Greta, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for a new suspense thriller starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert. It looks a bit frightening but rather interesting. It begins when Chloë Grace Moretz finds a bag that someone has left on the subway. She finds the owner's name and address inside the bag and takes the bag to her, and then becomes friends with the owner, a French woman. However, the woman is not as kind as she at first seems, and it turns out that she regularly leaves bags on subways in order to catch people. The Japan release date isn't set yet.

Liverpool are on top of the Premier League! This seems to be a surprise to everyone, because it was thought that it would be easy for Manchester City to win the title again. The winter period will be very exciting because there are many matches being played. The next round is tomorrow!

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Downton Abbey, Roma, and other matters…

Alfonso Cuarón

Today we watched two movie trailers. The first one was Downton Abbey. As the name suggests, this is related to the TV series. The trailer had very few details, so I think probably the movie is only half made. The next one was Roma, the new movie from Alfonso Cuarón, the Mexican director of Gravity and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In both trailers, there wasn't any talking at all.

We had classes at PUK yesterday, and I had evening classes, so this doesn't feel very Christmassy, but I hope you have all had some fun or have some fun planned. In England, one big part of Christmas is football, and I'm looking forward to the Boxing Day games tomorrow. They are followed by the New Year games, of which Manchester City v. Liverpool is the most anticipated.

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Welcome to Marwen, and other matters…

Steve Carell

Director: Robert Zemeckis


Today we watched a trailer for Welcome to Marwen. It's a movie, due to start in the U.S. at Christmas, that stars Steve Carell as Marwen, a man who is attacked and badly injured and makes dolls and creates a fantasy life based on them. The animation looks very interesting, and it looks like a moving story.

On Saturday, I enjoyed the SUTLF conference, which was held at Sojo University. If you get the chance, please go and visit their SILC.

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Marwen, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for Welcome to Marwen, a new Steve Carell movie based on a true story. It features a lot of dolls designed by Marwen, a man who was attacked and became disabled. It looks very, very interesting. It hasn't yet started playing in the U.S., so probably it won't be in Japan for quite a long time. It has a 95% "want to see it" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In the Premier League, Liverpool beat Manchester United 3–1 yesterday, so they are still top of the league, with Manchester City close behind. Spurs and Chelsea occupy 3rd and 4th spots.

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Mary Queen of Scots

Saoirse Ronan
Margot Robbie

Today we watched the trailer for Mary Queen of Scots, a new movie set in the 16th century starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. It is due to come to Japan in March next year.

Have you been following the English Premier League? On Saturday, Manchester City lost for the first time this season, which means that Liverpool are now in 1st place.

It looks like this season's title race will be very exciting!

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Mary Queen of Scots, and other matters…

Saiorse Ronan
Margot Robbie

Mary Stuart: queen of France

Today we watched the trailer for Mary Queen of Scots, a movie starring Saiorse Ronan as Queen Mary and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I and set in the 16th century. It's playing in several other countries now, and I hope it will come to Kumamoto early next year. According to allcinema.net, it is actually scheduled for its Japan opening in March, but we cannot be sure that it will come to Kumamoto so soon. There is also another, older movie with the same title. Check it out!
You can find out more about the movie here!
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Midnight Run

We spent two classes watching Midnight Run. Please write a review of the movie on your blog!

Taiwan collaboration

Don't forget that the collaboration with Taiwan lasts for only three weeks! In that time, you need to communicate to get to know the students, as well as complete an essay introducing sightseeing spots in both countries. As I mentioned before, the students know that our classes are on Mondays, and most of them are looking out for your contributions, and responding on Tuesday or Wednesday. If you ignore them until the following Monday, it will be difficult to complete the assignment well, and it is also bad manners.

• Please try to contribute twice a week between classes.
• At the end, please edit and compile your contributions into an essay at the bottom of your page.

Everybody Knows, and other matters…

Javier Bardem
Penélope Cruz

Today we watched the trailer for Everybody Knows, a thriller (?) starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. At first, it seems to be a pleasant movie about family and friends, but it turns out there is some dark secret. It looks very interesting. I wonder when it will come to Japan?
Did anyone watch Arsenal play Spurs? To everyone's surprise, Arsenal beat Spurs 4–2! So now Arsenal are in the top 4 and Spurs are in 5th place. (77 words)

Philadelphia, After the Gold Rush, and other matters…

Denzel Washington
Tom Hanks
Neil Young

Today we watched a movie trailer and listened to a song on YouTube. Both were quite old. Philadelphia is from 1993, but it looks like it's been rereleased. After the Gold Rush is a Neil Young album from 1970.
As you probably know, Philadelphia stars Tom Hanks as an accountant who catches AIDS and is fired from his job. Denzel Washington plays the lawyer who takes Tom Hanks's case against the company that fired him. I never saw the movie when it came out, so maybe I will watch this 25th-anniversary edition.

