, even though she only has one scene, as their drug addicted, poor and bitter daughter. The film also stars William Hurt (Altered States), Harold Perrineau Jr, (Romeo&Juliet) and Forest Whitaker (Panic Room).
The most unexpected moment in Smoke is Auggie's Christmas story. I don't want to give too much away but it's sad, touching and funny all at the same time. Don't look for special effects, explosions, car chases or gun fights here. There are none. Just good storytelling.
Also interesting are the bonus attractions on the dvd. Seeing the director (Wayne Wang) direct another director (Forest Whitaker) and watching Whitaker accept and discuss Wang's directions were especially captivating.
All in all, a lovely film to curl up with. Enjoy! |
| Rating | | | Date | December 06, 2003 | | Summary | It's hard to be a writer in New York City | Content
| This film is one of the strangest films you may encounter. The search for a father that turns sour-sweet, sour first because the father does not want to believe the boy is his son, sweet then because after some negociating with several witnesses of the meeting he will accept the idea and come to some fatherly agreement. The search for a father by a mother for her daughter in order to attempt her salvation from drugs and the salvation of the baby she is carrying. It turns frankly sour if not even bitter without any hope for recognition from the daughter and any salvation. The search for some financial success that has to do with hard work on the side of Auggie and pure luck on the side of Thomas, aka Rashid. And the good luck of one will compensate for his negligence that turned the hard work of the other into destruction and loss. And it all ends with a strange Christmas story, for the New York Times, mind you, where Auggie assumes the identity of a shoplifter of his and celebrates Christmas with the shoplifter's blind grandmother and shoplifts her apartment of a brand new camera that was probably stolen anyway in the first place. The film ends thus on pictures of the obvious pleasure of the black grandmother kissing and hugging the white Auggie as if he were her black grandson who had of course forgotten to come and celebrate Christmas with his grandmother, too busy he was shoplifting magazines, or other valueless goods, here and there. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU |
| Rating | | | Date | November 15, 2003 | | Summary | Harvey's Butt Takes Second Stage | Content
| "Smoke" is one of those movies that you'd probably be better off buying rather than renting. It deserves --perhaps even requires-- multiple viewings. `Great,' you may say, `another movie that I have to watch a dozen times to understand.' No, no. Don't be afraid. The reason I suggest this is not because the film is presented in a haphazard format (like the double helix-like antics of "Pulp Fiction"). It's not because the dialogue is cryptic or scant, the story unfolding with minimal explanation. And, no, don't worry, it's not because it's so damned pretentiously quirky that things seem to be going absolutely nowhere, reminiscent of highly overrated films such as "The Royal Tennenbaums", "Punch Drunk Love", and "Adaptation": those where ultimately, you learn virtually nothing about the plot and characters. So why do I recommend that "Smoke" be watched more than once? There are actually a couple of primary reasons: First, I'll explain why it 'deserves' multiple viewings, and secondly, why it may 'require' them: 1) Simply put: This is a comforting film. If you need to be loved or wanted, or just want to hang out with some friends who have been in your shoes and will listen and provide solace... then this is the story for you. Compassion is the essential theme of "Smoke". We have a drugged-out girl (Ashley Judd) who gets pregnant, with an alcoholic mother (Stockard Channing) struggling to reunite with her ex-boyfriend (Harvey Keitel) --who is also the purported father of her daughter-- in order to assist Judd's character with raising her child, and to provide a family atmosphere. Enter next a seventeen year-old boy (Harold Perrineau Jr.) attempting desperately to obtain employment from an amputee owner of a nearly bankrupt gas station (Forrest Whitaker) whom he believes to be his long, lost father. The boy ends up befriending -the last of the six characters-- a once popular writer (William Hurt) who, as a result of multiple traumas (mainly because of the loss of his wife), has lost his literary mojo; consequently, he is reclusive and somewhat paranoid of others. These are all seriously confused people, folks. But as the story progresses --at a pace that is neither hurried nor lagging behind, echoing the pace of the characters' deep thought and introspection, and thus allowing the viewer time to synthesize the consequences of their realizations-- these people become involved with others that share their pain and loss, and they console one another. There really are no antagonists in this film. Of course, none of the characters are even close to perfect, evidenced when they engage in some questionable and objectionable acts (never extending the scope of realism as to make them ridiculously quirky, I must add); but the important thing is that they all learn from their mishaps and paranoias, and bequeath their knowledge to influence positively each others' lives. To conclude why "Smoke" deserve multiple viewings: There's a lasting effect that I liken to listening to a comforting song, over and over and over again. 2) Though the pace of "Smoke" was concurrent with the goings-on in the characters' lives, these people are nonetheless complex. They are intellegent, introspective, and contemplative --and also great storytellers and listeners, to boot. But complex stories and complex characters both demand a high degree of attentiveness, and as a result, there is a greater probability of something being missed. For this reason, additional viewings may be required. For whatever reason, I highly recommend at least one viewing of "Smoke". The acting is highly realistic --even improvised many times during the film, eliciting an occasional chuckle. Few times have I seen a film where personal highs and lows are so well-balanced. Then why only four stars? Well, the improvisation seems to get a little out-of-character sometimes, and the direction is occasionally shoddy. But overall, this is a great DVD to buy -not rent. |
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