eading and Comprehension (easy) Movie Reviews (154 words, down from 175 words) Is the third time always a charm? Jimmy Williams explains why Shrek the Third fails to charm audiences. As he is dying, King Harold says that he wants Shrek and Princess Fiona to be king and queen of Far Far Away. But Shrek only wants to live a simple life with Princess Fiona at the swamp. Later he learns that Arthur Pendragon (the nephew of King Harold), can also be king. When Shrek, Puss in Boots and Donkey go to find Arthur, Q13 Prince Charming and his friends plan to take over Far Far Away. This is the third Shrek movie, and I hope the last. Once again, the movie makes jokes about the characters from classical fairy tales. The jokes are extremely familiar, not very funny or surprisingly amusing, unlike the first two movies. Many famous stars provide Q7 their voices to the movie, but the story is still boring. Some of the main characters are also disappointingly boring in this movie. Q8 Q14 Genres: Directors: Shrek the Third Animation/Comedy Chris Miller and Raman Hui Q1 Starring (voice): Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy Running time: Category: Recommended: 93 minutes Q5 I (157 words, down from 189 words) The excitement isn t over yet. Peter Man thinks the fifth Harry Potter movie is better than ever. It is Harry s fifth year at Hogwarts. Cornelius Fudge (the Minister of Magic) feels increasingly threatened by Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix (an army that fights against the evil Lord Q15 Voldermort). To weaken Dumbledore s power, Fudge asks the horrible Dolores Umbridge to be a teacher at Hogwarts. Harry, on the other hand, is increasingly troubled by frightening dreams about Lord Voldermort. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. The movie cannot compare with the hugely successful novel, but it is still an absolutely brilliant movie. This movie is more serious than the last four as it looks into Harry s feelings and the difficulties in the friendships among Harry and his friends. The exceptionally spectacular visual effects are fascinating. Daniel Radcliffe may be the star of the movie but Imelda Staunton s performance is the best. She is thoroughly convincing as the nasty Q10 Dolores Umbridge. Q6 Q3 Q16 17 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Genres: Director: Starring: Running time: Category: Recommended: Adventure/Fantasy David Yates Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint 138 minutes IIA TR1
(109 words, down from 151 words) Becoming Jane Becoming Jane is a movie about the life of Jane Austen, a British Q2 writer. It is set before Austen has become famous. She is very Q18 focused on her work, and hardly interested in romance. However, her life changes when she meets Tom Lefroy, an Irishman studying law in London. Anne Hathaway, an American actress, gives an exceptionally skilful performance as the young Jane. James McAvoy, a British actor, plays the role of Tom Lefroy. The movie is directed by Julian Jarrold. It is both a drama and a romance. However, it is not an intense drama, nor a cheerful romantic comedy. It is a truly delightful and heart-warming movie. Q4 Genres: Director: Starring: Running time: Category: Rating: Overview Biography/Drama/ Romance Q19 Julian Jarrold Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy 121 minutes IIA Q12 TR2
eading and Comprehension Movie Reviews Is the third time always a charm? Jimmy Williams explains why Shrek the Third fails to charm audiences. As he is dying, King Harold says that he wants Shrek and Princess Fiona to be king and queen of Far Far Away. But Shrek only wants to live a simple life with Princess Fiona at the swamp. Later he learns that Arthur Pendragon (the nephew of King Harold), can also be king. When Shrek, Puss in Boots and Donkey go to find Arthur, Prince Charming and his friends plan to take over Far Far Away. This is the third Shrek movie, and I hope the last. Once again, the movie makes jokes about the characters from classical fairy tales. The jokes are extremely familiar, not very funny or surprisingly amusing, unlike the first two movies. Many famous stars provide their voices to the movie, but the story is still boring. Some of the main characters are also disappointingly boring in this movie. Genres: Directors: Shrek the Third Animation/Comedy Chris Miller and Raman Hui Starring (voice): Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy Running time: Category: Recommended: 93 minutes I The excitement isn t over yet. Peter Man thinks the fifth Harry Potter movie is better than ever. It is Harry s fifth year at Hogwarts. Cornelius Fudge (the Minister of Magic) feels increasingly threatened by Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix (an army that fights against the evil Lord Voldermort). To weaken Dumbledore s power, Fudge asks the horrible Dolores Umbridge to be a teacher at Hogwarts. Harry, on the other hand, is increasingly troubled by frightening dreams about Lord Voldermort. