Rating: 
Summary: The emperor's new film
Review: There's less than meets the eye in this tediously overpraised example of good old fashioned Hollywood nepotism. Even more egregious than the baseless fawning was the film's trailer, which misrepresented this yawner as a comedy by showing EVERY funny scene in the film. Two stars for the exterior shots of Tokyo (although if you've been there, you know that even there, the film underplays the mindblowing reality).
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely loved it!
Review: I will admit that I am one of those people that generally go for a movie that is action packed, funny, and essentially in your face with the message they are trying to convey. I tend to dislike movies that have a more subtle message, or require too much thought to figure out what it all really means. Then I saw "Lost in Translation." This movie is not obvious about the message it is trying to get accross but as a person who hates to think about movies, this one required some thought and I enjoyed it even more because of that.This movie was moving, beautiful, thought provoking and just all around enjoyable. I gave it five stars and feel that in all actuallity this movie is a 10!
Rating:
Summary: DIDN'T FALL FOR THE "HYPE"
Review: A lot of the reviews here seem to think anyone who liked this movie fell for "the hype" or "the buzz." First of all, hype doesn't just spring up out of some Hollywood buzz machine whether from studio self-interest or nepotism, or a lot more people would've heard about "Virgin Suicides," which was appropriately overlooked because it was a mediocre movie. This movie came out to virtually no buzz other than Bill Murray was in it... and Scarlet Johannsen is a rising star, which is just fortunate timing. But the buzz came from people who saw it and liked it and recommended it. No studio, especially a tiny one like Focus, is going to throw themselves into a hype campaign unless the movie's worth it. The hype on this evolved because it had a powerful impact on apparently about 35% of those who saw it. Those who didn't like it, fine, but to call it a "horrible" movie is absurd. This was an independent film made for $4 million and one filmmaker's honest point of view about relationships. That's all. Love it or hate it, you can't fault that. And no, I'm not a friend of the Coppolas, but I am a writer in the film business who can appreciate first how incredibly difficult it is to even get an independent movie made let alone a good one... let alone win an Oscar. The only thing Sophia Coppola got from her name - which is a lot, granted - was a much easier path to getting someone to finance a film like this. That said, she took the opportunity and did incredibly well with it and my hat is off to her. I also appreciate that she doesn't seem to be that affected by all the attention at the Oscars - in fact, she looked uncomfortable with it. In a town over-flowing with egomaniacs, that's a refreshing change.
Rating:
Summary: The idea is there, the film is not
Review: This movie, despite all the hype, was at best mediocre. The idea is great, being lost in a foreign place and making an unlikely connection almost like an out of body experience where your "realities" are waiting for your return.
The idea of the story was almost at complete odds with the movie. Acting was bad, and directing too. I was happy that the story was recognized by an Oscar, but not the movie!
Rating:
Summary: PUNCH ME
Review: I wanted to let the Huntsville hick know... YOU DIDN'T GET IT. This is a terrific film and Sophia Coppola didn't just win an Oscar because of her father. Doesn't work that way, believe it or not. It's actually a really good movie. If you don't get it, maybe you're too impatient to watch a relationship unfold without seeing some T 'n A. Or maybe you're just a dumbass without a soul. But talking about adding a filmmaker to your "slapping b****'s" list pretty much already reveals that anyway. Try to make a film some day and see how well you do. I don't care who your father is, it's not easy and to pull one off like this is nearly impossible. All the haters should save their prescious $22 for their next subscription to an internet porn site if it means so much to them.
Rating: 
Summary: Since there's nothing lower than only one star...
Review: In my first review I fogot to say that the first thing you see in this movie is the buttocks of Johanson in her panties. What for? When a movie starts like that, can you expect anything good?
Rating:
Summary: The best film of 2003
Review: I thought it was one of the two best movies I saw last year, the other being Thirteen. Some complained that it was slow. I guess it is true it had virtually no plot. But the brilliant character study of a man realizing he's passed the high point of his life and is on the downward slide was unforgettable and poignant. The picture is completed by the intersection of his life with that of someone who has all of her possibilities in front of her, although she has a hit a momentary bump in the road. It adds more poignancy still that she is a gorgeous young woman who he probably could become sexually involved with, but won't, and with whom he falls into a rather chaste love. It's not that he's not looking for love or solace--he is. He casually sleeps with the chanteuse. But makes sure he doesn't interfere with Scarlett's life. He turns her loose, and doesn't lean on her. It has a kind of Victorian agony in the choices made. At the end, in the famous scene where he whispers something you cannot hear, everyone is left to give their own interpretation and fill in the blanks. I would guess, consistent with how I interpret the movie, that he said: "I love you, but this is as far as it goes. Call me sometime, and let me know if you ever need help. I'll miss you." A beautiful film. It would've been my choice for Best Picture, although I understand why they felt they needed to honor the LOTR trilogy .
Rating:
Summary: Short of the Mark
Review: First of all let me say that I truly appreciate those filmmakers who strive to say something witty or subtle with their works. Cinema can be such a very high form of art due to its excitation of multiple senses. Who can watch a true masterpiece and not be stirred emotionally? Having said the above I must state that in my humble opinion Sophia Coppola's "Lost in Tranlation" falls very short of the mark. The idea is beautiful, truly creative and full of potential. Finding friendship in an alien and confusing world is indisputably a noble idea. However, the problem presented by this work is that this noble idea is demonstrated very early on in the film making much of the remaining content superfluous. I find Sophia's plodding relationship development confused and tedious. It's as if the film were a broken record, constantly repeating the beginning of a song as you look forward to the brilliant chorus. All in all I left this movie with a profound sense of nothingness. That instead of handling the issue with true tact and depth it was instead presented in a straight forward manner and then beat to death. Those who say that this type of shallow portrayal of humanity is masterful are either very easily manipulated by other's opinions or are very shallow themselves. A little advice for those who have not seen this film yet. It is important to not have any preconcieved ideas about its content. If you expect to watch Bill Murray spreading sarcasm right and left you will be disappointed. If you carry no grandiose expectations and don't intend to think to deeply about the subject matter then you may be mildly amused. I gave it two stars for originality and good intentions.
Rating:
Summary: Lost in Tokyo
Review: Fabulous DVD release. The special features have expanded scenes and out-takes. Great extra footage of Bill Murray on the Japanese T.V. show wrestling an eel. "Big Surprise". Worth the price of admission right there. Sophia Coppola does a great job of walking the fine line between humor and being objectionable or offensive. An easy line to cross when having fun and not making fun of another culture. Putting aside the dreamy Wong Kar Wai influenced story line, the movie does a remarkable job of capturing the mood of a city. No small task when you're talking about Tokyo. This provides a great back drop that allows her characters to step away from their lives for a brief moment. Lost in Translation had the same affect on me as Tokyo had on the characters in the movie. A brief dreamy reprieve to a beautiful, eclectic city. All this and no jet-lag!
Rating: 
Summary: A hilarious throughly postmodern film
Review: This movie is post modernism at its best. A comedy that is absurdly funny, but essentially goes nowhere. And that is part of what makes this story great: it is totally believable. It is a love story that transcends the need to live happily ever after. You can see the love between Murry's character and Johansson's character, but both realize that their love was wayward and not meant to be. They were brought together by a Japan inspired insomnia, but their love was based on their extenuating circumstances. And so it is that the least funny part of the entire movie is at the end, when life continues for both characters with a new found sadness over a love that could only remain in the realm of possibility.
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