This has been a good weekend for watching movies. I finally got to see "Underworld" yesterday, and on Friday night it was the big one, "Lost in Translation."

I want to recommend Lost in Translation to everyone reading this (all 2 o' yous). I really liked the sweet, innocent way the story was told... and the best part was it was told heavily without dialogue. So much was said through the direction and the strength of the actors. And Bill Murray is still one of the greatest ever. Think about him for a second... is he ever in the tabloids? Does he seem to make a big show of the fact that he happens to work in a place called Hollywood? Plus, can any actor right now say so much with just a limp stare? Tom and I were wondering how it is that we could be cracking up so hard at him posing with a glass of vodka; but if it were some other actor, say, Jim Carrey, attempting the same thing, we wouldn't laugh. Bill Murray is just intrinsically a funny guy. There is something about him that, even when he is just sitting there, you want to smile.

I keep a framed picture of him in my office. It's him in Stripes mode, pointing a finger right at me all day long. It's really the only picture I will always have in my workspace-- I decided that a couple years ago, when I got laid off at another company and when I went back to clean out my desk, I looked up and saw Bill on my wall, I smiled and pictured how cool it would be to hang him up over a new desk somewhere else. Maybe I am a little crazy or something, but it really helps me get through the day when I can look up and see Bill Murray's wry face there.

Oh, and Underworld was good too. But it wasn't good enough to make me go apeshit. Not like when I saw the Crow about--what, 10 years ago already? I liked some parts of the story, and I appreciated the art direction... but I couldn't help but feel how forced-Goth it was at times. Why is it that vampires always have to live in big mansions decorated with lots of ornate mahoghany furniture, and wear lots of lace chokers, bodices and sparkles? And why, in these movies, is it constantly raining with massive amounts of lightning?

The good news is, the Sweeping Black Duster Jacket market is still going healthy, thanks to the crews making the Matrix movies and things like this movie.

Damn. I really wanted to like this one more. I am always a sucker for the goth stuff, for things that are comic book-y in nature and sci-fi-ish. But since Lost in Translation was such a fantastic coup for me this weekend, I am not complaining. I will take Bill Murray in an inside-out orange and red camo rave shirt over vampire-guy with sequined shirt lapels any day of the goddamn week.

Unless it's the second Tuesday of the month. Crap, second Tuesdays are all about sequined lapels.