Outline for film review.

1.Type of film:          feature film,comedy,thriller, western,adventure,black-and-white,short

2.Production:           -What studio released the film ?

                          -Was it co-production ?

                          -Was the film dubbed ?

 3.Story(Plot) :          - Is  it  by  well-known  author ?

                                  -Is  the  story  original / true to life? 

                          -What is the climax of the story? 

                          -Is the end logical ?

 4.Direction:           -Who directed  the  film ?

                          -Was  the  introduction  of characters  and  scenes skilled ?

                          -Are  useless scenes included ?

 5.Camera  work:    -Is it artistically  done? 

                          -Are there good shots?

                          -Are  close-ups  used  effectively?

6.Acting:                -Name  the  leading characters.  –Are  they  stars?

 -Is  it  true  to  life  interpretation  of characters?  

 -Who stars  in  this film ?

  -Are there any outstanding performances of minor roles?

 7.Sound effect:       -Does speak or acting predominated?

                          -Do the dialogues seem real?

  -Do actors speak effectively?

  -Is the music suitable?

 8.Critics:                -What  do  critics  say  about  the  picture ?   

                          -Do  you  share  their point  of  view ?

                          -Are  their opinion sound? 

                          -Did the critics give an interesting interpretation of the play?

 9.General impression and conclusion:-The impression the film made on you.

  -How was the effect achieved ? 

  -Is the film (well) worth seeing ?

Fill  in  the  gaps  with  the  words  given  at  the  end:

The  film “Sense  and  Sensibility”  ……….   Emma  Thomson and  Hugh  Grant  and  ……..   by  Ang  Lee  is  a  romantic  film  …….. from   the  book  …..  Jane  Austin. It  …….  the  story    of  two  sisters  who are  completely  different  in  ………..,  and  their  experiences  with  the  men  they  love. The  film manages  to  ………..  the   ……….. of  early  19^th century  England,  which  helps  the  ……..  to  understand  the  reason  for  some  of  the  characters’  …….  ,  and   is  both  ……..  and  …….. Although  the  film  is  not  particularly  ……  in  terms  of   action,  it  is  ……..  enough  to  keep  you  wondering  what’s  going  to …..  next. I  can  thoroughly  ………   going  to  see  it  if  you  feel  like   a  change  from  modern-day  violent  and  ……….  films. “Sense  and  Sensibility”  is     ………  seeing.

Worth,  film-goer, atmosphere, starring,  shocking,  humorous,  character, directed,  exciting, recommend, actions, recreate, dramatic, tells, happen,  by, moving, adapted.

Cinema

1 Match the types of films with the phrases that are most likely to describe them.

  a  thriller               a  romantic  comedy           an  animated  film

  a  sci-fi film          a horror  film                         a  costume  film

1 An all-action movie with great stunts and a real cliffhanger of an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat.

2 Set on a star cruiser in the distant future, this film has great special effects

3 A hilarious new film, about two unlikely lovers, which will have you laughing  out loud.

4 Based on a novel by Jane Austen, this new adaptation by William Jones has been filmed on location at Harewood House in Hampshire.

5 A fantastic new computer-generated cartoon, featuring the voice of Eddie Murphy as the donkey.

6 This new film will scare you to death.

Now match the words in italics in the descriptions to the definitions below.

1 exciting

2 not filmed in a studio

3 the story comes from (a novel)

4 dangerous action sequences like car chases or people falling from skyscrapers

5 amazing, impossible visual sequences, often created by computers

6 changing a novel to a film screenplay

7 where the story takes place

8 exciting end – you want to know what happens

2 Use the words below to answer the questions.

            the latest release     the soundtrack         a trailer

            the  credits                a  multiplex               the rushes

            the title                      a screen  test

1 What do you call the songs and background music to a film?

2 What do you call a big cinema with lots of screens?

3 What do you call the bit at the start of the film that tells you the name of the film, the actors and director? And what do you call the words on the screen at the end that tell you who played who, and who was the cameraman, set designer, etc.?

4 Which phrase means a new film?

5 Which word means a short film made to advertise a new film?

6 What do you call film before it is edited?

7 What do you call a short scene filmed to find out if the actor is good in a particular part?

3 What is the difference between the following?

1 A film and a movie

2 An arthouse film and a blockbuster

3 A co-star and an extra

4 A cameraman and a projectionist

5 The cinema and the pictures

6 The cast and casting

7 Action! and Cut!

4 When making a movie, in which order do you do the things in the list?

            editing  the film                               filming

            casting                                             releasing  the  film

            writing  the screenplay                   finding  location

5 Film reviews often use compound adjectives to describe films. Make

compound adjectives by matching words in A with words in B.

