Talking about movies

What kind of movie is it?

• action film
• adventure film
• comedy film
• crime&gangster film
• drama film
• historical film
• horror film
• science fiction film
• western
• etc.

What is the movie all about?

The movie is about: true friendship, family life, a holiday trip/job, broken home, running away, the problems of growing up, homelessness, young criminals, being drawn into a cult, wartime experience/events, starting a new life, school /education, a personal crisis, visitors from outer space, immigration, alienation...

The book/author: deals with, describes, focuses, centers on, shows, tells about, raises, explores, questions, confronts the viewer with...

Setting (place/time)

Is set in (rural America, present time...)
...takes place at...
The story begins when...

Characters

Major / main / central character
Hero / heroine
Minor character
A wide variety of characters
... go well together
... are portrayed realistically Believable/credible, convincing, disappointing, sensitively drawn, exaggerated, unreal...
... are confronted/faced with
... undergo a change
The reader’s sympathy is with...
You really get involved with...

Plot/story line

A good storyline well-developed
Fast-flowing action-packed
Strong fast/slow-moving
Convincing straight forward
Vivid touching
Keeps several storylines on the go
Gentle enthralling
Gripping haunting
Disappointing predictable
Confusing not the least predictable
... has pacy action
... has a surprise / unexpected / happy / sad / open ending
... has a superb twist at the end
End on / with a note of (optimism, pessimism, despair, uncertainty…)
The viewer is often one step ahead of the character(s)

Cinematic Devices

Use your additional sheets

Language /style/point of view

Uses colloquial, everyday, rough language, slang expressions.
Is highly emotional, witty, humorous.
Is seen through sb.’s eyes, told from the point of view of... , told by, told in the present tense, told in the form of (a diary...).

My personal response

It was not what I expected. I was really disappointed. You shouldn’t miss that movie. This is an excellent movie. Oh, you simply must watch it. I couldn’t get my eyes off it. One of the best books I’ve ever read.

Great, excellent (from start to finish), brilliant, a delight, a must, thoroughly enjoyable, highly recommendable, hugely entertaining. Remarkable, a good watch.

Makes you want to watch more, has a lot going for it, is bound to make you (laugh), a great movie if you’re into (spine-chilling horrors, romances...), perfect if you’re looking for a movie that sets your nerves on edge/ sets the imagination soaring.

...really makes you think, thought-provoking, full to the brim with (suspense), has a satisfying mixture of (romance and horror), offers a touch of (horror...), rather confusing, not always an easy read, hard/difficult to read, too challenging, boring/dull, totally unbelievable, not interesting at all, not my cup of tea...