Passanger Pigeon!!! The Ghost Dog thread...

Cafe Society
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Well, upon finding out today that I am not the only person on earth who liked this movie I thought I would start a thread about it! In fact i’ll even give a topic of discussion… “Ghost Dog was neither a Ghost, nor was he a Dog… Discuss”

j/k :wink: Seriously, that movie was great. Some say it was too slow or too little action/talking/scenes/whatnot. I say It’s a masterpiece of understatement.

Ok. I just said a line from the Jerk. Well despite a few flaws (such as pigeons being a two-way communication device) I would highly reccommend you see this movie if you have not… That is unless you have the attention span of a six-year-old on crack.

[sub]premiering my new sig… <drum roll>[/sub]

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I concur totally. Ghost Dog was a masterpiece of a film.

The ironic thing about this movie for me is this; Ghost Dog is my favorite film of all time. Jim Jarmusch also made a film called Dead Man with Johnny Depp which is (IMHO) the worst movie ever made and turned me off of Depp so much that I refuse to see any of his films and think he is a complete moron. Granted, its a little harsh, but I love films so much and Dead Man was a terrible movie.

Discuss.

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I saw it. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Ghost Dog reminded me of someone I know, a lot. Except that he’s not a hitman.

Very well done film. Jarmush is great. You spelled “passenger” wrong. But good job on pigeon.

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Seen it, loved it, and surprised someone else has and did. The relationship between Ghost Dog and Raymond is what really got to me. Beautifully written, shame a sequal would be quite difficult (vis a vis the end of the film).

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I still haven’t forgiven my roommate for making us go watch ROMEO MUST DIE instead of GHOST DOG.

When I finally saw it on video (Damn you, roommate!), I liked it a lot. It’s got that off-kilter cool vibe I look for. I’d love to go into detail, but I don’t know how. I’ll just go with the “me too”, like most of these other people.

For the record, I like DEAD MAN a lot. I didn’t the first time I saw it, but each viewing has grown on me. I also think Neil Young did a great job of scoring that movie.

Which brings me to RZA’s score for GHOST DOG. I like the sound of hip-hop, but don’t listen to too much because a lot of it is just “bitches and money”. But GHOST DOG is quite nice. I like how Jarmusch sets the tone with his films (at least these two) by the music.

Also, read Jarmusch’s statements on why he wrote this film for Whitaker. Something to do with the fact that Whitaker is a very sensitive, soulful guy, but he’s also got this imposing presence. Jarmusch wanted to see something that used this aspect of him. Hence, GHOST DOG.

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Coincedentally enough, my roommate is watching the movie as we speak. Hmm, may have to go check it out for a second time considering how much I enjoyed it the first time around.

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To continue on with Mofo Rising’s point, the music is very interesting. I like the fact that when Ghost Dog steals the car he always has a CD at the ready, and the music that plays sets up the next scene very well.

It would be interesting to see why Jarmusch made the Mob in GHOST DOG so… weak. Trouble paying the rent and whatnot. I suppose he was trying for something different.

Did anyone else notice a serious play on racism in the film as well. The scene that sticks in my mind is when the two mobsters find the Indian on the roof and kills a pigeon, but it happens more than once.

“Indians. Niggers. Same thing.” -Vinny

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Loved it! I have seen it a couple of times…even bought the book he reads.
Flaw: The mobsters acted like the Three Stooges. I could have offed those guys.
I still love it, but I do believe it would have been more interesting with a more capable foe(s).

I thought those pigeons were extinct…

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spooje’s voice of dissent.
I thought it was boring, mind-numbing piece of crap. I almost asked for my money back. Horrible pacing and some really bad acting! Didn’t believe any of it.

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See, I felt the same way about DEAD MAN. Just goes to show the differences in what movies people like.

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Some friends and I rented it one night because I thought the title was funny. Turns out it was a very enjoyable movie.

Score one for my habit of renting movies I have never heard of before (still doesn’t make up for my inflicting “The Road to Wellville” on several people one night though.)

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spooje this is an appreciation thread (see OP). I just hate putting that in the title subject (i.e. “this is the <whatever> appro thread”). If you really didn’t like the movie and want to post your dissent, take it somewhere else plase. :slight_smile:

robgruver …the best thing about “Indians. Niggers. Same thing.” -Vinny had to be where he’s like “they all got these crazy names, like Crazy Horse” and they all start talking about “nigga’s and indians’” names… then he’s like “Go get Joey Rags and Sammy the Snake” (actual names might differ.) I just thought that was great. That and the later scene of (crap -whassisname?) in the bathroom getting ready for bed listening and singing along to (I believe) Two Live Crew. That scene was a rip off of some old movie, FWIW, the whole shot-thru-the-drain thing. Can’t remember the name of it…

Wow, Memory Demon must have attacked me last night…

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Nitpick: It’s spelled “passenger.”

Anyway, I saw a preview for this movie with my friends in the theatres and I literally laughed at it. It just looked so silly. For a year or so I just joked about it with my friends from time to time.

