ESLPodcast 17 - Going to the Movies(去电影院)

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Thursday - August 11, 2005

I love watching movies. I like a lot of different genres. No matter what my mood is, I can always find something that fits the bill. When I'm feeling down, I sometimes like a good comedy. My favorite are romantic comedies. The plot is pretty simple. A boy meets a girl and there are road blocks to them getting together. The lead actors are usually likable people, the supporting cast give comic relief and villains are people we love to hate. In the end, though, there is usually a happy ending. Romantic comedies, or comedies in general, can be predictable but they're also pretty entertaining. I don't go out of my way to see slapstick or physical comedies that much. But, once in a while, I catch a good one on TV.

我喜欢看电影，并且不同流派的都喜欢。不管心情怎样，我都能找到适合我看的电影。当沮丧的时候，我喜欢看一部好的喜剧。我最喜欢浪漫喜剧。这种电影情节特别简单，一个男孩遇见了一个女孩，他们要想到一起就要越过这样那样的障碍。主角一般都是可爱的人，配角是剧中的喜剧添加剂，反面人物就是那种我们一看就会讨厌的人。结局总会是圆满的。浪漫喜剧或者喜剧一般看了开头，就会猜到结局。但是仅仅是为了娱乐，他们是不错的选择。我不会刻意去看闹剧。但是偶尔我会在电视中看到一部不错的闹剧。

I like dramas, mysteries, and action and adventure stories, not to mention documentaries. My favorite are movies that have surprise endings that throw you for a loop . Just when you thought you had the whole thing figured out, there's a plot twist. Good screenwriters or directors can pull it off.

One type of movie I don't like that much are horror movies. Scary movies just don't do it for me. But, there is one exception. I like movies by the director Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock was born in England but made most of his films in the U.S. Before he died in 1980, he made a lot of movies that are now considered classics. Most of them are nail- biters; some are mysteries and some are horror stories.

The scariest movie I think he made and that I've ever seen was a movie called Psycho. The movie is set in a seedy motel called Bates Motel. The main character owns the motel and lives there with his mother. Strange things happened at this motel. People check in, but sometimes, they don't check out. One day, a very pretty woman checks in to the motel. We know something bad is going happen to her. Sure enough, we see her get murdered. At the very end, we find out who the murderer is. It's one of those surprise endings. Just when you thought you have it figured out, it turns out to be a shocker. I won't spoil the ending for you if you haven't seen it. I recommend it though and give it a big thumbs up. But, be warned. It's not for the faint-hearted.

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse