A Brogue-y Beginning: The Guard

J: Dear loyal readers, Our sincerest apologies on our recent lengthy absence. We've been on Tumblr.

M:  It'll never happen again. (It will most surely happen again.)

J:  (You love us anyway.)

M:  (http://fuckyeahcillianseyes.tumblr.com/)

J:  (http://fuckyeahjamesmcavoy.tumblr.com/)

M:  * clears throat * Anyway... admittedly, it's been a few weeks since we've seen The Guard.

J:  But as it is the first movie that we watched in the name of the blog, it would be a tragedy not to document it.

M:  So Jenna, what was your initial impression?

J:  My initial impression was pleasantly surprised. We didn't have any idea what the movie was about, and walking in late had us at a bit of a disadvantage. But it very quickly became clear that the movie had action and (very) dry humor in equal parts. Plus the main character was almost instantly likable, in a gruff, I might yell at your grandkids kind of way.

M:  Indeed! Well said. Did you find you were able to follow the humor well enough, in spite of the very prominent brogue of the main character?

J:  You mean the very prominent brogue of every single character? Yes, though I know there were a couple of jokes lost on me. As well as a couple of the finer plot points. But the general gist was there, and we even got to hear a few words of traditional Irish, which was probably the highlight of the film for me.

M:  Haha, Let us not forget the brogue-less Don Cheadle! I for one found myself wondering how he was allegedly understanding so much of what the other characters were saying, as the "American".

J:  Ooh, that's a good point. As the "American," I found him to be seriously distracting, and more than a little annoying, but I think maybe that's the point. I didn't realize that obviously he was understanding everything, while the rest of us were scratching our heads. Maybe the director/screenwriters were trying to stay away from some of the more obvious cultural humor?

M:  Perhaps! So, you mentioned enjoying the bit of Gaeilge, any other favorite aspects of the film?

Brendan Gleeson, interacting with
Meredith's favorite character.

J:  Well, I loved that despite the complexities of the plot (and what police thriller doesn't have more than a few confusing moments, brogue or no brogue), the main character was delightfully single-minded in his desire to do the right thing. It made the climax of the film that much more powerful. Plus he was consistently funny, in quirky, unexpected ways.

M:  Excellent. Yes, I also found the conclusion very satisfying. Conversely, aside from not understanding all of the dialogue, were there any other drawbacks or low points of note?

J:  For me, the super thick brogues were really the main drawback. I mean, I definitely could have used some subtitles. I'm excited to go back and watch it again (perhaps in a couple weeks, after the end of our Irish class) to see if I understood anything more. Other than that, I'm just not a huge fan of the genre.

M:  Fair enough! Anything more (spoilers aside!) you'd like to add? Would you say that, generally, you liked it? Would you recommend it to a friend? An enemy?

The bad guys. 

J:  Haha I'd most certainly recommend this film to a drunken relative. Does that count? Also, anyone who appreciates a satisfying, if mysterious, conclusion to a quirky drama with good guys and bad guys.

M:  Fantastic! Well, folks. There you have it. We promise not to take as long on getting to the next one!

J:  Tune in next time for more adventures in Brogueland!

M:  Mmmm... Brogueland. So, shall we give the folks a head's up on what's to come and pick a next film?

J:  Yes!

M:  Velvet Goldmine? Or perhaps one from Mr. McAvoy?

J:  I vote Velvet Goldmine, and I'll do some thinking about Mr. McAvoy.

M:  Sweet! Well then, stay tuned for Ewan McGregor's… talent!