Dead Man's Money

Suddenly, the car goes off the road!
"Oh, no! No! NO!"
But it is too late. He can't stop the car.

Today, I read Dead Man's Money, an Oxford Bookworms Starter. It's set in 1931 and it's about some bank robbers. It's written in a manga style. It's quite exciting, and I recommend it to everyone!

Vocabulary

gang, cabin

Timed Writing Final Report

A Quiet Place Part II, and other matters…

Emily Blunt

Director: John Krasinski

Today we watched the trailer for A Quiet Place Part II, which is a science fiction/horror story and of course the sequel to A Quiet Place, a very successful 2018 movie, also starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, which depicts a world that has been invaded by creatures that kill humans but that can only find them by sound. Thus, everyone's life is dominated by the attempt to be quiet all the time. A baby crying could get the whole family killed.

(82 words)

Final Blog Check

My stats this semester:

Book Reviews:
Kumamoto:
Gofun ha Juubun:
Other (diary, etc.):

Timed Writing Final Report

A Quiet Place Part II, and other matters…

Emily Blunt

Director: John Krasinski

Today we watched the trailer for A Quiet Place Part II. As the name suggests, it's the continuation of A Quiet Place, a science fiction/horror movie that was a big success a few years ago. As before, the director is John Krasinski, and Emily Blunt is the star. The children look a bit older than before. The trailer starts with a flashback, the day the invasion took place. Then it switches to now, when the family are fleeing their home and looking for other survivors.
I recommend watching Part 1 on DVD before Part 2 comes out in cinemas, then going to the cinema to watch Part 2!

(107 words)

My timed writing

Black Widow, and other matters…

Scarlett Johansson

Today we watched the trailer for Black Widow. It looks pretty exciting. It's going to be released in May.

At Denkikan, the movie At Eternity's Gate is playing now. It's worth checking out if you have the time. It stars Willem Defoe as Vincent Van Gogh.

(45 words)

My Nanafun/Gofun records

Black Widow, and other matters…

Scarlett Johansson

Today we watched the trailer for Black Widow, a new Marvel movie set for release in May. As the title suggests, it's about Black Widow, a character from the Marvel universe who is played by Scarlett Johansson. In the movie, she goes back home to Russia. When she gets there we see her fighting with another woman, and then they stop fighting and she says, "Nice to see you too, sis." It looks like a lot of fun.

Over the New Year, there was a lot of football. Liverpool seem to be getting stronger and stronger, and now they are far ahead of the other teams.

I went with my family to Nabegataki. Do you know it?

115 words

Death of an Author, Onward, and other matters…

Tom Holland
Chris Pratt

Pixar

Today we watched two trailers. The first was Death of an Author, which is a suspense movie starring Ben Kingsley. It looks quite scary and very interesting. The second was Onward. It's a Pixar movie set in a past time with magic creatures but also cell phones.

There has been a lot of interesting things happening in football recently. Liverpool is taking part in the Club World Cup in Qatar. They won their semifinal and will play Flamengo in the final on December 22nd. In the Premier League, both Arsenal and Everton have changed managers.

(94 words)

1917, Onward, and other matters…

Colin Firth
Benedict Cumberbatch

Tom Holland
Chris Pratt
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss

Today we watched two trailers. The first was 1917. It's a movie directed by Sam Mendes about an episode in the Second World War. It is discovered that one group of soldiers is advancing into a trap. So another group of soldiers is instructed to go and deliver a message to them to retreat. But reaching them is difficult and dangerous, and they don't have much time.
The other movie was Onward. It's the latest Pixar movie, set in a time when unicorns and dragons still existed. But people also have mobile phones. It looks very funny.
I didn't check when the movies would come to Japan, but I hope to see them when they do. I wonder if the subtitled version of Onward will come to Kumamoto?

126 words

Long Way North, Song of the Sea, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for Long Way North. It's a French animated feature playing now at Denkikan. Then we watched part of the trailer for Song of the Sea, an Irish animated feature from a couple of years ago. That was a wonderful movie. I remember going to see it with some of my seminar students.
Talking about movies, the movie that I am looking forward to most is the new Star Wars movie, coming out next Friday.
(78 words)

Long Way North

Today we watched the trailer for Long Way North, a French animated feature that is now playing at Denkikan. In recent years there have been quite a lot of nice animated features at Denkikan. One that had a big impact on me was an Irish one called Song of the Sea, which had wonderful colours and a moving story. This year, there was Dilili in Paris, a French animated feature that was also very charming.
(75 words)

At Eternity's Gate, and other matters…

Actors

Vincent van Gogh: Willem Dafoe
Priest: Mads Mikkelsen
Paul Gauguin: Oscar Isaac

Today we watched the trailer for At Eternity's Gate. It's a movie about the Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh. He suffered from depression and he spent some time in a mental hospital. He cut off his own ear when his friend Paul Gauguin left him in the south of France to go elsewhere. I think the acting in the movie was good. Willem Defoe is convincing as Van Gogh, as is Oscar Isaac as Gauguin. Mads Mikkelsen has a very small role as a priest, but he is good, too. The movie is quite slow-moving but very atmospheric.

