This is not a great movie. It's been widely critically acclaimed (Rotten Tomatoes rating of 95%), but compared to the delightful pair of movies Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, it felt like a complete waste of time. The characters did not have a connection other than a general sense of midlife ennui. The humor is mostly based on the juxtaposition of the typical ugly American who does not bother so much as to learn a tiny bit of a foreign language before landing on foreign shores with a modern Japanese culture that is admittedly quite bizarre. But seriously, I can't believe that a 24-year old in Japan by herself would not find more interesting things to do than what the Scarlett Johansson character did.
Two thumbs down. I feel compelled to try to save my friends the hour and 40 minutes that represent this movie.
Monday, January 02, 2006
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2 comments:
That "nothing happened" is good post-modernism, but that's not enough for me. I want the story to actually strike a chord with me. If I want "nothing happened", I have a lifetime of experience with "nothing happened" to draw on. :-)
I really liked that movie. The plot and characters were not so interesting. But the music, visuals, and... uhm... atmosphere more than made up for it.
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