Lost in Translation

[thistlechaser]

Bored and restless out of my mind, I decided to check out this movie just so that I could confirm that I didn't want to watch it and delete it... but it only took a couple moments for me to instead get totally into it!

It's a funny thing to absolutely hate a movie's two main characters and yet love the movie -- that really doesn't seem possible, but for me that's what happened. (For those who haven't seen it or heard of it, two Americans (one a former movie star and the other the wife of a photographer) are in Tokyo, and neither wants to be there.) The two characters were just ever-grumpy and hating everything about Japan, which made me want to shake some sense in them. The woman kept sitting in her window, sighing and making sad eyes as she looked out at the city around her hotel. How in the world could you be bored there? Even from her window that high up, there was so much to see! And the male main character (the former star) spent his whole time drinking in a dark bar! Gah! Fool, both of them.

*But!* For all the people were stupid, it was wonderful seeing Japan! Everything from someone handing out tissue packets on the street (heehee!) to a prostitute who was pretending she hated sex, it was all so perfectly made! And the exchanging-business cards scene! Even the way they were holding the cards was right! It just made my evening to see all that. :)

There was a very short scene in an arcade, and I made a couple screenshots from it. I never saw a UFO Catcher before! (That was the best picture, unfortunately. I'm assuming it's like one of those crane games, but I couldn't get a good look.) I heard about this game, but never saw pictures of it! He had to beat the drums along with the screen in that first screenshot. (Sorry for the quality on this one, I couldn't get a good capture of him playing.) I like Japanese guys! (He reminds me of Tezuka.) Last game: Playing in time with the music on the screen! What totally cool games! I was thinking that if I were there, I'd take lots of shots of all these games and everyone playing them... then I wondered if that'd be considered rude. (Probably so, since you you should ask before photographing even cosplayers...)

Oh well, fun's over! Time to clean and such for the new week.

Comments

[animarelic.livejournal.com]

As a cosplayer, I only like to be asked first so I can a.) put on any parts of the costume I may have taken off for comfort reasons, like a wig in July, something like that. and b.) Pose.

It kind of sucks to have a random picture of your costume that doesn't capture any of the parts you're really proud of. ^.^

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought it was more ... possessive. Like 'I belong to me, so you can't take a picture of me without asking permission first'. Good to know!

[ex-milkthist86.livejournal.com]

*feels the Lost in Translation love* That is a wonderful movie, one of the best I've seen in a long while. The acting is amazingly *real*, so heartfelt, and yes, Japan was fun to see after watching all that anime, heh.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

A lot about the movie felt real, yeah. For me it was mostly that they (must have) shot it in Tokyo itself, so all the backgrounds and extras and such really fit.

[ex-milkthist86.livejournal.com]

yeah, they did shoot it in Tokyo, and in only took them 27 days! Erm...will stop with the random movie facts now, hehe.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

yeah, they did shoot it in Tokyo, and in only took them 27 days!

Seriously? Wow, amazing!

[metron-ariston.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I totally didn't get the impression that they were actually /bored/ by Japan, so much as they were both felt like their life was a dead end and were growing more and more depressed and disconnected from everyone else, and even their attempts at going out into the city couldn't shake them out of it... until they made a connection and were able to find joy in life again. *babbles on incoherently*

The DVD has the most hilarious extra /ever/. It's an expanded scene of when Bob went on that Japanese talk show. I was in hysterics.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I totally didn't get the impression that they were actually /bored/ by Japan, so much as they were both felt like their life was a dead end and were growing more and more depressed and disconnected from everyone else

Hmmm. I suppose that would make sense, but still. One made two MILLION dollars for a week in Japan, and the other has a husband she could travel the world with. If you can't make a life like that work, how much more do you need to build yourself a happy life?

The DVD has the most hilarious extra /ever/. It's an expanded scene of when Bob went on that Japanese talk show. I was in hysterics.

*laughs* I'm tempted to rent it just for that! I was staring open-mouthed during that scene...

[metron-ariston.livejournal.com]

*wibbles* But that's one of the reasons I loved their story so much. Everything seems like it's going right for them, and we think that were we in their place we'd be happy, but they're still empty inside. [I then spent a half hour trying to track down this poem (http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1735.html). Blargh. But... similar ideas. I still remember my "whoa" when reading it my freshman year in high school.]

And as much as I like to think they could have been deliriously happy together, they probably wouldn't. I do think they fell in love, but I don't think it could have worked in the real world. I hope that they'll go their separate ways and figure out how to make their lives work again.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

And as much as I like to think they could have been deliriously happy together, they probably wouldn't. I do think they fell in love, but I don't think it could have worked in the real world. I hope that they'll go their separate ways and figure out how to make their lives work again.

Agreed that it wouldn't make them happy together. They need to be happy inside themselves before they can be happy with someone else. I also agree that they fell into "love" as well (or lust, or whatever)... but it's best they went their own ways.

[hamburger.livejournal.com]

I went to see Lost in Translation with my father and stepmother when it was in the theatres. The whole reason Dad wanted to see it was because it had Bill Murray, and he assumed it was going to be like any other Bill Murray movie. Needless to say, both he and my stepmom were dissapointed, and I (who knew it was more of an 'artsy' piece) really didn't think it was as great as everyone was saying either.

However, I must agree, the entire thing was watchable purely for the lovely shots of Tokyo. :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I don't think it was any great piece of moviemaking, but for the glimpses of Tokyo I loved it.

Je suis une personne bete!

[peppygrowlithe.livejournal.com]

My subject is "lost in translation" on you. Especially since I think I got the adjective wrong...

In any case, I practically begged my parents to watch this movie. When they finally did... they thought it was pointless and hated it.

I honestly don't know why... I thought it was amazing. To see the conflict between this old, old washed out actor, married for years and years with two or three kids, falling in love (or is it?) with a somewhat newly married young woman... and the thought that they -know- they can't get together, and yet everything's pointing to it...

Well, I liked them. :> And about the drinking part: When we went to Cozumel a couple summers ago, we were amazed. There was a whole fascinating city to see... and yet after we got off the boat, 99% of the people went to the first bar, Fat Tuesday, and after we explored and ate at a small but -wonderful- little diner, we came back... and saw the same people. Sometimes people go to other countries just to say they've been there, not to actually, you know, explore; and Bill Murray didn't seem like the "let's explore the world!" type anyway.

I know you hate long comments, so I'll chop it off here. ;)

Re: Je suis une personne bete!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

To see the conflict between this old, old washed out actor, married for years and years with two or three kids, falling in love (or is it?) with a somewhat newly married young woman... and the thought that they -know- they can't get together, and yet everything's pointing to it...

Yeah but dude, that's the oldest story in the book. Old man loving hot younger woman, wanting to cheat (or really doing it), it's been done a zillion times before.

And about your bar paragraph: People are stupid. :P I can't understand anyone doing that.

I know you hate long comments, so I'll chop it off here. ;)</I. You keep making assumptions about me; it's been happening more frequently lately. Odd.

Re: Je suis une personne bete!

[peppygrowlithe.livejournal.com]

Dude! It's... okay, it's not exactly an assumption, it's a personal experience! Remember, twice in the past I wrote long comments, and you complained about how groan, you had to read *all* of it! Remember? ;)

It is? Eh, you've seen lots more movies than I have, so I'll take your word for it. ... I still liked them! ... I just thought the girl was pleasantly cute, and it was refreshing. ;)

We love the subs!