(98 words)

At Eternity's Gate, and other matters…

Director: Julian Schabel
Actors
Willem Dafoe: Vincent van Gogh
Paul Gauguin: Oscar Isaac

Today we watched the trailer for At Eternity's Gate, a new movie directed by Julian Schabel about the Dutch painter from the late 19th century, Vincent van Gogh. The trailer is very interesting and shows the painter meeting Paul Gauguin, who admires his work and becomes his friend. It also shows a scene where van Gogh is talking to a priest about why he paints and why he paints like he does. I saw the movie recently, and I can tell you that that scene is from very near the end of the movie. The movie is very interesting but it's also quite long and slow-moving. I recommend you give it a try, but maybe watch it in two settings.

(120 words)

Emma (2020), Clueless (1995), and other matters…

Emma: Anya Taylor-Joy

Clueless: Alicia Silverstone

Today we watched some excerpts from Clueless. That is a 1995 movie starring Alicia Silverstone. It is based on Jane Austen's novel Emma. We also watched the trailer for Emma, a movie scheduled to come out early next year. Emma has been made into movies and TV series several times. One famous one starring Gwyneth Paltrow is from 1996.

(59 words)

Emma, Clueless, and other matters…

Emma (2020): Anya Taylor-Joy

Clueless (1995): Alicia Silverstone

Today we watched two movie trailers. One was Emma, set to be released next year, and the other was Clueless, from 1995. Both are based on the 1814 Jane Austen novel Emma. You have probably heard of or seen Clueless, which is quite a famous movie starring Alicia Silverstone. The newer movie stars Anya Taylor-Joy. I have heard her name and seen her face before, but I'm not familiar with her work.
If you are interested in finding out more about Jane Austen, I recommend you to try The Jane Austen Book Club. It's about a group of people who start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, but their relationships come to resemble those in her novels.

(119 words)

The Irishman, Entebbe, and other matters…

Robert De Niro
Al Pacino
Joe Pesci

Rosamund Pike

Today we watched two movie trailers. Both are for movies that started playing today at Denkikan and will continue until November 28th. The first one is a mafia-related movie directed by Martin Scorsese, called The Irishman. It's based on the real-life figure, Jimmy Hoffa. It has a very good score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The second is 7 Days in Entebbe, based on real-life events in 1976. That doesn't have such a good score, but I still want to see it.
79 words

The Irishman, Entebbe, and other matters…

Robert De Niro
Al Pacino
Joe Pesci

Rosamund Pike

Today we watched two trailers, both of movies starting today at Denkikan. The first was The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. That one is a mafia story, about Jimmy Hoffa. The second, Entebbe, is based on a real-life event in 1976, when a plane was hijacked and taken to Entebbe airport in Uganda. That one stars Rosamund Pike, who is well known for Gone Girl and A Private War.
I think both movies look interesting. Both finish on November 28th.
(84 words)

Hercules

My name is Hercules. I am very strong!

I read Hercules today. It was great!

Penguin Kids Disney: Level 5 Hercules 著者 : Jocelyn Potter Pearson Japan 発売日 : 2013-02-01 ブクログでレビューを見る»

2,221 words

The Invisible Man, and other matters…

Elisabeth Moss

Today we watched a movie trailer again. This time, it was for The Invisible Man, a remake of the well-known story. Let's hope it's better than the Kevin Bacon/Elizabeth Shue version.

This weekend, Manchester City will visit Anfield to play a match against Liverpool. It is the most anticipated matchup because Liverpool haven't lost at all, and perhaps the only hope for Manchester City to overtake them is to beat them in both matches against them. But Manchester City's defence is a little weak, and their goalkeeper was injured, so I think Liverpool will probably win the match.

(97 words)

The Invisible Man, and other matters…

Elizabeth Moss

Henry and Mudge had a great time!

Today we watched the trailer for The Invisible Man, a movie starring Elizabeth Moss. The character played by Elizabeth Moss is married to a cruel man, and she tries to run away. Then she hears that he has killed himself. But, although she can't see anything, she feels his presence in the house and everywhere she goes. She finds out that he is still alive but has made himself invisible. Unfortunately, her friends don't believe her. One condition of receiving an inheritance after his death was that she be of sound mental health. But everyone thinks she is crazy because she is always talking about her invisible husband!

(114 words)

Gemini Man, and other matters…

Ang Lee
Will Smith
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Clive Owen
Benedict Wong

Today's trailer was for a movie that started playing today in Japan: Gemini Man, starring Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, and Benedict Wong. It's set in the near future, when the character played by Clive Owen has cloned the soldier Henry Brogan, and sends the clone to kill Henry. The story is pretty exciting, but the movie has quite negative reviews from professional critics. Part of that is to do with the high frame rate they used to film the movie, which people say looks unnatural. I couldn't tell any difference from the standard format.

(97 words)

Midterm Report (November 7th)

Book reviews:    (Target: 5)

Kumamoto:  (Target: 4)

Gofun ha Juubun: 

Other (diary, etc.): 

TOTAL posts this semester:     (Target: 24)

Gemini Man, and other matters…

Henry: Will Smith
Danny: Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Clay: Clive Owen
Baron: Benedict Wong

Today we watched the trailer for Gemini Man, a thriller set in the near future starring Will Smith and Clive Owen. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong also star. After Henry retires, someone comes to kill him. The person is very skilled, and Henry wonders who he is. Danny finds out that the person trying to kill him is his clone! So they try to capture the clone and tell him the truth.