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. The movie cannot compare with the hugely successful novel, but it is still an absolutely brilliant movie. This movie is more serious than the last four as it looks into Harry s feelings and the difficulties in the friendships among Harry and his friends. The exceptionally spectacular visual effects are fascinating. Daniel Radcliffe may be the star of the movie but Imelda Staunton s performance is the best. She is thoroughly convincing as the nasty Dolores Umbridge. 17 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Genres: Director: Starring: Running time: Category: Recommended: Adventure/Fantasy David Yates Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint 138 minutes IIA TR3
Becoming Jane Becoming Jane is a movie about the life of Jane Austen, a British writer. It is set before Austen has become famous. She is very focused on her work, and hardly interested in romance. However, her life changes when she meets Tom Lefroy, an Irishman studying law in London. Anne Hathaway, an American actress, gives an exceptionally skilful performance as the young Jane. James McAvoy, a British actor, plays the role of Tom Lefroy. The movie is directed by Julian Jarrold. It is both a drama and a romance. However, it is not an intense drama, nor a cheerful romantic comedy. It is a truly delightful and heart-warming movie. Genres: Director: Starring: Running time: Category: Rating: Overview Biography/Drama/ Romance Julian Jarrold Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy 121 minutes IIA TR4
ocabulary Genres and Adjectives (easy) B Match the following genres (1 7) with the definitions (a g) and write the letters in the spaces provided. 1. f adventure 2. c animation 3. a comedy 4. g drama 5. b fantasy 6. e romance 7. d science-fiction a. makes people laugh b. is set in imaginary worlds c. is presented in drawings or pictures d. is set in the future, or about travelling in time or to other planets e. is about love and relationships f. is about an unusual, exciting or dangerous experience g. is about a serious topic Look at the movie posters and identify the possible genres of the movies. Write the genres (1 7) in the spaces provided. Some movies may belong to more than one genre. Fantastic Four The Nanny Diaries Conversations with God Bee Movie 1, 5, 7 3, 6 4 2,3 C Below are four pairs of adjectives. Which pair best describes which of the movies above? Write the names of the movies in the spaces provided. 1 2 3 4 exciting serious cheerful funny spectacular inspiring heart-warming amusing Fantastic Four Conversations with God The Nanny Diaries Bee Movie TR5
ocabulary Genres and Adjectives B Match the following genres (1 7) with the definitions (a g) and write the letters in the spaces provided. 1. adventure 2. animation 3. comedy 4. drama 5. fantasy 6. romance 7. science-fiction a. makes people laugh b. is set in imaginary worlds c. is presented in drawings or pictures d. is set in the future, or about travelling in time or to other planets e. is about love and relationships f. is about an unusual, exciting or dangerous experience g. is about a serious topic Look at the movie posters and identify the possible genres of the movies. Write the genres (1 7) in the spaces provided. Some movies may belong to more than one genre. Fantastic Four The Nanny Diaries Conversations with God Bee Movie C Below are four pairs of adjectives. Which pair best describes which of the movies above? Write the names of the movies in the spaces provided. 1 2 3 4 exciting serious cheerful funny spectacular inspiring heart-warming amusing TR6
ocabulary Genres and Adjectives (difficult) B You have found some movie comments on the Internet. Read the comments (1 6) and decide which genres they belong to. Write the answers in the spaces provided. Some movies may belong to more than one genre. 1. Seeing the man propose to his girlfriend after seven years of imprisonment will definitely make you cry Their dedication to each other is really hard to come by these days. romance 2. Have you ever imagined living in a world without humans? In this movie, masses of ants from outer space invade Earth and eliminate all human beings. The special effects are fantastic and will definitely give you the creeps. science-fiction, fantasy 3. I never enjoy these kinds of movies as I ve got no sense of rhythm. But this movie has opened me up to a new world of movies. What appeals to me most is not only the music but also the dancing. I could feel my body moving along with the music! musical 4. Jackal is a dog who has just graduated from university. He s frustrated about his future path. While his friends suggest he go for a MA degree in dog counselling, he decides to