A Word From Whit

Whit Stillman's new movie, his first in a while, "Damsels in Distress," is out now. I might see it and report back sometime. (Maybe. I don't really go to the movies anymore, which is a long, silly story.) In the meantime, I was entertained by a couple of things he said in this interview in the Wall Street Journal:

I don't like the word "perfectionist" because it's self-flattering. It's tooting your own horn and implies that you actually can achieve perfection. I prefer "particularist."

My favorite summer spot is Mount Desert Island, Maine. It's far away—and seems it. There are two towns I particularly like: Southwest Harbor, which is workmanlike while relaxed; and the town of Bar Harbor, which some people decry as overrun with T-shirt shops. I have a "T-shirt-shop rule"—which is that any locality that can support such shops usually has great charm within a few blocks of the crowded area.