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The Best Movie Endings

The Best Movie Endings

Date: Jan 13 2010

Themes: Pop Culture

Grammar: Zero Conditional

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Sometimes it just feels great to cry at a movie. Watching movies with sad endings like Titanic can help you let out all kinds of pent-up emotions. And you get to do it in the dark, where nobody can see you. Plus, after the lights come back on and you wipe your eyes, you don’t feel sad anymore. After all, it was only movie.

But a lot of people prefer movies with happy endings. They want to be entertained when they go see a film, not depressed. If an ending is too perfect, however, it might not be believable. Find out if Mason and Ella prefer movies with happy or sad endings.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Ella

Ella

Mason

Mason

Ella:  Disney movies, they always have happy endings.

Mason:  You know, they do, but they always have some kind of sad element in there. Like there was Up, which had like a movie for the first five minutes and that had a sad ending, and then there was the rest of the movie and that had a happy ending. I mean, I gotta say, it’s probably kinda weird but ultimately I think I find sad endings a lot more interesting.

Ella:  I think for me it’s more about being realistic. I would prefer a happy ending ‘cause it still gives hope to what…if you compare it to your own life, you’d rather have a happy ending than a sad ending. But when it comes to movies I’d like it to be realistic.

Mason:  What about more ambiguous endings, you know, like The Graduate and stuff like that, where they leave it more open-ended?

Ella:  I guess it depends on how the movie went. ‘Cause if it’s ambiguous it’s like it’s open up to imagination, you can kind of go with it how you want. But if the whole movie sucked already and then there’s an ambiguous ending, it just makes me angry. What about you?

Mason:  I don’t know, I tend to find that when you shoot for realism, the open-ended ending is the realistic thing. This is something that happened, but it’s not the end of all things.

 

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Mason likes movies with sad endings better than movies with happy endings, because he thinks happy endings are usually boring. Sad endings are more complex and leave you with more to think about after you leave the movie theater.

Ella likes happy endings, as long as they are realistic. When an ending is too happy and perfect, she has a hard time believing it. But if her life were a movie, she would want it to end happily!

Some movies don’t really end happy or sad. They leave you wondering what is going to happen next, or they end in a way that could be happy or sad depending on how you look at it. Mason likes ambiguous endings and thinks they’re the most realistic.

Do you prefer movies with happy or sad endings? Which do you think are the most realistic? What are some of your favorite movie endings?

 

Comments

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iwori

iwori

Japan

I always watch movies to be moved, so I choose clear films not ambiguous ones. I try to remember my favorite flicks, they're not happy ending perfectly. All the more they contain also sad elements, I can sympathize with.

I recommend "New Cinema Paradise." It has part pf open-ended and some think it's not happy ending, I love that balance of feelings. 

03:35 AM Jan 16 2010 |

~MemoTheHun~

Germany

nice lesson

11:01 AM Jan 15 2010 |

Ca_Brazil

Ca_Brazil

Brazil

i like happy endings best. though, not always everything ends up well. i like movies with social criticism implied and watching chick flicks with my boyfriend, which he doesnt like it.

12:10 AM Jan 15 2010 |

LIL

LIL

Saudi Arabia

i really love the end of black actor and actress dramatic movies

cuz they always end with a wise thing in life

and i like the sad ending but without crying

i just cry from inside 

12:05 AM Jan 15 2010 |

Romio79

Romio79

Russian Federation

In comparison with sad endings i defenetly prefer happy endings 'cause if the movie is good and impressive sad ending makes me feel sad.

But i like ambiguous endings too if it's harmonious with other parts of the film. For example the ambiguous ending was ultimately the best for such movie as "Achilles and the Tortoise" by Takeshi Kitano. Someone can say that it was happy ending for the main character 'cause he at last found peace in his soul. Another one can say opposite that it was very sad story and sad ending 'cause he lost almost everything …   

08:02 PM Jan 14 2010 |

hazem02

hazem02

Jordan

Capitals` Love…

you are the passion…

my poetic passion…

you are the life..

my lovely life…

you are the dream…

my all dreams..

you are the love…

my only love…

without you,have no reason to live…

without me,you have no reason to live..

so lets share a feelings…

lets power this love more…

lets get its best…

through our hearts and bodies..

to make its greatest…

to make our love…

into our capitals` love…

where no one there…

just a silence…

you…

and me…


07:58 AM Jan 14 2010 |

r_n

r_n

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i like happing ending becaus live more dynamic but sad movie tend to tear

05:12 AM Jan 14 2010 |

Ahn Soo-hyun

South Korea

I prefer happy endings, but someties I want to watch sad movies like P.S.I love you. Sometimes men tend to tear, yoou know? Anyway, movies like my life. I want to live more dynamic and passionate.

03:38 AM Jan 14 2010 |

fedorame

fedorame

China

The happy ending and sad ending are all likely to be realistic, and it comes down to the storyline of movies. Personally, I like them both,but as for the ambiguous ending, I hate them,coz it is kind of traumatic for me to figure out what is going on ultimately, maybe it is merely the herald of a sequel.

01:53 AM Jan 14 2010 |

habosh

Syrian Arab Republic

hey all,i think we should always watch those both,we should watch the happy endings cause it will make us optimistic and always remember the good things in the life,and about the sad endings we should watch it too cause sometimes we had problems or bad things in our life so that will make us always stress and ungry  so when we cry while we saw the sad endings we feel more comfortable….

i hope ya all feel happy…

see ya….

10:07 PM Jan 13 2010 |

shadows goldsmith

Syrian Arab Republic

Hi flags in my opinion it be as what a person does feel

09:12 PM Jan 13 2010 |

rebel lee

rebel lee

China

I like movies with sad endings.Because if a movie with a ambiguous ending,it is always a art movie,it is too deep,you have to think a lot about it.If a movie with a happy ending,then it is meaningless.You always can learn something from a sad-ending movie.
One of my favourite movies is called “A World Without Thieves”.That movie has a sad ending,the male main character died,and his wife was pregnant,they are both thieves.

04:13 PM Jan 13 2010 |

English Avenue

Japan

I used to like exciting movies, but now I prefer the ones which are realistic.  It doesn't matter if it ends happily or not.  But maybe a happy-ending-movie is better if I watch before bed!

03:45 PM Jan 13 2010 |

PumpkinSoup

Thailand

For me it depends on how  the movie is going not only how it ends. I really have no preference of movie endings. Happy, sad and ambiguous are all realistic to me becuase anything can happen. Sompe people are so lucky and some are very unfortunate so there.

03:14 PM Jan 13 2010 |

fatomata

fatomata

Morocco

brilliant stance mason, i like ur last attitude

03:04 PM Jan 13 2010 |

domonorn

domonorn

Thailand

Fighto!!!!!!

02:48 PM Jan 13 2010 |

Inarka

Inarka

Uzbekistan

I prefer happy endings, 'cause life can be sad enough, so i don't feel a need in sad endings. Happy and funny movies usually make us feel better for a while…They say, "happy end stories" are not finished, why so pessimistic?

But actually, a movie can be good both with a happy and a sad ending.

 

02:05 PM Jan 13 2010 |

hussain mt

hussain mt

Saudi Arabia

I don`t prefer this movies with sad ending , couse I `ll be without feeling about it , so I prefer movies that contain dynamic like prison break .

12:40 PM Jan 13 2010 |

daishengchao

China

I prefer movies with sad endings,for I can find something mutual.

I always feel that I'm a person full of sadness ,however,I donot know why?

12:03 PM Jan 13 2010 |

NJ ^__^

NJ ^__^

Thailand

I prefer happy ending movies, sad ending movies make me cry and sad..

10:59 AM Jan 13 2010 |

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