January 25, 2004

Lost in Translation A and I went to see Lost in Transaltion last Sunday. We arrived 40 minutes before the showtime but the movie had already sold out. Due to rave reviews and our personal interest in the storyline, our expectations for the film were high. And after having to wait an extra week to see it, they grew higher still. We were disappointed when we saw it tonight. The most disappointing thing was that the two main characters were quite uninteresting. Secondly, there was no build-up to make the audience believe they truly enjoyed each other's company. Thirdly, the bits where Bill Murray delivered humor were poor. I think it was due to a bad script, because I like Bill Murray in comedies from the 80s. The redeeming qualities were: 1. some excellent scenery; views of Tokyo from top floors in skyscrapers, Mt. Fuji viewed from a golf course, people clad in traditional Japanese clothing walking up to a shrine in Kyoto 2. good portrayal of Tokyo as the electronics capital of the world 3. I learned a word from a Pretenders song (Brass in Pocket) that I could never figure out. For the past 23 years, I've been singing along with Chrissy Hinde, "Gonna use my sahsay", knowing it was wrong. Tonight, I learned that Chrissy is gonna use her "side-step." The fun part of the evening came after the show, when A and I went to Bar Italia in Soho. We sat at an outdoor table under a giant heat lamp, next to a dozen mint-condition Vespas. While sipping our espresso drinks and nibbling on biscotti, we compared our analyses of the movie. This was much more interesting than watching the movie itself. We read through a full page staff review of the film that A had picked up. The last line of the review was, "It will be a hit with anyone whose life is going nowhere...." Pointing to this line, I pronounced, "Well no wonder we didn't enjoy it" She looked at me quizzically. Me: "I was being a little bit sarcastic." A: "Sahcas...heh?" Enter film title here.

January 02, 2004

Go wireless for better health We now have wireless internet connection in the flat. That means that I can once again listen to NPR in the kitchen. That means more time that I will spend cooking. That means more home made lunches and dinners. That means a wider variety of fresh, low-fat foods. That means better health. Or else just more eatin'.