The end of term is approaching. I am sure you are all busy preparing for exams. What will you do in the spring vacation? I will be working most of the time. It looks like there aren't too may exciting movies coming. [116 words]
Monday, January 22, 2018
Hotel California (The Eagles) and Samson, and other matters…
Today we listened to Hotel California by The Eagles. It is their most famous song, and it's number 20 on a list of top rock songs. The video I found was a live performance, but the lyrics were also added. I like music with lots of guitars, so I enjoy listening to this song and watching the playing. If you are interested in that list of 100 songs, you can start here at Number 100!
The end of term is approaching. I am sure you are all busy preparing for exams. What will you do in the spring vacation? I will be working most of the time. It looks like there aren't too may exciting movies coming. [116 words]
The end of term is approaching. I am sure you are all busy preparing for exams. What will you do in the spring vacation? I will be working most of the time. It looks like there aren't too may exciting movies coming. [116 words]
The Boy Downstairs, Hotel California (The Eagles)
Today we watched the trailer for The Boy Downstairs, a movie written and directed by Sophie Brooks and starring Zosia Mamet. It seems to be about a young woman who split up with her boyfriend some time ago, but she discovers him living in her apartment block. They become friends again, and his current girlfriend gets angry. Recently, we have watched a lot of animated features, as well as a lot of suspense and action movie, so I thought a romcom would be a nice change.
We also saw a live video of The Eagles performing Hotel California. Unusually for live videos on YouTube, it had the English lyrics as well as a Japanese translation. Two things that stand out about The Eagles is that the vocalist is also the drummer, and that there are three guitarists. The guitar sound is quite full, and two of the guitarists clearly enjoy playing off each other.
The Premier League has become a bit more interesting. Manchester United have bought Alexis Sanchez, and he is expected to improve the team, meaning they can put some pressure on Manchester City at the top of the table. [190 words]
We also saw a live video of The Eagles performing Hotel California. Unusually for live videos on YouTube, it had the English lyrics as well as a Japanese translation. Two things that stand out about The Eagles is that the vocalist is also the drummer, and that there are three guitarists. The guitar sound is quite full, and two of the guitarists clearly enjoy playing off each other.
The Premier League has become a bit more interesting. Manchester United have bought Alexis Sanchez, and he is expected to improve the team, meaning they can put some pressure on Manchester City at the top of the table. [190 words]
Monday, January 15, 2018
Supper's Ready, Get Out, and other matters…
Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams
Today we watched three videos. The first two were of Supper's Ready by Genesis, the first being the animated version, and the second a live version from around 1974. The third was the trailer for Get Out, a suspense/horror movie directed by Jordan Peele and starring Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams. I have seen that movie, and it's very interesting. It's still playing at Denkikan, so please check it out!
In the Premier League, many, many matches were played over the Christmas and New Year break. The table has not changed so much at the top. Here it is.
One feature of this year's table is that many teams are still at risk of relegation. Let's look at the bottom half:
As you can see, not very many teams are safe.
[128 words]
Today we watched three videos. The first two were of Supper's Ready by Genesis, the first being the animated version, and the second a live version from around 1974. The third was the trailer for Get Out, a suspense/horror movie directed by Jordan Peele and starring Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams. I have seen that movie, and it's very interesting. It's still playing at Denkikan, so please check it out!
In the Premier League, many, many matches were played over the Christmas and New Year break. The table has not changed so much at the top. Here it is.
One feature of this year's table is that many teams are still at risk of relegation. Let's look at the bottom half:
[128 words]
Supper's Ready, by Genesis, and other matters…
Peter Gabriel
Today we also watched another music video. The song was Supper's Ready, by Genesis. We watched the live performance first, followed by the animated version on YouTube. Watching the animated version, we can see a little the world that Peter Gabriel is trying to enact in his live performances.
Genesis is also famous for their word games. Supper's Ready features the famous
mum to
mud to
mad to
dad
sequence, and several others.
[68 words]
Today we also watched another music video. The song was Supper's Ready, by Genesis. We watched the live performance first, followed by the animated version on YouTube. Watching the animated version, we can see a little the world that Peter Gabriel is trying to enact in his live performances.
