Filme review: Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge is a musical about the love between a writer and a courtesan. The story happens in a cabaret named Moulin Rouge, located in Paris. Christian, played by Ewan McGregor, is a young writer who dreams about freedom, beauty, truth and love. He starts writing a play for a group of actors and, to get it approved, he reads it to Satine, played by Nicole Kidman. She is the most beautiful courtesan of the Moulin Rouge, known as the Sparkling Diamond. She dreams about being an actress and decides to do anything to make it true, even seducing a duke. However, a misunderstanding happens and, when Christian reads his play for her, she believes that he’s the duke! He immediately falls in love with her, but they can’t stay together because she is already promised for the duke. Satine falls in love with Christian too, and they become lovers. One day, after some argues with both men she is seeing for jealousy, she decides to run away with Christian. However, she discovers that she’s suffering from tuberculosis, what means that she’ll die soon.
The songs chosen to this film are incredible. The lead actors, Ewan and Nicole, are unbelievable singing! Their voices are perfect together. It’s an amazing story, with incredibly beautiful songs and a wonderful meaning: the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

An act of kindness

One day, after sleeping at my house, I went to the bus stop with my boyfriend to see him going to his home. In the way back home, I saw an amazing scene: a street dog being adopted.
Near my house are lots of abandoned dogs! Some people who live there even feed them. That day, I saw one of this caring people convincing an old couple to bring one dog into their home. It was incredible! The dog was extremely cute and kind, but some people used to mistreat it. Because of that, unknown people scared him a lot.
I didn’t have anything important to do at home, so I decided to stay watching. The dog was afraid at the first moment, but them he entered in the old couple’s house.
Yesterday, when I was going to the bus stop, I looked to the house yard and saw the dog happily running and playing with kids. I smiled without even noticing.

My favourite piece of art: Pride and Prejudice

I love literature! My aunt is a Portuguese teacher and since I was a little girl she used to give me books as presents. Probably because of that, I love reading. My favourite writer is Jane Austen. She was an important English novelist. Her most famous book – which I like the most – is Pride and Prejudice.
It`s about the life of Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest of five daughters. The Bennets live in Hertfordshire, a place near London. They are not a rich family, so the mother thinks only about marrying her children. Her older sister and best friend, Jane Bennet, is the most beautiful woman in town. She is also incredibly kind.
Elizabeth is probably the only intelligent girl in Hertfordshire. Instead of thinking about marriage as the other girls, she prefers reading. However, everything changes when Mr. Bingley and his friend Mr. Darcy, two handsome rich men, decide to visit the town.
Finding Mr. Darcy an arrogant unpleasant proud man, Elizabeth immediately dislikes him. Besides, she hears him talking to Mr. Bingley and discovers that his opinion about her is not very nice. The book is full of smart dialogues and has an ironic vision of the situations, which gives us an amazing wish to never stop reading it.
What amazes me is that Pride and Prejudice is not just a love story. It`s about moral questions as vanity, politeness, way of behaviour, pride and prejudice. And, above all, it`s an intelligent critical story.

Film Review

Film: The Wave (Die Welle)

The Wave is a successful german movie. More than two and a half millions germans have seen it. It is based on the book The Wave. The film was produced by the great Dennis Gansel and directed by Christian Becker in 2008. It starred some awsome german young actors and actresses like Frederik Lau, Max Riemelt, Jeniffer Ulrich and Odine Johne. It also has the participation of Jurgen Vogel.

It is project week in the school, and Rainer Wenger( Jurgen Vogel) has to teach the students what is autocracy. Firstly he argues over whether or not a dictatorship could be established in modern Germany. Of course the students don´t believe in it. So he starts trying to show how easily people can be manipulated creating an experiment.

The goal of the experiment was to make the classmates create a moviment. The Wave was founded, all students starded wearing white shirts and having Rainer as a leader. Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that some students are taking The Wave far more seriously than others, with disastrous results.

It is defenitely a worth watching, Vogel played this caracter perfectly making people believe in what he was saying during the film. The young actors and actresses despite having no large expirience handled their rolles in a shocking and fantastic way. The Wave is a superbly directed and thought-provoking thriller that will doubtless become a huge hit with philosophy and sociology teachers everywhere. Highly recommended.

My favourite piece of art

NOOO, IT´S NOT. It can sound like a cliché, but it is not. My favourite piece of art ist the portrait of Mona Lisa. It is not because it is a beautiful portrait or because it was made by the great Leonardo da Vinci. Definitely, the Mona Lisa´s portrait is my choice because I never heard that a small painting could have such a big deal with the world´s history.
Mona Lisa´s portrait was made in the 16th-century. It is painted in oil on a poplar panel. The work is currently owned by France and it can be seen on dispay at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. It is officially called the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.
It has a wonderful power, there is many stories involving it. People believe that there is secrets behind this tiny painting. When I went to Paris and visited the museum it was a such deception for me, the paint is so small, and people can not see it propely because there is many chineses blocking your way and taking six hundred non-sense pictures of it.
Wish I could know the worldchanging mystery of this powerful portrait.
oops, wrong one! sorry. This is the right one:

My favourite piece of art

Hi there!!

My favourite piece of art is a music from Mike Posner calledCooler than me. It's a nice song to be listened in a bus, when you are travelling or going to school. That music is not as well known in Brazil but for sure it will be. It's a nice music to sing as well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrFQLmOp0fI

This is the link of the official video!!

My favourite piece of art

Competition Entry (Free Gym Membership)

To: Sporting Life
From: Anna Luiza

Nowadays, practising a sport is not only a way of being health and having a well-shaped body, but also an easy way of having fun and even relaxing from problems. People find in sports some sort of peace that they aren’t able to find in every-day life, when chaotic situations take part. For example, when there was this year’s World Cup, I used to find myself quite sad if I lost a single match. The odd thing is that I’m not a football fan and I even find it boring sometimes, but the time I had to watch the games was the time I had to rest and thing about nothing at all.

In general, sport is about individual achievement, as even the ones that have teams need to have each member of it prepared to make his/her best. The interaction between people will depend on how ready each person is for a particular match or game, otherwise it’ll end up being a big mess. On the other side of the television, watching cheering for the teams, there are us. The influence sports people have by us is huge, as some of us end up idealizing them, seeing them as the most powerful and successful people in the world. That’s not only a question of adoration, but also a kind of obsession that usually has to do with how the media “builds” those sports people. Wanting to become the best footballer or the fastest swimmer is nothing but the way we find to get near to our “sport idols”. And that’s also why sport and fitness centres are so popular: because they represent another aspect in which we can succeed to get this (metaphorical) medal in life of being just like our idols.

To conclude, sport is something essencial to every human being. To practise it in a health way will only add benefits to people. And that’s why I want to get the free membership for one year; to be bodily and mentally vigorous, free from disease and happy with who I am.

A Film Review: Jules an Jim

Jules e Jim is a black-and-white french movie, directed by François Truffaut in 1962, at the time of the creative explosion of Godard, Chabrol, Rohmer, Resnais, Malle and the other New Wave directors. Adapted from Henri Pierre Roché's semi-autobiographical novel, Jules e Jim is a story about love, friendship and freedom, in which everything is possible.


The film opens with a breathless narration that tells us about two young men - one French, one Austrian - who meet in a 1912 charming and become lifelong friends. They share an interest in the world of the arts and the bohemian lifestyle, and fall in love with the same girl, Catherine (Jeanne Moreau), deciding to deal with it in an uncommon way.
Firstly, Jules (Oskar Werner) takes her to Austria to get married and the Great War separates him from Jim(Henri Serre). Then, after its (the war) ending, Jim visits, and later stays with, the couple in Austria.
With lots of turnarounds and confusions, the film is rather pleasant. There are many beautiful scenes and lines, but what strikes you most are the lovely takes in which Jules, Jim, Catherine and Sabine, the little daughter, play around and live together in harmony, with a wonderful soundtrack. These create a stunning atmosphere of happiness and daintness.
The act too is first-rate, with an incredible Jeane Moreau and both Oskar and Henri giving completely convincing performances.
To sum up, Jules and Jim is a beautifully-filmed love story. It's well worth seeing, as long as it keeps the audience glued to the screen from the begining to the end.

My Favorite Piece of Art

Hello everybody!



I decided to talk about "Manhattan", one of the most delightful Woody Allen's film ever.
It is a 1979 american romantic comedy, filmed in black and white, about a twice-divorced 42-year-old writer who dates a 17-year-old girl before eventually falling in love with his best friend's mistress.
Manhattan isn't all about funny situations and intelligent lines, as it is expected from Allen's movies. It has a lovely atmosphere, with beautiful takes in a romantic New York City, maybe a reminiscence from old photographs, films and books.
It has a great cast, a great plot and a great production, constructing something big and rich in details, that makes you think about your own life and keeps you glued to the screen from the begjning to the end. What's more, you're never the same when the movie's over, once it shows you how pleasant and complicated life can be.

A Film Review: The Hours

“The Hours” is a drama film, from 2002. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and was based on Michael Cunningham’s book, of the same title. Starring Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep, the movie shows how the novel “Mrs. Dalloway”, written by Virginia Woolf, affects three women from different generations and ends up interconnecting all of them.
Virginia Woolf, played by Nicole Kidman, lives in 1920s England and is trying to recover from depression, while writing “Mrs. Dalloway”. The book talks about a woman – Clarissa Dalloway – who is preparating for a party (post-World War I) of which she is to be hostess. About 30 decades later, in 1951, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore), a troubled pregnant housewife who lives in Los Angeles, reads the book as a way of escaping from her own reality. Laura is also planning to do a party, but for her husband in that day. Later on, in 2001, New Yorker Clarissa Vaughan – who has the same name of Woolf’s main character - shows up as a book editor. Like the ones before, she spends the day preparing for a party she is hosting in honor of her lover Richard (Ed Harris), a poet and author living with AIDS who is to receive an award. The movie itself represents both a homage to Woolf and very much its own creature.
The amazing plot, mixed up with the fantastic work that the cast made with the director; would be enough to consider “The Hours” one of the best movies of all times. But there are also other great aspects of this film, in which the soundtrack, composed by Philip Glass, must be included.
“The Hours” was nominated for several awards, including the Silver Berlin Bear, Golden Globe, Grammy, Oscar – in which Nicole Kidman won, as “ the Best Actress in a Leading Role” and many others.
It's definetely well worth seeing this beautiful film, with great cast and plot. "One of the best movies of all time", as I just said. "The Hours" will keep you glued to screen from the first scene until the last one - and I guarantee that you'll find yourself thinking about everything you've just seen for a long time.

Clarissa Vaughn: You don't have to go to the party, you don't have to go to the ceremony, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You can do as you like.
Richard Brown: But I still have to face the hours, don't I? I mean, the hours after the party, and the hours after that...

My Favourite Piece of Art

Hi there!
I'm here to talk about (one of) my favourite piece(s) of art. It's a couple of photos, made Alex Prager - an american photographer. Her work has been compared to some others, like Cindy Sherman's, David Lynch's and Hitchcock's. Alex photographs have some sort of drama, mixed up with a surreal stuff; in which she gives to them the name of the woman of who she took the picture.

Here are the ones that I like most:

To check out more of her work, you may visit the website:
http://www.alexprager.com/


Hope you guys liked it!
See ya!

My favorite piece of art

Hi, everyone! It's so good to see so many posts and comments on this blog ^^
Well.. I want to be a part of this sucess too!


As everybody knows, I'm a huge fan of music, but specially the creative ones.
And that's why I decided to show you this amazing video of a brazilian guy making music of uncommon instruments.
Most of you must already know him and his videos.





Liked it? You can leave a comment below telling us what you think, or not. :)


See you!

Review Of A Film: Forrest Gump.

I've decided to make a review of my favorite movie: Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump was released in the USA in 1994 and the director was Robert Zemeckis. The movie is about Forrest Gump's(Tom Hanks) life, a guy who grows up in Greenbow, Alabama, where his mother (Sally Field) runs a boarding house. Although Forrest is a little "slow" (his IQ is 75, 5 below the state's definition of "normal"), his mental impairment doesn't seem to bother him, his mother, or his best (and only) friend, Jenny Curran (played as an adult by Robin Wright). In fact, the naivete that comes through a limited understanding of the world around him gives Forrest a uniquely positive perspective of life.

During the next years, Forrest becomes a star football player, a war hero, a successful businessman, etc. Through it all, however, there is one thing that defines everything in his life: his love for Jenny. She is never far from his thoughts, no matter what he's doing or where he is.

The movie comes through a long and important period of USA, mixing true facts with Forrest's history. Through the miracle of visual effects, Forrest meets his fair share of famous people - George Wallace, Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and John Lennon.

The movie has lots of messages. The lead one is to not give up in life. It's such a great combination of drama, comedy and romance and it's well worth seeing.

FAVORITE PIECE OF ART

I’d like to say that my favorite pieces of arts are, really special to me...

Once upon a time I’ve made my on pictures,  of course they’re all from my head. And most of the bunch of them all is at my mother house, and as IT is I don’t have enough courage to take them from her. But I got to admit that someday I’ll put them on my walls.

In my opinion the best of MY PIECES of art is that one called as “Chinese Dragon”. I’ve passed a huge amount of months painting IT, because is a picture that I  can say that there’s far beyond the best Chinese Dragon  I probable could made by myself. Take a look  at IT right now…

AT...

Piece of art!!

I'll be back pretty soon.

Extreme kindness!!

I was searching for inspiration throughout the net when I came across this cute animation about kindness! It's worth watching and reflecting upon our own actions!

Nowadays any kind of kindness is being considered extreme kindness!!

People have been leading such a stressed and hectic life that one cannot find room for anything but practicalities. Practicality and kindness are simply antagonistic words.

