« Rebel Without a Cause | Main | Masculine Feminine »
February 28, 2005
Smoke
Smoke (1995), Wayne Wang:
I'm still trying to figure out Wayne Wang. For some reason he still seems relevant even when taking such jobs like Maid in Manhattan and Anywhere but Here. Is he just coasting off his earlier, actually important stuff? (I'm still trying to track down a copy of Chan is Missing.)
I guess this is a good transition piece between the good and the bad. It's a collection of stories about a handful of people, all revolving around one cigar shop in Brooklyn. If I had read any Raymond Carver stories, I'd say it was Carveresque. When it's on, it's able to frame a certain quality of life and present it to the audience to admire. At times, though, it seems caught up with its preciousness and gets way too proud of its big ideas. If you can get past those moments, it's well worth watching for those few times when it just relaxes and lets things happen.
8/15
Posted by bing at February 28, 2005 06:43 PM
Comments
Obviously, you did not see Maid in Manhattan. "Relevant" is not the word I would use to describe it. :)
Posted by: Emily! at March 1, 2005 05:40 PM