ADVANCED IIsabel Bastida & Ana Mena, EOI Cartagena

• Which is a … docudrama? … blockbuster?

… psychological thriller? … chick flick? … biopic?

…slapstick comedy?

• What other film genres can you think of? And novel genres? KEY: docudrama – The Impossible, blockbuster – Avatar, psychological thriller –Hannibal, chick flick- Love Actually, biopic – Thatcher, slapstick comedy- Life of Brian.

Adapted from Clockwise Advanced, OUP

Work out the meaning of the expressions in bold.

• It was a box office smash in America, and made millions of dollars, but in this country it was a flop.

• It has become a cult film for a certain group of cinema-goers, but it doesn’t appeal to a mass audience.

• The opening sequence starts with a close-up of the heroine on the train.

• I planned to see the film after reading all the rave reviews in the papers, but seeing the trailer at the cinema put me off going.

• It tells the tale of a family of immigrant workers and is a bleak portrayal of life in turn-of-the-centurty New York.

In groups, say which adjectives suggest a negative opinion.

Which adjectives would you use to describe a … chiller … sleeper … weepie/ tearjerker … whodunit

Student A

action-packed depressing pacey entertaining overrated poignant predictable impressive offbeatStudent B

hilarious flat datedgripping insightful epicthought-provoking slow-moving moving

KEY: A (overrated, depressing, predictable, corny=clichéd), B (slow-moving, flat, soppy= overly sentimental, dated)

Adapted from Clockwise Advanced, OUP

DESCRIBING FILMS•What _______ of film is it? It’s a kind of romantic comedy•What’s it _______ ? It’s basically about his fall from grace•Who’s _______ it? Matt Damon plays the lead•Who’s it _______ by? Woody Allen•Did it have a happy _______ ? No, I was in tears at the end

• It’s _______ in America in the 1950s• It was _______ in New Zealand• It’s _______ on a novel by Graham Greene• It’s _______ seven Oscar nominations

KEY: kind/ type/ sort about in directed ending

KEY: set shot/filmed based received

DISCUSSING FILMS

•Have you seen any good films _______ ?•What did you think _______ it?/ Is it _______ good?/ Is it _______ seeing?•What did you _______ of the camera work/ the special effects?

•It _______ up to my expectations/ It didn’t _______ up to my expectations•I _______ the score/ the cinematography•I liked the _______ where he carries her draped in a sheet.

KEY: lately/ recently of-any-worth think lived-live liked/enjoyed/hated scene

DESCRIBING THE PLOT

•Focus on form . Which verb form is used to recount events more vividly?

He starts off as a general … he becomes a gladiator and has to fight for his life … he ends up being killed.

•Complete the sentence with the correct preposition

_______ the beginning she doesn’t like him but halfway _______ the film he saves her dog’s life, and _______ the end they get married.

KEY: At the beginning through in the end (finally)/ at the end (of the film)

CAN YOU GUESS THE FILM?

The story of a group of stripping and out-of-work, out-of-shape

British steelworkers who, in the process of perfecting their dance

act (to the thump of a wonderfully incongruous disco beat), learn

a thing or two about masculinity. Brightly acted and casually

hilarious, the film exploits this gimmick in witty, trenchant ways

that are always generous, never cruel.

Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg's

1975 shark saga set the standard for the New Hollywood

popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out

of the water. One early summer night on fictional Atlantic resort

Amity Island, Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while

her friends party on the beach. Yanked suddenly below the ocean

surface, she never returns.

EXPRESSING LIKES AND DISLIKES

Listen to the following conversation

and note down who liked, didn’t like

or didn’t read each book. Which book

does Amy decide to read?

Now listen again and make notes

about the reasons way they liked or

didn’t like each book.

The Girl with the Dragon TattooAmyBarbaraCarl

The Life of PiAmyBarbaraCarl

Pride and PrejudiceAmyBarbaraCarl

Put the words in order to make sentences to express likes and dislikesI’m / novels/ fan / big / detective / of / aI’m a big fan of detective novels

really/ I/ it/ main/ What/ character/ the/ was / about/ likedWhat I really liked about it was the main character

not/ I’m / on/ novels/ keen/ detective/ thatI’m not that keen on detective novels

get/ couldn’t/ it/ just/ into / II just couldn’t get into it

Stand/ couldn’t/ I /itI couldn’t stand it

Really/ I’m/ fantasy/ into/ notI’m not really into fantasy

thing/ it/ the/ love/ The/ I/ writing/ about/ isThe thing I like about it is the writing

Rewrite the sentences1.- I liked the plot of “The Da Vinci Code”(What/liked) What I liked about the Da Vinci Code was the plot2.- Reading e-books on my computer hurts my eyes(I/ stand)I can’t stand reading e-books on my computer3.- I really like reading anything by Stephen King.(I/ into)I’m really into anything by Stephen King.4.- Gossip magazines aren’t my favourite thing to read.(I/ fan)I’m not a big fan of gossip magazines5.- I like the way his lyrics sound so natural.(thing/ is)The thing I like is the way his lyrics sound so natural.

SPEAKING

Choose a film or book you like/ don’t like and include the information in the chart below. Work in groups and persuade the other students to see or not to see your film/ to read or not to read your book.

Use expressions from the pwp presentation

FILM BOOK

Actors, film director, setting

Characters, writer and setting

Main events of the story Main events of the story

Special features Special features

Why you like it/ loathe it Why you like it/ loathe it

Do you recommend it? Do you recommend it?