AS GOOD AS IT GETS: Fears and phobias

FEARS AND PHOBIAS

In As good as it gets we've seen one of the characters suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now let's have a look at fears and phobias. Read the article you can find in the following page:

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/phobias.html

It includes several parts and you must read the whole of it (up to overcoming phobias).

Tasks:

1- Make a list of vocabulary that concerns:

* Fears or phobias * Causes of phobias * Emotional states * Physical symptoms

(Don't publish it. We'll read it in class.)

2- Write about your personal experience concerning the topic. Publish your comment on the blog.

Deadline: August 4

AS GOOD AS IT GETS: Reviews

 Hi guys!!! Here's some more work for you, hopefully one that you will enjoy.

Task 1

 In a review about the movie, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat say:(http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=1015)

"As Good As It Gets is a shaggy dog romantic comedy. All its messages are worth taking to heart. Don't judge people too quickly. Never write anyone off. Even the weirdest and most irritating people are full of surprises. Everyone is capable of love."

What do you think about their view? Is it true that everyone deserves a chance? Can you remember any personal experience/s in which you were surprised by somebody you didn't think well of?

Write a comment in which you will express your own ideas and will also give an opinion about what the classmate who has written before you has said. I know! Everyone will try to be the first one! But.... the first writer will comment on the last student or anyone he/she chooses.
Deadline: August 23

Task 2

I'm posting several reviews of the movie  Your task is to either choose one review or parts of different reviews and say why you agree or disagree with it.
Some of them have been shortened and I'm including the source in case you want to read more.
Deadline: August 4
 

http://www.ardemgaz.com/cgi/showreview.pl?Jack+Nicholson~+As+Good+as+It+Gets
by PHILIP MARTINARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
James L. Brooks' As Good as It Gets is a precariously balanced movie, one that flirts with smugness. That it isn't awful is in some respects amazing. It is tempting to write it off as one of those designer romantic comedies for readers of The New Yorker, quiche-eaters and the urbane elite. It makes such smug assumptions about its audience, its demographics are so finely tuned: Yes, here we have the brave working-class woman struggling to make it while caring for a sickly child. Here we have the sweet, gay painter who seems more connected to his little dog than any human being. And over here we have the most unpleasant man in the world, an obsessive-compulsive romance novelist who, as movie irony must have it, seems absolutely incapable of love. It could have been one bad chick flick, a predictable smarmathon replete with psychobabble about wounded inner children. It would end with swelling music and a long-deferred kiss. But Brooks is not stupid. He cast Jack Nicholson as the misanthrope and that made all the difference. Now As Good as It Gets is being hailed in some quarters as a leading Academy Award contender. It showed up on a bunch of critics' "10 best" lists. It's a box-office hit. The fact that Nicholson is playing this character tells us something. A canny director can make use of this phenomenon.

http://movies.tvguide.com/good-gets/review/132715
You have to admire the sheer audacity of a comedy that opens with a man heaving a little dog down a garbage chute. Dogs, after all -- especially ugly-cute ones that look like they should be auditioning for Gremlins 3 -- are the sacred cows of contemporary Hollywood. That said, Verdell the ankle-biter recovers and proves to be the downfall of his tormentor, Melvin the monster. Melvin (Jack Nicholson) is a cranky, clinically obsessive-compulsive romance writer who lobs atomic bomb-quality put-downs at all who cross his path, including neighbor Simon (Greg Kinnear), who provides plenty of ammo by being gay, an artist and Verdell's indulgent owner. Melvin is simply repugnant, a hideous and self-centered caricature of a human being, and Nicholson's performance is fearlessly repellent. Melvin's rituals include a daily trip to the restaurant where he's served by Carol (Helen Hunt), the only waitress who can stomach his endless abuse. Carol, of course, has her own troubles: She's the single mother of gravely ill Spence (Jesse James). Verdell's vengeance starts when Simon is brutally assaulted by a hustler-turned-model (Skeet Ulrich) and his droogies: Simon's art dealer (Cuba Gooding Jr.) bullies Melvin into tending Verdell while Simon is hospitalized, and to his own amazement, Melvin falls for the scruffy pup. When Simon reclaims Verdell, Melvin shifts his newfound beneficence to Carol, getting Spence to a fancy doctor. While the initial surprise of Nicholson's devastating cruelty gives the impression that anything can happen, the picture settles into an all-too-predictable (and unconvincing) end. "As good as it gets" is an overstatement. The movie's too long, and the direction is sometimes slack -- but the script is crammed with withering ripostes, ably delivered by Nicholson and Hunt.


