Shadowing Practice: Year in Review: 1990 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Welcome to Year in Review, the show where we break down a year to bring you some of the most notable moments in TV
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and film month by month.
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Let's take things back to the beginning of a decade, and not just any decade, we're talking about the 90s.
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That's right, 1990, when the 80s were fresh in the rear view and 10 more years of highs and lows awaited.
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Cheers was dominating the airwaves in its ninth season, while a couple of guys named Brandon and Dylan were about to teach a new generation all about sideburns.
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Movie stars like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to shine, while future stars like Julia Roberts were coming in hot.
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Plus a new Christmas classic was about to be born.
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So get ready to do some voguing, thanks to a popular Madonna song that year, cause this is gonna be fun.
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1990, here we come!
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helping kick the 90s off at a leisurely pace was the film Driving Miss Daisy.
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Jessica Tandy stars as an elderly woman living in Atlanta who, against her wishes, takes on a chauffeur played by Morgan Freeman to help her get around town.
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And while things are rocky at first, they eventually form a close friendship.
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I ever tell you about the first time I leave the state of Georgia?
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When was that?
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A few minutes back.
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Go on.
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Yes.
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But it was Tandy who was really driving the hype train, as her Oscar win for Best Actress was one of four the film earned,
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not to mention Best Picture, out of nine nominations.
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Critics say, while it's fueled in part by outdated stereotypes, Driving Miss Daisy takes audiences on a heartwarming journey with a pair of outstanding actors.
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I'm sure you understand I'm not thrilled at the idea of your turning 40 years of my work into your garage sale.
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At the price I'm paying for this stock, Mr. Morse, you are going to be a very rich man.
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I'm rich enough.
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I just want to head my shipyard.
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Slippery little suckers.
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And walking down the street and into theaters in March of 1990 was the hit rom-com Pretty Woman.
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Julia Roberts stars in this film as Vivian Ward, a free-spirited Hollywood sex worker who is hired for a week by a businessman named Edward, played by Richard Gere.
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Initially, the film was pitched as a dark drama about prostitution in Los Angeles in the 1980s, including themes like Vivian being a drug addict.
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Thankfully, it was Jeffrey Katzenberg, president of Walt Disney Studios at the time, who insisted that the film instead be a modern-day love story.
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Hmm?
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Something's missing.
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Well, nothing else is gonna fit into this draft, I'll tell you that.
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Maybe something in this box.
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I don't want you to get too excited.
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It's only on loan.
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Oh!
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Pretty Woman pulled in over $460 million worldwide to become the third highest-grossing film of 1990,
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And for her efforts, Roberts received a Golden Globe Award for her performance, and was also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, but lost to Kathy Bates for Misery.
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More importantly, however, is that she solidified her seat at the big star table.
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Critics say, Pretty Woman may be a yuppie fantasy, but the film's slick comedy, soundtrack, and casting can overcome misgivings.
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You fight well in the old style, but you've caused me enough trouble.
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Now you face the Shredder.
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The Shredder?
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Uh, maybe all that hardware's for making coleslaw.
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And from the sewers to the theaters in March came Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, directed by Steve Barron, who is probably best known for directing Michael Jackson's Billie Jean music video.
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Hee hee!
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Damn, I'm good.
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This film follows four turtles who were mutated by radioactive ooze and went on to become crime-fighting ninjas.
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Hey, it happens.
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With the one and only Corey Feldman providing the voice of Donatello.
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He's the brains of the operation.
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This movie was an adaptation of the early TMNT comics
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and borrowed a few more elements from the popular animated series at the time.
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And if you haven't had enough fun facts for this one, just know that the turtle costumes were developed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, one of the last projects before Henson's death.
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The more you know.
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Yes friends, the new Turbo Ginsu!
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Woohoo!
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It dices, it slices, and yet makes french fries in three different...
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Whoops!
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Mmm, kids.
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a box office success, and set the stage for two early 90s sequels before a total reboot in 2014.
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Cowabunga!
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Critics say Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is exactly as advertised.
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One-liners, brawls, and general silliness.
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Good for the young at heart, irritating for everyone else.
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Fire to the yard!
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And arriving a few decades early, or was it late,
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in May of 1990 was Back to the Future Part 3 the final installment of the Back to the Future trilogy,
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with director Robert Zemeckis and the main cast once again returning.
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This time, Marty McFly finds out about the death of his buddy Doc Brown in 1985, and must travel back in time to save him,
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leading to them trying to figure out how to escape the dangers of the Old West and get themselves, wait for it, Back to the Future.
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With a $40 million budget, filming began shortly after Back to the Future Part 2 wrapped, and took place partially in Arizona,
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where the production team built the 1885 Hill Valley set from scratch, rather than using existing sets.
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Part 3 opened just six months after the previous installment
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and grossed $246 million worldwide to become the sixth highest grossing film of the year.
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Critics say Back to the Future Part 3 draws the trilogy to a satisfying close with a simpler, sweeter round of time travel antics.
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He's got a gun!
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Cut him off, that way!
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Over there!
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Hold it!
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Don't move!
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Released on June 1st was the Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick, Total Recall, directed by Paul Verhoeven, and based on the 1966 short by Philip K.
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Dick. In it, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a futuristic man whose life gets dangerously
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confusing after he has virtual vacation memories of visiting Mars planted in his head.
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The movie was shot almost entirely in sequence and used a lot of practical special effects,
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amounting to a reported budget of between 50 and 80 million dollars, which was huge for the time.
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Total Recall ultimately had solid box office success, and despite mixed reviews upon its release,
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the The now certified fresh film is viewed by many as one of Schwarzenegger's best projects.
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And in the years since, the movie has gone full franchise with comic books, video games, a TV adaptation, and a film remake.
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Critics say, under Paul Verhoeven's frenetic direction, Total Recall is a fast-paced rush of violence, gore, and humor that never slacks.
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area matter the queen for sky cap we work here see some ID
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and bringing snow-covered action to 4th of July weekend in 1990
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was die hard to The second installment in the Die Hard film series, if you couldn't tell by the number two part of it.
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This one takes place a year after Bruce Willis' John McClane saved Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles,
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this time finding himself battling terror threats at a Washington DC airport.
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Geez, the luck with this guy.
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John McClane.
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Yeah, yeah, I know who you are.
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You're the asshole that just broke seven FAA
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and five District of Columbia regulations running around my airport with a gun shooting at people.
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What do you call that sh?
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Self-defense.
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While the first Die Hard was based on a 1979 Roderick Thorpe novel, this installment was adapted from Walter Wager's 1987 novel called 58 Minutes,
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but with a few plot points and names changed to match the franchise.
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The result was a bigger box office return that nearly doubled the first one, and an overall strong reception from fans and critics.
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So why not do it again?
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And again, and again, you get the point.
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Critics say it lacks the fresh thrills of its predecessor, but Die Hard 2 still works as an over-the-top,
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and reasonably-taught, big-budget sequel with plenty of set pieces to paper over the plot deficiencies.
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I need you to tell Molly what I'm saying, but you have to tell her word for word, alright?
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Word for word.
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Yes.
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He wants me to tell you what he's saying word for word.
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Molly, you're in danger.
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Now you can't just blurt it out like that and quit moving around, will you, cause you start to make me dizzy.
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I'll just tell her in my own way.
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And also making itself seen in July was the film Ghost,
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marking the first time that director Jerry Zucker worked solo after co-directing comedies like Airplane and Top Secret.
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The movie stars Patrick Swayze as a murdered man who tracks down a psychic, played by Whoopi Goldberg, to help him protect his girlfriend from the person who killed him.
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Even with its impressive cast, which also included Demi Moore in a starring role, this film somewhat exceeded expectations.
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It grossed $505 million at the worldwide box office to become the highest grossing film of 1990, and the third highest grossing film ever at the time.
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Ghost was also nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Goldberg.
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And let's be honest, it gave us a certain Pottery Wheel scene that would be spoofed and parodied for years to come.
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Critics say, Ghost offers viewers a poignant romance while blending elements of comedy, horror, and mystery, all adding up to one of the most enduringly watchable hits of its era.
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Are you telling me McDaniel was not a random victim?
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All right, we got a specialist who says the only way this thing makes sense is
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that the recipient had a condition that required a match.
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And McDaniel's kidney fits the bill.
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Well, he'd have to be tested to make sure, but the problem is McDaniel swears from Natal Sunday that he's never been tested.
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Grand theft kidney.
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Terrific.
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And just when 1990 needed a little Law & Order to help set things straight, in came the new drama series Law & Order in September.
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Hey, not every intro can be a winner, okay?
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Cut us some slack.
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Created by Dick Wolf, who would use this show to become a powerhouse in the industry, Law & Order regularly uses the formula of following a crime,
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usually murder, during the investigation and then the court prosecution over the course of an hour.
