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METEGOL: The Movie Pixar Could Never Have Made

By Paul Ponce, PLS Teacher 

Dreams are the stuff great movies are made of. And the dreams that could be conjured up in the imagination of a little boy (or of a filmmaker who resonates with them) are the stuff that box office hits are made of.

Curiously enough, on this planet of over six billion, most boys dream about a sport played by 11 guys versus another 11 guys, where they kick a round leather ball around and try to score goals off each other.

I think you know which one I'm talking about, don't you?

(Reading Comprehension Questions + Glossary at the end)

That's why, it's thrilling to announce that from Academy Award-winning Argentine director Juan José Campanella (El Secreto de Sus Ojos, 2010) comes the story of a small town dreamer who challenges the odds and goes for glory with the help of 11 little friends who really know their game. The film is a co-production with Spain and is being internationally distributed by Universal.

So what's it all about?

From the time he was kid, young Amadeo had two passions, foosball and Laura, his best friend. And that was all nice and dandy until Grosso, the town bully, showed up and challenged Amadeo to a foosball match. Turns out it was a bad move for Grosso, as Amadeo skillfully put him to shame, while the girl of his dreams cheered on.

Flash forward a few years. Amadeo was still in love with foosball and Laura, even thought he had yet to tell her about it. Then out of the blue, Grosso, arrogant and cynical as ever, came back as a multimillionaire international soccer star with one clear intention: buying out the town and turning it into his own egocentric theme park. As bulldozers pulled into town, it was clear Amadeo was no match for his old nemesis. Until something changed...

Amadeo's foosball players came to life.

Cool, right? But what if you had to explain Foosball to someone unfamiliar with any of this? Maybe you could tell them this...

Foosball (also known as table football, footzy or bar football) is a popular table game in countries where soccer is played. Basically two players try to score goals off each other by shooting a pinball sized ball with the help of 22 figures resembling players fixed on bars that traverse a table. In Argentina where Campanella is from, the game is called "metegol" and every kid who's had a childhood has played it. There was always a metegol table at a local club or corner bar somewhere in town... in every town. Pretty much the same goes for the rest of the planet. Well, almost.

So there's a good chance that METEGOL, based on a short story by Argentine writer Roberto Fontanarrosa, will attract the attention of millions around the world who are passionate about the magic of "soccer", which - by the way, is actually known as "football" anywhere outside of the United States (and Australia).




Yet the fact that Americans for the most part consider this a "lesser" sport is not necessarily bad news. In an age of Hollywood big budget summer mega-flops, the suits will be paying attention to other ideas and how well they fare in the foreign market, which if you didn't know, is where films today make it or break it.

One thing is for sure, Campanella's nostalgic feel-good tale of a young man whose foosball players come to life is sort of the type of idea that could never have come from the imagination of someone unfamiliar with this extremely popular global sport. Let's face it, small talk in the elevators or just before meetings at Pixar or Dreamworks would never be about the results of the Premier League, the EuroCup or Leo Messi's latest world-record, now would it?

But 11 year-old boys everywhere else won't mind. Because even though they love robots, aliens and talking cars, they will be very curious to see what FOOSBALL is about. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences takes notice once again of Campanella's gifted storytelling.

Behind Campanella's first animated feature is the tried and true production team from his Oscar-winner "El Secreto...". Yet, this time around, a special art, 3D animation and VFX team came on board to do their magic. The result is on par with the quality that international audiences have come to expect from 3D animation. No exceptions.

But here's what's really going to raise an eyebrow or two among the suits. FOOSBALL was made for only 20 million dollars. Just think, the same scale movie at a big Hollywood animation studio wouldn't have been made for under 100 million.

Campanella's animated feel-good soccer epic opens this week in South America and from there takes its globally appealing game throughout the world hoping to score big with boys (and girls) of all ages.

Full Trailer (in Spanish):



Behind the Scenes




Glossary:

• conjure up: create from nothing
• to challenge the odds: to challenge a very poor probability of success
• to put someone to shame: to embarrass someone in defeat
• to resemble: to be like
• mega-flops: huge commercial failures
• feel-good tale: a story with emotional high points that is made for the family
• suits: movie studio executives
• small talk: informal conversation
• tried and true: something that has been tested in difficult conditions and performed well
• raise an eyebrow or two: when something unexpected calls the attention

Reading Comprehension Questions 

1. According to the article, what are box office hits made of?
2. What is Foosball (the game)?
3. Who is Amadeo?
4. What happened to Amadeo and his town before the Foosball players came to life?
5. What happened in Hollywood this summer?
6. According to the article, who would never have thought of this story?
7. In addition to Campanella's previous production team, who else worked on this film?
8. What will raise an eyebrow or two among the suits?

