Week 4 - Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan (born 1970) is mainly known for writing and directing the highly successful Batman trilogy, starring Christian Bale, and for producing the Superman series (Man of Steel; Batman vs Superman-Dawn of Justice). However, previous to these films, his 2000 movie Memento, a fascinating and creative story that was told backwards, caught the attention of movie goers everywhere. Inception, a very successful sci-fi movie from 2010, solidified his reputation. Interstellar, a 2014 science-fiction movie about space and time travel was nominated for many awards. Lastly, Nolan's World War II action movie, Dunkirk, appeared in the summer of 2017. Christopher Nolan is in the top tier of movie directors. He is an artist, a writer, a producer and director. Many of his movies are available in the Tsurumi University Library. Learn more about him by clicking the links below.

* Christopher Nolan says he was greatly influenced by directors Stanley Kubrick and Ridley Scott, two directors we will learn more about this semester.
* Japanese actor, Ken Watanabe, has appeared in two of Nolan's movies (Batman Begins & Inception).

Christopher Nolan Biographies:
Wikipedia
IMDb
Biography.com

Links to trailers for movies by Christopher Nolan:
Memento (2000)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Prestige (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008); featuring Heath Ledger as the Joker
Inception (2010)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Interstellar (2014)
Dunkirk (2017)
Tenet (2020)
Oppenheimer (coming in 2023)

Memento Clip on Kevin's Netflix

11 Christopher Nolan movies ranked (from Worst to First)

Batman Begins listening exercise (handout)

• https://youtu.be/ogikvzeYf7Y
• https://youtu.be/UTq93_VQGuw

Heath Ledger vs. Jack Nicholson as The Joker

• https://watchmojo.com/video/id/12276#brid_cp_myDiv

Blog Comment on Christopher Nolan
* If you have seen a Christopher Nolan movie (in the theater or on DVD), please make a comment about it. If not, you can comment on the trailers.

Verb Forms Practice

Verb Forms 2022

Assignment
Choose one movie that you like before next week. Choose one that you have seen and know well. Who was the director? When was it released? Be ready to tell me next week.

Four Directors Quiz Practice
Quiz Practice 1
Quiz Practice 2

To do:

1. Blog comment re. Christopher Nolan
2. Assignment above: chose a movie
3. Try the Directors Quiz Practice 1 and 2

Week 3 - Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) is considered one of the greatest movie directors ever. Many scenes from his movies are classic scenes that are referenced by other film makers in their movies, TV shows and animations. "The Simpsons" for example, imitated many scenes from Kubrick's movies. His scenes were sometimes violent and shocking.

Kubrick was above all an artist who imagined scenes that looked like paintings or beautiful photographs. He had a unique sense for interior decor and costumes. It is said that Lady Gaga has used his movie themes as inspiration for her costumes. Kubrick was also famous for using classical music, such as Beethoven, as background music for scenes, including violent ones, such as in "A Clockwork Orange." Great actors often wanted to work in his films because they recognized his genius. However, some actors hated working with him, as he was very difficult and demanding.

Film directors Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg both say they were inspired by Stanley Kubrick.

Most of Stanley Kubrick's movies are available in the Tsurumi University Library.

Stanley Kubrick Biographies:
Wikipedia
IMDb
Biography.com

Iconic images from Stanley Kubrick movies:

Lolita poster

Lolita

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange

The Shining

The Shining

The Shining

The Shining

  

The Shining

Links to compilations and clips of a few of Stanley Kubrick's movies:
Top 10 Stanley Kubrick Movies
2001: A Space Odyssey theme (1968)
The Shining (1980): Staircase Scene / PDF handout
A Clockwork Orange (1971): Marina Scene
Best of Full Metal Jacket (1987)
2001: HAL (the computer) disobeys Dave (1968)
Barry Lyndon (1975) - Recital Scene
Top 10 Stanley Kubrick Trivia
The Simpsons tribute to Kubrick & Hitchcock (sorry, dubbed in Spanish)

Watch the clip from The Shining (1980) Staircase Scene and do the PDF handout.

Kubrick movie parody scenes in The Simpsons

Pen floating in space to 'Blue Danube' music; from 2001: A Space Odyssey	Potato chips floating in space to 'Blue Danube' music
The Shining: wife finds crazy husband's typed message	The Shining parody: Marge finds Homer's crazy typed message
Alex in A Clockwork Orange	Maggie Simpson as Alex
Alex being forced to watch violence in scene from A Clockwork Orange	The Simpson's dog in parody of Alex

Come play with us, Danny - clip from The Shining (1980)
IKEA tribute advertisement ('Shining' parody for Halloween)
Mountain Dew ad with Bryan Cranston
Got milk? - The Shining parody

EdPuzzle - Lolita clip

____

Grammar - Simple Present Verb Agreement form

I have a dog. You have a cat. (but) She has a dog. It has a red collar.

We like pizza. They like sushi. (but) He likes steak.

I do my homework every day. (but) She does her homework only sometimes.

'He', 'she' and 'it' take a different verb form in the simple present tense!

