Writing. Review.

Follow the link to find some examples of reviews http://entertainment.ie/movie-review/Life-of-Pi/131994.htm

Actors’ description

• Handsome 
• Comely 
• Plain 
• Overrated 
• Impeccable 
• Boring 
• Extrovert 
• Sophisticated 
• Agile 
• Sinister 
• Multi-talented 
• Beautiful 
• Absurd 
• Versatile 
• Ironic 
• Glamorous 
• Idiotic   

Special effects:

• Spectacular scenes          
• Uses simple and ordinary effects
• Technically and visually stunning               
• Mediocre visuals
• A compelling work of science-fiction       
• Unimaginative, implausible and ridiculous
• An eye-opening expose               
• A cliché-ridden script and familiar narrative
• Chock full of high-tech dazzling action    
• Features manic action

Comedy:

• You'll laugh till it hurts    
• Silliest blockbuster
• An offbeat but touching romantic comedy           
• Slapdash comedy
• Light and entertaining    
• Goes overboard with slapstick and effects
• Spiced with plenty of humor and affection           
• Crude and offensive
• A funny political satire   
• Lacks originality, ingenuity, humor, and charm
• Gut-busting laughs          
• An overly melodramatic tearjerker

Thriller/horror/mystery/suspense:

• Mammothly entertaining stuff  
• Movie is skippable
• Dark, thrilling and mysterious     
• A big-reveal thriller with surprises that do NOT surprise
• A clever, heart-pounding thriller               
• An obvious, predictable plot
• Suspenseful expose       
• A dull and repetitive interpretation

Actor/character performance:

• Charismatic leads             
• Merely passable acting
• Brilliant performance     
• Poorly executed
• Unprecedented success               
• Emotionally inadequate
• Refreshingly honest and utterly charming            
• A tired and monotonous
• A well-acted, intensely shot, action filled war epic            
• Fails to come up with interesting characters

Movie review vocabulary

Movie reviews include different elements of the movie including:

• Director – the person who directed the movie
• Rating –  1-5 number of stars, 5 stars is the best review
• Starring – the names of the actors in the movie
• Producer – the person/company that produced the movie
• Based on – used when a movie is based on a book

Movie genres

• Action/Adventure – fighting, chases, explosions, and fast scenes
• Animation – computer-animated or hand drawn characters
• Comedy – funny, funny, and more funny
• Documentary – story about someone or something that actually took place in history
• Drama – emotionally charged personal challenges
• Foreign – any movie not in English
• Horror/Thriller/Suspense/Mystery – dark, scary and bloody scenes 
• Kids/Family – fun for the whole family
• Romance – a love story
• Sci-Fiction/Fantasy – not a true story, but based on make-believe, full of imaginative ideas
• and special effects
• Musical – story told with song and dance

Movies ratings

Movies have different ratings in different countries.
Ratings may be divided by age groups and are based on several criteria, including language, violence and level of adult information.
There also may be star ratings:
0 – terrible
* - poor
** -  average
*** - good
**** - very good
***** - excellent

Some other vocabulary related to film/movie

• action 
• adventure 
• animation 
• catch a movie 
• classic 
• documentary 
• drama 
• foreign film 
• go to the movies 
• horror 
• lines 
• main characters 
• movie review 
• movie theater 
• musicals 
• plot 
• romance 
• science fiction 
• suspense thriller 
• western
• buy some popcorn 
• buy tickets 
• catch a movie 
• get a drink 
• go to a movie theater 
• read a movie review 
• sit in an aisle seat 
• wait in line 
• watch a movie trailer 
• watch the credits 
• watch the previews 
• take a seat 
• at the front 
• in the middle 
• at the back 
• exciting 
• interesting 
• marvelous 
• moving 
• terrific 
• wonderful 
• absurd 
• awful 
• boring 
• terrible 
• weird

Useful phrases

• x has much to recommend it.
• X is, at heart, a(n) love/spy/adventure story.
• It is based on a book by ...
• It is set in the countryside/the future.
• The film has a quality cast.
• The film was directed by ...
• The film score is enchanting/evocative/scary.
• The film captures the spirit of ...
• The hero/heroine/villain is ...
• I felt/thought it was …
• I was impressed by …
• What struck me most was ...
• What I liked most/didn't like was ...
• The plot was gripping.
• The characters were very convincing/very well drawn.
• On reflection, I think it was ...
• It struck me as being ...
• What I didn't understand was how ...
• In spite of these few criticisms, I think ...
• I would have no hesitation in recommending …

Kinds of films
Low-budget	Малобюджетний
Box-office hit	Касовий хіт
A flop	Фільм-провал
Black-and-white	Чорно-біле кіно
Silent	Німий фільм
Well-dubbed	добре-дубльований
With subtitles	з субтитрами
Flashback story	фільм спогади ( «Зелена Миля»)

Adjectives about films
Jaw-dropping	чудовий(аж щелепа відвалюється)
Breathtaking	Захоплюючий
Action packed	наповнений дією
Hair-raising	Страшний (аж волосся дибки)
Tearjerker	за душу бере ( сльозоточивий)
Spine-tingling	за душу бере  (дослівно – до поколювання в хребті)
Eye-opening	повчальний
Thought-provoking	Заставляючий думати
Awe-inspiring	навіює благоговіння