Autumn is a good time for movies. The other two movies playing now that I recommend strongly are John Wick: Parabellum and Yesterday. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, playing at Denkikan, is also really good!

[110 words]

Zombieland, Zombieland: Double Tap, and other matters…

Woody Harrelson
Jesse Eisenberg
Abigail Breslin
Emma Stone

Today we saw the trailers for both Zombieland and Zombieland: Double Tap. Zombieland was a 2009 hit featuring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone. It was an action/horror comedy in a world where most people have become zombies but the four stars have managed to survive. Now, ten years later, the sequel is coming out!

I also recommend that you go and see Yesterday!

(66 words)

Dead Cold

"Don't worry, Scott, I'm behind you," I said quietly.
I could see Scott in front of me. It was dark, but I could just see him. Suddenly I heard a loud noise. A gun. Then Scott was down on the dirty floor. His blood was everywhere.

This detective story is a Level 2 book in the Cambridge English Readers series. It concerns Detective Flick Laine, a Denver detective whose partner, Scott, died recently. There has just been a murder in Pine Crest, a skiing town nearby. Flick has to go and try to solve the crime.

This story is very interesting. In particular, I like the way that it describes Flick's work as well as her emotions.

Leather, S. (2006). Dead cold. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Dead Cold Level 2 (Cambridge English Readers) 著者 : Sue Leather Cambridge University Press 発売日 : 2007-01-15 ブクログでレビューを見る»

Vocabulary

governor: 州知事
bribe: 賄賂

Zombieland, Zombieland: Double Tap, and other matters…

Woody Harrelson
Jesse Eisenberg
Abigail Breslin
Emma Stone

Today we watched the trailers for Zombieland (the 2009 original) and Zombieland: Double Tap, the sequel that is coming next month. The sequel, like the original, stars Woody Harrelson, Jess Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone. The movies are a kind of action/horror comedy. I certainly want to see it on the big screen.

Other movies coming soon or starting today are Maleficent 2, Gemini Man, and Terminator: Dark Fate. It seems that autumn is the best time for big movies, and spring is the best time for smaller ones.

(89 words)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Lily James

Director: Mike Newell

Today we watched the trailer for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's a movie that will start playing at Denkikan in a couple of weeks. It stars Lily James, and it's directed by Mike Newell, who is famous for movies like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Donne Brasco, Mona Lisa Smile, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and so on.

(64 words)

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

Lily James: author
Director: Mike Newell (Great Expectations, Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco)

Today we watched the trailer for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, starring Lily James and directed by Mike Newell. It's set in the Second World War, in London and on the island of Guernsey. Unlike England, Guernsey was occupied by the German army. The people were very hungry but they entertained themselves with regular meetings where they read books together and also made pie from potato peel. Lily James plays an author in London who hears about the society and visits Guernsey to find out more about it. But what happens to her fiancé back in London?

Director Mike Newell is well-known for movies like Donnie Brasco and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Why not check out his latest movie?

(122 words)

Submergence

Wim Wenders
James McAvoy
Alicia Vikander

Today we watched the trailer for Submergence, a film that's now playing at Denkikan. It's a love story starring James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander. It's playing for one week only. Another film that's coming to Denkikan soon is the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I saw it in Tokyo a few weeks ago. It's great!

Have you been watching any soccer recently? In the Premier League, teams that are usually very strong such as Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Chelsea are not doing so well. People are excited that some of the weaker teams, such as Leicester and West Ham, may do well this year.

(106 words)

Submergence

Submergence
Wim Wenders
James McAvoy
Alicia Vikander

Today we watched the trailer for Submergence, a movie starring James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander, and directed by Wim Wenders. James McAvoy plays an MI:6 and Alicia Vikander plays a marine biologist who usually works on a submarine. They both have dangerous jobs, and they both have to be away from home for a long time, but they fall in love. The trailer shows James McAvoy in Somalia. He is captured by terrorists.

From today, the Hummingbird Project has started playing. That stars Jesse Eisenberg. It looks very interesting.

(88 words)

Writing IV: an outline

Hi everybody,

Here are some details regarding Writing IV.

Basically, there are three types of work:

1. Gofun ha Juubun: This is a kind of timed writing that we will do at the beginning of each class. Please be sure to come on time so that you can do the timed writing with everyone.
2. Reading and book reviews: Reading English regularly is probably the most important thing if you want to improve your writing. You should write 12 book reviews during the semester, basically one a week. When possible, I will give you time to write one in class. But most of the time it will be necessary to read a book and write a book review for homework. Very short books are fine, but if you have extra time I recommend reading something a bit longer and more difficult.
3. Essay-related work: There will be about three major topics during the semester. These will lead up to writing an essay, but we will do lots of activities before you have to write the essay, so that you can read, listen to, or talk about the topic, or do short writing tasks to prepare you for the essay.

Henry and Mudge and the Yellow Moon

The clicking got louder.
The shoes are coming! thought Henry.
He put his head in Mudge's neck.
Now the clicking was louder than ever.
"Mudge," Henry's mother said, "stop chattering."
Chattering?
Henry put his ear near Mudge's mouth.
And Mudge's teeth went CLICK-CLICK-
CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK.

