Posts by Noah Harris50

Arthur Barnes said:edit: if you thought this movie was boring, you clearly missed the point.

Yeah, it's incredibly complex and hard to wrap your head around. Definitely. 😕

blueranger12 said:I know you have refined taste in music and movies, so I'm really sorry you didn't feel it.

Yeah, I've got killer taste in music and film—not to be fake-modest or anything—but if you noticed it, then yours must be just as sharp.

I dig Coppola. I love The Virgin Suicides. I was actually pretty hyped for this one and I'm glad it's a hit. But honestly? I think she totally missed the mark with this movie.

I mean, sure, the ending works for me. I like that it avoids those tired romantic clichés you see everywhere else. But like I said, it’s not "love" love. It’s just proximity fueled by being miserable with everything else in life, and being in a foreign city—that feeling of being a complete outsider in a place like Tehran (like, what the hell am I even doing here?!)—just cranks that feeling up to eleven.

The whole thing feels so weighed down by Tokyo that their actual relationship and story just get lost. It's underdeveloped. Stagnant.

I just didn't get swept up in the hype like everyone else did. Dammit.

blueranger12 said:Most people I know saw the movie primarily as a critique of Japanese society. Total fiasco. I mean, the movie was fine, I liked how she portrayed the despair of Tokyo—I’d never go there, it looks like a disaster.

Give me a break, that wasn't even the point. It was just supposed to be the backdrop for a love story. But nope, they missed the romance because apparently, it was too subtle, slow, or boring for them. All they saw was a giant dinosaur on a building, naked women in a bar, some karaoke, and a bunch of disconnected people.

🙂 🙂 🙂

¨

hm, don't you think that means she didn't do the love story justice???
If you ask me, they developed this really unique closeness. What kind of love story happens in just a few days? geez!"!!

Robert Cooper41 said:Clearly a totally different vibe from what Sofia had in mind.

She probably pictured him exactly how she wanted, no doubt about it. But man, she absolutely blew it with him. What a waste.

I’m a huge fan of Thomas Vinterberg. His movie "Festen" is easily one of my top ten all-time favorites.

So I don't get why he had to make this total mess... and what the hell he was even trying to say. Honestly, I don't think even he knows.

HERO

Finally, after months of waiting, I actually sat down to watch Lost in Translation. I went in totally blind—I hate reading reviews before seeing a movie—but it was impossible to ignore the hype. Every major magazine and newspaper here in the States was handing out perfect six-star ratings. It’s been nominated for an Oscar, everyone from critics to random people is raving about it, and even my friends were relentless: "When are you finally going to watch Lost in Translation? You're going to love it!"

So, I headed to the theater in a great mood, ready to spend the evening with a masterpiece from my favorite, Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides really stuck with me).

The result? A total letdown. All that anticipation just deflated, and walking out of the theater, I felt completely drained. I honestly wondered if something was wrong with my brain since I was the only one who didn't "get" it. I didn't find anything spectacular or even noteworthy, and I couldn't figure out why the audience around me was giggling at every other scene.

The movie tries to balance drama and comedy. Let's talk about the comedy first. Honestly, I think even Woody Allen's worst flicks are funnier than this. It feels like it was made for kids or maybe a drunk crowd. How is anyone supposed to laugh at the scene where Bill Murray is on that elliptical thing in the gym? And who finds it funny watching someone struggle to translate twenty Japanese phrases into one English sentence? Plus, did we really need to be slapped in the face with three full karaoke songs? I thought I was going to die of boredom. The whole "humor" relies on cultural differences (or basically just making fun of Japan), which just wasn't funny to me.

As for the drama? There isn't any. None of the characters actually grow, and their story goes nowhere. And love? There's no real romance building here; it's just two lonely people finding a connection because they're stuck in a foreign city surrounded by strangers. These people are just so incredibly dull—they can't even entertain themselves in a massive place like Tokyo. You've got Bill, just exhausted by life, his family, and himself, and her, a spoiled brat with no direction. All we get is a bunch of nightlife scenes that are just as tedious.

Look, Bill Murray was great, no arguments there. She was okay too, though after her killer performance in The Man Who Wasn't There, I expected more. She started feeling repetitive and annoying. Just like the movie itself. Giovanni Ribisi looks like he just borrowed his sister's role (or maybe some actors just have one gear?). And Anna Faris, with her three Scary Movie credits, wasn't much better.

It's a mediocre film. Fine for a boring Wednesday night at home with some popcorn, but it doesn't deserve the five-star reviews or the award nominations. Compared to Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides is a much stronger contender for any awards. That movie actually hooked me with its unique story, irresistible melancholy, beautiful nostalgia, perfect soundtrack, stunning cinematography, and atmosphere.

