Oh, babies on the way... man, just thinking about all that heavy making out and my own son... it was ages ago, I know, but it was absolutely intense. Ugh... anyway, I really hope everything goes smoothly for you with that...😍
nimbleviper3, so is this one of those slow burners, like an "art house" kind of thing? Well, you have to distinguish between mainstream blockbusters meant for the big screen and actual art house cinema. Those artistic films can often feel incredibly drawn out—sometimes way too long for my taste, if I'm being honest.
Charles Bailey2 said:Now this is what I'm talking about—a little break from that typical Hollywood polish. 👍
Look, I have to be honest here. I grew up entirely on American productions. I mean, up until my early forties, probably ninety percent of everything I watched—movies, series, you name it—was American. So, I suppose diversifying my watchlist once in a while isn't exactly a bad idea.
Just figured I’d jump in and add my two cents to this thread too. Look, I’m not going to start dropping links to the absolute classics like *The Godfather* or those other legendary American staples—we’ve pretty much exhausted that topic already. Instead, I thought I’d pivot toward some Eastern cinema, specifically one film that holds a very special place in my heart; I watched it ages ago, but I find myself circling back to it quite often. Shower 1999
And since most of you probably know I have a soft spot for Turkish cinema, I really should include one of their gems that actually managed to break into the global top-tier rankings. father and son
Both the Chinese and Turkish films deal with family dynamics and explore the complex relationship between fathers and their sons. It’s just presented in a slightly different context, I suppose, though emotionally they share a lot of common ground. These are just some movies that I personally hold dear.
I'm still here. What's the latest? I guess I've just been a little preoccupied with some stuff in my real life lately, which is why I haven't been quite as active on here. But don't worry, everything is under control. It's just that another member of my extended family passed away recently... they've moved on to a better place somewhere up among the stars.
Grace Sanders24, we really ought to consider putting together our own American forum. I know of one individual who went ahead and launched their own dedicated board. But honestly? I haven't the slightest clue how any of that actually works.
Josh, you’re just wasting your breath at this point. I honestly can’t wrap my head around how these typical US topics suddenly became such massive hits.
Grace Sanders24, I honestly think Anthony Nguyen81 is just lonely, and that’s a bit too heavy for me. From what I’ve noticed, he seems to feel pretty misunderstood. It’s almost as if being in a relationship doesn't even matter to him anymore. It’s the kind of feeling that just stays with you.
Josh just threw in the towel on everything. Honestly, you just can't let those idiots and all their empty bluster get to you. Stay strong, just like you've always been. Did you guys get any snow over there? It’s gotten a little chilly where I am—just enough to say winter actually showed up and we got a bit of snow.
shadowjackal82, man, don't even get me started on those Jehovah's Witnesses. If my memory serves me right, they basically treat Watchtower as their personal Bible. My aunt once had this friend who was one of them, and honestly? She was just incredibly tedious.
The English language is honestly just packed with Turkish loanwords. It drives me absolutely crazy how we use the word "rice" when it clearly doesn't feel native to us at all. And then there's "oil." It’s kind of ironic when people brag about being part of some grand, ancient empire, considering they basically speak a dialect heavily influenced by Turkish roots. Back in Canada, we ended up creating this unique little hybrid blend of different regional dialects. For instance, I might say "roll," but I’ll also say "bread." Or I’ll use "oil," but I’ll also go with "soup."
haha Anthony Nguyen81, you know what’s actually kind of funny? My family still insists on identifying strictly as Americans, yet they mostly speak a dialect they picked up back in Canada, and honestly, most of them couldn't even list the months of the year using "standard" American terminology they use words like spoon, fork, or soup... things that some people might label as being more common in other regional dialects, but we just view it as our own way of speaking—call it whatever you want, I guess. It’s really only the generation of my family born right here in the States—like my cousins' kids—who use pretty much pure American English. Though, to be fair, I still catch them slipping in certain regionalisms every now and then. Probably because they hear it from their parents. I suppose it's like the old saying about when in Rome, do as the Romans do, but that doesn't always work everywhere. There are people, much like the example of a Czech person living in Slovakia, who simply will never pick up the local language. Or even Canadians in Slovakia. If you go to a store in southern Slovakia, the women won't greet you with a "good day." They'll just say "hey." So, you see where that leaves you. I think we tend to overthink this stuff in the States, but it's probably true all over the world. Mind you, there are plenty of exceptions to that rule. And I almost forgot, besides the various regional influences in Canada, we have a ton of Turkish and German loanwords and made-up terms, or whatever you call them. Like refrigerator, washing machine, or brands like Paloma and Kleenex—stuff like that.
