Rating: 
Summary: ABSOLUTE DRIVEL !
Review: This is a very poor movie and Hollywood does itself a great dis-service by lauding it as anything else.
Rating: 
Summary: just plain great
Review: The other reviewers of this film who say it was dull and boring quite obviously missed the point. This is a great film about not quite fitting in (being "lost" if you will) but above all, it is about a great, if only too brief, friendship. Most movies, whenever featuring a man/woman relationship, make it something hot and steamy. I love this film because it is about two people who make each other happy by just being together and not in a sexual way. This movie isn't for everyone, but if you are in the mood for a laid-back and sweet movie, I would strongly recommend "Lost in Translation."
Rating:
Summary: Can I Rate it a Zero
Review: I rented this one, What a waste of time and money. As I have had the opportunity to travel to Japan I could not believe the self-pitying of the characters. The movie is long, slow, boring, and only really rates an R by unnecessary inclusion of a strip joint. Avoid this one if you can.
Rating:
Summary: Who would nominate this movie???
Review: You will keep watching and watching and waiting and waiting...then nothing happens!!!! This was one of the worst movies that I have ever seen. I just kept waiting for something to happen...anything, but nothing ever did. What a waste of my time. Don't bother renting or buying this movie, you would have a more enjoyable time watching a blank screen.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing If You Get It
Review: I am not surprised by the extremely mixed reviews this movie has received. It is just the kind of movie people will either really love or hate. Will you love it? If you have ever had that lonely feeling of observing people without connecting, especially with loved ones then you will probably relate to it and enjoy this movie. If you have ever had to spend any length of time in a culture very different from your own and not spoken the same language as those around you then you will also probably be able to appreciate the characters and humor. The humor in it is well used and prevents the movie and characters from taking themselves too seriously. If you are looking for Dumb & Dumber/Scary Movie type funny don't bother. This is a more intellectual exercise.
Rating:
Summary: Oy Vey! This movie is facacta
Review: As a grad student studying film as social history, I must emphasize that this hapless drivel could well begin the fall of civilization as we know it! Sophia Coppola takes her audience on a wild and woolly romp through the underbelly of a luxury hotel in Tokyo. A bunch of Japanese people who want to be American but haven't bothered to learn English are annoying to Murray (who gives the greatest cimeatic performance since Jim Varney in Earnest Goes to Jail)yet he manges to maintain his focus on his pediophilaic lust for a pale, dare I say bleached young wench. This film makes Sex in the City look like The Autobiography of Mother Theresa. That is to say, the depths of its philosophic vacuity recall Allen Iverson's famous dictum: Practice? We're talkin about practice! If Iverson manages to capture the ennui of post Y2K melancholy, then Coppola would have done well to bow to Socratic defiance and drank the proverbial hemlock, metaphorically speaking, of course. I sadly give this film a -5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Loving This Film is a Herd Mentality
Review: This is to the arrogant reviewer who titled his review, "Measure of Intelligence". First of all I read a lot of philosophy: Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra, Sartre's Being and Nothingness, Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, etc. I have seen all of Ingmar Bergman's film--The Seventh Seal is my all-time favorite. And I understand the emptiness of existence and have examined it myself: "Nothingness lies coiled in the heart of being--like a worm." (Sartre) I love the cinema and I have seen a lot of cinema--from foreign art to exploitation because I do not discriminate. But enough of this we must praise this film because it is about loneliness and the moments of life that we take for granted. There were a lot of independent films like this released and have all been ignored. If this film is so meaningful, what about the other meaningful films released in 2003 that were ignored? What about independent films like Sylvia, In the Cut, or Dummy? Why choose Lost in Translation? The answer is Sofia Coppola. It is obvious that we are being conditioned by the entertainment media/critics. The hypo-critics are telling us to love this film because it will create a great story: Sofia is not only a female director but is also the daughter of a great director, and now she will become a great director. Wake up folks! This is an average film. There is nothing great in the writing and the directing of this opus. And I cannot believe it is being nominated for best original screenplay. Sofia even admitted that she had to add unnecessary scenes that were not in the script in order to make it longer because her script was too short. Only the herd mentality who likes to think they are smart will fall for this hoax. They are conditioning us to love this film. Please do not fall for it. Think for yourself and be honest with your opinion that this is only an average film.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the Journey
