The Moose Hole - Review of Lost in Translation

[MickeyMoose15]

Released September 12th, 2003

Director: Sofia Coppola

Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Faris, Giovanni Ribisi

Premise: Bob Harris (Murray) and Charlotte (Johansson) are two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte is a young woman tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband (Ribisi). Unable to sleep, Bob and Charlotte cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, and ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities.

You really know there is a serious flip-flop in the way Hollywood thinks now adays when one of the most highly anticipated films of the year is an “art-house” feature. Lost in Translation is the second directorial project from Sofia Coppola, the daughter of Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, after her critically praised debut, The Virgin Suicides. Another rising star associated with Translation, Scarlett Johansson, has given further interest in the project thanks to her powerful performances in other art-house films like The Man Who Wasn’t There and Ghost World. But if one had to pick out only one aspect that raised the most eyebrows concerning this film, it would have to be the involvement of comedian actor Bill Murray, best known for his hilarious performances in Ghostbusters and Caddyshack ....

Click Here to Read the Full Review! (http://www.hostultra.com/~TheMooseHole/Lost%20in%20Translation.htm)

[tabuno]

The ending and the Japanese prostitute scene as the two weaknesses that you provide as the examples for your evaluation of this movie are curious. The ending has been the subject matter of much discussion (much of which has the making of a brilliance). Perhaps the art-movie critic may have been innoculated by so many fine to-be-expected endings of ambivalence that is considered ordinary to you is quite extraordinary or quite irritatingly frustrating to the lay population. The ambivalent ending is a strong point of this movie for its ability to capture the real ambivalence of real life that we discover all around ourselves. The small secret between the main characters, their private ending is a crowning touch of intimacy that makes this movie their's not ours. A great blending for both the public and the actors and the film crew.

The Japanese prostitute brought to life the perhaps exaggerated Japanese dichotomy of Japan and American perceptions and added a rollicking sidelight in an otherwise tame movie that seems to come up in many memorable vacations that people take in real life.

[MickeyMoose15]

What I meant by the awkwardness of the strip club scene was that it wasn't truly necessary and didn't really do anything for the story.

The ending would have made more sense if one could really understand what Murray was saying but maybe that is the point you don't hear what he says. I am not saying it was not a good ending, I thought it justified their point, I just meant it left me with a feeling of being a bit of a downer but perhaps that was their point.

[tabuno]

Tradition mass audience film dictates that the ending be the obvious perfect happy ending after of course the delicious assortment of sex, separation, and then coming back together again. The ending is neither up or down, interpretation on the ending on movie boards extend the entire spectrum depending on how you want to interpret the movie.

I misread your stripclub line and thought you had referred to the Japanese woman in the hotel room waiting for Bill Murray. I saw the word "strip" and that was it (shows you where my mind was). I'd have to see the movie again and see the scene that you mentioned again before I could really comment on it.