Going to movies (also called films) is a popular social activity in American culture. Sometimes people go to movies with their friends, but sometimes not everyone wants to see the same movie for different reasons. For this assignment, you will be in a group of four. Your goal as a group is to discuss four current movies and see if there is one movie that everyone in the group wants to see. The steps for this assignment are noted in the below objectives and are more fully explained in the rest of the assignment. Good luck with this task, and I hope you enjoy it.
Objectives
- Each student will research a different current movie at the local theater.
- Students will get into groups and have the opportunity to present their information about the movies researched.
- Each group member will have an opportunity to discuss what they think about the movies, which movies they want to see or don't see, and why.
- The group should try to come to a consensus (agreement) about a move that everyone wants to see.
- Each member of the group will write a one page essay expressing their experience on this task.
Groups
Please find your name in the table attached. The names to the left and right of yours will be your group members. Above your name you will find the title of the movie you are supposed to research.
Research For Your Discussion
To get ready for your conversation (where you will try to come to an agreement about which movie to see together), you need to conduct research on the movie above your name. You need to know the following pieces of information:
- The major actors and director in the movie
- A synopsis (summary) of the events in the movie
- What the movie's MPAA rating is (G, PG, PG-13, R, or NC-17) and WHY it received the rating it did (violence, bad language, etc.) film rating
Here is the handout you should complete before the class when we will discuss the movies in groups:
There are many places you can research your assigned movies (newspapers, Wikipedia, etc.), but I like to use the Internet Movie Database or Yahoo! Moviesbecause they are easy to navigate and the information is up to date.
MAKE SURE you complete your Movie Conversation Handout before class.
Movie Conversation
In class, you will get into your groups and discuss your different movies.
Each group member will have an opportunity to share with his / her group members the information he / she researched about the movie. They will tell the title of their movie, the actors & director of the movie, a summary of the movie, the rating of the movie and the rationale behind that rating, and whether they do or do not want to see the movie and why.
After each person, in turn, has told the group about his / her movie, each person will have an opportunity to state to the group which movie or movies they would like to see and why. Maybe you want to see a certain movie because you like the actors or director involved with it. Maybe you want to see the movie because the story sounds very interesting. Maybe you want to see the movie because you like sports movies, science fiction movies, movies based on real life, scary movies, or romantic comedy movies. Finally, maybe you want to see the movie because you like movies with a lot of violence or profanity. You could have any or all of the same reasons for NOT wanting to see a specific movie or movies.
To express which movie you want or do NOT want to see and why, consider using the following scripts:
"I want to see (movie title) because (reasons)."
"I do not want to see (movie title) because (reasons)."
"The movie (movie title) sounds interesting, but I do not want to see it because (reasons)."
Everyone in the group should have the same opportunity to tell which movie (or movies) they want to see (and do NOT want to see) and for what
reasons. In your conversation, you are also able to say whether you agree or disagree with the opinion of someone in your group, but also be able to explain WHY you agree or disagree. To express this in the group conversation, feel free to use the following scripts:
"I agree with you (person's name) about what you are saying because (give your reason)."
"(Person's name) that is interesting, but I disagree. I think (give your opinion)."
"I agree with what (person's name) has to say about (part you agree with), but I don't agree with (part you disagree with) because (reason)."
After everyone in the group has had an opportunity to say which movies they do and do not want to see and why, the group should try to see if there is one or even two movies that EVERYONE wants to see. It is okay if the group can not agree on a movie everyone wants to see; this happens.
PROJECT.: EXERCISE 1
TEAM WORK .MAKE A REPORT OF ONE OF THESE FOUR FILMS.DECIDE WHICH ONE.
AT THE MOVIES
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Components
of a Movie
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Important
Language/Examples
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Can you name a movie . . .?
. . . that is a
sci-fi?
. . . that is a
horror?
. . . that is an
action movie?
. . . that is a
romantic comedy?
. . . with Brad
Pitt in it?
. . . that is
starring Julia Roberts?
. . . with Mike
Meyers in it?
. . . starring
Sean Connery?
. . . that takes
place in space?
. . . that takes
place in WWII?
. . . set in
. . . set on a
train?
. . . that takes
place in the 1800s?
. . . set in the
countryside?
. . . that takes
place in
. . . about
people who fall in love?
. . . about
people who take drugs?
. . . about
police who are corrupt?
. . . about
someone who wants to destroy the world?
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What kind of movie is it?
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It’s a ______________________
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It’s a comedy. It’s
a sci-fi. It’s a horror.
It’s an action
movie. It’s a romantic comedy.
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Who is in it?
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_______________ is in it.
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Who’s starring in it?
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_______________ is starring in it.
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Where does it take place?
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It’s set in _______________.
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When does it take place?
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It takes place in ______________.
It’s
set in
It
takes place on the moon in the future.
It
takes place in a prison.
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What’s it about?
What happens in it?
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It’s about _____ who __________.
It’s
about two young people who fall in love on a sinking ship. It’s about a
meteor that is going to destroy the Earth.
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How does it end?
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In the end, __________________.
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What happens in the end?
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In the end, the
ring is destroyed.
In the end, Harry
decides he really loves Sally.
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What did the critics say?
What kind of reviews did it get?
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The critics _________________.
It got ___________ reviews.
The critics said it was good. The
critics panned it. The critics raved about it. It got great reviews. It got
poor reviews.
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PROJECT.: EXERCISE 2
INDIVIDUAL WORK .MAKE A POSTER OF AN IMAGINARY FILMS.HERE YOU HAVE SOME EXAMPLES
INDIVIDUAL WORK Reflection Essay
The final part of this assignment is to write an essay about this experience. Please write this in a paragraph and answer the following questions:
- Was it easy or difficult to research your movie and why?
- Was it easy or difficult to talk with the other people in your group about the different movies, and why?
- Did everyone have a fair chance to tell the people in the group what movies they did and did not want to see and why? If not, why not?
- Was your group able to choose one movie for everyone to see? If your group was able to choose one movie, what was it about that movie that everyone liked? OR If your group was NOT able to choose one movie, why do you think your group was not able to choose just one movie?
- What did you learn from this experience?
This essay is due by the next class after your conversation.
