Lost In Translation

DMT

Anyone else looking forward to this?
It's been a while since Bill Murray was in a film where he could showcase his talent properly...

Bannor

I saw it when I was in Canada last September - definitely a good movie and well worth seeing. The movie made me want to visit Japan for the experience.

Miguel_Sanchez

I've been looking forward to this one for ages. I've heard nothing but good things about it (aside from my brother - but I don't trust his opinions anyway).

Plus Kevin Shields from My Bloody Valentine has 4 new songs on the soundtrack (or is it 5?)

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

RE*AC*TOR

Great movie - watched it at the weekend. Some people have commented on it being slow paced - and it is - but in a good way. The story is subtle and bittersweet - juxtaposed to the cultural eccentricities of Tokyo. At times it is very funny, at times a little disturbling. Not everyones cup of tea probably. It's by no means out and out comedy. Don't expect Groundhog Day.

ixoy

Yup, looking forward to it too! Nice ad - just the right touch of bittersweet comedy. Bill Murray is nearly always watchable - he has just the right sardonic air to him. The Oscar + awards buzz helps, as does the fact that sites like www.entertainment.ie already calling it the movie of the year...
Might see it Saturday.

anthonymcg

Going to see it next Wednesday. Looks excellent, love Bill Murray anyway.

koneko

Been looking forward to this aswell. I've heard a *lot* of great things about it, hope it lives up to that

daveg

Can't wait to see it. Bill Murray is hotly tipped for an oscar for his performance.

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

Kali

Aye heartwarming and somewhat depressing at the same time.. very enjoyable, don't think that any performance is oscar worthy, nor is the film or story itself, but its overall simplicity is what hangs it all together... words unsaid, just being there.
Overall a very enjoyable film though, go see.

ondafly

great film - has the same feel about it like "Hana Bi"
Soundtrack is great also - some of it felt very Vanilla Sky at times.

Linoge

Overall the film was ok, wont get near an oscar nomination though. I thought it was actually a very weak storyline with lots of time-fillers, relying on most of its humour from the eccentric Japs. LIT defo didn't deserve the 5 stars from entertainment.ie. To think that this film is of the caliber of LOTR-ROK is an insult to ROK. I'll be using some other source for film reviews in the future:dunno:

BTW- What was the story with that woman near the end that said she was a fan of his? How does that fit in????

ixoy

Originally posted by Linoge
Overall the film was ok, wont get near an oscar nomination though.

Bet it will. The buzz says for Director and Actor (not necessarily Best Picture). Bet you're wrong. We'll see in two weeks time...

Kali

BTW- What was the story with that woman near the end that said she was a fan of his? How does that fit in????

Suddenly he's back where he was at the start of the film.. being recognized, a big star etc. and Charlotte then feels like she hasn't reached him at all... without that small distraction the initial goodbye would be pointless.

Linoge

I really would like to know Kali if you could phrase it in a more oblique way:)

ixoy

Very nice and enjoyable. World-weary Murray does indeed some perfectly cast for this. It's as if the happiness is dying inside him, the joy of life, but there's that ember, that spark, that briefly reignites in the presence of Scarlet. I can see him getting a deserved Oscar nomination.

Some people don't care for the screenplay here - but I'm not quite sure what on earth they expect. Obviously not much happens because it's not a thriller. It's not an action movie. It's about two people who happened to find one another for a few days. They had a nice time. Just like you or I may if we were in their situations - a moment apart, away, from their lives. It may not be riveting always but it's perfect for what they're trying to show. It helps that it mixes the funny and the sad, reflected always in Murray's performance. The only niggling point is that it'd be nice if the Japanese weren't always made the vague object of sneering Western superiority (I know it's not what's intended, but it's what sometimes comes across - let's laugh at the silly Japs!)

