Trapped in my house during the "Great Nor'easter of 2006" I watched three movies, among which was Jim Jarmusch's latest, "Broken Flowers" starring Bill Murray. During the opening montage we watch a typewritten letter placed inside a pink envelope and its subsequent travels until it reaches the intended reader to deliver the news that he is the father of a twenty-year-old son. While watching, I was struck with a thought. It is no secret that civilized customs such as writing an actual letter, putting it in an actual envelope and actually stamping it with a stamp that you went so far as to purchase in person at the actual United States Post Office are past passe. So, why is it that we accept it as believable when such customs are maintained in film? Artistic license, I'm aware, but for some reason it struck me that even in films that offer no hint at magical realism, dark humor or a film noir tone seem to offer reminders of a things that we regard as merely quaint, but offer some sort of comforting nostalgia, even if it used to deliver life-changing informaton.