Monday, December 10, 2018

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.

Monday, December 3, 2018

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.

Monday, November 26, 2018

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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.



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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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Monday, November 19, 2018

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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Monday, November 12, 2018

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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Monday, October 29, 2018

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.



Please Stand By, Galveston, and other matters…

Dakota Fanning


Ben Foster
Elle Fanning


Today, we watched two movie trailers for the price of one! We had the chance to see the two sisters, Elle and Dakota Fanning. Dakota's movie was Please Stand By, and Elle's was Galveston. Please Stand By is a moving story about a girl who cannot communicate well in daily life but writes a movie script. Galveston is about a man and a woman who spend most of the movie running from people who want to kill them.
There's another movie with Elle Fanning that I want to see, but it's still very expensive on iTunes and other online sources: The Neon Demon. She plays a model. I heard that the movie is a kind of horror movie.

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Sk8 for Jake

John, Eric, and Yoko were skating in the park, when suddenly…

"Stop that!" [says Mr. Walker]. "Do not play on the benches!"
Yoko says, "But we like skating here, Mr. Walker."
Mr. Walker says, "The benches are for people, not for skateboards. No skating here. Go away."

The children are very disappointed, but they are excited when they see that Jake Montoya, a famous skateboarder, is coming to Bayview. On the day of the event, however, Jake is late, and the children are asked to perform while they wait for Jake to come. Later, after Jake arrives, they also perform with him. As a thank you to the children, Mr. Walker sets up a skate park in Bayview Park for them to use whenever they want.

Waring, R., & Jamall, M. (2006). Sk8 for Jake. Boston, MA: Thomson ELT.


Please Stand By, Galveston, and other matters…

Dakota Fanning


Ben Foster
Elle Fanning


Today we watched two movie trailers, one featuring Dakota Fanning and the other featuring her younger sister, Elle. The first one was Please Stand By, with Dakota Fanning, about a very quiet girl who cannot communicate with others but is a talented writer. She loves Star Trek, and writes a script based on it. She leaves for Hollywood to sell her script but doesn't tell her parents. She drops her script on the way.

The other was Galveston, a thriller with Ben Foster and Elle Fanning. Somebody is trying to kill them, so they go on a long road trip, with Elle's daughter (?). It looks a bit frightening but rather exciting.


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Monday, October 22, 2018

Anne of Green Gables: Parts 1 and 2

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Today we watched the trailer for two Anne of Green Gables films. The first one shows Anne when she is a little girl, and the second one when she is 16. The trailers were very short, so it was difficult to get a real feel for the movies. But I'd like to try to catch them. The first one is playing at Denkikan now, and the second one will start in November.
There are actually nine novels in the Anne series. It would be interesting to read all of them. Montgomery also published many other novels and other works.

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Jane and Emma, and other matters…

slave
slavery

Today we watched the trailer for Jane and Emma, a movie set in the U.S. in the time of slavery. Joseph is a white churchman who becomes famous as a prophet. He says that owning slaves is bad, and white men who do own slaves get angry and try to kill him.

Last week, I went to watch a Korean movie. Do you know this one? It was very interesting, and based on real Korean history. Another movie playing now at Denkikan is Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars. It will be followed in a few weeks by Anne of Green Gables: Fire & Dew. I recommend you check them out!

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At least 10 posts a month

You probably remember the Writing IV intro from the beginning of the month. Here's a quick reminder as we move into the last 10 days of October.


