Book Review 2-06

I read "Of mice and men". John Steinbeck who is a famous writer wrote this story in 1937.

In Depression era, George who is clever and knowing and Lennie who is mentally deficient and too strong are wandering from one farm to other farms. They hope one day to fulfill their shared dream of settling down on their own piece of land.

George and Lennie arrived at a ranch. They meet some members like them and work harmoniously with colleagues. When they get used to their work, Candy who is one of their colleagues and who is the oldest person in their group offers to pitch in with George and Lennie so they can buy the farm by the end of the month. They feel their heart heap but Curley who is a son of the owner of the farm hates them. One night, Curley does violence to Lennie so Lennie inflicts serious physical injuly on him accidently. Slim who is their leader help them through this difficult time. On Sunday, Lennie is disconsolate about the death of puppy and then the young and attractive wife of Curley came there. He accidently kills her. He is surprised and run away from the farm. George and Candy unearth the body and understand the situation so they try to settle the problem but Curley knows that. Therefore, Curley decides to kill him and he pursues Lennie with guns. George finds Lennie before Curley does. Then, he shoots Lennie.

I thought what a sad story this is.

Movie Review 2-02

"Kill Bill" is an American movie and the main theme is "revenge".

We audience were greeted by the ghastly sight of The Bride (Uma Thurman), the main character, lying in a pool of blood in the start of this movie. She was wearing a blood-spattered wedding gown after she was lynched the assassins who were originally the same party in the wedding chapel. She attempted to tell her would be killer, Bill (David Carradine), that she is pregnant with his baby, but he shoots her in the side of the head.
Four years later, The Bride arrived at Vernita's house. Vernita (Vivica A. Fox) was one of the assassins and was codenamed "Copperhead". Vernita opened the door with a smile but the Bride attacked her in order to kill her. However, Nikki, who was Vernita's daughter, arrived home from school, so they paused the fight until she was taken to her room. In the kitchen, Vernita apologized for being false to her trust but the Bride refused. Vernita gave a suggestion to the Bride to a knife fight later that evening. Vernita then, however, tried to shoot the Bride with a gun, but she missed and the Bride killed her with a knife. Then, Nikki accidentally witness the fight, so the Bride apologized her and said to her that the Bride will wait for her if she grows up and wants to revenge the Bride. After that, the Bride left in a car.
The Bride woke up after her slumber. She escaped from the hospital after killing a man. She deprived a car of him and hid in the back seat. Then, she tried to work her limbs. In the back of the truck, the Bride recalled O-Ren (Lucy Liu) to her mind. She had her personal bodyguard, Go-Go Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama), her friend and lawyer Sofie fatale(Julie Dreyfus), and Johnny Mo, who was a leader of the Crazy 88, O-Ren's personal army.
The Bride went to Okinawa to get a samurai sword from Hattori Hanzo (Shinchi Chiba), who was a master craftsman of samurai sword. Though He strongly decided to never make another sword, so the Bride persuaded him to make a new sword. He finally decided to make it and created the best sword for her.
The Bride went to the "House of Blue Leaves". After the Bride arrived there, she fought Go-Go Yubari and members of the Crazy 88, and so she killed all of them. Then she eventually fought O-Ren with samurai swords in a snowy garden. Thus, she killed O-Ren.
This story stops here in "Kill Bill volume 1", continued to volume 2.

I dislike this movie. This movie is an action movie but is like a comedy, an animation, and a comic for me. If we think this is what his movie is about, it may be interesting. In addition, why did animation be used from the middle of this movie? I mean, the scene was that O-Ren was a child. Moreover, I don't like that Japanese is used in this movie halfway. That is why I am not interested in this movie.

Book Review 2-05

I read this book, "TITANIC!". This story is well-known for being made into movie in 1997, which was an American romantic movie and which Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star in. Also, this movie win eleven academy awards, which have ever been unbreakable, and is the highest grossing film.

In 1996, treasure hunter Brock Lovett was salvaging TITANIC to find a necklace set with a valuable blue diamond called the "Heart of the Ocean". He found a picture of a young woman wearing the "Heart of the Ocean" and the date was the TITANIC sank. An old man, Rose Dawson Calvert who was one houndred years old watched the scene on TV so she came to see him with Lizzy who was her grand children. Rose was one of the survivers and she began to talk about the tragic voyage.

In 1912 Jack Dawson who was aspiring artist won a bet and got the ticket so he got on the third-class cabin before the TITANIC left. Rose who was seventeen years old at that time and who was better class of people got on the TITANIC with Cal, Ruth and Molly. Cal was her fiance, Ruth was her mother, who forced her to be engaged to Cal and Molly was a rich woman. Rose wanted to refuse getting married to him so she decided to suicide and she tried to jump off the bow of the ship but Jack saved her. Jack was invited to the first-class party and he knew upper-class life but at the same time he fell in love with her. After that, he drew the picture of her wearing the valuable blue diamond. Cal knew that and got jealous of Jack so he made a false charge against him and he kept him imprisoned in a cabin. At the midnight, the TITANIC collided with an iceberg and began to swamp slowly. Therefore, the crews launched lifeboats but the ship didn't have enough the boats. Rose helped Jack in priority to get on the boats. They were waiting rescue holding on the wrecks in the freezing sea. Rose was saved but Jack died.

I had watched this story in theater so I was not so moved.

Book Review 2-04

I read this book, Robin Hood. This story is well known all over the world. This story is summarized as follows.

Robin Hood was clever, strong, and brave. He loved advenrure, and he was the best fighter in England. He took money from rich people and gave it to the poor people. The greedy Sheriff of Nottingham hated Robin, and the beautiful Lady Marian lobed him.

This story is the most famous Robin Hood stories. Many countries have stories about brave and clever adventures, but is Robin Hood only a story? Perhaps he really did live, and perhaps not. There was a King Richard, who was king from 1189 to 1199. He left England and fought in Jerusalem. When he was away, Prince John was the most important man in England, and then, John was the next king when Richard died.

The story said that Robin Hood lived with his men in Sherwood Forest, near the town of Nottingham. Sherwood Forest and Nottingham were about 200 kilometres north of London. Many people there said that Robin Hood really lived in the forest.

I knew this story, but I forgot most of the story, so I remembered it when I read this. Of course, it is interesting but this story is for children, I think.

Book Review 2-03

I read Moby Dick, which was written by Herman Melville. This book is rated as the best of literature about ocean.

Main characters are Captain Ahab who was wearing a prosthetic limb, Starbuck who was a chief mate, Ishmael who was a narrator, Queequeg was a whaler. They came aboard "the Pequod" which is their ship and followed on white whale, which they said some call "Moby Dick" over the years. They got rid of a multitude of problems, so the journey came to its dramatic and tragic end when the Pequod, sailing despite dark portents, sights Moby Dick. For three long days the ship battled the white whale. Moby Dick shattered the Pequod’s hunting boats and then charged the ship itself, finally sinking it. Ahab and all the crew drown except Ishmael, who used the coffin built for Queequeg as a buoy. By pure luck, the still-searching Rachel sailed by and rescued Ishmael.

It was a adventure story I thought. It was interesting but a little boring for me.

Book Review 2-02

I read A Christmas Carol. This book is well known as a work written by Charles Dickens and as "little Christmas book". The story was instantly successful, selling over six thousand copies in one week and, although originally written as a potboiler to enable Dickens to pay off a debt, the tale has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time.

A main character in this story is Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge who was an elderly merchant, was as cool as ice, and was as hard as nails. He underwent a profound experience of redemption over the course of one evening and was a money-charger who had devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth, so his name is "Scrooge". "Scrooge" means a person who is very unwilling to spend money. He held anything other than money in contempt, including friendship, love, and the Christmas season.

The story begins by establishing that Jacob Marley who was dead. That day was Christmas Eve. Scrooge and his clerk Bob Cratchit are at work in the counting house with Cratchit stationed in the poorly heated "tank", who was a victim of his employer's stinginess.

Three ghosts who were "the first of spirits", "the second of spirits", and "the last of spirits" visited Mr. Scrooge. I think we can consider "the first of spirits" as "the past ghost", "the second of spirits" as "the present ghost", and "the last of spirits" as "the future ghost".
"The past ghost" brought him back to his childhood days. In the past, he was lonely but had a dream and was naive, so he wasn't a money-charger and didn't have love of possession.
"The present ghost" led him various place in London and he was poor but he had a happy home. Then, the ghost showed him Cratchit's house and he knew Tim, a Cratchit's son was sick and wasn't able to live long. Mr. Scrooge went all over the world with "the present ghost", so he was tired and slept. The next day, he saw "the future ghost" who extended his arm. He heard a person of bad reputation dead from the ghost, but he didn't know who the person is.
After that, he saw Tim died and his own name on an abandoned grave. Then, he was borne away by an impulse. At the end, Mr. Scrooge knew that he could change his future.

I like this story because this book taught us being able to change the future.

X reunite!!!!!!!!

Today, I was surprised to know "X-JAPAN" which is one of my favorite bands will reunite when I watched "Mezamshi TV", one of TV programs in every morning, in this morning. I was so happy to hear the news because I thought the band was never able to reunite for the death of the guitarist, hide. The fun of the band including me never thought that the band could not reunit without hide and that the band without him was not "X"!
That is why YOSHIKI who is a leader of the band decided to sampling hide's sound, which means using sound of guitar which hide was playing! Awesome!

This is the news on TV.

Fireworks in my home town

Fireworks displays were held in my hometown, Yatsushitro on October 20th and this year is the 20th show of annual event. A lot of the workmen from around Japan participate this exhibition every year and they display their own fireworks and compete in the event.
I found some different type of fireworks in the event and learnt that. For example, "Star Mine" in Japan or "Mine" in other country is firework which is displayed consistently, so the type of firework is like a star. Also "Jyugoudama" (10号玉) means the large of the firework, so the large is about 330 centimeters. Last, I watched "Music fireworks" which is desplayed with music.
Anyway, those fireworks were so beautiful, so I had some pictures.

This is the video on you tube.

English Weekend

I took part in "English Weekend" with my friends last weekend. "English Weekend" is held every year and for deepening friendships with exchange students. We stayed overnight at hostel in Goshi town, talked with each other, played games with English, having a barbecue, going to a hot spring resort, took a tour of beer factory, and so on.
Thus, we had a nice time and got along with each other.

I'm as busy as a bee!!!! 2

I lead a busy life.I have not changed doiing a lot of homeworks such as doing lesson plans, making note for a speech, writning book reviews and reports, and more!

Movie Review 1

“Toy Story” is a Disney CG animated movie, which was released in 1995 and is known as a first full-CG cartoon.

Andy (John Morris) like his toys. Woody (Tom Hanks), a cowboy toy, is his favorite toy, so he always play cowboys with his toys. In this story, toys speak and act secretly. Woody is a leader of Andy’s toys and is happy because Andy plays with him but things have changed. Andy’s birthday is coming so he gets a new toy, which is Buzz lightyear (Tim Allen). This toy is the latest action figure so children want him. He has a lot of functions, such as having a laser gun and wings, some buttons, so Andy like him soon. Woody doesn’t like that because thinks he thinks Buzz deprives his business. In fact, Andy prefers Buzz to Woody, so Woody envies Buzz. Then, Woody pushes him from a window. After that, Woody and Buzz are taken by Sid (Erik von Detten), who is a cruel boy. They meet Sid’s toys which are mismatched. In his room, Buzz has a lapse of confidence because he watches TV commercial about himself. He believes strongly that he is a “space ranger”, so he doesn’t listen to what Woody says, but he knows that he is not a “space ranger” but a toy which is made in Taiwan. However, they cooperate with each other and get back Andy’s home. Then, further problem is happen. Andy has already moved. They work together again. At that time, Buzz can fly actually, so they come back Andy’s hand safely.

This movie is exactly what the title says it is. I think “Toys move and talk in secret” is a dream which everyone has in childhood, thus most of adults also enjoys this movie. What impressed me most is a scene that Buzz knows his real identity. When Buzz who was depressed can fly in the final scene, he says that was falling with style to Woody.

Of course this movie is interesting to adults, but this is still children’s movie. I mean, adults predicts what happen next. For children, this movie is very good because this is a full of dream and adventure, so kids are interested in this film and can learn important things.

I'm as busy as a bee

These days, I have a lot of homeworks such as doing lesson plans, making note for a speech, writning book reviews and reports, and more!
I'm tired within the first week in this term.

Book Review 2-01

I decided to read this, The Secret Garden, as the first book in Autumn semester.
The Secret Garden is famous as a novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett and is considered a classic of children's literature now.

Mary Lennox was a sickly, sour-faced little girl who was born in India to wealthy British parents, who was father who was very busy with work and didn’t come home, and was mother, who was very beautiful, spent all her time going to parties, so an Indian woman, Kamala, was paid to take care of the little girl. She was always giving orders to Kamala, who had to obey. She never thought of other people, but only of herself. In fact, she was a very selfish, disagreeable, bad tempered little girl, who was lonely.

One very hot morning, something strange was happening when Mary woke up. In that day, cholera epidemic made her an orphan, that is, her parents passed away suddenly and Indian servants ran off, so no one was in her house and thought of Mary. She hid in her bedroom an sometimes cried and sometimes slept. When she woke up the next day, the house was silent. Then, men were in her room and they were very sad about this tragedy. After that, they found Mary. At first, she was taken to an English family who had known her parents but she hated their untidy house and noisy children, and preferred playing by herself in the garden. One day, she was sent to an isolated country house which her uncle lived in in Yorkshire, in the north of England. Her uncle, Mr. Archibald craven, was also bad tempered, had no friends, got a crook back, and was horrid.

While Mary lived a lonely life in Mr. Craven's house, she found out that it is happy to play in the garden and to relate bards. In the garden, she found another garden surrounded wall. Another garden was closed by Mr. Craven because an incident happened. Moreover, her deceased aunt, Mrs. Craven loved another garden. Mary searched about the entrance of the garden because she cared about trees and flowers in the garden. Then, she finally found the key of the entrance and entered there. She felt the garden was like alive. She met Dickon and decided to revive the garden as of old with him secretly. They found being happy to do that. Also she met Colin, who was her cousin. He was sickly in his bones, so he had never been to outside and he didn't have his parent's love like her.

In the end, Mary, Dickon, and Colin seized back childlike emotion

I think this book is cheerful for readers when we feel some anxiety such as living and loving.