Henry and Mudge and the Yellow Moon, like the other Henry and Mudge books, is a Ready-to-Read Level 2 book. It is a collection of three very short stories, all about the autumn. The three stories are Together in the Fall, Under the Yellow Moon, and Thanksgiving Guest. The above quotation is from the second story. Henry's mum likes reading ghost stories to the family at Halloween. Henry doesn't like them. But they are all surprised to find that Mudge is more scared than anyone!

Vocabulary

hold one's breath
graveyard
jack-o'-lantern
chipmunk

Rylant, C. (1987). Henry and Mudge and the yellow moon. New York, NY: Simon Spotlight.

Henry and Mudge under the Yellow Moon (Henry & Mudge) 著者 : Cynthia Rylant Simon Spotlight 発売日 : 1996-06-01 ブクログでレビューを見る»

932 words

歴史と現代が調和するコンパクトCity”熊本市”を巡る

Today we watched a video about Kumamoto, made by some westerners based in Fukuoka (I think). They talked about how to get to Kumamoto from Fukuoka. They mentioned that Kumamoto is one of the biggest cities in Kyushu, and that it is easy to get around the city.

How was everyone's summer vacation? I didn't really have much real vacation, but I went on several business trips and had some free time in the evenings. I took some students to Aso for a week for an English camp. I also went to Tokyo twice for some meetings and a seminar.

(99 words)

Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin

Henry felt around under his bed.
He pulled out a brown paper bag.
It had some dust balls on it and an old piece of hard gum stuck on it.
Henry pulled out a cookie and handed it to Annie.
She turned pink again.
Uh-oh, thought Henry.
This was going to be a very long visit.

Henry lives with his dog Mudge and his parents. One day, his cousin Annie comes to visit. Henry has never met her before, so he is a bit worried. When she arrives, he is even more worried, because she wears very elegant clothes and she doesn't like getting dirty. She doesn't like it when Mudge licks her, and she doesn't seem happy that Henry's room is so dirty.

But, as time goes by, she gets used to Henry and Mudge, and she is very good at doing the frisbee.

By the time she leaves, Henry and Mudge are sad to see her go.

Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin 著者 : Cynthia Rylant 発売日 : 1994 ブクログでレビューを見る»

歴史と現代が調和するコンパクトCity”熊本市”を巡る

Today we watched the beginning of a video about Kumamoto. The video is in English, and it's about 10 minutes long. We only watched about one minute or so. The two hosts are one man whose name I've forgotten and a woman called Nita. I think the man was probably Australian and the woman Finnish or Swedish. The video seemed to be from a series made by people based in Fukuoka who make videos about Kyushu. They told us how to get to Kumamoto from Fukuoka and they showed us Kumamoto Station, Shimotori arcade, and Suizenji. They wore a kimono to Suizenji. It looks rather interesting, so I look forward to watching the rest.
(114 words)

The Old Man & the Gun, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for The Old Man & the Gun, a true story about a man who was addicted to robbing banks. The staff at the banks that he robbed all said that he seemed friendly, but he also had a gun. It is said to be the last movie starring Robert Redford. You may know his name from movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Natural, Sneakers, A River Runs Through It, The Sting, and recently some of the Marvel movies. In addition to being an actor, he was also a movie director and the founder of the Sundance Festival.

I went to Osaka last weekend for a seminar, and also saw The Old Man & the Gun there.

[123 words]

End of the semester

Before next week, please:

• Study your self-introduction/homestay letter, so that you can write it again without any notes.
• Write any missing posts, or extra posts that you would like included in your grade.
• Make sure that your different kinds of posts have appropriate tags (labels).
• Make a note of the total number of posts you have written, as well as the number of book reviews.

Midnight Run: sentences and mindmap frame

Everybody Knows, and other matters…

Javier Bardem
Penelope Cruz

Today we saw the trailer for Everybody Knows, a movie starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. A family gets together in the countryside, but someone is kidnapped. I didn't really understand the story from the trailer, but it looks very interesting.

The Wimbledon tennis tournament is coming to an end. The men's singles has reached the semifinals, and the women's singles has reached the final. In the women's singles, Simona Halep will play Serena Williams. In the men's semifinals, Rafael Nadal will play Roger Federer, and Djokovic will play Roberto Bautista Agut. I have never seen him play, but the other players are all very famous.

105 words

Midnight Run, and other matters…

Robert De Niro: Jack (bounty hunter)
Charles Grodin: Jonathan Mardukas (The Duke) (accountant for the Mafia)
Jimmy Serrano: Mafia boss
Eddie: bail bondsman

Today we watched the trailer for Midnight Run, a movie starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Charles Grodin plays an accountant (The Duke) who was working for a mafia company but stole lots of money from them. Now, the mafia want to kill him, and the FBI want to arrest him so that they can get evidence to arrest the mafia members. Jack (Robert De Niro) is a bounty hunter. A bail bondsman hires Jack to catch The Duke, because he has run away. Jack has to keep him away from the FBI and the Mafia, and try to get the Duke back to Los Angeles in 72 hours, in order to get money from the bail bondsman.

On another note, I think the Wimbledon semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is on TV tonight. It should be very exciting!

141 words

White Crow, American Animals, and other matters…

Rudolph Nureyev
Pushkin: Ralph Fiennes

Today we watched two movie trailers. The first one was for White Crow, and the second for American Animals. White Crow is a movie about Rudolph Nureyev, and American Animals is about students who decide to steal expensive books from a library.

