Lost in Translation

[modage]

have you tried pressing 'chapter skip' to get through the previews?  it really sucks you cant just hit 'menu', thats a real sunuvabitch move.

[Raikus]

Chapter skip doesn't work on it either. Neither does Title Menu. Pretty crappy, but once you fast forward it's alright.

I too was disappointed by the lack of Scarlett in the extra features. They hardly mention her and her contributions.

[Alethia]

they should have an entire supplemental piece devoted to scarlett and another one devoted to the shooting of the opening shot.....

[ono]

I'm just wondering how Sofia would direct something like that.  Or how she knew it would be so good.

[Alethia]

i read in an interview somewhere that she thought it was kind of a good representation of her femininity, and that she's really fond of the LOLITA opening credit sequence, which kind of inspired this opening shot

[Pubrick]

I'm just wondering how Sofia would direct something like that.  Or how she knew it would be so good.

follow the nytimes link middle of the page

[brockly]

Mine arrived this morning. I just finished watching it again. Damn it's great. I watched the documentary aswell and I really enjoyed it.

And can someone please describe to me what ghetto snappers are?

EDIT: Never mind

What are gettho snapers ?

they are two flaps on the side that you have to unsnapp before you actually open the dvd case.....the only other dvd case that i have seen that uses this is 8 mile.and i like them ..its extra security in a geeky way.............

as far as inserts go i got one for a sweepstakes .with some beer advertised on it.........but nothing else

[foray]

Ok I'm fresh from watching this film.

1. I hadn't seen Bill Murray on the screen in a long time so I didn't consider his background (eg. groundhog). I think he does really well with the script. He is just arrogant enough, funny enough, loser-ish enough. Totally believable as a hasbeen, but maybe not an action star hasbeen.

2. The screenplay is good though I can't say it tops Kill Bill Volume One.

3. I'm surprised that no one here mentioned how the Japanese are portrayed as very one-dimensional. I'm sure it offends some people, but it works for the film somewhat. We see Japan from a Westerner's eyes, albeit a bigoted Westerner. One thing I didn't like about Murray's character was how rude he was to the Japanese and made fun of them. He got impatient with them very quickly but I suppose that only emphasizes how much he wants to get home. Another thing; all we see of Japan are the weird stuff, or exotic stuff that Westerners would take note of. It emphasized the alienation but I think after a point it got repetitious.

4. Yes, Johanssen's Japanese friends didn't seem like her type of people and the party sequence was out of synch. Her character wasn't being herself but I think that's what people do anyway when they let out frustration.

5. I like the phone conversations, too; those really brought out the loneliness felt by the characters and also their relationships. When Lydia tells Bill Murray's character "Well, you can stay there so you can eat sushi every day" one at last knows what sort of relationship they have. Lydia isn't someone to be pushed around by her famous actor husband and they probably actually have a good 25-year-old relationship despite what he's feeling at that moment.

That's all for now.

foray

[Pas]

Ok I'm fresh from watching this film.

1. I hadn't seen Bill Murray on the screen in a long time so I didn't consider his background (eg. groundhog). I think he does really well with the script. He is just arrogant enough, funny enough, loser-ish enough. Totally believable as a hasbeen, but maybe not an action star hasbeen.

If she had casted him as a comedy star hasbeen it would've looked like it was Bill Murray and not Bob Harris. And anyway this is very pointless.

2. The screenplay is good though I can't say it tops Kill Bill Volume One.

I like Kill Bill as much as the next guy, but "Best Screenplay?"

3. I'm surprised that no one here mentioned how the Japanese are portrayed as very one-dimensional. I'm sure it offends some people, but it works for the film somewhat. We see Japan from a Westerner's eyes, albeit a bigoted Westerner. One thing I didn't like about Murray's character was how rude he was to the Japanese and made fun of them. He got impatient with them very quickly but I suppose that only emphasizes how much he wants to get home. Another thing; all we see of Japan are the weird stuff, or exotic stuff that Westerners would take note of. It emphasized the alienation but I think after a point it got repetitious.

I don't understand, when you saw Kill Bill did you think afterwards "One thing I didn't like about Bill is how he killed this whole family". I mean, this is the character, what the hell.

4. Yes, Johanssen's Japanese friends didn't seem like her type of people and the party sequence was out of synch. Her character wasn't being herself but I think that's what people do anyway when they let out frustration.