Then I ordered it from Amazon.com, figuring it would be good for a laugh at the least. I was happily suprised that it was a good movie. A bit strange, but good.

BTW, that mafioso brusing his teeth is listening to Flava Flav I think. He said he liked Flava earlier in the movie. But if you saw a red beam come through your drain pipe, and some of your friends had already been assassinated (IIRC), would you put your head directly into the red beam?

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robgruver

Simply put, this was Jarmusch’s changing of the guard. This “image” of the mob was an old school version. Thus, it was doomed to die. His whole death and rebirth is seen throughout the film, right down to passing the torch to the little girl.
Mythos45

Again…he passed the torch to the next generation. If a sequel were to made, not Jarmucsh’s style, it would have the girl as an assassin in the future. Instead of carrying a suitcase, a lunchbox. But the principles are the same. I love the juxtaposed images, and the constant metaphor. I could talk about this film all day long. Good film.

Side “trivia” note:

HOWEVER, when I first saw “Ghost Dog”, it was for “legal reasons”, not pleasure. Jim Jarmusch used my artwork for the girl’s lunchbox, without permission. Thus, I had to see it, to make my case. A damn shame, because I liked the film so much. I didn’t want to see it looking for reasons to not like it.

The art on the lunch box was from my series, “Amanda & Gunn” (Image Comics, Inc.), which sported a black female gun swinging/assassin heroine. Coincidence the girl’s character was being “groomed” by Ghost Dog along those similar lines. the character on the lunch box fits the girl’s character perfectly (Jarmusch told me this over the phone).

I spent a week back and forth with Jarmusch and his “secretary/assistant”, and it boiled down to a mistake from my publisher giving out the rights (unintentionally). I’m not one to hold grudges, and it’s not like Disney ripping it off (who I would LOVE to sue). But Jarmusch is a good guy. Films, like “Ghost Dog” that are worthy, and watchable. And he likes comics, so I can’t complain. Hah! We all just let it go, it’s no big deal. It’s only a few seconds of film (although my agent sees it otherwise…but they’re looking for the money). I just liked the film.

Well…I would have liked a free DVD, or T-shirt, at least. But hey, mistakes happen.

Jet Black

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[hijaking my own thread a bit]

That rocks Jet Black! Hey, would you be interested in doing some art for an album cover? Do ya have a website or something where I could see some of your work? Email me or send me an IM (Brok Destructo)

[/hijak]

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Ever played with a laser pointer? (PSA: do not point any laser beam, even a wussy laser pointer, into your eye. This is dangerous.) You can’t see a laser beam from the side (unless the room is very dusty or steamy or something.) If you look at a laser (Don’t go out and look straight into a laser, and then come whining at me when your vision is damaged, because I warned you, dammit.)) you just see a red light. You have no way of knowing it’s a beam, or what the path of the beam is.

I think my reaction would be quite similar to that portrayed in the film. I’d be like, “What’s that red thing in the drain?”

And then Forrest Whitaker would have blown my head off.

Love the movie, by the way. My husband and I are always exhorting each other to make any given decision (where to go out to eat, what candy bar to get from the vending machine, what program to watch on TV, etc.) within seven breaths.

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The gangster is singing “Cold Lampin’ with Flavor” from Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back album. Flavor Flav sings that one song, rather than Chuck D.

The shooting through the drainpipe was from Branded to Kill. Cite. Jarmusch was a big fan of that movie.

In Ebert’s book Questions for the Movie Answer Man there’s a piece of trivia that the inspiration from that drainpipe murder scene comes from a practice of Samurais w/o masters entering in a competition to assasinate one another. A very famous samurai was killed with a spear while taking a dump. Sorry no cite for that, the book is at home.

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Potential Ghost Dog Spoilers Below

That “laser sight up the drain” thing was one of my big problems with the movie. First, what, there’s no U-bend in the guy’s sink? Second, why would you use a laser sight to shoot through a pipe? The purpose of the laser sight is to put a dot where you want the bullet to go, and if you’re shooting up a straight pipe, it ain’t like you have much choice where the bullet’s going, or even much room to look ‘round the side and see if your dot is pointing somewhere useful. It might’ve made sense if he, say, just flashed the laser to get the guy lookin’…

And they were carrier pigeons. Passenger pigeons are extinct.

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Yes, but the old guy who has a heart attack keeps yelling “PassEnger pigeons!” hence the [sub]misspelled[/sub] title :slight_smile:

How long have passenger pigeons been extinct?

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broccoli! (great username by the way),

Sorry I’m just getting back to this thread. Unfortunately, I’m not available at the mo. But we both know where to find each other around here. Keep me posted.

As for the “passenger pigeon” you’re right. The guy having the heart attack (great scene) was saying that to the bitter end.

Also…I loved the whole POV of when Ghost Dog was saved as a kid. There’s actually a lot to this movie than just surface level.

Jet black