Παρασκευή 16 Μαΐου 2008

FCE ESOL Interview


Last week I had my FCE interview. It was my first exam, so I was nervous.

Here is some advice:

- you shouldn't learn a text with information about yourself as you don't know what you are going to be asked.

- you should also pay attention to your partner, especially in the 2nd part, as you are going to be asked a question about what they say.

- in the 3rd part you should give your partner a chance to speak, because it is pointless to talk all the time, as it is a conversation.

- in the last part you should listen carefully to the question and if you don't understand it ask the examiner to repeat it again.

Good luck in the exam ;) !

For more tips on the interview click here.

Παρασκευή 9 Μαΐου 2008

The Dark is Rising

It’s a fantasy film about a boy, who turns 14 and from then he starts to see some strange things. One day he goes to a shopping centre to buy a present for his little sister. A few seconds later two policemen take him to their office. They suddenly turn into dark creatures who want his Sign. The next day four people named the Old Ones tell him that he is the Seeker, a magician who has to find some Signs. But a bad Rider tries to kill him in many ways. Will he succeed? What do you think?

I liked the film very much, because of its action, especially when the Seeker fought against the Rider. It was also dramatic, as he learnt that he had a twin brother who was lost. I think you would like the film, too.


Πέμπτη 24 Απριλίου 2008

Mr. Woodcock

It’s a comedy which gives us knowledge about our manners, through sport lessons. Mr. Jasper Woodcock a P.E. teacher is played by Billy Thornton, John Farley, a celebrity, by William Scott and his mother by Susan Sarandon. The director is named Craig Gillespie.

The film is about a man who has written a book and becomes a celebrity and he is so busy that he doesn’t have the chance to get back to his home town. The mayor wants to give him an award, so he returns to his town and he goes to his house, where he finds his mother, who tells him that she is going out with his old teacher who was very mean to him. So he tries to break up the relationship, but will he succeed?

I liked the film, as it was funny, especially when John Farley put Mr. Woodcock’s whistle into the toilet and then into his jacket. It was also tragic when John was hit by a man who he was helping.

This is a nice movie for people who like comedies. I think it is suitable for everyone.

Παρασκευή 18 Απριλίου 2008

X-Men in real life

Malcolm X - Magneto

Martin Luther King – Xavier

The American politician is like the leader of a mutant team as he is in a powerful position. Both of them want to solve their problems by making their enemies feel frightened of their supporters. Also both of them had a difficult childhood. They both felt that they had been persecuted by the majority population.

Martin Luther King and Xavier were more diplomatic. They both wanted peace and solutions without war. Both of them were, like Malcolm X and Magneto, on the side of the “different” people. Martin was assassinated, but Xavier was killed by Jeanie a friend of his.

All of them wanted to have the same rights as other people, and to be the same chances as everyone else and so a better life. They all were victims of racism.


Malcolm X and Magneto were exactly opposite to Martin L. King and Xavier. In my opinion Xavier and M. L. King are right since they don’t agree with violence as a way of solving problems.




Σάββατο 12 Απριλίου 2008

A Trip To Thessalonica

Yesterday, at nine o’clock my whole class met in front of Telogleio, an art gallery. We went inside and left our bags at the reception. Then we went upstairs and had a look onto Picasso’s paintings. It wasn’t anything special; all of them were about Spanish politic and history.

When we left the exhibition we went to a park where we could eat. An hour later we left the park and walked to Aristotelous square, to the cinema “Olympion”. There we saw a film about the life of Hans Cristian Andersen. It bored us a lot, although it had also some funny scenes.

At three o’clock, when the movie was over, my friends and I left the cinema and went to Tsimiski road to eat. The food was delicious. Half an hour later we went to ZERO GRAVITY, a shop about skate-and snowboard. My friends who had their skateboards with them wanted to change the sandpaper. After that we Sk8ed there. The ground there wasn’t very good, so we took the bus and went back to Aristotelous, where we had fun for the last hour.

Finally, I went to the bus station, took the bus and went home. That was one of the greatest trips I have ever had.

