Other Jarmusch Thoughts

I'm no Jim Jarmusch expert, but I thought I'd blurb a little on the movies of his I have seen:

Broken Flowers: Another deadpan Bill Murray performance, this could be a nice double-feature viewing with Rushmore. Bill's character finds out he may have a son and so he delves back into his romantic past, trying to determine with whom he planted his seed. It's a little more narrative-driven than some of Jarmusch's other work, but still has a lot to like. Quirky characters galore.

Dead Man: This might be my favorite movie ever that I didn't really like. But don't get me wrong, I love it. If I hadn't overloaded TNFN with westerns early on we would have watched this by now, but it's not just a western, it's an aggressively static and episodic western, filled with poetry and brutality. Johnny Depp is a traveler named William Blake who moves ever westward with violence and death swirling around and through him. This is most definitely a post-western or neo-western, or something, and it's haunted by a nightmarish (and appropriate) Neil Young guitar soundtrack. We'll probably see this one sometime in the winter, but feel free to watch it now, because you'll have a weird reaction to it the first time, followed by a slowly building irresistible desire to see it again. The film also stars Lance Henriksen (Bishop from Aliens, etc.), Robert Mitchum, Gabriel Byrne, and a host of other familiar faces, very few of which are around long at all, except Depp. I want to go watch it right now...

Down By Law: This is probably a great place to start with Jarmusch. It captures his deadpan humor and the strange ways he lets scenes just sit there. It is in black and white, and if you're a Tom Waits fan like me it's a hoot to watch young lean Tom rasp and ramble his way through a tale of the south and prison and swamps and the journey. Filled with surprising and offbeat moments, you'll remember this one.

Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai: Forest Whitaker is an almost silent killer with a code. I remember liking this film, but remember few details. I've since seen Melville's Le Samourai (great film) which Jarmusch was supposedly riffing off for this film, so I'm looking forward to the next time I see this one.

Stranger Than Paradise: This one's interesting, too, and is often mentioned as "where it all started". I saw it after Down By Law and felt like it hit some of the same notes (but in a much less colorful milieu -- which is strange to say about a black and white film), but not as well. Definitely worth seeing, but, well, I guess I just liked DBL better.

Anyone else have thoughts on Jarmusch?