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Last Samurai

Date: Dec 10 2003

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.

In the new movie The Last Samurai, the paths of two warriors converge when the young Emperor of Japan hires an American Civil War hero (Tom Cruise) to train Japan’s first modern army. However, as he encounters the ancient Japanese Samurai traditions, the American finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by the Samurai way of life. His new respect for the Samurai puts him at the center of a violent and epic struggle between two eras and two worlds, with only his sense of honor to guide him. (Warner Bros.)
Zach and Miguel are both interested in seeing The Last Samurai. Listen in to their conversation to hear what they think about the movie.

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.

Miguel

Zach

Miguel: Zach, have you heard anything about the movie The Last Samurai.

Zach: Is that the one with Tom Cruise and he goes out to Japan and helps the army?

Miguel: Yeah. Totally. I think he’s a Civil War hero or something. I, I saw him on Oprah Winfrey Show, um, and they talked about the movie for like a whole hour, so I feel like I learned a lot about it, but I still don’t know exactly what it’s about.

Zach: Yeah, I saw the trailer at, at another movie. It looked really exciting and there’s a lot of war scenes and everything.

Miguel: Yeah, it looks like there’s some incredible fighting with the swords and, uh, it’s sort of along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Zach: Yeah, that was a great one too.

Miguel: Yeah, I’m really into those kind of movies. We’ll have to check it out.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

Some of my friends saw The Last Samurai a couple of days ago, and they gave me mixed reviews. One friend said she absolutely loved it and that it was one of her favorite movies of all time. However, another said that it was kind of boring and really predictable. So, I’m not sure what to think. I guess I’ll have to see the movie and decide for myself!
If you’re a fan of Tom Cruise, I bet it’s worth your time to see The Last Samurai. He’s one of the biggest movie stars of our time.
See you at the movies!
Zach