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Beagle wants to deal, you're the barter.
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Beagle and Zalta are out on bail.
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Don't you think it's funny nobody came forward to help you?
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Big fish eat little fish.
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I have nothing to do with it.
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Beagle and Zalta tell a different story.
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You know the truth, Joe.
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Was it rueful?
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Did he kill Mackey on Masucci's orders?
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You don't know what you're asking me.
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Was it rueful?
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The series initially ended in 2010 after 20 seasons and was revived in 2022.
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The Emmy-winning show spawned a franchise that includes video games, a TV movie, international adaptations and more series including Law & SVU,
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which is now the longest-running live-action scripted show ever.
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Critics say, to be sure.
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Law and Order nonetheless synthesizes an endlessly watchable blend of crime procedural intrigue and legal system dramatics.
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Get the f* out of your tummy.
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You motherf*er, I almost had him.
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I almost had him.
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And the same month Law & Order came to TV, 1990, organized crime hit theaters in the form of Goodfellas, directed and co-written by Martin Scorsese.
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Based on the 1985 book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pelleggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese, this film chronicles the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill,
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played by Ray Liotta, from 1955 to 1980.
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For most of the guys, killings got to be accepted.
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Murder was the only way that everybody stayed in line.
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You got out of line, you got whacked.
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Everybody knew the rules.
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With a cast that also includes Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Goodfellas was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director,
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with Pesci winning for Best Supporting Actor.
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And as our own United States Library of Congress recognized it with entry into the National film registry, this movie has been regarded as one of the best films ever made,
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especially in the gangster genre.
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Critics say, hard-hitting and stylish, Goodfellas is a gangster classic, and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career.
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intense.
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You make one false move in your history.
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I mean if people here saw you eating lunch alone today like that guy over there.
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You know I had a lot of great friends at my
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old school walk." This show followed a group of friends living
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in Beverly Hills California depicting their journey through high school into college and beyond.
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And while it did touch on some serious topics at times,
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90210 also had plenty of teen drama and romance Marianne?
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Liar!
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How can you do that?
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How can you go around spreading those rumors after I spilled my guts to you like that?
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Hey, I had nothing to do with it.
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I swear.
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You know, you're just like everyone else.
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You're like every other creep You used me to get a name for yourself.
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Marianne, I didn't say I didn't say anything.
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Well, then who did?
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The show ran for ten seasons on Fox but ended up being just the first of six series in the 90210 franchise.
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And while the cast and fashions evolved over time, the iconic sideburns worn by Jason Priestley's character
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when the show first kicked off are hard to ignore and should never be forgotten.
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I'm up here you morons!
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Come and get me!
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You guys give up or you're thirsty for more?
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Heads up!
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And not to be forgotten in November of 1990 was the theatrical release of Home Alone,
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directed by Chris Columbus a couple of years after making his debut with Adventures in Babysitting.
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Macaulay Culkin stars in this film about a boy who is accidentally left behind
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when his family heads to the airport in a hurry, leaving him with a big empty house and two burglars who have been causing chaos in the neighborhood.
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Home Alone was written by John Hughes, who also wrote another holiday classic in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation the year before.
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Ooh...
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Ooh...
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Oh...
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Shut it, Pop!
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Hey guys...
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Check this out!
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Go back!
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Go back!
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Go back, okay...
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Go back, okay...
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
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Yo!
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Hughes, who conceived the film while preparing for vacation and wondering what would happen if he left his son behind,
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suggested that they cast Culkin after his experience with the actor on Uncle Buck.
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The movie grossed nearly $477 million worldwide to become the highest grossing live action comedy until The Hangover Part 2 in 2011.
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Plus it made Culkin a child star on the way to becoming an absolute must-watch flick every December.
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Critics say Home Alone's uneven
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but frequently funny premise stretched unreasonably thin is buoyed by Macaulay Culkin's cute performance and strong supporting stars.
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and ten pounds that bly cow corn.
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And bringing a little joy to the fall weather in November of 1990 was the Stephen King adaptation Misery,
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directed by Rob Reiner and based on King's 1987 novel of the same name.
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The film stars Kathy Bates as the obsessive fan of an author played by James Caan,
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who holds him captive in her house and forces him to rewrite the finale of his famous book series.
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We have the power to give misery eternal life.
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We must finish the book.
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But the time is now.
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Soon others will come.
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It's almost finished.
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The little-known Bates ended up with the role after names like Bette Midler and Angelica Houston turned it down.
