Cinema Attitudes' questionnaire

1. Going to the cinema occupies time that would be spent in more wholesome recreation.

2. I am tired of films - I have seen too many poor ones.

3. The cinema is the best civilizing device ever developed.

4. Films are the most important cause of crime.

5. Films are all right but a few give the rest a bad name.

6. I like to see films once in a while, but they do disappoint you sometimes.

7. I think films are fairly interesting.

8. Films are just a harmless pastime.

9. Going to the cinema to me is just a way to kill time.

10. The influence of the cinema is decidedly for good.

4. Films are good clean entertainment.

5. I'd never miss the cinema if we didn't have it.

13. It is a sin to go to the cinema.

14. There would be very little progress without the cinema.

15. Films are the most vital form of art today. A film once in a while is a good thing for everybody.

16. Films increase one's appreciation of beauty.

17. A film once in a while is one of the few good things I can enjoy by myself.

16. Films are wholly bad for children.

19. I like to see other people enjoy films, whether I enjoy them myself or not.

20. Films are to blame for the increase in sexual offence.

21. The cinema is one of the great educational institutions for the common people.

22. Young people are learning to smoke and drink from films.

16. The cinema is the best cheap entertainment.

17. There's too much violence on screen.

Now tick the statements that YOU agree with.

Ex. 2 Read the definitions below, then write the types of films in the right column.

action / adventure film	disaster movie	musical
biopic	fantasy film	science fiction film
cartoon	horror film	thriller
comedy	juvenile film	war film
drama	love story	western

1. Film dealing with major disasters, such as earth­quakes, large fires, plane crashes, etc. ___________

2. In this film, love and romance are the key element. __________________

3. Film to do with some aspect of war. 4. A film about the life of a particular person.

5. In this film, excitement is generated from action se­quences

6. Film aimed at children and young people.

7. Film which sets out to make the audience laugh.

8. Film about the American wild west, usually with cowboys, Indians and gunfights.

9. Film set in the future, and often to do with space travel, robots, etc. _____________

10. Film where the characters and/or situations could not exist in real life. Often deal with magic and mystery, fantastic voyages, etc. _________________

11. A very dramatic film where tension and suspense is deliberately maintained and is a central feature of the plot. _____________

12. In this film, the focus is on human relationships rather than action. ____________

13. A film where the main aim is to terrify the audience.

14. Also called an animated film. Here the film is made by photographing drawings rather than using live actors.

15. A film where the emphasis is on music, it usually contains lots of songs. ______________

Ex. 3 Read the film reviews below, then decide what type of film each one is. Choose from the types of film above and write your answers under each title.

Earthquake (1987) Type _________________

An epic tale with a star-studded cast about the destruction of Los Angeles, as the most catastrophic earthquake of all time rips through Southern California, affecting the lives of all who live there. Excellent special effects make up for the tedious and cliched plot.

The Aviator (2005) Type ______________________

Set between 1927 2nd 1947 the movie fol­lows Howard Hughes as he merrily spends his inherited millions to conquer Hollywood and the skies. It is a tale worth telling and the director (Martin Scorcese) does it with style, authority and dash, though at excessive length of nearly three hours. Leonardo di Caprio scores as Hughes and Cate Blanchett con­tributes a witty twist as a bossy Katharine Hepburn.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Type ______________

Steven Spielberg's all-action blockbuster with Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, who is sent to find the legendary biblical Ark of the Covenant before it can be stolen and used by the Nazis in their plan for world domination. A spectacular multi-million dol­lar version of the 1930s Saturday morning serials, and it works so well because of everybody's enthusiasm and sense of fun.

Ice Castles (1979) Type ________________

Tear-jerking romance about a young cou­ple who meet on an ice rink and quickly fall in love. Both find fame and fortune on the ice – he as a professional hockey player, she as an Olympic champion dancer - but tragedy strikes when she becomes blind.

War of the Worlds (2005) Type ________________

Like his movie's homicidal space invaders, Steven Spielberg shows no mercy. In the direc­tor's humdinger adaption of H. Well’s classic novel, the suspense and scares start early and keep coming with ferocious intensity. But mostly War is a sizzing popcorn movie offering two hours of solid story and gee-whiz, special effects-driven scares, all viewed from the com­fortable safety of one's seat in a theatre.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) Type _______________

Judy Garland gives a dazzling performance in this much-loved movie. She is young Dorothy who is knocked unconscious when a tornado rips through her Kansas farmhouse and who wakes up in the Technicolour world of Oz (the film starts in black and white). A perfect MGM production with imaginative sets, photography, costumes and make-up. The classic songs in­clude Follow the Yellow Brick Road and the Oscar-winning Over the Rainbow.

Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason (2005) Type ______________

If you cosied up to 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary -count me among its fans - this sequel will prove almost as engaging because it's deja vu all again. Zellweger, Firth and Grant all give entertaining performances, with Grant first among equals. The more incorrigible character he plays, the greater his scampish charm.

Million Dollar Baby (2005) Type _____________

Movies don’t come better or richer in meaning than this Oscar-nominated beauty by director Clint Eastwood, which follows the deepening relation­ship between a boxer (Hilary Swank) and her trainer (Eastwood). Morgan Freeman costars.

Ex. 4 Think of a film title to match each of the following types of film.

comedy	science fiction film	kitchen sink drama
animated film(cartoon)	James Bond film	musical
romantic drama	historical film	detective film
psychological thriller	western	documentary film
horror film	adventure film	tear jerker / tear-tearing film
soap opera	police drama	biopic

Ex. 5 What was the last film you saw either in the cinema or on TV? What type of film was it? Who played the hero, the heroine, the villain, etc?