Reading comprehension 1: Short film reviews (synopses)

About a Boy (Chris and Paul Weitz 2002) 95 mins / rated 12 Hugh Grant stars as an irresponsible bachelor in this funny, romantic comedy. A man who likes to play the field suddenly has his life changed when he meets a woman with a 12 year old boy - is it time for him to grow up? L.I.E. (Michael Cuesta 2001) 94 mins / rated 18 A tough urban thriller, 15yr-old Howie loses just about everything and everyone in the space of a single week, but ends up finding himself in the process. His mother has just died. His father, a corrupt building contractor, has no interest in his son. So, the teenager has to find his own way through his adolescence without being supervised. Howie and his crowd begin robbing houses in the middle-class neighbourhoods off the Long Island Expressway. The Dancer Upstairs (John Malkovich 2002) 133 mins / rated 15 A Latin American nation collapsing under a highly organized terrorist movement is the scene for this tense thriller. Idealistic policeman Agustin Rejas faces the greatest challenge of his career: to catch the mysterious guerrilla leader Ezequiel, the brains behind the bloody revolution that threatens to bring the government and entire country down. The Importance of Being Earnest (Oliver Parker 2002) 101 mins / rated U Two young gentlemen (Rupert Everett and Colin Firth) living in 1890s England use the same pseudonym ("Earnest") on the sly, which is fine until they both fall in love with women using that name, which leads to a comedy of mistaken identities. A witty and charming historical drama. Talk to Her (SUBTITLED) (Pedro Almodovar 2002) 112 mins / rated 15 After a chance encounter at a theatre, two men, Benigno and Marco, meet at a private clinic where Benigno works. Lydia, Marco's girlfriend and a bullfighter by profession, has been attacked and is in a coma. By coincidence Benigno is looking after another woman in a coma, Alicia, a young ballet student. This fascinating human drama shows the 4 lives coming together in a surprising finale. Road to Perdition (Sam Mendes 2002) 117 mins / rated 15 Tom Hanks heads a cast of stars (Paul Newman, Jude Law, Stanley Tucci and Jennifer Jason Leigh) under the direction of Academy Award-winning director Sam "American Beauty" Mendes. Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, a hit man for an Irish gang in the Depression-era Midwest. When his work crosses into his private life, leading to the death of his wife and son, Sullivan and his surviving son set out on a journey of retribution and redemption. Buena Vista Social Club (Wim Wenders 1999) 104 mins / rated U When musician Ry Cooder told his friend, filmmaker Wim Wenders, about the group of ageing jazz musicians he had recently been working with, Wenders became so fascinated with them that he followed Cooder on his return to Cuba to catch up with them. The result is this wonderfully natural, colourful documentary which shows the veteran artists, some of whom are in their 90s, simply enjoying their music. Jason X (Jim Isaac and Sean Cunningham 2002) / rated 18 The notorious Killer Jason Vorhees (Kane Hodder) returns in the next instalment of the Friday the 13th horror series. Caught and soon to be frozen by a team of government scientists our favourite killer predictably escapes to continue his murderous spree. Eventually caught and frozen, the adventure continues in the year 2455 when a group of students accidentally discover him, and allow him to bring terror into their lives. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Which film is set in the past? 2. Which film is not in English? 3. Which film will make you laugh? 4. Which film is about real life? 5. Which film is a scary movie? A. Jason X A. Talk to Her A. About a Boy A. L.I.E. B. Buena Vista Social Club B. Jason X B. Talk to Her B. Jason X C. The Importance of Being Earnest C. Road to Perdition C. The Dancer Upstairs C. Buena Vista Social Club B. Jason X C. Road to Perdition C. The Dancer Upstairs

A. The Importance of Being Earnest

6. Which film mentions an anti-government movement? 7. Which review mentions the Oscars? A. Jason X

A. Road to Perdition B. Road to Perdition

B. L.I.E.

C. L.I.E.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey review

As Bilbo Baggins, Martin Freeman brings an endearing spirit to the first part of Peter Jackson's epic new Tolkien trilogy by Philip French
It is said that back in the early 1930s Oxford professor JRR Tolkien was marking exam papers when he found a blank sheet. For some reason he wrote on it: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." This first line of what was published in 1937 as a children's book began a literary phenomenon, an alternative religion, and a major industry that has led to a successful trilogy of books and films about life in Middle-earth. Now the New Zealand screenwriter Peter Jackson has returned to his old hobbits, and in collaboration with Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro, has turned The Hobbit into a full-scale trilogy of its own. The film starts with a back story explaining the disaster of the underground city of Erebor when a dragon, hungry for gold, attacked it, driving its dwarf inhabitants into exile. This extremely violent event warns the audience that it's a film for brave kids. What follows is an invitation to Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman), to take part in an adventurous quest suggested by the wizard Gandalf (the splendid Ian McKellen). The quest involves Bilbo, a quiet, peace-loving hobbit, in joining a party of dwarves as the team's "burglar" on a mission to regain their lands and wealth from the dragon. Bilbos first challenge is provided by the bald, bearded, unkempt dwarves, all constantly brawling, eating and singing. The 13th dwarf is more serious. He's their leader, the handsome Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). These scenes go on far too long, but finally the quest begins and the dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo leave for their epic journey to the Lonely Mountain, meeting orcs, trolls, elves and goblins along the way and facing endless perils. It's an exciting story, easy to follow and not as serious and full of symbols as The Lord of the Rings. You don't need to be a Tolkien fan who knows everything about orcs and elves to enjoy the movie. Also, it's generally less irritating than the book, with none of the childishness. Thankfully it is possible to understand the movie without knowledge of other movies and TV shows, and there isn't an American accent to be heard. The dwarves have various British regional accents, mainly Celtic; the trolls speak comic cockney; the elves, largely played by Australian actors, stick to standard English. Another impressive aspect of the film is, of course, how stunning the visuals are. The mountainous terrain, increasingly dark and menacing as the story progresses, is beautifully photographed by Andrew Lesnie. There are also references to The Lord of the Rings, such as the powerful first shot of the ring, during which we can also hear the musical ring theme in the background. Any true Lord of the Rings fan knows this theme by heart. At the centre of the film, and sensitively handled by Jackson, are the relationships between Bilbo, his mentor Gandalf and his antagonist Thorin, and it's something children will respond to. Bilbo can become a hero and then return to his cosy home, and still be the old peace-loving hobbit, with all his memories of adventures. What we see in Martin Freeman's moving and endearing performance is that Bilbo doing just that. I liked the film and its measured pace and the 3D was not annoying at all. Overall, The Hobbit a beautiful movie for a variety of tastes, and a nice tribute to the book that has become a true classic. Correct the mistakes 1. The film I like a lot. 2. Its about young people live in a house. 3. There are three childrens. 4. When the boy was small, your father died. 5. Is a beautiful story. 6.The beast was in love of her. 7. He wanted to divorce of her. 8. The family has always problems. 9. It last for an hour and a half. 10. Much people love this film.