Review: Man, another movie that leaves audiences completely divided. Well, I had wanted to see this from the get-go, and though a friend (whose opinion I normally trust) said it didn't live up to his expectations, I personally disagree. It is possible that if you've never immersed yourself in another culture, then you might dislike this film for a variety of reasons; you might have the knee-jerk reaction "well, I never wanna go to Japan!", but Lost In Translation is not a travel guide for the casual tourist. The characters in the movies are not tourists either. Bill Murray's Bob Harris is in Tokyo to do a TV commercial, and Scarlett Johansson's Charlotte is along for the ride with her working photographer hubby (played by Giovanni Ribisi). These two people are "lost" and confused in a world that they didn't choose to discover, so don't expect the camera to focus on the aspects of Japanese culture and history that might actually fascinate you. So, we've got Bill Murray - another excellent understated performance (restrained in the same way as his role was in RUSHMORE) - and Scarlett Johansson (who I liked in the otherwise boring HORSE WHISPERER), and they meet in a hotel bar and develop an affinity for one another. Though it's a matter of interpretation, I don't think a romantic relationship really does or is supposed to develop between the two, still, if you are so inclined you can read into their interactions in whatever way you want. I've been the foreigner on many an occasion in another country/culture, and I can confirm that in moments of boredom and perhaps confusion it was a relief meeting a person who was in the same boat as me. Does that mean I have to fall in love and sleep with them just because they can relate to my situation? Come on, that's silly. I liked the acting, the look, the subtlety of details, and I liked the humour - which doesn't manifest itself in the usual Hollywood Ha-Ha kind of way. Also, the humour is not constant; the latter part of the movie is not nearly as amusing as the classic Murray reactionary humour of the first half, so please, don't expect the "Best Comedy of the Year". It's not that kind of movie. I read a lot of reviews when the movie was released of people who struggled with the ending calling it 'sad', 'cheap', 'inappropriate', 'unfulfilling' etc. Hmm. I don't know what they were expecting. Let's just say there is no real 'ending' in the traditional movie sense. The final exchange between Bob and Charlotte is left open-ended. I, for one, thought it was the perfect ending. Anything more dramatic would have felt out of place. And besides, I was able to fill in the blanks myself. It's nice when movies let the audience do that. Still, despite all my good feelings towards Lost in Translation, there are flaws. Some people liked the music, but there were several moments in my mind, where that damn music gets spread on too thick. Soft and tinkly one minute, loud and annoying the next. What are we trying to communicate here? Any thing at all? The other thing is that Sofia Coppola (the director) lets the camera linger a wee bit too long on some shots. How many times do we have to see Charlotte sitting on her 100th floor high windowsill overlooking the city? We get the picture. Anyway, it's got some flaws, and it's easy to point them out when - as a viewer - you're so used to being given a certain amount of information either visually or verbally. Well, Lost in Translation doesn't fill in all the gaps for you. But it's worth a rental (I bought it), because it doesn't do things by the book, which is a good thing, and lest I forget, Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Best Picture? P L E A S E............................
Review: I really wanted to see this film because of all the hype. In addition, I adore Bill Murray. I guess I need to just avoid any movie that the critics like (I did love THE ENGLISH PATIENT). I have actually heard critics say that this movie is better than LORD OF THE RINGS and it should win the academy award. Hello!! Watching LOST IN TRANSLATION was sheer torture. It was so boring--of course this is because nothing happened. And, it wasn't funny (with the exception of a couple scenes). In fact, there was no point, message or even climax during the entire movie. The only thing I liked about this film was the scenery of Tokyo. Before I rented this DVD I checked the reviews on AMAZON and there were over 4 stars. I'm glad to see that the dislikes now total the likes and people will get a fairer overview.
Rating:
Summary: BORING - Waste of Time
Review: This had to be the worst movie I have ever sat through. Boring, pointless, dull, no story line. The only segment of the movie that was the least bit interesting and its a whisper you cant hear anyway. Do not waste your time.
The fact that it is up for an award amazes me.
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