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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR USE WITH

Select the questions that will work best with your students and promote your educational goals.

Table of Contents

Simulating Student Interest Focusing on Empathic Reactions Characterization

Plot Themes, Messages & Ideas Other Literary Elements

Theatrical Devices and Effects Cinematic Devices and Effects Foreign Films

Questions to Stimulate Student Interest -- Get them Talking and Thinking

• Did you learn anything from this movie? If you did, what was it?
• What is the message of this movie? Do you agree or disagree with it?
• Was there something you didn’t understand about the film? What was that?
• What did you like best about the movie? Why?
• What did you like least about the film? Why?
• Who was your favorite character in the movie? Why?
• Who was your least favorite character in the film? Why?
• Did anything that happened in this movie remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or that you have seen occur to others?
• What were you thinking as you finished watching the film?
• Would you recommend this movie to a friend? Explain your reasons.
• What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Why?
• If you had a chance to ask a character in this movie a question, what would it be?
• If you had a chance to ask the screenwriter a question, what would it be?
• If you were writing the screenplay for this movie, would you have changed the ending? Explain your answer.
• What feelings did you share with any of the characters in the movie?
• Did any of the characters in this movie make you angry? Tell us why.
• Did you come to respect any of the characters in this movie? Who was it and why did you come to respect that character?
• If a psychologist were to look at the actions of [select a character] what do you think the psychologist would say about that character? Describe specific statements or actions that you think the psychologist would be interested in and the conclusions that you think the psychologist would draw from those statements or actions.
• If a priest, minister, or rabbi were to look at the actions of [select a character] what do you think the priest, minister, or rabbi would say about them? Describe specific statements or actions that you think the priest, minister or rabbi would be interested in and the conclusions that you think he or she would draw from those statements or actions.
• What comment is the author trying to make about the culture of the characters in this story?

Empathetic Reaction Discussion Questions:

1. In what ways are the characteristics of the protagonist like your own or those of someone you know?

2. In what ways are the characteristics of the antagonist like your own or those of someone you know?

3. Is the problem to be solved in the film that can be seen in the struggle of the protagonist against the antagonist familiar to you in any way? If so, describe the similarities and differences.

4. What details in the setting of the film are similar to the setting in which you live or in various places you have been? What are those similarities and what are the differences?

5. The problems faced by the protagonist sometimes stray from the central conflict in the film. Describe these problems and show how they are familiar to the problems you or someone you know must face.

6. The personal qualities that help the protagonist solve his or her problem are often a part of the lesson to be learned in the film. What are these qualities and where have you seen them in your own experience, either in your own behavior or in behavior of someone you know?

7. Complications come along and make problem solving more difficult. What complications does the film’s protagonist face that are similar to those you may have faced in your various struggles? What are they, and what are their similarities and differences?

8. Depth of feeling is what makes a film worth watching. Of the many feelings expressed in the film, with which are you most familiar?

9. The resolution to the problem in the film can be satisfying or disheartening. Think about how some of your own problems have been resolved; write about a time when the solution was satisfying and write about a time when the solution was disheartening.

10. The resolution of the film teaches a lesson. How can you apply the lesson in the film to your own life?

11. What was the strongest emotion that you felt when watching the film?

12. Which character did you [admire, hate, love, pity] the most? What was it about that character that caused you to have that reaction?

Questions Concerning Characterization

Note: In some of the questions we have used the term “major characters.” Before asking the questions, have the class identify the major characters. In addition, these questions can also be limited to one or more characters.

Characterization is delineated through (1) the character’s thoughts, words, speech patterns, and actions; (2) the narrator’s description; and (3) the thoughts, words, and actions of other characters. When students analyze character, they should be reminded to have these three sources in mind. Adapted from California English-Language Arts Content Standards – Grade 7, Reading 3.3

1. How are the major characters introduced? What does this tell us about what will happen in the story?

2. [Select an action performed by one of the characters. Then ask.] Explain why [name of character] took [describe the action] . What motivated him or her? [You can then ask:] What did this motivation have to do with the theme of the film?

3. The characters must be credible; how they act and what they say must make sense. What aspects of the personalities of the major characters in this story affect their credibility?

4. Is there consistency in the characters throughout the story? Do their actions follow their natures and ring true?

5. What motivates the major characters? Are their motivations or wants explained outright or revealed over time?

6. Subconscious motives are often the most powerful causes of human behavior. Are there any major characters who act on motives of which they are not aware? Describe any unconscious motives of the major characters and explain how these motives affect the actions of those characters.

