🎄Bonus Episode: 5 Festive Movies To Enhance Your English This Christmas

What if your favorite Christmas movies could also be your best English teachers? Join me, Natalie, as I unwrap a festive lineup filled with cinematic gems that not only bring holiday cheer but also serve as practical tools for language learning. From the enchanting streets of Victorian London in A Muppet's Christmas Carol to the chaotic misadventures in Gremlins, these films are chosen for their unique ability to engage both the heart and the mind. Whether you're a fan of timeless classics like It’s a Wonderful Life or the comedic escapades in Elf, there’s something for everyone to enjoy while boosting their English skills.

Grab a cup of hot cocoa and cozy up as I reveal my all-time favorite, the hilariously inventive Home Alone, where young Kevin McCallister takes center stage against two bumbling burglars. This episode is perfect for anyone looking to combine festive joy with a learning opportunity, using the magic of Christmas cinema to enhance their language journey. With memorable characters and stories that resonate, this selection promises both laughter and learning, making it an essential listen for movie lovers and language enthusiasts alike.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello and welcome to today's bonus episode of Learn English with Natalie. Today it's a festive special while I talk about my top five Christmas movies that will help you to enhance your English. First of all, if you're watching this on YouTube, you're watching the visual version. I apologize, I do not have any Christmas decorations up right now because I'm going to be traveling back home to England tomorrow, so I didn't put my decorations up. I also have a puppy who would destroy them, so that's why there's no decorations. Perhaps I'll put a filter on the video just to make it feel a bit more Christmassy. If you're listening to the podcast, I suppose that makes no real difference to you. Now, I wanted to do a special episode today because I love Christmas and I want to talk about my festive, feel-good films, and hopefully you'll find some joy in them too, as well as finding them useful for improving your English. So let's get to it. Coming in at number five is A Muppet's Christmas Carol. This film is perfect for enhancing your English because it's a film that's really made for children. It is based on Charles Dickens' classic novel A Christmas Carol, and it's all about Ebenezer Scrooge, who is a rich, selfish, greedy man, and about a journey he takes to find the true meaning of Christmas.

Speaker 1: 1:35

Number four Now, some people may argue that this isn't really a Christmas movie. I like this film a lot, so I wanted to include it in the list. It is set at Christmas time, so that counts right. This movie is called Gremlins Steven Spielberg classic movie about a young man whose father buys him a mysterious, unknown creature called a mogwai, and the creature's name is Gizmo. He's really cute, he's really fluffy, but a lot of chaos ensues because there are rules to follow when keeping this pet and guess what? He doesn't follow the rules. Now, when this movie was first released, there was a lot of confusion from parents who took their children to watch this movie because, like I said, gizmo is such a cute little creature. However, it is a little bit scary for young ones, so I would suggest it's for adults only. If you want to introduce your children to this film, I wouldn't recommend that. Depending on their age, you might want to watch it beforehand.

Speaker 1: 2:47

Movie number three it's a classic, timeless tale and it's called it's a Wonderful Life. It's a very old movie. Hang on, I'm just going to check what year that was released. Hang on, I'm just going to check what year that was released. Okay, I just checked. So it's a Wonderful Life was released in 1946. So it's a very old movie. However, it's a real feel good classic.

Speaker 1: 3:10

All about the true meaning of not just Christmas but life, about how your relationships and how love are the most important thing. It's about a man called George Bailey who lives in a small town. Different things happen to him throughout his life which means he can't go and experience things in life that he wants. To Many things get in the way and he sometimes feels trapped by family responsibilities. It's a very nice, heartwarming classic. Give it a go.

Speaker 1: 3:42

Coming in at number two is a more modern film called Elf. Elf is all about a Christmas elf called Buddy who has grown up in the North Pole by accident with Santa and the other elves and he feels like he doesn't fit in. And he doesn't fit in because he's actually a human. And it's about his journey to New York to find his biological father and all about how he struggles to fit in and socialize with the people of New York. But it's a real heartwarming movie. It has great comedy, a great cast. I'm sure you're going to love it.

Speaker 1: 4:22

And finally, number one I'll be very surprised if you haven't heard this one. It is arguably the best Christmas film ever. It's called Home Alone and it stars Macaulay Culkin, who's I think he's about eight or nine years old. Macaulay Culkin has a huge family and they all go on vacation or on holiday for the festive period. And Macaulay Culkin is accidentally left behind and he has to protect his house from two rogue but comedic burglars and he has to set up lots of traps and all sorts to prevent them from stealing anything from his home. It's a great comedy. It's a classic film. Make sure you give it a go over this festive period.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Here are some tips for you to get the most out of these movies in order to improve your English language learning. Tip one subtitles are your friend. If you're watching these movies on Netflix, I suggest putting the subtitles on in your own language. First of all, make sure you watch a short scene and use your own language subtitles to help you with the understanding of what is actually happening. Then re-watch the scene again without the subtitles, just listening to the words. Perhaps you need to do that a couple of times until you reach a full understanding of what is happening in the scene. Tip two imitate the pronunciation of words. Choose a scene that you really enjoy. It only needs to be a short scene, and I want you to listen to this scene quite a few times, rewatch it over and over again. Then what you should do is make sure you pause every couple of sentences and try to repeat what the actors say using their pronunciations. You are copying and mimicking what they say.

Speaker 1: 6:24

Tip number three you might just feel like enjoying the movie. Why don't you watch it dubbed in your own language, with English subtitles? This might not be as effective as the other strategies I gave you, but it will ensure that you get enjoyment, you will have a full understanding of the story and you can practice your English reading as you go along. That's what this time of year is all about, after all Having fun, relaxing, resetting and enjoying yourself. Don't forget to get some delicious snacks before you do so. I hope you all have a wonderful festive season. Merry Christmas to those of you who are celebrating and I hope you have a wonderful new year. Thank you for joining me and supporting this show, and I'll see you in the new year. Bye.