Full Frontier by Gary Boyle
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Bangkok Post Learning: Test Yourself Test Yourself is where you can improve your reading skills. Whether it’s for tests like University Entrance Exams or IELTS and TOEFL, or even just for fun, these pages help you to read, understand and improve your English. Full frontier by Gary Boyle Photo by Netflix Read the following story by Tatat Bunnag from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow. Netflix's latest film Triple Frontier sees a group of ex-Special Forces operatives go on a secret mission in South America armed with guns and explosives. NOT SO DUMB So far, so like every 80s action thriller. But Triple Frontier is much more than just another big dumb action flick. This is thanks to the extraordinary talent involved. It’s directed by Oscar-nominated J.C. Chandor, best known for 2014's A Most Violent Year, written by Mark Boal of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty fame, and features Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal and Garrett Hedlund. The film was originally released in select US cinemas on March 6, before becoming available for streaming on Netflix. On March 8, Affleck and co-stars Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) were in Singapore to promote the film ahead of its worldwide release. At Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, hundreds of Singaporean fans showed up for a chance to get up close and personal with the film’s stars. Affleck, Hunnam and Hedlund spent about an hour walking the red carpet, taking selfies with lucky fans and signing autographs. SINGAPORE SIGHTS “This is our first time here in Singapore. It's a beautiful city, and we're so thrilled to be here to meet our fans, talk about the film, and hopefully have a chance to explore the city," said Affleck at the beginning of the press conference, where he and his co-stars discussed what went on behind the scenes and the challenges of making this film. In Triple Frontier, a group of former Special Forces operatives plan to steal a drug lord's fortune in a small town in South America. They decide to do the mission for their own personal gain rather than for their country. But events take an unexpected turn, testing their loyalties and morals in an epic battle for survival. The film suggests that money and military intervention go hand-in-hand. When mistakes happen, money changes hands, but the infringements are never fully forgiven. "The film is a couple different of films in one, really," said Affleck. "On one level, it's a very exciting, tension-filled heist movie. Underneath that is a character story of these professional soldiers who take on a mission that is morally questionable. This is not about telling a male story or masculinity but a story rooted in the truth of the Special Forces." "There'll be a lot of unpredictable twists and turns that'll keep people guessing," Hedlund said. PARADISE CITY English actor Hunnam admitted that one of the benefits from working on the film was the opportunity to work in places that he called "paradise". "We got to shoot in some extraordinary locations. Primarily we went to Oahu in Hawaii, then we went up to the mountains in northern California and to Bogota. It was three extraordinarily beautiful locations, particularly Hawaii," he said. Like other films in the same genre, Triple Frontier is about a band of brothers and the camaraderie between them. It helps, then, that many cast members are longtime friends in real life. "A lot of us had already known each other prior to this. Oscar and I had known each other for 10 years. Charlie and I have been best pals for 15 years. So the camaraderie and brotherhood between us came easier," said Hedlund. Affleck too had fond memories of the filming experience: "As guys, we had an ease with one another, a kind of shared sense of humour. You can really bond on a movie like this.” Section 1: Read through the story and answer the following questions. 1. Where is the film set? ……………. 2. Who wrote Zero Dark Thirty? ……………. 3. Triple Frontier opened in every US cinema. True or false? ……………. 4. Affleck and his co-stars had never been to Singapore. True or false? ……………. 5. The movie is about masculinity. True or false? …………..... 6. Who has been friends with Charlie for 15 years? a. Ben Affleck. b. Oscar Isaac. c. Garrett Hedlund. 7. Who describes filming locations? a. Ben Affleck. b. Charlie Hunnam. c. Garrett Hedlund. 8. Who describes Singapore? a. Ben Affleck. b. Charlie Hunnam. c. Garrett Hedlund. Section 2: Write the noun form of the following words. 9. secret…………… 10. originally …………… 11. promote…………… 12. explore…………… 13. fond…………… Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given. Later on during the …14… interview, Affleck was asked to comment on recent …15… from Steven Spielberg over Netflix's position as Oscar contenders. The …16… director suggested its movies should …17… for Emmys instead. There have been reports Spielberg will be …18… with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors to insist on a rule change so films made by streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are …19… for the Oscars. 14. a. table b. roundtable c. tabled 15. a. criticise b. critics c. criticism 16. a. old b. aged c. veteran 17. a. quality b. qualify c. disqualify 18. a. speak b. spoken c. speaking 19. a. eligible b. ineligible c. legible Section 4: Find synonyms in the story for the following words. 20. idiotic …………. 21. global …………. 22. robbery………….. 23. incredible ………….. 24. friendship…………… For the answers, find the story online at www.bangkokpost.com/learning If you have any questions or feedback, please contact the Editor at [email protected] .