Lost In Translation

Post by **BlueChair** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 4:55 pm

Has anybody heard about this upcoming movie directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Bill Murray, Giovani Ribisi, and Scarlett Johansen? It's being highlighted at the Toronto International Film Festival and comes out later on in September.

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/maindetails

It looks really cool, and here's the Elvis content:

The trailer has "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" playing at one point, and then we see that Bill Murray sings it karaoke in the actual film! Yeah!

LessThanZero · Post by **LessThanZero** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 5:10 pm

HOLY HECK YEAH! That premise is HI-LARIOUS!

Team up Bill Murray with any karaoke machine, and it's golden.

But singing PL&U in Tokyo!? I'm dying!

LessThanZero · Post by **LessThanZero** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 7:58 pm

BEAUTIFUL film Blue.

Post by **BlueChair** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 9:14 pm

Glad you enjoyed it...definitely my favourite film so far of 2003, though I really haven't been impressed by many of the films so far this year.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 11:28 pm

Just caught up with this and "beautiful" is the operative word. One of the most gorgeous films I've seen in a very long time. The cinematographer (don't remember his name) definitely deserves an Oscar nomination, if not the real deal. Tokyo has never looked more like another planet, more beautiful than our own.

Even better, unlike so many movies with spectacular cinemetography, it doesn't depend only on that -- it's just part of the moody, almost dream like story, and I like how it plays out in a not too definitive way. We can all walk out of that movie with our own "sequel" playing in our heads.

Still, I've seen a couple other movies this year I like better -- but then I see way too many movies! (My favorite new movies I've seen recently are "American Splendor" and a more or less unavailable Korean film I reviewed called "Save the Green Planet." In its own modest, formula way, "School of Rock" was also pretty great, but I think I've said that elsewhere.)

LessThanZero · Post by **LessThanZero** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 4:38 pm

You're a lucky man bobster.

Lost in Translation is probably the best film that will pass through Kalamazoo until lord of the rings hits.

Richard · Post by **Richard** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 4:31 pm

I haven't seem American Splendor yet Bobster. I cannot wait!
Have been a reader of American Splendor since the early 80s, finally have it complete!

Way back when I was looking for a hard to get issue I even wrote to Harvey. The reply is the most illegible chicken scratching I have seen, but I teasure it!

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 4:51 pm

Is that the film about th guy who was in a comic about his life? I wanted to see this comic ever since I heard about it, but can't get it here. The fim doesn't seem to have been on here either, even at the GFT where they show foreign/obscure films.

Are you a big fan Blue?

Post by **BlueChair** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:19 pm

Sorry, a big fan of what?

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 10:18 pm

I think that question, about American Splendor I think, was directed at me.

I'm a fairly enthusiastic fan. Haven't read the entire run, but I've been a heavy duty respector of Mr. Pekar since seeing the play "American Splendor" performed at the San Diego Comicon during the time Harvey and Joyce Brabner were in the middle of their "cancer year." (The play starred Dan "Homer Simpson" Castellenata and was a LOT better than the play appears to be in the movie, it was also later on in the story since the movie has the play happening before the David Letterman appearances and the play I saw actually included them.)

Richard -- Actually, if you'd been a woman, you might have gotten yourself a date with Mr. Pekar that way, since as the movie documents, that's how he met his wife!

Laughing Crow. Probably the best and easiest way to catch up with the "American Splendor" comic books now is to buy some of the various compilations which should all be available via Amazon. (I believe the publisher is Four Walls, No Windows, if I've got the name right.)

The movie is actually based on the entire run (he's done one a year since he started in the early eighties) as well as the "graphic novel" -- I hate that term, it's just a long comic book! -- "Our Cancer Year" which is great and should also be available.

I actually met Pekar once when I bought a few issues and "Cancer Year" from him at the convention. (It was a year or two later and he was in much better health -- looked about twenty years younger!). He asked me how I wanted him to sign them, did I want them "to Bob."

I was feeling a bit Pekaresque myself that day and said something like, "it doesn't matter...I mean it's not like I'm going to leave her and pretend we're personal friends or anything."

"You spent $35.00 on my comics," he said his voice in it's raspy phase. "You ARE my personal friend!"

Richard · Post by **Richard** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 11:10 pm

Bobster - although I still treasure my letter from Harvey, your annecdote regarding your meeting with him is pretty unbeatable!

I can only imagine who you must have met at such an event!

Glad to see there is someone else on here who has an interest in the independent comics world.