Cinema and slang

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BENEMÉRITA UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE PUEBLA FACULTAD DE LENGUAS CENTRO DE AUTO-ACCESO Y TECNOLOGIA – CU

Level: 203-204 OBJECTIVE: 1. To learn some terms about films 2. To learn about some slang used in films Time: 40 min.

I. PRE-ACTIVITY: Match the words on the left, according to their definition on the left. Use a dictionary: 1. A line

A: The person who writes the test for a film.

2. A flop

B: A section of a film.

3. The box office

C: The place where a film is shot –it is usually interior

4. A script

D: A character in a film.

5. A scriptwriter

E: The cutting and arranging of shots.

6. A director

F: A film.

7. An actor/actress

G: A film that is not successful.

8. To edit

H: The person who directs and controls the production of the ooofilm.

9. To shoot

I: A subclass used to classify based on characteristics.

10. A movie J: The people who act in a film.

11. Genre

K: To place a film in a certain place.

12. To cast L: A person who does the dangerous scenes in a film.

13. The cast

14. A role

M: The text for a film.

15. A scene 16. To set

N: The place where you buy cinema tickets; also, the number …….of people who go to see a film and how much money it …….makes.

17. A stuntman

O: One piece of short text in a film.

18. The set

P: A person who acts in a film.

Q: To choose people to act in a film.

R: A character in a film.

II. ACTIVITY FILMS REVIEW: Match the films posters based on to their review:

a)

b)

c)

e)

f)

g)

d)

h)

1. Johnny Vince is an informal swinging band trombone player. Two *talkative *hitmen, Sam and Harvey, mistakenly believe Johnny to be the third member of their gang, assembled by their evil crime boss to pull a "stupid robbery" in Las Vegas. Along the way, they take a beautiful hostage - the lovely, desperate and lonely cashier Julianne. Little do they know that she will forever change their pathetic lives.

Genre: Comedy.

2. Antonio is a young man who gets the once in a lifetime chance to make his dreams of becoming a musician a reality. Antonio moves from Mexico to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of sharing his music with the world. Just as he is about to give up after

toiling at his uncle's fast food joint, his dreams become within reach when the "Chance of a Lifetime Mystery Musician Contest" comes to town. Along the way to making his dreams a reality, Antonio meets up with two beautiful women who also rediscover their passions.

Genres: Art/Foreign and Musical/Performing Arts 3. When 10 years-old Xan and his father Peter come across an orphaned cheetah cub, the Swahili name for cheetah,(The Swahili language, is basically of Bantu (African) origin.), he quickly becomes a member of the family. But, when it is almost fully grown, to Xan's dismay, his father tells him that it's time to take his friend to his real home before he grows too old to survive in his native habitat.

Genres: Drama and Kids/Family 4. The popular comic books created by Uderzo and Goscinny, The Romans have conquered all of Gaul except one little village where the famous heroes live. The secret to their independence is a magical potion that gives the villagers incredible strength and other powers. Even so, can one tiny village stave off the forces of the entire Roman Empire? Director: Claude Zidi.

Genres: Historical/ Action /Comedy 5. A Japanese film by Takeshi Kitano, It's really a loving portrayal of one little boy, Masao's, summer, spent with this *seemingly eccentric retired gangster "Mister" played

by Kitano. We have a pair of comic bikers, a lone van traveller, an *arguing truck driver, a fun *juggling couple, *prankish *hitchhiking *gags, and a rather extensive betting session at the (bicycle) races.

Genre: Drama / Comedy 6. Carla PĂŠrez, a modern girl who works in the postal service, finds out that a post office in the island or anywhere else, is a place where emotions flow together and that *in spite of their sincerity the letters which carry these emotions, so difficult to express out loud, are sometimes *clumsily written. Carla thinks that a word changed here or there can bring much greater joy and avoids the worst *anguish. With true talent she starts to change the content of some of these letters with her own words and feelings.

At first, it’s only a game which helps her while she awaits the unlikely chance to *flee from her boring life. But then she finds herself deeply involved in changing the situations of her fellow countrymen to bring greater happiness.

Genres: Art/Love / Comedy.

7. Luis Mandoki, Mexican director was acclaimed for his first movie in 1987. The film is based on the life of Gabriela Brimmer, a daughter of Austrian Jewish immigrants, was born in Mexico on September 12, 1947. She contracted cerebral *palsy at birth and, since childhood, she learned to act in a world that does not tolerate diversity. Featuring Rachel Levin in the main role. Ullman was nominated for a best supporting actress Academy Award for her role as Gabriela's mother. The film was made in Mexico City with USA and Jew community supporting. Genres: Drama.

