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“Coffee and Cigarettes” on DVD This movie came out three years ago – and director Jim Jarmusch started making it nearly 20 years ago – but it gets better as it ages. Well, some people think so; others call it the worst movie ever. It’s made up of 11 vignettes of actors and other celebrities, sometimes playing themselves, talking over – you guessed it – coffee and cigarettes. In this age of public smoking bans, health initiatives and even color TV, the black-and-white “Coffee and Cigarettes” seems like a historical piece. You certainly couldn’t have filmed it in a Colorado coffeehouse in 2006. Highlights include a bit between a bouncing-off-the-walls Roberto Benigni and an extra-dry Steven Wright, and a hilarious diner scene with rockers Iggy Pop and Tom Waits.
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“Habitus Disgustica: The Encyclopedia of Annoying, Rude, and Unpleasant Behavior” Speaking of disgusting habits, or at least annoying ones, here’s a whole book of them. At the top of the list is smoking, but don’t forget about nose picking (rhinotillexomania), inappropriate scratching, nail biting, teeth grinding and knuckle cracking. And here are two modern ones that are suddenly universal: talking too loudly on a cellphone and having annoying ringtones. The book is broken down into several categories: antisocial behavior; bodily functions; chewing, biting and picking; eating and drinking; involuntary actions; and poor personal hygiene. Handy (and hilarious) diagrams demonstrate the vile behaviors and help identify perpetrators. Hopefully, you won’t find yourself in too many of the diagrams.
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coloradorestaurant.com For those who like eating outside, the Colorado Restaurant Association has put together a handy online guide to al fresco dining, called Hot Spots with Cool Patios. Before your next dinner out, spend some time browsing the list, which covers restaurants, brewpubs, grills and bars in Denver and around the state. This is a great time of the year to eat outdoors and take in Colorado’s “purple mountains” majesty and its great cuisine at the same time. Some establishments also have heated patios, so you can eat outside well into the fall and winter. And for those of you who are so inclined, in some cases, the state’s new smoking ban still allows patrons to light up during or after a meal, so long as you’re doing it on a patio.