become a pet in Helen s home. Want to know more? Go and watch it! I guarantee you ll have fun! By the way, I can t believe the movie is drawn out. animation, comedy 5. This movie is about a mother trying to find out her daughter s deepest secrets by peeping at her diaries. At first you ll think that it s rather serious, but as the movie progresses, your opinions will change. It s not too intense at all. Some scenes will have you laughing your head off, but expect to shed a tear or two as well. drama, comedy 6. I especially like the scene when Mike promises his fiancée that he ll marry her when he comes back from his fight with the devil. The fight s long and fierce, but love has surely given Mike power to carry on. romance, adventure, fantasy TR7
ocabulary Genres and Adjectives B You have found some movie comments on the Internet. Read the comments (1 6) and decide which genres they belong to. Write the answers in the spaces provided. Some movies may belong to more than one genre. 1. Seeing the man propose to his girlfriend after seven years of imprisonment will definitely make you cry Their dedication to each other is really hard to come by these days. 2. Have you ever imagined living in a world without humans? In this movie, masses of ants from outer space invade Earth and eliminate all human beings. The special effects are fantastic and will definitely give you the creeps. 3. I never enjoy these kinds of movies as I ve got no sense of rhythm. But this movie has opened me up to a new world of movies. What appeals to me most is not only the music but also the dancing. I could feel my body moving along with the music! 4. Jackal is a dog who has just graduated from university. He s frustrated about his future path. While his friends suggest he go for a MA degree in dog counselling, he decides to become a pet in Helen s home. Want to know more? Go and watch it! I guarantee you ll have fun! By the way, I can t believe the movie is drawn out. 5. This movie is about a mother trying to find out her daughter s deepest secrets by peeping at her diaries. At first you ll think that it s rather serious, but as the movie progresses, your opinions will change. It s not too intense at all. Some scenes will have you laughing your head off, but expect to shed a tear or two as well. 6. I especially like the scene when Mike promises his fiancée that he ll marry her when he comes back from his fight with the devil. The fight s long and fierce, but love has surely given Mike power to carry on. TR8
ocabulary Genres and Adjectives (difficult) C Your friend Simon is talking about some movies he has watched recently. Take a look at what he says and fill in the blanks with appropriate movie genres and adjectives on page 6. 1. Bee Movie is both an (1) animation and a (2) comedy. The plot s simple and the bee s so cute that it ll make you laugh. All in all, it s a (3) delightful/funny movie. 2. Take a look at the movie poster of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World s End and you ll know it s an (4) adventure so (5) exciting/thrilling/exhilarating movie. I really like the fight scenes in the movie they re that I couldn t take my eyes off the screen! The special effects are (6) fascinating/spectacular. 3. Judging from the name, Conversations with God should be an (7) intense/inspiring and (8) serious movie; but I can tell you that it s also a heart-warming/touching/ (9) moving movie that ll probably move you to tears. 4. The Nanny Diaries is a (10) comedy/romance. Annie, a young woman from a working class family, tries to explore the world by being a nanny for a wealthy family the X s. Later in the movie, Annie falls for the handsome neighbour of the X s and the movie starts to become a (11) romance. The plot s (12) funny/cheerful/amusing heart-warming/touching/ and at the same time quite (13) moving so it ll make you laugh and cry throughout this is a must-watch movie. TR9
ocabulary Genres and Adjectives C Your friend Simon is talking about some movies he has watched recently. Take a look at what he says and fill in the blanks with appropriate movie genres and adjectives on page 6. 1. Bee Movie is both an (1) and a (2). The plot s simple and the bee s so cute that it ll make you laugh. All in all, it s a (3) movie. 2. Take a look at the movie poster of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World s End and you ll know it s an (4) so (5) movie. I really like the fight scenes in the movie they re that I couldn t take my eyes off the screen! The special effects are (6). 3. Judging from the name, Conversations with God should be an (7) and (8) movie; but I can tell you that it s also a (9) movie that ll probably move you to tears. 4. The Nanny Diaries is a (10). Annie, a young woman from a working class family, tries to explore the world by being a nanny for a wealthy family the X s. Later in the movie, Annie falls for the handsome neighbour of the X s and the movie starts to become a (11). The plot s (12) and at the same time quite (13) so it ll make you laugh and cry throughout this is a must-watch movie. TR10
