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Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Date: Dec 10 2008

Themes: Friend, Romance

Grammar: Adjectives

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.

Director Kevin Smith is known for using controversial topics in his smart, quirky comedies. Many of his films, like Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, feature characters who use drugs and a lot of bad language. Dogma, which stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as two fallen angels, angered some religious groups because it makes fun of the Catholic Church. But Smith’s latest movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, may be the most controversial yet.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno is about two broke roommates who decide to make a sex movie to help pay the rent. It includes some pretty graphic sex scenes, which upset some viewers. But fans of the movie say that in spite of the racy subject matter, Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy. Listen to Mason tell Marni what he thinks.

Dialog

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

Mason

Mason

Marni

Marni

Mason:  You know, the last thing that I ever expected to turn into a heartwarming romantic comedy was pornography.

Marni:  Oh, and yet…

Mason:  But Kevin Smith can do it.

Marni:  Kevin Smith?

Mason:  Kevin Smith, yeah, he directed the Zack and Miri Make a Porno movie.

Marni:  Oh, I had no idea he directed that.

Mason:  The movie was really…I mean, it was really cute, ultimately. There were the down and dirty bits, because, you know…

Marni:  Right, because they make a porno, which is traditionally known for being dirty.

Mason:  Right. So there are some lesser actors that may or may not have come from the world of adult film. However, the main actors remain pure and chaste.

Marni:  And it’s Seth Rogen, right?

Mason:  Yeah, and I do love how his last movie really was Knocked Up. But the whole premise of Knocked Up being, boy, no one would ever want to sleep with this guy.

Marni:  Right.

Mason:  And then a year later the movie comes out that’s him and Elizabeth “Hottie” Banks making a porno.

Marni:  Right. And so, the premise is that they make a porno because they’re desperate?

Mason:  Because they’re broke. They’ve been friends since high school, and they’re just roommates, and they’re kinda ne’er-do-wells. And the power gets shut off and they can’t pay their bills. So they’re like, well, people pay for watching sex on TV…

Marni:  Well, I was wondering if it was more social commentary based on our current economic situation, like, hey, maybe this is gonna become commonplace.

Mason:  They did not lose all of their money in the stock market, so…

Marni:  OK.

Mason:  But you know, maybe that was in the subtext. It’s possible that that was between the lines and I missed it.

 

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Discussion

Mason was surprised by how sweet and touching Zack and Miri Make a Porno was. He says Kevin Smith did a good job directing this movie. Even though some scenes were really racy, it was cute overall.

Seth Rogen isn’t known for being a super-attractive guy, and the characters he plays are often losers. So Mason finds it funny that in this movie, his character gets to make a porno with a beautiful woman.

In the movie, Zack and Miri decide to make a porno because they’re too broke to pay their bills. When Marni hears the premise of the movie, she wonders if Kevin Smith wanted to make a statement about the current economic crisis. But Mason doesn’t think that the movie is political.

Have ever done something creative to make money? Have you seen any other Kevin Smith movies?

 

Comments

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liushuixun

China

Creative way to make money is really something.h owever I don't have that experience. What a pity. I have a brain storm for making money in a ceative way but no ideas.

03:20 AM Dec 10 2008 |

Naomi1010

Naomi1010

Taiwan

Well, I haven’t seen that movie yet but I defintely will go check it out when it comes out.
And even though his last movie “knocked up” is way too exaggerated, some plots do have something we should think about. Because it does happen in this world.

03:12 AM Dec 10 2008 |

liushuixun

China

I’ve never films made by akaevin Smith, but I’m going to watch the Zack and … on line.

03:08 AM Dec 10 2008 |

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