Genesis is also famous for their word games. Supper's Ready features the famous
mum to
mud to
mad to
dad
sequence, and several others.
[68 words]
America (Simon & Garfunkel), Molly's Game, and other matters…
Jessica Chastain
Idris Elba
Kevin Costner
Paul Simon
Art Garfunkel
Happy New Year, and welcome to the first class of the new year. Today's and next week's class will be the last of this semester and academic year!
Today we watched two videos, one music video and one movie trailer. Until now, we have watched mainly British music videos (Genesis, Yes, David Bowie) and two Irish artists (The Cranberries, U2), but today we watched a live performance of America by Simon and Garfunkel. They are very different from the British artists we have seen so far, who generally have a full rock sound. Simon and Garfunkel are basically folk singers who also add a band. Their main attractions are pleasant melodies and evocative lyrics sung with nice harmony.
Jessica Chastain is one of my favorite actors. We saw the trailer for her new movie, Molly's Game. It looks very interesting. It's based on a true story of a woman who set up a high-stakes poker game featuring billionaires. Idris Elba plays her lawyer.
[161 words]
Idris Elba
Kevin Costner
Paul Simon
Art Garfunkel
Happy New Year, and welcome to the first class of the new year. Today's and next week's class will be the last of this semester and academic year!
Today we watched two videos, one music video and one movie trailer. Until now, we have watched mainly British music videos (Genesis, Yes, David Bowie) and two Irish artists (The Cranberries, U2), but today we watched a live performance of America by Simon and Garfunkel. They are very different from the British artists we have seen so far, who generally have a full rock sound. Simon and Garfunkel are basically folk singers who also add a band. Their main attractions are pleasant melodies and evocative lyrics sung with nice harmony.
Jessica Chastain is one of my favorite actors. We saw the trailer for her new movie, Molly's Game. It looks very interesting. It's based on a true story of a woman who set up a high-stakes poker game featuring billionaires. Idris Elba plays her lawyer.
[161 words]
Monday, December 25, 2017
The Twelve Days of Christmas, and other matters…
Today, we listened to the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. Most of the students didn't seem interested in learning about Christmas, so we didn't talk about why there are 12 days, when Christmas ends, and so on. Memorizing songs is a good way to learn a language, and The Twelve Days of Christmas is a good song to choose, because it features so much repetition.
There are no Premier League matches on Christmas Eve, so the last matches I know about are the Saturday matches. Manchester City won as usual, and so did Spurs. Chelsea drew their game, as did Manchester United, and Liverpool and Arsenal also played to a draw. Manchester City's lead is now at 13 points, I think.
There are a few good movies playing now. I recommend Miss Sloane, a story about a lobbyist, playing now at Denkikan. I also think Nocturnal Animals looks very interesting. Get Out also looks interesting, but I'm worried that it may be too frightening. You can check the timetable here.
169 words
There are no Premier League matches on Christmas Eve, so the last matches I know about are the Saturday matches. Manchester City won as usual, and so did Spurs. Chelsea drew their game, as did Manchester United, and Liverpool and Arsenal also played to a draw. Manchester City's lead is now at 13 points, I think.
There are a few good movies playing now. I recommend Miss Sloane, a story about a lobbyist, playing now at Denkikan. I also think Nocturnal Animals looks very interesting. Get Out also looks interesting, but I'm worried that it may be too frightening. You can check the timetable here.
169 words
Twelve Days of Christmas, Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie), Paddington 2, and other matters…
Today, we watched three videos. One was The Twelve Days of Christmas song, the second was a 1972 performance of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie, and the third was a trailer for Paddington 2, the sequel to the 2015 hit, Paddington.
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a very popular Christmas song in the west. It's a very useful song to learn, because it features a lot of repetition of the same pattern, e.g. twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, and nine ladies dancing. Furthermore, it features up to eleven repetitions of some phrases such as "and a partridge in a pear tree". I recommend that you try to memorize the song; it will help you master English phonology and grammar. (120 words)
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a very popular Christmas song in the west. It's a very useful song to learn, because it features a lot of repetition of the same pattern, e.g. twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, and nine ladies dancing. Furthermore, it features up to eleven repetitions of some phrases such as "and a partridge in a pear tree". I recommend that you try to memorize the song; it will help you master English phonology and grammar. (120 words)
Monday, December 18, 2017
The Musical Box, Ferdinand, and other matters…
Today we watched a live performance from 1973 of Genesis's The Musical Box. It was a very dynamic performance, featuring Peter Gabriel's theatrical performance and the musicians all in good form.
