Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

Last night, I finally saw Lost in Translation. Whoa. This is the first truly brilliant film I've seen of 2003. Director/writer Sofia Coppola showing and proving that she's got it just as her father (Francis Ford Coppola, duh) and husband (Spike Jonze) do, cinematography in Tokyo to die for, a stunning score by Kevin Shields, and a pair of amazingly fearless performances, both quite Oscar-worthy, from Scarlet Johanssen and most notably Bill Murray. Lost isn't big on plot; it's more a mood piece. Don't let that keep you from seeing it. A meditation on knowing what we want and who we are (and having any idea how to get there), this is a flat-out knockout. Murray's performance reminded me quite a bit of Jack Nicholson's in About Schmidt, both of them playing older men feeling adrift and attempting to figure things out - and both of them full of grace and grace notes, nailing it scene after scene. Call it a must-see, call it whatever you want. Just go.