Coppola also got a lot of praise for her work, and talk of an Oscar nomination. Wouldn't be surprised if she did. Some nice subtle touches and there's that sort of dreamy, escapist air we saw in "The Virgin Suicides". It's helped - again - by a beautiful mild soundtrack that helps us transport us away too. The movie doesn't outstay its welcome either, another sign of a deft hand.

Well worth seeing - leaving a nice warm feeling in you, without having to endure overly-sentimentality.

xx

I'll chose my words carefully, but I'm saying it was a 'beautiful' movie. I so so enjoyed it. Bill Murray never missed a beat through the movie. Plus it was nice and realistic, no massive eccentric pulp-fiction-esque quotes in it. I'm givvin' it 10/10. But one thing is bugging me since I left the cinema - what did he say to her when they were hugging each other on the crowded street at the end??? I know it wasn't supposed to be heard, but I wanna know!!!!

Kali

Originally posted by xx
I know it wasn't supposed to be heard, but I wanna know!!!!

Simply "thank you", nothing else needed to be said... but maybe he said it in japanese and thats why it took so long

Stark

It was nice, but god it's so been done before. Adding an annoyingly slow pace, some nice atmosphere and sets and a well-liked actor doesn't change that. The humour is very tiresome as well. "Oh you got the words mixed up when translating between English, Japanese and English? Wow that's original".

ixoy

To be fair though, if you want originality avoid Hollywood

Tusky

Thought it was fantastic , simple and charming , some of the people that went with me hated it...heh

anthonymcg

Originally posted by k.oriordan
It was nice, but god it's so been done before.

Which films?

I think the stength of the film lies in the simplicity and the performances. If you read the script would you have been able to weave all of the nuances into the characters as Johannsen and Murray did. It's about two people misplaced that find a common bond, how can you compare it to a fantasy film just because they both receieved five stars. That's ridiculous in the extreme.

SweetBirdOfTruth

spoilers: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=135161

<also contains nuts. if you are alergic to nuts do not eat this thread>

Mr E

I've just come back from seeing this.... I can't remember the last time I left the cinema with a smile on my face, a warmth in my heart and a deep sense of satisfaction ....

Loved it.

- Dave.

bugler

Very enjoyable film.

Those who speak of a weak story line and what not are missing the point. It isn't story driven, it's a very simple concept, very very well acted. Joy to watch, well done to all concerned. Good soundtrack too.

RichyX

Thought it was a great little film.
Not much in the way of laugh out loud moments but Murray's great acting made every little joke or situation immensely enjoyable.
Don't remember ever smiling so much during a film.

Best opening scene of any film ever, hands down.

SweetBirdOfTruth

Originally posted by anthonymcg
Which films?

strangers on a train and brief encounter, to name but two.

ObeyGiant

I really didn't like this as much as I was hoping to. I had a grin throughout the film, sure, but the 'warm' feeling inside was gone pretty quickly (the first time I saw **** Amal, I had butterflies - literally butterflies - for a week).

It was certainly nice though, but pretty unremarkable.

Also, regarding the "sneering Western superiority".. I didn't get this at all. To a Japanese audience, I'm sure a lot of these examples of odd Japanese culture being played for laughs in the movie would seem perfectly natural. The culture clashes were there to demonstrate the alienation the two main characters felt from the rest of Japanese society. A perfect demonstration of this would be the scene that got the most laughs when I saw it: the scene with Bill Murray talking to the Japanese man in the hospital waiting room. Look to the top left in this scene, and you see two Japanese women laughing hard at the interplay between the two (maybe, in Japan, this is a case of "let's laugh at the silly roundeyes").

But that's neither here nor there.

o sleep

Originally posted by ObeyGiant
maybe, in Japan, this is a case of "let's laugh at the silly roundeyes")..

perhaps, as Japan is supposed to be one of the most racist societies in the world (well, up there with england, etc, anyway).


A japanese friend came out of the cinema and thought the bits dealing with japanese people were racist. each to their own. i think there's a little bit of both arguments, however. i think Copolla was *trying* to show how alienated the two were, but in a lot of circumstances used the cheap gags. most audience reactions laughed not at the confusion involved, but at the japanese attempts to speak english etc etc.

