Just saw this movie and was dissapointed in not finding any threads here about it !
Well what a nice movie… funny, charming, touching and food for thought all in one. Scarlett Johanson was so so good… good acting. Bill Murray too. Scarlet is so adorable and plays the “need cuddling” role so well… Those full lips of hers are extreeemeellly attractive.
I guess people who have never experienced travelling, jet lag and cultural shock won’t appreciate the film as much…
I just saw Lost in Translation (at the theater, no less) and I have to agree that it is very good. You are probably right about how those who have not travelled would be less likely to appreciate it. I am one of those people and, while I did enjoy it, I probably can’t relate as well as international travellers can. As soon as I get a legitimate reason to do some travelling I’ll have to watch it again.
It’s an awesome movie, there should be two or three threads on it (one by Cervaise), but search is still wonky.
I think it was the best picture last year, but LOTR also needs a win for what was accomplicshed, i will be happy if either win. (if any of the other three win… :mad: )
I just saw this movie again tonight with my parents. I saw it for the first time in November with my girlfriend. I thought it was a great movie the first time, but I came away tonight liking it even more.
I don’t think so. Surely, you can identify more easily with Bill Murray’s character if you’ve experienced culture shock. However, it seems to me that Scarlet Johannson’s character is more alienated by her lack of direction than her being in Tokyo (and, of course, Bill’s going through a mid-life crisis of sorts).
I’ll chime in and say that I liked this movie as well.
My absolute favorite part — the part that positively made the movie for me is when Bill Murray calls home after that first wild night out. He’s half-drunk, wearing that gaudy yellow T-shirt and he tries to say “I love you” when his wife hangs up.
As he’s hanging the phone up he says, “That was a stupid idea.”
I felt that. I’ve done it. Stupid drunk phone calls made real.
Bravo.
— Peter Wiggen
This movie just blew me away. It had such a perfect dream-like atmosphere throughout. The characters, their relationship… very well done. All the shots were like little moving photographs - a video collage sort of thing. I think I’ll definitely have to buy the DVD when it comes out on the 4th. I’m only afraid that three months later, they’ll release the super special edition DVD, and then 8 months later it’ll be the uber-mega-feature packed DVD with 9 extra discs worth of scenes.
Slight hijack: has anyone seen Johansson’s other film? The one about the painting? Girl With The Pearl Earing I think it’s called. I was wondering if she was as good in that. I keep seeing her in the commercials for that new teeny-bopper flick about the SATs and I think, “I hope she’s only doing it for the easy money.”
Here’s the previous thread I started on Lost in Translation.
I saw Girl with a Pearl Earring earlier today. I liked it — not overwhelmingly, as there are many other movies of the season I liked much more (Altman’s Company, for example, and Triplets of Belleville is friggin’ brilliant), but my reaction to Pearl Earring was positive. Johansson is very good in it, but the script is a little thin. The reason to see it is the cinematography: It’s a painting come alive.
Great film. Great performances. I’ve slowly come from hating Bill Murray’s guts to taking quite a liking to him in the past few years, and this film was another leap in that journey. Every look, every word, every gesture is perfect. Loved it.
I just know I am hot for this new actress Johansson. Those lips and her sad puppy face during the film just captivated me.
As for the no sex involvement... it gave a purity to their relationship. Its a love story and not a love story. More maybe a companionship and marriage story. Both ? In the end they just needed someone to talk to... to relate too. Sex would have been incidental ?Sounds like you think that’s the only other film she’s done.
Check out “The Horse Whisperer.” She was excellent in that.
Not to mention Ghost World.
While watching Lost in Translation, I felt bored. Afterwards I got to thinking about the movie, and the parts that bored me started to make sense. There were a few scenes were the two major characters would try to converse with each other but not say anything. I understand now it’s the awkward silence similar to what first-time daters expereince. In their case, they knew they couldn’t throw away their marriages for a one-night stand, and started to respect each other as close friends rather than lovers.
If it weren’t an independent production, it would have had zillions of lines of dialogue and Bill Murray and Scarlet Johannsen bonking each other like bunnies.
See The Man Who Wasn’t There. Just as gorgeous a film as LIT, and with a supporting role from Johansson.
I saw it last night on DVD, and while I enjoyed it and recommend it – I’m not sure what the fuss is about. A pleasant film, sure…but Best Picture? Best Actor? I just don’t see it.
So very true ! I would naturally watch it only for the sleaze and Johanson.
Lost in Translation rates as one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I just
don’t understand the hype about it at all.
In particular:
The “lost in translation” parts are quite hilarious, but only if you understand Japanese.
The endless shots of people in elevators, people in bars, people in window-sills. Sure - they’re bored - can’t we convey this in a less boring way?
The badly cut, incoherent “night on the town”, which lasted for forty minutes, was like attending a party sober whilst everyone else is drunk. Intensely painful. What was it with the fake machine gun, and since when has a karaoke scene been the height of cinema?
The one night stand with the singer. What the heck was that about?
Complaining about the shabu-shabu - it’s an incredible meal, and a great experience. Typical American whining about foreign culture just because it’s foreign.
I think the real test is that you could cut any scene from the picture, and it would still be the same picture. Repeat ad infinitum until you’re left with 15 minutes of Bill Murray making faces for the camera.
You really need to see more movies.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see it get so many Oscar nominations, especially the best actor for Bill Murray. Surprised because the awards always seem to go to the obvious choices and not to the people that really should win – for example, everybody in Oscar Bait, I mean, Mystic River. That was just an amazing performance; he didn’t lose himself in the part but he didn’t just play up his schtick, either. The movie just wouldn’t have worked without him.
I was a little surprised to see it get nominated for best picture as well. Even though Return of the King was my favorite movie of last year, I wouldn’t be disappointed if Lost in Translation won, because it was so well made and didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives. It wasn’t constructed to win awards or tug heartstrings or showcase breathtaking performances; it was pretty subtle and realistic. I still think that there was a lot of overplayed, distracting stuff going on – the L vs R joke, the “lip my stocking” escort, the ditzy Hollywood actress – but the movie as a whole has stuck with me.
It took a good bit of courage to take a movie like that, with real dialog instead of big, emotional showcase scenes; with moments of introspection instead of sudden epiphanies and big climaxes; with a realistic relationship developing instead of a montage of goofy scenes at Tokyo Tower; and trust the audience to be able to get it.
Nah, it really is okay not to like Lost in Translation, I know plenty of people who didn’t.
It’s a cute little movie, but IMHO not worth all the hype. The jokes are a little cheesy and could be construed as racist (not to open a can of worms or anything). Murray’s performance goes a long way to save it, and I’d be happy for him to get the best actor Oscar, but if it gets anything for direction or screenplay (much, from what I’ve heard, improvised by Murray and Johanssen) I shall be bloody annoyed.
Why do you date only blondes ? Why don’t you drink tea ? Taste is taste. Some people love Citizen Kane and I thought it was extremely boring. Normal.
It's ok for you not to like LIT... maybe it just didn't touch you as it did others... or you didn't get it (happens sometimes to me) or you were in a bad mood. My brother and his wife didn't like it either and they lived and travelled abroad a lot.... go figure.This happens every year with every AA-nominated film. Ask me about The English Patient, I’ll rip your head off with criticism of it. That’s just the nature of entertainment. We don’t all like the same thing. If we did, there would be even less variation in the offerings from Hollywood.
Not liking it is one thing, but if it’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen, you need to see more movies. 
There is some godawful excrement out there.