Film review: Lost In Translation
My apologies for the sudden tidalwave of reviews today. I like films, I like reviewing. Put one and one together, and what do you get? Three reviews in one day.
Ah well.
Lost In Translation.
There are good comedies, there are good drama films, but never before have these two genres blended as seamlessly as they have in sofia Coppola's debut as a writer/director; Lost In Translation.
The comedy is that of a 'stranger in a strange land'-type, courtesy, almost completely, of an Oscar-worthy Bill Murray. His very downplayed portrayal of a burnt-out actor doing a whiskey-ad in Tokyo, Japan is as heartwarmingly endearing as it is laugh-out-loud funny. It's been a while since a film, or a scene even, made me laugh until I cried, but Bob Harris
who's just as lost as she is. It's utterly unbelievable that a woman as young as Scarlett Johansson can pull this off - she is a bonafide actress, not a star -big difference- and her performance, inextricably linked with Bill Murray's, is a joy to watch.
It's easy to see why this film is lost on so many people, but is praised into heaven by so many others. From the offset, it appears a very boring movie - nothing happens; they make a big deal out of very little. And if you can't get used to that, you miss out on the fact that actually, in doing this, they made something extremely beautiful and emotive to watch.
Finally, the ending of the film alone makes it worth seeing. Instead of laying things out plainly, it instead leaves the viewer to wonder and hypothesize. What a beautiful piece of work this is, that focuses on its own characters, but keeps the thoughts of the viewer in mind at all times.
Stunning on every level.
A 93 out of 100.
Cheers
Ah well.
Lost In Translation.
There are good comedies, there are good drama films, but never before have these two genres blended as seamlessly as they have in sofia Coppola's debut as a writer/director; Lost In Translation.
The comedy is that of a 'stranger in a strange land'-type, courtesy, almost completely, of an Oscar-worthy Bill Murray. His very downplayed portrayal of a burnt-out actor doing a whiskey-ad in Tokyo, Japan is as heartwarmingly endearing as it is laugh-out-loud funny. It's been a while since a film, or a scene even, made me laugh until I cried, but Bob Harris
 | on an exercise machine gone haywire does it every time. In fact, Bob Harris in general does it every time. His tiny facial expressions, his minute gestures - this is Bill Murray at his absolute best. The drama part is where Scarlett Johansson's character Charlotte comes into play. She plays a woman who's lost herself, both in her marriage and in the huge metropolitan city her photographer husband has dragged her into. The only anchor she has is Bob Harris, |
It's easy to see why this film is lost on so many people, but is praised into heaven by so many others. From the offset, it appears a very boring movie - nothing happens; they make a big deal out of very little. And if you can't get used to that, you miss out on the fact that actually, in doing this, they made something extremely beautiful and emotive to watch.
Finally, the ending of the film alone makes it worth seeing. Instead of laying things out plainly, it instead leaves the viewer to wonder and hypothesize. What a beautiful piece of work this is, that focuses on its own characters, but keeps the thoughts of the viewer in mind at all times.
Stunning on every level.
A 93 out of 100.
Cheers
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