Movies
One of Jarmusch's best ones, but not as good as I remembered it to be. Murray's ultradry performance is what makes this film stand out, but the presentation is what let it down for me the second time around. It's a bit too barebones and drab, a slightly more stylized rendition would've made a big difference. Murray's a treat, and the mix of drama and comedy is on point. The rest of the cast is solid too, the road movie structure works well, and there are some memorable encounters. The score's a bit of a bummer though, and the cinematography is dire at best. Overall, it's good, just not good enough for my list of personal favorites.Read all
Jim Jarmusch delivers a surprisingly literal horror comedy. I'm used to him digging around in different genres, but never really delivering on the genre elements. That's a little different here. Jarmusch kept his cast and dry signature, but there's no mistake that The Dead Don't Die is a core zombie comedy. The cast feels familiar for a Jarmusch film and the dry, understated comedy is right in his wheelhouse. The horror bits are less accomplished and I genuinely hope the societal critique was part of the joke (which it very well could be - Romero was known to dabble). A pretty decent film, with a couple of good chuckles, but only half a success if you ask me.Read all
Jarmusch' second film is where it really started for him. I'm not a big fan of his work, but I will admit that more often than not his films have a certain appeal. I'm always willing to give them a fair chance, but they rarely manage to impress. In that respect, Stranger Than Paradise fits in rather well with the rest of his oeuvre. The plot is extremely minimal. It starts when Willie's cousin Eva is forced to stay with him for a little while. After a short visit Eva moves in with her aunt in Cleveland, one year later Willie and his friend Eddie take a little time off to go and visit Eva. That's all there is to it really, the plot's just there to get characters on the road. The stark black and white cinematography is nice and gives the film a little extra flair. The soundtrack is rather poor though and performances are stilted, which doesn't really fit the slice-of-life approach this film is gunning for. At least it's light, with a fun ending, but overall not that impressive.Read all
