Melody Su 的部落格

Bewitched

Thinking he can overshadow an unknown actress in the part, an egocentric actor unknowingly gets a witch cast in an upcoming television remake of the classic sitcom Bewitched (1964).

Hooding Ceremeny

The Hooding Ceremony is an event whereby recognition is given for those graduating with doctoral degrees. These individuals are doctoral candidates and will be full receipents of their doctorates at the graduation ceremonies. The Hooding Ceremony is symbolic of passing the guard from one generation of doctors to the next generation of doctors. During the ceremony a faculty advisor or Dean of the Graduate School place the doctoral hood over the head of the graduate, signifying his or her success in completing the graduate program. The ceremony is similar to a graduation in that faculty and students are dressed in academic attire. The Hooding Ceremony is in addition to and does not replace the Graduation Exercises.

Life of Pi

Life of Pi is a 2012 American survival drama film based on Yann Martel's 2001 novel of the same name. Directed by Ang Lee, the film's adapted screenplay was written by David Magee, and it stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu, Adil Hussain, and Gérard Depardieu. The storyline revolves around an Indian man named "Pi" Patel, telling a novelist about his life story, and how at 16 he survives a shipwreck in which his family dies, and is adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. The film had its worldwide premiere as the opening film of the 51st New York Film Festival at both the Walter Reade Theater and Alice Tully Hall in New York City on September 28, 2012.^[9]

Ceberus (地獄三頭犬)

In Greek mythology, Cerberus (/ˈsɜːrbərəs/;^[2] Greek: Κέρβερος Kerberos [ˈkerberos]), often called the "hound of Hades", is the monstrous multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and usually is described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from parts of his body. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Heracles, one of Heracles' twelve labours.

Polar Express (IMDb)

The Polar Express is a 2004 American 3D computer-animated Christmas musical fantasy film based on the 1985 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg, who served as one of the executive producers on the film. Written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film features human characters animated using live action motion capture animation. The film stars Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen, with Tom Hanks in six distinct roles. The film also included a performance by Tinashe at age 9, who later gained exposure as a pop singer in 2010, as the CGI-model for the female protagonist.

Moby-Dick

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the period of the American Renaissance. Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler the Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale that on the previous whaling voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. The novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891, but during the 20th century, its reputation as a Great American Novel was established. William Faulkner confessed he wished he had written it himself,^[1] and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world", and "the greatest book of the sea ever written".^[2] "Call me Ishmael" is among world literature's most famous opening sentences.

History of films

The history of film began in the 1890s, when motion picture cameras were invented and film production companies started to be established. Because of the limits of technology, films of the 1890s were under a minute long and until 1927 motion pictures were produced without sound. The first decade of motion picture saw film moving from a novelty to an established large-scale entertainment industry. The films became several minutes long consisting of several shots. The first rotating camera for taking panning shots was built in 1898. The first film studios were built in 1897.

Slides of Hugo:

Night Train to Lisbon(IMDb)

Night Train to Lisbon is a 2013 internationally co-produced English-language drama film directed by Bille August and starring Jeremy Irons. Based on the 2004 novel Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier and written by Greg Latter and Ulrich Herrmann, the film is about a Swiss teacher who saves the life of a woman and then abandons his teaching career and reserved life to embark on a thrilling intellectual adventure that takes him on a journey to the very heart of himself.^[1] The film premiered out of competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.^[2]

Raimund Gregorius, a Swiss Professor, abandons his lectures and buttoned-down life to embark on a thrilling adventure that will take him on a journey to the very heart of himself.

