“Talking about dreams is like talking about movies, since the cinema uses the

language of dreams; years pass in a second and you can hop from one place to
another.”
Federico Fellini (1920–1993), Italian film director

General film vocabulary

We love watching films (= movies in American English) – either on TV, on DVD, downloaded
onto our PCs or at the cinema.

What sort of films do you enjoy? You've got a lot of genres to choose from: westerns (set in
the American Wild West) or spaghetti westerns (those filmed in Italy) to action films (fights,
car chases etc), adventure, animated (cartoons), or horror (lots of blood or ghostly visits).
Perhaps you prefer comedy (or "romcom" – romantic comedy) or dramas. Sometimes these
are epics (long, historical dramas) and sometimes these are adaptations (adapted either from
a previous film, or from a book or play). What about thrillers(or suspense), or musicals (with
song and dance) and science fiction (set in a futuristic world)? Or maybe you prefer the old
black and white films, or the classics.

Actors

In a celebrity-obsessed world, actors are as famous as politicians (maybe even more so!) We
like to see our favourite actors playing a character – even a minor character – in films,
whether these are in lead roles (=main roles), or supporting roles (not main roles). Every
year, the Oscars gives awards to lead actors and supporting actors, but never to
the extras(the actors who play people in a crowd, often without a speaking part.) We like
reading the film credits, firstly to see who's in the cast (everyone who acted in the film) and if
there's a special appearance by a famous actor who's only in the film for a couple of minutes.

More film vocabulary

Then we like to see who the director or producer is, the screenwriter who wrote the
screenplay (the script that the actors speak) and who composed the soundtrack (the music
background in the film). We'll read film reviews to find out more about the plot (or storyline) and
how good the lighting, cinematography (art of shooting the film) or costumes are. We might
even watch a trailer (short extract from the film) to see the special effects.

 
 
Vocabulary  2    Genres:
 
Adventure Animation Biography Comedy Detective Documentary
Drama Fantasy Film Noir Foreign Historical Horror
Musical Mystery Propaganda Romantic Science Fiction
Silent War Western

Speaking: What is your favourite genre? Why?

Vocabulary 3 – useful words to talk about films

popular = liked by many people

adapt = make sth suitable for a new use or purpose
word of mouth = spoken language; ideas that spread among people through conversation
crush = a brief but intense infatuation with someone (to have a crush on sb)
genre = a category of art, film, etc.
film noir = a style of film that is dark, negative, and pessimistic.
Propaganda films may be packaged in numerous ways, but are most often documentary-style
productions or fictional screenplays, that are produced to convince the viewer of a specific
political point or influence the opinions or behavior of the viewer
the central character: the main person in a film or book
to get a good/bad review: to receive positive or negative feedback
to go on general release: when a film can be seen by the general public
on the big screen: at the cinema
clapperboard: board for making scenes
An art film: (also art house film) is typically a serious, independent film not aimed at a mass
market audience. An art film is intended to be a serious artistic work, often experimental and not
designed for mass appeal.

Vocabulary 4 – more useful words and expressions to talk about films

Tear Jerker: This is a movie that is made to be sad and to make the audience cry. The movie is
usually about a person losing a loved one.

“My wife likes to see movies that are tear jerkers, but I prefer action movies.”

Chick flick: A movie is called a “chick flick” if it appeals to mostly women. These movies are usually
about romance or the empowerment of women. Most men try to stay away from these movies.

“Sam’s girlfriend made him go to a chick flick.”

Blood and gore movie: This phrase is used to describe a horror movie that shows a lot of violence
and death. The point of the movie is to scare you by showing the murders up close.

“I won’t let my daughters watch blood and gore movies. They are too scary.”

Sci Fi movie: Movies that are about something that doesn’t scientifically exist are called “sci fi”
movies. A lot of times these are about space travel and aliens or life on earth with strange
animals that are not found in real life. Star wars, Star Trek and Jurassic Park are examples of
this genre.

“Jenna doesn’t like sci fi movies because they remind her of her dorky brother.”

Animated Movie: An animated movie is one that is drawn or created by a computer like a cartoon.
There are not real actors acting. Many times a famous actor will do the voice for one of the
characters, but no live person acts in these movies.

“Kids love animated movies because they are made for children.”
Blockbuster: This is a term to describe a movie that is extremely popular and earns a lot of money.