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Henry and Mudge under the yellow moon

But there was one thing about Halloween that Henry did not like: ghost stories. And Henry’s mother loved to tell ghost stories. Every Halloween, she put on her witch’s hat, lit candles, and told ghost stories. She thought Henry liked them because he told her he liked them. But really he hated them. They scared him. He was afraid to tell her that.

Henry is a young boy who loves his dog Mudge. Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon consists of three stories, Together in the Fall, Under the Yellow Moon, and Thanksgiving Guest. The above quotation is from the second story, Under the Yellow Moon. Mudge is also frightened by ghost stories!

Rylant, C. (1987). Henry and Mudge under 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»

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Replicas, and other matters…

Today we saw the trailer for Replicas, a movie starring Keanu Reaves. It is scheduled to start in January in the U.S. In the story, Keanu Reeves brings his wife and children back to life after they die in an accident. But that is against the law, and the company that makes the cloning technology says the cones belong to the company.

In the Nations League football tournament, England won their group and will take part in the finals next summer, along with Portugal, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

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Replicas, and other matters…

Keanu Reeves
Alice Eve


Today we watched the trailer for Replicas, a movie starring Keanu Reeves that is scheduled to be released in January in the U.S. It is set in the near future in a time when it is possible to clone human beings. The character played by Keanu Reeves loses his wife and children in an accident but brings them back to life afterwards. His wife feels something strange and asks him what is going on, so he has to tell her that she is dead. It looks pretty exciting.

In the EPL, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Spurs continue to do well. Chelsea suffered their first defeat, and Manchester United gave another poor performance, with their match ending in a draw.

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Toy Story 4, and other matters…

Today we watched two trailers for Toy Story 4, which is due out next summer. They were just teaser trailers, so we don't yet know anything about the story, but they were very funny.

Did you watch any of the international football matches yesterday? England beat Croatia to come top of their group in the Nations League, a European tournament. It was a very good result, because England lost to Croatia in the World Cup semifinal, just four months ago. England will go through to the finals next summer.

Have you seen Bohemian Rhapsody? Check it out if you get the chance, as well as the second Sicario movie.

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Midnight Run

bail bondsman
Robert De Niro
Charles Grodin

Toy Story 4, and other matters…

Woody
Buzz Lightyear
Jessie
Mr. Potatohead
Mrs. Potatohead
Lex
Ham
Slinky Dog
Little Green Man

Today we watched two trailers for Toy Story 4. The movie hasn't been made yet, so they didn't show us scenes from the movie, just some jokey scenes involving the characters. I enjoyed the part in the second trailer where two other characters were trying to say "Infinity and Beyond" but they got it wrong. They were saying things like "Insinity (?) and a bond". Buzz arrived and told them the correct way to say it, but they laughed at him. That trailer also featured a "Don't care bear". Anyway, let's look forward to Toy Story 4 next summer.

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The Best of Enemies, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for The Best of Enemies, a movie starring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. It's set in North Carolina in 1971, and it's based on a true story about the fight between blacks and whites over desegregation. It stars Taraji P. Henson, who you may remember from Hidden Figures. Sam Rockwell also stars.
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The Best of Enemies, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for The Best of Enemies, a movie based on a true story set in North Carolina in 1971. There was a move to desegregate the schools (i.e. put black and white children together) and many whites, led by the Ku Klux Klan, opposed the change and attacked black classrooms. Taraji P. Henson, a black activist, and C. P. Ellis, the local Klan leader, had to work together to make the situation better.
Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson star in the movie.

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Sarah's Surprise

Sarah has just started work at Mrs. Hayes's café.

The man takes some sandwiches. He puts them in his bag. He takes an apple, too. Sarah watches him. She is surprised.
"What's the man doing?" she thinks. "Oh! He's taking the sandwiches."…
The man does not give the money to Sarah. He says nothing. He walks out of the café with the food.
Sarah looks at the man. She s very surprised but she says nothing. "What do I do?" she thinks.…
Sarah calls the police…

It was a very eventful first day for Sarah at her part-time job. The police nearly arrest the man who took the sandwiches, but finally they discover the truth: the man is Mrs. Hayes's husband, the co-owner of the café!

Waring, R., & Jamall, M. (2006). Sarah's surprise. Boston, MA: Thomson ELT.

Sarah's Surprise (Foundations Reading Library, Level 1) 著者 : Rob Waring Heinle & Heinle Pub 発売日 : 2006-02-09 ブクログでレビューを見る»