Visually and Spiritually Soothing

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2003)

I think Copola finally got the right idea. Simplify your story, get a small cast that is incredibly talented, and let things happen by themselves. I have to admit, I thought that "The Virgin Suicides" was horrible! So when I heard that she was loose again, I figured, man, it must be nice being kin to Francis Ford Copola. However, Sofia comes through with the goods on this one. Oh sure, it does bog down a little towards the middle. However, all in all, it is a fine movie. I loved the great shots of Japan and the atmosphere shown through the camera. Scarlett Johansen is a huge star in the making (if not already) and Bill Murray, well, he is Bill Murray (an American ICON!) If you want to know what it is like to be truly isolated, this film shows it. Isolation in one of the most crowded cities in the world. It is this isolation that brings people together, people that would have never ever come together. And this is what happens, people that are alone in a foreign land, away from loved ones, come together. But just how close are they really? Are they truly meant to be with one another or is it just a moment in time? Wow, tough one. One that will have you thinking for sometime, should he or shouldn't he have?