So Esquire did a widely-linked online piece the other day about the worst fight scenes ever made. They range from humorously awkward to unwatchably gory, but the highlight by far is this one:

The jingoist in me wants to make a snide comment about why France keeps losing wars... but instead I'd just like to ask how I can get to be so badass that I can injure people like that using only the tips of my fingers. (And then continue with my aerobics, apparently.)

Much as I love the French, they do seem to have a bit of trouble when they try to appropriate American culture (Jerry Lewis notwithstanding). Obviously Japan is the master of awkward appropriation, but France is no slouch -- I love the way Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot decided to interpret Bonnie & Clyde. It's a good song, but something got lost in translation here:

Of course this all might make more sense if you spoke French. I do not speak French; that is a testament to the strength of the Ontario educational system, which spent nine years teaching me French with such vigor and seriousness that I grew annoyed and deliberately forgot it all as soon as I entered tenth grade. About all that remains of my bilingual education is some vague memories of Telefrancais videos, which we'd watch when the teacher was too high tired to actually teach. These videos were... uh... well, see for yourself: