Mystery Train

A night in Memphis is replayed in three perspectives, all having the commonality of the characters staying in the same hotel with the ghost of Elvis haunting them. Kicked off with a segment featuring our friend Masatoshi Nagase and his girl friend (Youki Kudoh) seeking Graceland. Nagase's deadpan outlook which is in stark contrast to Kudoh's ebullience just adds to screenplay's punch. As the film culminates in a piece Steve Buscemi, you realize how much the film influenced Pulp Fiction.

Rating: * * +

Delirious

Toby (Michael Pitt), a hobo ingratiates his way into the sorry life of Les (Steve Buscemi), a loser paparazzi. The duo team up to hunt for candid pictures of stars in their everyday lives. But the arrangement falls apart when Toby runs into K'Harma (Alison Lohman), a budding pop singer. Les wants her pictures and Toby wants her. Buscemi is what keeps the film together in his role of an annoying, self centered SOB. A sad look at the even sadder lives of stars and the people who follow them around.

Rating: * *

The Island

Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean and Steve Buscemi all have two things in common. They are all fine thespians but also made the mistake of signing up to feature in Michael Bay's futuristic pile of pure unadulterated shite.

Rating: *

Coffee and Cigarettes

There are some directors/actors I am biased towards - not without reason though I assure you - but the truth is I know there is a good movie out there, the moment I learn that its one of them in it. Like Jim Jarmusch for instance and his 2003 movie 'Coffee and Cigarettes'. Shot in B&W, features a wide range of talented artists in a series of 11 chapters - each of which has couple of people meeting over coffee & cigarettes and discussing stuff. In some cases, its tea - for the sake of variety I presume. Some of the conversations are inane, a few I found funny and then there are some that brings attention to some varied pieces of information. But there seems to be a thread running through it - like for example, the two people are related to each other, that coffee before going to sleep is like racing an Indy 500 race and that ciggys + coffee do not make a healthy lunch. I liked it - but its one of those that I would not recommend to anyone. An amusing flick, especially with a fat rolled one in hand.

On a connected note, heres a link to an amusing email exchange between 2 protagonists in the movie - Jack White and Stephen Coogan - brought to you by the Guardian.

Rating: * * *