Letters to the Editor
Xrandadu Hutman
Published Letters: 2709 Editor's Choice: 52
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Plot questions
[Read the article: "The Lookout"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I agree, there are a few things in the plot that don't quite make sense. They didn't ruin the film for me at all, but they did leave me scratching my head afterward.
(1) Was Luvlee Lemons a prostitute for hire, the bad guy's girlfriend, or actually a stranger met in the bar? Did she really know the main character from high school, or was she coached to recite those details about his hockey games?
My impression from the film was that she was hired and coached, but developed a conscience. She was probably the bad guy's girlfriend in prostitute-pretend-girlfriend form only. But whereas she didn't care much for the bad guy, she developed some real feelings for the main character, before leaving entirely. (We know for certain the other girl was hired because while doing the dishes she is having a phone call where she makes it clear she despises the people she's with and can't wait to get out of there.)
(2) Was the girl in the pink hat (the main character's high school girlfriend) real or a hallucination?
The impression I got is that she never existed at all, but was solely a thought in the main character's head. Otherwise it's hard to believe that she'd end up living in the same area where he lives, or that she wouldn't notice him sitting in front of the building where she works and not have a problem with that. My impression is that he was haunted by his guilt over having damaged her life, as well as the fact that she apparently never forgave him.
As for the other two people in the car, it was obvious to me that they both died on impact. We learn that two people died, and logically since they were sitting upright in the back seat, they would be the most vulnerable during impact. That would leave the main character and his girlfriend as the survivors.
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Anyway, I thought it was a very good movie -- on a modest scale. It wasn't an A+ but more like a solid B+. Jeff Daniels is an excellent supporting actor, and I really like the "Luvlee Lemons" actress. When she leapt on Pratt kissing him (when he arrives at the house) it made me remember what it was like to be that age and caught up in a fun, young romance where every greeting has that physical magic. Gordon-Levitt is a fine young actor, too, and he anchors the film.
Thanks, Stephanie, for recommending it. I went and saw it based solely on your recommendation.
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Here is exactly what is wrong with Joan Walsh's on-air persona
[Read the article: Joan Walsh on "ScarCo"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The problem with Joan Walsh's on-air persona is.....okay, Joan, do I have your attention now? I want you to read this letter.
I had never seen you in person and the only image I had of you was based on the Salon cartoon. My impression after seeing this is that you're somebody I respect. You seem like people I know and look up to who are professional and thoughtful and nice (but with spine guiding the niceness).
No no no, people, I am not fawning over Joan. Give me a break.
Anyway, you practically made the veins pop out of Pat Buchanan's head with the silly "Is San Francisco liberal a legitimate term?" debate. He seemed to be stuck on that question long after it mattered.
It's funny how "San Francisco liberal" is used as the boogeyman term as if there's something inherently sinister about being from a large metropolitan city full of hills and prohibitively expensive rental units. (Imagine if "Phoenix liberal" or "Milwaukee liberal" were used as a slur.) The way Newt Gingrich used the term masked his lack of any real argument against Pelosi's trip.
I liked the way Joan Walsh came out swinging, going on the offensive about Gingrich's adultery and the fact that a Republican also went to Syria. The whole anti-Pelosi-in-Syria thing is a fake controversy anyway, just another tactic the GOP and White House are using to distract attention from Alberto Gonzalez, ongoing Iraq violence and myriad other corruptions. God forbid a U.S. congressman should ever travel to an important country in a volatile region and have dialogue with its leaders.
I actually think Joe Scarborough is a relatively even-handed pundit herder compared to all the other Fox-News hacks. He has one of those voices where the volume seems perpetually stuck at one level, but he does seem to maintain a sense of humor and keep his ego at bay, unlike "Shill Bill" O'Reilly.
Please Joan, appear on TV more often. I'd like to see you on the Colbert Show but I'd settle for more Fox or CNN programs.
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Werner Herzog is a god
[Read the article: "I don't care how much my accent may bother you"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You can use your Byron Gysin "cut-up" method on him all you want, but unedited Herzog would be so much better.
"Grizzly Man" was a brilliant and spooky film.
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Why do I feel like she's trying to get me to eat a spoonful of Gerber?
[Read the article: "Tasting Rachael Ray"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Watching Rachel Ray's many "mmm"s makes me feel like I'm 1 1/2 years old and she's leaning over me with a little plastic powder-blue spoon full of apricot Gerber baby food, trying to convince me to put it in my tummy.
Rachel Ray: "Have a yummy bite! Mmmm, good!"
Me: "Can I breast feed?"
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They really say they 'resigned'?
[Read the article: Newest Bill Maher Rule]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That is just one more reason these guys are evil -- they abuse language every chance they can get. Great to know our country is run by marketing asshats...
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Fourteenth!
[Read the article: "First!"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Fourteenth!!!!!!!!!!
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by the way
[Read the article: "First!"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This video goes on slightly too long, and you can tell the guy is making a lot of it up as he goes, but it's still funny and he's got a good deadpan delivery. Please target more internet asshats (except me) in the future.