It seems that a new kind of war is looming, totally unexpected by all and sundry military experts: Queenan against Cohen. That is, Joe Queenan an American film critic vs. Sasha Baron Cohen the major piss taker on this side of XXth century.
A personal aside: I have never been Cohen’s cheerleader for both his main characters (Ali G. and Borat). There definitely were a few funny moments, and Borat at his early development stage has made a splash, especially when taking quite a few customers in a US watering hole for a ride with his “Throw the Jew down a well” song. Even in this latest movie there are a few genuinely funny moments, although I would not part with my hard earned 30+ shekels (about $7) to see it. I have already seen a few clips, and enough is enough. SBC has become a one trick pony, squeezing the last drop out of the Borat persona. Too rude and vulgar (even) for my taste in the majority of his latest tricks.
But here we have a case of a serious overreaction by a film critic who has gone postal. Witness the plethora of names he found for Cohen: “odious twit”, “pig”, “public school boy” (is it a crime nowadays?), “another odious twit from Cambridge” (a brilliant “aggregated” insult, should all Cambridge graduates join forces?) and, on top of that one, “Cambridge-educated Jackass” in another article. Mr. Queenan has obviously lost it on the way to his keyboard and since we are not acquainted (he may be a 300 pound gorilla for all I know), I wouldn’t want to find myself in his warpath these days. He is so mad at Borat and the whole world that even his fellow critics got bashed on the way: “annelids who masquerade as film critics at most US newspapers and magazines“. Annelids. Wow.
And what bothers Mr. Queenan in the opus of Sasha Baron Cohen? He briefly mentions a few deadly sins, such as sexism, homophobia and obsession with bodily functions (I don’t even know what to say, after all I am not as close to SBC as our film critic seems to be). He dedicated more time to what he perceives as Cohen’s hate of Americans. But at the conclusion of the article even this sin was waived: “Personally speaking, it does not bother me that Baron Cohen hates Americans; some of my best friends hate Americans.”
So what was it that enraged Mr. Queenan most of all? It’s simple: “But it bothers me that my fellow Americans are making yet another odious twit from Cambridge rich.” See how simple it is? Money, money, money…
And that rage, obviously, pulls our learned critic down to the gutter level in this passage:
But the men who flew the bombing raids over Berlin and the men who died at Omaha Beach and the women who built the Flying Fortresses and Sherman tanks that helped defeat Hitler are the very same people that Baron Cohen pisses all over in Borat. A lot of folks named Cohen would not even be here making anti-American movies if it were not for the hayseeds he despises.
Would it help if I reminded our enraged bull here that some of these “hayseeds” that died, built and helped were also named Cohen? Or it will only confuse him further? Or to remind him that, with all due respect, the hayseeds did not succeed to save a lot of these Cohens after all… Nah, waste of time.
I better continue his line of thought and add that if it were not for these hayseeds, he, Joe Queenan, would not be gainfully employed writing rumbling, illogical, hysterical and plainly stupid articles for the Guardian about the assorted Cohens. Could have been gainfully employed by Der Sturmer, though. Writing rumbling, illogical, hysterical and plainly stupid articles about the assorted Cohens…
The whole tempest in a teacup raises some questions:
- Why should a serious (?) film critic bother himself with such an obviously sub-standard production at all? Will a normal film critic waste his time on, say, “Jackass the movie”?
- Why is he raving like a lunatic? Anger management issues or simply a lunatic?
- And the most intriguing – why has the Guardian published this shit at all?
There is no accounting for tastes or for the lack of thereof, and the rage of our fine critic caused by the financial success of that movie is rather pitiful. One side of Joe Queenan shines brighter than anything else; as the Jew90 says, correctly: humorless buffoon.
Via Jew90
Cross-posted on SimplyJews.
My brother really likes Joe Queenan’s books.
I guess it’s a matter of taste again. Actually, while preparing the post, I have looked up a few of Queenan’s articles – there is a truckload of them on the Guardian site. No, he is far from stupid. But what struck me most was his imperial tone and no-prisoners-taken attitude to everything. A person that does not doubt anything is definitely not my kind of a person.
And yes, he is mostly humorless.
Lets’ see what Meryl has to say – she is into movies more than I, I think…
Oh, and he uses extra-difficult words like these “annelids” too. Hats off!
Well, first I had to look up “annelids.” I presume he meant the part of the definition that means “leeches.”
I have no intention of seeing the Borat film. I find anti-Semitism to be a mostly unfunny subject. So far, only Mel Brooks and Woody Allen have made me laugh about it. As for the rest of his humor, well, yeah, it appeals to white men, generally younger than I, which leaves me out of the major demographic. I suspect that those who loved the Jackass movie will love Borat.
I’ve never so much as watched Jackass on TV.
As for Mr. Queenan, yes, he certainly does go postal on Sasha Cohen, and some of what he says is utter bullshit, as has been noted above (cf: Cohen, hayseeds, my dads rescued your dads from the Holocaust). In fact, that argument skirts the edges of anti-Semitism itself—Jews ought to be grateful to the U.S. because the U.S. stopped Hitler. As Snoopy pointed out, there were a bunch of Jews from America who fought Hitler, too. My uncle, for one. My father was drafted but never sent out of the country.
On the other hand, I totally agree with Queenan about Life is Beautiful. I didn’t want to see a feel-good picture about the Holocaust. I thought it belittled the horror and gave people a reason to think that things weren’t that bad.
But here, I think, is the part that tells you all you need to know about Queenan:
Translation: I’m better than you.
Queenan is a middle-aged white man with a serious elitist problem.
If you ask me, the real reason he’s pissed at Sasha Cohen is because Cohen made millions with a crap movie, and Queenan’s movie flopped horrendously.
Sour grapes, Joe. Sour grapes.
Hear, hear!
(I could sign under every word in this comment).