Παρασκευή 11 Απριλίου 2008

007: Tomorrow Never Dies

“Tomorrow never dies” is a great action film. It has a lot adventure and is thrilling. It’s written like all the James Bond films by Ian Fleming. James is played by Pierce Brosnan, his fellow agent, Wai Lin by Michelle Yeoh and Elliot Carver, his enemy by Jonathan Pryce.

The film begins in South China with an arms deal. James sees some powerful bombs and tries to stop some missiles that the CIA has just sent. After that some British warships strangely disappear. James and his fellow agents try to find out what is happening and they do. The cause of the disappearance is a stealth ship which cannot be picked up by radar.

I liked the film very much, because of the thrilling scenes, especially when they got onto the stealth ship. The director also did was fine. The equipment was the best I have seen for ages. There were really cool guns and I loved the scene where Bond drives his car using his mobile phone. However, the best thing about the film was the acting.


Παρασκευή 29 Φεβρουαρίου 2008

The 300 or η μάχη των Θερμοπύλων?



Differences

To begin with, I’ll tell you the inaccuracies. First of all, Xerxes wasn’t a three metre tall transvestite. Secondly, Leonidas wasn’t a cuckold and he was also about 60 years old and had white hair and a white beard. Another wrong point is that Ephialtes wasn’t a monster but a normal soldier who betrayed the Spartans for money. The Spartans didn’t ever leave their formation, because they were always defending themselves from Persian attacks.

Similarities

Now, the similarities. The director knew history well, but sometimes he mixed the dates up. He also had some realistic points with what was going on in Sparta. He was also correct in showing us the right numbers of soldiers. The facts of all the battles were also accurate.

Thessaloniki

Welcome! Thessaloniki is a wonderful city, the capital of Macedonia and second largest city of Greece.


Places to visit


The most impressive sight in the whole area is the symbol of Thessaloniki known as the “White Tower”. Originally used as prison by the Ottomans, the tower is now a museum with lots of interesting finds. Then you should go to the Rotunda which was a church after that it was a mosque and now it is a museum as well. The lovely Archaeological Museum is waiting for you to see many, attractive exhibits from Ancient Greece.

Things to do



You will feel like a bird, if you go to the old city walls because it gives a view of the whole city, and that’s lovely. Then you should go and watch a football match, because my city has very good teams.

In the evening you can go and eat traditional Greek food at Ladadika, which is an area full of bars and great places to eat.

Παρασκευή 22 Φεβρουαρίου 2008

Troy

Troy-Τροία

Differences

First of all, I’ll start with the deaths both of the Greek and of the Trojans. Menelaus didn’t die at the beginning of the war, but lived peacefully for many years and died of natural causes. Agamemnon wasn’t killed by Bryseis, as was shown in the film, but by Egistos, who killed him when he returned to Mycenae. Achilles, probably the most popular Greek warrior, was killed in the 7th year of the war by Paris while he was making fun of the prince. Ajax wasn’t killed by Hector, but by Apollo.

Also there are more general differences between the film and Homer’s story. The gods were also fighting like the mortals. Almost everyone took sides. Apollo, Artemis, Venus, Mars were on the Trojan side and Juno, Athena, Poseidon and Demeter were with the Greeks. However, Zeus and Mercury weren’t on anyone’s side.




Similarities

The film had many similarities with the real story. First of all, it shows how big and strong the Trojan walls were. Then it tells us that Agamemnon’s army was huge. Another right point of the film is that Achilles and Agamemnon fought over a woman. It is also true that Achilles killed Hector and treated his dead body badly, because Hector murdered his cousin, Patroclus. Like in the story, the movie shows us that Priam came in the night to Achilles’s tent to take the dead body back to Troy.

The most important thing the director did well was the Trojan Horse which is still famous as the conqueror of Troy. At the end the city was burned down like in the film.

