영어 Through Entertainment: The Godfather Part III "They pull me back in..."

The Godfather Part III is a Terrible Movie
Generally speaking, The Godfather Part III is an awful movie.  It was a sad ending to one of the most storied cinema franchises ever.  Very rarely, if ever, does a sequel surpass an original.  Well, that occurred as The Godfather Part II won the Oscar award for Best Picture.

Nevertheless, This Single Line is Memorable
The main character of The Godfather trilogy is Michael Corleone.  As he grew older, he attempted to legitimize himself, and his ill-gotten gains.  Despite his effort to get out of illegitimate business, he failed.  Forces around him made quitting his illegal activities impossible.

"They pull me back in"Has Another Meaning
Of course, you can easily understand the language.  Corleone believed that he was going to become legitimate, but was unable.  The hidden meaning, however, is more subtle.  It has become to be an ironic statement, which implies that he never really meant to leave in the first place.  Furthermore, he is blaming some other force (the "they") for the his failure to become legitimate.  It is of course, not true. 

Examples:
(o)  I wanted to leave the nightclub, but they pulled me back in.
(o)  I wanted to stop watching reruns of Boys Over Flowers, but they pulled me back in.

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영어 Through Entertainment #7: The Jedi Mind Trick

A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
Star Wars (1977) is the most famous science fiction movie of all time. The brainchild of George Lucas, Star Wars still, incredibly, lives via cartoons, books, and movies. The original Star Wars is actually called Star Wars IV: A New Hope. While other movies have grossed more at the box office, George Lucas created an entire industry which began with Star Wars, including the creation of companies vital to film-making.

Star Wars Created the Phrase "Jedi mind trick"
There are many famous scenes in Star Wars, and one of them is here, which is the first time that we see evidence of the "Jedi mind trick."

What Does "Jedi mind trick" mean?
Obi-wan Kenobi, a Jedi knight, has used brain power to make the stormtroopers (the armed guards) believe what he (Obi-wan) wants them to believe. Today, the "Jedi mind trick" is another way of saying that you have fooled someone into believing what you want that person to believe. Today, you can still hear the phrase "Jedi mind trick" in movies or on TV.

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영어 Through Entertainment #6: Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?

Ferris Buehler's Day Off is Hilarious, Even Today
Ferris Buehler's Day Off  (1986), a movie set in suburban Chicago, is about a high school student (played by Matthew Broderick), who skips school for a day.  While taking attendance, the teacher calls out Ferris' name.  Here is the clip.

The point is that this economics teacher, a very boring teacher, called attendance in a very boring tone, and he also taught in that same tone.  He asked his class questions by saying "Anyone, anyone?" in the same way he asked "Bueller, Bueller?"  The teacher received the same response: silence.

Today, if you say "Bueller, Bueller?" then you are looking for a response, but aren't getting one.  In fact, your audience may be absent (like Ferris Bueller), or totally uninterested (like the students), or don't have the answer. 

Note:  This movie is pretty old (25 years), and so adults are probably the only ones that will understand the reference.
Extra:  One famous scene featured the The Beatles' famous song, Twist and Shout.  Here is another clip from the movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Extra:  The Beatles' famous song Twist and Shout figured prominently in the movie.

영화로 영어 배우는 것 #3: "You had me at 'Hello'" from Jerry Maguire

Is this the most romantic scene of our generation?
 Jerry Maguire (1996) starts Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger.  It is a movie about an agent (Jerry Maguire) who is an American football agent.  His love interest is Renee Zellweger (a single mother).     Certainly, it is where two of the most memorable phrases in American movies originated.

First, "You complete me."
Second, "You had me at 'Hello.'"

Both of these phrases are known to many native English speakers.  "You complete me" is Jerry Maguire's phrase as he professes his love for Dorothy (Zellweger).  "You had me at 'hello'" is Dorothy's response, which means that "I didn't need to be convinced.  You just being here is enough." 

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영화로 영어 배우는것 The Wizard of Oz: "We Aren't in Kansas Anymore."

The Wizard of Oz (1939!) is one of the most famous movies of all time.  One of the most famous lines is Dorothy's "We aren't in Kansas anymore."  Today, that line has been adopted hundreds, thousands of times.  There are multiple meanings.  Here are some of them.

A.  We are somewhere we have never been.
B.  We are not in the countryside (시골) anymore.
C.  We have come a long way from where we started.

You get the idea.  The point is that the new place where Dorothy arrived was far, far different from where she once was.  It was new, strange, and she realized that she didn't understand anything around her.  She wasn't in Kansas anymore.

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Learning English Through Entertainment #1: "You can't handle the truth."

The Greatest American Export Isn't the iPhone, It Is Entertainment
Entertainment is the great American export.  TV, movies, music, you name it, and there is zero doubt that the U.S. is the undisputed king of the hill (sorry, Hallyu).  Other countries are making strides or have made historical importance (like the U.K. in music).
Pop culture starts and ends in America, and as a result, one excellent way of knowing how language is used, what the implications of a phrase is, or if you want to relate to others who speak English, then knowing scenes where a famous phrase is coined, what movie, and the circumstance, is very helpful.

Learning English Through Cinema #1:  "You can't handle the truth."
This is from A Few Good Men, an otherwise unspectacular movie.  The actors, Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, are known globally.  This scene saved on You Tube is unforgettable because of the line "You can't handle the truth."  The meaning of the phrase is: "sometimes, the truth is ugly, so it's better to not know, and just accept the good results instead of asking questions."

You know how to tell that a line from a movie is well-known?  It gets repeated on TV shows, and in this case, the most popular sitcom of all-time, Seinfeld.

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