Movie+Club

= English Movie Club =

Every Sunday night, starting with February 27th, we will show an English movie in one of the lecture halls. You don't have to join anything, just show up and watch the movie. Of course, you will enjoy the movie more, and learn more, if you read the materials I have posted below. All movies will be in English with English subtitles, and after the movie, you can stay to participate in a discussion about it if you like. Although mainly for TUST QIBA students, it is open to everyone, so you can meet and talk with other students from other programs, too.

This is a list of movies we will probably show. Many of them are movies I have used with classes before, and I am using them again because many of them are movies that most of you would not be likely to see otherwise and because they have a lot of things to think about and discuss. Meanwhile, you can read the materials I've posted here. Some are homework that I have used before and have instructions for turning them in. You can ignore these instructions; just use the homework for a study guide. I get most of my movies from Torrent Pond at www.torrentpond.comso if you want to you can download them and watch them yourself. If you need help finding the subtitles for them, contact me (Bob) and I can help.

John Forbes Nash is a real person, and a genius. How smart is he? Smart enough to win a Nobel Prize. He is also crazy. This exciting and very popular movie is based on his life. //**Note**//: It's well worth your time to read the real story of John Nash and especially his wife, Alicia, on Awesome Stories.com. It's even more amazing than the movie. x x  x
 * Beautiful Mind, A **
 * from Wikipedia
 * A Beautiful Mind Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf
 * Beautiful Mind Discussion Packet.pdf
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com
 * from Awesome Stories.com

The retelling of the classic fairy tale as only Disney can do it. The story, music and graphics in this animation are spectacular and wonderful.
 * Beauty and the Beast **
 * from Wikipedia
 * the original story

x x  x  x  x

Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke are neighbors. Outcast and bullied at school, the two 10-year olds become friends and use their considerable imaginations to build Terabithia, their own fantasy world in the forest. This movie is not just for children, but for anyone who has ever had a friend, been to school, or had a dream. xx x  x  x
 * Bridge to Terabithia, The **
 * from Wikipedia
 * Wonderful Life Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf
 * Video Clip from China Daily
 * Bridge to Terabithia Discussion Packet.pdf

The 1942 classic wartime romance, many critics consder Casablanca the best movie of all time. Watch it and see if you agree.
 * Casablanca **
 * from Wikipedia
 * Casablanca Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com
 * Filmsite Movie Review
 * ... and many others. There are a lot of websites devoted to this movie. Just Google //Casablanca// and have a look.

X x  x

**Dead Poet’s Society, The**
"Carpe Diem!! Seize the day!! Make your lives extraordinary!" says John Keating, the new teacher at Welton academy, a school for wealthy high school boys. Ever sit in class and think about how //your// life at school could be better? What is education, and life, supposed to be about? Here is Mr. Keating's solution, but it gets him and the boys in big trouble at Welton.
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Dead Poets Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Dead Poets Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com

X X  X  X

Forrest Gump is a simple man who just happens to walk into some of the most famous events at one of the most turbulent times in American history, the 1960s. The question is: can a man who is so simple that he has no understanding of the events going on around him become successful because he has a good heart and can run really fast? Well, as Forrest himself said, "Life is like a box of chocolates."
 * Forrest Gump **

> want to know more about the movie and the deeper meanings in it.
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Forrest Gump Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Forrest Gump Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com
 * Study Guide from Film Education - This is an academic guide is for serious film students who

x x  x

Greeted by film critics and the public alike as one of the greatest films of all times, The Godfather set the standard for crime films worldwide ever since its release in 1972. How influential is it? Have you seen the Hong Kong crime thriller 无间道II, known in English as //Infernal Affairs//? When you watch The Godfather, you will realize that many of the scenes in 无间道II were inspired by scenes in The Godfather, as well as an important overall theme in all three movies, loyalty to family versus duty to society. > //Godfather II// and //Godfather III//. Just Google //The Godfather// and have a look. x x  x  x
 * Godfather, The **
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Godfather Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Godfather Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Filmsite Movie Review
 * ... and many more. There are a lot of websites devoted to this movie and its two sequels,

Will Hunting is a troubled working class kid from South Boston whose life is going nowhere. He's always fighting and in trouble with the law, until one day a famous mathematics professor discovers that Will is also a genius. x x  x  x  x
 * Goodwill Hunting **
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Good Will Hunting Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Good Will Hunting Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com

