God loves you just the way you are. But He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

15 April 2006


Cast:

So there I was watching Grumpy Old Men last night, thinking that they aren’t funny anymore. Maybe I should explain Grumpy Old Men? Well its a tv show where men, who are in middle age, and older, and who happen to be grumpy complain about modern life. Well, life in general really. And while I agreed with their complaints about people who leave their mobiles on in the cinema, I really didn’t agree with most of the second half of the show.

Maybe this is a good thing. I’m neither male nor old, although I can be grumpy.

But I found their complaining over the changing names of places to come across as, not exactly racist. I’m not sure how to explain it. Like the names they knew were the only acceptable ones. The right ones. And who cares if Calcutta is a colonial name imposed on an Indian city, sure weren’t the East Indian Company totally right to make the name easy to pronounce. It all seemed so dismissive of any culture but their own.

But then they started saying that we don’t pronounce Paris like the French do we? So why should we try and say Mumbai instead of Bombay? And I suppose they do have a point, but Mumbai is perfectly easy to say, and no more western or English than Bombay.

I also went to the cinema today, to see Junebug which I really enjoyed. But watching it I realised that America is really really different. Not in a bad way, just different. But its also so different from itself. And the whole religious community aspect was kinda nice to see, but in a “wouldn’t want to live in it” way. In a way it reminded me of the Ireland of my grandparents. Not that I remember that Ireland, but the whole prayer being such a huge part of life. And how communities were centred on the church.

Anyway, its a really good film, and if you get the chance you should take a look at it.

You may also like...

20 Responses

  1. Kelly says:

    You mean, you've spent all this time getting to know me and you're JUST discovering that America's really different? =o)

  2. Fence says:

    Nah. I always knew itwas different. This made me see that y'all are really really different.
    Have you seen Junebug? It's set in North Carolina. Is it The Truth?

  3. Kelly says:

    Yes, it is The Truth. The Whole Cinematic Truth. Actually, I'm sure there are people like that here; I just don't hang out with them. I'm not exaggerating when I say that all of my friends are from non-southern places. Terrible. I'm such a bad southerner. Oh well. lala.

  4. Mal says:

    But do y'all really say y'all?

  5. Mal says:

    People who leave their mobile phones on in cinemas? How did they think of that one?

    I used to think Ralph Fiennes seemed such an English gentleman until I heard that (apparently) he shouted at someone who'd forgotten to switch her mobile off. Now I think he's a tosser. She would have been embarassed enough already, surely. Oh, but thespians need to concentrate on their "art", don't they?

    BASTARDS!

  6. Mal says:

    This was during a recent theatre performance in Dublin, bide a wee.

  7. Fence says:

    There were more complaints Mal, including people watching films that were too fast moving to follow.

    But I agree with Ralph; if you don't remember to turn off your phone you deserve to be shouted at. Unless you happens to be me.

  8. NineMoons) says:

    It's bad enough doing it in the cinema but letting your phone go off in the theatre is unforgiveable. Special hell, people. Special hell.

  9. Kelly says:

    I also think people who check their lighted cell phones for possible text messages during the movie should be sent to the same special hell and I don't mind sending them there myself. In the name of all things holy.

    OH yes, Mal, people say y'all ALL the time. It's the thing, and they've even got me saying it. When you're addressing a group, the proper phrase is "all y'all." It's fun; you should adopt it! The accents that you hear in Junebug are right on the money.

  10. Mal says:

    I try not to say "yous" when addressing more than one person. But "you" just sounds wrong.

    No…you never, never, NEVER embarass somebody in public, especially if you're in a privileged position like Ralph. I've sent him to the special hell for doing that.

  11. Fence says:

    I use y'all. And youse. And ye. They all sound right and wrong at the same time.

    Kelly, I totally agree, especially with the new "brighter-than-sun" phone screens. Special hell!

    Mal, reap what you sow. And lo, shall the annoying one be punishéd for their cinematic transgressions. Shame shall be heaped upon them, and ne'er shall they leave their mobiles on again.

    So say we all.

  12. NineMoons says:

    So say we all.

    Embarrassing someone who has done something (at best stupid and at worst ignorant and rude) that has annoyed the majority of people around them, distracted attention from something that people have paid a fair whack of money to see AND put off the people who have worked hard to bring it to them? Special hell is not enough.

    Hate the lighty-up screen checkage also.

    And for statistical purposes – I use y'all, ye and sometimes yez. Am not aware of ever using youse and I have definitely NEVER used yousons.

  13. Mal says:

    Anyone can forget to their mobile phone off. It's not such a big deal. But it's also the asymmetry of the situation. Ralph Fiennes is the big star and this poor individual, even without his intervention, would have gritted her teeth and curled her toes everytime she remembered it. He's all miked up and she has no way of getting back. It's really kicking someone when they're down.

    I mean, what's he doing except reciting lines that somebody else has written…the same goddamned thing every night? There's more creativity involved in fingerpainting. And someone who acted in "Maid in Manhattan" (which I haven't seen) can hardly afford to be pious.

    It's not like the time I was sitting in a lecture and some woman ANSWERED her mobile phone. She deserved all the mortification that's going. But this is quite different.

    I really feel very strongly about it. I'll find it difficult to watch the new Harry Potter movies if he's playing Voldemort.

    This is all presuming this happened in the first place.

  14. Mal says:

    And anyone can forget to insert "turn" into a sentence.

  15. Mal says:

    By the way, Nines, I'm touched that you thought my Movie Quiz was so fantastic that it's still up a month later.

  16. Mal says:

    And I saw on the blurb of a Grumpy Old Men book that these G.O.M.s were aged from 35 to I-forget-what. The first age horrified me too much. It means I have seven years left to be young in.

    Six and a half, come to think of it.

  17. Fence says:

    Anyone can forget, yes. Thats why they usually have reminder before the play/film/whatever starts. If your unsure then check then. I often double check in the kino. Just to be safe.

    Then again if it was just a case that her phone went off and she switched it off asap then maybe a rollicking (hee, rollicking) from Ralph was a little ott.

    But I'd be more inclinced to side with him on this occasion, and I aint even a fan.

    As for the GOM, I think originally they were much older, 60 & 70's. But they moved down to allow grumpy non-young men to have their say.

  18. Mal says:

    What's all this polyglottism and macaronic larking about? It's like reading A Clockwork Orange all over again. I agree with the (unfortunately nameless) woman who said: "If English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me".

  19. Fence says:

    Well put, that nameless woman :)

  20. NineMoons says:

    And fuck you Mal. I've been too busy to update my blog – something to do with saving the world from child abusers. I love how those new to the world of blogging think they'll never be too busy with their actual lives to update their virtual lives. It'll happen to you too Mal. Just you wait and see :P