Far and Away , www.EFLsuccess.com Story: This is the story of Irish immigrants to America in the late 1800s, who struggle with hunger, hatred, prejudice and “just plain hard work” to start a new life. How do you define success? In … Continue reading →
Cool Runnings, www.EFLsuccess.com Story: Celebrate the Olympic spirit with this Disney classic, based on the true story of the first bobsled team from the Caribbean (1988 winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada). Everyone laughs when a disgraced coach takes on the challenge … Continue reading →
How the Grinch Stole Christmas; www.EFLsuccess.com Story: Although the mean, green Grinch lives far above Whoville, hating the Whos and their crazy Christmas celebrations, little Cindy-Lou Who reaches out to welcome this misunderstood creature. However, when the Grinch (dressed like … Continue reading →
An American Tail, www.EFLsuccess.com Story: This charming Stephen Spielberg cartoon tells the story of mice who immigrate from Russia to America (in 1886, because of persecution from dangerous cats). Lured by tales of unlimited opportunity and “no cats,” the Mouskewitz family (of mice) … Continue reading →
Jungle Book, www.EFLsuccess.com Story: The jungle is filled with laughter, song, suspense and friendship, in one of the funniest and best cartoons Walt Disney (1901-1966) ever made. A human orphan is raised by wolves, but when a tiger threatens the wolf … Continue reading →
Writing News Articles, www.EFLsuccess.com Unit 17 of my book, Successful Writing for the Real World, presents how to write news articles. Today, “the news” is often an attempt to persuade the reader by presenting the author’s (or editor’s) side of a story, … Continue reading →
The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 狮王,女巫,衣橱, www.EFLsuccess.com Story: Four British children (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie) go to the countryside to escape World War 2 bombing. There, they magically travel to Narnia, a land … Continue reading →
The Family Man, www.EFLsuccess.com Story: Jack is a rich, successful stock broker. One Christmas Eve, he gets a glimpse of what his life would have been like if he had made different choices. What did he give up by not marrying his college girlfriend … Continue reading →
It’s a Wonderful Life; www.EFLsuccess.com Story: George lives for others all his life. One Christmas Eve, a relative’s error threatens to put him in jail. While considering suicide, George gets an unexpected gift when an angel shows him what his town … Continue reading →
The Road to Redemption; www.EFLsuccess.com Story: This comedy is about life in our times. Amanda’s money problems lead her to “borrow” money from her boss (without permission). After gambling it away, she soon finds the mob (deadly criminals) chasing her. … Continue reading →
The Sand Lot (1); www.EFLsuccess.com Story: How do kids spend the summer in America? In this film, you’ll see July 4 fireworks and a local fair (tiny, moving amusement park), but you’ll mainly see the guys play baseball by the hour … Continue reading →
Ever After, A Cinderella Story, www.EFLsuccess.com Story: Cinderella wouldn’t have needed a magic pumpkin if she’d had Da Vinci! France’s Crown Prince wants to run away from his overbearing father until a “modern-thinking” young woman captures his heart. But will 16th century … Continue reading →
