"V for Vendetta" and the Gunpowder plot

If you want to learn something more about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot you can watch "V for Vendetta". Sunday 22.15 TVE1.

Valentine's Day

As you probably know, today is St. Valentine's Day. Going to the cinema and watching this film can be a good way to clebrate it.

Click here to watch the trailer.

Nelson Mandela

Maybe you have seen the film "Invictus". The film tells the story of how Nelson Mandela used the World Cup of Rugby to unite the people of South Africa. A very well told story with Clint Eastwood showing why he is one of the best directors in Hollywood. Morgan Freeman does a good job as Mandela and Matt Damon, who plays Francois Pienaar, captain of the national rugby team, delivers an emotional and believable performance that really draws you into what was taking place during the conflict between the whites and blacks of their nation. The South African cities and landscapes are beautifully shot and the scenes during the rugby matches place you in the action. An uplifting film that leayou with a sense of hope and belief that we still have a chance for mankind to come together before it is too late.

In case you want to know more about Nelson Mandela, here you are a very interesting link.

"Sherlock Holmes"

After finally catching serial killer and occult *sorcerer Lord Blackwood, legendary *sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the *grave and *resumes his killing, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. *Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the *dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the detective must *unravel the clues that will lead him into a web of murder, *deceit, and black magic.

DIFFICULT VOCABULARY

sorcerer - hechicero, brujo

sleuth - sabueso

grave - tumba

resume - reanudar, continuar

contending - lidiar

dimwitted - lerdo, mentecato

unravel - desenredar

deceit - engaño, mentira

The Book: Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in publication in 1887. He was the creation of Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess and is renowned for his skillful use of astute observation, deductive reasoning and forensic skills to solve difficult cases.

Agora: Amenabar and Hypatia

Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar is bringing the story of Hypatia and the fall of the Library of Alexandria to the big screen in his new epic film, Agora, starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, the last worker of The Library of Alexandria.

Hypatia was a mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and librarian working in a man’s world in 4th century A.D. Egypt before a Christian *mob violently murdered her, destroyed the Library of Alexandria, and brought about the beginning of the Dark Ages. Hypatia *struggled to *preserve scientific *knowledge *amid militant Christianity. But she failed. The Christians declared her a witch, *stripped her, *dragged her body through the streets, and burned her at the *stake before destroying the library, leading the Western world into a thousand years of darkness. She died a hero and a martyr for science and reason.

DIFFICULT VOCABULARY

mob - multitud

struggle - luchar

preserve - conservar

knowledge - conocimiento

amid - en medio de, entre

stripped - desnudar, quitar la ropa

dragged - arrastrar

stake - estaca

"Twilight"

PLOT SUMMARY: Twilight is a 2008 romantic-fantasy film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. The film stars Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl who falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen, portrayed by Robert Pattinson. The project was in development for approximately three years at Paramount Pictures before it was put into pre-production by Summit Entertainment. The novel was adapted for the screen by Melissa Rosenberg in late 2007.

SUGGESTION: Read the book before watching the film. For those of you who were sad because Harry Potter had gone, congratulations! Here you are a new series for reading.

TRAILER:

"The Queen"

Sunday 30 November TVE1 21.55

PLOT SUMMARY: Diana, the 'People's Princess' has died in a car accident in Paris. The Queen (Mirren) and her family decide that for the best, they should remain hidden behind the closed doors of Balmoral Castle. The heartbroken public do not understand and request that the Queen confronts her people. This also puts pressure on newly elected Tony Blair (Sheen), who constantly tries to convince the monarchy to address the public.

SUGGESTION: This a good film for learning about British monarchy, British history and enjoy watching beautiful sceneries from London and Scotland.

TRAILER: