Episode 160 - The Lake House: LIVE!

[EllenM2.0 412]

Guys.....I saw Fate of the Furious last night.

 

What.

 

A.

 

Rollercoaster.

 

I am currently deceased.

[ChunkStyle 1160]

When Keanu is working on his plumbing while trying to wrap his head around the magic mailbox he reacts with surprise and disgust when the nasty water comes out and gets on him. It shouldn't really be a surprise. Whatever is in the sink is what is in that pipe. It's why you got your tools out in the first place.

 

It can never be overstated how crazy it is that they are so incurious about their discovery of time travel. That would probably be the most amazing scientific discovery of all time, right?

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Timecrimes is the shit, y'all! It's actually a Spanish movie about a guy who witnesses a murder. When he goes to investigate the body, he is attacked by the masked killer and escapes to a nearby building, which turns out to be this scientist's research lab. The scientist hides him in a large vat that turns out to be a time machine that creates a loop. It's fucking awesome. It's currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

 

AND it's directed by Nacho Vigalondo, who is the director of Colossal, which everyone should go see, too, because it's really great (but even harder to talk about without giving anything away)

[Cam Bert 8145]

Genuine question: how does Kate get the dog? I thought it was when Alex gets hit by the bus (like, the dog was with him but somehow survived), but I just rewatched it and she has Jack in her timeline BEFORE Alex gets hit. Did Keanu just give up the dog with the house? Because he's a real shitty pet owner if so.

 

Also, his first letter to Kate is this:

 

 

 

Okay. If you saw the pawprints being made, and they are clearly at your house, the fucking letter OBVIOUSLY isn't meant for "the Sandberg house."

First off, fuck this movie.

 

I think the implication is that he abandon the dog when Morgan finds him because he technically never owned him. It's more like he came with the house. Here are the keys and the dog. Still pretty shitty thing to do.

 

Also, there are two curious points about that letter. First, he must have written the date on it as well. If you recall the very next letter is the one in which Sandra Bullock is like "Um, hey dumdum it's 2006 not 2004." Why would she say that unless he wrote the date in that first letter? But why would he even write the date on that letter? I mean he doesn't even sign his name so he's not following proper writing etiquette there so why include the date?

 

Also the paw prints. I have two minor quibbles with them. First the dog walks through the paint and runs inside the house but magically he only has enough paint on his paws to make paw prints right up to the door and not inside the house? Also it's brown paint when he's clearly painting the rails green. We've seen the rails in the future and there is no brown anywhere so what was he doing with brown paint just sitting out there?

 

Oh, and 100% agree on Timecrimes.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Also, there are two curious points about that letter. First, he must have written the date on it as well. If you recall the very next letter is the one in which Sandra Bullock is like "Um, hey dumdum it's 2006 not 2004." Why would she say that unless he wrote the date in that first letter? But why would he even write the date on that letter? I mean he doesn't even sign his name so he's not following proper writing etiquette there so why include the date?

I thought that was weird, too. I think it was just lazy screenwriting to get us to the point of them knowing they were in different times. But think about this: what if they didn't reveal the fact that they were in different times until when they try to meet up? Like, it's seemingly just a pen pal relationship, and they could say, "Meet me for dinner on X date at Y time," and then they both go to the restaurant, and the other one doesn't show up. And then you're reveal is at the end of the second act, and the third act is them trying to get together.

 

I also think that the car crash is telegraphed far too obviously in the opening. If it were how Sandra Bullock was introduced in the movie (e.g., here's a young doctor hard at work who loses a patient), it would be one thing, but it's almost at the same time they realize they are two years apart. If you pushed the reveal of them being two years apart to the end, I think it would be a lot less obvious that it was him (also, maybe don't have him wearing VERY similar clothes to the guy that was killed throughout the whole fucking movie).

[ElieB 238]

Holy shit. I had no clue this was about architecture but I should have guessed haha. A reclusive keanu without a gun is a dead give away.

