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The Happening

The Happening

Date: Aug 06 2008

Themes: Alternative, Pop Culture

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

When people watch a scary movie about the end of the world, they usually think they’d be like the characters in the movie who somehow survived and have to save the world. But, really, odds are you wouldn’t make it that far and even if you did, you might not have any idea what’s actually going on. It would just be chaos.

The Happening is a new movie from M. Night Shyamalan who also made The Sixth Sense and Signs. The commercials are especially scary because they don’t really give any information about what will happen in the film. Mason has seen it and even he doesn’t even know what happens!

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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

Mason

Mason

Jason

Jason

Mason:  Dude.

Jason:  Yeah.

Mason:  I just saw The Happening. It’s happening.

Jason:  It lives up to the hype?

Mason:  Yeah.

Jason:  Because it’s got such cool marketing. The quick cuts, the people falling, the no explanation for anything.

Mason:  Yeah, total like horror, terror, you don’t know what you’re getting into.

Jason:  Yeah.

Mason:  I’m messed up right now.

Jason:  Can you tell me what happens? What is the happening? What’s happening?

Mason:  You can’t even ask me that, man. I’m not gonna be the guy that leaks that information after they did such an awesome job of keeping it close to the vest.

Jason:  It is really tight. So it’s one of those things where you can’t even share anything at all without giving the whole…

Mason:  No, I mean, like, seriously, what do you know about The Happening without having seen it? You’re like, Mark Wahlberg is in it. Zoe Deschanel’s in it.

Jason:  It’s scary.

Mason:  Something’s happening. That’s about what I know.

Jason:  Gotcha.

Mason:  It’s a whole movie of just like, “Whoa dude! Oh my God!”

Jason:  That’s cool because it sounds like a horror movie from a legitimate perspective because a lot of times the horror movie’s from the perspective of these people who all know what’s going on. But I always figure, in the event of a zombie apocalypse or something, I’m gonna be the guy who’s just, like, on a bus and suddenly bitten by a zombie and had no idea what was happening with the zombie apocalypse. You know what I mean?

Mason:  Yeah…

Jason:  In a real-life horror situation, you would have as little information as you have about The Happening, you know?

Mason:  I didn’t even think about it that way. But yeah, it’s gonna sneak up on us all, right? Thanks for that. I wasn’t going to sleep tonight anyway, but now maybe tomorrow night too.

 

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Discussion

After seeing The Happening, Mason is a little freaked out. Jason asks him to tell him about the movie and he says he can’t. It was very exciting and mysterious.

Jason comments that it’s likely that that’s what the end of the world would actually be like. If it were really the end of the world, most people would probably die early on and never know what was happening.

There are a lot of movies about the end of the world these days. Do you have a favorite? Do you ever think about the end of the world? Jason imagines zombies taking over the Earth. What’s your favorite or most feared type of apocalypse?

 

Comments

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mahbubeh92

mahbubeh92

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I’ve watched it either like many scary movies i’ve watched .but it was few years ago .i know the director he is just like Indians but is originally amaerican .cuz he was born in India…so on..

07:44 AM Jan 04 2016 |

lilme

lilme

Japan

I was disappointed with this movie, but there is one scene that scared the hell outta me :3 

11:41 AM Apr 22 2009 |

Roger_ksa

Roger_ksa

Saudi Arabia

I don't like apocalypse movie and all kinds of scary movie :)
but I like the vocab for the lesson

 thank you guys :)

03:11 PM Dec 14 2008 |

ebraheim

United Arab Emirates

am your new friend ebraheim

after 45 days i will inter to unvirsity and i neen learn more english @ can you help me ?

 

09:07 PM Dec 11 2008 |

tjlily

China

I never heard about  the movie, too.but i really want to watch it . i feel that the movie must  be scary.

01:26 AM Dec 08 2008 |

jaaepotter2

Thailand

Have seen it.

I think it's good.

so scary and also gives me the lesson that we should

not harm the nature,

b coz it can pay back we too. ((((in the terrible way

than we think!!!!!!

06:05 AM Dec 06 2008 |

dalia55

dalia55

United Arab Emirates

Win people

05:55 PM Dec 04 2008 |

dalia55

dalia55

United Arab Emirates

Hi How are young people

05:50 PM Dec 04 2008 |

a13520592515

China

sometimes  is happen,sometimes is not happen . I con,t understand what happend?

12:29 PM Dec 04 2008 |

谷蕊

China

woo

very  good  !

 

05:49 AM Dec 04 2008 |

venissa sun

China

The Sixth Sense is a good movie with unexpected ending , gona to see this The Happening, may be wonderful~!

10:54 AM Dec 03 2008 |

glaucia f silva

Brazil

definately not a good movie.

08:02 PM Dec 02 2008 |

anna2404

Viet Nam

oh even if I have not ever seen it before I think it is a nice movie. It is perhaps very exciting

04:54 AM Nov 26 2008 |

Faizan Nizami

Pakistan

hi

 

01:02 PM Nov 25 2008 |

天意天使

天意天使

China

我不是很懂英语,你可以教我吗

05:33 AM Nov 24 2008 |

miffoo

miffoo

Slovakia

'Scary movie 1,2,3,4" is really good comedyLaughing movie. I'm LOL

08:15 PM Nov 23 2008 |

loraa2005

Nigeria

Hello….How are you doing today and how was your day?
My name is mary ann and you?
Are you single
?
Do you have kids and do you live alone there?
Well, i don’t have any kid and i want to have some one day
How many kids do you want in life?
Do you have a webcam or some pictures for me here
??
What do you do for living???
l want to add me ur yahoo messanger
now am am waiting for you

09:12 AM Nov 23 2008 |

weiniland

weiniland

China

Actually I haven't pondered over the question of the world's end,maybe for the most part because I won't be there any more.

I confess I'm afraid more of my own death than that of the world.

01:15 PM Nov 20 2008 |

dhewi_ms

dhewi_ms

Indonesia

i like scary movie!
well, it’s happening…yeah!

07:58 AM Nov 20 2008 |

aungkoko

aungkoko

Myanmar

i like this movie and I want more.

01:40 PM Nov 17 2008 |

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