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Gardenstate

You guys should check out Audrey Heburn films if you haven't already seen them. Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's were a couple that paticularly stuck with me. Or how about Casablanca with Ingrid Bergman?

Also, I feel most Godard films, especially Pierrot Le Fou are similar to LIT in many ways (a true "feel" for cinema).

I feel like one of the reasons LIT seems so unqiue is that real good romantic comedys haven't come out for decades. Instead they are marketed towards teens with a juvenille plot and sense of humor. Or, when marketed towards adults, they tend to be melodramatic and overtly sexual (though I must admit there are a few gems such as "Closer" out there).

Garden State and Eternal Sunshine are also good romantic comedies of our time.

What makes LIT truly unqiue is the spontaniety of the acting, the beautiful cinematography, and Sophia's unique vision as a director. Godard comes to mind when I watch this up-and-coming director.

I was searching through IMDB last night and stumbled across "Fear and Trembling", a Belgium film about a young woman who gets a year contract to be a translator for Yumimoto, a large Japanese corporation. It stars Sylvie Testud. I think the french title is "Stupeur et trembelmente".

She starts out with respect but she does not understand office culture in a large Japanese corporation. She makes mistakes she doesn't understand and finds herself falling down the corporate ladder instead of climbing it. It is supposed to be a comedy and has some great shots of Tokyo.

The film's website says it is a cross between "LiT and Secretary". http://www.cinemaguild.com/fearandtrembling/

In the trailer, you will see her crossing the street in one of those crosswalks with large, white stripes. Everyone has umbrellas. It is just like the shots of Charlotte crossing the street with her umbrella.

Sounds kind of interesting to me!

Kathy

(deleted)

johnmonkey wrote:

KKDallas wrote:The film's website says it is a cross between "LiT and Secretary".

That sounds rather...interesting

Are you sure Mr Spock er um I mean johnmonkey that the correct word in this case might be: Faaaaaascinating!

"...Captain! He says it even when he doesn't say it!"

I just watched the trailer and it IS fascinating!
In a way maybe that umbrella scene is an homage to LIT while the characters name of Amelie is an homage to the film of that same name!
I think I want to see this movie!

Edit:
Oh my lord its playing in my town right now! (Boston)
Im running right out to see it!!!

http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/r ... ng+(Movie)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fear_and_trembling/

EDIT:
I started a new post on this film here:
http://www.weareawake.org/forum/viewtop ... =2554#2554

The one movie that i find most simular to Lit is Code 46. The most importat simularity is the FEELING of the movie. The actors have that same touch that bob and charlotte has. The music is great! and very simular to the LiT soundtrack. The characters both meet for the first time in Shanghai.. and its a love story. Its a great movie, its kinda stuck in my head... just like LiT

Someone mentioned Garden State, and actually some people i know liken Garden State to LiT, but it's really not in the same league as LiT (although it's quite good in its own right)

I just watched it for the first time. To be fair, id probably have to go back and watch Garden State a few more times (like i did with LiT) to get everything the movie has to offer, but here's my two cents (or at least what i didn't like about it, why it wasn't as good as LiT):

I thought Garden State took a few "easy ways out" *SPOILERS* - the two characters end up sleeping together, the ending is very romanticized (getting off the plane at the last second...listening to your heart, etc.) I guess i'm saying that Sofia wrote a more sophisticated (for lack of a better word) script.

The acting was generally fine (there were some scenes where Braff could've done better), but at the end of the film, we don't really know Natalie Portman's character. She can't stop lying, she crazy and quirky, she's easy on the eyes...but what else? At the end of LiT, we knew so much about Charlotte. I thought Garden State would have been much stronger if Portman's character was more developed. Also, one of the characters - Large's best friend - really bugged me...i can't put my finger on exactly why. The same can't be said for LiT. Even a character such as Kelly, who is supposed to be annoying and stupid, didn't bug me.

Also, the music wasn't used as well as in LiT (music is important to me, anyways); for some scenes, the songs used felt out of place, whereas in LiT, the music always feels right, it enhances the atmosphere (that being said, there were certain times in Garden State the music felt right - in particular when the Simon & Garfunkel tune was playing during that scene with the three friends shouting over the canyon).

