"It's like weighing air . . ." - Wayne Wang & Paul Auster's Smoke & Blue in the Face

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I sit down to discuss a forgotten classic of 90's Independent Cinema, Director Wayne Wang and Writer and Co-Director, Paul Auster's Smoke - a beautifully nuanced look at the inhabitants of a Brooklyn neighborhood and the cigar shop that so many of them congregate. With a great lead performance from Harvey Keitel and a supporting cast including William Hurt, Harold Perrineau Jr., Giancarlo Esposito, Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd, and Forrest Whitaker, Smoke is a great showcase for this group of eclectic actors. While Smoke was finishing production, Wang and Auster realized that they had gold with outtakes and additional scenes the actors had improvised. Under budget and schedule, the directors went to Miramax and were given the funds for an additional five days to shoot Blue in the Face, a fun and lively film that continues the previous story and expands the world of the characters. Both films are wonderful gems of 90's cinema. Take a listen to this fun and interesting conversation.

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