http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/78205/as_good_as_it_gets.html
The film may be more ambitious and sophisticated than most Hollywood comedy-dramas, but for all the delight it takes in Melvin's outrageous sarcasm, it never quite eschews cornball cliché. Nicholson gives a committed, credible, typically charismatic performance, and the rest of the cast lends able support. The trouble lies in the rambling narrative, Brooks' cautious direction and the cosy tone which renders the whole thing reminiscent of an extended sitcom.
Author: GA

http://www.darkhorizons.com/reviews/65/As-Good-as-it-Gets
By Garth Franklin
Not only one of the best romantic comedies of the year, but one of the best films in ages - "As Good as it Gets" certainly lives up to its title. With a truckload of cynical laughs and some compelling emotional moments, .
The performances are truly great all around, Jack Nicholson gives a career highlight performance as the obsessive-compulsive 'Melvin' who's totally upfront and somewhat . Rarely does the two romantic leads match each other in quality, but Helen Hunt plays her best role yet making her character likable, funny, intelligent and emotional.
Greg Kinnear puts in a surprising and enjoyable performance as 'Simon', a gay artist and neighbour who puts up with Melvin's insults (which fly thick and fast) and like the leads is both funny and emotionally real. Cuba Gooding Jr. does excellent work with his few minutes of screen time, playing a gay art dealer who sells Simon's work and stands up to Melvin whenever he puts Simon down - a guy full of assertiveness and realism that is very rarely given to any gay film characters.
All the remaining supporting roles are enjoyable, ranging from Shirley Knight as Carol's excitable mother who just exudes cheerfulness, Yeardley Smith in a brief but funny cameo (always liked her), and of course the scene-stealer being Verdell who is quite simply the cutest and funniest dog I've ever seen in a movie.
The character-driven script is extremely intelligent, the plot is a bit thin but the pacing is fast and there rarely comes any dull moments. It also doesn't fall into the boring 'schmaltzy' last half hour as so many romantic comedies do, and in fact takes an audacious step by running around 50 minutes longer than most.
Any faults? Well there really isn't any particular scenes that stick in one's memory (eg. the "When Harry met Sally" restaurant-orgasm scene), there are some points where the film drags but quickly picks up again - the best example coming early on involving Kinnear drawing a sketch of Skeet Urlich's character and then being beaten by a gang of robbers.
The unpleasantness of the moment though is lifted by a very funny scene in the hospital involving Kinnear, Gooding Jr. & Smith. "As Good as it Gets" is definitely one of the best films of 1997, and though it just misses becoming a 'classic film, it's still thoroughly entertaining and you'll leave the cinema with a very warm and content feeling.

Relax and enjoy!!!!

Funny stuff!!! Did you know this???

Which one surprises you most? Can you add anything to the list? A prize for the ones who do!!!!

"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand .

And "lollipop" is the longest word typed with your right hand.

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt". ? (Are you doubting this?)

The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level ' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes). (Yep, I knew you were going to "do" this one.)


There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. (You're not doubting this, are you?) 




TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the ke yboard. (All you typists are going to test this out)

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors







 




The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

As Good As It Gets: personal feelings

Hi Class!! Are you enjoying the movie? I am!!
Please, write about the characters' feelings in the movie up to the scene we've seen and include how you feel about each of them too.

Yes!!! Include Verdel !!!

Simon needs a "pretty face for a portrait."

- Select a portrait you like and describe it. What do you feel it transmits to you? (post the portrait if you can)

 Simon tells his model that "if you look at someone long enough you discover their humanity."
- What do you think he means? Do you agree?

Deadline: May 28

As Good As It Gets: Carol's date

Narrate Carol's date from these perspectives:

* Carol telling a friend about it.
* The guy telling a friend about his night out with Carol.
* Carol's mother telling a friend.

