loneliness and love letters
Saw Lost in Translation tonight.
Simply amazing -- it so accurately captures what it's like to have jet lag, be lost in wonderment at another culture, and be lost in crippling loneliness all at the same time. It's a sad movie of sorts, even though Bill Murray is moving towards a more understated comic genius, even as he's watching his life threaten to slip away from him.
Nobody captures loneliness and alienation quite like Sofia Coppola. I think I still prefer her first movie, but not by much -- mainly because you could visually see a family disintegrate over time; the browning lawn, the dying tree that's finally chopped down and hauled away, the peeling paint. (The soundtrack also put Air on the map.)
In any case, though, Lost in Translation is a Blade Runner love story. Tokyo at dawn, Tokyo at 4:30 in the morning, Tokyo at all-night parties, the Tokyo of neon, pachinko parlors, strip clubs, karaoke bars, harsh fluorescent lights... and two people who simply need each other, who need to know that their lives have possibilities, find each other and explore the city.
Amazingly shot and amazingly acted. When actors can act when they're not saying a word -- I live for that.
(Besides, rumor has it the annoying actress character is based on Cameron Diaz.)
MJ, we must set another karaoke date soon. I shall sing Earth, Wind and Fire, The Doors, Elvis -- doesn't matter.