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2012

2012

Date: Dec 16 2009

Themes: Pop Culture, Time

Grammar: Verbs with "-ing"

Intro

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Nothing says the holidays like a good old fashioned disaster movie. With Christmas coming up, you may be wondering what a fun movie would be to see with your family. Well, how about one that features the entire state of California falling into the ocean? If that sounds like a good time to you, then you might want to check out 2012.

The film 2012 is inspired by the “2012 phenomenon,” or the idea that a series of apocalyptic events, from mega-earthquakes to super-tsunamis, will take place on December 21, 2012. The special effects in the movie are sure to be impressive, but will this latest film about the end of the world be more than just eye candy? Find out what Marni and Beren think.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Beren

Beren

Marni

Marni

Beren:  Three years from now it’ll be 2012.

Marni:  Ah, are you referring to the Mayan myth that the world might potentially end in 2012?

Beren:  Yes, the doomsday myth that…I’ve heard different things about 2012, like the aliens will come back and harvest us or spaceships will come out of the pyramids…

Marni:  Well there’s a new movie out called 2012, and it’s loosely based on the idea that the world is gonna end in 2012. What it is is that the Mayan calendar is actually ending in 2012. It’s like a little over a 5,000 year old calendar that’s ending. And so people have interpreted that to mean the end of the world, like you said, aliens are gonna come, floods…

Beren:  There’s all these different conspiracy theories.

Marni:  Exactly. And the film certainly is basically just a big disaster movie, and it’s of course, like all good disaster movies, it’s told through the eyes of a family, a family that’s struggling to get together and reconnect and survive against all the odds.

Beren:  I just don’t understand how they could make a movie out of that.

Marni:  It’s pretty…I mean, it’s definitely an eye candy movie.

Beren:  It’s a spectacle.

Marni:  You go in and you know you’re gonna see lots of explosions. The entire West Coast is wiped out and yet your cell phone is still working.

Beren:  It’s Hollywood.

 

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Discussion

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There are different myths associated with the year 2012. Some people think aliens will land on earth. Others believe that there will be major natural disasters. This is the year when the Mayan calendar, a 5,000-year-old calendar, will end. Some people think aliens will land on earth in 2012.

The new movie 2012 is based on these theories. Marni likes disaster movies, so she recently saw 2012. She says it was a big spectacle. There were a lot of amazing special effects, but the movie wasn’t very believable. As Beren says, Hollywood isn’t really known for making realistic movies.

Do you think anything unusual will happen on December 21, 2012?

 

Comments

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Aquamarine

Turkey

I haven't seen this movie yet.After lesson, I'm full of  curiosity about 2012.I will watch as soon as possible.

11:35 AM Dec 18 2009 |

Matt Sunset

Brazil

I already seen the movie and it was pretty exciting and the special effects are amazing. Each person has his/her personal opinion, mine is that the world would end one day but not necesarily need to happend like in the movie and in 2012, it could be by diferent reasons: a war, an asteroid or goblal epidemies. Meanwhile we are still alive and we need to take that opportunity and fullfil our goals and dreams and spend time with our love ones, so when the time has come we will be in peace. Death is the only thing we can be certain about so we dont have to be afraid of it, instead we have to accept it.

11:33 PM Dec 17 2009 |

max1983

max1983

Germany

This is not bad movie at all. I must say this is a pretty cool work. But I felt pretty sad about that after watching.This is a good movie to watch but you don't have take it too seriously.  

06:53 PM Dec 17 2009 |

-cute-devil-

United Arab Emirates

yeah . . they told me that it’s really goin to happen’ on 21/12/1012 . . umm but i don’t really believe that ! xD waah ! GOD knows =P
.
.
but it’s kinds scary and it’s like the end of the earth ! x) eeh !
maybe it’s really going to happend who knows ? :P

03:37 PM Dec 17 2009 |

mickee85

mickee85

Philippines

I sort of discouraged when I watched the story of mayan calendar in youtube. I didn't think about it now, no one can predict the future and so is when the word ends or the doomsday.

2012 was great, it scares me though. I just can't imagine if the time comes like that. All the buildings were collapsing, the land were destroyed by the water and suddenly everything was gone. It scares me to the bones! We will just live life to the fullest while the doomsday is yet to come.