rammar Simple Present Tense in Movie Reviews (easy) D A club member has written a plot summary of the movie Stardust. However, there are some mistakes in it. Correct the mistakes marked in the summary. There are 15 mistakes in total and one has been done as example. (W = wrong word; T = tense; ^ = missing word) 5 10 Stardust (2007) T starts W is Stardust started in Wall, an extremely peaceful village that are kept safe from the outside W wants world by a large, stone wall. There, a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) want to win the W promises love of Victoria (Sienna Miller) and promise to bring her a fallen star. To search for the star, T enters Tristan climbs over the wall and entered the mysterious kingdom of Stormhold, a world that does is he not know. When he finds the star, he discovers that it not really a star but a beautiful girl, ^ W ^ learns W is Yvaine (Claire Danes). Tristan later learn that he does not the only one in search of the star. Tare Also after the star were three princes and an extremely evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), W Iike are all of whom do not likes each other and not interested in sharing the magical powers of the W encounters W realises star. As Tristan encounter and fights these threats, his mission changes, and he realise that he W is needs the love and powers of Yvaine to understand what true love be. ^ TR11
rammar Simple Present Tense in Movie Reviews (easy) D A club member has written a plot summary of the movie Stardust. However, there are some mistakes in it. Correct the mistakes marked in the summary. There are 15 mistakes in total and one has been done as example. (W = wrong word; T = tense; ^ = missing word) Stardust (2007) T starts W Stardust started in Wall, an extremely peaceful village that are kept safe from the outside W world by a large, stone wall. There, a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) want to win the W love of Victoria (Sienna Miller) and promise to bring her a fallen star. To search for the star, T Tristan climbs over the wall and entered the mysterious kingdom of Stormhold, a world that 5 10 he not know. When he finds the star, he discovers that it not really a star but a beautiful girl, ^ W W ^ Yvaine (Claire Danes). Tristan later learn that he does not the only one in search of the star. T Also after the star were three princes and an extremely evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), W all of whom do not likes each other and not interested in sharing the magical powers of the W W star. As Tristan encounter and fights these threats, his mission changes, and he realise that he W needs the love and powers of Yvaine to understand what true love be. ^ TR12
rammar Simple Present Tense in Movie Reviews (difficult) D A club member has written a plot summary of the movie Stardust. However, there are some mistakes in it. Underline any incorrect word and write the correct word above it. Mark a missing word with a ^ and write the correct word above it. Use a X to cross out any extra words. There are 24 mistakes in total. Stardust (2007) is is Stardust was a fantasy film directed by Mathew Vaughn. It was based on a novel written by starts is Neil Gaiman of the same name. Stardust started in Wall, a peacefull village that be kept safe from the outside world by a large, stone wall. There, a young man Xis named Tristan (Charlie wants promises Cox) want to win the love of Victoria (Sienna Miller) and promised to bring her a fallen star. 5 enters To search for the star, Tristan Xis climbs over the wall and enter the mysterious kingdom of does finds discovers is Stormhold, a world that he not know. When he find the star, he discover that it not a star but ^ a beautiful girl, Yvaine (Claire Danes). ^ learns is are Tristan, however, learn that he be not the only one in search of the star. Also after the star is like three princes and an evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), all of whom do not likes each other 10 are encounters and not interested in sharing the magical powers of the star. As Tristan encounter and fights ^ changes realises these threats, his mission changed, and he realise that he needs the love and power of Yvaine is to understand what true love be. In the end, with the supernatural power of the jewel that carries becomes Yvaine carried, Tristan became the King of Stormhold and Yvaine the Queen. TR13
