Korean Job Discussion Forums

[koreatimes]

I offered 3 Christmas movies for my classes to watch ("Grinch" with Jim Carrey, A Christmas Story (the rifle one), and Burl Ives "Rudolph"). Only one class didn't like the Rudolph one, but the other classes that chose it enjoyed it. I also gave them the choice to choose other movies if they didn't care about a Christmas based one. Here are the results. I teach in China, and basketball is big here. I'll give 5 star ratings based on how I think they will be received in the classroom.

"Like Mike" - 5 classes chose this one and all enjoyed it. 5 stars

"School of Rock" - 3 classes chose this one and there was an average appreciation, some of the humor was hard to understand. 3 stars

"10.5 Apocalypse" - 2 classes chose this one, but only one had a chance to see it. They said they will probably choose another next time. It's a long drawn out drama movie made for TV. There are some cool special effects, but not enough. I may remove it from my library if the second class has the same response. 1 star

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 - Rodrick Rules" - 2 classes chose this one and enjoyed it as much as Like Mike. I teach high school students and recommend 2 because Rodrick is in high school. Watch the first one first if you have younger students. Both are great. 5 stars

"Deja Vu" - 2 classes chose this one, and it is also difficult to follow, but has a Matrix like style to it. It's actually one of my favorite movies, but it's probably a better movie to talk about too than just watch. 2 stars

"Flipped" - 2 classes chose this one. Surprisingly, they liked it a lot and it wasn't too difficult to follow. 3 stars

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - 2 classes chose this one. It's pretty easy to watch even though the language is hard to follow. 4 stars

"The Day After" - 2 classes chose this one. They could follow it, but like Deja Vu, I think adding discussion parts between scenes might help them appreciate the movie more. It's one of the better natural disaster movies. 3 stars

"Back to Future 1" - 1 class chose this and enjoyed it, even though it is an older movie. Maybe I will offer "Teen Wolf" at a later time, but personally that's not a great "quality" one. It's only because it has basketball scenes and they can recognize the actor. 4 stars

"Big Daddy" - 1 class chose this one. Funny movie, but not for kids. There is some crude humor. 4 stars

"Charlotte's Web" - 1 class chose this one. They also enjoyed it, but I think it is better for younger students (elementary and middle school). 3 stars

"Homeless To Harvard" - 1 class chose this one. A bit of an emotional movie, and the guys at times drifted off. This movie along with "Finding Forrester" could be used in discussions. 2 stars

"Jumanji" - 1 class chose this one. They didn't have enough time to watch any of the exciting parts yet. However, they did follow it and I think it is worth offering. 4 stars

"Radio" - 1 class chose this one, it has a similar tone as Rain Man, and students showed average appreciation for it. They will probably be interested in watching it if they have already seen their favorites. 3 stars

"The Pursuit Happyness" - 1 class chose this one, good for higher level students. 3 stars

"Year of Yao" - We have yet to see this one, it's more of a documentary. Again, it's only on the list because it is basketball and being in China the students want to see it.

"Meet Dave" - They chose this one before when I described movies to them, but none of the classes chose this one to watch yet. I'd recommend it. Even though it is for a younger crowd, I think it is a good movie for English learning. 4 stars