xtine1217

Who is the woman on the left on the cover of the video box?? She's not even in the movie!! (Is that supposed to be Ashely Judd??) The cover design is a ridiculous misrepresentation of the movie and didn't do it justice at all.

Aside from that minor solecism, Smoke is an absolutely wonderful film. You won't even care whether the stories that are told are true or not--it's the beauty of the sentiment and the craft of the telling that matter. Masterful performances by all cast members, but especially by Harvey Keitel. His character is a comforting and pleasing reminder of the goodness and kindness of "that one guy" in your neighborhood. This is such an great weaving of interesting tales and complex characters. A total delight.

Absolutely shocking and riveting from beginning to end. A brutal murder of three young boys leads to the wrongful conviction of three teens who were fingered for the crime because the police and townspeople found them "weird." Two of the teens are currently (2004) serving life sentences, and one is sitting on death row! This documentary brilliantly unfolds the story of the tragedy in West Memphis through interviews with the murdered boys' families, the accused and convicted teens, and footage of the court trials. The directors remain unbiased and let the audience decide for themselves "who did it," but there's no disputing that the police investigation was a travesty and that the West Memphis Three did not get fair trials--were found guilty before even taking the stand. Also check out the sequel: "Paradise Lost: Revelations." Be warned, though--both documentaries will make you want to scream with the injustice of it all, and rightfully concern you that despite an absence of any physical evidence linking three young men to a crime, and despite mounds of evidence indicating that the young men are innocent, the desire by influential individuals to convict won out over justice.

I was not prepared to like this 2000 TV version of the musical. I received the London cast album when I was 7 years old, and immediately loved it and committed every word and note to memory. The 1973 film version was good in it's own way (especially the number with Simon Zealotes), but I could not get over how disappointed I was with the characterizations of both Jesus and Judas. They were simply no match for Ian Gillian and Murray Head.

But this new version gave me the shivers right from the beginning. It felt fresh even while remaining remarkably true to the London cast album, note for note.

Even if all this means nothing to you, see this movie anyway. Or at least buy the soundtrack. It's some of the best music ever written.