They smell like Channel fragrance.  (but) This cake smells like bananas.  (cake = it)
Those houses look nice. (but) That house looks nice.  (houses=they; house=it)

I speak.        We speak.                     I go.          We go.

You speak.    You speak.                   You go.       You go.

He speaks.    They speak.                 He goes.    They go.

She speaks.                                      She goes.

It speaks.                                           It goes.

____

To Do List

1) Watch Kubrick clips (as many as can, but at least 5)

2) Watch the clip from The Shining (1980) and do the handout

3) Do the EdPuzzle from Lolita

4) Do the Simple Present Verb Agreement form above

5) Make a blog post about Stanley Kubrick movies or trailers

** If you didn't make blog corrections, you need to do that. **

💣

Blog Posts - Thurs., Sept. 29, 9:15 a.m. 😠

These people need to write! (nothing so far)

Erika, Yuri, Akane, Riki, Haruto, Kaito F., Yuto

These people are not up to date (only one post):

Haruka, Rinka, Keisuke, Hayate, Kei, Ryusei, Hiroto, Terumasa

Week 2 - Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) is perhaps the most famous and most recognizable movie director of all time. He is known as the "master of suspense." He directed more than 50 movies, and many of them can be found on critics' lists of the best movies ever made. He influenced countless directors that followed him, and his techniques were copied by many. His movies may seem a little old-fashioned to people used to computer graphics and modern film editing, but if you give his movies a chance, you'll never fail to be fascinated.

When you watch Hitchcock movies, watch for these trademarks:

• famous, recognizable locations from around the world
• fake backdrops
• blonde leading ladies
• people running away from someone
• characters with psychological issues
• dark humor about death
• effectively scary or thrilling soundtracks
• cameo appearances by Hitchcock himself, usually early in the film

Alfred Hitchcock Biographies
Wikipedia
IMDb
Biography.com

Most of Hitchcock's famous movies are available in the Tsurumi University Library. Check them out!

Today's activities:
a.    Watch all of the Alfred Hitchcock trailers below
b.    Watch "The Life and Career of Alfred Hitchcock"; link below. 
c.     Read the Simple Wikipedia Bio re. Alfred Hitchcock and do the Form.
d.    Watch Rear Window trailer and fill out the handout

Links to trailers and clips of a few Hitchcock movies:
Rear Window (1954) - classic trailer
The Trouble with Harry (1955) - trailer
Vertigo (1958) - official trailer
North by Northwest (1959) - official trailer
Psycho (1960) - official trailer
The Birds (1963) - trailer
Frenzy (1972) - official trailer

Every Alfred Hitchcock Cameo - short clips from movies

The Life and Career of Alfred Hitchcock (WatchMojo.com).

Optional ...
Rebecca (1940) - complete movie online!

Top 10 Alfred Hitchcock Movies (WatchMojo)

Optional Trailer
Rope (1948) - trailer: This Hitchcock movie is unusual in many ways. It's based on a true story of a murder committed by two college students who wanted to see if they could get away with it. In the movie, there are no cuts; the story goes from start to finish with no breaks in the action; amazing! The movie is mostly dialog and has very little action, so it may be difficult to understand, but it's a fascinating movie, and it stars one of Hitchcock's (and the world's) favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart!

Past Tense 'Be' Verbs Handout (in class on paper)

To Do List
1) Read the Alfred Hitchcock Bio on Simple Wikipedia. Do the Form. (You can keep the Bio open on one tab and the quiz open on the other.)
2) Watch the Rear Window Classic Trailer and complete the PDF handout.
3) Past Tense 'Be' Verbs handout

4) Did you make a blog post about Steven Spielberg last week? You must do this!

5) Did you fix all of your blog mistakes? Kevin gave you the paper last week. You have to do this.

6) Make a blog post about Alfred Hitchcock. Which trailers did you watch? What was your impression? Do you want to watch an Alfred Hitchcock movie? Why or why not?

** Please pay attention to the writing rules introduced last week! **

Fall Week 1 - Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg (born in 1946) is the most famous and successful movie director alive today. Almost everyone has seen some of Spielberg's famous movies. He pioneered the "blockbuster" movie, a movie that breaks box office records while also creating a market for massive amounts of spinoff goods. His movies "Jaws", "E.T." and "Jurassic Park" were all blockbusters. He has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice, for "Schindler's List" (1993) and "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). These two movies also won Academy Awards for Best Picture. Steven Spielberg is a co-founder of the DreamWorks movie studio.

* Spielberg's movies are famous for product placement, or embedded marketing. For example, "Jurassic Park" marketed Ford cars, and "E.T." famously marketed Reese's Pieces (a peanut butter candy) when M&Ms (Mars Inc.) turned Spielberg down as a sponsor. Hershey, the makers of Reese's Pieces, paid Spielberg $1 million to use their product. The decision was a good one, as the movie and the candy became a big hit. Spielberg was named twice in the Cracked article, "The 10 Most Shameless Product Placements in Movie History."

* Spielberg was an English Major in college, as his university didn't have a film department.

* Spielberg says that when he was a kid, he saw the old classic movie King Kong. The movie was an inspiration for him to make "Jurassic Park," which is a kind of modern day King Kong or Godzilla movie.