rammar Simple Present Tense in Movie Reviews D A club member has written a plot summary of the movie Stardust. However, there are some mistakes in it. Underline any incorrect word and write the correct word above it. Mark a missing word with a ^ and write the correct word above it. Use a X to cross out any extra words. There are 24 mistakes in total. Stardust (2007) Stardust was a fantasy film directed by Mathew Vaughn. It was based on a novel written by Neil Gaiman of the same name. Stardust started in Wall, a peacefull village that be kept safe from the outside world by a large, stone wall. There, a young man is named Tristan (Charlie Cox) want to win the love of Victoria (Sienna Miller) and promised to bring her a fallen star. 5 To search for the star, Tristan is climbs over the wall and enter the mysterious kingdom of Stormhold, a world that he not know. When he find the star, he discover that it not a star but a beautiful girl, Yvaine (Claire Danes). Tristan, however, learn that he be not the only one in search of the star. Also after the star is three princes and an evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer), all of whom do not likes each other 10 and not interested in sharing the magical powers of the star. As Tristan encounter and fights these threats, his mission changed, and he realise that he needs the love and power of Yvaine to understand what true love be. In the end, with the supernatural power of the jewel that Yvaine carried, Tristan became the King of Stormhold and Yvaine the Queen. TR14
rammar Intensifying Adverbs (easy) E Your friend Simon has sent you an e-mail about a movie he likes. Use the intensifying adverb + adjective combinations in the word box to help you complete Simon s e-mail. Use each combination once only. absolutely brilliant extremely familiar surprisingly amusing truly delightful exceptionally skilful hugely successful thoroughly convincing Hey Mandy, Have you seen the movie Ratatouille? If not, you should because it s a (1) surprisingly amusing film that s full of laughs. It tells the story of Rémy, a rat who likes to cook. One day, Rémy is chased away from his home and he floats in the storm drains to Paris on a cookbook by Gusteau, an (2) exceptionally skilful chef who is no longer alive. Rémy accidentally arrives at the very famous Gusteau Restaurant. There Rémy meets a young boy, Alfredo Linguini, who needs to prove his cooking skills to the sous-chef. With Rémy s help, Linguini makes some (3) truly delightful dishes. Even though Rémy gets (4) extremely familiar with the kitchen and can cook very well, he can t work in the kitchen. But in the end, Rémy makes Linguini a (5) hugely successful chef in Paris. A rat helping out in a restaurant is probably not a (6) thoroughly convincing storyline, but trust me, Mandy, it s an (7) absolutely brilliant movie. I m sure you ll love it. Bye, Simon TR15
rammar Intensifying Adverbs E Your friend Simon has sent you an e-mail about a movie he likes. Use the intensifying adverb + adjective combinations in the word box to help you complete Simon s e-mail. Use each combination once only. absolutely brilliant extremely familiar surprisingly amusing truly delightful exceptionally skilful hugely successful thoroughly convincing Hey Mandy, Have you seen the movie Ratatouille? If not, you should because it s a (1) film that s full of laughs. It tells the story of Rémy, a rat who likes to cook. One day, Rémy is chased away from his home and he floats in the storm drains to Paris on a cookbook by Gusteau, an (2) chef who is no longer alive. Rémy accidentally arrives at the very famous Gusteau Restaurant. There Rémy meets a young boy, Alfredo Linguini, who needs to prove his cooking skills to the sous-chef. With Rémy s help, Linguini makes some (3) dishes. Even though Rémy gets (4) with the kitchen and can cook very well, he can t work in the kitchen. But in the end, Rémy makes Linguini a (5) chef in Paris. A rat helping out in a restaurant is probably not a (6) storyline, but trust me, Mandy, it s an (7) movie. I m sure you ll love it. Bye, Simon TR16
rammar Intensifying Adverbs (difficult) E You have received an e-mail from your friend Simon and are now writing a reply. Complete your e-mail using some of the intensifying adverb + adjective combinations on pages 2 4 of the Reading Booklet. Hi Simon, Ratatouille is one of the most (1) highly anticipated movies of the year. Of course I ve seen it. I think it definitely lives up to my expectations. I especially like the plot an absolutely brilliant (2) rat, Rémy, works in a restaurant, rises to all the challenges he hugely successful faces, and finally becomes a (3) chef in the end. The story s (4) truly delightful and I m sure that even adults will love it. I also appreciate the way Rémy strives to improve his cooking skills. At first he doesn t know much about cooking, but with his determination and passion for cooking, he soon becomes extremely familiar (5) with everything in the kitchen. I learned from him that if we re intensely focused (6) on one thing, we have a good chance of reaching our goal. Rémy has