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LSP
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 56
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 Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:12 am Post subject: |
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| thanks for all the comments. what i'm thinking of doing is showing a movie and picking a scene or two and developing a lesson around it as well. that way i won't feel as bad about using a few class periods to watch a movie. i'm not trying to "convey western culture," but i'd like to show a few cool movies that show a "real" side of america like 25th hour, finding forrestor, high fidelity, almost famous, (maybe?), and a few others. i may slip in some cheesy 80's flicks and maybe a horror movie or two. plus i kinda want to be mean and subject them to romeo and juliet(unsubtitled) to kill a few egos. i'm not really a fan of family movies, which seem to be what everyone says their audiences like. i guess i'll figure something out. |
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Norman Bethune
Joined: 19 Apr 2004
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 3:07 pm Post subject: Re: Movies to watch with students |
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| LSP wrote: |
| I'm curious seeing that everyone here has a movie day/week/month with your classes, so what movies do you all watch with them? Personaly I want to bring a few movies that show some of my true American culture instead of mindless action and formula flicks. BTW is there any limit on what I can and can't show? |
Why just use American Movies?
These are my choices to mess with the minds of average Chinese students:
A Clockwork Orange
Farenheit 451
Lolita
The Manchurian Candidate
Midnight Cowboy
Trainspotting
7 up, 14 up, 21 up, 28 up, 35 up, 42 up.....etc
(Brit series illustrating frustrated hopes and dreams of people from age seven onward). It might make the spoiled generation of Uni students now in China take a look at how unrealistic their ideas about their futures are.
Alice's Restaurant
1984
Triumph of the Will
Any Japanese porno available |
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Ricepaddy
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 219
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| Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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Jaysis...I showed that to an American colleague and it messed his mind far too much...quite freaked him out, actually...
Films I've used successfully in the classroom:
Lord of the Rings (the whole shebang. They get wrapped up in it really well, and it's visually engaging).
Spiderman (which I showed just on a whim. They loved it, especially the line "With great power comes great responsibility").
Babe ("Don't show us children’s movies", but they went for this like a hot dinner. And it kinda stumps them that there are farmers in other countries, too).
Billy Eliot (this was probably my most successful incorporation of a movie into lessons. It took about two weeks to show, with explanations, but they loved it. They laughed, they cried...)
Bend It Like Beckham (a close second to Billy Eliot. I teach girls, so they could identify with the protagonists. And they responded well to the problem of integrating cultures..so long as its happening in the UK, with an Irish guy in the middle of it..)
Films I'd Love To Show, But It Will Never Happen:
Withnail & I
Naked
Brazil
The Trench
Threads
I could go on, but its time for beddy-byes... |
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Norman Bethune
Joined: 19 Apr 2004
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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Ricepaddy
| Quote: |
Films I'd Love To Show, But It Will Never Happen:
Withnail & I
Naked
Brazil
The Trench
Threads
I could go on, but its time for beddy-byes... |
Excellent choices. Any film by Ken Loach is on my list.
The list I posted earlier was meant for the university students I teach who want to know all about western culture. They just aren't ready for the real deal yet. They can handle Titanic, but they are definitly not ready for anything that is not sappy or trite. Even a movie like Goodfellas would scare the Bejaysis out of them.
My selection was not meant for children. |
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LSP
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Norman Bethune wrote: |
The list I posted earlier was meant for the university students I teach who want to know all about western culture. They just aren't ready for the real deal yet. They can handle Titanic, but they are definitly not ready for anything that is not sappy or trite. Even a movie like Goodfellas would scare the Bejaysis out of them. |
that sucks. i can tell my time in china will be short. i remember seeing goodfellas in high school and loving it. if college students can't take it, i know i'm truely doomed. |
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Ricepaddy
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 219
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| Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| The list I posted earlier was meant for the university students I teach who want to know all about western culture. They just aren't ready for the real deal yet. |
Yeah, I teach Uni as well, and most of the students are at the "Titanic" level as well. There's a few smarter than the average bear, though: one of my colleagues was showing "Runaway Bride" here last week (oral exams are over), and I met a few of his class pacing the corridor, complaining about "rubbish movies". They're not quite ready for "Land and Freedom" or "Secrets and Lies" just yet, but there is hope for them...
As an aside, I stuck the last two ("The Trench" and "Threads") on my wishlist to try and bring a little reality to those students (happy, fun-loving girls in pointy shoes and "Gucc" t-shirts) who are constantly baying for war with Taiwan.
In my last school, I'd often invite teachers over to watch a movie or two. That proved to be an experience. They liked "The Matrix", but found it confusing. "Star Wars" was just too confusing for them. "The Shawshank Redemption" left the waiban completely mystified ("Why is he so unhappy? He has a room! He has a shower! There are many people to talk to!"). So too with "Fight Club", which prompted the question "Why are you showing us this?" after the first twenty minutes (I suppose showing a movie about disenchantment with materialism was always going to be a non-runner). And "Bowling for Columbine" was completely ignored.
Just remembered: at the end of last semester I decided to hell with it, I'm going to show them "In The Name Of The Father". After the initial riot scene most of them got bored, but there was a group of girls at the front of the class who were glued to it. I asked them after if they enjoyed it, and they said they were interested to see a foreign family sticking together....a theme I'd never paid much attention to in the movie, but it was interesting to see them pick up on it... |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Ricepaddy wrote: |
| "The Shawshank Redemption" left the waiban completely mystified ("Why is he so unhappy? He has a room! He has a shower! There are many people to talk to!"). |
Isn't it interesting how different cultures respond to different movies. Who'd think a man arrested for a crime he didn't commit is supposed to be happy? |
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lagerlout2006
Joined: 17 Sep 2003
Posts: 985
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:23 am Post subject: |
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Cheers Ricepaddy---Naked is one of my favorites. I'm trying to find his most recnt but no Mike Leigh in China. I found Secrets and Llies but it was all in French of all things.
