Lost in Translation

[Pielorinho]

The cast was good, but the script just went nowhere. Wanted to like it, and did (not enough to ever bother watching it again), but I did not enjoy it as much as I would have if more things had happened (like Bill and the girl cheating).

Huh -- for me, that was part of what I liked about it. I mean, they were so obviously gonna hook up, because that's how things work in movies, don'tcha know? And both their spouses were such putzes, and people in movies can never keep their pants on, and the sex scene between the two characters was inevitable.

Except it wasn't, and that was almost a surprise ending. They were both in bad marriages, but lust wasn't more important than other things in their lives, especially for Bill. So they decide NOT to complicate things with sex: they decide to let their flirtation never progress beyond flirtation.

I ended up really admiring both of them for that.

My wife read an interview with Sofia Coppola, who'd asked her teenaged niece what she thought Bill whispered in Scarlett's ear at the end. "Duh," answered the niece, "His email address!"

Daniel

 

[Iron_Chef]

Huh -- for me, that was part of what I liked about it.

Daniel

Eh. If I wanna watch real life, I can do that for free by looking out the window. When I rent a movie, I expect something more.

 

[Dragonblade]

I rather enjoyed it. But it helps that I used to live in Japan and could understand all the Japanese dialogue without subtitles. I think some of the humor of the movie, and also the sense of isolation and alienation that Bill Murray experiences is partially lost on people who have never been to a foreign country alone, and to Japan in particular.

Second, I knew it was an arthouse flick and went to the theater expecting an arthouse flick and not a standard Billy Murray comedy. It has funny moments but is not a comedy.

 

[Krieg]

i was trying to figure out if they were going for sexy or just casual or if there was a hidden meaning to someone hanging out in their underwear instead of wearing clothes.

Aren't windows into Diaglo's pscyhe neat?

I rather enjoyed it. But it helps that I used to live in Japan and could understand all the Japanese dialogue without subtitles. I think some of the humor of the movie, and also the sense of isolation and alienation that Bill Murray experiences is partially lost on people who have never been to a foreign country alone, and to Japan in particular.

This is a big part of why I liked the film. The scene in the elevator where no-one is taller than Murray's shoulder hit too close to home.

It's a bit disconcerting to spend your life "average" in height (5'10") and then find yourself walking down a busy street & towering over EVERYONE in sight. The first time I found myself alone in Tokyo I had to fight an irrational urge to roar like Godzilla & start stepping on people.

The one thing I don't think they really hit on is how very different the definition of "personal space" is between native Japanese & westerners.

In the end the film touched me because I could relate. It vividly echoed various experiences from my life...

 

[drnuncheon]

I rather enjoyed it. But it helps that I used to live in Japan and could understand all the Japanese dialogue without subtitles.

I spent a couple weeks there on business, so I could definitely relate as well. Especially near the beginning, where he's riding in the cab, looking out at everything, but he's completely cut off from it all. I felt like that since I was leaving my wife (well, my fiancee at the time) behind in the States.

I wonder what the correlation is like between 'liked it/didn't like it' and 'been to Japan/haven't been'...

J

 

[ASH]

Never been out of the states.. Liked it!! But I think that the director, Sofia Copola(sp?) did a good job at makeing me, the watcher, feel as lost as the characters did. At times I felt, Lost in Translation..

 

[Kai Lord]

The movie did a fantastic job of making me care about the characters. Great chemistry, great acting, nice direction. But only as far as creating interesting characters. I could relate to the situations, but in spite of the hype I found that the film's relationship and social situations are so far behind me and so unimportant that as I watched it I felt like the hobbits in the Shire tavern at the end of Return of the King, looking around as everybody celebrated and made a big deal about beer and pumpkins.

Lost in Translation is a nice looking pumpkin, but that's all it is.

 

[Dragonblade]

What I really liked about the movie was how well Sofia Coppola captured that feeling of isolation that you get after having spent a lot of time in a foreign country.

I really related to that. I love Japan and still do. My wife, who is Japanese, plans on moving us back there in the future. But there were times when the little cultural differences would drive me crazy. And times when I would be desperately lonely for anything American, even if it was something as commercial and cliche as a McDonald's hamburger. I love Japanese food, but I think I ate at McDonalds more often during my years in Japan, than I ever did in the States. It was taste of home. Not quite the same but close enough. In fact, I first discovered EN World during many lonely hours of surfing the web after I broke up with my ex-girlfriend and before I met and started dating my wife. There was also the sense of estrangement from all my friends back in the States. They would all hang out without me, and write e-mail and tell me about it. They went through changes in their lives or even got married and I missed spending that time with them. Sharing those moments and those laughs.

There are things I miss about Japan too though. The quiet civility of perfect strangers when you ride the train or bus, not the loud punks that ride public transportation in the U.S. The cosmopolitan big city atmosphere of Tokyo. The mini celebrity status you enjoy by being the "cool" and unique foreigner. Although that had its drawbacks too. I miss karaoke bars in Kabuki-cho and Shibuya. Drinking with my friends at the local izakaya (Japanese pubs), etc. Laughing my tail off when I saw some sign or T-shirt with bad "Engrish".

I was able to relate to everything Bill Murray experienced in Lost in Translation since I had experienced it all myself.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

It looked like boring artsy drivel to me. But then, my favorite movies are either cartoons intended for small children or things like The Mummy.

 

[Dimwhit]

It looked like boring artsy drivel to me.

I would prefer to go with "slow-paced artsy..." well, I can't come up with a good spin to "drivel." But it was good.

However, I'll admit that it got a lot more hype than it probably deserved. Great movie? Sure. Best Picture Nomination caliber? Well, that's stretching it.