 

I came hearing Jason say Corbusier. He crushed that reference

[Baron 8]

Alex&Kate's Excellent Adventure; time travel movie with Keanu & no mention of Bill&Ted? Jason even mentioned a phone booth once

[Dianainaflyingsaucer 25]

I have yet to see a time travel movie that addresses this problem: the earth moves. For example, I stick a letter in the mailbox. If the letter only traveled through time and not space, it would end up somewhere in empty space but not on earth and certainly not in the same mailbox two years later. It would be impossible to appear in the same point on the surface of earth because here's what we're up against:

1) earth's rotation and tilt shift

2) earth's revolution around the sun

3) the solar system's orbit around the center of gravity in the Milky Way galaxy

4) all the other shit we are a part of that are all moving in the universe

5) the eternal expansion of spacetime

 

Here's a way to resolve it (if we just assume that earth rotates and revolves on a fixed orbital path): Kate puts letter in mailbox. The flag doesn't move until the earth actually returns to that position in Alex's timeline. This could not happen on the same date of both years because our calendar system doesn't align exactly with the earth's movement. Leap years would be the most obvious example of this.

 

Of course, the fact that the mailbox is connected to the earth makes it a little easier to believe that it can transport objects through time to end up in the same point on earth than say, the delorian, which has no reason to end up on planet earth after it time travels. Doc never enters spatial coordinates!

 

In conclusion, please make a time travel movie where Keanu Reeves invents a time machine and ends up in outer space, where he promptly dies.

[ChunkStyle 1160]

I have yet to see a time travel movie that addresses this problem: the earth moves. For example, I stick a letter in the mailbox. If the letter only traveled through time and not space, it would end up somewhere in empty space but not on earth and certainly not in the same mailbox two years later. It would be impossible to appear in the same point on the surface of earth because here's what we're up against:

1) earth's rotation and tilt shift

2) earth's revolution around the sun

3) the solar system's orbit around the center of gravity in the Milky Way galaxy

4) all the other shit we are a part of that are all moving in the universe

5) the eternal expansion of spacetime

 

Here's a way to resolve it (if we just assume that earth rotates and revolves on a fixed orbital path): Kate puts letter in mailbox. The flag doesn't move until the earth actually returns to that position in Alex's timeline. This could not happen on the same date of both years because our calendar system doesn't align exactly with the earth's movement. Leap years would be the most obvious example of this.

 

Of course, the fact that the mailbox is connected to the earth makes it a little easier to believe that it can transport objects through time to end up in the same point on earth than say, the delorian, which has no reason to end up on planet earth after it time travels. Doc never enters spatial coordinates!

 

In conclusion, please make a time travel movie where Keanu Reeves invents a time machine and ends up in outer space, where he promptly dies.

 

I think this means that Star Trek 4 is our finest time travel movie.

[tomspanks 9039]

Here's a way to resolve it (if we just assume that earth rotates and revolves on a fixed orbital path): Kate puts letter in mailbox. The flag doesn't move until the earth actually returns to that position in Alex's timeline. This could not happen on the same date of both years because our calendar system doesn't align exactly with the earth's movement. Leap years would be the most obvious example of this.

 

I've decided that the mailbox works on magic.

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

If you've gotten to "Frank Lloyd" then "Wright" should not be a problem.

 

Off topic: Usonian houses are bad ass, as is almost everything else Wright built.

 

As for strange buildings/architectural styles that I* hate, I'll go with Brutalism, generally, Boston City Hall (Kallman), specifically.

 

*not an architect.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

i guess there will be a fast 9 ... fast 10 ... fast 11 .... half a billion already!!!

 

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/16/media/fate-of-the-furious-box-office/

 

unless vin throws a strop or something

[Willrow_lives 6]

So two WTF! peices of trivia. First, Roger Ebert, while pointing out the movie's logical inconsistencies, wrote, "Never mind, I tell you, never mind!" Ebert gave a positive review (3.5 stars out of 4) noting, "What I respond to in the movie is its fundamental romantic impulse."

Second, Reeves and Bullock won a Teen Choice Award for "Choice Liplock" for The Lake House.

 

[ElieB 238]

Off topic: Usonian houses are bad ass, as is almost everything else Wright built.

*not an architect.

 

Usonian houses were brilliant. My favorite of his works.

