Common Talk Weeklyshuang yu zhou kan
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Insight into Oscar nominated pictures
February 18, 2004
By Peter Lehmann

With the Oscar awards looming on the horizon, let us take a look at three of the nominees for best picture which the author deems to be favourites to take out the coveted prize. The nominations for the category include Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Seabiscuit; Lost In Translation; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; and Mystic River.

When buying these DVDs in Xiamen, be sure to check the copy on the store’s DVD player. New films tend to be bad copies. With Lost in Translation, some versions circulating have audio problems that begin in the 52nd minute. Be sure to check you get a good copy to see these fantastic films.

奥斯卡金像奖即将揭晓，本文介绍的是其中三部获得最佳影片提名奖的热门影片，现在就让我们先睹为快吧。


 Lost in Translation 《迷失东京》

Lost in Translation is the second film by the daughter of director Sofia Coppola. Bill Murray plays an American film star, Bob Harris, who's come to Tokyo to appear in a whisky commercial for a healthy sum of money. Alone in a five star hotel and bemused by Japanese customs and the language barrier, he strikes up a friendship with Charlotte, who's staying at the same hotel, waiting for her photographer husband, to finish an assignment which has taken him away from the city. The connections between Bob and Charlotte are as delicate as a butterfly's wing, and yet despite being understated there's no doubting the unexpressed yearnings they each have for each other. Unlike many films, Lost in Translation takes a minimalist approach. The story is easy to follow, with little happening at any given moment, and yet keeps the viewer intrigued by the story. A fabulous film.

 Mystic River 《神秘河》

Mystic River tells the story of best friends David, Jimmy and Sean. They are hanging out on a Boston street when two men, posing as policemen, apprehend them and take David away. Thirty years later, the three friends have moved in different directions, though they still live in the city. David is an intense man still suffering traumas from that awful period, despite the support of his wife and the love of his son. Jimmy is a reformed criminal and ex- convict who now runs a store, loves his second wife and is devoted to his teenage daughter. Sean is a homicide cop whose wife has left him. When Katie is brutally murdered, Sean leads the investigation, with his partner, an investigation which brings the three old friends together again in unexpected ways. Clint Eastwood's superb, subtle, complex movie is classical filmmaking at its best. The performances are flawless - Robbins as the damaged David, Penn as the grieving, vengeful Jimmy, Bacon in perhaps his best screen performance as the tenacious yet troubled Sean. Eastwood’s best film since Unforgiven.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 《怒海争锋》

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a riveting story of a ship, the Surprise, which is attacked by a French privateer, the Acheron, off the coast of Brazil. Captain Jack Aubrey, Russell Crowe, retreats to tend his wounded men, bury the dead and refit his ship. The French frigate is faster and better armed but Aubrey is determined to prevent French access to the Pacific. His great friend, the ship's doctor and naturalist, may disagree with him but Aubrey has a heightened sense of his own leadership and of his responsibility as captain. He decides to give chase and follow the Acheron around Cape Horn. This superb recreation of lives lived 200 years ago in quite extraordinary circumstances has some stunning action sequences in the sea battles which look like classic paintings come alive. On top of everything, performances are superb.