We went to our local library a short while ago to pick up The Talented Mr.Ripley.
The libray didn’t have the DVD (they had only the VHS cassette) and being the greedy desis that we are, we didn’t want to return empty-handed.
So, we picked up two other DVDs – Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson) and Deepa Mehta’s The Republic of Love.
Since Lost in Translation had a better reception, we are watching that first. Apparently, the movie was shot on location, in Tokyo.
We will update this post after finishing Lost in Translation.
Update (after watching the film):
Scarlett Johansson, where were you all our life? We want to know.
Seriously, it’s Bill Murray who is the star of the movie. A superb actor, he makes it all seem so effortless. So natural.
The well-endowed Scarlett Johansson is alright but no patch on Bill Murray.
Set in Tokyo, Lost in Translation focuses on an aging movie star Bob Harris (Bill Murray) in Tokyo for a whisky commercial and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), wife of a photographer on an assignment.
Bob and Charlotte are both in a sense adrift in life, feeling lonely. Charlotte has doubts about her marriage, is not doing anything in particular and not even sure what to do; As for Bob, the fizz seems to have gone out of his marriage to Lydia. It seems like the kids are the only glue holding together the marriage.
After finding sleep elusive, one night both Bob and Charlotte head down to the bar of the hotel they are staying in where they bump into each other.
With Charlotte’s husband away on a photo-shoot and Bob stuck there for an interview with a talk-show host, the two become friends and spend time together.
You do expect something dramatic to happen since we have two souls who appear distant from their respective spouses.
Although nothing dramatic happens, we didn’t feel disappointed with the movie (hey, nothing dramatic happens to 99.9% of humanity).
The acting is fine, the screenplay is good and the photography decent.
Nominated for multiple Oscars, Lost in Translation won for Best Original Screenplay.
Some may quibble with the vague ending, particularly since you can’t even hear what Bill Murray whispers into Scarlett Johansson’s ears at the end (there’s considerable speculation on this subject including digital audio enhancements).
Watching Lost in Translation added by SearchIndia.com on
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I had to watch Lost in Translation about 7 or 8 times until I got everything. Lots of subtle things in the movie that you don’t pick up on until at least the second viewing.
It’s a great movie, but I think only because I have had some long distance travel experiences myself am I able to fully appreciate it.
When I was at college, lots of kids who had never been off the farm in Nebraska thought it was a dumb movie, nothing special.
DO NOT WATCH THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY! It sucks sucks sucks! One of the worst movies ever made, way down there with The Majestic and The Aviator.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
What was life like in Nebraska? We haven’t gone that far west. Stopped at Chicago.
We read that the country is basically imploding in the middle – depopulated because there are few opportunities for youngsters in those places. There has even been talk of inviting Mexicans to settle in some of those states.
One of these days we’ll make that trip from Edison, NJ to Seattle, WA.
Many years back, we drove from L.A. to NYC – saw quite a bit of the U.S. of A.
Don’t get lost in Johansson’s huge mulaigal.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We’ll try. But not too hard. 😉
Hmmmmmm… lot of stupid people in Nebraska. Really really stupid people in Nebraska. Sarcasm still hasn’t made it there. Overall my joke was always that the people there are five years behind civilization in terms of pop culture and culture period.
In Omaha at least, there was a very big Mexican population. Every few months there would be a protest near the office of the Mexican Consulate. On one side of the street would be people waving Mexican and American flags trying to support both legal and illegal immigrants causes. On the opposite side of the street would be people flying American flags jumping up and down about there being too many illegal immigrants and that they need to go back to Mexico. That was about all the excitement the place could ever muster up. Very large Sudanese refugee population in Omaha too, for whatever reason. If you’re escaping Sudan, I could understand getting on a plane and landing in New York, Boston, D.C., Chicago, etc. But how the hell they wind up in Omaha is beyond me.
Land is cheap though, and lots of companies have set up shop there because of that. But the stupid people far outnumber the Warren Buffett’s that populate the city and surrounding territory. There’s not much of anything between Chicago and Denver. People are nice, but think more as in Stepford Wives attitude nice than humanitarian nice.
Lots of commercial things like Wal-Marts, Targets, Starbucks, Chipotle, Olive Garden, etc. all over the place. Near impossible to find a whole in the wall Italian restaurant or diner or any kind of home town/family run shop like you would in the tri-state area.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
By the time we make it there on our trip, guess it’ll all be a wasteland, literally and figuratively.
ennda…intha padathai ellam almost 10 varusham muunadiaye patthu muttai potacheda…ippa than mulucheyada …vennai
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Looks like you haven’t grown up in the last 10 years. Must have been your missing decade.
Halfway through the movie…like it so far.
BTW, Bill Murray also acted in What about Bob, which was ripped off by the thieves in Kollywood as Thenali, one of the crappiest movies ever made.
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY! is the one with MAtt Damon ? ..there are two movies titled Ripley …the one with MAtt Damon is very good ……must watch ….the other one is Hollywood Masala Film … strictly avoid …
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We’ll see the Matt Damon movie soon.
Ripley was alright.. http://dottypinhole.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/jude_law4-copy_filtered.jpg is one right/wrong reason to watch/avoid this movie.