Brogues in Shorts (Short Shorts)

J: No one reads this.

M: [laughs] It's true. Would this be a good time for our contest? Now that we know it's probably not legal...

J: Do we have the goods?

M: We can get the goods. And we will. For one faithful follower.

J: No adultery, y'all! Anyway... in this post we'll be covering two live-action short films nominated for an Academy Award. Yes, they happen to both be from Ireland. One from Ireland proper, the other Northern Ireland. Meredith, let's start with Pentecost.

M: Let's do!

J: Brief synopsis?

M: Despite his best efforts, a young Irish boy is shunned from altar boy duties due to an unfortunate swinging accident involving the, er... what is that thing?


J: The incense burner?

M: There we go.

J: And what happens next?

M: His strict father forbids the poor boy from indulging in football of any kind, most specifically his beloved Liverpool, until he redeems himself in the eyes of God and the church.

J: Personally, my favorite part about this 11-minute short is the comparison between religion and sports. The references are both obvious and hilarious.

M: Quite right!

J: I'd recommend this to anyone who was ever Catholic. Or a sports fan. Or both.

M: Go Reds! (Liverpool)

J: Ahh. Yes, it's a cute one. The next short film is called The Shore, and it's a heartwarming tale about two friends on either sides of the pond (both from Northern Ireland originally) who have lost touch due to the Troubles, as well as a miscommunication regarding a certain lady friend.

M: This lucky film happened to take home Mr. Oscar and fittingly so, as it's a nice little film.

J: I liked it too, particularly the céilidh at the end! Well, I didn't like the mussels. Those are gross. But the drinking and singing and laughing, that all sounded marvelous to me.

M: [shudders at recollection of mussel slurping]

J: I also really liked how funny this one was, even heartbreakingly funny at times. We both felt a bit cheated at the end, as though the film could have gone on quite a bit longer.

M: Quite right!

J: The conclusion, I suppose, is that we still want to go to Ireland already and absorb the culture a bit more in person. That will just have to wait. In the meantime, there is more brogue to be had!

M: In conclusion, I would say that having never seen Oscar-nominated short films before, I was pleasantly surprised and exceedingly entertained. Much gratitude to our special friend who lent us the DVDs!

J: Also, come to the Oscar party next year! It's a hoot!

M: Quite right!

J: And stay tuned for a very excited BWAB contest announcement! That's all, folks!