Coffee and Cigarettes (R) 2003

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Without my morning coffee my world always seems a little off. Coffee and Cigarettes examines the culture surrounding two of the world's unifying vices, through a series of short conversations across the tables of several diners. The segments were shot over several years, collecting odd conversations of an eclectic group of Hollywood names like Roberto Begigni, Steven Wright, Bill Murray, Steve Buscemi, Cate Blanchett, Alfred Molina, Steve Coogan, Jack and Meg White, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, and a closing sequence to die for with Taylor Mead and Bill Rice. These sometimes clever, mostly awkward encounters tie the central theme of coffee and cigarettes into a brilliant series of encounters set in carefully patterned settings with repeated themes. Director Jim Jarmusch, who released the first installment back in 1986, doesn't necessarily get the perfect story with every scene, but the mood is absolute. Aside from limited screenings throughout the United States, DVD is the only way to see this movie. An extra featuring Taylor Mead is almost worth the price of the DVD by itself and the soundtrack deserves further examination.