You saw "Lost in Translation", right? Well, hurry up! It is, without a doubt, one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. Bill Murray is fantastic in a quiet, dignified role. And Scarlett Johansson -- I'm in love. From the opening titles, played across her perfect, panty-clad butt, to the final private whisper between two lost people who have found a brief respite from loneliness and isolation, this movie kept me enthralled.
And I'm not alone in my admiration for this movie: check out this list of 10 Best lists. The movie, director/writer Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray are universally lauded, and a shoo-in for some big awards.
One of the premises of the movie is that Murray, an aging American action film star, is over in Japan to shoot a couple of big-bucks commercials for Suntory whiskey. It's really not an uncommon thing in Hollywood, although the actors -- most of whom would never stoop to doing an American commercial -- stipulate in their multi-million dollar contracts that the commercials and ads never be seen in America. After all, what would we think if we were to see Arnold Schwarznegger shilling for a beer company, or Jennifer Lopez doing a car commercial?
Well, if you want to see some of these ads, hurry over to Japander.com, where an enterprising hobbyist has collected dozens of these gems, including Madonna advertising a distilled rice beverage, Brad Pitt selling everything, and Winona Ryder doing Subaru spots.
My personal favorites are the Harrison Ford beer adverts. Watching these after seeing "Lost in Translation" gives it a whole different flavor. I don't know how long the site will be permitted to remain up and running, so pop in and give it a look now.