Of the films mentioned Rainman and High Fidelity might be good for classes...Then again I like them but maybe maybe not. A co-worker last year said students walked out in disgust when he showed the Full Monty.  That is a tame movie.
Trainspotting---Jayzus even I need subtitles for that what are the Chinese going to make of it?
A box set of the complete Julia Roberts might come in handy here...Maybe throw in Sandra Bullock since they like white bimbos.  |
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LSP
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 4:03 am Post subject: |
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| lagerlout2006 wrote: |
| A box set of the complete Julia Roberts might come in handy here...Maybe throw in Sandra Bullock since they like white bimbos. |
I'd rather die. |
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Ricepaddy
Joined: 14 May 2003
Posts: 219
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 8:46 am Post subject: |
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I was six months on my own in southern Hunan, so I did a lot of entertaining....
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| Rainman and High Fidelity might be good for classes |
I've shown "Rain Man" to classes (well, one class, of my brighter students), and some liked it, but more didn't. It was the first time I'd seen the movie in years, and I began wondering about the nationality of Raymond...I was strangley reminded, somehow, of....
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| A co-worker last year said students walked out in disgust when he showed the Full Monty |
I wouldn't show that in class! The first time I tried showing it to a group of teachers, two girls and a guy, and they got very uncomfortable. If I show it to single gender groups, no problem (though the girls do still get a bit embarrassed, but they watch on. Shy but willing, I suppose).
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hahahaha
Joined: 25 Apr 2004
Posts: 79
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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I teach senior middle school students.
I showed them Harry Porter ,The Pianist and Jumanzi ,they loved it. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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I think when deciding on what movie you want to show, my advice is: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. Just because you like eclectic movies such as Trainspotting or Brazil doesn't mean your Chinese class of young adults will. If you have a mixture of boys and girls then you need to find a movie that can easily combine drama, humor, action, and romance. Off-the-wall, bizarro movies just don't seem to be what an "average" Chinese boy or girl will sit still for (I realize there are some exceptions, but come on . . . ).
A great movie (if you can find it) is Parenthood with Steve Martin (and other great actors/actresses). How about Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Kevin Costner), any of the Indiana Jones movies, or even a movie with a strong female lead that kicks butt (I have found the guys AND girls enjoy this) such as Daredevil (the "Electra" character)?
Just some suggestions. Boys like action, girls (sometimes) like action and romance. I know some of you are trying to expand their minds and their horizons, but you may be reaching too far. By the way, when I first got here, I arranged a 'movie night' and showed Grease to my Senior Two kids. Although I have watched it several times before, I found myself appalled and quite uncomfortable at how raunchy this movie is! I'll skip showing that one next year.  |
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Kurochan
Joined: 01 Mar 2003
Posts: 944
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 3:00 pm Post subject: An alternative |
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| LSP wrote: |
| lagerlout2006 wrote: |
| A box set of the complete Julia Roberts might come in handy here...Maybe throw in Sandra Bullock since they like white bimbos. |
I'd rather die. |
As some alternative to white bimbo movies, my friend in Henan actually found Love and Basketball, and I showed my students Shaft (but it was in badly translated Putong Hua!) and Love Jones. They had that thing going where they would titter whenever they saw a non-white foreigner in the movies, and I thought showing them some films like that might help them to get rid of that tendency. Love Jones is also good because its characters don't fit the stereotype of black people they've learned from watching old American movies on CCTV (or watching Coolio in his crap-a-licious turn as a gangster in that lousy Aaron Kwok movie of a few years ago). Crooklyn would be another good movie choice, if you could find it. |
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LSP
Joined: 09 May 2004
Posts: 56
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| Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2004 5:54 am Post subject: Re: An alternative |
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| Kurochan wrote: |
| LSP wrote: |
| lagerlout2006 wrote: |
| A box set of the complete Julia Roberts might come in handy here...Maybe throw in Sandra Bullock since they like white bimbos. |
I'd rather die. |
As some alternative to white bimbo movies, my friend in Henan actually found Love and Basketball, and I showed my students Shaft (but it was in badly translated Putong Hua!) and Love Jones. They had that thing going where they would titter whenever they saw a non-white foreigner in the movies, and I thought showing them some films like that might help them to get rid of that tendency. Love Jones is also good because its characters don't fit the stereotype of black people they've learned from watching old American movies on CCTV (or watching Coolio in his crap-a-licious turn as a gangster in that lousy Aaron Kwok movie of a few years ago). Crooklyn would be another good movie choice, if you could find it. |
I'll have to remember to get my Spike Lee box set before I go. I wonder what reaction I'd get from showing them Jungle Fever? Don't they get movies like Indipendance Day or Men in Black over there. I know most black moveis won't be seen by many Chinese audiences, but I don't see how they could not know Will Smith, or Chris Tucker for that matter seeing as he's in 2 movies with Jackie Chan. I could expose them to a blacksploitation film or two... |
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Kurochan
Joined: 01 Mar 2003
Posts: 944
Location: China
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2004 7:40 pm Post subject: Hmmm ... |
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Well, they do know Men in Black, and they have seen Rush Hour ... I don't know. They're just goofy about certain things. They definitely have certain stereotypes in their heads, though -- gangster, basketball player, rapper. I think that's about as far as their ideas go.
(BTW, you said you were going to SZ in October, right? I think that's a bit late, since most schools start at the beginning of September. Also, there are only two tertiary universities here [unless there are some satellite programs that I'm not aware of] so it would be harder to get a college-level teaching position, if that's what you want, than it might be in some other cities. Anyway, if you want to ask me any more about this, you can PM me.) |
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