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Old 29-Apr-2005, 03:18
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Post I've just watched a movie and have questions

I've just watched "Lost in Translation", a great movie about a former movie star and a neglected newlywed meeting up as strangers in Tokyo, Japan, and forming an unlikely bond as they struggle to find themselves.

As I was watching the movie I ran into a few dialogues that I didn't quite get. Could you take a look at them and explain what they mean?


1. Rat pack
What is rat pack?

2. A: You so gentleman, yes?
B: A-ring-a-ding-ding?
A: Yeah.
A is a Japanese cameraman with little English ability. B is the protagonist, the formal movie star. What is a ring-a-ding-ding? what's he trying to tell?

3. Old Blue Eyes
Since all first characters are capitalized I assume it's a name of something. What is it?


4. Man: How long have you been married?
(Man offering light to woman with unlit cigarette in her mouth)

Woman: Oh, thank you.
Mmm, two years?

Man: Twenty-five long ones.
By looking at the dialogues following after this one, I realized that he was mentioning about his marital years. But what does he mean by Twenty-five 'LONG ONES'?


5. Man: What did you study?

Woman: Philosophy.

Man: Yeah, there's good buck in that racket.

Woman: Well, so far it's probono.

Man: Well, I'm sure you'll figure out the angles.

What is probono? and what does he mean by 'you'll figure out the angles?'


6. I hope you've had enough to drink. It's gonna take courage.

This should be really easy sentence... but something about it confuses me. I took it as "I hope you're drunk enough to do this" - correct me if I'm wrong.


Also, if you find any grammatical mistakes in this post overall and correct them I'd very much appreciate it.
That's it fot today, thank you very much.
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Old 29-Apr-2005, 09:49
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Default Re: I've just watched a movie and have questions

Quote:
1. Rat pack
What is rat pack?
A group of actors from the 1950s, which included Sammy Davis Jr, Frank Sinatra, and more.

Quote:
2. A: You so gentleman, yes?
B: A-ring-a-ding-ding?
A: Yeah.
A is a Japanese cameraman with little English ability. B is the protagonist, the formal movie star. What is a ring-a-ding-ding? what's he trying to tell?
The director wants to actor to act like a gentleman. The word has two meanings: "gentleman", as in the old days, when those who had money could afford servants, and "gentleman", as in today, as in anybody, rich or poor, who behaves well. The actor's response is in reference is to the first meaning. His comment refers to the bell one rings when summoning one's butler. In other words, he will be the "gentleman" of the old days, rich and snobbish.

Quote:
3. Old Blue Eyes
Since all first characters are capitalized I assume it's a name of something. What is it?
It's a nickname for Frank Sinatra, the Vegas nightclub singer.

Quote:
4.
Man: Twenty-five long ones.
By looking at the dialogues following after this one, I realized that he was mentioning about his marital years. But what does he mean by Twenty-five 'LONG ONES'?
The years of marriage have been long years. Not fun. When something is fun, time goes quickly, and when something isn't fun, time drags on.

Quote:
Woman: Well, so far it's probono.
Man: Well, I'm sure you'll figure out the angles.
"probono" means to do something for free. "figure out the angles" could mean (I'm not sure) that she might learn how to manipulate the probono so as to make money from it.

I also saw the movie, and that line (figure out the angles) struck me as odd, too.

Quote:
6. I hope you've had enough to drink. It's gonna take courage.

This should be really easy sentence... but something about it confuses me. I took it as "I hope you're drunk enough to do this" - correct me if I'm wrong.
"It's" of It's gonna take courage refers to an act or event the person is about the undertake, or do. For example, I hope you had enough to drink because going back to that empty hotel room is gonna take courage.
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Old 29-Apr-2005, 12:37
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Smile Re: I've just watched a movie and have questions

Thanks for your kind reply Casiopea. Most things are very clear, just that I could've asked the last question another way. It's actually this part of the sentence that I'm confused about.

'you've had enough to drink'

Does this mean 'you've drunken enough'?
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Old 29-Apr-2005, 13:33
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Default Re: I've just watched a movie and have questions

Actually, "I hope you've had enough to drink" is more like, if you're going back to an empty, lonely apartment, you'd better drink a quantity enough to make you feel numb, so you won't be able to think about your problems when you get their.

Note, I drink (Present), I drank (Past), I have drunk (Past Participle), drunken mess (adjective)
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