[Sentral Dogma]

nope. i don't know them personally.

 

[AIM9x]

I dunno about scarlet, but Bill Murray is a natural at playing depressed roles. Just look at Groundhog's Day. Walking around a town trying to find new ways to kill himself. Waking up every morning, his face would just look worse & worse. Kind of like the progression of his face everytime he's in the bar. He does it well.

 

[Lando]

Quote:

Originally posted by grinch i suggest anybody needing to go on a date to keep this picture in mind, that is if the female in question has a soul.

So my inflatable date won't like it?

 

[Wilson M.]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sentral Dogma So, audiophiles, who could make out what Bob said to Charlotte at the end? I couldn't. Kinda like listening to Kenny in South Park. I don't think it was meant to be heard, but my curiosity....

As mentioned by other people, it will be interesting to see what the DVD subtitles will be but I'm pretty sure that there was no dialogue written for the end scene.

If you haven't seen the movie then don't read this post any further.

A few friends asked me what the "point" of the movie is. The entire movie and I mean *ENTIRE* movie is a study in human communication and how it relates to human interaction and emotions.

Ultimately, the "plot" of the "relationship" between Bob and Charlotte is just the vehicle used to present this study.

Notice how EVERYTHING relates to human communication or lack thereof: language barrier, translators, phone calls, photographs, faxes, FedEx, music/singing, dancing (that is if you can call sex clubs dancing), maps, body language, facial expressions, television, advertising, movies, flower arrangement, menus, signs, carpet samples (which one is burgundy?), etc, etc.

When Charlotte was in the video arcade. Which games did they focus on? The one where the guy is beating on the drum (how much more primal do you want to get in terms of human communications?) and the other where the guy is playing the guitar.

The shirt that Bob chose to wear. It is a form of communication.

When they were being chased down the street by the guy with the taser, what was the "response"? The guy they were with (not Charlie but the other guy) throwing something at the guy doing the chasing. Crude but still a form of communication.

It's also why the camera focused on the taking/holding of hands of that wedding couple in Kyoto.

In the end, the point of the end scene wasn't what he said but HER reaction to what he said. The tears and the smile which convey something to him that words could probably never do.

 

[john_jcb]

You are on a roll Grinch first Lost in Translation then Kill Bill. Now I need to carve out an afternoon or evening to go to the movies. Unfortunately my wife is going out of town for a few days to the Emerald city. She would make my life miserable if I went to these without her. Thanks for the recommendations.

 

[LobsterSan]

Quote:

Originally posted by john_jcb She would make my life miserable if I went to these without her.

I hate the whole "waiting for people in order to see a movie" conundrum, especially when it's a movie I'm really in the mood for or jazzed about. In these cases, I usually just end up going anyways and pretending I haven't seen it before.

Lost in Translation comes at a very interesting time for me, as I am about to relocate to Japan. Actually, I had experienced Japan for a week a month ago, and felt a lot of what was going on in the film firsthand. Of course, I was there more by "choice", but the language and cultural barrier was very present for me. I think I had an even harder time due to the fact that everyone immediately assumed I was Japanese, and therefore a complete and utter idiot because I would stare blankly at them or answer back in English. I am also finding myself at a bit of a crux in terms of my personal life and in my relationships. This is a film that helped me feel like I'm not so alone in this world, despite all the awkwardness and depressing emotions we all feel.

I'd have to say that Sofia Coppola is a master at showing awkward moments. The nervousness between people. Little pauses, strange spacing, and the tense moments that remind me of so many past experiences. She showed this prowess off in The Virgin Suicides, and it is further displayed in Lost in Translation.

 

[fractus2]

Quote:

Notice how EVERYTHING relates to human communication or lack thereof: language barrier, translators, phone calls, photographs, faxes, FedEx, music/singing, dancing (that is if you can call sex clubs dancing), maps, body language, facial expressions, television, advertising, movies, flower arrangement, menus, signs, carpet samples (which one is burgundy?), etc, etc.

I agree. Both Bob and Charlotte have encounters with their other halfs where they just don't communicate, their conversations lost in translation. One message that comes across clear as a bell was when she catches him with the singer in his room. He figures out the perfect way to keep their relationship platonic.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

He figures out the perfect way to keep their relationship platonic.

Interesting...I just (finally!) saw this movie, and think it is wonderful.

Do you really think that Bob orchestrated his encounter with the lounge singer for Charlotte's benefit? I don't, as I he seemed genuinely surprised when he woke up with her in the bathroom singing. He was also quite embarassed when Charlotte knocked on his door to ask him if he wanted to go for sushi. If anything, it threw the gauntlet down for Charlotte to pick up and declare herself, if she so wished. Otherwise she had no reason to be disappointed in, or pissed at Bob.

Like with their spouses, I think that most of Bob & Charlotte's conversations with each other were also 'lost in the translation', in the sense that neither one of them really said what they were feeling. Until the very end when, after a supremely unsatifying goodbye at the hotel, he jumps out of his car to catch her on the street. That one hug, and one gentle kiss was the first honest 'conversation' they really had. I tried to listen really intently to what Bob says to her. Most of the begining portion is completely muffled, but I think the last part was something like, "just remember that the most important thing is to tell the truth", to which she nods in agreement. I assume he is giving her life advice for communicating with her husband, similar to their late-night conversation 'in bed' when he tells her that "the more you realize what is important in life, little things don't bother you as much". I'm not really sure if we were really meant to hear it at all, or if the specifics matter.

Btw, the scene where the Japanese call-girl goes up to Bob's hotel room is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. "Lip my stockings! Lip my stockings!!" - too funny

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[Spareribs]

A few years ago I visited that high rise bar in Tokyo that was in the movie. It’s actually a real place. You get some pretty nice views since it’s high on the upper part of the building. But be aware that it is expensive. You’re gonna pay a lot for cocktails.....Not that it’s a negative thing.

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[Spareribs]

Lost in Translation is now streaming for free if you’re an Amazon Prime member (Not sure if it applies outside USA or when the streaming expires)

I just watched it again and I gotta say, it still holds up as a really good film even after all these years. I love how it was filmed completely in Japan and no Hollywood studios locations were involved. According to the end credits, it was all filmed in Tokyo and Kyoto.


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Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia about this film:

Many of the shooting locations were Japanese places of business and public areas at the time of filming, including New York Bar in the Park Hyatt Tokyo and Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. On public streets and subways, the production did not secure filming permits[32] and relied on city bystanders as extras;[36] Coppola described the shooting as "documentary-style"[17] and was worried at times about getting stopped by police, so she kept a minimal crew

-Wikipedia