“The big blockbuster movie this summer was about a trip to space.”

A box office flop (opposite: hit): This term describes a movie that does poorly in the theaters. Not
many people turn out to see it and it usually loses money for the production company.

“This movie is horrible. It is sure to be a box office flop.”

B Movie: A “B movie” is one that is made on a low budget and doesn’t have famous actors.

“My friend has all of these unheard of B movies that he shows his guests.”

Indie Movie: The term “indie” is short for “independent”. So these are films that are mode outside
of the Hollywood scene where all the big movies are made.

“Some of the best actors start out in indie films. This is where they get discovered.”

Sequel: A sequel is a movie that comes after another movie and it continues the story. A lot of
movies that do well will have a sequel or two.

“Rocky was a great movie. I liked the sequel which was called Rocky II.

Movie Trailer: This is a short advertisement for the movie that shows some of the scenes. If you go
to a movie theater they will show three or four of these to get you excited about upcoming
movies.

“Let’s go see that movie. It looked really good in the trailer.”

Oscar winning actor: The “Oscar’s” are awards handed out to the best actors and directors, among
other movie industry professionals, in a ceremony each year. These awards are considered the
most prestigious awards in the industry.

“This movie has Morgan Freeman. He is an Oscar winning actor.”

Oscar nominee: This is a term to describe an actor who was up for an Oscar award but did not win.

“Julia Roberts was an Oscar nominee in 1997 for a movie she did with Tom Hanks.”

A lister: This is a term that describes the elite actors in Hollywood. These are the select few that
earn multimillions for doing a movie. A few examples of actors on the “A list” are Brad Pitt, Tom
Cruise, and Jennifer Aniston.

“Tom Cruise is an A lister. He is in some huge movies.”

All Star Cast: A movie is said to have an “all star cast” when there are more than two or three big
name actors in it. A couple of huge movies that boast an all star cast are Ocean’s 11 and “JFK”.

“With an all star cast like that the movie has to be good! All three of those actors are huge
names.”

Hollywood Mogul: This is a business person in Hollywood who is powerful and successful in the
movie industry. This person is involved with the process of determining which movies get made
and when.

“He was a rich Hollywood mogul that everyone knew and respected. He lived in a mansion in
the Hollywood Hills.”
 Matinee: A “matinee” is a movie shown in a theater before 5:00 PM. The price is reduced since
there are not usually a lot of people going to the movies during the day.

“When I have a day off of work I’ll go see a matinee show in town.”

FILL IN THE GAPS (vocab 4)

1. I sure wish they would make a _________ to Twilight. It was a great

movie.
2. I'm glad there was not an _________ in the cast. Sometimes it is good to
see some no name actors shine.
3. If you liked Star Trek and Star Wars then you are a _________ fan.
4. We can’t make the 7:30 PM show. We’ll have to go to the __________ . We
are free all day.
5. Halloween and Friday the 13th are ___________ movies. Throughout both
films many people die in a harsh and ugly fashion.
6. Some people like to watch sad movies. They go to _________ on purpose. I
don’t understand it!
7. St. Elmo’s Fire had an __________ . At least five actors in the movie were
already huge names in the movie industry.
8. Will Smith was an ___________ in 2006 for his role in The Pursuit of
Happiness, but he didn’t win.
9. Before the movie started I saw a ______________ for a new Quentin
Tarantino film. I want to see it.
10. Kids love _____________ like Aladdin and Kung Fu Panda do great in the
box office.
 
Vocabulary  5.  Describing  films  (useful  for  reviews)  
 
Positive  adjectives  to  describe  films  (also  plays  and  sometimes  books):  
 