12:47 PM Dec 17 2009 |

pzzwj

pzzwj

China

I just have seen the movie and I just think the mayan calendar may be a rumour and I believe humans will conquer all the disasters with our advanced science and technology .At the end of the movie,humans always still survive!so,the movie just want to warn people not no more burdening our planet too much!

11:27 AM Dec 17 2009 |

R.R

China

I haven't seen the movie 2012 till now, but i searched some information about the mayan myth through internet. I was shocked by the accuracy that trace back the history based on the mayan calendar. We really do not know what will happened in year 2012, but if we keep hurting our mother world, there must be certainly comes the day of doomsday then. 

07:48 AM Dec 17 2009 |

R.R

China

I haven't seen the movie 2012 till now, but i searched some information about the mayan myth through internet. I was shocked by the accuracy that trace back the history based on the mayan calendar. We really do not know what will happened in year 2012, but if we keep hurting our mother world, there must be certainly comes the day of doomsday then. 

07:48 AM Dec 17 2009 |

Ca_Brazil

Ca_Brazil

Brazil

i dont think so. some things unsual already happen all over the world, and nobody cares about, or few people care about. that remind of the year 1999, there were some conspiracy theories, and people freaked out wondering if they would really happen. So we are here, anything happened. 

12:15 AM Dec 17 2009 |

noguti

noguti

Brazil

in fact I don't believe that the world will get to the end in 2012….

and…. in addition… all this will happen on my birthday…. hahahahah

12:10 AM Dec 17 2009 |

Fredo92

Fredo92

Mexico

I already seen the movie and it was pretty exciting and the special effects are amazing. Each person has his/her personal opinion, mine is that the world would end one day but not necesarily need to happend like in the movie and in 2012, it could be by diferent reasons: a war, an asteroid or goblal epidemies. Meanwhile we are still alive and we need to take that opportunity and fullfil our goals and dreams and spend time with our love ones, so when the time has come we will be in peace. Death is the only thing we can be certain about so we dont have to be afraid of it, instead we have to accept it.

11:25 PM Dec 16 2009 |

sameh3d

sameh3d

Egypt

Actually I don't watch the movie yet and i don't believe in superstition. I beleive in the doomsday only and until this day we must do our best to success in our life.

10:02 PM Dec 16 2009 |

ZoOm In

ZoOm In

Saudi Arabia

Maybe

I saw a series called "The Arrivals" you can look it up on the youtube . This series really contains so much of HARD TO BELIEVE information . I think you have to watch it just for fun or if you believe in the theories of conspiracy _

On the other hand, we as Muslims know some special signs and events that our prophet ( Mohammed PBUHHF ) have told as about them, which means the end of the world or THE LAST TIME is too soon . We also know about the people who will fight each other, the names of their leaders, the pleases where battles will be and so much other interesting events of the last time .

thanks for the lesson Ebaby :)

08:40 PM Dec 16 2009 |

alina_medvedeva

Russian Federation

i guess its a bit strange to lake suchfilms about our FUTURE life coz who knows.. how it can influence on ppls minds..

and yah your right, that film with tim cruise was exactly the same)

06:54 PM Dec 16 2009 |

saowaros

saowaros

Thailand

it’s the cycle!the earth nearly reaches at the point of big disaster…kind of rezero like it’s happening in the age of dinosour and everything is wiped out except microorganism, perhaps cockroach also eieieiei:)
and i believe that human can find another place to live if it happens actually.(like coming soon movie:Avarta)
i’d love to check it out!

06:39 PM Dec 16 2009 |

SÉRGIO

SÉRGIO

Brazil

i don' think it will happen! but this movie sounds pretty good!!Cool

04:11 PM Dec 16 2009 |

Aimi-Ya

Aimi-Ya

Hong Kong

The end of the world 

04:06 PM Dec 16 2009 |

Nick1989s

Nick1989s

China

i saw it one week ago,but even now i feel a bit frightened when i think of the awful scenes in the movie…maybe 2012 really is the end of the world  haha

03:18 PM Dec 16 2009 |

mzarkoni

mzarkoni

Indonesia

i not believe about 2012 movie,, disaster ? what is disaster disaster is no body one life in galaksi.

03:15 PM Dec 16 2009 |

Cool-danish

South Korea

Discussion, Do you think anything unusual will happen on December 21, 2012?

Nope. I don't think so. In human history, there were so many sayings about the ending of the earth. But as you know, the sayings were unture exactly! This idea may be nothing but a myth.

03:05 PM Dec 16 2009 |

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