Hello students of English! How are you? Yesterday was Hinamatsuri, so did you eat chirashizushi or decorate your house with Hina dolls for the holiday? If you are like me, you completely forgot about it. Well, maybe next year, I will celebrate the fun holiday.
Unfortunately, there was sad news from Hollywood recently. The legendary actor Gene Hackman passed away at the age of 95. You might not recognize his name, but it is possible that you have seen one of his movies. He acted in many popular films from 1961-2004 and always provided amazing performances.
Hackman is most remembered for the The French Connection, the original Superman film series, the westerns Unforgiven and Wyatt Earp, and the Royal Tenenbaums. Personally, my favorite film from the late actor is Hoosiers. It is a 1986 film about a basketball team in my home state of Indiana!
In the movie, Gene Hackman plays Norman Dale, a once-disgraced college basketball coach who gets a second chance leading a small-town high school team in Indiana. Dale arrives in the town of Hickory with a strict coaching style that both players and townspeople dislike at first. However, he sticks to his principles, emphasizing teamwork and fundamentals. Hackman’s character recruits the town drunk as an assistant coach and encourages the star player to return to the team after he quits earlier in the story. He is able to transform the underdog team into state championship contenders, and it is an inspiring film that everyone can relate to.
If you get the chance, I highly recommend watching this movie. It is a great way to learn about basketball culture in America while paying respect to the late great Gene Hackman.
What actors do you like? Are there any good sports movies which do a good job of showing Japanese culture? If you have any ideas, please discuss them with your teachers at BRIDGE!
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