Writing A review

SPEAKING READING

1 Work in pairs. Which sentences 1-5 are true for you? 1 Which of the reviewers 1-6 liked the film?

1 I prefer to watch stuff at home on DVD, but I go to 1 An extraordinary story of two people who struggle to the cinema from time to time. communicate. 2 I like to know about the latest films and I probably 2 Scarlett Johansson is absolutely stunning, but the watch three or four movies a week. film is about as exciting as watching paint dry. 3 The films they make these days aren't as good as they 3 Beautifully-shot and lovingly-directed, this won't used to be. appeal to everybody, but it's a pleasant way to spend 4 I like watching movies but I forget about them as soon the evening. as I've seen them. 4 Scarlett Johansson doesn't have to say much, but 5 I prefer to go to the cinema with a friend. she's one of the finest actresses of her generation. 5 With 17th-century Delft as a stunning backdrop, 2 Which of the following ingredients influence your we see the details of the life of a beautiful opinion of a film (1 = very important, 2 = quite young servant. important, 3 = unimportant)? 6 Johansson is very pretty, the camerawork is very pretty and the film is pretty boring. Another • the action • the plot or the script costume drama for cinema-goers who don't mind if • the cast and the acting • the setting nothing much happens. • the direction

Nominated for three Oscars when it was released in 2003, Girl with a Pearl Earring tells the story of the Dutch painter, Vermeer, and the creation of one of his most famous paintings. It is an adaptation of a novel by Tracy Chevalier of the same name. The 5 subject of the portrait, Girl with a Pearl Earring, is Vermeer's servant, Griet, who gets to know the artist while sitting for the picture.

The role of Griet is played to perfection by Scarlett Johansson, who also starred in the memorable Lost in Translation of the same 10 year. Colin Firth (Bridget Jones' Diary, Love Actually and Nanny McPhee), is excellent in the role of Vermeer, and Tom Wilkinson is convincingly revolting as Vermeer's patron, Van Ruijven, who wants to buy Griet. What is most memorable about Girl with a Pearl Earring is its 15 hypnotic beauty. The scenes are shot in lovingly recreated Delft of 1665 and the light and the detail come straight out of one of Vermeer's paintings. The cast are dressed in lavish costumes by the Dutch designer, Dien van Straalen, and the camerawork of Eduardo Serra is exquisite. Girl with a Pearl Earring received COLIN FIRTH SCARl FIT JOHANSSON TOM WILKINSON 20 mixed reviews, but it has stood the test of time well. The film appeals to more adult tastes and carries a* GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRINC PG-13 certificate. BASED ON THE BEST-SELLING NOVEL A review Writing 3

2 Match the quotations in exercise 1 to the categories in 3 Which tense is used in reviews to give details of the Speaking exercise 2. plot?

3 Read the review and answer the questions. Griet gets to know the artist while sitting for the picture. 1 Is it generally positive or negative? Vermeer's patron, Van Ruijuen wants to buy Griet. 2 What aspects of the film did the reviewer like?

4 Expand the notes. Use present simple and any other 4 Read the review again and put the questions in the words that you need. order in which they were answered.

Lost in Translation: plot summary What are best features of the film (acting, Charlotte / meet / Bob / Tokyo hotel. They / direction, script, soundtrack, etc)? both bored. They / spend / few days together / • What do you remember most about the film? he / talk / about / his wife / children. She / talk U] What is the plot about? / her husband / photographer. They / become / ED What kind of people does the film appeal to? good friends / important experience / their lives. CD When was it released? • Where is it set? CH Who are the main characters? ED Who stars in it? WRITING

1 Work in pairs. Think of a film or TV programme that you have both seen. Look at the questions in Reading LANGUAGE FOCUS exercise 4 and prepare your answers together.

1 Complete the sentences with a preposition. 2 Decide the best order in which to organize the information and your opinions about the film/TV 1 Tom Hanks is perfect in the role the programme. professor. 2 Audrey Tautou is extremely convincing a 3 Work with another pair of students. Tell them about code-breaker. the film/TV programme. 3 She gives a performance that is worthy an Oscar. 4 The film is set Paris. Have they seen the same film/TV programme? 5 The film tells the story an attempt to solve a mysterious murder. Yes No 6 It's an adaptation a book by Dan Brown. 1 I 2 Think of a film or TV programme that you liked. Do they share Would they like to see it? Replace the words in italics with information about your views? What information in your review that film or programme. appeals to them most? 1 Lost in Translation was directed by Sofia Coppola. It was made in 2003. 4 Write your review. 2 The film stars Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray. 3 It is set in Tokyo and tells the story of an aging film star and a young woman who find themselves REMEMBER TO ... together. • organize your review into appropriate 4 Scarlett Johansson is excellent in the role of the paragraphs. young wife who is looking for her role in life. • use a selection of phrases from Language 5 Most of the action takes place in the hotel bar. focus, exercise 4. 6 What is most memorable about Lost in Translation is • use appropriate verb forms to talk about the the performance of Bill Murray. film. 7 The film appeals to people who want more than • look twice at the prepositions you have used. Hollywood entertainment.