Now, the Wimbledon tennis tournament is happening. Last night, Rafael Nadal won his match.

55 words

White Crow, and other matters…

Rudolph Nureyev: Oleg Ivenko
Pushkin: Ralph Fiennes

Today we watched the trailer for White Crow, a new movie about Rudolph Nureyev, the famous Russian ballet dancer who defected to the West. It's directed by Ralph Fiennes, who also plays Pushkin. Nureyev is played by Oleg Ivenko. It's playing at Denkikan now. Also playing there is American Animals, a movie about an attempt to rob a library!

Have you been following the Women's World Cup Football? It's coming to an end soon. The USA beat England in one semifinal and the Netherlands beat Sweden in the other, so the USA and the Netherlands will meet in the final. England will play Sweden in the 3rd-place playoff. Those matches will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

116 words

The Good Liar (Bill Condon), and other matters…

Ian McKellen
Helen Mirren

Today we watched the trailer for The Good Liar, a movie starring Ian McKellen and
Helen Mirren. Ian McKellen is known in recent years for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Mr Holmes, and Magneto in the X-Men movies. Further back, he's known for Richard III and Scandal, for example. Helen Mirren is known for Gosford Park, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The Long Goodbye, and many more movies. More recently, she has appeared in RED and RED II.

82 words

The Good Liar

Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings)
Helen Mirren (Eye in the Sky, The Queen)

Today we watched the trailer for The Good Liar, a movie directed by Bill Condon and starring Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren. It's about a swindler called Roy Courtnay who goes on a date with Helen Mirren. He pretends it's for a romantic relationship, but actually he knows that she is rich and he wants to take all her money. It looks very interesting, but I don't know when it will come to Japan.

The women's world cup is approaching its end. England reached the semifinals yesterday by beating Norway. I'm not sure who their opponent will be, though.

98 words

Zombie by The Cranberries, and other matters...

The Troubles
Dolores O'Riordan

Today we watched some music videos. The first two were Zombie by The Cranberries. The first was the studio version with lyrics shown on the screen and the second was a live performance in Paris. The audience was very big and they were all standing, and they seemed very involved with the performance. I would have liked to see them live sometime, but the singer Dolores O'Riordan died last year. We also took a look at the beginning of Ridiculous Thoughts. The singing/wailing there sounds pretty good.

(87 words)

Zombie, by The Cranberries and other matters...

Today we watched a music video. It was Zombie by The Cranberries, an Irish group. First we watched the song with lyrics, and then we watched a live performance in Paris. That was in 1999, and at the end of the song the singer said something about wanting peace in Northern Ireland. That was around the time of the peace agreement.

The Cranberries are the second most successful Irish group ever. The most successful one is U2. Do you know them? They became popular in the 1980s and are still successful now.

It has been raining quite a lot since yesterday. I guess the rainy season is here. Fortunately, the rain is not so heavy now. Hopefully, it will clear up tomorrow. It seems to me that the season is much later than usual.

(132 words)

Men in Black: International, and other matters…

Chris Hemsworth
Tessa Thompson

Today we watched the trailer for Men in Black: International. It stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. It begins on June 14th (today) in the U.S., and on the same day in Japan, too. It looks rather fun and exciting.

There has been quite a lot of sport going on. In France, the Roland Garros (French Open) tennis tournament was held. Rafael Nadal won his 12th title there. In football, the women's World Cup has been going on.

(77 words)

Saving Zoë

Laura Marano
Vanessa Marano

Today we saw the trailer for Saving Zoë, a new movie directed by Jeffrey Hunt. It's about two sisters, one of whom is called Zoë. She is murdered near the beginning of the film and her sister tries to find out what happened.

I was hoping to watch Colette at Denkikan but it's only playing for another week, so I guess I'll have to wait for it to be released as a DVD. At the big movie theaters, Aladdin and Men in Black are playing now. I'm not so interested in seeing them. I wonder what else is coming soon?

(99 words)

Ryuji Okada

Mai Hirakawa

Keiko Hibino

The correct total is 123 words!

Colette, Ad Astra, and other matters…

Keira Knightley
Dominic West

Brad Pitt
Donald Sutherland
Liv Tyler
Tommy Lee Jones

Today we watched two trailers. The first was Colette, which we watched a few weeks ago. The movie is now playing at Denkikan so I am hoping to find the time to go and see it. The second was Ad Astra. It stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut, and the son of an astronaut who died on a secret mission that threatens the whole Solar System. Other stars in the movie are Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones (as Brad Pitt's father, I think), and Ruth Negga. Actually, the name Ruth Negga wasn't familiar to me, but I notice that she stars in Loving, a movie I am planning to see sometime, and that she was also in World War Z, which I enjoyed. Ad Astra looks pretty exciting, but I'm guessing it won't come to Japan for quite a long time.

By the way, if you're interested in Colette, I hope you will also watch Gigi.

(157 words)

Phrases and sentences for my self-introduction

(1) Okazaki is a thirty-minute train ride south of Nagoya.

My university is a fifteen-minute walk from my home.

(2) My father works for the city government, and my mother is a homemaker.

My father is a gardener, and my mother works at a photography factory. My elder brother runs training programs for companies.

