Double Feature

March 2007 - Oscar! Oscar! Osss-carrrrrr! By the time you read this, the 2007 Academy Awards will be over and the winners will have Oscars safely tucked away on a shelf somewhere. My psychic abilities being somewhat lacking, I have no idea which actors or movies will win (but, since I L-O-V-E Greg Kinnear, I'll be rooting for Little Miss Sunshine). So, I respectfully submit the following reviews of two recent Oscar contenders.

First up, Transamerica. Desperate Housewife Felicity Huffman earned an Oscar nomination for her role in this 2005 film, which just happened to have her husband, William H. Macy, as Executive producer. Dolly Parton picked up a nomination for her song "Travelin' Thru."

Huffman plays Bree Osbourne, nee Stanley, who lives in LA and is one week away from a sex change operation. But, if you'll pardon the pun, everything changes when Bree finds out that Stanley's son has been busted in New York and needs someone to come get him.

Well, Bree/Stanley didn't even know she had a son. Nevertheless, she flies to New York to meet Toby, a drug-using male prostitute. The rest of the movie follows Bree and Toby as they journey back to Los Angeles. Bree never tells Toby who she is until a big line has been crossed.

Overall review: Ehhh, it was OK. I know this movie got a lot of awards and nominations, but I don't see what all the fuss was about. Huffman plays Bree as someone who's ready to fall off her high wedge heels at any moment. Bree's also taken a lot of college classes yet manages to do some not-very-bright things. Maybe that's why I didn’t particularly like Bree. And, I didn't like Toby any better.

Film number two is Lost in Translation. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star in this 2003 drama from Sofia Coppola. This movie received four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. Its only win went to Coppola's screenplay.

Murray plays Bob Harris, a middle-aged American actor who's in Japan to shoot the latest ad campaign for a top-selling whisky. He'd rather be home doing local theatre, but his wife of 20+ years said, "Take the money."

Johansson plays Charlotte, a recent Yale grad who's still trying to find herself. She's married to John (played by Giovanni Ribisi), who makes his living photographing rock and roll bands. He's in Tokyo for a shoot and Charlotte tagged along.

The movie focuses on Bob and Charlotte as they meet in the hotel bar then start hanging out and going to clubs around Tokyo. Neither one ever professes love for the other, but Charlotte is hurt when Bob has a one-night stand with a singer.

Overall review: Liked it. There's really no plot here. It's just a slice of life about what can happen when two lost souls meet. But, if all you've found is another lost soul, have you really found anything?

Both Transamerica and Lost in Translation are rated R.