Question 1

I brought my daughter Miwa to see "Alice Through the Looking Glass" at Namba Parks Theatre. It was about 3 1/2 years ago. It's an Alice in Wonderland spin-off starring Johnny Depp.

Question 2

She was only four years old at the time. It was her first movie at the cinema. After fifteen minutes she said, "daddy, ikoka". So, we left the movie. Haha. She was too young for the cinema.

Question 3

My earliest memory is the first "Star Wars" movie. I went with my two older brothers. I was only five years old. It was an incredible experience. I remember it being the first time that I had to wait in a long queue.

Question 4

I think the best advantage is sound. The surround sound systems in new theaters are incredible. Besides that, I prefer to watch a movie at home.

Question 5

I think that modern televisions and sound have become really good. It is much cheaper and you can pause the movie whenever you like.

Question 6

I have seen all of these films, but none of them in the theater. I think Miyazaki's films are incredible. I have watched "Spirited Away" about a thousand times with my children.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
queue	キュー
advantage	利点
cheaper	安く
thousand	千

Question 1

Maybe I went to the movie theatre two years ago with my wife and we saw The Secret Life of Pets. It's a good movie.

Question 2

We really enjoyed it, we also went out for dinner afterward. The movie was lighthearted, funny and enjoyable to watch.

Question 3

My earliest memory was going to see Ghostbusters 2. I was only six years old and I got very scared. I have no idea why my father thought that was a good idea.

Question 4

One advantage of going to the theatre is that I can buy a big box of popcorn. I seldom eat popcorn at home.

Question 5

I use Hulu and it is very cheap, I think it is 1,000 yen per month. So, I can watch as many shows and movies as I want for the price of a McDonald"s.

Question 6

Sorry, I have never seen those movies. In fact, I have only heard of Spirited Away. Maybe some students can tell me about the other five movies.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
lighthearted	気軽
seldom	稀
In fact	事実上

Question 1

I honestly can't remember. I think it was probably "The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies" but I might be mistaken there. If I'm right though, that means I haven't been to the cinema in about five years! That's a long time for someone who used to go once a week in his teens!

Question 2

It was watchable but it was largely forgettable. I like fantasy as a genre, and I really enjoyed the "Lord of the Rings" movies when they came out. But I remember watching the Hobbit movies and pointing out all the things I didn't like about them.

Question 3

I guess that would be Disney's "The Jungle Book". I don't remember who I went with though I'm pretty sure it would have been my mum. Other than brief flashes, I really have no memory of that day. Given that I'm something of a movie buff, I imagine the experience had a profound effect on me.

Question 4

The obvious advantages are the large screen and the excellent surround sound system. I also think it's kind of cool to watch a brand new movie in a crowded theater to see what the audience's reactions are like. It feels like more of an event then.

Question 5

Access to the remote so you can pause, rewind, and turn subtitles on or off is pretty nice. A much bigger advantage for me though is the beer is too expensive at the cinema. Drinking at home is much cheaper.

Question 6

I saw none of these at the cinema. I've only seen "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke" and I enjoyed them both so I can't really weigh in on which is the best. I have to say though that I find it interesting that of the six Japanese films which grossed over ¥15 billion domestically, five of them are animation. Of those, four are Studio Ghibli movies. Japan sure seems to know what it likes!

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
I might be mistaken	私は間違っているかもしれません
watchable	監視可能
largely forgettable	簡単に忘れられる
brief flashes	短い瞬間
movie buff	映画ファン
have a profound effect on	に深い影響を与えます
brand new	真新しい
weigh in on	意見を述べる