Example action-packed

A                                 B

action                         moving

slow                            packed

spine                           warming

breath                         fetched

hard                            taking

heart                           chilling

far                               hitting

6 Use compound adjectives from 5 to complete the film reviews below.

Beautiful People is a romantic melodrama. It lasts three hours, and has a ________________ plot, which gets a bit boring. However, the _________________ performance by Tim Franks in the central role will move you to tears. It also has a ________________ message about how we should deal with AIDS.The Monster Movie is both a comedy and a horror film. It has a _______________ storyline, which you just won’t believe, but it also has some ________________ stunts, which look really dangerous. It has a _______________ ending which is so scary you will cover your eyes.

7 Think of a film that you have seen recently, and answer the questions.

1 What was the name of the film?

2 What sort of film was it?

3 Who directed it? Who starred in it?

4 What was it based on?

5 Where was it set?

6 What was it about?

7 How would you describe the film, the performance of the actors, the stunts

and special effects?

8 Would you recommend it? why?

Interview your partner about their film. Tell the class about your partner’s film.

Using the Macmillan English Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and CD ROM

If you have access to the Macmillan English Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and CD ROM, do the following quiz. You can find all the answers by finding the key word film, and following the various links. You can also try the quiz if you don’t have the dictionary.

Films Dictionary Quiz

1 Name three places where you see films.

2 What is the difference between a cartoon and an animated film?

3 What does captured on film mean?

4 What does filmic mean?

5 What’s a film noir?

6 If something is filmy, is it thin or thick?

7 What’s a roll of film?

8 What’s the difference between a director and a producer?

9 If something films over, what happens?

10 Complete the sentence: it’s a film about….

11 Find two meanings of film that have nothing to do with cinema and Hollywood.

Food for your thoughts about reading. Try to use it in you essay !

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 How  books  were  made

Talking about books

 

There are books  and   books. As  Francis  Bacon  said :”Some  books  are  to  be  tasted,  other  to  be  swallowed,  and  some  few  to  be  chewed  and  digested “ .  In  my  view   it’s  quite  right .

Actually  long  before  the  invention  of  printing people valued books as precious treasure troves of the human knowledge and experience. Hand-written manuscripts took months of writing and were collected  and  kept  in monasteries  with utmost care.

A rough calculation shows that nowadays there are more books on our planet than men alive.Most of them originated as written records of historical events.Then they began reflecting not only intellectual,but also moral experience of their creators.As science progressed books began to involve observations, conclusions  and  theoretical  thinking. The books of today reflect  such a large scope of information that it’s practically impossible to mention  all  types of  them. Approximately we can  define different  kinds  of   books  as fiction  and  non-fiction, science fiction; biographies books about  political, social and economical subjects; travel books; romances; thrillers, adventure and love  stories, detective stories; fairy  tales  and  fantasies; ghost stories and mysteries, animal  stories  and  family  stories.

But let’s go back to the  quotation. To my mind all books are to be tasted. A modern, well-educated person should be able to use not textbooks only but reference books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, vocabularies and all sort of informational publications. These books serve the purpose of learning, teaching and instructing. One really has to spend some time to  learn how to find the necessary telephone number or the address in the telephone book. For this you have to study the instructions in the preface.

In fact you  have to taste  all  other  books  as well to know what suits your personal interests and inclinations. If  a book has got a gripping plot we can read it in a gulp.A well-written novel usually mixes adventures and romance with great flair.Some improbable tales are just the things for a lazy holiday reading. Most of mysteries and horror books  are called  escapist  books. They take you away from every day problems into the land of witchcraft, spooks, ghosts and miracles. Some of them are highly enjoyable nail-biters with fast-paced and a hero that verges on a superhero. As a rule people seldom reread a detective story or a fast moving thriller that’s full of intrigue. I admit that it may be highly entertaining, but  hence the investigation is over and criminal is found you sign with relief and forget it. These are the books to be swallowed.