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And she made the most of it earning plenty of critical
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praise to go along with a Best Actress Oscar Still the only Stephen King adaptation with an Academy Award
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Critics say elevated by standout performances from James Caan
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and Kathy Bates This taut and frightening film is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date Look!
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A grand slam for Martinez to make it a five-run inning and blow this game to pieces!
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I'll be darned.
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And closing out 1990 by keeping things on the cutting edge was the film Edward Scissorhands, released on December 14.
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Johnny Depp stars in the film as a mysterious young man with scissor blades for hands, who comes to live with a kind woman and her family, including a daughter played by Winona Ryder,
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and ends up disrupting their community with his odd but charming ways.
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The film was directed by Tim Burton, who conceived it from his childhood upbringing in suburban Burbank, California, with the genesis of Edward coming from a drawing he did as a teenager.
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And the film got fast-tracked thanks to Burton's critical and financial success with 1989's Batman.
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Burton brought in big-time pros like composer Danny Elfman for music, and the legendary Stan Winston to create the Scissorhands.
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And it's the first time Burton collaborated with Johnny Depp, which must have been a good time because they would become friends and go on to make many, many more films together.
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Critics say, Well, there it is,
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1990 tightly rolled into one nice fancy package.
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If we learned one thing today, it's that no matter if you were alive or not in 1990, there's no better time than right now to relive that magical year.
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And there's no better way to do it than with movies and shows like these, and also sideburns.
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Thanks for checking out our urine review for 1990, we'll see you next time.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Year in Review: 1990”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: film, critics, star. This video has 243 sentences and 2966 words to shadow. The speech runs for 23:15. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| critic noun | /ˈkɹɪt.ɪk/ | A person who appraises the works of others. |
| adaptation noun | /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/ | The process of adapting something or becoming adapted to a situation; adjustment, modification. |
| turtle noun | /ˈtɝtl̩/ | Any land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise. |
| installment noun | /ɪnˈstɔːl.mənt/ | One of a series of parts, whether equal or unequal to the other parts of the series, of a given entity or a given process, which part presents or is presented… |
| beagle noun | /ˈbiːɡəl/ | A small short-legged smooth-coated scenthound, often tricolored and sometimes used for hunting hares. Its friendly disposition makes it suitable as a family… |
| sideburns noun | /ˈsaɪd.bɚnz/ | Facial hair reaching from the top of the head down the side of the face to the side of the chin. |
| nominate verb | /ˈnɑ.mɪ.neɪt/ | To name someone as a candidate for a particular role or position, including that of an office. |
| misery noun | /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹi/ | Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe. |
| conceive verb | /kənˈsiːv/ | To have a child; to become pregnant (with). |
| rueful adjective | /ˈɹuːfl̩/ | Causing, feeling, or expressing regret or sorrow, especially in a wry or humorous way. |
| watchable adjective | That can be watched. | |
| screenplay noun | /ˈskɹiːnˌpleɪ/ | A script for a movie or a television show; especially, the former specifically. |
| gangster noun | /ˈɡæŋ.stəː/ | A member of a criminal or street gang. |
| flick noun | /flɪk/ | A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip. |
| trilogy noun | /ˈtɹɪləd͡ʒi/ | A set of three connected works—usually dramas, literary pieces, films, or musical compositions—all related by theme, characters, or setting. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| add up to verb | To have a particular effect in combination. |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| close out verb | To terminate; to call the end of. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| get around verb | To move to the other side of (something, such as an obstruction) by deviating from a direct course or following a curved path. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I don't want you to get too excited.
- What do you call that sh?
- Don't you think it's funny nobody came forward to help you?
- How can you do that?
- You guys give up or you're thirsty for more?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be born · is hired · was pitched |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've caused · haven't had · has gone |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | dollars, which was · man who tracks |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: theatrical /θiˈætɹɪkəl/, thrill /θɹɪl/, thirsty /ˈθɝs.ti/, nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈlɛs/, ninth /naɪnθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/, stylish /ˈstaɪlɪʃ/, prostitution /ˌprɒstɪˈt͡ʃuːʃn/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, prosecution /ˌpɹɑ.sɪˈkju.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/, stereotype /ˈstɛ.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, theatrical /θiˈætɹɪkəl/, radioactive /ˌɹeɪdioʊˈæktɪv/, predecessor /ˈpɹɛd.ə.sɛs.ɚ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like critic, adaptation, turtle.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.