Ten Years 十年

該電影因內容涉及香港人權、民主、言論自由受威脅的現況，加上涉及包含香港獨立、自決等敏感政治話題，被指是香港社會的「預言書」。北京政府全面封殺此片，下令中國大陸各大網路平台禁止直播、轉播金馬獎及香港電影金像獎實況，令至少千萬觀眾無法收看第35屆香港電影金像獎頒獎典禮^[6][7]。

我想當文青！十本推薦英文小說

Spam-ku

Roy, a shy, solitary young man, calls himself a "non-winner," not a loser. He looks for signs that his life will change, and he gets just such a sign when he wins a haiku contest. His prize will arrive in two weeks, says the letter informing him of his win. He screws up the courage to tell Nancy, a colleague he likes, about his victory. He's impatient for the prize. Will it arrive? Is his life about to change?

Les Miseables

Les Misérables (French pronunciation: ​[le mizeʁabl(ə)]) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. 

Les Misérables(2012)

The Hours

The Hours is a 2002 British-American drama film directed by Stephen Daldry, and starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman. Supporting roles are played by Ed Harris, John C. Reilly, Stephen Dillane, Jeff Daniels, Miranda Richardson, Allison Janney, Toni Collette and Claire Danes. The screenplay by David Hare is based on Michael Cunningham's 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title.

JUNO

鴻孕當頭 (未婚小媽媽懷孕)

Juno is a 2007 American comedy-drama independent film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney and J. K. Simmons also star. Filming spanned from early February to March 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia. It premiered on September 8 at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation.

美國大學生沒有學到的核心能力 

US College Students Don't Learn Core Skills: Study

口紅效應（英語：Lipstick Effect）是指美國1930年代經濟大恐慌時期，人們消費能力有限，買不起高級消費品，消費者會轉而購買價錢較低的奢侈品（主要應是指非日用品），此時口紅的銷量反而上升。

Larry Crowne (2001) link→IMDb

Larry Crowne is a 2011 American romantic comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. The film was produced and directed by Hanks, who co-wrote its screenplay with Nia Vardalos. The story was inspired by Hanks' time studying at Chabot College.^[2] The film tells the story of Larry Crowne, a middle-aged man who unexpectedly loses his job and returns to education. It was released in the United States on July 1, 2011.

STORY:  A narrative or story is a report of connected events, real or imaginary, presented in a sequence of written or spoken words, or still or moving images,^[1][2] or both. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to tell", which is derived from the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled".

Initiation:

What is tihs class for?

→Discuss LTERATURE & FILMS

Why  LITERATURE & FILMS? 

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Meet Me in St. Louis

Fid-, fide, feder(is): trust, faith 

Confident

: having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something : having confidence

Adventure of Huckleberry Finn

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (or, in more recent editions, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism. It is told in the first person by Huckleberry "Huck" Finn, a friend of Tom Sawyer and narrator of two other Twain novels (Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective). It is a direct sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

-nihi-: not, no

Nihilism

: the belief that traditional morals, ideas, beliefs, etc., have no worth or value

Ex-: out, out of

Except

: not including (someone or something) : other than (something or someone)

Henry James

Henry James, OM (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American writer who spent most of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.

Moby-Dick: In the Heart of the Sea 

In the Heart of the Sea is a 2015 American biographical action-adventure fantasy thriller-drama film based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book of the same name, about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, an event that inspired the novel Moby-Dick. It was directed and produced by Ron Howard and written by Charles Leavitt, the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson. It premiered in New York City on December 7, 2015 and was released in cinemas in the United States on December 11, 2015 by Warner Bros. Pictures. In the Heart of the Sea received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed over $76 million[5] on a $100 million[2][3][6] budget.

Ab-: away from

Abnormal

: different from what is normal or average : unusual especially in a way that causes problems

Homo-: same

Homosexual

: sexually attracted to people of the same sex

Verse

World Literature made simple.

Voc-: to call 

Advocate

: a person who argues for or supports a cause or policy

Federal Government Checks and Balances

The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle,[1] is a model for the governance of a state (or who controls the state). The model was first developed in ancient Greece. Under this model, the state is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the other branches. The typical division of branches is into a legislature, an executive, and a judiciary. It can be contrasted with the fusion of powers in a parliamentary system where the executive and legislature (and sometimes parts of the judiciary) are unified.

Midterm