Deadline: May 28

EDI: LRRH

Hi class! Please, post your dialogues between:
LRRH and mother
LRRH and the woodcutter

EDI: "Let's talk about it"

Please, post your dialogues here!!!

Roleplaying 3

We had fun!

Roleplaying 2

Enjoy these photos!!

Roleplaying!!

Enjoy photos of your roleplaying guys!!

EDI: Art and story writing 3

Hi class!! Choose one of the three stories posted (not the one your group wrote) and change part of it. Post it.

Story based on Renoir's The Lovers.
By: Paula, Emiliano and Franco.

It was a quite cold afternoon in the city of Pompeii. Garret and Jasmine, a young couple of lovers, were lying in the daisies field, a delightful place to spend a lovely time. They never thought they were going to end up together because of the distance that kept them apart, but since Garret´s family had moved to Pompeii, they could finally spend more time with each other.

-       I´m very excited about our wedding dear! Just think of me in precious white dress and you wearing your father´s suit.

-       Yes honey, I cherish that moment too. I can´t believe that our parents agreed to the wedding.

-       Yes, it was really hard to prove ourselves to them. However, I don´t know why, but I keep having the feeling that something will happen.

-       Don´t be afraid my love! Nothing will keep us apart. I swear I will always be by your side.

-       That´s very sweet. You´re the best thing that ever happen to me, and I can´t imagine living without you.

They went ahead planning the wedding. They were supposed to get married in two weeks. But they never thought what destiny has planned for them.

A couple of days later, Garet received stunning news…

-       Garret! What a lovely surprise! But tell me, what are you doing here? Why do you look so sad?

-       I have something to tell you, it got me by surprise. Yesterday, I received a letter from the military service. I´m obliged to attend the war. It´s compulsory for me and I must leave tomorrow morning.

-       No, no, please, tell me that you´re lying. Please, tell me that it´s a nightmare.

-       I´m so sorry. It is no dream, but I promise I will be back.

-       You promised you would never leave me.

-       I know, it´s killing me, but I have no option.

-       Please, don´t go! Let´s escape together.

-       I´m really really sorry! But, honey wait for me! I promise we will get marry. Don’t forget that I love you.

After Garret´s departure, the passing of the days started to be harder and harder for Jasmine. She couldn´t stand being away from him. That´s the reason why she started writing letters to him  expressing her anxiety and sorrow. Luckily for her,  an answer arrived to the post office at times and that´s how Jasmine kept her hopes alive.

-       Oh my love… this pain is killing me… If only this letter could bring you back… I need you as the air I breath

Every night she wore Garet’s suit so that she could feel that he was there with her….  

Through the passing of the days, she started to think that Garet forgot her…

As every afternoon, she was having a cup of tea in the hall of the house waiting for her love, when suddenly, she listened that someone with a strange beard was walking into her house… when she noticed that she knew that man, he was her true love Garet. She ran to him and with a passionate hug they showed how bad they had missed each other.

Pierre Renoir

-       I can’t believe you’re finally here! You don’t even know how many times I’ve dreamed with this moment! Oh Garet!

-       You were the light that kept me going through the most difficult times! Being here with you was everything I could think of!

-       I think it’s time to fulfill a little promise…

-       Yes, a little promise of marriage!...

EDI: Art and story writing 2

Story based on Pablo Picasso's The Absinthe Drinker.

By: Agustina, Natalia and Florencia

 

  It was a freezing autumn afternoon of December in New York. Jenny was an attractive woman in her forties. She had a young daughter, called Mary and her husband had died in a car crash two years before, and then she became depressed. Consequently, she became an alcoholic but fortunately she could overcome her problem after few months.

  She was reading a book when Mary arrived in order to give her some news.

Mary: “Hello Mum! How are you? I´m really happy to see you and I have some good news for you.”

Jenny: “Hello! Nice to see you. Tell me, please!”

Mary: “I have the possibility to travel to Africa and help people in need. I have been thinking about that for a long time and now I have made my decision.”

Jenny: “But Mary, Africa is a very dangerous continent to live in because they are in a terrible war!!”

Mary: “I know mum, but I love being a nurse!”

  They went ahead with the argument for a long time, but Mary was a generous and persuasive woman who finally was able to convince her mother. A few weeks later, Jenny received a phone call with terrible news.

