We haven't finished talking about Charles Dickens !

Living in Hawaii, Matt King (George Clooney) is the descendant of  a rich American businessman who married a Polynesian princess. Matt, as head of the family, has to decide whether to sell the land the Kings inherited from their ancestors or not. At the same time, his wife is brought to the hospital in a coma after a boating accident. Thus, Matt is suddenly forced to take care of his two daughters, Scottie, 10, and Alex, 17, whom he previously had little to do with…

 The story is set in Hawaii and this is no accident. Director Alexander Payne uses the usual clichés we all have on this supposedly idyllic place to underline the emotional hardship the characters have to face. « I think paradise can go fuck itself » Matt King remarks in the film’s opening. The whole story could be all sentimental and melodramatic but Payne’s brilliant idea is to mix comedy and satire, drama and moral dilemna, like waves on the ocean come and go. George Clooney plays to perfection the part of the middle-aged man, slightly ridiculous in his floral shirts and flip-flops, yet deeply moving. Both hilarious and heartbreaking, Clooney plays the part of a lifetime. He is tremendous and would well deserve an Oscar. Meanwhile, supporting actors are all great: Shailene Woodley beautifully plays the rebellious teenager, Robert Forster is a memorable bad-tempered father-in-law and Beau Bridges brings depth and ambiguity to Matt’s cousin, Hugh. The film, however, is not mainstream and some may find it boring and dull since there is no suspense here. I loved it and I think you should give it a try!

 Violaine Azema

Talking about British politics, I warmly recommend those of you who missed the programm, to watch the documentary on Queen Elisabeth II which was on Arte recently. If you’re interested, you can still watch it on the web until February, 8th. That means TODAY !!! Just click here:

http://videos.arte.tv/fr/videos/ballade_pour_une_reine-6357574.html

In this irreverential documentary, Don Kent seizes the opportunity of the Queen’s diamond Jubilee to look back on her 60-year-long reign, questionning the changes and evolution of British society during that period of time. The interviews of philosopher Alain de Botton, cartoonist Glenn Baxter and writer Hanif Kureishi among others, bring an interesting light on the Queen and the Royal family and how they are viewed by their subjects. Past and modern History are melt in the public figure of the Queen who has known every Prime Minister from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. The highlight of the film however is to watch a young 21-year-old princess making the following statement « I declare before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. » Hearing those words now makes you wonder how much of the future she had foreseen back then and how she would consider the iconic woman she became…

As it’s her Jubilee, there’s no doubt we’ll hear more about the Queen this summer. Meanwhile, for those of you who want to discover the Queen in an unconventional way, I suggest you watch Stephen Frears’s beautiful film The Queen or read Sue Townsend’s hilarious novel The Queen and I – and you’ll see what happens when the royal family are fired and forced to live on welfare in a council house… Have fun!

Violaine Azema.

If you miss this tv program, there will undoubtedly be others on other channels ! We'll keep you informed. 

You've all read one of his books, maybe rewritten for children, or seen a film made after one of his novels. Even though he was English, his works are part of our cultural heritage.

Who's your favourite hero? David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Scrooge ...?

Charles Dickens was born two centuries ago and Great Britain is celebrating this day !

http://www.dickens2012.org/world-celebrates-dickens%E2%80%99s-200th-birthday-7-february

This post may interest our Design students whether they are in 2nde, 1ère, Terminale, MANAA or BTS !

The OPERA Cinema presents :

El Hombre de al Lado

I know it isn't in English, but there isn't a Spanish blog at Chagall, is there?

So you may want to go and see this Argentinian film on February 9th at 8.30 PM.

And on March 15th at 8.30  you will be able to watch Of Time And The City

Know more about the film on its official blog : http://www.oftimeandthecity.com/

Or here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232790/

You know how much I love games ! Wordgames are among my favourites. I'd be really pleased if you shared this passion. To see how much vocabulary you master in English, click on the picture and have a go at MASSIVE BOGGLE !

You've got to type as many words as you can. They must be from three-letter to N-letter words. The longer they are the more you score. You can use the same letter to write several words, but not in the same word.

You don't have to register to play.

When the time is up you've got a few seconds to check the words you COULD HAVE written and the others HAVE written...

Anne Sirot

After a virtual tour in an art museum, here is a virtual tour in London !

As you know, the summer Olympic Games will be held this year in London from July, 27th to August 12th 2012. A good opportunity to (re)discover the beauties of the British capital.  

A highlight in the city’s landscape, the Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is one of the most famous buildings in the world. The Palace contains three striking towers: The tallest is the Victoria Tower, named after Queen Victoria. The other two are the Central Tower and the Clock Tower - abusively known as Big Ben. Big Ben is, in fact, the nickname of the great bell of the Clock Tower.  If you wish, you can take a tour of Big Ben just by watching this video. That way, you won’t have to climb the  334 steps to the top to enjoy the view and hear the distinctive sound of the Bell! Have fun 

Just a click !

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkDU7SBBPA0

 By the way, did you know that…

…a recent investigation showed that Big Ben is leaning and no longer in the perpendicular. So much so, actually, that you can see it with a naked eye. However, surveyors claim that it would take 4,000 years to reach the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and even longer for the Clock Tower to topple.

What a relief !

Courtesy of www.copyright-free-pictures.org.uk

Violaine Azema

On Tuesday, February 7th 2012, don't miss this beautiful film by Orson Welles:

It starts at 7.30 PM and it's free !

Take advantage of this weekend's greyness to enjoy a vist to the museum !

https://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/?ref=bookmarks&count=0&fb_source=bookmarks_apps&fb_bmpos=6_0

Test your geography knowledge then !

http://www.purposegames.com/geoquiz

And impress your English teacher on Monday.

Just kidding. It can wait until Monday of course.

Have a nice weekend !