Yesterday morning, I tried to write a journal entry as I normally do on Saturdays, but I couldn’t think of anything to write about, so I gave up after only writing a few lines, and opted instead for watching some Netflix. I watched the first four episodes of the series “Grace and Frankie” and the movie “The Craigslist Killer.”
I’ve subscribed to Netflix for several years, so of course I’ve known that “Grace and Frankie” existed, but for some reason I haven’t gotten around to watching it until now. I started viewing it mainly for the purpose of learning colloquial English, thinking that it must be a light-hearted comedy series that’s easy enough for me to understand.
As it turned out, “Grace and Frankie” was a bit of a challenge for me - not only did the dialog contain many Americanisms that were too vernacular or location-specific, but it also introduced too many family members into the first few episodes, leaving me scrambling to keep track of who’s who, which I found very frustrating.
Having said that, Jane Fonda and Martin Sheen are great in this show. Fonda was 77 years old when it was first released, but she still looks energetic and youthful for her age. As for Sheen, this is the first time I’ve seen him play a gay character. His performances look genuine enough - he actually kisses his boyfriend character several times - and he doesn’t go over the top by portraying his gayness in a caricatured way, demonstrating his refined skill as an actor, and his fundamental respect for LGBTQ+ people, which is something I truly appreciate as a gay man.
The movie “The Craigslist Killer” is a made-for-television movie that was released in 2011, starring Jake McDorman, Agnes Bruckner, and William Baldwin. This is based on the true story of the serial killer Philip Markoff, who was a medical student in the Boston area when he committed his multiple crimes, including murders and robberies. Compared with “Grace and Frankie,” I found this movie much easier to follow, as the story was quite straightforward. It’s a film of decent enough quality, and an excellent material for me to study English with, so I’m quite happy I watched it.
After dinner, I went back to studying French, where I learned three pages’ worth of words from my French dictionary. As of now I’m about four percent in, so I’m definitely making good progress. Vocabulary constitutes a big part of what makes up a person’s proficiency in a foreign language, so I’m determined to keep learning until I reach the end of this dictionary.
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