Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.
Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.
Today I’m going to talk about a New Zealand movie: Once Were Warriors.
This is probably my most favourite movie ever. I think the story is really good and it has a good script and good acting too.
The movie is based on a book by Alan Duff. I actually can’t stand Alan Duff ... he writes newspaper columns in New Zealand full of the most racist, sexist nonsensical rubbish you can imagine. But anyway, the movie is good.
It’s a really sad story. It’s about domestic violence and it was quite controversial when it came out and I think it had a significant impact on New Zealand society.
But when it came out in 1994 I was in 6th form, so I was kind of too young to really appreciate the intellectual debate about it I was more interested in how hot the actors were, like Nig and Boogie ... Toot. Mmmm.
You might have seen some of the actors from Once Were Warriors, like Julian Arahanga who played Nig, he was in The Matrix. And Temuera Morrison, Jake "the Muss" Heke, he was in Star Wars.
And Cliff Curtis (his name is Cliff, I accidentally said Chris for some reason), he’s like a legend, one of my favorite actors, he’s been in lots of movies like Six Days Seven Nights, Blow, Training Day, Whale Rider.
Anyway, I want to talk about some of the dialogue.
The movie is about a family, mum, dad and five kids. And near the start of the movie one of the kids has got in trouble and so the police bring him home. And as the police officers are walking up to the house, one of them says to the mother: Beth Heke?
And she replies: What now?
Officer: Been keeping bad company.
Beth: Was that before or after you picked him up?
I think that line’s pretty funny.
Company means:
The fact or condition of being with another or others
A person as a source of friendship and entertainment: she is excellent company
A visitor or visitors: I’m expecting company
So, he’s been keeping bad company means he’s been hanging out with bad people or he’s been spending time with bad people. I also think it’s funny later when one of the little kids comes up and says to his mum about the police officer: Is she a Taniwha, Mum?
Because his sister has just been reading him a story about taniwha and he doesn’t really know what it means.
A taniwha, in New Zealand, is a kind of monster.
This is what it says in Wikipedia:
In Māori mythology, Taniwha are beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers.
When I was little I remember thinking there might be taniwha in the creek by my house.
Later on in the movie, the family go on a day trip and they’re lying on the grass looking over the lake at the marae where the mum grew up.
And one of the kids says to the mother:
What's that big house over there, Mum?
That's the wharenui. It was a lot different when I was a girl. It was always impressive.
What's impressive?
Choice. It was always choice. And inside are the most choicest carvings.
A wharenui is a meeting house on a marae – or other places, like schools - but this kid doesn’t know that because he has been brought up not knowing anything about traditional Maori culture because his dad doesn’t like it - which is sad.
And choice is an informal adjective which was common in the 80s I think and not really used anymore except in a retro kind of way ... it means the same thing as ace, wicked, cool.
STICK NEWS
Kia Ora, in Stick News today, the Malaysian government has issued an official warning about an encyclopaedia parody site. They say the site contains “untruths, insults and ridicule”.
Uncyclopedia is an English language wiki that provides satirically-themed articles as a parody of Wikipedia.
Its logo is a potato and its slogan is: the content-free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
Recently, Malaysia's Internal Security Ministry released a press statement telling newspaper editors not to trust Uncyclopedia. It said the article on Malaysia contained untruths and was demeaning to the country.
According to Wikipedia, Uncyclopedia's users found this statement humorous.
And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 15th of January.
Kia Ora.
THE SNOW REPORT
at Kanro no mori
Yesterday we went to hotel called Kanro no mori to check out their onsen.
I’d never been there before. It’s so nice. I want to go there every day.
They have a stylish café and bar.
A magic piano.
And a great onsen.
conversations with sarah
#370 So what's the charge?
Step 1: Repeat Beth’s lines.
Step 2: Read Beth’s lines and talk to the police officer.
Police Officer Beth Heke?
Beth Heke What now?
Police Officer Been keeping bad company.
Beth Heke Was that before or after you picked him up? So what's the charge?
Police Officer Oh, he's lucky this time. Two older boys stole the car. He's just hanging aroundwith the wrong crowd. Still, it's not going to look good tomorrow when he appears in court on those other charges.
Beth Heke You think you know everything about us, don't you?
Police Officer It's my job. Well, we'll leave Boogie with you, then.
Beth Heke Mark.
Police Officer Pardon?
Beth Heke My son's name is Mark.
Police Officer Well, that's not the name he gave us.
links
today's STICK NEWS pictures
music
show start
artist: BrunoXe
album: aprendiendo desde 2004
track: Mandrake
from: Jerez, Spain
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
the snow report start
artist: Olga Scotland
album: Scotland Yard
track: Absolute
from: Moscow, Russia
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
cws start
artist: San Sebastian
track: Happy Sad
artist site
qa start
artist: ioeo
album: Groovetracks
tracks: groovetracks ending
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
qa bgm
artist: Jonah Dempcy
album: Syncretic Beliefs
track: Lumen Arcanum
from: the US
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site
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