*An architect

[MapleLakelander 33]

(I've listened to every single episode and minisode of HDTGM and I'm just now registering to the forum for this incredibly minor bit of trivia)

 

I happen to have grown up - and still live - in Willow Springs, IL just a few short minutes from Maple Lake, the lake on which the house was built, and 20 minutes from Riverside, IL, the other principle non-Chicago location. Early in the episode, Paul mentions that the titular lake house was constructed specifically for the movie and that it was left after shooting. I can say from first-hand experience that the house was demolished shortly after filming. All that remains is the pier, which is now used for fishing. Probably the only positive thing to have happened as the result of this movie.

 

I want to share a couple side-by-side pictures of a few locations I recognized immediately but I wanted to get this post in before the minisode so I only have one right now. I'll post more, including the actual site of the house, the Riverside train station, and the riverside dam tomorrow when I have more daylight. I'm also going to see if I can find Morgan's house.

 

[Dianainaflyingsaucer 25]

 

I think this means that Star Trek 4 is our finest time travel movie.

 

You just might be on to something there.

[tomspanks 9039]

MapleLakelander - do you know where this is? I thought it was interesting that they seemed to be eating NY-style pizza instead of Chicago deep dish. It might be across the street from Luigi's?

 

[MapleLakelander 33]

Mm, no, not off-hand. Other than the obvious ones, I'm not nearly as familiar with the Chicago locations as I am with the locations in the south suburbs. I did find this site with a few others while I was doing a search for Morgan's house, though. http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2012/08/the-lake-house.html?m=1

 

Also, for non-midwesterners, New York style pizza is everywhere in Chicago so that doesn't necessarily indicate that this shot wasn't somewhere here too.

[DanEngler 5249]

MapleLakelander - do you know where this is? I thought it was interesting that they seemed to be eating NY-style pizza instead of Chicago deep dish. It might be across the street from Luigi's?

 

First off, fuck deep dish pizza. Bert>

 

I'm originally from the Chicagoland area and I don't know anyone who eats it. I've had it exactly once in my life. Much more popular is the Chicago thin/cracker crust, which has a sweeter, spicier sauce and is cut into squares. I grew up on Palermo's (when in the city) and Aurelio's (with branches both in the Chicago suburbs and southwest Florida, where we eventually relocated.)

[KellStarr 39]

I was so excited when I heard HDTGM was reviewing this movie. For some reason it was a favorite of mine from high school.

I wanted to point out some weird moments that weren't brought up in the episode:

-Kate's mom was way too into that bologna sandwich...I guess it was good?

-Kate was moving out at the beginning of the movie, how did she avoid not talking to Alex (the owner) to arrange to move out?

-How long did Kate even live there? Two years does not give them much time for him to move out, her to move in and out to begin talking to him. Why didn't they just have her live at the lake anyway!

-If Alex knew she was living there next why didn't he wait to meet her at the move in? She knew him as the guy with the Lake house and he knows she likes him. He could've played it cool to develop a relationship with her.

 

-I'll never understand why he held onto her book when she clearly could send him books.

 

- When Alex meets up with his brother to say he was in town he mentions he bought a house on a lake. It is learned later that 1) his father deigned that house and 2) his brother was most definitely aware of this house. So why not just say to his brother "hey I bought Dad's old Lake House". The brother goes back and forth on knowledge of this house. First he asks when it was built (before he was born) but then Alex asks him "Do you remember being here with mom?", he says "I remember she tried to make it work." I feel like there are two different movies here, since architecture has no effect on Kate's story.

 

- If I post a flyer outside unapproved it is taken down within a day, how did Alex's tree manage to last two years with out city planning noticing?

 

-Nothing incites this magic so I can assume the mailbox has always been magic, so the mailman has been taking these letter away from different years this whole time!

 

- Lastly my theory is they write out these conversations at the mailbox only to read them out loud as the week passes....But if these letters are written out why do they both have a copy? Does one of them photocopy their letters? Or are they actually telepathic? Anyway their letters are far too conversational for them to keep driving back and forth. Maybe they had an off camera conversation to be in the same place and read their half of the letter out loud.

 

I hope I made Starlee proud!

[KellStarr 39]

Also Norma Valborg's other movie reviews include a five star review of Ann of Green Gables (a very captivating story) and a one star review for Jane Austin's Book Club with one line reading "sordid immorality blanketed and ruined the movie for me." You guys may have found your next movie.

