“Lars is played by Ryan Gosling, the Prince of Tics, whose idea of acting is to wait a few beats before reacting to other people's remarks, as if acting were merely a matter of adhering to the seven-second delay rule. Jack Nicholson has made a career out of doing this sort of thing, as did Paul Newman, as did Marlon Brando (who the other two learned it from), but they didn't do it all the time and they were more fun to look at... Lars And The Real Girl joins a number of other recent films in the category of motion pictures where the director doesn't know that his protagonist is unsympathetic.” PeopleIfsKnowsLooksMadeTwoIdeasRealMatterFilmGirlFunWaitingNumbersActingCareersDirectorsBeatsSevenCategoriesDelayRemarksReactingProtagonistsMotion PicturesBrandoNewmanNicholsonTicsUnsympatheticReal Girl Author:Joe Queenan
“A friend once told me that the real message Bram Stoker sought to convey in 'Dracula' is that a human being needs to live hundreds and hundreds of years to get all his reading done; that Count Dracula, basically nothing more than a misunderstood bookworm, was draining blood from the necks of 10,000 hapless virgins not because he was the apotheosis of pure evil but because it was the only way he could live long enough to polish off his extensive reading list. But I have no way of knowing if this is true, as I have not yet found time to read 'Dracula.” IfsWayNeedsYearsHumansLongRealDoneEnoughEvilReadingFoundHuman BeingsKnowingBloodPureMessagesListsNecksVirginsMisunderstoodPolishDrainingBookwormsApotheosisPure EvilStokerCount DraculaExtensive Reading Author:Joe Queenan
“If you have read 6,000 books in your lifetime, or even 600, it's probably because at some level you find 'reality' a bit of a disappointment.” IfsBookRealityBitsLevelsLifetimeDisappointment Author:Joe Queenan
“My books have been part of my life forever. They have been good soldiers, boon companions. Every book has survived numerous purges over the years; each book has repeatedly been called onto the carpet and asked to explain itself. I own no book that has not fought the good fight, taken on all comers, and earned the right to remain. If a book is there, it is there for a reason.” IfsYearsHas BeensBookReasonFightingForeverTakenSoldierCompanionSurvivedCarpetBoonGood FightGood Soldiers Author:Joe Queenan
“Purists maintain that if you go to a baseball game you will almost always see something you have never seen before. Unfortunately, it usually takes place in the stands.” IfsGamesBaseballBaseball Games Book:True Believers: The Tragic Inner Life of Sports Fans Source: True Believers: The Tragic Inner Life of Sports Fans
