A relaxing character study and a fun family film.

Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation has been accused as being boring and slow-moving by some people. I was one of those people, until I watched it again for the first time in four years.

Its slow pace is probably one of the film's best qualities. It's soothing and relaxing, like a nice spa and allows the viewer to get into the two protagonist's lives, as we see both of them suffering from similar problems. Bill Murray, in his best performance to date, gives Bob Harris a calmness as he tries to do with the new, unusual world he's in. There is also humour throughout that makes the character a fun fellow. Scarlett Johansson's performance is also of note as, like Murray, she gives the character a touching edge. Sofia Coppola's direction and screenplay also help in the above cases.

Lost in Translation can be best described as a light film, adrift with few cliches and a believable friendship between two individuals, who despite at different stations in life, are both experiencing similar epiphanies.

Mousehunt

A fun family film, Mousehunt doesn't care about realism (as this film has barely any), but to get the viewer to laugh. And it certainly succeeds in that area. Nathan Lane and Lee Evans make a great team and while they don't put the combination of Lane and Matthew Broderick to shame, they still work very well together. The special effects used to create the mouse are also very well done, as they successfully mix real mice, puppets and CGI. Alan Silvestri's score is also one that adds the fun and darkness to the film, with both his main memorable theme and the sentimental music, too. This is a fun film that allows the viewer to escape reality for an hour and half.