Then we watched the trailer for Ferdinand, a 20th Century Fox animated feature. It looks really good and it shows the kindness of a bull who is just assumed to be fierce because he is a bull.
Have you seen The Last Jedi? I hope to see it soon. In preparation, I saw Revenge of the Sith on video the other day. When it was released, it didn't make much of an impression on me—maybe I was tired of George Lucas's direction—but on reviewing it looked pretty good, and I could partly understand why Anakin changed so much.
If you are not familiar with Star Wars but want to watch the movies, try the Ernst Rister order.
[145 words]
Then we watched the trailer for Ferdinand, a 20th Century Fox animated feature. It looks really good and it shows the kindness of a bull who is just assumed to be fierce because he is a bull.
Have you seen The Last Jedi? I hope to see it soon. In preparation, I saw Revenge of the Sith on video the other day. When it was released, it didn't make much of an impression on me—maybe I was tired of George Lucas's direction—but on reviewing it looked pretty good, and I could partly understand why Anakin changed so much.
If you are not familiar with Star Wars but want to watch the movies, try the Ernst Rister order.
[145 words]
The Musical Box, Ferdinand, and other matters…
Today we watched a music video and a movie trailer. The music video was a 1973 performance of The Musical Box by Genesis, and the movie trailer was the animated feature Ferdinand by ２０世紀狐.
As you may remember, Genesis was considered part of the progressive rock movement but was also the founder of the theatrical rock movement, and their music had a lot of elements of folk and British culture as well. Peter Gabriel had a great stage presence and was able to express a lot with his face. He also wore masks and various headgear. The Musical Box is one of Genesis's most famous songs, and it features a wide dynamic range, with some very quiet passages and also some very loud ones. As usual, the camera work is a little disappointing, with not enough attention paid to the hands of Steve Hackett, the guitarist. I would also like to see more of Phil Collins (the drummer) when playing the more busy passages.
Ferdinand is about a bull who is very peaceful and doesn't want to harm people or other animals. He lives in Spain, and people want him to take part in bullfights, but he refuses. One day, he is stung by a bee and goes wild, and people capture him because they are scared. The other animals set about trying to free him.
Last week, you may have heard that Manchester City visited Manchester United in the Premier League. Although Manchester United were at home, Manchester City won and extended their lead at the top of the table. This week, Manchester City played Tottenham. This time Manchester City won quite easily, and now everyone is saying that no-one can catch them.
[281 words]
As you may remember, Genesis was considered part of the progressive rock movement but was also the founder of the theatrical rock movement, and their music had a lot of elements of folk and British culture as well. Peter Gabriel had a great stage presence and was able to express a lot with his face. He also wore masks and various headgear. The Musical Box is one of Genesis's most famous songs, and it features a wide dynamic range, with some very quiet passages and also some very loud ones. As usual, the camera work is a little disappointing, with not enough attention paid to the hands of Steve Hackett, the guitarist. I would also like to see more of Phil Collins (the drummer) when playing the more busy passages.
Ferdinand is about a bull who is very peaceful and doesn't want to harm people or other animals. He lives in Spain, and people want him to take part in bullfights, but he refuses. One day, he is stung by a bee and goes wild, and people capture him because they are scared. The other animals set about trying to free him.
Last week, you may have heard that Manchester City visited Manchester United in the Premier League. Although Manchester United were at home, Manchester City won and extended their lead at the top of the table. This week, Manchester City played Tottenham. This time Manchester City won quite easily, and now everyone is saying that no-one can catch them.
[281 words]
Monday, December 11, 2017
The Last Jedi, New Year's Day, and other matters…
Episode 8
Daisy Ridley
Rian Johnson
Carrie Fisher
Today we watched two videos. One was a concert video of U2 performing New Year's Day at Slane Castle in Ireland. The performance was quite energetic. One problem is that the camera focuses too much on Bono, the vocalist, and not enough on The Edge's hands; I'd like to see his guitar technique more.