131 3 Writing A review

SPEAKING LANGUAGE FOCUS i i • Students read the sentences and think about them for a • Students complete the sentences with a preposition. couple of minutes. • Pairwork. Students then work with a partner and discuss 1 of 2 as 3 of 4 in 5 of 6 of which sentences are true for them. 2 • Students work on their own. Ask them to look at the five • Give students a few minutes to think of a film or TV components that make up a film and decide how each one programme that they liked. Remind them of the categories influences their opinion of a film. Tell them for example in Speaking exercise 2, so that they can recall as much that the plot is very important for you when you judge a detail as possible. film, whereas the setting is unimportant. Tell them to rank • Tell students that sentences 1-7 are a review of the film the ingredients 1 to 3. Point out that 1 is very important, 2 Lost in Translation. Ask them to replace the words in is quite important and 3 is unimportant. italics with information about the film or TV programme • You can then discuss their ranking with the whole class. they have chosen.

READING 3 i • Students read the two short reviews about the plot of Girl • Students read the comments about the film Girl with a with a Pearl Earring, and say what tense is used in them. Pearl Earring, and say which reviewers liked the film. The present simple tense is used to give details of the 1, 3, 4 and 5 plot.

• Students match the quotations in exercise 1 to the Students expand the notes to make the plot summary for categories in Speaking exercise 2. Point out that they can the film Lost in Translation. Remind them that they need use more than one category to match the quotations. to use the present simple tense and to use any other words that are needed. 1 the plot or the script 2 the cast and the acting Model answer: 3 the setting and the direction Charlotte meets Bob in a Tokyo hotel. They're both 4 the cast, the script and the acting bored. They spend a few days together. He talks about 5 the setting, the direction his wife and children. She talks about her husband, who 6 the cast, the direction, the setting, the plot and the is a photographer. They become good friends. It's an acting important experience in their lives.

3 Extra idea: exposure to more language • Students read the review and answer the questions. • You could use this idea after students have studied the language focus, but before they start to plan their own 1 It is generally positive. writing. The aim is to get students to look at a range of 2 the cast, the acting, the direction and the setting different reviews and to notice some items of language in them (with the possibility of using these chunks themselves in their own reviews). 4 • Find at least five or six different examples of film or TV • Students read the review again and put the questions in reviews, long and short. Look in magazines, newspapers, the order in which the reviewer answers them. or on the internet (where there are now a large number of Correct order: 7, 5, 2, 8, 1, 6, 3, 4 reviews available online). • Print these out with one review to one piece of paper. Print enough so that each pair in your class can have one review. If there are any visual clues as to whether the reviewer liked or disliked the show (e.g. star ratings), make sure these are not printed or not visible. Write a letter (e.g. A, B, C) at the top of each review. A review j Writing 3 • Also prepare a simple worksheet with three columns. 3 There should be one row for each review. In the first • Students pair up to make groups of four, and discuss their column write the letters A, B, C, etc. in the rows down the films or TV programmes. Point out that they can use the page. Leave the second and third columns blank, but head questions in their discussion. them Positive or negative? and Example language.

Positive or Example language • Students use the ideas they discussed from exercises 1-3 negative? and write a review. A • Refer students to the Remember to ... box at the bottom of the page to help them with the review. B • Students could write the review in class or for homework. C Sample answer • Divide the class into pairs and give each pair a review. Tell students that they are going to read a lot of reviews and True Romance is a romantic thriller that was written will have only a very short reading time for each - just by Quentin Tarantino in the 1990s and directed by thirty seconds or less. Each time a pair receives a review Tony Scott. It tells the story of a young couple who fall they should quickly look at it and, without reading it in in love but have to leave Detroit quickly when they detail, decide if the review is mainly positive or negative find themselves in possession of a large quantity of - and mark P or N in the second column next to the drugs. They are pursued by violent gangsters all the appropriate letter. (N.B. Students will not necessarily start way to Hollywood. After a huge shoot-out between the with review A, so make sure they understand that they gangsters and the cops, the young couple escape to must fill in the row of the letter marked at the top of their Mexico and live happily ever after. review.) They should then select one sentence or phrase, or an item of vocabulary, that gave them the idea that it Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette are perfect in the was positive or negative. They should copy this down main roles. In the all-star supporting cast, Brad Pitt, exactly, word for word, in the third column. James Gandolfini, Dennis Hopper and Samuel L Jackson • Allow thirty seconds for reading and a further thirty all give memorable performances. seconds for filling in the worksheet, i.e. just one minute for the whole thing. At this point, ring a bell or clap hands Tarantino's script is stylish and witty and the excellent to indicate that students must pass their review to another soundtrack includes songs by Elvis. The action is fast- pair, and receive a new review to look at themselves. paced, but sometimes very violent, and will not appeal Of course, they must now repeat the reading and note- to all tastes. taking about the new review, filling in a new row of the worksheet. Continue until students have seen at least five or six reviews (or are completely exhausted). • Join pairs up into groups of six students. Ask students to compare their reactions to the same reviews, e.g. did all groups think review C was positive? Ask students to also note down the phrases chosen by others. When there is any disagreement or uncertainty, allow students to briefly have a look at the original reviews again, but don't let the activity get bogged down in silent reading of every word of all the reviews. • Later, encourage students to consider using the phrases they noted from the reviews in their own writing.

WRITING i • Pairwork. Give students a few minutes to think of a film or TV programme that they have both seen and know enough details about. • Students look at the questions in Reading exercise 4 and make notes on their answers to these questions about the film or TV programme they have chosen. 2 • Students work with their partner to decide on the best order in which to organize their information and opinions about the film or TV programme they have chosen.

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