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Review

Look at this task.

You have been asked to write a short film review for a school /college magazine. Choose any film hich you think might be of intction, romance, historical drama etc.

Your brief is to include a clear description of the story/contents, to comment on what you think the most successful and least successful features are, and to give an overall recommendation.

First, choose a film to review. It doesn’t have to be a new film, though it is helpful if you have seen it recently, and you don’t have to have enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s easier to pinpoint what you don’t like about something than what you like! Think about what you liked or didn’t like about the film.

The purpose of a review is firstly to give factual information about the subject, and secondly to give an opinion about it which will help the reader to decide whether to buy the book, see the play or film or visit the exhibition.

Reviews normally contain three main ingredients: overview, pros and cons, and verdict, which are described more fully below. A review may not always fall into three neat sections, however. The writer may decide to describe an aspect of the subject and comment immediately on strengths and weaknesses, for example, before going on to describe another aspect of the subject.

w – a description of the subject

Book – non-fiction:

What is it about? Who is it for? How technical is it? How is it organised? What

Book – fiction

What kind of book is it? (thriller, historical novel, science fiction etc)? Is it different in any way from other books of this type? What’s the story? etc (You can give an outline but don’t give the ending away!)

Play / film / TV programme

What is it about? Is there anything special / unusual about the production? Play / film: Where is it on? Are there any well-known actors? Who is the director? TV programme: Which channel? Is it part of a series? Who is the producer?

Pros and cons – detailed comments on the successful and unsuccessful features of the subject.

Your comments will probably include both objective views (the photographs in a book were poor quality or the costumes didn’t fit the actors properly, for example) and subjective views (based on personal feelings) – the story wasn’t interesting or the film was too violent. Make sure, however, that you give reasons for your comments.

You may have strong positive or negative feelings about the subject of the review and this is no bad thing. A strong opinion, clearly argued, is often more interesting to read thFHDFSDJFHFDSHFDHan a carefully balanced assessment. Even so, try not to be completely one-sided.

Verdict – summing-up and recommendation

The last paragraph should sum up your feelings and make it clear to the reader

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