7. Are there any relationships between various characters, be they friends, lovers, co-workers, or family members, that are important to the story? If so, describe the relationships that you believe contribute to the story and how those relationships advance the action of the story.

8. What motivates the protagonist in his or her struggle against the antagonist?

9. How does the protagonist work against the antagonist? Recount one specific episode in this struggle.

10. What motivates the antagonist to resist or struggle against the protagonist?

11. How does the antagonist resist or struggle against the protagonist? Recount one specific episode in this struggle.

12. In what ways are the characters’ actions driven by the values endorsed or criticized in the story or by ideas presented by the story?

13. What role does the back-story play in explaining the actions of the major characters? Explain your reasoning.

14. Is there any information known to the audience that is being held back from any of the characters? If there is a hesitation in revealing information to characters, describe it and explain how things change once this information becomes known to those characters.

15. Are there any transformations or changes that occur over the course of the story in any of the major characters? For each transformation or change, describe how it comes about and how it relates to the story’s themes or ideas.

16. When you compare and contrast the protagonist and the antagonist, do you find any similarities between them? Describe these similarities and how they relate to the plot and to the values and ideas presented in the story.

17. When you compare and contrast the protagonist and the antagonist, do you find any important differences between them? Describe these differences and how they relate to the plot and to the values and ideas presented in the story.

18. Are there any reversals of roles played by characters or sudden important changes of circumstances through the course of the story? If there are, how do these reversals illuminate character or lead to changes in character?

19. Which aspects of the protagonist’s personality lead to the resolution of the conflict in the story? Describe them and their effect on the resolution.

20. As the story progresses toward a conclusion, internal as well as external conflicts suffered by the major characters are resolved. Select one of the major characters and describe his or her internal and external conflicts. In addition, tell us how the character’s choices lead to a resolution of these conflicts.

This question can be modified by naming the character which is the subject of the question.

21. Some of the names used in this story tell us something about the characters. What do they tell us?

Questions Focusing on Plot

1. The middle of the story presents ascending difficulties, referred to as complications, which increase the tension and the need for a resolution. Describe one of the story’s complications and show how it serves to push the characters toward more intense action.

2. One way to examine plot is to determine what type of conflict it entails. The classic divisions are: (1) person vs. person; (2) person vs. society, (3) person vs. nature, and (4) person vs. self. Often, more than one of these types of conflict occurs in a story. Using this analysis, briefly describe the conflicts in this story and classify it according to the categories set out above.

3. In terms of rising action, climax, and falling action, describe the structure of the plot, stating when the action stops rising and reaches a climax and begins to fall.

4. Often the central problem in a story transcends the characters; these persons are simply the tools used to resolve the problem. In this story, is there a problem that transcends character and how is it manifested?

5. What instability is there early in the story that is resolved and becomes stable by the end?

6. The action in the story must be believable. Detail a particular event or action that causes another event or has an important effect on a character or a relationship between characters. Describe how this event or action moves the story forward.

7. Is there a back-story, and if there is, how does it advance the main plot?

8. What is the key moment in the story, the scene which brings illumination or an “ah-ha” moment?

9. Although incidents in the story usually return to the main conflict, they often reveal a pattern related to the ideas in the story. This pattern causes the viewers to focus sharply on the story itself. What pattern can be seen in the story?

10. How does the progress of the pattern identified in the story reveal change or growth in the characters?

11. What is the moment of climax, the moment of highest tension, when the solution to the problem is now in sight?

12. The film’s denouement establishes a sense of stability. What happens in this section of the story?

Questions About Themes, Messages, and Ideas

1. The significance of the story is determined by the power of its comment on the human condition. What comment is being made in this movie about what it is to be human?

2. The theme of a story is the general idea or insight about life expressed by the author. Theme is a universal and meaningful concept that emerges from the characters’ actions and from the outcomes of conflicts described in the story. Theme is often thought of as the lesson that the author is trying to teach the reader or audience. More than one theme can be included in a work of fiction; however, there is usually one primary theme that ties together all of the elements of a story. Usually, a theme can be expressed in one sentence. What is the primary or central theme of this story? Use one sentence to describe it.

3. Describe any other themes that you see in this story.

[This question is designed to be asked after question #2.]

