USEFUL LANGUAGE FOR FILM REVIEWS AT C1 LEVEL

Ready for CAE p 76. Reviews. VocabularyUseful language for reviews

The real-life

struggle

(a hard fight in which people try to obtain or achieve sth,especially sth that sb else does not want them to have. Lucha) of brilliant minds with

schizophrenia

/sktsəfriniə/ and

ˌ ɪ ʊˈ ː

Alzheimer's

/æltshaməz/ disease may not

ˈ ɪ

 sound like the ingredients of 

an entertaining afternoon's viewing.

Russell Crowe's

stunning performance

as mathematical genius John Nash and JudiDench's

moving portrayal

of novelist Iris Murdoch will have you

rushing out

to buy

the books on which these two films are based.It is in their thematic content that the two films

resemble each other most

.

Bothfocus on

the

withdrawal

(the act of moving or taking sth away or back. Retirada) of the protagonists into their own

inner world

and the

effect this has on

their 

long-suffering but devoted marital partners. Also common to both

films is the fact thatwe witness the two academics in their youth and old age.

Hats off here

to Crowe'smake up team- he is

remarkably convincing

as the sixty-six-year-old Nash receivinghis Nobel Prize.

Iris

differs from

 A Beautiful Mind 

in this respect

,

relying instead on

other actors toplay the

vivacious

(having a lively, attractive personality) young Iris - a

very credible

Kate Winslet- and her 

stuttering

(having difficulty speaking because he cannot stophimself from repeating the first sound of some words several times; stammering)companion.

In addition

,

unlike the more linear 

American film, flashbacks

are used togood effect to switch

(change from one thing to another) backwards and forwardsbetween the two contrasting stages of Murdoch's life.The

strength of 

Iris

lies in

its

powerful acting

and

mundane

(ordinary) realism, withthe novelist seen in her 

cluttered

(full of a lot of things and untidy) Oxford house.

However, if, as I do

,

you favour 

something

more visually appealing, but no lessplausible

, then

 A Beautiful Mind 

is

a definite must-see.Other expressionsI would highly recommend it to

anyone who is interested in the human mind.

One particular strength/ weakness

of the film isThe design/production

is second to none

(the best).The characterization is

not its best feature

.I would

strongly advise

you (not) to go out and buy/see it.

Do not be put off 

(to make sb lose interest in or enthusiasm for sth. Desanimar)by thetitle/critics/cover.It will have you

roaring with laughter 

(laugh very loudly).I would definitely

give it a miss

(decide not to do sth.)

Positive AdjectivesAction-packed

: full of exciting events and activity: e.g. an action-packed weekend.

Atmospheric

: creating an exciting or emotional mood: e.g. atmospheric music

Compelling

: that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and exciting:e.g. Her latest book makes compelling reading. A compelling film. She gives a

compelling/memorable

performance as a village doctor.

Convincing

: The acting is very convincing

Enthusiastic and vivid

descriptions of the sceneryIt's an

excellent read. It is both entertaining and educational.Exhilarating

: /zləretŋ/ very exciting and enjoyable. Emocionante: e.g. My first

ɪɡˈ ɪ ɪ ɪ

 parachute jump was an exhilarating experience.

Provides a fascinating/valuable/revealing insight into

: e.g.

the novel provides afascinating insight (understanding,visión) into the customs in Mexico.

Gripping

: exciting or interesting in a way that keeps your attention. Emocionante,

fascinante, absorbente.

Impressive

: making you feel admiration, because they are very large, good, skilful,etc.Impresionante, imponente, excelente:an impressive performance. One of the mostimpressive novels of recent years She was very impressive in the interview.

Moving

: causing you to have deep feelings of sadness or sympathy. Conmovedor: e.g.a deeply moving experience.

Outstanding

: extremely good; excellent. E.g. Outstanding performance.

Powerful

: effective. E.g. Powerful acting

Stunning

: impressive: gave a stunning performance

Credible, entertaining, fast-moving, innovative, memorable.Negative adjectivesClichéd

:/klied/ used so often that it no longer has much meaning and is not

ˈ ːʃ ɪ

 interesting: e.g. a clichéd view of upper-class life.

Excruciating

:/kskruietŋ/ extremely painful or bad.E.g. There are two versions of 

ɪ ˈ ːʃ ɪ ɪ

 this excruciating film.

Excruciatingly

(adv): e.g. excruciatingly boring.

Implausible

: Not seeming reasonable or probable; failing to convince; not believable.Inverosímil. E.g. A rather implausible story.

Overhyped

: promoted or publicized to excess exaggerating its good qualities, in order to get a lot of public attention for it: Promoters grossly overhyped the movie.

Sentimental

: producing emotions such as pity, romantic love or sadness, which maybe too strong or not appropriate; feeling these emotions too much. Sensiblero: aslushy, sentimental love story

Slushy

: stories, films / movies or feelings that are considered to be silly and withoutvalue because they are too emotional and romantic. Sensiblero: e.g. slushy romanticfiction

Tedious

: lasting or taking too long and not interesting. Boring. E.g. A very long andtedious film.

Unconvincing

: not seeming true or real; not making you believe that sth is true: e.g.I find the characters in the book very unconvincing.I found the plot rather 

predictable/disappointing

.

Expressions to compare and contrastBear a close/a striking/a strong/a slight/little/no resemblance to:

e.g. Her latestnovel, a tale of unrequited love,

bears little resemblance to

her earlier, morephilosophical work.

There is little to choose between

(hardly any difference between) the two CDs

interms of 

quality of production.The plot of the novel

develops along very different lines from

that of the film.There are several

obvious/striking similarities between

the two films.There is a

world of difference between

the two records,

despite their shared

flamenco influences.

What sets the film apart from others

of the same genre is its ability to make uslaugh.

A considerable/huge/marked/slight differenceA close/remarkable/striking/ similarityBe dissimilar from/to: E.g. Dissimilar from other New York films.Be very much alikeBe unlike another filmDiffer fromOne thing compares (un)favourably/ well/badly with another Develop in a different way fromHave a great deal/little/nothing in common withResemble each other