BOOK REVIEW by Lali Zumaquero

BOOK TITTLE: HE KNOWS TOO MUCH

Author: Alan Maley

Publisher: Cambridge University Press – Level 6

Pages: 112

Year: 2001

Book Type: Thriller

Plot summary

An English executive in India, Dick Sterling, is dismissed after he tries to uncover corruption within his company. He returns to England where his life falls apart and his marriage breaks up. He then sets out on a one-man search for the truth behind his dismissal. He wants to find the truth, so he returns to the rich mystery and beauty of India, where he worked some years ago. There, he will get involved in a story full of revenge, vengeance and corruption.

But if you want to know what happens to Dick and the rest of the people who try to help him, you'll have to read the book!

Opinion

This book is an interesting and believable story based in a contemporary topic. Corruption and revenge are mixed in an original plot. But it is not only a thriller, because you can enjoy Indian customs and learn their traditions, their colourful clothes and spicy food. So, if you like travelling, you can visit many cities in India as Delhi, Bombay, Madras... I recommend to read this book, because it’s a short story but it’s entertaining and enjoyable.

Language/Style

Alan Maley uses an informal style of writing but he introduces rich language with a wide varieties of adjectives, places and cities, and specific vocabulary from Indian culture. Do you know what a Tamil, Parsee, sari, mudra, aarti, lunghis, choli... are?
Also the writer describes Indian cities, colours and smells perfectly. It’s fascinating because sometimes you are in a Hotel in Bangalore and you can imagine the fresh sweet smelling of jasmine. It’s breathtaking!
But the author combines descriptions with dialogues that help you to understand the story. It’s necessary because the story has a lot of characters and the action takes place in many Indian and British cities. Another interesting point is that the writer uses very modern expressions and the dialogue is faster moving.

FILM REVIEW by Ximo

FORREST GUMP

It could be said that Forrest Gump is the definitive American movie. After all, it's historical, patriotic and it's got a dunce as the hero. A loving and friendly dumb, of course, played by Tom Hanks.

Nominated for 13 Oscars and winning six, including Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis and Best Actor, "Gump" captured the imagination with its mix of comedy, drama, issues like AIDS and war, while managing to maintain a love story at its big budget core.

It charts the life of Forrest, a simple man who inadvertently finds himself in heroic situations. Devoted to his Mum, he does everything from teaching Elvis how to move his hips to running the length and breadth of America.

He meets some people along the way, like Captain Dan during Vietnam. Forrest does everything for his one true love, the experimental, sad, and ultimately broken Jenny (Wright-Penn).

Whether you like it or not really comes down to one thing: how much sentimentality can you take? Because despite the excellent performances and extravagant scale, Zemeckis has his finger on the nostalgia button. And then there's the affirmation of the American Dream: isn't it great that even a "stupid", as long as he's kind and loving, can make it in the fantastic USA?



Gump, gifted with a low IQ which lets him be adorably childlike even as he grows up, leads a very charmed life: a mother who loves him immensely and who sleeps with the school principal in order to make sure her child has the best education, a miraculous incident that eliminates the need for him to have braces for his legs, a childhood girlfriend who remains faithful to him till the end, surviving Vietnam with a medal, and, in general, a propensity for turning everything that happens to him into good.

I wonder what the movie is trying to say. From one perspective, it implies that intelligence (as measured by IQs and the general idea of what "smart" is) is a very unnecessary trait. But I think one can look beyond that and say that childlike innocence, which can be considered stupid, has its rewards. Throughout the movie, Gump is in situations where he is harassed by other people but he never takes offense (except, of course, when his girl Jenny is being abused) at any of the insults thrown at him. He is indeed not completely stupid, even though he is portrayed as such, since he can re-assemble guns at high speed, run like crazy, play ping-pong like a maniac, and so on.

The fact that Gump doesn't take offense, I think, is what keeps him content. He becomes a millionaire, but gives most of the money away. He is honest and open and this, along with his Alabama accent, endears him to the audience. But this gets tiresome after a while (especially after 2 hours). I thought the movie was overly long, but that's the only negative thing I have to say.

Gump rubs elbows with many famous personalities over the last half of the century including Elvis Presley and Nixon, thanks to computer technology (General Dan doesn't really lose his legs either---they are just erased and the background is then touched up by using computer graphics programs). The account of how Gump is responsible for the gyrations that is so characteristic of Presley is very telling of the motives of this movie. Gump is contrasted to the famous males, who are idols (in some cases) in today's society, and it appears as though he is better off in comparison: Gump's choices in life seem to determine his niceness (he goes to Vietnam, keeps his promises ("a promise is a promise"), harbours no ill-feelings or grudges, and is not greedy with fame or money) and successes. Contrast this to the choices his lifetime girl friend Jenny makes: she wants to be famous and rich, but ends up being a druggie. The people she is surrounded by are all of a dubious nature: a sexual-abusive father, a show audience more interested in her naked body than her folk-music playing, and an abusive hippie-boyfriend.

Gump is a new kind of a role-model; he's A Nice Boy and everyone knows they're hard to find.

Many people claimed it gets them in touch with their "inner child". Gump never grows up or matures in the movie. He never becomes a man and remains a boy. It is implied, at least, that his "stupidity" is what allows him to do this. This may or may not be true, but it is just a movie in the end. Most people in his position would not be so fortunate as he.

I think Zemeckis did a good job in showing that anyone can retain their inner child as long they never grow up or become mature.






"I'm tired now. I think I'm going home." --Forrest Gump

"Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get." --Forrest Gump

"Stupid is as stupid does." --Forrest Gump

"I guess sometimes there just aren't enough rocks." --Forrest Gump

Ximo Català Chiva 5th F

listening: "Cry baby" Mariah Carey Ft. Snoop Dogg

Film review by Lali Zumaquero

FILM REVIEW by Lali Zumaquero

I am going to tell you about one of the best British comedy I have seen lately and one of the more highly promoted films of 2001. The film itself is a great movie because it will make people happy. Cut from the same cloth as “Notting Hill” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, Bridget Jone’s Diary is based on the succesful novel by Helen Fielding, which itself was based on her popular newspaper column of the same name from the 1990s.

Film Tittle: BRIDGET JONE’S DIARY

Country: UNITED KINGDOM

Language: BRITISH ENGLISH

Year: 2001

Genre: Comedy

Director: SHARON MAGUIRE

Main Cast: Renée Zellweger (as Bridget Jones), Hugh Grant (as Daniel Cleaver) and Colin Firth (as Mark Darcy)

PLOT SUMMARY

Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. But, can a single woman over 30, who smokes too much, drinks too much, and has a tendency to say whatever comes into her mind, find a place in the world? She’s desperate to find a man who will be truly committed to her and she worries about dying alone. She is convinced that if only she could lose weight and stop smoking then all would be fine.

The story starts when Bridget goes home for the Christmas holidays and her mother tries yet again to fix her up with a man. This time it’s a lawyer, Mr. Darcy. After a disastrous first meeting with Mr. Darcy, Bridget returns to London with a list of new year resolutions. She starts a diary and starts to record all the disappointments in her life. Back in the publishing office where she works she starts flirting with her boss Daniel Cleaver. She then meets Mark Darcy again and discovers that he was once a good friend of Daniel’s and that they now hate each other…

ANALYSIS

The film is sold as a comedy and contains some great chemistry between all three main characters. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Renée Zellweger. Director Sharon Maguire does not break any new ground in this film. She captures the many comedic scenes in a delightful and touching way and makes the audience experience some great laughs. The movie has the same flair as did 'Notting Hill', of course that can be because it is from the same producers but I don’t mind because I always liked British comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill .

There is a great soundtrack with this movie which helps to keep the whole thing moving along. Some examples are “It’s raining men” by Geri Halliwell or contributions of Robbie Williams and Sheryl Crow.

On my mind, Renee Zellweger plays the titular character in a quite surprising way. You forget she is an American after about 30 seconds and she is entirely believable in the role. Even her accent is pretty good. During the film, you feel sorry for her, and you laugh at her and with her.

The reason I enjoyed this movie is Bridget Jones's Diary has good enough jokes to make you laugh, but not too much to make you just plain annoyed that the storyline is not moving forward in good time.

This is a very enjoyable and funny movie and I absolutely loved it, so I recommend this film to everyone who likes romantic comedies. But you need to know before yo see it that I would not recommend it for anyone under 15. Sometimes the language can be offensive because of the strong language and sexual content.

film review - by Nacho Sandoval

Fim Title: A walk to remember ( Warner Bros.)
Country / year: USA / 2002
Genre: Drama / Romantic
Director: Adam Shankman
Cast: Shane West, Mandy Moore, Peter Coyote, Darryl Hannah.