4. What themes emerge from the back-story and how do they relate to the theme of the main story?

5. Many stories explore important social or political issues. Describe any specific social or political issues that affect the story. How do these issues impact characters and influence theme?

6. What life lessons can be learned from the choices made by the characters in this story?

[This question can be limited to one particular character.]

7. The conclusion of the story suggests a solution to the conflict that can be applied to the human condition in general. What values or principles that inform the actions of the characters can help people resolve their own life’s conflicts?

8. How does the changing consciousness, the developing awareness of the major characters, affect the story and help the audience discover theme? Explain these shifts in thinking.

[Try modifying the question by naming the character or a group of characters.]

9. Although often considered an artistic flaw, a story can be didactic in that it teaches the viewers how to achieve an end presented as worthy. Explain the use of didacticism in this story and evaluate its success in illuminating an important idea.

10. What are the most dramatic issues relevant to our time that have been presented in this story? Describe the presentation of one such issue and show how it relates to the times in which we now live.

11. Stories can be persuasive. Show how the movie attempts to persuade viewers to accept the particular values or principles that the writers intended to promote.

Questions About Other Literary Elements

1. What is the tone or mood of the story?

2. How does the tone help guide the viewers into an empathic reaction to the story? Explain and give examples of both the tone and the empathy felt by the audience.

3. Evaluate the pacing in the story and how it affects other elements of the story such as theme.

4. What elements of irony exist in the story? How do they serve to move the story forward and how do they assist in illuminating the story’s theme?

5. Stories can be told from the following points of view: first person, third person objective, third person limited, and third person omniscient. From whose point of view is the story told? Explain how the chosen point of view affects the way the story is told.

6. Is the point of view from which the story is told the best choice that the storyteller could have made? Argue your point.

7. A symbol in a story is an object, an animal, a person, an action, or an event that stands not only for itself, but also for something else. Symbols are of two types. Conventional symbols have a widely accepted meaning outside of the story. Examples are a nation’s flag, a crucifix, a Star of David, or a nation’s flag. Other conventional symbols reinforce meaning by reference to a culturally shared conception of the object, animal, action, or event. For example, rain is often a symbol of life or fertility. The fact that a story is set in the spring can serve as a symbol for renewed life or purpose. Other symbols have meaning only within the story. These are called contextual symbols. They usually have no special meaning except within the context of the story. Symbols keep their meaning as an object, animal, person or event, but within the story, they also suggest something else. Describe the symbols used in this story, both those that have meaning outside of the story and those which have meaning only within the story. What does each stand for?

[This question can be modified by naming one or several symbols as the subject for analysis.]

8. Evaluate the story’s use of coincidence, if any. Was the audience prepared for the coincidence or was it off the wall and therefore considered a flaw in the story?

9. The conflict in this film is resolved when one of the characters unexpectedly gets very lucky. Did this sudden event ring true or did it make the story seem less credible?

10. The conflict in this film is resolved when one of the characters unexpectedly suffers some very bad luck. Did this sudden event ring true or did it make the story seem less credible?

11. Explain how the use of flashback in the story provides significant information and served to move the action forward.

12. Find examples of both foreshadowing and echoing in the story and indicate how the use of these devices lead to increased coherence.

13. Does the story include elements of allegory? Explain why you think it is an allegory.

14. Is this story a parable? If so, explain why you think it is a parable.

15. The setting of a story includes the time at which the action of the story occurs and the physical location or locations where it occurs. Settings must be recognizable and have a relationship to the meaning of the story. What is the setting of this story and what are the ways in which the setting contributes to the story being told? Could this story be told in any other time or place?

16. When does the expository phase in this story end? By the end of the expository phase, what have we learned about the characters and the conflict?

17. An allusion is a reference to something outside of the story about which the audience will be familiar. Stories often include allusions to historical, scientific or cultural points of interest. Describe an allusion that you noticed in the story and explain its relationship to the story as a whole.

If the story is rich in allusions, increase the number of allusions that the student must discuss. An alternative question would be to briefly describe an allusion from the story and ask students to explain its meaning and relationship to the story as a whole.

18. Did the film resort to the use of gratuitous violence, explicit portrayals of sexual encounters, or excessive profanity? If it did, how did these scenes affect the story told by the movie?

19. Did the film strain to achieve an emotional pitch? Did it exhibit sentimentality for which there was little or no justification? Which scenes? How could this flaw have been remedied?

