Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
When terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden was killed by the US Navy last year, a lot of people said, “Wow, that would make a great action movie.” Well, now it is one.
Zero Dark Thirty follows the story of the manhunt and what lead up to the raid, and then depicts Navy SEALs sneaking into Bin Laden’s compound via helicopter. The film is directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who won an Academy Award for her last military film, The Hurt Locker.
There has been a lot of controversy around Zero Dark Thirty. The movie is very realistic. The US government provided the filmmakers with a lot of information while they were doing research. Some believe the film shows things that should still be classified. Others have criticized the film for showing torture. They say it implies that torture is an acceptable way to get information from enemies.
Learn military English and find out what Jason and Vanessa think in this English lesson.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Jason: I can’t believe how fast they came out with an action movie about Osama Bin Laden.
Vanessa: It’s kind of astonishing actually. That’s all I could think when I heard about it, was, “Wow!” It’s kind of too soon for me.
Jason: Yeah I guess they felt is was just the perfect scene for an action movie, all those helicopters landing in the compound, and they just really couldn’t wait at all. They must have started working on it that week.
Vanessa: It wouldn’t surprise me, actually. And you know, I remember hearing people talk about that when it happened, that it was just the perfect real-life action movie.
Jason: But apparently people say that it’s pro-torture, that it shows it in, like, a positive light.
Vanessa: Really? I heard just the opposite. I heard that it was almost like anti-torture propaganda and some people were upset about portraying the military in a light that they thought was negative.
Jason: Wow, that’s pretty wild when you get something that can be interpreted either way like that. But I guess that’s kind of the sign of a good movie, maybe, that everyone can take what they want from it. That it’s complicated.
Vanessa: Hmmm. I guess I’ll just have to see the movie for myself.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Both Jason and Vanessa are surprised by how quickly a movie has been made about the killing of Osama Bin Laden by Navy SEALs last year. The real-life events were so much like an action movie though, it seems to make sense.
Jason says the film has been criticized for showing torture in a positive light. Vanessa has also heard that the film is propaganda against torture. The movie is made by an Oscar-winning film maker, so it’s no surprise that it’s complicated.
Do you think it’s too soon for Zero Dark Thirty? What other real-life events would make good action movies?
Comments
China |
Madagascar |
Iraq |
Jordan |
Yemen |
Yemen |
Russian Federation |
Iraq |
United States |
Egypt |
Nigeria |
Japan |
Turkey |
Colombia |
Turkey |
Poland |
Poland |
Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
China |
Yemen |
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