weekend diversions

[mlr]

I took a chance on one of the summer movies at the $1 cinema: Takers. I walked in because of Matt Dillon....but I ended up walking out. It wasn't so much the movie per se, which delivered what was promised. It was the sound editing. It used a structural device that's been around a decade or so (almost a cliché, used in every third horror movie.) The whole soundscape had at its base an electronic rumble: bass amp distortions. The rumble would vary in pitch, intensity, etc., but never completely disappear. Both soundtrack & dialog were laid on top, emerging from the rumble. This constant humming had lots of high frequencies. At a certain point my ears couldn't take it anymore. I started reading a book of essays on Einstein. Even though it is for lay readers, I still find myself rereading paragraphs. I wish I understood sentences like this: General relativity, the theory that explains...the accuracy of satellite GPS. More NYr catch-up, including David Remnick's amusing review of Keith Richards' Life.