Rating: 
Summary: Taking indie worship too far
Review: There are certainly a ton of excellent independent films. This is not one of them. Bad cinematography, bad acting, bad writing (Lurie gets stuck with some AWFUL lines), zero-dimensional characters. Hey, boring people live boring lives, WE GET THE POINT ALREADY.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant, hilarious study of aimlessness & anomie
Review: This deceptively simple movie, Jim Jarmusch's first, has been called the first modern independent film. Shot in black and white, it follows the nonadventures of three completely aimless characters, Willie, Eddie and Willie's cousin Eva. The first scenes mostly show Willie lying in bed or smoking a cigarette in his dingy Brooklyn apartment. His friend Eddie visits and they sit silently drinking beer. When Cousin Eva from Hungary arrives, the three of them sit around watching television. Not very exciting maybe, but there is a subtle genius to the way this film progresses. Eva goes to Cleveland to live with her aunt; Eddie and Willie decide to visit her. Soon the three drive down to Florida. Each landscape is portrayed as desolate and depressing. The shots look like black and white photos from the Old West, or perhaps the depression. Gradually the three interact and display emotion, though it is all within the rigid confines of their incredibly limited existence. There is quite a bit of deadpan humor, which works precisely because the actors seem unaware of it. The performances are all completely natural and understated, containing none of the self-conscious hipness of many more recent art films. This is probably the closest any film has come to portraying a pure existentialism that is both funny and tragic. These characters utterly lack any sense of purpose, ambition or connectedness to a wider world. What's more and what is a little disturbing is the way this film, if you get into the spirit of it, makes you seriously question whether anyone can truly break through these limits. On one level, we can wonder at and laugh at the apparent stupidity of these people as they sit in silence or engage in ridiculous conversations about nothing. On another level these scenes have an honesty and simple intensity that makes you (or me at least) suspect that the grandiose plans, action and meaning that fills the screen in most other films is mainly pomp and vanity. I admire the way Jarmusch allows nothing to happen much of the time. It's a refreshing contrast to mainstream films filled with mindless action, tediously hip dialogue and "meaningful" relationships. Not that all films should be like Stranger Than Paradise; but its unique style puts other films --and life--into a new and greater perspective.
Rating: 
Summary: slowest film I ever loved
Review: This is not an exciting film. It is a love story -- a platonic love story about an American, played by John Lurie, who "doesn't even consider himself part of [his] family anymore," who is forced by his mother to host a cousin who has just arrived from Europe. He wants nothing to do with her and her treats her [badly]. He's the kind of guy that wants to be cool, never show his emotions, you know the type. He and his best friend occupy themselves by cheating at poker and going to the track. As far as he is concerned, she's about as uncool as it gets. His cousin barely speaks English, and when she speaks she says what she thinks. That's how it starts out. I don't want to tell you the plot so... if you want to see where it goes check it out for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant - a masterpiece
Review: This ranks as one of my favorite films of all time. However, I think one's opinion is affected by whether you see it on the big screen or TV. I remember seeing this in a theater when it was first released and thought it was the most strangely humorous, starkly beautiful, nihilistic, melancholy, touching and insightful thing I'd ever seen. Jim Jarmusch basically launched the independent film movement with "Stranger than Paradise" and while the brilliance of this film has caused me to see all his later work, nothing matches it. It's sort of a hard film to describe - 'ya just have to see it. But try to catch it on a large screen if you can. Visually, it's just gorgeous. I remember reading somewhere that Jim shot it on some special B & W film stock left over from someone else's project. The stark winter scenes on lake Erie are unforgettable - like celluloid art. On top of all of this - you get Screamin' Jay Hawkins singing "I Put a Spell on You" (the original, good version not the watered-down later version). I mean, what-more-do-you-want?!? A little known bit of trivia - the chick who played Eva was a fashion model in NYC at the time and also makes a cameo appearance in the documentary of the NYC underground art/music scene called "Downtown '81" featuring Jean Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, James Chance and Tav Falco.
Rating:
Summary: Tired of Hollywood Crap??? This is the Remedy.
Review: What a refreshing change of pace this movie is from all those big-budget Hollywood bores. Finally on DVD, Jarmusch's great first flick is available once again to shine for movie lovers everywhere. It's basically just a slice of life piece on three characters: Willie, friend Eddie and Eva (Willie's cousin). Their lives are pretty much going nowhere, so they set out to Cleveland and later Florda to find paradise. But what they discover is that "whatever new place we go to, it all looks the same." There really is no message here, though, it's just a remarkable look into the lives of 3 real characters. Funny, touching and downright engrossing, it's a great little film. The DVD presents the B&W film in widescreen. The only "extra" is some soundless behind-the-scenes footage (in color) shot during filming. There is no trailer...(this is MGM you know).
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