FILM REVIEW

Lost in Translation
Director: Sofia Coppola

With her second feature (and her Oscar for Best Original Screenplay), Sophia Coppola has proven she doesn't stand in her father's shadow. "Lost in Translation" is a love poem that is truly sweet and touching in its simplicity. In the bizarre chaos of today's Tokyo, alienation and loneliness come crushing down on our two main characters. They are two people in deep existential crisis who find a connection, more spiritual than physical, but nonetheless one of true love. Scarlett Johansson has an inner glow that knocks you off your feet and Bill Murray delivers a performance of tenderness and affection. Ignoring the fact that the film perhaps states the obvious, and that it portrays the Japanese with a humor bordering on the patronizing, this is a true gem of insight and warmth. IIII

Julie Vinten

What is all the darn fuss about? With this controversial production Sofia Coppola became the third female and the first American woman nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Director category. Coppola's second film is either a wonderful existential comedy of manners - American and Japanese - or it's the best feature-length product-placement commercial ever made. Bill Murray has never been better, while Scarlett Johansson is totally enchanting. Melancholy and sad - often pretentious, illogical and even boring - this oddball film radiates its own transitory charm. A more appropriate title would have been "Paycheck." It's definitely not something everyone will enjoy. However, papa Francis Ford Coppola should be proud of his daughter.
IIII

Laimons Juris G

Paycheck
Director: John Woo
John Woo was once the master of innovative action films with heart and brain, but with "Paycheck" his Hong Kong masterpieces "The Killer" and "Hard-Boiled" seem like ancient history. Ben Affleck is a reverse engineer whose job is so top-secret and clandestine that he subsequently has his memory erased as part of the deal. Suddenly he is hunted game. Nice set-up, and in fairness this sci-fi thriller has its entertaining moments, but it contains no real suspense. Largely ignoring the moral issues of the Philip K. Dick story on which it is based, the film babbles for about one minute about stopping the human race from destroying itself, before we are off again into superficiality. Woo's obligatory white dove is there, but there isn't much of the old John Woo to be found. II 1/2

Julie Vinten

Mark Twain stated that "Every wrinkle merely indicates where a smile has been." Well, in this brainless sci-fi show it certainly looks like Uma Thurman has done quite a lot of smiling. Most likely it has to do with the small fortune she earned for running through her paces in this low-grade effort. Unfor-tunately, Ben Affleck is well known for hardly moving a muscle, let alone grinning, when in the process of "acting" his way through a part. Meanwhile, "Paycheck" contains about as much plot as there is cheese on the moon. It is very difficult to find any intelligent reason why this movie was made. I

Laimons Juris G

Stuck on You
Dir: Bobby and Peter Farrelly

Are you ready for this? Those wild and wacky Farrelly brothers are at it again. It is extremely difficult not to like their bizarre new comic drama. In a distinct way, "Stuck on You" gives an entirely new spin to the meaning of family, home and sincerity. This reviewer readily admits that there is a genuine heart pumping throughout most of the uncanny goings-on in this really weird flick. However, even the super-mega talents of Oscar winners Matt Damon, Meryl Streep and Cher can't salvage this movie from a really bad case of the "cutes." You'll either love it or hate it, but there's a chuckle to be found here somewhere, especially when you least expect it. III
Laimons Juris G