Day: June 25, 2006

Saw The Lake House tonight with friends. It was okay. A little slow at times, perhaps, and a litte confusing — and the “time travel” elements actually require less suspension of disbelief than the house itself — but it was okay. The chemistry between Reeves and Bullock works well, and that’s usually about all you can hope for in a romantic comedy like this.

What I’m still trying to wrap my brain around, however, is something I noticed in the credits on my way out: the film had something like fifteen to twenty stunt performers. In a film that didn’t appear to have any actual stunts, this is strangely impressive.

Three from this month’s issue of The Believer. First, from the liner notes to the enclosed music compilation CD:

…we figured we could permanently erode the listener’s sense of the world, which is what, we are certain, any music worth its mettle wants of its spectators.

From Rick Cohen’s essay on Elvis, Sinatra, and “My Way”:

If Elvis was having a bad day, he would say, “My mouth feels like Bob Dylan’s been sleeping in it.”

And from Nick Hornby’s monthly book column:

I was actually in North Carolina when I finished The March [which chronicles William Sherman’s journey to the state] — this is something I like to do when I’m particularly enjoying a novel, despite the cost. (Did you know that there’s no such planet as Titan? Vonnegut just made it up. They could have put that on the jacket, no? Oh well. You live and learn.)

Say what you will about Kevin Smith and his upcoming film Clerks II, I find this very interesting:

In an ingenious new ploy, he has recorded a commentary for “Clerks II” that will be available for free download on iTunes, encouraging viewers to take their iPods to the theater for a second viewing.

I’m a fan of most of Smith’s work, having seen everything but Jersey Girl, so I’ll probably end up seeing this one as well. The commentary, though, will probably have to wait until DVD.