(3) I come from Hida, in northern Gifu.
I come from Exeter in the south-west of England.




Kikuchi is a seven-minute helicopter ride from Kumamoto.

Colette, and other matters…

Keira Knightley
Dominic West

Today's trailer was for Colette, a 2018 movie starring Keira Knightley and Dominic West. As you probably know, Colette was a well-known writer at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. Gigi is one of her best-known books, later adapted into a musical. The Claudine stories are also very famous. The movie is only playing for a couple of weeks, and only a couple of screenings a day, so it may be difficult to get to see it. I wish it would play for a bit longer.

(91 words)

Ophelia, and other matters…

Daisy Ridley
Naomi Watts
Clive Owen

Today we watched the trailer for Ophelia, a new movie directed by Claire McCarthy. As you might expect, it's about the Ophelia that we all know from Hamlet.

I was disappointed that Arsenal lost in the Europa League final on Wednesday night. The team cannot defend reliably. Other teams at the top of the Premier League can also spend much more money than Arsenal. I wonder if they will ever get into the top 4 again. Let's hope so.

Now I am looking forward to the Champions league final. I am expecting Liverpool to win, but Tottenham may have some tricks up their sleeve.

(102 words)

Ophelia, and other matters…

Daisy Ridley
Naomi Watts
Clive Owen

Hamlet

Today we watched the trailer for Ophelia, a new movie starring Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, and Clive Owen. As you might have guessed, it's based on Hamlet but told from the point of view of his girlfriend, Ophelia. Of course, we've only seen a couple of minutes, but it looks very interesting. There's a suggestion that she becomes "mad" deliberately in order to avoid being seen as dangerous by Claudius.

The first of the European finals took place on Wednesday night. The result was disappointing for me, with Arsenal losing 1–4 to Chelsea. The other final, the Champions League, is coming on Saturday night, with Liverpool playing Tottenham Hotspur. I'm expecting Liverpool to win, but Tottenham may have some surprises.

(119 words)

Beautiful Boy

Steve Carell
Timothée Chalomet

Today we watched the trailer for a movie playing at Denkikan. It's Beautiful Boy, starring Steve Carell, Timothée Chalomet, and Maura Tierney. The three of them are part of a loving family, but the character played by Timothée Chalomet starts taking drugs and leading a wild life, and he becomes estranged from his father.

The political situation in the UK is a bit wild. Theresa May probably will step down as party leader and Prime Minister very soon. Many Conservative politicians want to be the next party leader, and therefore automatically Prime Minister. In the elections for the European parliament, the Brexit Party got the most votes.

[106 words]

Beautiful Boy, Crooked House, and other matters…

Steve Carell
Timothée Chalamet


Agatha Christie
Crooked House

Glenn Close

Today we watched the trailer for two movies currently playing at Denkikan. The first was Beautiful Boy, starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. The second was Crooked House, a movie based on the book of the same name by Agatha Christie. That one stars Glenn Close and Terence Stamp. They both look quite interesting. Crooked House is playing for another two weeks, and Beautiful Boy will finish at the end of next week.

This weekend, the final of the Europa League will be played between Chelsea and Arsenal, two London clubs. Next weekend, the Champions League will be played between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur (also a London club).

[107 words]

Booklog code

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://widget.booklog.jp/blogparts/js/booklog_minishelf.js?default" id="booklog_minishelf"></script>

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://api.booklog.jp/json/rickla?category=0&count=35&callback=booklog_minishelf&template=default"></script>

Colette, and other matters…

Kiera Knightley

Today we watched the trailer for Colette, a new movie about the French writer Colette. It's scheduled to begin at Denkikan on June 7th. It stars Keira Knightley, who is famous for many movies, including Bend It Like Beckham, Pride and Prejudice, The Imitation Game, Anna Karenina, A Dangerous Method, Never Let Me Go, Atonement, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars: Episode 1—The Phantom Menace, and so on.

(68 words)

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Richard Linklater (Director)
Cate Blanchett

Today we watched the trailer for Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Richard Linklater's latest movie. You may know Richard Linklater for movies like Boyhood and the Before… series (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight). The star of the movie is Cate Blanchett, who is best known for her performances of Elizabeth I and Galadriel (in Lord of the Rings). She plays a woman who used to be a famous architect but hasn't worked recently. Her friend persuades her that she needs to work, so she goes to Antarctica to work on the design of some kind of building.

Have you watched any football recently? Derby got to the play-off final, beating Leeds United.

(112 words)

Getting Booklog onto your blog

Check out these pages:

• ブログパーツはどこから取得できますか
• ブログパーツの貼り方を教えてください

All is True, and other matters…

Kenneth Branagh
Judi Dench
Ian McKellen

Today we watched the trailer for All is True, a movie about William Shakespeare after he has retired from writing plays and moved back to Stratford. His life feels rather empty, but his friend, played by Ian McKellen, suggests that he write about his own life and that gives him renewed purpose.

Has anyone been following European football news? It has been the best week ever for English teams, and one of the most exciting weeks for comebacks. On Tuesday night, Liverpool came back against Barcelona from 0-3 down to win 4-3. Then on Wednesday night, Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) came back from 0-3 down to win 3-3 (because away goals are considered more important) against Ajax Amsterdam. Finally, last night, both Arsenal and Chelsea (two London teams) beat Valencia and Frankfurt, respectively, to go into the final of the Europa League.

