Lost in Translation
Inexplicable. That's what this film is, completely inexplicable. So much so, that one
has to wonder what pact Sophia Coppola made with Satan.
Make no mistake, that's exactly what happened. The Dark Lord, who asked her,
"Would you like to trade your soul for an ability of your choosing?" met Sophia
Coppola, in a dream. The young Sophia Coppola, like her father before her, stated,
"Yes, I would. I want to be an amazing filmmaker." The Dark Lord obliged Sophia
Coppola and imbibed her with divine powers to make touching, quirky,
character-driven dramadies.
Unfortunately, like any deal with Satan, this one came with a price as well. That price
was this:
Sophia Coppola had to ruin the final film in the greatest trilogy of American cinema.
And did she ever. Sophia Coppola's wooden and emotionless performance in The
Godfather III was so bad that it completely negated every ounce of dramatic
brilliance brought to the screen by De Niro, James Caan and Robert Duvall. That's the
equivalent of one rifle-toting jihadi simultaneously destroying the Army, Navy and
Marines in the span of about two and a half hours.
Yet, some-frakking-how, Sophia Coppola has made a movie that is, fundamentally, a
romantic comedy that is not only engaging but entertaining. That's no small feat but
that's still not enough for redemption. Maybe someday, but not now.
Of course, we do have to remember that this is only film-making, not murdering four
people in cold blood (that we know of) and starting a street gang that has led to the
suffering and death of thousands. If you do that shit, you should die, regardless of
how many sequels to Goodnight Moon that you write.
Inexplicable. That's what this film is, completely inexplicable. So much so, that one
has to wonder what pact Sophia Coppola made with Satan.
Make no mistake, that's exactly what happened. The Dark Lord, who asked her,
"Would you like to trade your soul for an ability of your choosing?" met Sophia
Coppola, in a dream. The young Sophia Coppola, like her father before her, stated,
"Yes, I would. I want to be an amazing filmmaker." The Dark Lord obliged Sophia
Coppola and imbibed her with divine powers to make touching, quirky,
character-driven dramadies.
Unfortunately, like any deal with Satan, this one came with a price as well. That price
was this:
Sophia Coppola had to ruin the final film in the greatest trilogy of American cinema.
And did she ever. Sophia Coppola's wooden and emotionless performance in The
Godfather III was so bad that it completely negated every ounce of dramatic
brilliance brought to the screen by De Niro, James Caan and Robert Duvall. That's the
equivalent of one rifle-toting jihadi simultaneously destroying the Army, Navy and
Marines in the span of about two and a half hours.
Yet, some-frakking-how, Sophia Coppola has made a movie that is, fundamentally, a
romantic comedy that is not only engaging but entertaining. That's no small feat but
that's still not enough for redemption. Maybe someday, but not now.
Of course, we do have to remember that this is only film-making, not murdering four
people in cold blood (that we know of) and starting a street gang that has led to the
suffering and death of thousands. If you do that shit, you should die, regardless of
how many sequels to Goodnight Moon that you write.