Monday, October 15, 2018

Creed II

Michael B. Jordan
Sylvester Stallone
Tessa Thompson

Today we watched the second trailer for Creed II. Before watching the trailer, we checked out the Rotten Tomatoes page for the Rocky series. The series began with Rocky in 1976, continued with Rocky II, III, IV, and V, the last of these being released in 1990. Then there was a long gap of 16 years before Rocky Balboa, when Rocky made a surprise comeback. Then another gap of nine years followed, with Sylvester Stallone reaching the age of 70, and Creed came out, with Rocky this time acting as the trainer to the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis. And now the sequel to Creed is coming out.
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Creed II

Michael B. Jordan
Sylvester Stallone
Tessa Thompson

Today we watched the trailer for Creed II, the follow-up to Creed, which itself was a follow-up to the Rocky movies, which started with Rocky in 1976. With Creed, Rocky finally gave up fighting himself, as Sylvester Stallone, already over 70 years old, decided that being a trainer would be better. His trainee was Adonis Johnson, son of Apollo Creed, Rocky's friend and rival who died boxing in Rocky IV. Creed is played by Michael B. Jordan, famous for his role in Black Panther.
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Monday, October 8, 2018

Churchill, and other matters…

Brian Cox
Miranda Richardson

(Darkest Hour: Gary Oldman)

Today we watched the trailer for Churchill, the latest movie about Winston Churchill. This one is specifically about the Normandy invasion. It's interesting to see pictures of Gary Oldman and Brian Cox alongside the real Winston Churchill. (37 words)



Churchill, and other matters…

Brian Cox
Miranda Richardson

Today we watched the trailer for Churchill, a movie starring Brian Cox in the Winston Churchill role. With Darkest Hour having finished only a few months ago, of course there will be comparisons between the two movies. In particular, people are interested in comparing the performances of Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) with Brian Cox (Churchill). I enjoyed the Gary Oldman movie very much, so I am looking forward to seeing Churchill. It is playing at Denkikan now, so please check it out if you get the chance.

By the way, do you know what other movies the two main actors have appeared?

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Monday, October 1, 2018

A Quiet Place, and other matters…

Emily Blunt
John Krasinski

Today we watched the trailer for A Quiet Place, a movie starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, who also directs. I like Emily Blunt, so I am interested in this movie. She has appeared in The Devil Wears Prada, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario, and Looper. She and Krasinski are married in real life. Krasinski is also very good. He appeared in the American TV series The Office and now stars in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, a TV series.

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Writing IV 2018–19

In this class we will focus on writing fluency, as in Writing III. Since you already have a semester of experience, the amount of writing expected will be larger. We are also going to put more emphasis on improving your writing quality. You will need to use the feedback on your writing to judge your own weak points and systematically try to improve.

This semester, in general we will do two assignments a week on Manaba. One is a book review, and one is an exercise from the Trio Writing 2 textbook. After doing them and getting feedback, you should do the assignment again on your blog, using the feedback to improve it.

Please see the handout and future posts on this blog for the details.

A Quiet Place, and other matters…

Emily Blunt
John Krasinski

Today we watched a trailer for A Quiet Place, a new movie starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, who is also the director. It started in Japan last Friday, and will probably play for a few more weeks. It's very exciting, and the basic idea—aliens who attack anything that is noisy—is very interesting.
Another movie playing now that looks rather interesting is On Wings of Eagles. It's playing at Denkikan, and will finish this Friday. More than the story, what interests me is the star, Joseph Fiennes. He was great in the movie Shakespeare in Love, but decide that he didn't want to become a Hollywood star, so he avoided appearing in any big movies.

Monday, July 23, 2018

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and other matters…

ABBA

Today we watched the trailer for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which is the sequel to the 2008 movie Mamma Mia!

Actually, I'm not so interested in this movie, so I'll talk about some other movies that are playing now or coming soon. Denkikan still has Phantom Thread and Lady Bird showing. Phantom Thread ends this week, while Lady Bird will continue until August 3rd. From August 4th, Last Flag Flying, with Steve Carrell, will begin, as well as a new Roman Polanski film starring Eva Green. I'm not sure what the original name of this movie is, but it's called 告白小説、その結末 in Japanese.

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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, a sequel to Mamma Mia!, the very popular movie featuring lots of Abba songs, sung karaoke style.

Before watching the trailer, I checked out Mama Mia! on Rotten Tomatoes. I was very surprised to see that it was made in 2008, ten years ago. Given that, it is unsurprising that the cast has many new members.

