Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Jim Jarmusch is one of these contemporary directors that know how to portray coolness in a very sophisticated way. Like Wes Anderson, but in a significant different design, although their mixing of the serious and comic genres with a high sense of dry humor are very similar.

I already featured some samurai in the traditional fashion. But with Ghost Dog Jarmusch choose to portray a samurai in the present, utterly well played by Forest Withaker. A quiet figure, very decent and dedicated, plus he's got some fantastic items and uses of things. A secret compartment in his wooden floor with a secretly situated key, the self-made boombox out of wood and car hi-fi, his communicating by carrier pigeon and the glossy dark-blue suit. Lots of shoe styles are found either, from the all red Nike Low Air Force Ones as the Reebok Pumps to classic American footwear like L.L. Beans (not featured) and the Red Wings worn by Isaach de Bankolé. Not unexpectedly, because of his love for ancient Asian practices, the RZA made the soundtrack for the movie.

Cannonball! (1976)

There are many B-films that can be very enjoyable when you enter them with a different state of mind. You have to realize yourself the acting will be bad, characters will be foolish and the fact that you have to see the film as a caricature of some aspects of society - just don't take it serious. This is one of these films and it really provided for some very comic moments from time to time.

Add up to it the lovely cars chasing and wrecking each other. There's the fire-red 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am driven by the protagonist (David Carradine), the 1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the amazing yellow DeTomaso Pantera (designed by Tom Tjaarda). Ford supplied the engine for the Pantera to compete with General Motors and their GT car: the Corvette. Without a single doubt I prefer the Pantera - I would love to be in the drivers seat of that car one day, damn. Watch out for the still with Martin Scorsese, Paul Bartel (director of Cannonball) and Sylvester Stallone eating some Kentucky Fried Chicken accompanied by some wine.

Big Fish (2003)

Writing about the marvelous precision and carefulness in the choice of setting, decor and costumes of Anderson made me think about another director with almost as much sense for these aspects of film: Tim Burton. Although with a slightly different approach since he loves fiction and injects the fantasy element to most of his works.

Big Fish takes place in the American countryside which provides much space for old American tradition and clothing. I really love the oil-waxed cotton duck (deriving from the Dutch 'katoen doek') jacket worn by the farmer, the canvas and leather rucksack (another Dutch derivation) that could have been a Filson, the 1966 Dodge Charger and of course the deck shoes which probably are my favorite type of footwear. Although I sometimes long to the time where people wore no shoes at all and enjoyed wobbling rocking chairs. As a child growing up in Cameroon I didn't wear shoes for most of the time and it gives you a certain kind of freedom. Another interesting item featured in the film is the money bag with the ziplock (where Anothersomething recently did a small article on). See for yourself.