Lost in Translation

CHICAGO – Sofia Coppola’s films are intriguing in a way that’s often difficult to put into words. I often find my attention drifting during my initial viewing of them, and yet they somehow manage to linger in my mind long after others have faded. Her problematic costume drama, “Marie Antoinette,” has become one of my favorite films to leave on in the background of a room, simply for the pleasure of dwelling in its subtly nuanced atmosphere.

CHICAGO – As Sofia Coppola’s excellent “Somewhere” with Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning begins to roll out across the country (read our review), catch up with Coppola’s best film, one of the best of the ’00s, the great “Lost in Translation,” now available on Blu-ray for the first time. The release is mostly just a tie-in with a filmmaker’s current release but there is a new special feature — basically a commercial for “Somewhere.” It’s not a fantastic “special edition” but it’s still a fantastic movie.

CHICAGO – Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere” is her most lyrical film, a work that feels not unlike Gus Van Sant’s “Last Days” or “Elephant” in its liberal use of long takes, huge gaps in dialogue, and real-time scenes that seem to go nowhere.

CHICAGO – While legendary writer and director Woody Allen can’t always be equated with sheer genius these days and is more accurately described as a hit-or-miss proposition, the sorely undermarketed and film-festival touring “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” serves as unquestionable retribution for his recently questionable work.