Παρασκευή 15 Φεβρουαρίου 2008

Ocean’s 12

Three years after stealing from the casino owner Terry Benedict in Las Vegas, Danny Ocean and his gang live now normally. Until Benedict’s revenge forces them all, one-by-one to pay back the money they have stolen from him (which is $190 million ) back in two weeks, otherwise they will be murdered. Then the gang goes toAmsterdam, Rome and to Paris to make some world class robberies. The one in Rome is the most difficult,because a Europol detective, named Isabel Lehiri, is mixed up in it. After that Rusty has a competition with the Night Fox, A very famous thief, about a heist.

Danny Ocean is played by George Clooney and his wife Tess by Julia Roberts. The most famous actors of the gang are: Brad Pitt who plays Rusty Ryan one of the best thieves in the world and Matt Damon who plays Linus. Cathrine Zeta Jones plays Isabel.





Παρασκευή 8 Φεβρουαρίου 2008

Rushmore vs. German School Thessaloniki

Similarities
My school, like Rushmore is one of the best schools in the whole country. Rushmore has plants, trees and grass in the yard, which is big. So does my school. My school has many classrooms. Each one is for a different lesson. I think Rushmore is similar to my school in that way.


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Differences
The teachers in my school aren’t as strict as in Max’s school. Unlike Max’s school in my school you can’t have a friendship with the teachers so you surely wouldn’t have a relationship. In the school in the film teachers talk about personal business, but in my school this doesn’t happen. Rushmore is much bigger than the GST.

Παρασκευή 1 Φεβρουαρίου 2008

The Simpson Movie

The Simpsons is a comedy directed by David Silverman and written James L. Brooks & Matt Groening. The most well – known name in the movie is Tom Hanks who lends his voice to…. Tom Hanks ( the director of EPA).

The film starts when the people are at a Green Day concert. The platform where the band plays sinks because of the pollution of the lake. At their commemoration the Lord sends a strange message through Grampa. After that the mayor of Springfield passes a law which forbids the pollution of the lake.
One day Homer finds a pig and takes it home. After a week he goes and throws the pig’s dung illegally in the lake. The pollution grows. As a result the EPA builds a wall which shuts off the town from the rest of the world. This wall cracks and the EPA plants a bomb in order to blow up the city. I won’t spoil the end for you by telling you what happened.



I liked the film very much because it was very funny. It was also good because it sends you two messages. First it tells you that environmental pollution can be quite dangerous. Also that without your friends you aren’t anything.

Παρασκευή 25 Ιανουαρίου 2008

Mine, Yours, Ours

In this family comedy which came out in 2005, single parents Frank (played by Dennis Quaid) and Helen (played by Rene Russo) plan to get married, but it’s difficult with 18 children between them trying to sabotage the relationship. Frank, a Coast Guard Admiral and Helen, a widowed handbag designer fall in love and marry. Her 10 and his 8 children don’t like it much because they hadn’t been told about it.

The parents quickly discover that marriage and families can’t be built in a day. The children do everything they can to break up the marriage. However, in the end they change their minds and go and ask him to come back before he takes the job of commander, which had been offered to him.

The film was very good. First of all it wasn’t full of special effects, just a good script. The story was both funny and realistic. The actors and the actresses did a very good job. The director also did a good job. However, for me the best part of the film was the happy end. I won’t spoil your fun by telling what happens.


Παρασκευή 11 Ιανουαρίου 2008

The Gods Must Be Crazy 2



The Gods Must Be Crazy 2, was filmed in 1985 but not released until 1989.

In it, Xixo's two young children go with him and Xave to find a wounded elephant. When they found him Xixo told his children to get back and tell the others to come and eat the animal. On their way they saw some tracks and followed them. They got on the truck and explored the back of it. Unfortunately it became unable to jump off once it starts moving, so they had to encounter them. Xixo must once again travel great distances to bring them back, and once again faces many other western characters who are on quests of their own.

Meanwhile Dr. Ann Taylor was on a safari by plane when a zoologist took over. At the place they landed there were many wild animals and Ann got scared. Will they survive and will Xixo find his children?

It was a little adventure with very funny scenes. The effects were not very good, but the story was exciting. The actors were good as gold. I liked it very much because of its humor.

Τετάρτη 2 Ιανουαρίου 2008