8. The Greek filmmaker, Costa Gavras explores the Vatican's reluctance to speak out against the Holocaust. Newly commissioned SS Lieutenant and respected civilian chemist, Kurt Gerstein, discovers that the Zyklon B pellets he has developed to disinfect soldiers' drinking water are being used to gas interred Jews by the thousands.

The Pope and their relation with Nazis officers is a topic still analyzed.

Genres: Art / Drama.

*See glossary

POST ACTIVITY:

Take a look at how slang has been used in famous films.

A glossary is included to help you.

PULP FICTION

A reminder of the film Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Starring John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Rosanna Arquette and Uma Thurman.

It's hard to say what Pulp Fiction is really about. It's a black comedy, with a number of separate story lines all cleverly connected. The film jumps backwards and forwards from one to another, taking you on a journey through the Los Angeles underworld.

All along, the film is held together by an excellent script, and lots of fascinating characters. Much of the humour comes from Tarantino's sense of the absurd. There's a wonderful contrast between the macabre and the hilarious. In one scene Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) are going to "eliminate" a drugs gang. Just before they carry out their killings they get into a discussion on the intimacy of foot massaging. And in another scene they are chatting about the differences between McDonald's in Europe and America.

Just to show how great these dialogues really are, we've got 2 extracts from the film for you to enjoy.

SCENE 1

In this scene Vincent and Jules are driving along, on their way to make enquiries into a missing suitcase of drugs. Vincent is just back from a trip to Europe, and he's talking about his experiences there:

Vincent: ‌ but you know what the funniest thing about Europe is?

Jules: What? Vincent: It's the little differences. A lot of the same shit we got here, they got there, but there they're a little different.

Jules: Examples?

Vincent: Well, in Amsterdam, you can buy beer in a movie theater - and I don't mean in a paper cup either. They give you a glass of beer, like in a bar. In Paris, you can buy beer at McDonald's. Also, you know what they call a "Quarter Pounder with Cheese" in Paris?

Jules: They don't call it a "Quarter Pounder with Cheese"?

Vincent: No, they got the metric system there, they wouldn't know what the fuck a "Quarter Pounder" is.

Jules: What do they call it?

Vincent: "Royale with Cheese."

Jules: "Royale with Cheese." What do they call a "Big Mac"?

Vincent: "Big Mac's" a "Big Mac", but they call it "Le Big Mac".

Jules: "Le Big Mac." What do they call a "Whopper"?

Vincent: I dunno, I didn't go into a Burger King. But you know what they put on French fries in Holland instead of ketchup?

Jules: What?

Vincent: Mayonnaise.

Jules: Goddamn!

Vincent: I've seen them do it. And I don't mean a little bit on the side of the plate, they fucking drown them in it.

Jules: Uuccch! *GLOSSARY (vocabulary and slang). ACTIVITY FILMS REVIEW: Talkative: adj. talking a lot Hitmen (assassins): n. People that kill for money.

Seemingly: adv.

true.

appearing to be something, especially when this is not

Juggling: Juggle (to

throw): a person who juggles objects in order to

entertain people.

Prankish: a trick that is intended to be amusing but not to cause harm or damage.

Hitchhiking: to travel by getting free rides in someone else's vehicle.

Gag: n. joke.

In spite of: Nevertheless

awkward.

Anguish: extreme unhappiness caused by physical or mental suffering.

Flee: to escape by running away, especially because of danger or fear.

Palsy: cerebral palsy, a physical condition involving permanent tightening of the muscles which is caused by damage to the brain around or before the time of birth.

Clumsily: moving or acting

POST ACTIVITY (glossary).

Shit: n. offens this word can refer to "things" in general.

A movie theatre: n. US a cinema.

What the fuck: exp. offens "the fuck" is used to put some emphasis on the question.

A Quarter Pounder n. a large hamburger, 100 grams of meat, more or less.

I dunno abbr. Inform. an abbreviation of "I don't know".

French fries n. US fried pieces of potato. "Chips" in British English.

Goddamn! Exp. offens an expression of surprise and shock.

Fucking adv. offens this word can be used to intensify and put emphasis on a sentence.

To drown vb. if you "drown" your food in Mayonnaise, you put a lot of Mayonnaise on it.

ANSWER KEY I. PREACTIVITY: 1-O, 2-G, 3-N, 4-M 9-I, 10-F, 11-I, 12-Q 16-K, 17-L, 18-C.

5-A, 6-H, 7-P, 8-E 13-J, 14-R, 15-B

II. ACTIVITY: a-2

b-1

c-8

d-7

e-3

f-4

g-6

h-5

SCORING EXCELLENT 26-19

REFERENCES

GOOD 18-14

TRY AGAIN 13-0

www.hotenglishmagazine.com, http://www.m-w.com/, www.filmfestivals.com, www.google.com, yahoo-movies.com, www.kino.com

Adapted by Raúl García Báez