About 20 people in my office went to see this movie on our staff retreat day, and no one hated it. Surprised? So am I!

The Lake House never reveals the reason why it seems to have a magical mailbox that transports letters back and forth between our two protagonists who live in 2004 and 2006. But does it have to? This movie wasn't about the science or the reasoning behind why the characters can communicate through it - it's about two people meeting each other through letters.

The cool thing about this movie is that is messes around with the time difference issues enough to avoid being just a cheesy chick flick. Also, both of the characters have families and backgrounds that we learn about, which aren't just there to fill time - they make it a better movie.

With the exception of a few "Bill and Ted" type phrases, Keanu Reeves actually gives one of his better performances. Bullock is great as well. I wish she would make more choices like The Lake House and Crash than the Miss Congeniality movies.

Overall, I would rate this on the level of something like Sliding Doors. It's interesting, not cheesy, and while you can definitely guess where it's headed, you can still enjoy it along the way. And it's good for all audiences.

Comedy Central: Shows - The Daily Show With Jon Stewart - Videos - Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart has some fun with the MSNBC folks. Good stuff.

What a great 4th of July!

Ruth and I went to see the Germany vs. Italy World Cup Game projected on the big screen at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. I loved both teams, so it was hard to root for or against anyone. It was a tight game the entire time, through normal play and overtime, but Italy scored two goals in the last minute of overtime. Insane. I hope Germany is able to win the 3rd place match. We had a great time, and Hollywood Blvd. was filled with interesting people and soccer fans who commented on Ruth's Italy shirt. :) Never mind my shirt, which makes me look pregnant in the above photo--it billowed out a lot in the breeze, I swear!

Ric and I spent the latter part of the day hanging out with Colin and Liz. We went to dinner at El Torito, had ice cream at Coldstone's, and went to watch the Fullerton fireworks show. I always have a great time hanging out with them. There's never an end to the things they have to talk about, and they're such a fun couple. I'm glad we've started hanging out with them more and that we get to see them at church quite often.

Well, that's it for yesterday. I've uploaded photos at the gallery of Cosette and the World Cup stuff.

Here's one sample:

Scrubs - The Complete First Season

Manifold: Origin by Stephen Baxter