I tought the party sequenece was one of the best of the whole movie. And as for her japanese friends not being her type of people ... Charlotte is a philosophy graduate married to a world class photohraph, her type of people would be excentric intellectuals, much like her japanese friends. And ANYWAY, don't you hang out with people that are not your kind of people, hell, almost all my friends are not "my kind of people".

I can't bear stupid criticism

[Pubrick]

2. The screenplay is good though I can't say it tops Kill Bill Volume One.

ur right, u can't say it tops it.. u can say it completely annihilates it.

also, i hope u judged kill bill equally for its "portrayal" of asian ppl.

[foray]

Yes, I think Kill Bill portrayed Asians very well. I might go into that at length later, maybe not in this thread.

foray

[kotte]

Yes, I think Kill Bill portrayed Asians very well. I might go into that at length later, maybe not in this thread.

foray

That's impossible. Impossible.

How on earth can you think Kill Bill portrayed asians better than LIT?

But you may be right...asians do scream and run around alot...and they are very angry.

I love Kill Bill but it's not about people and their emotions...

LIT's people are alive.

[foray]

If she had casted him as a comedy star hasbeen it would've looked like it was Bill Murray and not Bob Harris. And anyway this is very pointless.

Nope, not pointless because my remark was in response to what was being discussed earlier. Almost a good point about the comedy star hasbeen but I meant that he does not look like he used to do action movies.

Kill Bill's screenplay may not be arthouse material but it was definitely more compelling to me. That's taste for you.

I don't understand, when you saw Kill Bill did you think afterwards "One thing I didn't like about Bill is how he killed this whole family". I mean, this is the character, what the hell.

I don't disagree with you there; it's just the character and I've a right to comment how I feel about a character. I also have a point when I say the entire film portrays Japanese in a one-dimensional way. At the same time that was what helped the script. Now you understand my point?

I tought the party sequenece was one of the best of the whole movie. And as for her japanese friends not being her type of people ... Charlotte is a philosophy graduate married to a world class photohraph, her type of people would be excentric intellectuals, much like her japanese friends. And ANYWAY, don't you hang out with people that are not your kind of people, hell, almost all my friends are not "my kind of people".

Again, mine was in response to the discussion earlier.

I can't bear stupid criticism

Never called myself a film critic. I just like talking about movies.


foray

[foray]

Yes, I think Kill Bill portrayed Asians very well. I might go into that at length later, maybe not in this thread.

foray

That's impossible. Impossible.

How on earth can you think Kill Bill portrayed asians better than LIT?

But you may be right...asians do scream and run around alot...and they are very angry.

I love Kill Bill but it's not about people and their emotions...

LIT's people are alive.

Haha. Ok, guess I'll go into it here. Kill Bill is frankly one of the few films that doesn't buy into the Asian stereotypes. Take O-Ren Ishii. Tarantino cast Lucy Liu who is Chinese but didn't cast her as a pure Japanese and totally ignore her American accent - as the typical director would. Instead he made her a half-Japanese half-Chinese who was brought up in America. Other directors just don't think about these things.

Not to mention the countless examples of how he portrays the Asian anime/martial arts/film culture. That's the truest portrayal I've seen from a Western director. It was really something when he paid all those tributes, one could tell he is a true fan of those genres. That is a compliment to Asian culture and is why I like it so much. LIT portrays Japanese culture but you can tell it is from a bigoted Westerner's point of view. (However, I will again point out that this helps the script.) It is merely a glance at the weirdness that is Tokyo, and how ludicrous Japanese 'Engrish' sounds.. basically, a caricature. I can't help comparing LIT with Kill Bill in this respect because in KB, the characters weren't reduced to caricatures. They were not ridiculed, they were celebrated.

foray

[kotte]

What? Asian characters in KB are more true because he pays tribute to Japanese culture? Makes sense...eh...?

LIT, the most honest film this year, caricatures asian people? Okay...hehe.

KB is very honest...I bet every guy who owns a sushi bar has alot of swords in the attic.

Other directors just don't think about these things.

The times when German soldiers spoke english with each other in WWII pics are over...
They do think about these things.

And that's why KB characters are true and real?


I see what you're saying (actually, I don't know) but I think you're wrong. Wrong as hell.