I did like the movie though (i'm just saying it's not as good as LiT); it did have some common themes as LiT. And, there was a very intelligent subtle reference to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which, if you've read the book, will realize is very very cool. I also loved the Infinite Abyss scene.
It was no Lost in Translation though...

Any thoughts?

I've just discovered a great Indian film called, "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge". I wouldn't compare it with LiT, but it is a wonderful film for us hopeless-romantic types. I've just started getting into Bollywood films, but this is the best one I've seen so far.

The main characters go exploring Europe for a month following graduation, and meet on the train. Following some exploits (and some improbable song-and-dance numbers), they fall in love. Problem is, the girl has had her marriage arranged already, and is returning home from Europe to wed. It's cornball in spots, but it's got a lot of good heartfelt moments, and I really enjoyed it. So, if you happen to have some Indian shops that sell DVDs in your area, you might want to check it out.

I agree with LITobsession on Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn. I caught it this weekend on our local PBS station, and noticed a lot of similarities with LIT. There is a scene where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck visit a "wish wall" in Rome that was very similar to the Kyoto scene with Charlotte and the wish tree. Audrey Hepburn also plays a young woman unhappy with the direction of her life. In the end, her experience in Rome with Peck seems to give her a new-found direction in her life.

hull_street wrote:I've just discovered a great Indian film called, "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge". I wouldn't compare it with LiT, but it is a wonderful film for us hopeless-romantic types. I've just started getting into Bollywood films, but this is the best one I've seen so far.

I'll have to check that one out.
I saw my first Bollywood movie when I was in India in 1992.
It was Lamhe which was directed by Yash Chopra who also did
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
For the longest time it was not out on dvd with subtitles. In fact
until recently most Bollywood films were not out with subtitles.
I found a web site which sells a lot of them really cheap and I
bought a whole bunch.

DDLJ stars Shahrukh Khan who is the most famous and prolific Indian
actor. I found this site:
http://members.tripod.com/shruti_a/ddlj.html
which talks about the movie and the awards it won.
Yash Chopra is a famous director in India. Lamhe was a bit controversial
for it's time and the song and dance scenes are classic.
If you want to see some I liked there is:
Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, Fiza
Lagaan is supposed to be good and got a lot of attention but I
haven't seen it yet.

There are also the recent Hollywood/Bollywood/Indie fusion films such as:
The Guru
Monsoon Wedding
Bend It Like Beckham
Bride and Prejudice

The Guru is great and a lot of fun and a romantic comedy!

You know, I've been meaning to see "Bend It Like Beckham." Thanks for reminding me of it.

I've got Fear and Trembling on DVD, much recommended. A fascinating insight into Japanese working culture.
If you love LiT you will love most of the films made my Wong Kar Wai, in particular i'm thinking Chungking Express and In The Mood for Love. Probably the sort of films you are looking for.

Hi all, my first post.
Would just like to say i'd 2nd the last post, in as much as Chungking Express is a must see film for anyone who wants to get that Lost In Translation feeling, we all know that feeling! In fact i'd say Lost In Translation has a Chunking Express feeling, simply cause i saw that film first. I really recommend it for all on here and would love to hear your opinion.

Welcome to the forum Ash27 and have fun!

For me, the Thai movie Last Life in the Universe is a must see film. There's also a disconnected loneliness in both main characters. It's a different film in regards to presentation and plot. However, the ending has an ambiguous scene or two which makes you wonder what just happened.

If you watch it, let me know how you liked it.

The soundtrack is so awesome and evokes that feeling of being alone.

Last life in the universe, also has the same cimematographer as my recommendation 'Chunking Express'. The great Christopher Doyle.

Cool, I'll check out Chungking Express. Thanks for the tip.

I'm not sure if this one has been mentioned but I watched 'Cafe Lumiere' yesterday.. I think anyone who likes LiT and modern Japan would love it as I did. Lots and lots of scenery shots, very slow paced.. very beautiful. I'd definitely recommend it.

Just ordered Cafe Lumiere, I'll let you know what i think. Thanks for the recommendation.