29 Film and book reviews

Note the collocations in these reviews of the same film from different publications.
Quality newspaper
LARISSA
Larissa is an excellent film. It tells the story of what happens when a young woman decides to try to find
out what really happened to her grandmother, who disappeared in Russia in the 1930s under mysterious
circumstances. As the suspense builds up, Larissa sets off an amazing chain of events. It’s an incredibly
gripping film and its direction shows startling originality.

Movie review app

It was certainly a bold experiment1 to cast Jenni Adams as a woman twice her age, but
Jenni is a very accomplished actor and a consummate professional2, and she carried it off
brilliantly. And the rest of the star-studded cast gave a dazzling display of their talents too.
The film, which documents an extraordinary series of events, was spectacularly successful
in the US – The New York Times gave it glowing reviews3, and not without good reason.
1 2 3
a brave and risky thing to do (formal) complete professional very positive reviews
Popular (tabloid) newspaper

Whoever decided to cast Jenni Adams
in the role of the disappearing grandma
in Larissa must have been out of their
mind. An unmitigated disaster4, strongly
influenced5 by the very worst kind of
Hollywood sentimentality. The only
good thing was the theme music. The
cinema next door was showing Screech
of the Vampire – now that I would highly
recommend6 … if you can bear the
suspense7!

4 6
total disaster thoroughly recommend is also possible
5
or heavily influenced, but NOT highly influenced 7
can stand the excitement
Entertainment magazine

Larissa I usually think highly of Joel Hanson’s films but this one, based on a
novel by Slevan Gorsky, is a dismal failure. In spite of the all-star cast,
the film just didn’t hold my attention the way the book did. I was a
STARRING college student when I read it, but it made a lasting impression8 on me.
Jenni Adams
It fired my imagination more than any other book has ever done, and
DIRECTED BY awakened my interest in Russia in the 1930s so much that my poor
Joel Hanson
old bookshelves are groaning with books on Russian history! The film,
however, simply failed to create9 the atmosphere of Leningrad in the
1930s which the book achieved so successfully.

8 9
we can also say an indelible impression, meaning a permanent one also evoke the atmosphere

Common mistakes
Someone can have a considerable reputation or a well-deserved reputation, but NOT a
high reputation.

62 English Collocations in Use Advanced

 Exercises
29.1 Complete the review using words from the opposite page. The first letter is given to help you.

1,000 NIGHTS
NOW PLAYING
The recently released film 1,000 Nights does not have a (1) s
cast but it will not fail to make a (2) l impression with its
startling (3) o and its dazzling (4) d
of new talent. Jon Hayden is cast in the (5) r of Tim
Alexon, a man of principles trying to make his way in the world of big business.
It is Hayden’s first appearance on the big screen, but he shows himself as an
exceptionally (6) a actor playing the little man caught
up in an intriguing and at times terrifying (7) s of events.
The use of unknown actors was a bold (8) e but it
turned out to be (9) s successful. 1,000 Nights will
(10) f the imagination of even the most cynical of viewers.

29.2 Cross out the option which cannot be used in each sentence.
1 Alla Repina has a high / considerable / well-deserved reputation as a character actor.
2 The all-star / star-studded / starring cast is set to make the film a box-office success.
3 My cousin highly / spectacularly / thoroughly recommended the play.
4 The plot is based on an extraordinary series / burst / chain of events that happened in New York in
the early 1800s.
5 The stage sets were obviously strongly / highly / heavily influenced by the work of the surrealist
artist Salvador Dalí.
6 The film made a(n) consummate / lasting / indelible impression on me.
7 The author evoked / created / wrote a magical atmosphere.
29.3 Complete each sentence using a word from the opposite page.
1 I admire that producer because he is such a consummate .
2 We all began to feel increasingly nervous as the suspense built .
3 All that writer’s books have received glowing .
4 The central character’s actions set off an amazing chain of .
5 To my mind the play is an unmitigated .
6 Making a film lasting six hours was quite a bold .
7 I’m afraid the novel didn’t really succeed in holding my .
8 I couldn’t watch the film at the most exciting point – I just couldn’t bear the .
29.4 Name the following:
1 an actor whose work you admire
2 a film director whom you think highly of
3 a film that has recently been spectacularly successful
4 a book that has awakened your interest in a different place or period of history
29.5 Two of the collocations on the opposite page are strongly negative ways of saying that
something did not succeed. Which are they?

Over to you
Go to www.imdb.com (The Internet Movie Database) and read some of the items and reviews there.
Make a note of any useful collocations not in this unit.

English Collocations in Use Advanced 63