Smoke [DVD]

When it says "a film by WAYNE WANG and PAUL *AUSTER*" — and if, like most people, you read "The New York TRILOGY"; it seemed to fall through the cracks in the *opposite* sense in the trade-paperback friendly, collegiate twentysomething '90s, in that everyone seemed to *catch* it, it was in dorms and group houses and apartments everywhere, sooner or later, because it was a good quality read that didn't disappoint — and the music starts, the credits keep rolling, and the first steady shot opens the scene, you can tell you're on to something special, that someone took the time to put this together with care just for the sheer sake of it. And when you see the store stocked with more quizzical items (and magazine, and *book*, titles) than most movies would trouble themselves to include, when a well-known actor strolls in it just seems *more* play-like. The dramaturgy of an onstage production in a movie is appropriately old-school for new concerns — or at least reliably *pleasurable* for this approach — taking us, in 1995, to a look back to 1990, just enough time. Nice!

This is an excellent feel good menu from a time when it was appropriate to depict white folk and black folk both relating to and caring about one another. This is a well written and superbly performed movie that uses a diverse palate to describe characters of both races at their best, their worst and in that highly complicated middle. Best of all they are shown participating together in a common story about which race is only incidental. The final extended scene, which serves as an afterlogue to the movies main plot, is my favorite movie Christmas story of all time. A terrific film.

Likening said havent left a movie review for a long while but this movie is special. Wholesome as the kids say nowadays. It's just really good, great actors. Harvey Keitel is a legend. I love NY movies especially older ones. Had a little bit of Basquiat vibes. Just a great movie. Love Forest Whitaker and just all the actors have heart and good synergy really good and entertaining heartfelt story. I love it.

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.

SMOKE....A NEW LEVEL OF ENTERTAINMENT!If you thought your life was boring, meaningless, and without any deeper perspective than what you see on the surface...then you haven't seen SMOKE! This brilliant story was created by author Paul Auster and brought to life through the extroadinary talents of Harvey Keitel and William Hurt. Keitel plays Brooklyn tobacco store owner, Auggie Wren. Hurt portrays his customer/friend, Paul, a struggling writer,left emotionally devastated by the death of his pregnant wife and unborn child. There is so much to absorb in this film, but the show belongs to Auggie who finds some order in his disorderly life through photos he takes of his store front....at the same exact time...same exact place...every single day into the years. As time passes before him, the store front is the same, but life evolves into a procession of changing faces and scenes. This unique concept unravels to express the greater continuity of life and totally captivates the viewer. Exceptional photography adds depth to this startling level of awareness and totally captures your complete attention. Stockard Channing, Forest Whitaker, and Ashley Judd are perfect supporting characters in this intertwining tale of tales. Keitel's Christmas story is so thought provoking that characters and audience alike are perfectly connected in the rarest of moments. Sadly, the movie leaves many questions fully unanswered, but perhaps as in life itself, that is the final point to be made!AN INEXCUSABLE OMISSION FOR HARVEY KEITEL AT THE OSCARS!

I think of this as a hidden gem of a film. Most of the people I know have never seen it or even heard of it, and I think that's a shame. It's definitely the type of film that rewards the more patient viewer. It's not the typical flick full of non-stop action, suspense, or special effects. It has something much more rare than that - a great story, a great cast of characters, wonderful performances and a pace that allows you to truly absorb and savor the tales being told. The direction is spot on and the standout acting (by Harvey Keitel, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt and Stockard Channing in particular) is a treat to watch. Based on the writing of acclaimed author Paul Auster (who wrote the screenplay as well), the movie is like a visual volume of short stories, which intertwine and overlap in interesting ways. If you find yourself craving a quality film with a bit of a literary flavor, this is a great one to try.

This is a deceptively simple story, resembling soap opera with its corner shop hub, but it has everything I like about stories: flawed but likable characters, humour, drama and pathos. And then the Keitel character, Augie, explains why we have to take time to look at his photographs, all taken at the same place and time, every morning. Because every one is different. Then, instead of seeing four similar photos to a page, we see each individually, to the background of a fugue in which the instruments all play the same tune but not quite at the same time (like the old London's Burning rounds we sang in primary school) and his author friend sees one picture touchingly relevant to himself. That is a lovely piece of direction, possibly reflecting Wayne Wang's oriental background. Another quietly clever scene for me is near the end in a deli, as Augie tells his friend a story made up of randomincidents from the film. The story lasts several minutes and there are no cuts. The camera just moves slowlyinto Keitel's face until, finally he laughs. Delightful. The story addresses what it is to be a father, how to atone for misdeeds and friendship among other things. But absolutely everything is given the lightest of touches. I love this film.

Smooth and slow like smoke coming out of a sigarette, this film is a nice little gem that covers many important topics (life, death, redemption, memories, friendship and the importance of a creating one's own familiar surrounding, other than being the first fascinating movie tale avout Brooklin new life in the 90s) and does it thanks to a bunch of great actor, a simple yet effective direction and a perfectly balanced script, with the virtue of not planning every aspect of the story but letting actors performances giving us an additional layer of sense by improvising or even simply putting life in their characters through their personal and professional sensibility. Because stories are important, but the main thing is how you tell it and how you listen to it, letting it feed your immagination. Like in the magic ending, celebrating the power of storytelling

I first saw this movie when in came out in 1995 and then bought the BD in 2012. It is still am amazing film about human nature, love and New York. This kind of stuff could only happen in New York. People of entirely different backgrounds crossing paths for an incredible series of adventures and misadventure. Yes, incredible, but then again this is a movie.However the emotions that play out in the story are very real, and no doubt will resonate with many viewers.One last note about the title: smoke is the common denominator of all the stories that intertwine in the course of the film, which is centered around daily life in a cigar store. A pretty unique place where the owner, disenchante with life, can meaningfully put together a series of albums of four thousand pictures of the same place. I won't tell you how this actually makes sense so as not to spoil the film for you. And, how do you weigh smoke? You actually can, really, just watch the movie!

I'm going to find it very difficult to express in words how much this film means to me; not because of any deep, personal involvment, but simply becasue it is so utterly watchable. This is one of those offbeat, quirky little films that simply blows you away, without you knowing why or how exactly. Keitel and Hurt's performances are wonderfully subtle and underplayed, and I found it was the little, irrelevant things that fasinated me so - such as the way Hurt's character draws his little Dutch cigars through his lips before lighting it, and the fact that Auggie (Keitel's character), despite being a cigar connoisseur, smokes simple filter cigarettes.This film won't appeal to all, but if you like your American films to come with a little less 'Crash, Bang, Whallop!' and a bit more intelligence, then you just have to buy this dvd.

The film is short on violence but deep in significance and 'values' . "SMOKE" starring, Harvey Keitel, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt & Stockard Channing, Clarice Taylor & Harold Perrineau,Jnr. directed by , Wayne Wang ( Joy Luck Club.) "SMOKE" is a film that has a very rich story, in fact there are several stories, even a Christmas story, in "SMOKE". It happens in Brooklyn sometime before the 9 - 11 tragedy a time that is fragile and about to disappear like smoke. The story happens around the little world close to a corner cigar shop. One of the themes of the various stories is the precious fragile nature of the friendships that are possible between black people and white in the inner-city. This story almost could have happened in my own London neighbourhood of Hackney, England, except that Cuban cigars have never been illegal here; otherwise, you would find all of these characters in the community where I live. Hackney's last cigar shop closed down shortly after this film was made. Now there is barely a trace that it ever existed; vanished like smoke ! Will that happen to all of our relationships and community ? The film poses answers as well as questions.