[babyoilbandit 81]

I haven't quite finished yet - maybe someone in the audience answers the question - but Starlee asks why when she goes with the boyfriend to the architect firm does seeing that picture of the lake house want to make her find him. The simple solution is that the brother says that he died two years ago today. So maybe this gets addressed later - I've got another 45 minutes to listen to

[Cam Bert 8145]

First off, welcome aboard! Those are all good points!

 

-Kate was moving out at the beginning of the movie, how did she avoid not talking to Alex (the owner) to arrange to move out?

-How long did Kate even live there? Two years does not give them much time for him to move out, her to move in and out to begin talking to him. Why didn't they just have her live at the lake anyway!

-If Alex knew she was living there next why didn't he wait to meet her at the move in? She knew him as the guy with the Lake house and he knows she likes him. He could've played it cool to develop a relationship with her.

Well this is where my elaborately drawn timeline I made comes in to help. So Keanu moved in start of February 2004. Not only did he move in but he states he bought the place. So he's the owner. Now he lives there until roughly mid to late winter, so about a year later. At this point Sandy B has told him not to contact him anymore and he's moving on. He gives the keys to Morgan, thus I guess giving him the place for Sandra Bullock. She was in residency so that most likely wrapped out mid to late spring, which has her moving into the lake house around then. She moves out at the start of February 2006 meaning she was there 8-10 months total. Given that future her didn't want anything to do with Keanu he never stuck around to meet her as in his mind they were done. Also at this point he was just the guy she kissed at the party so she probably forgot about him entirely at that point. This still leaves Keanu as the technical owner of the place and her as renter. Whether or not she was paying rent to him or living there for free is unclear as we don't really a look into 2005 that much. However, seeing as nobody rented the place from February 2006 to February 2008 it leads me to believe that she assumed it was going to rented out again after her, but because he died and his brother wrought with grief never took charge of it that never happened. Then again this is all negated by him not dying at which point he never rented it out again so it could be their place in the future of 2008.

 

Also, fuck this movie.

 

- When Alex meets up with his brother to say he was in town he mentions he bought a house on a lake. It is learned later that 1) his father deigned that house and 2) his brother was most definitely aware of this house. So why not just say to his brother "hey I bought Dad's old Lake House". The brother goes back and forth on knowledge of this house. First he asks when it was built (before he was born) but then Alex asks him "Do you remember being here with mom?", he says "I remember she tried to make it work." I feel like there are two different movies here, since architecture has no effect on Kate's story.

 

This!! I thought was very odd as well. The other small thing to add to this is that in his father's book it reads "Simon Wylder with his son Alex at their lake house project" Why is it their project? Was it his eight year old son's idea to build a glass house? Why does he get credit for it as well?

[DanReeser 3]

Tree > Mailbox

 

The mailbox is a man-made structure.

For whatever dumbass reason it can

send mail through time, it cannot change

time.

 

It is when Keanu embraces nature and

plants a tree then reality has changed.

That's why the tree wasn't noticed until

Keanu chose to plant it.

 

Keanu wanted the house to be more in

harmony with nature.

 

Something else about dog paw prints,

but to be honest, I have not and will

not see this shitty movie.

 

Thanks for digging deep in the episode

so I didn't have to watch this.

[Radaka 8]

So I believe there is no time travel in this movie at all. Instead what this movie really is, is a prequel to the Matrix.

Agent Smith Tells Morpheus that there were previous builds of the Matrix. The Movie takes place in one of those builds.

 

This would explain the so called time travel in the movie. In the Matrix it is explained to Neo that seeing things twice, or having feeling of deja vu is a glitch or the program being changed. In the Animatrix which tells of some of the pre-history this effect is even more pronounced effecting the physics of the world. So The mailbox is not magical and it is not time travel its a Glitch in the Matrix. Keanu and Sandy are not talking to each from the past to the future they just perceive it that way. It is a computer simulation time is non linear.

 

Also some of the strange behaviors and sayings make more sense when you understand that this simulated world was created by artificial intelligence. Sandra Bullock's "What did you eat a clown" is nothing a human would come up with, but a machine trying to mimic humor would.

 

This is just my theory of why The lake house made no god damn sense.