[140 words]

All is True, and other matters…

William Shakespeare
Kenneth Branagh
Judi Dench
Ian McKellen

Today we watched the trailer for All is True, a movie about William Shakespeare starring Kenneth Branagh as Shakespeare, Judi Dench as his wife, and Ian McKellen as his friend. The story is about Shakespeare going back to his hometown of Stratford after he has retired. His wife is not happy to see him after so many years, and he doesn't know what to do with his life. But then he starts writing about his own life and his energy comes back.

How was your Golden Week? I worked for most of the week, but in the middle I went camping with my family in Oguni, just for one night. It was a lot of fun.

Have you watched any soccer this week? It was a great week for English clubs. Both Liverpool and Tottenham achieved great comebacks in the Champions League and will meet in the final. In the Europa League, both Arsenal and Chelsea won their semifinals and will meet in the final.

[163 words]

The Little Red Hen

Before long, all the wheat was cut.
“Who will help me grind this?” asked the little red hen.
“Not me!” said the dog.
“Not me!” said the cat.
“Not me!” said the duck.

The little red hen has some very lazy friends. Every time he asks them to help, they refuse. What do you think happens when she finishes baking some bread?

As with many folk and fairy tales, this story has an important lesson for us.

VOCABULARY

grind: すりつぶす・粉にする・砕く

The Little Red Hen (Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers) 著者 : Violet Findley Scholastic 発売日 : 2006-01-01 ブクログでレビューを見る»

The Gemini Man

Will Smith
Clive Owen
Ang Lee

Today we watched the trailer for The Gemini Man. It stars Will Smith and Clive Owen. Will Smith has been sent to kill a man. But every time he thinks he has him, the man disappears like a ghost. Will Smith starts to wonder who the man is and he asks his handler, Clive Owen.

The movie is directed by Ang Lee, who directed Sense & Sensibility, Life of Pi, and Ice Storm. It's due to start playing in the US in November. Hopefully, it will come to Japan around the same time.

(92 words)

Martina the Cockroach

A rooster came by and said, "Marry me!"
"What sound do you make?" asked Martina.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" he said.
"No, thank you," she said.

Today, I read Martina the Cockroach, one of the 15 books in the Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers from Scholastic. Martina finds a gold coin and goes shopping for clothes and perfume. Then she looks for a husband. But she doesn't like the sounds that most of her prospective husbands make.

VOCABULARY

whistle: 口笛を吹く

Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers: Martina The Cockroach (English Edition) 著者 : Scholastic Teaching Resources 発売日 : 2006-03-01 ブクログでレビューを見る»

264 words

The Little Red Hen

Before long, all the wheat was cut.
“Who will help me grind this?” asked the little red hen.
“Not me!” said the dog.
“Not me!” said the cat.
“Not me!” said the duck.

The little red hen has some very lazy friends. Every time he asks them to help, they refuse. What do you think happens when she finishes baking some bread?

As with many folk and fairy tales, this story has an important lesson for us.

VOCABULARY

grind: すりつぶす・粉にする・砕く

The Little Red Hen (Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers) 著者 : Violet Findley Scholastic 発売日 : 2006-01-01 ブクログでレビューを見る»

The Gemini Man

Will Smith

Ang Lee

Today we watched the trailer for The Gemini Man, a new movie starring Will Smith. At first, I expected it to be a routine action thriller, but then I saw the director is Ang Lee. He hasn't directed so many movies, but the ones he does direct are very interesting. They include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi, Lust, Caution, Brokeback Mountain, and The Ice Storm.

Football has been very interesting recently. In the Premier League, Liverpool and Manchester City are continuing to win their matches, so it's very tight at the top. The other big teams have been losing many matches, so no-one knows who will be in the top 4.

(112 words)

Dark Phoenix

X-Men series
James McAvoy
Michael Fassbender
Jennifer Lawrence
Sophie Turner
Tye Sheridan
Jessica Chastain

June 2019
20th Century Fox

Today we watched a movie trailer. The movie was Dark Phoenix. It is in the X-Men series. Some of the main actors are James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, and Jessica Chastain. I like the X-Men series very much. The movies stated in 2000, so they have been going on for nearly twenty years now. Dark Phoenix will be released in June in the US, and probably it will come to Japan soon after.

Have you been watching football recently? This week has been very exciting. In the Champions League, the quarter-finals were played. Two of them ended in upsets. In one quarter-final, Ajax Amsterdam defeated Juventus. Ajax has a much smaller budget than British, German, Spanish, or Italian teams, but they played in a very attacking way. In another quarter-final, Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester City. In a way, it was a pity to see two English teams play each other; but on the other hand…
(159 words)

<form method="POST" name="wordcount">
  <script language="JavaScript">

function countit(){

/*Word count script
By JavaScript Kit (http://javascriptkit.com)
Over 400+ free scripts here!
*/

var formcontent=document.wordcount.wordcount2.value
formcontent=formcontent.split(" ")
document.wordcount.wordcount3.value=formcontent.length
}
</script>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
    <tr>
      <td width="100%"><textarea rows="12" name="wordcount2" cols="60" wrap="virtual"></textarea></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td width="100%"><div align="right"><p><input type="button" value="Calculate Words"
 onclick="countit()" /> <input type="text" name="wordcount3" size="20" /></p>
      <div align="center"><center><p><font face="arial" size="-2">This free script provided by</font>
      <font face="arial, helvetica" size="-2"><a href="http://javascriptkit.com">JavaScript
      Kit</a></font></p>
      </center></div></div></td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</form>