also shown us that we should always stick to our interests. If Rémy weren t interested in cooking, I don t think he d have the patience and determination to carry on with his work at the exceptionally skilful/ restaurant and finally become an (7) absolutely brilliant chef in Paris. I see no problem with a rat working in a restaurant; the story plot is still thoroughly convincing (8) as things can happen for no reason in the world of fantasy. Yet, I m not happy with it being about a rat. There are way too many movies featuring rats out there, and I think the choice of a rat for this movie is (9) I would say Ratatouille is an (10). Apart from this, movie. In some sense, it s also (11) genuinely touching as you feel like you grow up with Rémy from an ordinary absolutely brilliant/ rat to an (12) exceptionally skilful chef. Bye, Mandy exceptionally spectacular disappointingly boring TR17
rammar Intensifying Adverbs E You have received an e-mail from your friend Simon and are now writing a reply. Complete your e-mail using some of the intensifying adverb + adjective combinations on pages 2 4 of the Reading Booklet. Hi Simon, Ratatouille is one of the most (1) movies of the year. Of course I ve seen it. I think it definitely lives up to my expectations. I especially like the plot an (2) rat, Rémy, works in a restaurant, rises to all the challenges he faces, and finally becomes a (3) chef in the end. The story s (4) and I m sure that even adults will love it. I also appreciate the way Rémy strives to improve his cooking skills. At first he doesn t know much about cooking, but with his determination and passion for cooking, he soon becomes (5) with everything in the kitchen. I learned from him that if we re (6) on one thing, we have a good chance of reaching our goal. Rémy has also shown us that we should always stick to our interests. If Rémy weren t interested in cooking, I don t think he d have the patience and determination to carry on with his work at the restaurant and finally become an (7) chef in Paris. I see no problem with a rat working in a restaurant; the story plot is still (8) as things can happen for no reason in the world of fantasy. Yet, I m not happy with it being about a rat. There are way too many movies featuring rats out there, and I think the choice of a rat for this movie is (9) I would say Ratatouille is an (10). Apart from this, movie. In some sense, it s also (11) as you feel like you grow up with Rémy from an ordinary rat to an (12) chef. Bye, Mandy TR18
ntegrated Listening (easy) F You are going to listen to a radio programme called Cinema Scene. Use the information from the radio programme and the online forum on page 5 of the Reading Booklet to complete the fact sheet below. Fact Sheet for Transformers romance comedy science-fiction (Tick the correct answers.) Director: Michael Bay Main Cast: Setting (Tick the correct answers.) When? in the past in the present in the future Where? in Chicago in Los Angeles in San Francisco 1 3 2 5 4 Plot (Arrange the following events in order) A war between robots broke out on another planet many years ago. Sam finds out that his car is a robot. Sam buys a yellow car on his birthday. A fight between good robots and bad robots breaks out on Earth. Sam and Mikaela end up at a military warehouse. General Comments Aspects Positive Comments Negative Comments Visual effects Love story Cast Message Actor Plot Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Jon Voight absolutely stunning/wonderful exceptionally spectacular/stunning utterly charming exceptionally brilliant totally positive exceedingly convincing extremely confusing/disappointingly boring/extremely stale/familiar TR19
ntegrated Listening F You are going to listen to a radio programme called Cinema Scene. Use the information from the radio programme and the online forum on page 5 of the Reading Booklet to complete the fact sheet below. Fact Sheet for Transformers romance comedy science-fiction (Tick the correct answers.) Director: Main Cast: Setting (Tick the correct answers.) When? in the past in the present in the future Where? in Chicago in Los Angeles in San Francisco Plot (Arrange the following events in order) A war between robots broke out on another planet many years ago. Sam finds out that his car is a robot. Sam buys a yellow car on his birthday. A fight between good robots and bad robots breaks out on Earth. Sam and Mikaela end up at a military warehouse. Comments Aspects Positive Comments Negative Comments General Visual effects Love story Cast Message Actor Plot TR20
ask Outcome Model Discussion H Work with a partner. Decide which student (A or B) you will be and role play the discussion. Student A: Let s start, shall we? The movie I m going to write about is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It s an adventure, fantasy movie and I think it s incredibly exciting. Student B: Right. Who is the director? Student A: David Yates. Student B: How long is the movie? Student A: The movie is one hundred and thirty-eight minutes long. Student B: Who stars in the movie? Student A: Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry Potter; Emma Watson plays Hermione Granger; and Rupert Grint plays Ron Weasley. Student B: Which category is the movie classified as? Student A: It is classified as Category two-a. Student B: I haven t seen that movie. What s it about? Student A: It s about Harry Potter and his friends. Student B: When and where does the story take place? Student A: The story takes place at the Hogwarts, the school that Harry Potter attends. It begins with Harry Potter returning to school after the summer holiday. Student B: What are the main events in the movie? Student A: The first event occurs when no one believes that the evil Lord Voldemort is coming back. Student B: How does Harry Potter deal with it? Student A: He joins a secret club to fight against Voldemort but faces lots of difficulties. A new teacher at Hogwarts introduces very strict discipline. Later, the new teacher even becomes the acting principal of the school. Student B: What s your favourite scene? Student A: My favourite scene is close to the end of the movie. Harry Potter and Voldemort enter the Hall of Prophecy where there are thousands of glass balls. The scene is absolutely spectacular. Student B: How s the movie in general? Student A: I am a big Harry Potter fan and I think it s amazingly good. Some parts of the book are missing in the movie but you can t possibly include everything. Student B: I see. How about the cast? Do the actors and actresses perform well? Student A: Yes. I think the main characters are exceptionally wonderful. It is their fifth movie and their acting skills have improved a lot. Student B: What do you think about the ending? Student A: It s simply wonderful. The ending didn t come as a surprise because I read the book before I watched the movie. But I still enjoyed watching the last scenes. I think the visual effects are extraordinarily real. Student B: I see. Thank you for sharing your view of the movie with me. TR21
ask Outcome Support Material for Discussion H Fill in the following blanks. Discuss the movie you have written notes about. Student A: Let s start, shall we? The movie I m going to write about is (name of the movie). It s a/an (genre of the movie) movie and I think it s (intensifying adverb + adjective). Student B: Right. Who is the director? Student A: (name of the director). Student B: How long is the movie? Student A: The movie is (length of the movie) long. Student B: Who stars in the movie? Student A: (names of the leading actors and/or actresses). Student B: Which category is the movie classified as? Student A: It is classified as Category (category of the movie). Student B: I haven t seen that movie. What s it about? Student A: It s about (brief description of the movie). Student B: When and where does the story take place? Student A: The story takes place (the setting of movie: place and time). Student B: What are the main events in the movie? Student A: The first event occurs (the beginning of the story). Student B: (follow-up question)? Student A: (other events). Student B: What s your favourite scene? Student A: My favourite scene is (description of the favourite scene). The scene is (intensifying adverb + adjective). Student B: How s the movie in general? Student A: (opinion on the movie as a whole). Student B: I see. How about the cast? Do the actors and actresses perform well? Student A: (opinion on the performance of the actors and actresses). Student B: What do you think about the ending? Student A: It s (intensifying adverb + adjective). (opinion on the ending of the movie). TR22
ask Outcome Writing Notes I Now plan your movie review in more detail. Use the notes below to help you. Paragraph 1 state the setting of the movie - Where does the story take place? - When does the story take place? state briefly the main events of the story - What is the story about? Paragraph 2 state whether or not you like the story - How do you feel about the movie? - What are the reasons you like/dislike the movie? - What is your favourite/least favourite scene? The story takes place in... It is at the time when... At the beginning,... Then,... Later,... At the end,... I find the movie... I like/dislike it because... My favourite/least favourite scene is... It talks about... and it is... - Why do you like/dislike the scene? - How do the actors and actresses perform in the movie? state whether or not you would recommend the movie and why Background information (in a table) I like/dislike... since... The performance of... is... I would/would not recommend this movie to others as... Title: Running time: Actors/Actress(es) in leading roles: Category: TR23