I'm about to make a controversial stand that will undoubtedly alienate half my base. I realize this won't bode well
for my presidential run, but there comes a time in every candidate's career when he has to come down solidly on one side of
a controversial issue. What issue is it? Abortion? Gay Marriage? John Kerry's marriage to a 65-year-old ATM machine? No, no,
and NO!
Here it is: I didn't like the movie 'Lost in Translation.'
There. I said it.
In fact, the movie quite frankly sucked. As someone who has lived in Japan, the whole "American getting used
to Japanese culture" jokes fell flat. When you take those out, there really wasn't a movie.
Bill Murray is a GREAT actor. This movie just didn't work. It was boring, the dialogue was bad, and there
wasn't a single character I gave a crap about. Scarlet Johannsen just doesn't do it for me (sorry). The hype surrounding this
flick only made it that much more of a letdown. Don't buy into it. Trust me.
And for those of you who think I'm a Philistine when it comes to movies, I'm not. I LOVE independent films
(and I recognize that most of the crap coming out of Hollywood blows chunks). I loved Sling Blade,
Waiting for Guffman, and In the Company of Men.
And I was one of the first people to know who Owen Wilson is. His debut movie (Bottle Rocket)
was superb. Unfortunately, most of his recent movies have him playing second fiddle to lesser talents (like Jackie Chan).
There, I just lost another 25% of my readership (I'm sorry, but I can't hold back).
So there it is. Lost in Translation sucked. I'm glad I saw it on DVD, so I could turn it off. If I had seen
it in a theater (or in an airplane for that matter) I would have seriously considered walking out.
If you want to see a truly hilarious movie from last year, rent (no, BUY) A Mighty Wind.
If you want to see a GREAT Bill Murray film, rent Rushmore.
And if you're interested in watching an excellent Japanese comedy, go rent Kikujiro.
The last 20 minutes stink up the place, but it's still a great film.
