No Smoking(2007)

Wow. Where do I begin?

I saw it listed for $7 on Nehaflix, and I was tempted to order it sight unseen, but then I thought I should try to find it online and watch it to see if I liked it enough to spend a total of $11 on it.

I found it online. I liked the first 20 minutes or so. I lost interest after John's character went to the rehabilitation center.

No Smoking is like a David Lynch film, IMO. Which is good in some ways, and bad in others.

I came across one blog that described the movie as "an ambitious failure". I agree. But that's only because I haven't watched it in its entirety. I think this is the type of flick that I would need to watch in bits and pieces because to try to watch it all at once would be too much for me to digest.

But, I'd rather watch "an ambitious failure" like No Smoking than the likes of Partner and Heyy Baby. (And this is coming from someone who can usually stomach crap films.)

Scattered thoughts:

Gratuitous shots of John's naked torso = GOOD

John wearing shades = HOT

In the scene where John and Ayesha appear to be getting intimate, what was UP with that thick-ass robe she was wearing while bundled up in a comforter? Modesty is one thing, looking downright ridiculous(not to mention uncomfortably hot) is another. Maybe that was the point. I don't know.

Is Ranvir Shorey naturally cockeyed, or was he wearing an optical device to give that impression? As ugly as I found him, I thought he and Ayesha had sexual chemistry, and could easily imagine their characters having an affair.

I liked Ayesha as the wife, but not as the receptionist--well, I guess in a way I did, kind of. Like, I could see her and John acting out a boss-secretary scenario, if you catch my drift.

Oh, and John stopping the elevator and telling the old woman to take the stairs after she asked him to put out his cigarette? HILARIOUS. Seriously. I loved that scene.

I'll have to return to this(the movie, not this entry) later. I want to like it because it's so out there. Maybe I will buy the DVD and watch only certain scenes, skip over others, and then return to the parts I fast-forwarded through. I think I would enjoy it more that way.

ETA: I ordered it today. I think I'll try watching the last couple of chapters first, and then work my way to the middle before watching it from the beginning.

ETA2: I watched it from chapter 13 to the end, and then from the beginning to the end. The final verdict? I LOVE it! I found it gross, morbidly funny, and wonderfully off-the-wall. For me, it's the kind of movie that stays with you long after you've watched it. I'm glad I went ahead and bought this. I need to hunt down similar films.