[My personal thoughts and recollections about Steven Spielberg and his movies were supplemented with details, dates and numbers from Wikipedia. - Kevin] 

Steven Spielberg Biographies:
Wikipedia
IMDb
Biography.com

Spielberg Filmography

Links to trailers and clips of some of Steven Spielberg's movies:
Top 10 Steven Spielberg Movies
Jaws (1975) - trailer
"Jaws" theme song
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - trailer: starring Harrison Ford
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982) - trailer
Reese's Pieces product placement in "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" (1982)
Hook (1991) - trailer; starring Robin Williams (R.I.P. Aug. 11, 2014)
Jurassic Park (1993) - trailer; starring Richard Attenborough (R.I.P. Aug. 24, 2014)
Schindler's List (1993) - trailer: starring Liam Neeson
Saving Private Ryan (1998) - trailer: starring Tom Hanks
Scenes from "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001)
Minority Report (2002) - trailer: starring Tom Cruise
Catch Me If You Can (2002) - trailer : starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks
War of the Worlds (2004) - trailer: starring Tom Cruise
Munich (2005) - trailer
The Adventures of Tintin (2011) - trailer
War Horse (2011) - trailer
Lincoln (2012) - trailer
Bridge of Spies (2015) - trailer: starring Tom Hanks
The BFG (2016) - trailer

The Post (2017) - trailer: starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep
Ready Player One (2018) - trailer

West Side Story (2020) - trailer and TV spot - re-make of a classic musical about gangs

Watch three or more clips of Steven Spielberg's movies (or watch a whole movie on a streaming service at home!)

Jurassic Park listening exercise PDF 🠈

Schindler's List listening exercise PDF 🠈

🠊 Jurassic Park (1993) brachiosaur scene for Kevin's listening handout
🠊 Schindler's List (1993) hinges scene for Kevin's listening handout

EdPuzzle - E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

Kevin will give you a copy of Tsurumi Review 52 in class.

To Do List

1) Understand the writing goals for the fall semester
2) Understand what a director does.

3) Know the director Steven Spielberg

4) Know the meaning of "blockbuster" and "product placement"

5) Watch as many Spielberg trailers as possible (minimum 3)

6) Do the Jurassic Park listening exercise

7) Do the Schindler's List listening exercise

8) Do the E.T. EdPuzzle above

9) Write a blog post about Steven Spielberg and his movies

10) Make corrections to your spring blogs

11) Look at Tsurumi Review 52 to see what a graduation report may look like.

Writing goals for Fall 2022

Next year you will write a 2,500+ word report in English for Graduation Seminar. You need to improve your English writing now!

1. Capitalize correctly, including titles.
2. There is one space after a period or comma.
3. Don't make unnecessary spaces in your writing.
4. Your writing should be in paragraphs.
5. Use Spell Check!
6. Every sentence has a subject and a verb. (すべての文には主語と動詞があります。)
7. Verbs must agree with subjects. For example: I have ...; She has ...
8. Make your own sentences; don't copy or use translation software.
9. Make corrections to your blog asap if there is a mistake.

Please understand these rules. Kevin will talk about them often.

1. Capitalize correctly, including titles.

This is not capitalized. 😞

This is capitalized. Nice! 😀

This sentence makes no sense without capital letters. 😕

The title is capitalized and in italics. Now it makes sense! 😄

2. There is one space after a period or comma.

Make a space after every period! 😠

There are spaces after the periods. Also, the title is in italics. 😃

3. Don't make unnecessary spaces in your writing.

The top paragraph has a space before "My". We don't need it.

4. Your writing should be in paragraphs.

Don't type the "Enter" key after each sentence! 😠

After a period, make a space and keep typing! This is a paragraph! 😀

5. Use Spell Check!

Can you see the red lines? Those are misspelled words!

6. Every sentence has a subject and a verb. (すべての文には主語と動詞があります。)

• Directed by Steven Spielberg who made Jaws. 😒
• This movie was directed by Steven Spielberg who made Jaws. 😀

The first sentence above has no subject.

Movie Seminar Fall Schedule 2022

How was your summer?

1.    Sept. 15           Steven Spielberg

2.    Sept. 22           Alfred Hitchcock

3.    Sept. 29           Stanley Kubrick     

4.    Oct. 6               Christopher Nolan

5.    Oct. 13             Quentin Tarantino

6.    Oct. 20             Clint Eastwood; fire drill?

7.    Oct. 27             Up-and-coming Directors; TBA

✪ Holiday! – Nov. 3; No classes! (Culture Day)

8.    Nov. 10            Martin Scorsese

9.    Nov. 17            The Coen Brothers

10.    Nov. 24          Woody Allen

11.    Dec. 1            Francis Ford Coppola; movie review quiz

12.    Dec. 8            Hayao Miyazaki & Peter Jackson

13.    Dec. 15          Tim Burton

14.    Dec. 22          Ridley Scott & James Cameron

✪ Winter Break – Dec. 29, Jan. 5 (no classes); You’re free! Watch a movie!

15.    Jan. 12          Coming Soon! TBA           

 ↩ = homework due; You CANNOT be absent from this class!

Grading Policy 2022