Movie Tagline: The most precious things are lighter than the air
First, a word about Smoked Beers. The original smoke beer, or Rauchbier, came from the Bavarian city of Bamberg, and was a beechwood-smoked Märzen. Its smoky flavor came from drying the malted barley over an open flame. Two breweries, Schlenkerla and Spezial, still make a version of this beer. Indeed, they are largely responsible for keeping this unique style alive through the years. But, more recently, brewers have sought to revive and update the smoked beer. From pilsners to stouts to sours, every style seems to be getting the smoked malt treatment. And as much as we would like to talk about each and every one of them, we are going to limit ourselves to one: a special smoked beer from Schlenkerla called Eiche. Also called Schlenkerla Oak Smoke, Eiche is only released during the Christmas season. It was never produced on a large scale because oak was always deemed too valuable a timber to simply burn. Beech was always the timber of choice because of its abundance in German forests. But the Oak Smoke was and is a special treat. This makes it go well with Smoke, a 1995 movie featuring Harvey Keitel as Auggie, the owner of a New York smoke shop frequented by a cast of accomplished character actors, including William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Jared Harris, Ashley Judd, and more. It is fairly unconventional for a slice-of-life 90s movie. It is delicately assembled, and dialogue-driven, with no big scenes to punctuate the small ones. Even the most memorable, telling lines are delivered so casually they can get lost in the shuffle if you are not listening closely. It is revelatory, but quiet; epic in a very small, personal way. Harvey Keitel is the glue that holds the movie together. He helps these frantic New Yorkers slow down and pay attention to the little things in life. He is a philosopher who draws stories out of people, and makes them look at their lives in different ways. And when it's his turn to tell a story to cap off the movie, Keitel nails it. This came out during a weird stretch in his career. Maybe not weird, but weirdly varied. He was a crook with a code of ethics in Reservoir Dogs (1992); a vile, tortured soul in Bad Lieutenant (1992); an outcast neighbor in The Piano (1993); a con man and loving father in Imaginary Crimes (1994); cool and collected as The Wolf in Pulp Fiction (1994); and a priest who's lost his faith in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). For a guy who could easily make a career out of playing tough guys and gangsters, Harvey Keitel sure does like to keep you guessing as to what he will do next. But Smoke has more in its arsenal than just Keitel. Everyone turns in a solid performance here. And director Wayne Wang does a fantastic job of weaving the stories together so they don't seem too forced or rushed. In other hands, this movie could have easily devolved into contrivance and cliche. But it is well crafted and subtle, hitting all the right notes. Just like Schlenkerla Oak Smoke.
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