Idioma Inglés II

Departamento de Inglés
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
FILM REVIEWS

Film reviews are types of texts which are quite familiar to people of most ages. We typically read film
reviews before deciding whether to go to the cinema or watch a film. And even if we have not actually
written a film review, we have probably found ourselves at one time or other recommending relatives, friends
and colleagues whether or not to watch a film we have recently seen or read about, and offering comments
that support our opinion. Thus, we are probably quite familiar with the purpose of film reviews:
commenting on certain aspects of a film, offering our assessment of it and giving a recommendation.

Let’s read a film review by a specialist.

Toy Story 3 Title


Reviewed By: Scott Macdonald
"When I became a man, I put away childish things."
Toy Story 3 is a dazzlingly confident and magical picture that recalls Paul of Tarsus's Film
quote, but its makers have never forgotten what it feels like to be children. Pixar Data
Animation Studios continue their near unbroken run of animation masterpieces with a
colourful and emotional return to the best toy box in filmdom. Cross-
In the first emotional sting of the tale, the first scene delves into a loosely-tethered referencing
and spectacular imaginary recreation of the time where we all devised our own
worlds and stories with toys. But Andy has finally grown up, and is preparing to go off
to college. His toys (the gang's mostly here, though some have left, through age,
breakage and yard sales) are devastated with the paucity of playing, contriving
elaborate schemes to force Andy to pick them up and remember playtime. They're
heartbroken, but pragmatic - "Every toy goes through this".
Film
The week before college, Andy's mother asks Andy to separate the toys he wants to
Summary
keep for the attic, those for the trash. In a mixup, Buzz Lightyear, Mr & Mrs Potato
Head and the rest barely escape from heading to landfill (under the untouched
recycling bin) and head to the local day-care centre. The fluffy teddy-bear Lotso,
driven bitter and angry by being replaced, spearheads a chilling and wholly corrupt
totalitarian regime within the centre. Our heroes are stuffed into the Caterpillar Room
for toddlers and barely escape with their lives, if not their dignity.
Lotso enforces discipline with an iron will, eventually reprogramming Buzz to serve
him - the effort to get him back to normal leads to the most inspired animation gags
of the film. The rest of the film is basically a wonderful mashup of Toy Story and
Prison Break in the most exciting U-rated action adventure I've seen since, well, Pixar's
last. (Some moments may disturb very young children - the all-seeing monkey!)
The character animation has come on leaps and bounds since Toy Story 2. Humans are
far less plasticy and better animated. And the performances of all the main characters Selective
are richer and more nuanced. This is essential for the drama that is to come. Barbie Evaluation
and Ken ("I'm not a girl's toy!", "You're a purse with legs!") have their own delightfully of Elements
amusing strand, and the voicework remains as invisibly wonderful as always. A in the Film
particular standout is the Fisher Price Classic Chatter Telephone, an old timer in the
centre. Teddy Newton's work combines with magnificent animation (acting by
eyebrow has never been so sublime!) to create an incredible world-weary
performance.
Cross-
Pixar have always delivered magnificent scripts, and this one by Little Miss Sunshine's
referencing
Michael Arndt is no different - what a delight it would be to be a fly on the wall of
their story meetings. The storytelling mixes huge laughs and rich pathos, seemingly
Final
without effort, and leads to a finale that will leave few with dry eyes. Pretty much
Evaluation
perfect.
And stick around for the credits, the gang all get their closures - including Rex's
'dominant predator' status and videogame addiction.

Source: http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?id=9077

Prof. Mag. Samiah Hassan de Mailhos October 2020

Idioma Inglés II
Departamento de Inglés
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
Read below a far simpler film review. It’s written by a young
student and it includes all the main functions and stages it What questions can we ask the
should have:
text?

1. What is title of the film?

2. What’s the film about? Which

are the main events?

3. Are there any special aspects

you particularly like? (actors,
performance, director,
scenery, special effects, …)

4. What is your opinion/

impression of the film? Why?

5. What information do we have?

Who is the director? What
genre is it? When was it
released?

6. Would you recommend it?

Why?

Generic Structure

The structure of a film review can be represented as this:

Title - Film Data - Cross-referencing - Film Summary - Selective Analysis - Final Evaluation
Evaluation
Recommendation

Alternatively, if the Recommendation is made explicitly, the review would unfold as follows:

OfTitle
course, weData
- Film need- to keep in the mind- Film
Cross-referencing that the stages and
Summary their sequencing
- Selective Analysis - are notEvaluation
Final compl trieove.
– Recommendation

Evaluation

A few activities

1. Cinema in the class. As we watch a film (or read a story) we may take notes that will later be useful
when you start planning your writing tasks. You will have to pay attention to the setting of the story (when
and where it is set), main events in the plot, actors and characters they play, special scenes, costumes,
special effects (if any). Try to complete the table below:

Prof. Mag. Samiah Hassan de Mailhos October 2020

Idioma Inglés II
Departamento de Inglés
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
aspect of the film what do you think about...? why?

Plot Too slow... I fell asleep twice! The dialogues are boring and nothing much
seems to happen...

Actors’ performance ..... ......

Special effects

Music

..............

Work with language

2. Find the best expression.

director’s skill the soundtrack
types of films …........................ of the film
…..................... …........................ …......................
…..................... …........................ ….....................
…..................... …........................ …......................
…..................... …......................
…......................

Film Reviews
Elements in / parts of a the action
film …...............................
….................. …...............................
….................. .
….................. ….............................
….................. …...........................

3. Identify expressions that might be used in any of the categories above.

actors preposterous magnificent a must-see adventure overly friendly
skilfully fictional futuristic aggressively performance charming rare
hilarious vivid definitely the most entertaining inspirational the best
important too young/old musical rather soundtrack scene picturesque
sweet-natured animation sci-fi plot dazzlingly confident characters
memorable brilliant sympathetic good enchanting impressive slightly
unstable comedy touchy-feely friendly horror completely computer-
generated pretty much costume perfect unique jaw-setting dropping
thriller absolutely amazing not believable common-place charming awesome

Prof. Mag. Samiah Hassan de Mailhos October 2020

Idioma Inglés II
Departamento de Inglés
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
4. From good to great to outstanding. In order to get you to use expressions that go beyond those you
are already familiar with, we can work with adjectives that express the same meaning good or boring, for
instance, in different, more specific or vivid ways. At the same time, we remind you that words that express
attitude can be graded in terms of the intensity of the attitude they express, and that intensification can be
expressed in the word itself (infused in it) or by means of an adverb (typically very, a bit, too). Check the two
columns with adjectives describing films: one with adjectives that express more or less neutral intensity and
the other one with more varied expressions that typically turn the volume up! Now you match the adjective
on the left column with one or more in the right column that express similar meanings with varying
intensities:

OK outstanding
complex
comic
good amazing
spectacular
appealing spellbinding
special
boring rare
picturesque
intricate
bad pleasant
dull
difficult hilarious
involved
crappy (informal)
unusual singular
gripping
charming obscure
average
funny decent
tedious

5. Collective memory! We may want to briefly review what we have learnt so far about film
reviews! The class as a whole can create a guide with questions about the different stages in a film
review and the language we use as these stages unfold. We could come up with a table as the one
below which we would, of course, adjust according to the age and the level of instruction of our
students.

Stage what is it about? what language do we

need?
Film Data What type of film is this? When was it
released? Who is the director of the film?
Who stars in the film? Who are the
characters? Where is it set?
Summary What is the film about? Who are the main
characters? What are the main events?
What complications occur? What makes
the action special?
Selective Analysis of elements in What would you like to say about some
the film of the aspects of the film, including the
actors, scenery, special effects, director,
music/ soundtrack?
Recommendation Would you recommend it? Why? Why
not?

Final Evaluation

Prof. Mag. Samiah Hassan de Mailhos October 2020

Idioma Inglés II
Departamento de Inglés
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras
Let’s revise book/story reviews

As you may see, book/story reviews are shaped in the same way as film reviews are.
What questions would you ask of this text?

 What is the book/story called? Who is the writer? What genre is it?
 What are the main events in the story? What is the story about?
 What is your opinion/impression on the story? Why?
 What aspects of the story might be analysed? (characters, author’s style, descriptions,
dialogues, sophisticated/specialized vocabulary, ending, irony, …)
 Would you recommend it? Why?

Let’s move to some independent writing now.

1. Now would you write a film review on Freedom Writers?

2. Another task would be to concentrate on one of the short stories or the novel and write a
story or book review. What ideas would you choose? Let’s consider Paper Flowers or Boy.

3. How would you summarise / synthesise the story?

4. What aspects would you decide to analyse? (selective analysis of elements in the film?
And the story?)
Prof. Mag. Samiah Hassan de Mailhos October 2020