However, there is another type of books that is to be chewed and digested. These are the works by brilliant minds of mankind. Most of them have great oneliners like: ”all  families are  happy in the same way” in Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” or “Bolivar can’t carry both” from O’Henry. One need  certain  intelligence  and  experience,  persistence  and  perseverance [,pэ:si’viэrэns] to digest  them. Pretty often  our  comprehension  of  the  plot and message of these  literary works changes as we grow up. One really must  be in  love to understand Tatiana from “Eugenie Onegin”. Sometimes a scholar has “to chew” (to study) some  additional literature  or  autobiographical  books to understand the author’s motivations or even consult the critics, who will  help him understand  the meaning  of exquisite metaphors, epithets or tricky connotations. Very often it is not needed. We can’t but admire how brilliantly  Walter Scott captures the splendor  and  the savagery  of mediaeval  times, making  his  novels  superb, exciting reading. A talented writer can plot tautly without losing descriptive quality, which  adds  to  the entertainment. The reader then finds himself  plunged  into a  new  life and a  strange  land. S.Maugham  used to say  that  a  real masterpiece  makes  you share the feelings and emotions of the people who used to live hundreds of years ago, thousands miles away. In conclusion I’d like to prolong Francis Bacon’s quotation and advise the reader  to  eat  as  many books as possible, no matter whether you have to swallow, chew  or digest  them. The only  thing  he  has  to remember  is  that  a  happy  eater  never  becomes  a  gourmet.[‘guэmэnd]

Agree  or  disagree  with  the  following  statements
1.Reading  English  fiction  with  a  dictionary  is  very dull.

2.If  the  book  is  very  exciting , you  “swallow”  it.
3.Nobody  reads  reference  books  for  relaxation.
4.Reading  thick  science  fiction   books  is  tiring.
5.Very intelligent people  don’t  read  detective  stories.
6.Non-fiction  books  can’t  be  inspirational.
7.Travel  books  give  you  a  lot  of  useful  information.
8.Unfortunately  many  young  people  are not in  the  habit  of  reading  poetry.
9.Great  book-lovers  never  lend  their  books.
10.Lots  of  people  buy  books  for  their bright  beautiful  jackets.
11.Bookcases  and  bookshelves are the best  kind  of  decoration  for  a  living  room.
12.You  should  read  as  much  as possible.
13.The  works  by  classical  writers  are  not  popular  nowadays.
14.Everybody  prefers  to  read  books  that  keep  the  readers  in  suspense  from  the first  page.
15.”Reading  is  to  the mind  what  exercise  is  to  the  body” Joseph Addison  and Richard  Steele.
  Ask  questions  so  that  the  following  sentences  could  serve  as  answers
1.I  don’t  think  N’s  latest  book  is  a  success  with  public. It’s  boring.
2.It  won’t  be  very  difficult  to  understand  the  language  of  the  book. It  is  colloquial  English.
3.No. I  haven’t  yet  finished  reading  the  book “Theatre”
4.I  prefer  seeing  plays  on  stage  to  reading  them.
5.My  brother  is  fond  of  books  about  animals  and  nature.
6.The  action  of  the  novel  takes  place  before  World  War  II.
7.Science fiction books are very popular today because they show new tendencies  in  the development of  science  and  human  society.
8.I  think  it’s  very  useful  to  learn  poems  by  heart.

Learn  how  to  make  the  synopsis  of  the  book. 

Study  the  following  material   and  make  the  synopsis  of  the  last  book you  read 

Synopsis  is  the  summary  of  a  book  usually  standing  at  the beginning  of  the  book (or ‘blurb’  to  be  found  on  the  back  cover)  to  tell  the  reader  what  it  is  about. Below  there  two  outlines  of  this  kind. Read  them  attentively.

M. Twain. ”Adventures  of  Huckleberry  Finn” This  is a story  of a  boy  running  away  from home and sheering a raft down the Mississippi  River. But  it is  more then  that. The people the  boy  meets  cover  the  entire  spectrum  of  humanity, and  his  voyage down the  river  becomes a metaphor for  a journey  through  life.

G. Durrell. ”Birds, Beasts  and Relatives.” A  follower–on to “My  Family  and  Other Animals”, ”Birds, Beasts and Relatives.”  is an equally funny  account of  the  unconventional Durrell family, living on the sun-drenched  thyme – scented island  of  Corfu  before  the  war.

I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.

Alexander the Great

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.

Joseph Brodsky

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends, and the most patient of  teachers.

Charles W. Eliot