Talking and Writing

37. Share your experiences of seeing a good action film. Give an idea of the plot outline and comment on the film's aspects. Consider if the film of your choice is comparable with Gladiator or Terminator-2, grounding the opinions on your experience, the reviews and comments above.

38. Write a review on this or another action & adventure film involving the vocabulary we have been through and following the established format, given below.

Introduction	Background of the film: where and when the story is set, who directed the film, who stars in the film, casting overview, what blend of genres it is.
Paragraph 2	Plot outline: where the tale begins, what events the film’s plot revolves around, twists of the plot, parallel story-lines, climax, end. When describing the plot use the present tense.
Paragraph 3	General comments: assessment of the script, message, characters, casting, direction, camerawork, performances, pacing, memorable moments, score, special effects, your reaction to the film.
Conclusion	Whether you recommend the film, if it is worth seeing on a big screen or waiting until it comes out on video, if it is acceptable for children and your overall evaluation.

Role-play

39. Imagine that the local film studios have announced a contest for the best action film script. There will be allowance for youth and lack of experience, probably undeveloped talent for this specific activity, but the initiative is encouraged. Now you think that a lot of bed-time stories, which you heard back in your childhood, sounded pretty sinister and they might well be developed into a respectable script for one of the various kinds of action films. The list of ideas is innumerable: "Doughnut (Kolobok)", "Red Riding Hood (Chervona Shapochka)", "Wolf and the Seven Kids", etc. You decide to participate, think of a suitable plot, possibly, introduce additional characters, but you feel you need somebody to work jointly with, to generate ideas and, perhaps, give you confidence. Try to sell your desk-mate on this idea. Tell him/her about the contest, the terms and share your initial ideas. The friend will either be critical and try to stay clear of it or will contribute their own ideas. The objective is to find a way to concoct a winning script that will correspond to and comply with the requirements of the genre.

40. Share your draft ideas with the class. Listen to the praise or criticism and respond to either of them appropriately.

Additional Language Exercises

Tip: “Entertainment” is an inseparable part of performing arts. This word can be used in reference to a film, play, TV programme, etc., often coupled with the words “pure” and “sheer”, to emphasise the work of art’s enjoyment aspects rather than intellectual and thought-provoking message. When viewed negatively, “entertainment” goes attributed by the “mere”.

41. Read the clippings from assorted articles, fill in the gaps with the proper attributes listed below and translate the passages into fine Ukrainian:

sheer (2 times)

mere

light

mass

popular

1. There is considerable truth in the theory, once put to me by the American director and writer, Paul Schrader, that Hollywood is world cinema, since so many talents from all over the world have made films there. It is certainly by far the greatest source of _________ entertainment in the film business.

2. For perhaps the fullest fantasy escape from our very present grim reality, a dose of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge is in order. A wondrous cinematographic musical coup, a send-up, yet a tearjerker. It is a film in which the cinema-goer becomes caught up in a communal moment of _________ entertainment.

3. The sense of London during the Blitz is strong and the story, with its mix of real history and believable invention, is fast-paced, twisting and tense. These elements combine to produce a novel that is _________ entertainment.

4. In the circumstances, how can such a film be considered great? There are three good reasons. Firstly, the film wasn't just ground-breaking in its technique; it was the way in which that technique was applied to dramatise the story that was impressive. To take one example, the length of each shot was designed to influence our emotional response, with dramatic scenes cut faster. Astonishingly, Griffith did all this, using one camera and two lenses, in a mere nine weeks. Secondly, this film marked - in America at least - the effective birth of a cinema that wasn't just _________ entertainment but a fully fledged art form that could be appreciated by the masses.

5. That event, so widely seen as _________ entertainment by the rest of the world, was always treated more seriously by Americans.

6. Where Scott really scores is in his big Rome set-pieces, especially Crowe's combat with men and tigers in a computer-enhanced Coliseum much bigger and more monumental than the original. For all its implausible silliness and towering high camp, Scott's film tells an engaging story, and the central arena fight sequence in which Maximus and his gladiators playing the doomed Carthaginians end up defeating the Romans and reversing history is wittily and adroitly done: a sly demonstration of the confluence of politics and _________ entertainment. You will find your thumb tilting upwards.

Tip: Works of art are sometimes referred to as low-brow or middle-brow, in contrast to things with more intellectual or thought-provoking ambitions, which are high-brow. All these terms often have negative connotation and are used to show disapproval.

42. Categorize the following films oryour own list of films as being low-, middle- or high-brow. Give reasons.

1989 Batman.Hollywood crossed a line with Batman: the first time that a movie earned more through merchandising and licensing than through box-office receipts.

1993 Jurassic Park. Spielberg's warning on the dangers of reality-manipulation.

1996 Scream. A Tarantinoesque reclamation of cinema's scuzziest genre - teen slasher movie.

1999 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace The current champion of low-culture cinema, destroying all comers.

Tip: The cast of an acclaimed film will most likely consist of:

megastar(s)	– those earning enormous amounts of money;
starlets	– young, ambitious, as yet relatively unknown actresses who are expected to become stars (there is no equivalent word for ambitious male actors);
leads	– leading parts, leading actors and actresses;
supporting roles	– supporting actors and actresses;
bit-parts	– very small roles;
extras	– people in large crowds;
cameo role	– a well-known actor or actress, usually older, who plays a small part in a movie.

43. Choose a film that you have seen, break down the cast into the categories, describe their parts in the film as to the list above and explain your division.

Tip: Films, once they are released, can enjoy success. They gross at the box office. The money made is referred to as the receipts (the take or gross receipts). At the top of the pyramid is the hugely successful movie, commonly referred to as a blockbuster. When the film is just successful, it is a box office success, smash or hit.

On the wrong side of success are box office failures or box office disasters, known as turkeys. They don't make at the box office, but flop or, in other words, bomb.

When a film does not make the press and is relatively unknown when released, but does unexpectedly well later, is known as a sleeper.

44. Research and make an overview of the recent film releases. Make it in the form of a small communication. Use the vocabulary above.