The other one was a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the latest Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I'm hoping to go and see it on an IMAX screen in Fukuoka.
Did you hear about the Premier League matches played this weekend? Things went very well for Manchester City. They won their match away against Manchester United. At the same time, Arsenal and Liverpool drew their matches, and Chelsea lost theirs, so Manchester City gained ground on all their rivals. If you look at the table, you can see how well they are doing. [154 words]
Daisy Ridley
Rian Johnson
Carrie Fisher
Today we watched two videos. One was a concert video of U2 performing New Year's Day at Slane Castle in Ireland. The performance was quite energetic. One problem is that the camera focuses too much on Bono, the vocalist, and not enough on The Edge's hands; I'd like to see his guitar technique more.
The other one was a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the latest Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I'm hoping to go and see it on an IMAX screen in Fukuoka.
Did you hear about the Premier League matches played this weekend? Things went very well for Manchester City. They won their match away against Manchester United. At the same time, Arsenal and Liverpool drew their matches, and Chelsea lost theirs, so Manchester City gained ground on all their rivals. If you look at the table, you can see how well they are doing. [154 words]
New Year's Day, The Last Jedi, and other matters…
Episode 8
Today we watched a music video and also a promotion video for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is Episode 8 of the saga. The music video was a live performance at Slane Castle in Ireland of New Year's Day, by U2. U2 is the most successful band ever in Ireland's history, and Slane Castle looks like a great place to have a concert. New Year's Day is a fan favorite, and the performance had a lot of energy. I think I need to use white to show the lyrics!
The promotion video for The Last Jedi was not a trailer; it featured interviews with Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher (who died after filming was finished), and some of the people who made the film. It looks quite exciting. The film starts on December 15th (this Friday!).
[135 words]
Today we watched a music video and also a promotion video for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is Episode 8 of the saga. The music video was a live performance at Slane Castle in Ireland of New Year's Day, by U2. U2 is the most successful band ever in Ireland's history, and Slane Castle looks like a great place to have a concert. New Year's Day is a fan favorite, and the performance had a lot of energy. I think I need to use white to show the lyrics!
The promotion video for The Last Jedi was not a trailer; it featured interviews with Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher (who died after filming was finished), and some of the people who made the film. It looks quite exciting. The film starts on December 15th (this Friday!).
[135 words]
Monday, December 4, 2017
Soon, The Star, and other matters…
Yes
Soon (from The Gates of Delirium)
Relayer
1975
The Star
Sony Pictures Animation
Today we watched two videos. The first one was the trailer for The Star, a new movie from Sony Pictures Animation. It's a Christmas story, told from "a different perspective". It looks very funny, but I wonder when it's coming to Japan? I hope it doesn't come in April or May but they manage to bring it here before Christmas!
Talking of movies coming before Christmas, next week What Happened to Monday is starting at Denkikan. If you get the chance, you should go and see it. Remember that it will play for only one week!
The second video was a Yes concert video from 1975. They performed Soon, the last part of The Gates of Delirium, a 20-minute song from their album Relayer.
[122 words]
Soon (from The Gates of Delirium)
Relayer
1975
The Star
Sony Pictures Animation
Today we watched two videos. The first one was the trailer for The Star, a new movie from Sony Pictures Animation. It's a Christmas story, told from "a different perspective". It looks very funny, but I wonder when it's coming to Japan? I hope it doesn't come in April or May but they manage to bring it here before Christmas!
Talking of movies coming before Christmas, next week What Happened to Monday is starting at Denkikan. If you get the chance, you should go and see it. Remember that it will play for only one week!
The second video was a Yes concert video from 1975. They performed Soon, the last part of The Gates of Delirium, a 20-minute song from their album Relayer.
[122 words]
Backstage Pass
“You know you shouldn't touch Stevie Helix's guitar, but you can't stop yourself. You look around again, then you grab it. The guitar feels so good in your hands—like it was made for you!”
I read Backstage Pass, another book in the Atama-ii Books series. It’s pretty exciting. Check it out!
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