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Watchmen

Watchmen

Date: Mar 18 2009

Themes: Alternative, History

Grammar: Count and Noncount Nouns

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.

Following the success of films like Hellboy and The Dark Knight, Watchmen is the latest comic book to be adapted into a movie. But this one is about more than cool superheroes and crazy visual effects. Watchmen is based on a popular graphic novel that deals with serious topics like the Cold War and the threat of a nuclear holocaust.

Turning a book or comic book into a movie is always risky, because fans of the original book are usually pretty critical of the film. Mason loved the graphic novel Watchmen. Listen to him and Marni discuss the adaptation.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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

Mason

Mason

Marni

Marni

Mason:  So did you watch the Watchmen, Marni?

Marni:  I have not seen it yet, but tell me about it, I’m dying to see it.

Mason:  So you know, Watchmen was a big hit comic book that came out in the mid-80s.

Marni:  It was a graphic novel, correct?

Mason:  Right, technically a graphic novel. I don’t really have a problem calling them comics, but we won’t get into that.

Marni:  Alright, alright.

Mason:  But it’s definitely got these apocalyptic kinda tones to it, ‘cause that was the Cold War era.

Marni:  Right, right. And so they…that’s sort of a theme throughout the film?

Mason:  Yeah. So it’s kind of using these superheroes in a sense to talk about the context and fear that was going on, of like, people thought the bomb was gonna drop and the world was gonna end.

Marni:  Alright, interesting. But how was the film though, visually is it…

Mason:  It’s visually quite beautiful I think. And it was very well adapted, almost frame-for-frame from the comic. But there’s an emotion that’s kinda lacking from it, I felt.

Marni:  I’ve actually heard that from other people.

Mason:  I walked out of the theater and I didn’t feel that joy of like, I just saw this thing come to life.

 

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Discussion

Mason is a big fan of the graphic novel Watchmen. A graphic novel is a special kind of comic book that is more complicated and sophisticated, like a novel.

Watchmen is set in 1985. It uses superheroes to talk about the Cold War, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union competed with each other to be the world’s most powerful nation. During this time, both countries developed many nuclear weapons. People were afraid that there would eventually be a nuclear holocaust.

In the movie, superheroes save the world from nuclear destruction. Is that something you worry about today?

 

Comments

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rmardem

Brazil

I didn't saw the film Watchmen, but i have heard thas isn't a good movie. Althoug had copied the graphic novel, it hasn't become a good movie.

04:35 PM Feb 03 2010 |

MICHOU

Madagascar

hello everybody.a member had sent a reply postcomment to me but i cant find it.so if u can help it's very kind of u.

10:17 AM Mar 25 2009 |

Mary Sunshine

Ukraine

Tongue out

06:24 AM Mar 24 2009 |

yangshuai

yangshuai

China

I do not think so .

I support north korea

01:09 AM Mar 24 2009 |

yangshuai

yangshuai

China

I do not think so .

I support north korea

01:09 AM Mar 24 2009 |

yangshuai

yangshuai

China

I do not think so .

I support north korea

01:09 AM Mar 24 2009 |

yangshuai

yangshuai

China

I do not think so .

I support north korea

01:09 AM Mar 24 2009 |

heik

heik

Mexico

I have not seen it yet .. but people says it is a good movie gotta watch it  right?

10:03 PM Mar 23 2009 |

eru1071

eru1071

United Kingdom

hi everyone, according to einstein

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

 

06:56 PM Mar 23 2009 |

ciberd7

ciberd7

Brazil

No, war is everywhere, you can see people fighting for having a good job, people starving while big guys are smoking their cigars and driving those super cool cars, etc. For me, the fear of not getting that I really dream to my life and world´s is something that´s worst than nuclear holocaust.

12:01 AM Mar 23 2009 |

fly_fly@live.cn

China

i worry about air pollution more than nuclear holocaust.

02:55 PM Mar 22 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

The Global Warming is today the greatest threat for us,let’s to think about ;)

03:13 PM Mar 21 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

Certainly not…The greatest threat today is the global warming and it is something pretty worrying!

03:11 PM Mar 21 2009 |

sofree

sofree

China

I don't worry about it, also I don't think any good for developing nuclear weapons. A Chinese idiom "杞人忧天", means having groundless worries or anxieties, it might not be groundless, but it's also something we could not change, so just accept the situation.

I never watch this movie, not my type, I don't like the theme. I like some other Japanese anime~ Cool

12:12 PM Mar 21 2009 |

chan_0909

China

i think it is a warning for human beings

03:25 AM Mar 21 2009 |

fcarrizo

Venezuela

There's a lot of talk going on about Watchmen and a lot of people can't decide if it was a good or a bad movie. I've always been a huge fan of Allan Moore and his way of telling stories and I sure had lots of expectations before watching the film, especially I was eager to know how Zack Snyder would portray the whole gamut of layers that this story has… and honestly, I've never been happier with any adaptation of anything!

I really can't understand those so called fans of Watchmen and how upset they've gotten after watching the film. I'm sure that the film would've been criticized just about the same if Snyder had put his own vision to it. I believe the movie was a great tribute for us the fans of the graphic novel.

Time will do its justice to the film!

02:21 AM Mar 21 2009 |

andrescisneros

Colombia

I think that the treat keeping, but the world always has been just one round fighting, today, the enemies are terrorims, hungry and drugs, tomorrow can be others

08:15 PM Mar 20 2009 |

andrescisneros

Colombia

 we won't get into that, guauu, the best way for keeping friendship

08:11 PM Mar 20 2009 |

curry zhang

China

no,we needn’t worry about it,’cause we human beings all love and respect life .we should concentrate our patient on the construction of our sole earth,instead of wrecking it.

06:07 PM Mar 20 2009 |

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