Monday Movie Meme - Lost in Translation

Have you’ve ever watched a foreign film with subtitles so puzzling that you feel like you’d be better off seeing this movie in its native language? If so, the theme of this week’s Monday Movie Meme is for you and those of us who have had to find our own way -- through the actions and moving lips in films from other lands: Lost in Translation.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies you’ve watched that contain frustrating subtitles. They might even be so bad that you felt a headache coming on, just trying to follow long in the story playing out on screen. Some subtitles are incomplete or do not make any sense. Others are displayed in an ineligible font or color that causes strain on the eyes. Whatever the case, you wished more attention to detail was put toward this seemingly minor, yet oh-so-important, aspect of a movie.

Here are my selections for this week’s Lost in Translation theme.

The Girl who played with Fire

I developed a headache while trying to watch this movie due to the faulty subtitles. Solution – turn on the English dub track! That was easy enough, except for the fact that I could not seem to turn the subtitles off, so I had two choices – watch “The Girl who played with Fire” with subtitles only, even though they disappear mid-sentence while the characters are visibly still talking on screen. Or, I can activate this movie’s English dub track and then sit back and watch while the English that I’m hearing on screen doesn’t match up to the subtitles. What the heck?! Did they outsource both versions to two completely different companies, or what?

What I found most interesting, however, is that after I returned this confusing piece of junk back to the library where I borrowed it from, the DVD rental that I picked up from Blockbuster was just fine – so fine that I didn’t even need to watch it with an English dub. I was able to watch it with fully completed subtitles. The lesson in this viewing experience: Be weary of getting foreign films from libraries.

Bliss (Mutluluk)

Yeah, this movie has been on my radar a lot lately and is the (loosely) inspiration for this week’s meme. The subtitles are thin, yellow and too damn small. I had to get up and stand in front of the television several times throughout this movie, just so I could read what the characters were saying.

Good thing that “Bliss” was otherwise a well-made film and had a tight story going for it. Although this is one of few foreign films that I would watch again, it is highly unlikely that I will do so, given the fact that its subtitling size needs to be bumped up a notch or two – or three!

Oldboy

After learning about this popular South Korean mystery drama, I rented the DVD, only to learn that its subtitles do not match up to the action and verbal communication being displayed on screen.

So, I refused to continue to watch “Oldboy” at that time and today it remains among the films I hit the “stop” button on, turning off after only just a few scenes in. Considering what happened with “The Girl who played with Fire” where I had to obtain the same movie twice from different services, I’m now wondering of this “Oldboy” subtitle mix-up was a case of a shoddy DVD source. As the November 27^th release of the “Oldboy” remake approaches, I also wonder if I should even bother watching the Korean one; why bother playing subtitle roulette when I can watch an all-English version without all this native/foreign translation drama?!

What foreign films have YOU watched that contained faulty subtitles, making it difficult for you to interpret, or enjoy, the movie?

Monday Movie Meme - The Chase

I wonder if we give car chases in movies too much credit. They clearly are not the only game in town that can provoke action-packed, heart pounding thrills on screen. So, the theme of this week’s Monday Movie Meme is dedicated to the characters involved in getaways or heavy pursuits, on foot:  The Chase.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring an on-foot chase involving one or more of the main characters. They can be trying to run away from someone or something. They can be chasing other people or inanimate objects. So long as these on-screen chases are done without any form of transportation – be that a plane, train or automobile, you’re good to go. Here are my selections for this week’s The Chase theme.

Takers

Jesse is nimble, Jesse is quick, and Jesse cannot only jump over a candle stick, he can survive being hit by a car – multiple times, in this action thriller starring Chris Brown and Matt Dillon.

As a member of a sophisticated bank robbing team, Jesse remains unstoppable after leaping through glass windows and tumbling over fences, among other adventures, to get away from Detective Welles. Had I watched “Takers” just a year earlier, this movie character would have been fitting for my previous list of movies featuring Olympic runners.

The Bourne Ultimatum

A contract killer chases Nicky Parsons through the crowded streets and buildings of a Moroccan city when she tries to help Bourne, in this action thriller starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles.

Bliss (Mutluluk)

As planned for my participation in the global discussion on human rights, for Blog Action Day 2013, this foreign film is partly why I chose the “chasing” theme.

There is a scene in “Bliss” where a girl who was scheduled to die in an honor killing, is chased through a field, by henchmen from her village.

What movies have YOU seen featuring a chase that takes place on foot?

Monday Movie Meme – Messages from Behind Bars

Recently, I’ve felt like I’m in a prison of sorts, or maybe a hole that I cannot manage to get out of for the life of me. That’s a story for another day…perhaps.

As the theatrical debut of Howard University alum Patrick “Praheme” Ricks’ family film “Troop 491: the Adventures of the Muddy Lions” continues, this week’s Monday Movie Meme is based on a scene where Triston visits his father in prison and learns a lesson that he carries with him when trying to figure out how to do the right thing: Messages from Behind Bars.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring scenes involving though-provoking prison visits; where one of the main characters gets a rude awakening that actually benefits him or her, in the long-run. Here are my selections for this week’s Messages from Behind Bars theme.

A Time to Kill

 During one of many jail visits, Carl Lee makes it clear why he and his lawyer Jake are not friends.

Under normal circumstances, this would be sad and cruel, except for the fact that Carle’s explanations help Jake realize how to use common prejudices to his advantage during a murder trial, in this crime thriller starring Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson and Sandra Bullock.

The Town

A casual conversation gets real personal, tense and cut short when Doug addresses the dead elephant in the room during a visit with his imprisoned father in this crime thriller, starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Jeremy Renner.

“Look, I gotta die five times before I get out of here, but, I’ll see you again – this side, or the other!”

Fruitvale Station

Refusing to stand for any of the foolishness that caused her son to be in prison, Oscar Grant’s mother ends their visit by walking out and refusing to return, in this biographical drama starring Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer.

What movies involving though-provoking prison visits would YOU add to this list?

Troop: 491: the Adventures of the Muddy Lions

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