What is with films like this?

I thought they were both excellent. I'll deal with each one separately- Elephant Gus Van Sant's treastie on school violence, a semi-recreation of the Columbine school shootings that happened a number of years ago in Colorado. The long tracking shots and silences I believe is meant to evoke the placidness of suburban life and how it is shattered by this sudden violence. This technique also provides a bit of dramatic build-up. I liked how the movie interwove several different story lines and presented the incredible violence and atrocities in a matter-of-fact way. It was much more shocking to experience that way. I will admit that you have to be patient with this movie, the aformentioned tracking shots and long takes can be tedious. However, I think this is a feeling Van Sant wants to evoke in the film (re:Gerry). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind What's not to like about this film? It's funny, it's off beat, the storyline is fairly original and it has a really great cast. I thoroughly enjoyed it, plus the Beck track "Everyone Needs Love Sometimes" is awesome. I think with movies like the ones you mentioned you have to come into it with a different mentality. When I go see a big commercial action movie I expect very little character depth, a fast paced storyline, and a good car chase or two. When I see something like "The Life Aquatic" I come into it expecting awesome music, amazing characters, and a quirky storyline. If you come into a movie with the wrong mentality you're either going to be suprised or disappointed. A.

Yeah, it sucks when you have to actually think during a movie. koji

Don't get me wrong, I love escapist films (when done well); but wow, it's nice to see a film once in a while that actually explores some ideas with intelligence. koji

Loved Sunshine, but hated LIT. Go figure.

Loved Sunshine for the reasons cited, Haven't seen the other movie.

I think you'd really like LIT, LA Guy. koji

Whoops, I didn't realize (read the thread too fast) that LIT stood for "Lost in Translation". I *loved* that movie. Raved about it for months to anyone who would listen. Anyone who has traveled to any degree (I guess that that excludes ernest) to a fairly alien cultures should enjoy that movie. And the soundtrack was amazing. In the same vein, I also liked "Garden State" to a much lesser degree, if only for the Shins song on the soundtrack.

I think Lost in Translation was a good exploration of integrity; it's what you do when no one's looking.

I left the cinema after 25 min as it was boring to death and i can not stand with Kate

From the country that produced Truffaut, hang your head in shame. koji

I do not find LIT to be similar to ES personally. ES is more scripted, has a better-fitting soundtrack and is less self-conscious. LIT is more awkward, pensive and direct. Both of them are some of my favorites, Lost in Translation being one of my favorites of all time - nearly every aspect is perfect, perhaps the only things that bother me are Kevin Shields' pretentious 80s-esque beats, but even those become endearing after a few watches. Garden State kind of bothered me. The themes were good, but the jokes were cheap and out of place, and the soundtrack was like "You better like the Shins, bitch," and the context of the songs didn't really fit the scenes they were placed in.

Really? I thought Alexi Murdoch's "Orange Sky" and Frou Frou's "Let Go" fit very well. And yes, I did think some of the jokes were out of place, was that whole scene with Method Man really necessary? A.