"I consider myself a minor poet who write fairly small poems. I'd rather make a movie about a guy walking his dog than about the emperor of China."- Jim Jarmusch

Over the last few years, University Press of Mississippi has released several book under their "Conversations with Filmakers Series." Past directors in the series have included Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci, Jean-Luc Godard, and Quentin Tarantino. I've read just about all of them, and I have to say this one, about American independent film director Jim Jarmusch, is one of my favorites.

The book consists of seventeen interviews of Jarmusch ranging from 1981 to 2000. During that time, Jarmusch has released independent classics starting with Stranger In Paradise(1984), Down By Law(staring a young Robert Benigni-1986), Mystery Train(1989), Dead Man(1995), and Ghost Dog:Way of the Samurai(1999).
These series of interviews reveal some of the meaning and influences that helped shape those films.

For those who might not know, Jarmusch is not only a brillaint director but he is also a facinating conversationalist. In the interviews, he describes his backgroung starting in Akron, Ohio and his early college years studying abroad in Paris, France. As an "outsider" studying in a foreign country, Jarmusch was never able to forget that feeling, and you can tell that when you watch his movies.

What's fascinating about Jarmusch is his mixing of "high' and "low" cultures which permeates his films. In the interviews, he admits being obsessed with the Japanese director Ozu and, at the same time, being influenced by the TV show "The Honeymooners."

I've been waiting for years on a biography about Jarmusch. Although this not a biography(or autobiography or that matter),
it is an excellent introduction this director's life and work. I recommend it to not only Jarmusch nuts, but to anybody who interested in American Independent movies.

Unique work that is overlooked. All work has a very narrative-illustrative style. Srong line quality, color and composition. For a viewer with the ability to explore.

Nothing can prepare you for a Joe Coleman painting if you've never seen one before-- the beauty of these works will literally rip your eyeballs from your skull. With a scholarly, yet fierce courage Coleman reinvents the characters and scenes he portrays, with a technical skill which borders on the supernatural. In a recent show in Rotterdam, Coleman's work was hung beside those of Hieronymus Bosch, a deserved honor.

The essays in this book are excellent, describing Coleman's ground-breaking history as a performance artist as well as a painter. The design of the book by Katharine Gates is beautiful, and enhances appreciation of Coleman's work. I recommend this book to anyone who cares about art in the early 21st Century (or the 15th Century for that matter!).

Joe Coleman is represented in other books, but the essays in this book , along with the reproductions, give the viewer an intimate glimpse into the twisted and detailed paintings of joe coleman! a bargain!