Sergio, I lived in Chicago for five years and it never even crossed my mind to change the way I talk. It was the same thing when I moved from a small town in the Midwest to New York City. I never picked up the local slang or anything. Back in school, the teachers actually complained to my mom about it. My mom basically sent them an email asking if they were seriously implying my kid was speaking "incorrectly." They told her, "No, of course not," so she was like, "Then why are you making a thing out of it?" After that, they didn't say a word to us again. I guess I'm a little bit defensive about this, you know? My dad eventually picked up a bit of that Midwestern accent while he was living there, but not me. Not even close.😍In fact, I still talk with the same accent I had back home in rural territory. A neighbor in NYC mentioned to me on the phone the other day, "You still have that old hometown accent." If someone in a group can't understand me, I just explain myself and we move on. No big deal. Even my friends here in the city eventually just got used to the fact that this is simply how I speak, and that was that. I suppose when people move to a new environment, they usually adapt. Though, obviously, if I were in Prague, I'd have to speak Czech. There’s no debate there, haha.
But it's an interesting observation that, for instance, when Czechs move to live in Slovakia, they tend to keep speaking Czech. Meanwhile, as soon as Slovaks move over to the Czech Republic, they start chatting away in Czech immediately. I actually had Czech neighbors here in Slovakia who have been living here for over fifty years. And they were still speaking Czech the whole time. It's wild.
I remember this one time I was out with my crew from Chicago—real big-city types, you know?—and we ducked into a corner bodega. I walk up to the lady behind the counter and just tell her straight up, "I need some soup and a bag, please." Immediately, my Chicago friends start chiming in, trying to correct my phrasing. I just looked at them and said, "Look, stop trying to fix me. This is how I talk. If she doesn't understand what I mean, then she can ask questions." It’s really that simple, I guess. They were practically trying to force me to say "stew" instead. Honestly, I just told them to go jump in a lake. It took them a little while to process that I wasn't going to budge, but eventually, they got the hint.
I’m not a vegetarian or anything, but just the thought of some mystery meat shoved into greasy dough... it doesn't sound appetizing to me, let alone hygienic. Who knows how long that meat has been sitting there in the display case. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I actually tried it. I have this one colleague at work who would happily eat that for lunch every single day. Whatever, let him eat it; just looking at it makes me feel nauseous. I'm not a vegetarian, but even a burger isn't really my thing, though everyone else seems to think they're amazing. So, no burgers, no kebabs, no sliders for me. And definitely not those heavy German sausages. It's all just heavy food that basically poisons your system. I prefer a decent cut of steak from the grill, not processed meat products or ground, mixed-up stuff. And I’m not much of a dessert person either. 😁 I tried baklava three times. It's just too oily for me. As far as sweets go, I can handle a good fruit strudel; maybe two or three pastries, or a bit of cream pie, and that’s about it. I'm not a dessert lover, so you could put them right under my nose and they wouldn't tempt me. Unless I'm starving like a dog—then it's purely out of necessity, not pleasure. I'm not into shrimp, lobster, watermelon... I don't even care for lamb, which is supposed to be a specialty. To me, it all just feels chewy and fatty.
Yeah, you're right, those cheap takeout spots serve junk just like any other fast food burger or kebab joint. But I'm talking about homemade food. You know, the stuff I grew up eating at home. In my life, ninety percent of the pies and savory pastries I ate were made at home. Back then, making something like a meat pie was something we did at least twice a week. It was honestly unthinkable not to have a homemade pie at least twice a week. We definitely rarely ate that takeout stuff or those cheap street food kebabs. My mom was a total fanatic about home cooking. We lived right next to a restaurant, but we never once stepped foot inside it. We would buy whole cuts of meat and take them to the butcher or grind them ourselves at home. The meat was always high-quality young beef, specifically from the neck area. Those takeout places use cheap meat to save money, so they just cover the dough with a thick layer of grease—usually that vegetable fat. God, I hate it. But hey, people eat it. I guess nobody makes things that way at home anymore, or maybe I just don't know.
Anthony Nguyen81 said:The younger generations will end up knowing less and less. It’s not about whose words they are, damn. 😁
It isn't a matter of whose words they are. Even growing up in a different part of the country, I knew what certain terms meant without ever using them myself. I don't use specific regional slang or certain old-fashioned names for months, but I still understand what they mean. It really comes down to how much people actually get out and socialize.
@Sergio, are you actually going vegetarian? I don't quite follow why anyone would want to poison themselves like that. 🤔 Down in the South, we have this whole thing about pies and pastries, but if you really want to talk about the king of them all, it's definitely the savory meat pie. It’s just in a league of its own.
And honestly, baklava is that quintessential traditional dessert you just have to have during the holidays. It’s basically a total must-have.