I am still one of those freaks who are always saying 'please' and 'thank you' all the time, standing up for elderly people and pregnant women, etc. I get very impressed when someone tells me I am very polite just for doing this.

I had two situations in which my sense of civility, not to say, humanity led me to acts of great kindness. I wouldn't say they're extreme but some people would classify them like that.


Everyone knows that there are special seats in every public transportation. They are usually close to the door and have different colours. They should be available for people with special needs, either for their age, disability or pregnancy. About three years ago, I was going back home from college. I took a bus in spite of my huge 8-month-pregnant belly. I couldn't fit through the turnstile, so I sit down on the first seat, next to the door, since the other two seats before the turnstile were not available. After a while, a blind woman caught the same bus and I had no doubts whatsoever of standing up, so that she could sit. Another woman that was standing next to me got very angry because she thought the other two young women sitting on the special seats should have done what I did. I told her I was fine, in addition to that fact that my prerrogatives for being pregnant wouldn't prevent me from being kind and recognizing the blind woman needed the seat more than I did. Of course, I could have stayed in my seat and no one would say a word to me because of my big belly, but it is not in me to ignore such a thing.

The other situation was about 7 years ago, I was also pregnant and I was going to the doctors in Copacabana. Again I was on my way in a bus and all of a sudden it broke down in a "quite" dangerous place. Some people decided to stay in the bus and wait for another one to come and pick them up. However, not onlu I had an appointment but also I got terrified of staying there. When I got off the bus a woman with two kids decide to follow me . I stayed near the bus and she walked a bit more. We planned separately to take cabs and get out of that place. We waved at the same time at a cab coming in our direction, but as she was between me and the cab, I thought it would take her first. Instead, the driver stopped right in front of me!! The woman looked at me desperately, believing she would have to wait longer. I asked her if she wanted to join me on that ride, which she imediately accepted. I almost got late to my appointment because she was going to a different place, but I was very glad to help her and her kids at that moment.

I also found an interesting website talking about kindness. Check it out!!

http://www.actsofkindness.org/welcome

See you, Janine

Famous quotes

hi

my quote:

" sometimes in life you have to take one stap back, to in another moment give a big step foward!!!)

and I put right now some videos on YOUTUBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdtlSoDFItE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RZ4u3HvMMQ

se yah!!!

Composition

Two years ago I was walking in the street when I saw a poor family, begging for some food or money. I was shocked, so I just said them to wait a bit, so I can go home, talk to my mom and get the money or the food.
When I arrived home, my mom ask me why I came back, so I explain. She was pround of me, so she prepare some food, with coffe and we take there, to give it for them. I think i never saw such happiness in a face of someone so poor. I was glad to help than, because, as my mom say, if they need help, and I help, they can help me when I need.
After helpping them for two weeks, they told me that the woman and the man of the family, both of them, have gotten a job. Naturally, I almost cry with them, and I was felling pround of them, of myself and it was awesome to help a strange person, because we don't know what could happen.
It was verry funny and I learn a lot with this experience.

Lucas Corrêa

Famous Quotes

Hi there!!

As I promised, I am posting the quotes most of you read in class.

Lívia brought these two. She haven't got the chance to tell you them, but they are really good, both by Charles Chaplin:
"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles."
"To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it."
Chaplin is a milestone in movie industry for developing comedy in a very singular way.

Mahatma Ghandi was Lucas Guinancio's choice: "Don't have a way for happines. Happiness is the way." A good choice by the way!

Bruno Ritter found two quotes by two outstanding politicians. The first is Sir Winston Churchill: "However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results." As the British Prime Minister and a soldier of the British army himself, Sir Churchill used his oratory skills to support those who were fighting in the II World War.
The other is Benjamin Franklin: "A countryman between lawyers is like a fish between two cats." Frankling is one of the most important presidents the US has ever had for his fight for the people and the abolition of slavery.

Alan found many interesting quotes by Einstein and Nietzsche.
The former, in my opinion, is one of the most brilliant minds ever. And he said...
"I never teach pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."
"I never think of the future - it comes soon enough."
"If you are out to describe the truth, leave the elegance to the tailor."
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
The latter is considered one of the first people who attempted to fight prejudice, though his philosophical writings. His first sentences defines very well what he thinks about humankind:
"Man is the cruelest animal."
And he goes on... "No price is too high to pay for the priviledge of owning yourself."
"One must have a good memory to be able to keep the premises one makes."
"The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time."
"In heaven all the interesting people are missing."

Now I'll be waiting for your posts!!

Cheers, Janine

Make yourselves at home!!!

My warmest welcome to you all!
I am very glad to see that some of you have already accepted the invitation to join our virtual interactive room. Hope you enjoy the experience.
Soon I'll be telling what we're supposed to write about.
See you in class!
Janine