Jenny: “Hello! Who is calling? Oh! Doctor John! How´s my daughter? Oh no! oh my god! What´s happen? What kind of illness is it? How long has she been like that? I´d like to visit her… I know that it would be really dangerous to do so but I need it!

  After this phone call everything changed for Jenny. She was feeling so terrible and lonely that she couldn´t resist the impulse to drink again. Her drinking problem got worse as time passed. However, she realized she needed professional help, she finally decided to go to the hospital. She was there for a few months but her treatment was not so good as she expected. Her health was so poor that she couldn´t recognize her daughter.

Mary: “Oh mum! Hello! It´s been such a long time! What are you doing here?”

Jenny: “Who are you?”

Mary: “Mum! I´m Mary, your daughter! I´ve come to see you!”

Jenny: “No, it´s impossible! My daughter died in Africa.”

Mary: “No mum! I´m here. It was hard work but now I´m fine. I have come to take you back home with me.”

Jenny: “What are you talking about? My daughter is dead.

Pablo Picasso

  Mary couldn´t believe what was happening. She felt devastated and wanted to see the doctor. He said Jenny was mentally ill and she couldn´t leave the hospital then. Mary couldn´t face up to the news and she came back the hospital room to take her mum home. Tragically, her mother had committed suicide by hanging herself with the curtains; without knowing that her daughter was next to her.

EDI: Art and story writing 1

Story based on CLAUDE MONET’s  “Ladies in the garden”. (1866)

By: Nerea, Mónica and Jorgelina

    In a far, far away countryside, during the 19th c., three women who were very different in personalities and ages were living together because their parents had died in a cart accident 5 years before. Besides being sisters, they were close friends and used to spend time together, having long chats, drinking tea and eating biscuits in the afternoons.

    One day, during one of those conversations…

ELIZABERTH: (talked anxiously) “You are not going to believe what happened to me during my painting classes last month”.

    Her sisters looked at her with curiosity and encouraged her to keep on talking.

ELIZABETH said: “I met him, imagine…, I was there, engaged in my activities when he came out of the blue. I stared at him. I couldn´t even move a muscle till he talked to me”.

MARY asked: “But, did you even talk to him?”

ELIZABETH: “Yes, of course, but after a couple of minutes”.

JANE: “What is he like?”                                                                                                   

ELIZABETH: “He is intelligent, self-confident, with strong personality but at the same time he is sensitive, he painted me a rose and for that moment onwards we met every single Monday in the square garden”.

MARY: “Oh! So gentlemanly he was!” “I have to confess something but it embarrasses me…”

BOTH SISTERS: “Come on! You can tell us everything”.

JANE: “What’s more, you have to tell us”.

MARY: “Well… Three weeks ago when I went to the library to return my novels I collided with a handsome and polite man in the entrance. My books fell all over the floor and I fell for him when he by chance touched my hand”. “He has the brightest eyes I’ve ever seen”. “He is good looking, tall and thin.” “He was well dressed and shared”.

ELIZABETH: “Have you met him again?”

MARY: “Yes, the following weeks when I returned to the library hoping to see him again, the librarian gave me a sheet of paper with a meeting date in the garden and a beautiful red rose”.

    The silence filled the room for a moment. Jane looked absent-minded.

ELIZABETH: “What happened to you?”

MARY: “You look worried and unhappy.” “We are having a great moment! Aren’t you?”

 JANE: “I’ve met a man too and he is similar to the one that you’ve described, he is nice and kind with me and he always gives me a rose whenever we met in the garden on Fridays”.

ELIZABETH: “No way!”

JANE: “He is the same guy who is trying to win our hearts. I don’t believe in coincidences (guessing)”. “All of us have received a rose as a present and we have dated him in the same place but at different times”.

MARY: “My beloved is Charles”.

JANE and ELIZABETH: “Mine too!!”

JANE: “We need to do something”.

    They wrote him a letter asking him to met Jane in the garden as usual. When he arrived the other two sisters appeared.

Monet's Self Portrait

JANE: (ironically) “Why are you hiding behind the flowers?”

    Charles tried to get away but the whole town was there and he had to face up to the problem.

    Since that moment on, nobody knows what has happened to him.

“THE MORE WE WANT, THE LESS WE HAVE”.