EASY language, COMPLEX Love... ACTUALLY

In today's post, we'll look at a great scene from a movie that actually uses very simple language to solve a complex dilemma.


It's from the hit romantic comedy of 2003, Love Actually.

By the way, remember that actually in English means "in fact", "in reality" and not something happening at the present time (as Spanish speakers sometimes mistake).

Anyway, as you will see in this scene, for Mark - a young man from London - it's difficult to say what he's got to say to that special someone (Juliet), even if they speak the same language.

Of course, who says you've got to say anything? Sometimes, all you actually need is some cardboard, a magic marker and some basic knowledge of verb tenses.

See for yourself and WATCH THE SCENE BY CLICKING HERE.

As you can see (and read), the language Mark uses includes:

simple present: You are perfect...

simple future: My wasted heart will...

And not much more.

Now imagine how this would change if the guy had actually tried to say his feelings instead of writing them. Put yourself in Mark's shoes or in Juliet's. What do you think they would actually say to one another?

Here at PLS English Users we can't actually recommend that this technique will work for your personal life.

But if you want to enjoy a simple and delicious comedy - in English - from the director of Four Weddings and a Funeral, we can recommend you rent Love Actually at your local DVD rental store.

And as an EXTRA from PLS English Users - if you click here - you can download a PDF of the script that was actually written to make this movie. (The script is for educational use only).

Movie scripts are fast, easy and fun to read. They are also mostly written in historical present (simple present). So, you can actually read this one before, during and after you watch it. By the way, the scene mentioned above is on page 120-121.

To catch a glimpse of the movie, you can also check out the trailer below.

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day is Here...

VIDEO: Courtesy of: Mojo.com

Saint Patrick's Day is a yearly holiday celebrated on March 17th. It is named after Saint Patrick who lived in the 5th Century. He is the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland.

However, he was originally born in Wales under the name of Maywyn. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by mauraders (pirates) and taken as a slave to Ireland.

But he would eventually undergo a religious awakening, changing his name to Patrick and dedicating his life to Christianity. Founding churches and schools, his work would eventually lead to Ireland becoming a Christian country.

Originally, St. Patrick's Day began as a purely Christian holiday. But in the early 1600s, it became an official feast day. And gradually, it has become a more secular celebration of Ireland's culture, legends and traditions.

In fact, it is a public holiday on the island of Ireland; including Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish community internationally, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Montserrat, among others.

Vocabulary associated with St. Patrick's Day and Irish culture:

leprechaun: A mischievous elf in Irish folklore who enjoys playing tricks on people

clover: A sweet-smelling plant with three leaves on each stem that symbolizes Irish culture

limerick: A funny poem written with five lines. The first two lines and the last line all rhyme. The third and the fourth lines rhyme.

St Paddy’s Day is here
Everybody is drinking beer
A sea of Green, White and Gold
Blowing in the cold,
And now it’s over, back next year

by Dean Murphy

Coming home in style... sort of

PLS ENGLISH USERS HOST PAUL POSTED A LETTER.
READ IT AND CHECK THE VOCABULARY AT THE END:

Dear English Users,

My vacation has come to an end. Today, I'm coming home to my favorite roadside stop on the web.

And you'll never believe it! The boss was really cool and sent the company jet to get me. But that's the good news.

The bad news is the pilot drank the water over here. He got really sick. Now, he'll have to stay a few days to recover.

So guess who has to fly himself home? But I look at it this way. If I can teach future perfect continuous (passive) to false beginners, I can fly a LearJet.

Just in case, wish me luck.

Warm Regards,
Paul

----------------------
TARGET VOCUBULARY

sort of: an idiomatic expression at the end of statement indicating uncertainty
host: the person who conducts an activity or show
to come to an end: to finish
you'll never believe it: you will be surprised
to be cool: to have an attitude and style that people really like
to get me (someone): to transport me (someone)
over here: in this place
get sick: to become ill
recover: to return to good health
future perfect continuous: a difficult verb tense
just in case: in the unlikely event that something happens...
luck: good fortune