Night on Earth (1991)

4.9/5

Night on Earth is a darkly comic drama about five taxi rides occurring simultaneously around the world--in LA, New York, Paris, Rome, and Helsinki. It is about chance encounters and the personal connections we make on a human level. It is about the humor in life, and the sadness. The first time I saw this movie, the ending absolutely floored me. This time, I can see the build-up, the gradual integration of the funny and the sobering, and still it hit me hard. I see this movie and I think, this is life. This is an accurate depiction of what humanity is capable of, in all our glory and our shame.

Despite its rather limited setup, the compositions still seem fresh and beautiful. I don't know how Jarmusch did it, but everything looks good and feels right. The writing was pitch-perfect and the acting matched. Unfortunately, the editing seemed off to me. For some reason, it lingered way too much. And it kept breaking the tension by cutting to external shots of the cabs going through the cities. Watching it again, it didn't seem as hilarious as I first remembered, although it was more touching. I cherish this movie, and highly recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity to see it.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0102536/

Smoke (1995)

3/5

Smoke is a mildly pleasing film with a mildly pleasing script that gives great actors mildly pleasing characters to play. It started off with potential, and every so often it would approach that potential and then pull back a little, as if afraid to take a risk. My favorite part was near the beginning, where William Hurt's character flips through a book of photographs taken at the same time every day of the same place as Harvey Keitel talks over the images. It was absolutely beautiful. The rest had snippets of genius, but nothing fulfilling.

The movie is a slice-of-life intertwining tale of the many people who interact with Harvey Keitel inside of and outside of his cigar and tobacco shop. Because there is no real main conflict, you are just pulled along, waiting for the next thing to happen without any expectations. Quite frankly, it gets a little boring. The editing sometimes felt amateurish and sometimes felt pretentious. Though I really liked some of the cinematography, most of it was rather bland and watery. All in all, it's not bad, but there's no real point in going out of your way to watch it.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0114478/

Ali (2001)

4/5

I knew nothing about Muhammad Ali's life story going in, so this movie was a very eye-opening experience for me. I like how the movie wasn't simply a boxing movie, but really dug into all aspects of his character, including the social and political realms he affected. His motto, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," could describe this movie as well. It flows naturally from scene to scene buoyantly and then strikes the viewer hard when the fight scenes occur. Technically, this movie matches Mann's other works. The crisp and beautiful cinematography by Lubezki is exceptional in this piece, bringing a visceral realism to the fights and ethereal fluidity to the rest. The music was spot-on, although sometimes a bit too prevalent. The acting by all parties was outstanding, although I think Smith's acting in the title role was slightly too weak to carry the entire picture (although quite strong overall). But it was really fun to hear Ali trash-talk.

It did have quite a few problems as well, I thought. It was too long. It meandered in meaningless areas that I never really cared for (although more knowledgeable fans might have found them interesting) and unexplained subplots. A firm sense of time and place was never really achieved. There were no dates or locations to inform the audience; the only markers were social events like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.'s deaths. The problem with the amazing cinematography was that Mann got too enamored of it, unable to cut parts out to keep the piece tight. The editing was competent for the most part, but failed to impress. Other than these minor squabbles, though, I really liked the film.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0248667/

Do the Right Thing (1989)

4.9/5

Do the Right Thing approaches racism from the opposite end from what we are all used to. It doesn't show the good that's present in all races, but rather the inescapable mistakes we all make when hatred clouds our thoughts and actions. This gives the audience a more visceral and memorable experience. We side with those we're biased towards and find the actions of those we're biased against unfair and excessive. We become involved; the film reaches inside us and pulls out or own hidden prejudices. Just like In the Heat of the Night, Do the Right Thing succeeds because it shows how everybody errs, not how everybody is perfect.

Watching this movie again, I was struck by how naturally the day proceeded, thanks to the editing. It didn't feel scripted or forced. What also impressed me was the depth and breadth of the characters in this neighborhood. Like The Rules of the Game, the audience recognizes and remembers every person who shows up on screen despite the extensive cast list. The script is also stellar. There are scenes of remarkable tension, incredible warmth, and biting humor.

I'll be honest, the clothes, language, and music are extremely dated; they are laughably bad. Also, what was with that intro kickbox dancing segment with the funky colors? Seriously, what is that? I found a lot of the camera angles to be both unflattering and distorting, shedding off some of the film's realism without adding to the message or tone. However, the few exceptional shots there were stood out even brighter in comparison. Also, most of the acting was pretty mediocre, except for John Turturro and Danny Aiello. Taken as a whole though, this piece is exceptional story-telling that will imprint itself in the memory of anyone who sees it.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0097216/