ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!

Video CHRISTMAS FLASMOB:

REMEMBERING MARIE FREDRIKSSON FROM ROXETTE

Marie Fredriksson, Swedish singer & composer & half of the duo Roxette, has died at the age of 61. The group had great success in the late 80s and 90s all over the world selling more than 75 million records. Their career had a first stop when in 2002 Marie was diagnosed with brain cancer. She recovered after lots of treatments and even had to learn to talk and read again. But in 2005 she came back to music recording several solo albums and officially back to Roxette in 2011, recording albums and performing in concerts until in 2016 when she had to give it all up definitely.

Let's remember -or maybe discover her- with some of her songs.

RIP, Marie.

- "SPENDING MY TIME"

- "LISTEN TO YOUR HEART"



"IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE"



"THE LOOK"



- "JOYRIDE"



- "HOW DO YOU DO?"

WHICH FILM TO SEE BEFORE CHRISTMAS?

Searching for a film to watch in English with English subtitles in class before Christmas holidays. Here are the four films proposed:

- They all have something to do with Christmas, as they take place totally in or around the Christmas season. 
- You're not intended to understand everything, but to see how English is used in "real" everyday life situations. Context will help you understand, and you'll be able to check or learn new vocabulary, pronunciation and entonation.

Read the synopsis to each film and watch each of the trailers first and later choose which one you'd like to watch. The explanation of how to vote for the film is explained at the end of this post.

Stepmom is a 1998 comedy-drama directed by Chris Columbus and starring Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Ed Harris.

Jackie and Luke Harrison (Susan Sarandon and Ed Harris) are a divorced New York couple that are struggling to help their children Anna and Ben be happy with this sudden change of lifestyle. This is far from easy, as Luke, an attorney, is living with his new girlfriend, Isabel Kelly (Julia Roberts), an NYU alumna and a successful fashion photographer several years his junior. Isabel tries very hard to make Anna and Ben feel comfortable and happy with her, but Anna repeatedly rejects her overtures while Ben, who loves Isabel (not as much as his actual mother), adds extra complication with his mischievous nature. Isabel behaves with contempt tempered by caution around Jackie, believing she overcompensates for her divorce by spoiling her children.

- Video trailer for "STEPMOM":

Peter's Friends (1992) is a British comedy-drama film. Starring Hugh Laurie, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Imelda Staunton, Stephen Fry, Rita Rudner, Tony Slattery, Phyllida Law, Alex Lowe, Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh.

It's New Year's weekend and Peter's friends gather at his newly inherited country house. 10 years ago, they all acted together in a Cambridge University student comedy troupe, but it's less clear how much they have in common now. Peter's friends are Andrew, now a writer in Hollywood; married jingle writers Roger and Mary; glamorous costume designer Sarah; and eccentric Maggie, who works in publishing.
Although the film is primarily a comedy, serious overtones are present from the beginning. Peter's father has died, and Peter plans to sell the house after this last party. While Andrew and Carol's troubled marriage is played mainly for laughs, Roger and Mary are recovering from a devastating personal tragedy only slowly revealed to the audience. A lonely Maggie arrives determined to persuade Peter they should be more than just friends and Sarah's not as happy with her life as she appears.
The film deals with themes of friendship, marriage, fidelity, materialism, and coping with death and loss.

- Video trailer for "PETER'S FRIENDS":

Love Actually (2004) is a British romantic comedy film, written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay sees into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress. The ensemble cast is composed of predominantly British actors.
The film begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out during a week-by-week countdown until the holiday, with an epilogue that takes place one month later.

The film begins with a voiceover from David (Hugh Grant) commenting that whenever he gets gloomy with the state of the world he thinks about the arrivals terminal at Heathrow Airport, and the pure uncomplicated love felt as friends and families welcome their arriving loved ones. David's voiceover also relates that all the known messages left by the people who died on the 9/11 planes were messages of love and not hate. 

- Video trailer for "LOVE ACTUALLY":

The Holiday is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two lovelorn women from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who temporarily exchange homes to escape heartbreak during the holiday season. Jude Law and Jack Black co-star.

The story is about two women who trade homes "only to find that a change of address can change their lives." Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) is a workaholic who owns a company that produces movie trailers in Los Angeles. Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) is a society column editor for The Daily Telegraph in London.

- Video trailer for "THE HOLIDAY":



How to vote for the film you would like to watch. 

Which one do you prefer to watch?

Vote by leaving a comment below:

1- Your complete name

2- class-group 

3- film you prefer to watch & give a reason why in English.

To watch a film in class, half+1 of the class must vote.

Votes must be in BEFORE Sunday December 15th at 20:00h for 1ºBac-A 
& BEFORE Tuesday December 18th at 20:00h for my group of 1ºBac-B

1ºBAC-A final update 16th-Dec: 19 votes. A film has won with 8 votes.
1ºBAC-B Update 16th-Dec: 5 votes so far. Not half the class+1 have voted yet.

E.T. REVISTS ELLIOT 37 YEARS LATER FOR CHRISTMAS

An American TV advertisement has brought together E.T. and Elliot 37 years after the iconic film was a great success at the cinemas. The voyager from outer space revists Elliot's home and meets his family for Christmas.

Video: