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An honest movie about the feelings of lost and longing. Visually stylish. I had thought that this movie might be very good, but I didn't expect it to be funny too. What was said in the movie was interesting, but what was left unsaid was cleverer. It's a very clever movie. But don't expect any climax, or any formulaic quick fixes you may be used to watching hollywood film. I like this phrase used by a movie critic on this movie: "everything and nothing happens in "Lost in Translation"."
An interesting fact about the director: I believe she is the daughter of the director Coppola who made the Godfather series, who now owns a winery in the Napa / Sonoma valley in Northern California producing very expensive wines. You can pay an entrance fee (US$6 I think before inflation over the past few years) to visit his winery and see his academy award (?) for the Godfather's. I believe she also appeared in Godfather III as the daughter of Al Pacino. I couldn't say that her acting was very good then.
I would recommend this movie highly. But I am not sure if anybody below 30 can truly appreciate the part about the feelings of lost and longing just yet. You will surely get the funny part, but that's only less than half of it. Watch it ten years later, perhaps... I saw some 10 years old kids there with their parents. Are you kidding me? How could a 10 year old understand this kind of movie? You are just boring the hell out of him. As for the twenty-something, you might want to give this movie a chance, or remember to see it ten years later.
There is a twenty-something version of this movie, called "Before Sunrise," by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. It is a younger version of LOST IN TRANSLATION to the extent that it is also about the chance meeting of two strangers in a foreign city (Vienna instead of Tokyo). But that's where the similarity stops, I think. It's definitely a very different feel at a very different age.
Footnote: Lost in
Translation is not politically correct on at least two counts.
E.g., the movie kinda makes fun of the Japanese, although it portrays
its beauty at the same time. I feel that it can be justified on
the ground that it must be how a non-japanese speaking person must feel
in Japan, hence lost in translation. Also because I am not the
most politically correct person you have ever met. So I just
laughed at it. If you are easily offended, then this movie is not
for you.
You probably have seen this comic strip called "Turn left Turn right," which was released as a movie sometime last year.
http://www.turnleftturnright.com/
I thought the comic strip was really cool. But the movie is, if I can say this politely, absolutely terrible, esp. when the lead actress was trying to read the poem in Polish. I cringed when I saw it.
As I am preparing for your lecture tonight. It suddenly dawns on me that somebody has in fact made a movie about "turn left, turn right." That movie is in fact how "turn left turn right" would have looked like if it were done right, except that this movie that I am talking about was not based on the comic strip. In fact, it was made in 1994, part of the TRICOLOR trilogy (titled BLUE, WHITE, and RED respectively - the three color on the french flag, representing fratenity, liberty, and love and the three movies portray each of these themes respectively), and the movie was in French. It was the masterpiece by the director Krzysztof Kieslowski. This particular one that I am talking about is RED of the trilogy, about love.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111495/
Although you shouldn't trust my non-economic advice as much as my economic advice, I do strongly encourage you to check this movie out (potentially high marginal utility expected). In fact, the media library at the central library has a copy of this video (very low marginal cost). So do check it out and let me know what you think. Don't be discouraged by the language. The movie is subtitled. Furthermore, you will see that good movies really transcend languages.
You can see the three movies independently. But in fact the three movies were one big riddle that the director created. You should probably see it in the order of the colors on the french flag, from top to bottom because that's the sequence the movies were planned. But I didn't like BLUE at all and don't want you to get discouraged from seeing WHITE and RED.
In my opinion, WHITE is the easiest one to enjoy. But RED is the most sutble of all three. A good movie, like good tea, leave an aftertaste long after the actual viewing or drinking experience. RED is a movie like that. As for BLUE, I think you can forget about it. I didn't get it at all.
 Comrades, almost a love story (1996) |
 A Walk to Remember |
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 Out of Africa |
 The Spanish Apartment (2002)
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 Four Weddings and a Funeral |
 The Umbrella of Cherbourg |
 Horseman on the Roof |
 When Harry Met Sally |