I'm just disappointed. I really wish I could be part of the crowd cheering for this, but... nope.

The best part? I can chop onions without a single issue!!! My eyes never sting like everyone else's because my Bausch + Lomb contact lenses have my back. Total lifesaver.
Honestly, I’ve been wearing these for 15 years now, so I'm so used to them that if I try reading a book before bed with glasses, my eyes just get exhausted. haha.

To the guy above complaining about dry eyes, you should check out those BLINK drops. They actually keep things hydrated for way longer.

Looking for some action in Copenhagen and stumbled onto this... apparently the Pixies are hitting Coachella??!!!

Daniel Bailey7 said:I'm down, if I can swing the cash... March or April should be a killer month for shows in NYC... personally, I'd rather drop the same amount on three gigs (like... Notwist, Xiu Xiu, and M. gira)

you gotta be kidding me! michael gira????????????????

Daniel Bailey7 said:...it doesn't matter how much the ticket is $67, because honestly, Femmsi isn't even worth it these days (unless you're one of those teeeeeeesky nostalgic types)

I think you've got it wrong. If this turns out to be anything like the show I saw about a year ago over in London, trust me—that nostalgic trip back to the Violent Femmes era is totally worth the $67 you mentioned.
The vibes from that night were insane; that kind of energy hits you so hard you can still feel it a week later.

Just go and enjoy it.

back in our neck of the woods:

videosex-lacrimae christi

"come and lay with me... I want your body to suffer me" mmmm anja

Robert Cooper41 said:The World of Skin - 10 Songs for Another World (came out late '80s/early '90s... killer side project from Michael Gira of Swans)

Yeah, totally. That album is absolute gold, no question about it.
Gira and Jarboe are just a legendary duo, no matter how you slice it. Haven't spun this one in a minute, even though I still have the CD (some jerk once messed up the cover art—damn him—but I remember it had a three-headed dog on it).

you penetrate my eyes and you steal my memory
and each sensation burns another piece of me away
the mirrors turn to the wall reflecting what i'll be
and i'm afraid of dying
and i don't know where i've just been
so please... remember me...

If I remember right, those are the lyrics to the first track.

👍

Ethan Howard45 said:just caught The Five Obstructions in Utah! absolute masterpiece.
can't believe there was zero hype around this thing.
it’s basically The Perfect Human—exactly what was in those five obstructions.

you seen 5 obstructions yet?

yeah, obviously. von Trier and Leth are my top two directors, both have the wildest ideas. you'd probably dig Leth's stuff from the 70s.

Noah Watson4 said:Can someone please walk me through this? I honestly couldn't wrap my head around how both girls in the movie are actually the same person(!)? 😉

Wait, who's the same person??????

Ethan Howard45 said:Lars von Trier & The Five Obstructions

????????????????????

I seriously need to know how you even dug this up?!

p.s. it's von Trier, not Loeth
p.p.s. you ever seen "the perfect human" by von Trier?

Lupuz said:I know I'm not breaking new ground here—this has been done a million times—but whatever. Might as well give someone a chance to discover some essential listening.

1. Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Pure frustration and aggression, plus those anti-establishment vibes. The riffs are legendary. It works because it’s a cohesive concept album that paints a real picture of America and the state of the world.

2. Slayer - Reign in Blood
Aggression. Speed. All packed into 30 minutes. Angel of Death and Postmort are absolute speed classics.

3. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Bruce sounds incredible on this. Tracks like Hallowed be Thy Name, Acacia Avenue, and Run to the Hills are just straight-up classics.

4. Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Another conceptual masterpiece that holds everything together. Great music, featuring Marty Friedman's debut, which is easily their best work. Those solos are killer. Tornado of Souls is my favorite.

5. Metallica - Master of Puppets
Who even listens to Metallica anymore? Still, this one is iconic. Kind of similar vibes to Megadeth's Rust in Peace.

Honorable mentions: Kreator - Extreme Aggressions, Death - Symbolic, King Diamond - Abigail, Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime, and Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory.

I'm with you on everything except Pantera. If I were making this list, I'd shuffle things around and swap Pantera out for AC/DC - Back in Black.

From what I used to listen to back in the day:

METALLICA - Master of Puppets

François Truffaut's Jules et Jim.
Krzysztof Kieslowski's Veronique.
The Elephant Man - David Lynch
Songs from the Second Floor - Roy Andersson
Polanski's The Tenant is heavy stuff. Total descent into madness.
Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Andrei Rublev - Andrei Tarkovsky
The Tin Drum - Volker Schlöndorff.
Fanny and Alexander - Ingmar Bergman
Thomas Vinterberg's Festen. Heavy stuff.

I'm trying to figure out what she's getting at when she tells him he didn't say "much" either. Like, there were things she was totally in the dark about, or something along those lines.