Several-Month Old Movies Maria and I Finally Got Around To Watching

Time to start a new feature here at Franklin Avenue.

Yup, Maria and I try to stay on top with the TV and music pop culture. But somehow, we've fallen behind in the movie scene. For example, we haven't seen any of the "Lord of the Ring" trilogy, which should probably force us to give up our Pop Culture Identity Card right now.

But with the awards season in full swing, we're finally making time to watch some Oscar-friendly pics. Latest is Lost in Translation, which we caught Sunday night at the Laemmle Theatres location at Fairfax and Beverly.

Sofia Coppola has crafted a rather poignant and visually stunning film about two lost souls who briefly find themselves in each others' world. Between this and "Rushmore," Bill Murray has really done some outstanding stuff lately. (His character, a washed-up actor in Japan to film a lucrative whiskey commercial, is not unlike his Herman Blume in "Rushmore.") And Scarlett Johansson deserves all the kudos she's gotten as of late.

"Lost in Translation" is a quiet movie, but it transports you to the isolation of feeling alone and periodically jubilant in a foreign land. The shots of urban Tokyo are frenzied and exciting, yet overwhelming at the same time. DVD comes out Feb. 3; it's the perfect movie to watch on a quiet evening or a rainy day -- in other words, with a melancholy backdrop.