As you may know, ABBA were a Swedish group that were very popular in the 1970s. Their first hit song was Waterloo, and other popular ones were Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia!, Money Money, Money, Fernando, Chiquitita, and so on.

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Monday, July 16, 2018

Saoirse Ronan: Lady Bird, Brooklyn, Mary Queen of Scots, and other matters…

Today we watched three movie trailers, all starring Saoirse Ronan. First, we rewatched just a little bit of Lady Bird, which we watched a few weeks ago. As you know, that movie is now playing at Denkikan. Then, we watched Brooklyn, a 2015 movie about an Irish girl who moves to New York to escape a life of poverty. Finally, we watched Mary Queen of Scots, a new movie starring Saoirse as Mary and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth. The Japan release date is undecided, so in the meantime I think I will rewatch the 1971 movie starring Vanessa Redgrave.

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Saoirse Ronan: Lady Bird, Brooklyn, Mary Queen of Scots…and other matters

Today we watched some trailers of movies starring Saoirse Ronan. First, we rewatched a little bit of the Lady Bird trailer, then watched the trailer for Brooklyn. That is a 2015 movie that got very favorable reviews. The other one was Mary Queen of Scots, in which Saoirse plays Mary, and Margot Robbie plays Elizabeth I. Probably some of you know this history a little. That movie is not yet scheduled for playing in Japan, but when I went to look for it I came across a much older movie called Mary Queen of Scots. That one is from 1971 and stars Glenda Jackson and Vanessa Redgrave, two very famous British stars. I think I'll watch that one again before the new one comes to Japan. I don't have any certain information, but I am pretty sure the new movie will play at Denkikan.

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Monday, July 9, 2018

Molly's Game, Miss Sloane, and other matters…

Jessica Chastain


Today we watched the trailer for Miss Sloane. It's about a lobbyist. Then we watched the trailer for Molly's Game. It's about a woman who was an Olympic athlete. When she retired she started an expensive poker salon in Washington, DC. The FBI raided it, because they thought her profits were illegal.

Both movies star Jessica Chastain, who has been in many good movies, including Interstellar. The second is a true story. It's playing at Denkikan now. Check it out if you have time!

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Molly's Game, Miss Sloane, and other matters…

Jessica Chastain

Today we watched the trailer for Molly's Game, a movie starring Jessica Chastain that is playing at Denkikan now. It's the true story of a retired Olympic athlete who starts a big poker game in Washington, DC. The FBI get involved and arrest her.
We also saw the trailer for another movie starring Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane. That played at Denkikan a few months ago. I saw it there. I thought it was a great movie. It was about a lobbyist who leaves a large company when she is instructed to lobby on behalf of a tobacco company. She joins a small company to fight against tobacco.
The World Cup semifinals are coming soon. England (!), Croatia, Belgium, and France will fight it out for places in the final. I think France is the favorite to win.

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Monday, July 2, 2018

Gofun ha Juubun



The Young Karl Marx, Dreams, Daffodil Lament, and other matters…

The Cranberries (Ireland)

Today we watched the trailer for the new movie The Young Karl Marx. As the title suggests, it follows the lives of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their twenties, around the time that they wrote The Communist Manifesto.

The Communist Manifesto was written for people of the time. Marx's work Capital is more valuable for people of our time. Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century may be a good book to follow it up with.

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My Gofun ha Juubun Progress



Here are my Gofun ha Juubun stats so far.

The Young Karl Marx, and other matters…

Today we watched the trailer for The Young Karl Marx. It's about Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the young philosophers, economists, and political theorists who wrote The Communist Manifesto in the 19th century. Their work was to become the inspiration for the Soviet Union and The People's Republic of China, as well as many other socialist republics such as Cuba. The movie is playing at Denkikan, but will end this Friday. It's probably another one that I will have to miss. Hopefully, it will me out soon on iTunes or DVD.
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