5 posts tagged “lulz”
Does anyone miss the old days when internet blogging consisted of freeopendiary and xanga, and all we had to complain about was high school or our first jobs, and we weren't bombarded with internet advertisements every second we spent online. I hate advertising.
How I will spend my last nine days in Oklahoma::::
“On Feeling Lost”
It’s amazing to imagine that a movie can alter the way a person views life. A successful film’s message gives the audience hope, or changes the way that they thought and felt before viewing the film. “Lost in Translation” is a film directed by Sophia Coppola about two very different people who travel to Japan and end up meeting and beginning an odd and rare form of friendship. “Lost in Translation” succeeds because of a one-of-a-kind storyline, the film’s message, and the beautiful visuals and music the film offers.
The storyline is successful because of the quirks of the characters. The older man, Bob, is a famous actor on business in Japan. He continuously receives ridiculous faxes and letters from his wife while he’s on his trip. They consist of carpet samples and floor plans, sarcastic notes and are devoid of any emotion. And the young woman, Charlotte, is a graduate of Yale, who majored in Philosophy. She spends some of her time in Japan listening to self-help tapes and calling friends in the U.S. saying “…and John [her husband] is using these hair products, and I don’t know who I married…” They are married to people that no longer “get them.” They reflect on the difficulties of life together. One night Charlotte asks if it [marriage] gets easier, to which Bob replies, “Yes………..No.” The two individuals interact on a level that isn’t unrealistic. The movie doesn’t jam in a sexual affair or a car chase or anything out of the ordinary from everyday life. “Lost in Translation” is a success because it shows two very real characters dealing with everyday life, taking things one day at a time.
The film’s message is optimistic, even though the storyline is ridden with sarcasm. “Lost in Translation” is a comment on the two main protagonists feeling lost in their lives. They feel lost in Japan because they don’t speak the language, and the people they married have changed into people they can’t “translate” or relate to. They feel like they are the only two people in the world that “get” each another. These two protagonists find a unique friendship and a momentary happiness in a place and time where they both feel isolated and pessimistic about the future. Their friendship gives them hope and a different perspective towards life. The final message of “Lost in Translation” stands apart in a world of movies that always “tie up the loose ends,” and leave the main characters to live happily ever after.
The shots in the film are colorful and visually stunning, which is a trademark of any Sophia Coppola directed film. In some scenes Charlotte travels alone to Buddhist temples and little shops around Japan. The lighting and tones of color bring Japan to life, while the protagonists are at a stand-still in their lives. In “Lost in Translation” there is an intense contrast between the beauty of the place and the ugliness of everyday life. The music also deepens this contrast. “Just Like Honey,” By The Jesus and & Mary Chain, starts playing when the two characters have to leave one another in the end. It begins with a snare drumbeat and long distorted guitar riffs. The lyrics aren’t especially amazing, but the sound of the song sets a melancholy mood which clashes with the optimistic message in the ending.
In the last part of the film, the older man whispers to the younger woman that they will always have Japan, which means not to be sad that they are both leaving and going their separate directions. “Lost in Translation” gives the viewer hope because life doesn’t and won’t turn out the way one expects it to, and not to be too burdened by this, because happiness can be found anyway. This film is successful because it pushes the viewer to acknowledge that a specific future they expect or plan for may not be the one they need to make things meaningful.