Plot / Synopsis: Landon Carter (Shane West) is a rebel adolescent who does not think of his future and does not care about his studies at the High School. He lives with his mother Cynthia ( Darryl Hannah) who is divorced her husband and Landon hates his father for that reason. One night, he slips in into a factory with some friends and he got into a mess when he is caught by the police and made to do community service, helping other students with problems at school, and also he has to do a play in it, where he meets Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore), his classmate since he had gone to nursery school. Jamie has a diferent character than Landon. She has a lot of faith in her believes and she has planned her future very carefully, because of that they had ignored each other until that moment. During the play they fall in love with each other, but Reverend Sullivan ( Peter Coyote) does not accept her daughter´s relationship with that boy whom is considered a bad person by Mr. Sullivan, although gradually he realises that Landon is changing and has to resign. But Jamie has a dark secret which will change Landon´s life forever.

Opinion: This is one of the most romantic films I have ever seen and maybe it might make you cry, especially if you are a sensitive person because it has some shots very emotional and sad. You will not imagine what it happens until almost the ending, so perhaps it is the best part of the film. Maybe women would enjoy more than men.

Type of language used: American English with some colloquialisms.

"It´s like the wind, I can´t see it but I feel it. I feel wonder, beauty, joy, love... It´s the center of everything", or also "Love is always patient and kind, it is never jelaous, Love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish, It does not take offense and it is not resentful" are two sentences which are in tune with the film.
This film is based in a novel by Nicholas Sparks. In it you can enjoy with the sweet voice of the famous singer in the United States Mandy Moore, who sings songs like: One way or another, So Real , I wanna be with you, Candy; Stupid Cupid ( one of the many versions) and the three included in this film; Only hope, It´s gonna be love and Cry ( the ending song which encloses the credits ). Mandy combines her musical life with her intervencions in some films like: The princess diaries, Doctor Dolittle 2, Saved and Because I said so, film that it is coming soon in Spain on the big screen and it seems it might be a promising film in our country, at least in the USA it will be.
This film shows that the power of love can change a person´s life and give everything for the person you really care. One boy who does not believe in his future, learns to live being in love with a girl who teachs him to dream about beautiful dreams, and makes him change his future.

Wild Life (extended)

I woke at down and inmediately saw the gun in her hand. She was sweating so much that even her hair was wet. I thought that my pathetic life was ending and I started to cry like a sassy and I prayed for it. I told her I had ten children and three wives. She shouted at me "three ? " and then she laughed. I noticed I knew her. I realised that I had a big problem at that moment, because I had recognised her. But for a moment I would preferred not to live in that country, because she was my first girlfriend Helen.

Helen had blond hair, a pair of beautiful eyes, a snub nose, two small ears and a normal mouth with a splendid smile. She was not very thin but was very atractive. I started to go out with her when I was only sixteen years old and our relationship lasted about six years more. I left her when I discovered that she was pregnant by another person whom I can not remember his name.

I asked her about a deal. If she gave me freedom I would give her some carpets as a present. She laughed strongly. Then she gave me a stare and jumped out of the window and came back inmediately. She had an arsenal in the tree house !. She took a flamethrower...Why had she chosen that weapon so destructive?

She wanted to reduce me to anything very quickly shooting twice. That place where we were, started to burn. The fire was increasing minut after minut. She shot the weapon again and I could dodge a long and painful death. I thought in a solution to keep myself alive and suddenly I remembered that the night before that day I had hidden a gun beneath my bed and it might help me. I tried to go to my bedroom, when someone knocked at the door and I could scape using the backdoor to avoid being seen. I climbed the iron gate and arrived in the lonely dark street. As everything was in darkness, it was very difficult to see something but the lights into the houses.

I run as fast as I could and arrived in a place near the river. There were two seats and I sat down in one of them trying to breath a bit and think what to do. A loud alarm started to sound. There was a blue light and another red, lightening behind myself. It was a police car. Two policemen got off of it. One of them had a torch and switched it on and lightened up the way. I knew that they were looking for me. I decided to dive into the river, so I took a deep breath, all I could, and swam under the water until I was so far away. I got to another place which it had a lot of graves and I realised in one second that I was in the cemetery of the town. As it had rained two days ago, there were still many puddles on the wet ground and I slipped and fell down into a deep hole. I was very frightened because although I tried to get out of it, I could not achieve it. Suddenly I heard a noise. Someone was coming to me. I stopped moving for a moment trying not to be heard by the other person. But I could not get it. He listened to me and showed his face over the hole.

- What are you doing there?- asked the man-. Have you fallen down or are you looting bodies?.
- I have fallen - I said -. I think my leg is broken.

The old man took me and carried me like if I was a rag doll. He left me in his home, laid on the sofa. Then he brought me something for dinner and ten minutes later I fell asleep. The next day I woke up and realised that I was in a bed...in prison.