Emasculation

Carmen has ruined me.

There was a time - a great, heroic, Wagnerian time - when I could watch any film, any time and remain dry-eyed. After my childish, cry at ET years I moved on to violence and comedies and anything vaguely romantic, well , that was just silly. Did nothing for me. No connection there, no emotional impact.

Even as I grew older and started becoming involved in romance myself, I was still largely immune to the power that filmmakers have of pushing emotional buttons. Actually, that's not true. I would cheer the hero and boo the villain whenever they wanted. I would laugh at comedies and jump at thrillers. But I was, for the most part, dry of eye and un-weepy.

And then along comes Carmen, who is - even she will admit - the perfect audience for any romantic or emotional aspect of a film. Whenever filmmakers think "now this bit will really get people", Carmen is the people of whom they speak. She cries at everything. And now she got me started.

I teared up no less than three times during The Return Of The King, and tonight we watched Love Actually (which, by the by, is a fantastic film) and I got blurry of vision on more than one occasion. I've turned into a wuss! What's next? Watching the soaps and caring who's flirting with whom? Actually giving a crap which comatose accident victim is going to wake up and tell them all that it was Timmy that caused the bus to veer off the road into the ravine?

Of course, Carmen still remains twelve times blokier than me, despite her predisposition to crying in films, at the TV and when something sad happens to a puppy.

I hope she doesn't read this and hit me.

Love you, honey!