Classic - Lost in Translation

I must admit, I was pretty unsure about Lost in Translation before I watched it. I mean, I know that it was very well loved and all by the critics, but not many 'other' people really liked it. However, since I loved Somewhere, I'm pretty sure it was a given that I would like Sofia Coppola's most lauded film. Which does make me a little confused, as between this and Somewhere, not a lot happens. Most films that I've watched recently, like, I don't know, The Mechanic or Season of the Witch, have been films that I have found really boring. And, while I mean this in the nicest possible way, there's a bit more happening in those films than the two Sofia Coppola movies I've seen. However, those films, with all of their sequences of blood and violence fail to draw me in, whereas Somewhere and Lost in Translation rope me in from the very start, making me want to observe a character's life. Does that mean I'm becoming a snob? Whatever, I like Sofia's films better.

Anyway, Lost in Translation is a film set in the beautiful looking city of Tokyo, Japan, where two strangers meet and form an unlikely friendship. Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an American filmstar making an advertisement for whiskey, which has provided him with an opportunity to get away from his boring marriage. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is a young wife of a photographer and spends most of her time at the hotel alone, as her husband is often out taking pictures. The two, very alone souls wander around Tokyo hoping to find something fun, which is when they come across each other. So now, these two Americans are together exploring Tokyo, being as confused and amused as each other by their relationship with the Japanese. But with their relationship comes with the fact that their relationship will have to end when one of them ends their stay in Tokyo. Which is of course a shame, but through finding each other, they both 'found themselves', so to speak.

Well there's no denying that Lost in Translation is one hell of a beautiful movie. You know that a director has done well when she makes a movie romantic without the story involving a lot of romance. This may sound weird, but I could really feel the romance between the camera and whatever it was filming. Rarely do I ever watch a film that is so understated in the way it is made, but the beauty just glows through it. This is the main reason as to why I pretty much love Sofia Coppola now: she knows how to make a film look gorgeous, without much effort at all. What she also manages to do is give us a good tour of Japan, exploring everywhere from temples to arcades. She doesn't try to make the city look like one perfect place, though, as she makes it look as frustrating as it is beautiful. The relationship between the visitors and the Japanese is particularly funny to watch though, because as any traveller would know, things always happen differently in every country, which makes for a pretty confusing time. There's just a divine simplicity about Lost in Translation which is given life through Coppola's excellent vision of Tokyo and how a film really should be. Hell, this was way more interesting to me than that Jason Statham movie.

Maybe the reason I found this more interesting than watching Statham beat the bejesus out of people was the fact that there was a proper, realistic relationship between two characters. Okay, I don't know if some normal girl would just meet a film-star in a bar and they would strike up some wonderful friendship. But you really can't tell me that some assassin would be paired up with a guy whose father was killed by him. Anyway, the relationship between Bob and Charlotte is gorgeous to watch. They never, to our knowledge, really engage in any hanky panky between the two, which is nice, because their friendship is enough. The two, instead, are joined by the fact that they are in the same boat: lost in a city, not being able to understand what everyone else is saying, feeling very alone instead of enjoying the city as most tourists would. They are reduced to spending their free time in their hotel room, venturing out to the pool and gym sometimes, eventually ending up in the bar at night. This just goes to show that there is no point in going to a beautiful city unless you have someone to enjoy it all with, and Bob and Charlotte, with the help of Tokyo, are perfect for each other.

Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson do a wonderful job of making this relationship work, as without their chemistry, the film probably would have fell flat. Murray was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, and rightfully so. While there's a great deal of seriousness in his performance, his comic charm overrides this. His character is really a wounded soul, but he doesn't let that be known through a depressed performance. Instead, he just looks haplessly bored with his life, and has that certain 'I-should-probably-try-to-make-you-like-me-since-I'm-famous' air about him. I found it somewhat hard to like Bob at the start, but as the film progressed, and his relationship with Charlotte deepened, I came around to him. Scarlett Johansson delivers a brilliant performance too. At first I thought she was quite boring, but that only came down to the bored life she was living. However, there was something in both the character and Johansson's performance that I really connected with; whether it be general abandonment, a slight jealousy towards someone on a higher level (that would be movie star Kelly, who is played brilliantly by Anna Faris) or the need to find herself, but not in the way everyone else does (like her discontent with not feeling anything while visiting the temple - because everyone is supposed to feel something there). Both of these characters are essentially dead inside, until they discover each other. Which might sound clichéd, but in all honesty, that doesn't matter. This is a film which observes a friendship in the most beautiful possible way: with simplicity and elegance. The best thing? It ends all too soon.

THE VERDICT: While not moving at the fastest pace, Lost in Translation is a great observation of a relationship between two stranger in a foreign land, beautifully done by director Sofia Coppola and stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Classic - Rushmore

or: Private schooler in public school.

One word to sum it up: Whimsical.

There are two types of over-achievers at high school: the ones who spend their life studying and know everything, even if it won't ever help them in the future; and then there are the people who have to be involved with everything. The people who have to head the school productions, but usually have to also be playing a sport or organizing a certain club...you know the ones. Now, if I were to have my pick out of the two, I'd be the kid who joins in with everything...but, living where I live, there aren't funny little clubs to join with. Instead, I'm just taking part in Stage Challenge, but if I had enough talent, I wouldn't keep pretending to be smart when I'm actually really dumb. I would be like Max (Jason Schwartzman), the protagonist in Wes Anderson's early classic feature Rushmore. I would direct really flash looking plays with names like 'Serpico' and I would do fencing. Okay, fencing kinda scares me, so we'll take that off the list...

Anyway, Max is a prime example of why you can only be either an over-achiever at school or an over-achiever at extra-curricular activities, not both at the same time. He's in every club possible, in fact, he founded most of the clubs, and he also writes and directs his own intricate school plays which give him a wide reputation. But he's not so good with his school work, and of course, school is more important than everything else. So Max tries desperately to stay in the safety of his private school by trying desperately to up his grades. As he tries to do this, he is introduced to two substantial figures in his life. The first is an industrialist named Herman Blume (Bill Murray), who is disillusioned with life and becomes a good friend to Max. The second is Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams), a first grade teacher who lost her husband and is clinging on to his memory, even though she becomes the object of both Max and Blume's affection.

Rushmore is an indeed an odd film. But it's exactly what you would expect from Wes Anderson, a film filled with originality and a look at the stranger side of life. That's a very good place to be. However, you can't be too strange without having believable characters, and that's exactly where Rushmore succeeds. Max is a character who we all feel we have known at one point in our lives. He's cocky, the very example of what some private schoolers are actually like, and, well, he's hopelessly in love with someone he can't have. Jason Schwartzman, in his first feature film, seems to take this character from being an annoying arrogant prick to being someone who you wish would just steer clear of trouble. But like most film characters, he doesn't listen. Sometimes you have to wonder why he was so in love with Rosemary. She isn't exactly the type of woman who would be the object of a young teenage boy's affection. Yes, she's pretty and she is really lovely, but she was so caught up in loving her dead husband that she cut herself off from the world. My dear Olivia Williams does a tremendous job of playing her, though, so you can see why Max fell for her.

Adding Bill Murray to the mix is always a win. His character is a strange, almost dark figure in Max's life. You can't really figure out whether he is good for Max or not, because he may take an active interest in Max because he is so bored with his own life, but he steals Max's 'true love'. So he's really the villain who just wants to be friends, which is an interesting mix, to say the least. However, Murray is as enjoyable ever, and remains a stand-out in this film. While Rushmore is clever and realistic, I felt like I never really got into it. It was cool watching a teenager heralding a revolutionary story and winning in life, but I just felt so distant from it. I don't know how that emptiness came about, because this film really has everything covered. It's funny, emotional and exciting, but it's just not there. Which is a shame, but it's even more annoying that I don't know why I didn't feel for it.

THE VERDICT: Rushmore is a charming tale of being a teenage boy who's good at everything that doesn't matter, and just about what you could expect from Wes Anderson.

What I hoped for:

What I got: