UNIT 2 Whats on at the theater

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UNIT 2 Whats on at the theater?
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I. Lead-in. Work in pairs, discuss the following
questions and then share your answers with the
whole class.

• Do you prefer to watch movies at home or at the
  theater? Why?
• Which do you prefer, contemporary movies or at
  classic movies? Why?
• Which do you prefer, Chinese movies or foreign
  movies? Why?
• If a book has been made into a movie, do you
  prefer to see the movie or to read the book
  first? Why?

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II. Create a dialog with your partner according
to the given situation, referring to the useful
expressions in the form if necessary.

• A has two tickets for a car exhibition and
  invites B to go together this weekend. B gladly
  accepts the invitation. B learns that A has a
  friend working at the exhibition center and can
  get free tickets.

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Useful expressions.

• I am wondering If youre free tomorrow night.
• Are you busy this evening?
• What are you doing tonight?
• What are you up to tonight?
• I guess I am. Why?
• Why do you ask?
• Yes, whats on your mind?
• have you any pans?

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Useful expressions.

• Will you come with me?
• Would you like to go/come with me?
• Do you want to come with me?
• Yeah, definitely! Thanks for inviting me!
• Certainly, thank you for the invitation.
• Sure, thank you very much/ever so much.
• Sounds great!

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Useful expressions.

• Its my pleasure.
• My pleasure.
• No problem.
• Its nothing.
• Im flattered you went through all this trouble
  just for me.
• Thank you for all the trouble youve gone to.
• Thank you for the trouble youve taken in
  securing the tickets.

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Sample dialog. Pay attention to the colored
expressions.

• A Hi, are you busy this weekend?
• B Yes, Whats on your mind?
• A Ive got two tickets for the car exhibition.
  Would you like to go with me?
• B Sure. Thanks for your invitation.
• A Its nothing.
• B Ive been wanting to see the exhibition, but
  it was not at all easy to get a ticket. How did
  you manage to get two tickets?
• A A friend of mine works at the exhibition
  center. She was able to get three free tickets.
• B Wow, people are paying almost 100 yuan for a
  ticket on the black market. Thank you very much
  indeed for inviting me.
• A No problem.

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III. Create a dialog with your partner according
to the table below, referring to the useful
expressions in the form if necessary.
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Useful Expressions.

• What did you think about?
• What do you think about?
• Whats your opinion of?
• is an excellent piece of work, but not as good
  as the previous ones.
• Its a wonderful /excellent movie, but not half
  as good as the previous one.
• Its a great /super/killer piece of work, far
  better than the previous one.

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Useful Expressions.

• ..was incredible!
• Its unbelievably good.
• you can hardly imagine how wonderful the movie
  is.
• one of the most spectacular things about it was
• one of the most amazing/impressive/striking/sensa
  tional/breath-taking things about the film is

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Useful Expressions.

• State-of-the-art
• up-to-date
• most modern
• so many fantastic settings and other-worldly
  costumes..
• so many strange/beautiful/magnificent settings
  and elaborate/traditional/colorful costumes

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Sample dialog. Pay attention to the colored
sentences.

• A What did you think about The Lion King?
• B WellI think this cartoon was pretty good, but
  not as good as Beauty and the Beast. Its a
  killer flick.
• A Really? But I think The Lion King was
  unbelievably good.
• B I thought it was just OK. Why do you think so?
• A Well, its so interesting that the lives of
  the lions were similar to the lives of human
  beings.
• B youre right. The murder in The Lion King was
  almost the same as the murder in the
  Shakespearean play Hamlet.

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IV. Create a dialog with your partner according
to the table below, referring to the useful
expressions in the form if necessary.
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Useful Expressions.

• the plot was first-class. But I dont think the
  character development was that strong.
• The plot is first-rate/superb, but the character
  development is not so/that strong/good.
• the casting was great
• The cast is strong.
• They have an all-star cast.

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Useful Expressions.

• the acting was a little weak.
• But the acting was bit weak/poor.
• But the acting was not much good.
• They just didnt have a lot of funny or
  meaningful lines.
• They didnt have many interesting and witty
  lines.

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Useful Expressions.

• I cant imagine anyone else playing that part.
• I dont think anybody can compare with him in
  playing/acting that part.
• I doubt whether anyone can compare with him for
  that role.
• Hes soooo cute.
• Hes sweet/lovable/delightful/adorable.

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Sample dialog. Pay attention to the colored
sentences.

• A What do you think about the movie?
• B I think the plot was first-rate. But I dont
  think the character development was so strong.
• A Yes, the characterization was rather weak. Do
  you think it is because of the casting of the
  movie?
• B No, the cast was strong. But the casting was
  rather poor. And the lines are not interesting at
  all.
• A Well, maybe. But I liked the heroine of the
  movie. She is excellent.
• B Yeah, l liked her too. Shes adorable.

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V. Questions for Discussions

• Which do you like best, action movies, comedies,
  horror movies or cartoons? Explain why.
• Whats the best/worst movie youve ever seen?
  Describe it.
• Should movies be rated to show what audience they
  are suited for? Explain why.
• Who are your favorite actors or actress in China?
• How often do you rent VCDs or DVDs?