-­‐ Watchable:  Movies and shows that are watchable give you pleasure when you watch
them: It’s probably not his best movie but it’s very watchable. Similar to entertaining.
-­‐ Absorbing is used for a movie or book that is so interesting, it completely holds your
attention: I really liked her last novel – I found it very absorbing.
-­‐ Engrossing means the same, but is stronger: The movie was completely engrossing
from start to finish.
-­‐ Intriguing: A movie that is intriguing, meanwhile, is very interesting in a way that is
unusual or mysterious: I found the storyline so intriguing – I had absolutely no idea what
was going to happen next.
-­‐ Gripping: very exciting
-­‐ Riveting: very exciting, fascinating
-­‐ Hands down: easily and without any doubt. It is hands down the best movie this year.
-­‐ Action-packed: full of exciting events and activity: e.g. an action-packed weekend.
-­‐ Atmospheric: creating an exciting or emotional mood: e.g. atmospheric music
 -­‐ Convincing: The acting is very convincing
-­‐ Impressive: making you feel admiration, because they are very large, good, skilful, etc.
Sp. Impresionante, imponente, excelente:an impressive performance. One of the most
impressive novels of recent years She was very impressive in the interview.
-­‐ Moving: causing you to have deep feelings of sadness or sympathy. Sp. 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.
-­‐ Mesmerizing: /ˈmezməәraɪzɪŋ/ having such a strong effect on you that you cannot give
your attention to anything else. E.g. Her performance was mesmerizing.
-­‐ Credible
-­‐ Entertaining
-­‐ Fast-moving
-­‐ Innovative
-­‐ Memorable

Negative adjectives to describe films (also plays and sometimes books)

- Clichéd:/ˈkliːʃeɪd/ used so often that it no longer has much meaning and is not interesting: e.g.
a clichéd view of upper-class life.
- Excruciating:/ɪkˈskruːʃieɪtɪŋ/ extremely painful or bad.E.g. There are two versions of this
excruciating film. Excruciatingly (adv): e.g. excruciatingly boring.
- Implausible: Not seeming reasonable or probable; failing to convince; not believable. Sp.
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 may be too
strong or not appropriate; feeling these emotions too much.
- Cheesy:
1. not very good or original, and without style, in a way that is embarrassing but amusing. E.g. a
cheesy horror movie. That’s the cheesiest chat-up line I’ve ever heard.
2. too emotional or romantic, in a way that is embarrassing. E.g. a cheesy love song a cheesy
romance novel.
- Tedious: lasting or taking too long and not interesting. Boring. E.g. A very long and tedious
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.
 

Speaking 1. Movies - Quotations

Circle four quotes that appeal to you. Discuss your choices.

1. “Movies are a fad. Audiences really want to see live actors on a stage.”
—Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), British comedian and actor

2. “You know what your problem is? It’s that you haven’t seen enough movies–all of life’s riddles
are answered in the movies.”
—Steve Martin (1945–), comedian

3. “I think nudity on screen is disgusting, shameful, and unpatriotic. But if I were twenty-two, with
a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic, and a progressive, religious experience.”
—Shelly Winters (1920–2006), actress
4. “Watch this if you like, and if you don’t, take a hike.”
—Clint Eastwood (1930–), actor, director, and producer

5. “It’s the movies that have really been running things in America ever since they were
invented. They show you what to do, how to do it, when to do it, how to feel about it, and how to
look how you feel about it.”
—Andy Warhol (1928–1987), American artist

6. “We need families to start taking more responsibility in understanding which movie is good for
their children and which movie is not.”
—Jet Li (1963–), Chinese actor and martial artist

7. “My movies were the kind they show in prisons and airplanes because nobody can leave.”
—Burt Reynolds (1936–), American actor

8. “Acting is not an important job in the scheme of things. Plumbing is.”

—Spencer Tracy (1900–1967), actor

9. “Life is like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.”
—Jim Henson (1936–1990), American creator of the Muppets

10. “The difference between life and the movies is that a script has to make sense, and life
doesn’t.”
—Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909–1993), American screenwriter

 
 
SPEAKING  2  
 

1. Which types (genres) of movies do you enjoy most? Why?

2. What makes your favorite films special or memorable?
3. Name a few movies that you disliked. Why did you dislike them?
4. Can you think of some books that have been adapted into movies? Did the adaptations
work?
5. Did you have a favorite movie as a child? Teenager?
6. Did you have a favorite star as a child or teenager? Who? Why?
7. Do you know anybody who had a “crush” on a famous actor or actress?
8. Have you ever seen a movie several times? Which? Why?
9. Do you have any favorite actors now? Why? Did they move you in any role?
10. What actors, actresses, or directors would you like to lunch with?
11. Do you have any favorite directors? Why? Which of that director’s films touched you?
12. How do you decide which movie to see? Word of mouth? Ads? Awards? Reviews?
13. Which movies would you suggest a tourist to your country watch? Why?
14. What movies have you seen this year? Which do you recommend?
15. Do you think movies influence society or reflect society? How?