Dark Phoenix

Today we watched the trailer for Dark Phoenix, a movie in the X-Men series. It has been a while since I saw an X-Men movie, and this one looks really exciting. The actors I remember seeing in the trailer are James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jessica Chastain, Halle Berry, and the actress who plays Jean. I didn't check who the director is. The issue seems to be that Jean is much more powerful than anyone else, and when she is scared her power comes out without her being able to control it. Jessica Chastain's character manipulates Jean into using her power without restraint, while James McAvoy tries to help her get it under control.
(113 words)

2nd session: April 20th

Hello everyone,
Most of you sent me your rewritten essays (homestay letters) during last week's lesson or soon after. Most of them had quite a lot of information, so they are a good base for talking and writing about yourself in several different ways.
Because that was your first assignment of the semester, I wrote fairly detailed feedback. Also, because the essay is a base for more work writing about yourself, I wanted to make sure that you understood the feedback.
With most assignments, though, the most important consideration will be helping you improve your writing over time. So, rather than give specific advice on individual errors, the focus will be on helping you to recognize TYPES of errors that you often make.
I don’t know if we’ll have time to talk about that today, but we will soon. So when you read through the comments, look out for errors that you made twice or more in the same essay.
KEY POINTS FOR GETTING A CREDIT

• Come to class.
• Make sure you have written 4 posts on your blog over the course of a week. (Three is OK if you have submitted an assignment by email, etc., that week.) Currently, there is no specific length requirement for each post. 
• Hand in assignments on time.

ON TODAY’S MENU

• Reading and writing blog comments
• Timed writing (七分は十分)
• Second book review (including a quotation and a picture)
• Talking about feedback on the 1st assignment (if time allows)

The Lost Cup

The next morning, you wake up early. You see a paper under your door. It reads: "WE HAVE YOUR PARTNER. GIVE US THE CUP, OR HE WILL DIE."…
Someone kidnapped your partner!

A search for the World Cup turns into a deadly game in this Atama-ii book. Please check it out when you have time!

Vocabulary

kidnap
statue

Welcome to Writing III!

Hello, everyone,

Nice to meet you. I’m Rick, and I’ll be your writing teacher this year. I’m looking forward to teaching you.

Students get confused when I tell them all the details of the course in the first class session, so today we’ll practice some of the activities we’ll be doing through the semester as well as making sure you’re set up to study through the year.

A few key details on the course and what’s expected of you:

• In the first semester, I want you above all to improve your writing fluency. To do that, you need to write at least 3 or 4 posts a week on your blog. Some of those posts will be done in class but you need to do the rest at home. When trying to improve your fluency, missing classes or forgetting to post for a week are the worst things. There is a risk that you will just stay at the same level rather than gradually improving…so when grading students absences and weeks with no posts are the things that will I am most strict about. 
• To improve your writing, you need to link it to your reading. By writing about your reading, you can pick up some expressions to use yourself. Therefore, you should read a book from the English Reading Garden each week and write a review of it.
• The main topic this semester will be writing about yourself. We will start by improving the letter to a homestay family then move on to writing about yourself more broadly. Sometimes we will revisit the homestay letter, looking for ways to incorporate information from your other writing. 
• Although fluency and quantity are the main things 

Also, a couple of remarks about grades and so on:

• If you come to class on time and write some posts on your blog every week—even if the amount of each post is small and the quality is low—you shouldn’t have any problems getting a credit. The key thing in the first semester is continuing engagement with the course through the 15 weeks. Try not to fall into the "Golden Week Trap”!
• Of course, for higher grades, you should try to write more posts or longer posts, or show that you’re trying to improve your writing quality too.

Anyway, let’s enjoy Writing III together!

The Favourite and other matters…

Emma Stone
Rachel Weisz
Olivia Colman (Queen Anne)

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Today we watched the trailer for The Favourite, a movie directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and featuring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone. It's about Queen Anne, who ruled from 1702 to 1714.

Now, Creed 2 is playing. It sounds very interesting, and I would like to see it.

In the Premier League, Liverpool had a scare against Crystal Palace, but won in the end. Manchester City won their match, too, so they are still 4 points behind. Liverpool keep winning even when they don't play so well, and it's difficult to see when they will lose points. Perhaps they will have problems when the Champions League returns.

[106 points]

My Gofun ha Juubun Progress

The Favourite, and other matters…

Olivia Colman
Rachel Weisz
Emma Stone

Today we watched the trailer for The Favourite, a new movie starring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone. It's directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who also directed The Lobster and Dogtooth. I haven't seen Dogtooth, but I enjoyed The Lobster very much. (That movie also starred Rachel Weisz.) The movie is about Queen Anne, daughter of James II and queen during the 17th and 18th centuries. It's not a period I know so much about, so I'm interested in seeing the movie.

It's due to be shown in Japanese cinemas from February 15th. One month later, Mary Queen of Scots will be shown.

[102 words]