Lost in Translation
I have never seen a movie quite like this one. It reminds you of a poem. But here most of the work is not done by words but by images. Bill Murray’s performance has received raving reviews. For me, it was not Bill Murray’s acting that made the movie interesting, but the novelty of how the director (Sofia Coppola) transported the emotions of the characters into the minds of viewers. The film represents an experiment in emotional translations. It is not a movie that I would put on my must-see-list, but if you are in the mood for experiencing some cinematographic innovation, this is not a bad pick. As an aside: I discovered today that more than one promotional poster is made for films. Apparently, the studios design separate his and hers marketing campaigns. Ladies, for you we got Bill Murray. Gentlemen, for you we got young American flesh.
“Punch, Drunk, Love” and “The Hours”
“Punch, Drunk, Love”. The title of the movie summarizes the film well. People who have problems with their tempers (Punch) have difficulties maintaining stable relationships. Their dispair can lead them to the bottle (Drunk). But, according to the film, there is still hope: Even if you cannot control your temper, don’t give up. There may still be a girl (Love) for you.
“The Hours” struck me me as a much more compelling movie than “Punch, Drunk, Love.” The writer of the script plays marvellously with the biography of Virginia Wolf and her novel “Mrs. Dalloway” by weaving it together with the life of a woman in Post-World-War II Los Angeles, and a third women in contemporary Manhattan.
Whale Rider
The whale rider is a young girl who finds herself in the middle of a collision between a small traditional culture in New Zealand and the modern world. Her mother and twin brother die during childbirth. Her father leaves her with her grandparents and tries to escape to Europe. The grandfather has absolutely no use for her from the moment she is born because she is a girl and he needs a grandson to continue the bloodline and be the next leader of the tribe. But the young girl knows granddaddy better than he knows himself and takes us along for a quite a ride. This is a beautiful film although the pace of a narrative could have been a bit faster at times.
Together
If you like classical music and detailed explorations of emotions triggered by the relationship between father and son, this is a film is for you. In the middle the movie feels a bit slow. But once you have seen the surprising and dramatic ending, you realize that the slowness in the second hour made the ending all the more powerful. The story is so moving that if you are prone to tears, you should bring a good supply of clenex to the show. I am eager to see the previous film by the director Chen Kaige, “Farewell my Concubine.” The film is in Chinese with English subtitles. Postscript: “Farewell my Concubine” was not nearly as good as “Together” and can be skipped!
Dancer Upstairs
I am a big fan of John Malkovich the actor. John Malkovich the director might still win me over some day, but not if he does not hire an editor who can keep the self-indulgence of a movie-star turned director at bay. I was lured into the film by high ratings that the moviegoing public gave the film. I left the theatre disappointed. The political story about South American tendencies for civil war and military takeovers could have turned out a gripping drama in a hands of a more competent team. Malkovich got away with making a film that could have been cut by at least a third. My respect for the role of editors has increased dramatically after seeing this flik.
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