A new film, First Man, released a few months before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landings gives an opportunity to look back at a discreet man who marked 20th century history. This B1+-B2 resource about Neil Armstrong’s mission offers an insight into the race to the Moon. Not only does it focus … Continue reading “First Man”
How do you make a biopic about one of the most famous men of the twentieth century but who was famously private and discreet? There can be few people on the planet who don’t know who Neil Armstrong was, or rather what he did. But do many of us even know what the astronaut looked … Continue reading “Filming “First Man””
The silent protest of two African American athletes on the podium at the 1968 Mexico Olympics was an iconic moment in civil-rights history. We’ve selected some teaching tools for language classes on the Black Power protest. In 2016, the prestigious Smithsonian opened a new, and long-awaited museum, the National Museum of African American History and … Continue reading “Mexico Olympics Black Power Protest Video”
Fifty years after the Mexico Olympics, when African-American medallists Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a Black Power salute to protest at discrimination, all three men on the podium that day have been recognised for their courage. On 16 October, 1968, two American sprinters made a symbolic gesture that became an iconic image of fight … Continue reading “Black Power at the 1968 Olympics Fifty Years On”
The Invictus Games, initiated by Prince Harry for injured service people, is in Sydney, Australia for its fourth edition from 20 to 27 October. It is especially poignant in the weeks before the commemoration of the end of the First World War. Prince Harry served in the British Armed Forces for ten years. In 2013, … Continue reading “Game On Down Under”
Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the most remarkable American painters of his generation is the subject of an exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, from October 3, 2018 to January 14, 2019. From 1980 to 1988, Jean-Michel Basquiat managed to impose his underground style in the streets of New York, a city where hip-hop, graffiti and … Continue reading “Basquiat by Vuitton”
The Johnny English films are a great way to get pupils to think about the clichés of the James-Bond-type spy film. English, created and played by Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) is the perfect parody of 007. The third film in the series, Johnny English Strikes Back, is no exception. As the leaders of the G12 are … Continue reading “Teaching With Trailers: Johnny English”
Well known for slow-burn, humanistic character study films, who would have thought that for his English-language debut, Jacques Audiard would have chosen one of the most characteristically American of genres, the Western? Adapted by Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain from Patrick deWitt’s 2011 novel, The Sisters Brothers reinvents the Western in a sensitive story about … Continue reading “Brothers Out-laws…”
The Utopiales festival in Nantes is dedicated to science-fiction in all its forms. You can sign up your classes for the special schools day. The 19th edition of Utopiales will be taking place from 31 October to 5 November (or Halloween to Guy Fawkes!) Since that is mostly in the school holidays, Monday 5 November … Continue reading “Science-Fiction in Nantes”
A Star Is Born is so popular with Hollywood that the new version with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is the fourth feature film based on the “rags to riches” fame story. We thought it would be interesting to compare the trailers for the four versions. The first two versions of the story are set … Continue reading “Teaching with Trailers: A Star is Born”