don't you think I know exactly where I stand

Two interesting entries that were posted today in LJs that I stalk:

One! beatonna's entry about Passchendaele and Canadian history in the movies. I have yet to see Passchendaele (although I expect I will eventually), but when I read a plot summary of it and came across the word "Calgary," I basically had to do a double take. Like, "Calgary? I lived in Calgary! They made a movie that has scenes in Calgary?" I don't think I'm going too far in saying that for a large majority of Canadians, most of the entertainment they consume is American, to the point that it's strange to see a show or a movie set in Canada* that isn't hosted by Rick Mercer. I watched The Office last week only because a couple of the characters took a trip to Winnipeg. Winnipeg!! On TV??!!

I actually find this stuff really fascinating but am currently too tired to express myself properly. But a couple months ago I was trying to find some foreign language movies to watch, and was more shocked than I should've been to discover that not every country has a booming film industry. Probably the U.S. is one of the odd ones out here, in that its citizens actually get to enjoy movies that take place in their own country. So weird!!

* Yes, a lot of stuff is filmed in Canada these days, but I'm not talking about Canada dressed up to look like America! ^^;

Two! grrliz's entry about how movies with a large number of female fans are looked down upon. She seems to be talking about fandoms online, but I of course have the perspective of a movie theatre employee who can tell you: Women will go much more often to "men's movies" than men will go to "women's movies" (it seems to be a hobby of our floor staff to count the number of men watching movies like Sex and the City or Twilight and laugh at them). Many more men than women will complain about being dragged to a movie that is geared towards the opposite gender. (I think it was when we had Sex and the City that this one guy, trying to prove to his girlfriend that no self-respecting man would watch this movie, asked me if any men had bought tickets for it already. When I said yes, he immediately asked, "Were they gay?" I don't remember what happened after that but hopefully I told him to stop being such a loser.) And I think I will even go so far as to say that when there is a line-up of mostly women waiting to get in to see a particular movie, there will be more derogatory comments made than if the line-up was mostly men ("That's crazy! People are waiting outside in the rain? Just to see a movie?" sort of thing, but also one fine fellow today made some not-quite-audible comment about how the women lined up for Twilight needed to get themselves a love life. You know, I really hate when people will be jerky enough to say something like that, but not jerky enough to say it loud enough that I wouldn't feel like a jerk for calling them on it. COME ON NOW!!!)

In conclusion, a conversation I've always meant to post but never have:

Guest: "What have you heard about Journey to the Centre of the Earth?"
Sarah: "I liked it, the 3-D effects were really neat." (I know, how inane, but I've learned that no one who asks these questions wants an answer they might have to think about, so.)
Guest: "Do girls like it?"
Sarah: "I liked it?"
Guest: "Would a normal girl like it?"
Sarah: "... Uh ... I don't ... know?"
Guest: [knowingly] "You play video games, don't you?"

Whenever I remember this bizarre conversation, I console myself with the idea that one day this guy will discover that all the girls he'd previous considered "normal" secretly play video games in their spare time, and this bit of news will be too much for him to handle and he will flee to the frozen north and become a hermit and I will never have to deal with him again. :)