ObeyGiant

Originally posted by o sleep
most audience reactions laughed not at the confusion involved, but at the japanese attempts to speak english etc etc

As I said, the scene that got the biggest reaction at the screening I was at was the scene where Bill Murray attempted to speak in Japanese - but as you said, each to their own.

I think more evidence for this being more a case of culture clash than straight-out racism comes from the fact that the outrageous TV show that Bill Murray's character appears on - one of the most surreal moments of the film - is an actual Japanese TV show ("Matthew's Best Hit TV"), and was not exaggerated in any way.

I'm sure if a Japanese filmmaker was to make a similar movie ("Rost in Transration"?), they could just plonk a Japanese character, replete with inept interpreter, on So Graham Norton and achieve a similar effect for Japanese audiences.

Ichiro

I loved it thought it was Brilliant
will go again

Had everything for me

Loved the end

" midnight at the oasis "
That made me laugh

I hope Bill get's the Oscar.

Though i hope he is above all that.

Scarlett was good to. Stunning

Len_007

Deadly stuff altogether

ReefBreak

I loved the film. I loved the pacing, the atmosphere, the soundtrack. It's "deep", but in a good way.

But it's probably not for everyone - it certainly wasn't for the 6 or 7 people that walked out of the cinema halfway through. This always annoys me because I start to think that they're only pissed off that there's no car chases or explosions in the film. Maybe it's me being "snotty".

Fence

Have to say I wasn't overly impressed, but that may have more to do with the fact that it seemed to be marketed as a comedy, which it shouldn't have been. It was a mildly amusing drama, which to me was far too slow.

Plus I had seen the trailer for it SO many times.

Did have some very nice touches though, so I would recomend it to others

Johnny_the_fox

She was a good one...

Annoying me head :: What was the first song they sung in the karaoke room? cheers

ixoy

Originally posted by Fence
Have to say I wasn't overly impressed, but that may have more to do with the fact that it seemed to be marketed as a comedy, which it shouldn't have been. It was a mildly amusing drama, which to me was far too slow.

Definetely agree there. The reason I feel that so many people disliked it is that they expected a comedy. I knew from the reviews that it was more a sweet drama with amusing moments. I think that really helped me appreciate it more.

superfly

very slow moving
i felt it was too much like Before Sunrise but without the great dialogue
2 souls lost in a foreign city, searching for a reason
it has been done before but definitely one of the better ones of its limited genre

Kambika

boooooooring... I was waiting 2 hours for something to happen........

Dr Pepper

I am not a simple person and I'm usually the one person smiling coming out of the cinema when everyone else is pi$$ed off BUT... I thought it was painful.. PAINFUL!

When I started reading this thread, I assumed I had made a mistake and everyone was talking about something else!

patto_chan

It's not a masterpiece but I'll give it 2 thumbs up.

Actors were very good and as a former longtime resident of Japan I enjoyed the cinematography.

Another thing .... I've heard they've been accused of taking the piss out of Cameron Diaz by using her as the model for the gushing airhead actress who was also at the hotel. Didn't make the connection myself though.

comet

Didn't like the film at all, very average, no story, can't see what the fuss is about...

MadsL

no story

right over your head then...

comet

right over your head then...

Yeah well it must have tbh. All I saw was a girl sitting in her knickers in a hotel room for 2 hours who meets Murray who probably wants to shag her. It certainly isn't story driven and its not a comedy. A situation drama is it? I don't how people can talk of spoilers, how could you possibly spoil it? theres no real story to spoil!! . I can see it was cleverly put together and directed but thats not enough for me, just my opinion thats all.

ixoy

For me it was the fact that it was subtle that makes it endearing. The almost-touches are just as well done as any possible physical interaction. The direction was spot on as were the performances. Nice, gentle, soothing pace capped it all off.