What would you do if you had to live a day that you dislike over and over again, and your life would last forever. It's bleak, and it's cold, like TEDA in the winter. There is no way out; you can't even commit suicide. Or maybe there is a way ...
 * Groundhog Day **
 * from Wikipedia
 * Groundhog Day Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf
 * Groundhog Day Discussion Packet.pdf
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com
 * ... and many other websites.

xx
 * //Note//**: This movie kind of sneaks up on you. When you first see it, you think it's a nice, funny comedy, but not much else, but then you find yourself often thinking about it later when you encounter situations in your own life that are similar to the movie. Because of this movie, the expression "Groundhog Day," meaning a boring situation that repeats again and again, seemingly without end, has come into English.

It’s a Wonderful Life
It's Christmas Eve and banker George Bailey is about to commit suicide when angel-in-training Clarence appears and shows him what life in his small town would have been like if he had never lived. Although going on 65 years old, //It's a Wonderful Life// is the most popular Christmas movie of all time, and still shown regularly on American television during the Christmas holidays. x x  x
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Wonderful Life Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Wonderful Life Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com

It's summertime and a great white shark is attacking and eating swimmers in the ocean. //Jaws// set the standard for thriller movies, earning a 100% approval rating from the film critics. Get plenty of sleep the night before you see this movie because you may not be able to sleep afterward. And you may never want to go swimming again. Yes, //Jaws// is that scary.
 * Jaws **
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Jaws Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Discussion Group Packet.pdf]
 * Filmsite Movie Review

x x  x

Joy Luck Club, The
The stories of four women, born and raised in China during World War II, and their adult daughters, born and raised in America. Every weeks the older women get together to play mahjong and talk about their lives. Though this movie was widely acclaimed by the critics, it was also criticized in the Chinese-American community as being too critical and unfair to Chinese men. See the movie and see what you think.




 * English Movie Club
 * [|Joy Luck Club Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Joy Luck Club Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com

x x  x

King's Speech, The
Albert, the second son of the king of England, has a terrible stammer and cannot speak in public. When the king dies and Albert's elder brother, David, proves to be unfit to be king and quits, it is left to Albert to lead England

This movie, favored to win this year's academy award for best picture, tells the story of George the VI, the accidental king of England

Last Emperor, The
The life of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, The Last Emperor won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.


 * from Wikipedia



x x  x

x x  x

Little Miss Sunshine
From RottenTomatoes.com: " What happens when you stuff a failed motivation speaker, his wife, the nation's number one Proust scholar, an elderly potty-mouthed heroin addict, a teen who's mute by choice, and a bespectacled little pageant hopeful into a mini VW bus for a three day road trip? You get this hilarious but moving satire about a dysfunctional family obsessed with winning." This movie is very funny, but it says a lot about modern life and the meaning of "winning." > interesting article on color, especially yellow, in Little Miss Sunshine.
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Little Miss Sunshine Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Little Miss Sunshine Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * [|Sensational Color - BRAND COLOR_ Little Miss Sunshine Yellow.pdf]

x x  x

**Shawshank Redemption, The**
"Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free." Andy Dufresne spends almost 20 years in prison for the murder of his wife and her lover, and manages to survive and triumph in one of the most terrible places you can imagine. The Shawshank Redemption has a lot to think about, and has proved very popular with college students in China.
 * [[image:Shawshank_Redemption.jpg width="119" height="173" align="right"]]from Wikipedia
 * [|SSR Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|SSR Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Shawshank Redemption Homepage - "Everything there is to know about the movie."
 * Filmsite Movie Review

x x  x

Sleepless in Seattle
"What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew, was the only one for you? This is the ultimate //chick flick// (girl's movie), but the boys like it, too. And the music is great!
 * from Wikipedia
 * [|Sleepless in Seattle Pre- and Post-Viewing Homework.pdf]
 * [|Sleepless in Seattle Discussion Packet.pdf]
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com

x x  x

Ever wonder what it would be like if your life were a TV show, seen by millions of people around the world, but you didn't know it? And what would you do if you discovered that your whole life, everything you do, is on TV around the world for everyone to see and ?
 * Truman Show, The **
 * from Wikipedia
 * Movie Guide from ESLNotes.com
 * The Meaning of the Truman Show