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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Intro
The first movie in the Harry Potter franchise was in 2001. It told the story of a young boy who went to school to be a wizard. Thousands of people quickly became obsessed with Harry Potter and his friends. People read all the books, watched all the movies, and even dressed up like wizards. The last movie in this supernatural franchise was in 2011.

When the franchise ended, fans could only rewatch old movies… until now. On November 18, 2016, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opened in theaters. This is a new movie about a new wizard. Many Harry Potter fans are thrilled! Other people say that a new movie is too much. They’re over it, and they think the franchise is beating a dead horse.

Dominique isn’t thrilled about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Listen to this English lesson to find out why Jordin wants her to give it a chance.
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Dialogue

Jordin: So, Dominique, have you heard about the new movie in the Harry Potter franchise... Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?
Dominique:  There’s a new movie?
Jordin:  Yeah!
Dominique:  No.
Jordin:  No? I’m super excited about it! You don’t sound very thrilled. Do you not like Harry Potter?
Dominique:  I’m kind of over it. I mean, back when I was in middle school, I was all about Harry Potter, but now I’m just like, mmm, no.
Jordin:  Well, I’ve always been obsessed with it, and I cannot wait for this new movie. It might seem like they’re beating a dead horse, but I think everyone should give it a chance
Dominique:  You seem obsessed. Like, it’s dead. Let it die.
Jordin:  I think this whole mythical, supernatural theme has been doing really well, and I think that this movie could be a good thing for the franchise. 
Dominique:  Or we can rewatch the old ones. I mean, they’re still amazing.
Jordin:  Well, I think we could do both, but I think it could be a pretty good movie. 
Dominique:  I can’t wait. Just kidding. I can.
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Discussion
A long, long time ago, Dominique was all about Harry Potter. Now, she’s over it. She doesn’t even know that a new wizard movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is in theaters. She will rewatch the movies in the old Harry Potter franchise with Jordin, but Dominique is not obsessed with the new movie.

Who is obsessed? Jordin. She’s thrilled! She wants everyone, even Dominique, to give it a chance. There have been many popular movies with a supernatural theme, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them could be the next big movie. Maybe, there are already too many good movies about wizards, but Jordin definitely wants to see this new movie.

Which franchise are you obsessed with? How many times can you rewatch it?
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Grammar Point
Present Perfect Progressive

Movies like Harry Potter have been very successful. Jordin agrees. She says, “I think this whole mythical, supernatural theme has been doing really well.” Jordin uses the present perfect progressive tense.

We form the present perfect progressive (sometimes called the “present perfect continuous”) with have/has been + main verb + ing. We use this tense to talk about an on-going action that began in the past, is still in progress, and may continue into the future.

For example, you might say, “I have been thinking about getting a new car for weeks.” You first thought of getting a new car weeks ago, you’re currently thinking of getting one, and unless you buy one or decide not to buy one right now, you’ll continue thinking about it.

In her sentence, Jordin is talking about the past, present, and future of movies like Harry Potter. “I think this whole mythical, supernatural theme has been doing really well.” She means that such movies were popular before, are popular now, and will still be popular in the future.

Which is correct, “It has been snow all day,” or, “It has been snowing all day”?






VOCAB

Vocab

franchise n.

Definition

series of movies; group of stores

Example

I think the first Back to the Future is the best one in the franchise, but a lot of people liked the second one.

wizard n.

Definition

male who has the power to cast spells and perform magic

Example

My brother loved to dress up as a wizard on Halloween when he was a kid.

obsessed adj.

Definition

thinking about something all the time

Example

My sister is obsessed with boy bands. She doesn’t listen to anything else.

supernatural adj.

Definition

related to ghosts; not normal or natural

Example

I don’t believe in supernatural life.

rewatch v.

Definition

watch something again

Example

Do you want to rewatch Star Wars this weekend? I’ve already seen in five times, but it’s my favorite movie.

thrilled adj.

Definition

happy and excited

Example

I’m thrilled that we are going to Disneyland this weekend!

over it expr.

Definition

no longer interested in something, bored by something

Example

I used to like punk music, but now I’m over it.

beat a dead horse expr.

Definition

spend time and energy on a situation that is finished; try to change something that is over

Example

You failed the test, and the teacher won’t change your score no matter what you do. Stop beating a dead horse!

give it a chance expr.

Definition

try something; don’t judge something before trying it

Example

I really think you’ll like sushi. You just need to give it a chance.

be all about expr.

Definition

be very interested in something

Example

It’s hard to be all about school sometimes. Homework is so boring.

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