Reviewing a Film
A At the school Film Festival, Miss Li, the organizer, is talking about how to write a film review. Listen and finish the exercises below.
A1 Listen to Miss Li's introduction and complete the chart below.
A2 Listen to Miss Li's introduction again and complete the notes below.
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Writing a film review Dos · Give the name of the film, the director's name and the names of (1) ____________. · Give information about when and where the film is set and what happens in the film. · Include details about the acting, characters, music or (2) ____________. · Use lots of interesting adjectives. · Describe (3) ____________ that you think might enjoy the film. Don'ts · Don't say what happens (4) ____________ of the film. · Don't make the reader (5) ____________ what you think. · Don't give your opinion without (6) ____________. |
B Read the film review of The King's Speech below and try to understand its structure.
The King's Speech
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The King's Speech is a 2010 British film directed by Tom Hooper. The film stars Colin Firth as King George VI, Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth. At the 83rd Academy Awards (the Oscars), the film won Best Picture and Colin Firth won Best Actor in a Leading Role. Based on a true story, the film is set in London in the 1930s. Prince Albert, second son of King George V, suffers from a terrible speech problem. The Prince has given up hope of a cure but his wife, Elizabeth, takes him to see Lionel Logue, an Australian speech doctor living in London. Although the two men have very different backgrounds and do not get along at first, they eventually become friends. After the Prince's elder brother gives up being King, Prince Albert becomes King George VI. The film looks like a fairly typical historical film without fancy special effects, and it is made enjoyable by the performances of the main actors. Firth is successful in showing us the King's struggles as well as his courage. He has great chemistry with Rush and Bonham Carter, whose characters are both very believable. In the meantime, Hooper skilfully creates uncertainty and tension with narrow indoor sets and dark lighting. All in all, I highly recommend this film. If you enjoy true stories or films about history, you will love The King's Speech. |
C In pairs, discuss the film you are going to review. Use the following questions and expressions to help you.
·What type of film is it?
·Who are the director and the main actors?
·When and where is the film set?
·What is the storyline of the film?
·What is your opinion of the film? (Consider the storyline, acting, characters, music and special effects.)
·Who do you think would like the film?
Talking about feelings
I felt inspired/excited/frightened after watching ...
I was really confused about the plot of ...
I was absolutely fed up with the special effects of ...
I couldn't stand ...
I was especially pleased with ...
I was't happy about ...
... appealed to me/didn't appeal to me because ...
D Write a film review. Use your ideas from part C and the information in parts A and B to help you.
Planning your writing
Learning about the text type
A film review is a report that expresses an opinion about a film. The purpose of a film review is to give information to the potential audience so that they can decide whether or not they want to watch the film.
Learning about the structure
When writing a film review, you can follow the structure below:
▶ Start by giving basic information about the film.
▶ Provide information about the storyline.
▶ Give your opinion of the film.
▶ State clearly whether you recommend the film or not.
·Learning about the language
Use adjectives, either positive or negative, to make your description more vivid and interesting, e.g. amazing/terrible, exciting/boring, original/unoriginal.
Checking your writing
Remember to check your writing after you finish and exchange drafts between you and your partner. Pay attention to the following aspects:
□Punctuation □Spelling □Grammar
□Choice of words □Style (formal/informal) □Structure
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