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	14 September 2004 MOVIE: WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (2004). Two marriages succumb to adultery. If this film feels like a short story, it's no wonder: it was adapted from fiction by Andre Dubus. If the film feels like a couple short stories strung together, then that's because it was adapted from two of Dubus' short works. In fact, the whole movie, while elegantly crafted and perfectly acted, feels more like a dreamy series of emotional vignettes rather than a single story arc. Couples cheat, and in turn suspect each other of cheating. The guilty overcompensate by doting on their children, or buying special dinner lobsters for no particular occasion. This quiet, artful sort of domestic suspense carries the film well for the first 30 minutes, but never modulates to anything beyond a tedious hum for the rest of it. I get the feeling that this might've read much better as a story, where it's easier to get away with placing gray little characters on stage as convenient expository vessels. We watch the tired old writer, the casual professor, the neglected wife, and the ex-free spirit; we have television documentary voiceovers, and all they signify, and an over-reliance on Tolstoy quotations. Again, it probably worked better on paper. I'd have to compare it with Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, just to be sure. But then again, maybe not: where Carver shot razor-thin lasers into the heart of adult relationships, Dubus' story ended with such a bizarre and contrived dishonesty that I suspected him of forgoing the truth for simple shock value—lead gilded with gold. An idle life is never pure.   Back to main PHOTO DIARY. A couple weeks ago, I walked right past Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell as they rehearsed lines in a patio next to my building. Turns out they're preparing to shoot a movie version of the ancient television comedy Bewitched. Film crews arrived yesterday to commandeer the parking lot of Book Soup. Best book store in LA, by the way. Kidman (in pink) briefly appeared for breakfast at the catering spread. Although judging from this awful snapshot, which I took without bothering to get up from my desk on the fourth floor, you'll just have to take my word for it.   Back to main Archives. 17 August 2003 — 24 August 2003 — 31 August 2003 — 07 September 2003 — 14 September 2003 — 02 November 2003 — 09 November 2003 — 16 November 2003 — 23 November 2003 — 30 November 2003 — 07 December 2003 — 01 February 2004 — 08 February 2004 — 15 February 2004 — 22 February 2004 — 29 February 2004 — 07 March 2004 — 14 March 2004 — 21 March 2004 — 28 March 2004 — 04 April 2004 — 11 April 2004 — 18 April 2004 — 25 April 2004 — 02 May 2004 — 09 May 2004 — 16 May 2004 — 23 May 2004 — 30 May 2004 — 06 June 2004 — 13 June 2004 — 20 June 2004 — 27 June 2004 — 04 July 2004 — 11 July 2004 — 18 July 2004 — 25 July 2004 — 01 August 2004 — 08 August 2004 — 15 August 2004 — 22 August 2004 — 29 August 2004 — 05 September 2004 — 12 September 2004 — 19 September 2004 — 26 September 2004 — 03 October 2004 — 10 October 2004 — 17 October 2004 — 24 October 2004 — 31 October 2004 — 07 November 2004 — 14 November 2004 — 21 November 2004 — 28 November 2004 — 05 December 2004 — 12 December 2004 — 19 December 2004 — 26 December 2004 — 02 January 2005 — 09 January 2005 — 23 January 2005 — 30 January 2005 — 06 February 2005 — 13 February 2005 — 20 February 2005 — 27 February 2005 — 13 March 2005 — 20 March 2005 — 27 March 2005 — 03 April 2005 — 10 April 2005 — 17 April 2005 — 24 April 2005 — 01 May 2005 — 08 May 2005 — 22 May 2005 — 29 May 2005 — 05 June 2005 — 12 June 2005 — 19 June 2005 — 26 June 2005 — 03 July 2005 — 10 July 2005 — 17 July 2005 — 24 July 2005 — 31 July 2005 — 07 August 2005 — 14 August 2005 — 28 August 2005 — 04 September 2005 — 25 September 2005 — 02 October 2005 — 09 October 2005 — 30 October 2005 — 06 November 2005 — 13 November 2005 — 20 November 2005 — 27 November 2005 — 04 December 2005 — 18 December 2005 — 01 January 2006 — 08 January 2006 — 15 January 2006 — 22 January 2006 — 05 February 2006 — 26 February 2006 — 12 March 2006 — 19 March 2006 — 26 March 2006 — 02 April 2006 — 16 April 2006 — 23 April 2006 — 30 April 2006 — 07 May 2006 — 14 May 2006 — 21 May 2006 — 04 June 2006 — 18 June 2006 — 25 June 2006 — 16 July 2006 — 23 July 2006 — 06 August 2006 — 13 August 2006 — 03 September 2006 — 17 September 2006 — 01 October 2006 —