20. The action in some movies disturbs the unity of the story or confuses the viewers as to the intentions of the filmmakers. Very often these scenes are left on the cutting room floor but sometimes they remain in the film. Have you noticed such a scene in this movie? Is so, describe the scene and explain why you think it disturbs the unity of the story or confuses the viewers.

21. What does the title of the film refer to and how does it relate to the [insert the name of any literary element] of the film?

Questions Concerning Theatrical Devices and Effects

See Introducing Theatrical and Cinematic Technique . Questions 1, 3 and 4 can be asked with respect to an entire movie or limited to an appropriate scene. Question 2 can be asked of a specific character or a specific costume.

1. How do the sets contribute to the mood the filmmakers are trying to establish?

2. How do the costumes contribute to the image the filmmakers are trying to convey?

3. How does acting choice contribute to the story the filmmakers are trying to tell?

4. How do the props contribute to the image the filmmakers are trying to convey?

Questions on Cinematic Devices and Effects

See Introducing Theatrical and Cinematic Technique . Questions 1 – 3 can be asked with respect to an entire movie or an appropriate scene in a movie.

1. Identify one example of each of the following shots and describe how the shot affected the presentation of the story told by the film: close-up, medium shot, and long shot.

2. Identify one instance of each of the following types of shot angles that were used in this film and, for each, describe how the angle affected the presentation of the shot in which it occurs: low-angle, high-angle, eye-level.

3. Identify one instance of each of the following types of transitions from one shot to another that were used by the editors of this film and, for each, describe how the transition affected the presentation of the film: cut, fade, dissolve.

4. What is parallel editing, also called crosscutting, and what is it used for?

5. How did the editing of the film advance the story that the filmmakers were trying to tell? Explain how the editors achieved this effect.

6. What is point of view editing?

7. Describe the difference between long takes and short takes.

[Another way to ask this question is to show the class a short scene and ask the students to identify the short and long takes and discuss their use in the film.]

8. Analyze the use of music in the movie. Did it enhance the story that the filmmakers were trying to tell? How would you have used music in this movie?

9. Analyze the use of sound other than music in the movie. Did it enhance the story that the filmmakers were trying to tell? What sounds, other than music, would you have used to tell the story told by this movie?

10. Give examples from movies you have recently seen of diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound and internal diegetic sound. For each, describe why the scene qualifies as the particular type of movie sound.

11. What is the difference between “low-key lighting” and “high-key lighting” and what are their different uses in film?

12. What is the difference between “side lighting” and “front lighting” and what are their different uses in film?

13. Film is a composition of pictures rather than words, as one would find in a novel. Which specifically framed shots reveal something important to the story line? Describe the shot and explain its contribution to the story.

14. Describe the use of color in the film. Did it advance the emotions the filmmakers were trying to evoke? How would you have used color in the movie?

Additional Questions for Foreign Movies

Questions 1 – 3 may be expanded to more than one thing or aspect depending upon the film and the abilities of the class.

1. Describe one thing that was universal that you learned from the film.

2. Describe one thing that you learned about the culture of the country in which the film was set.

3. Describe one aspect of the artistry of the film.

4. How might a director from [name the country in which the class is held or a country that the class has studied] have approached the subject of the film?

5. How might a director from [name the country in which the class is held or a country that the class has studied] have approached [name one or more aspects of the film] differently? — In the alternatve: How would this story have been told from the point of view of another culture?

6. Is the story of this film unique to [name the culture of the story shown in the film], or could the story of this film have taken place in another country or setting?

Click here for Assignments, Projects, and Activities

Written by Mary RedClay and James Frieden .

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• Active vs. Passive Voice
• Adverbial Clauses
• Adverbial Phrases
• Be Going To Statements
• Be Going To Wh Questions
• Be Going To Yes/No Questions
• Be Going To & Present Continuous
• Comparatives
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• Comparatives & Superlatives
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• Mixed Conditionals
• Future Continuous
• Future Continuous vs. Future Perfect
• Future Perfect Continuous
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• Future Tenses
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• Gerunds & Infinitives
• Have Got & Has Got
• I wish & If only
• Imperatives
• Irregular Verbs
• Narrative Tenses
• Noun Clauses
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• Passive Voice
• Past Continuous
• Past Perfect
• Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Perfect Simple & Continuous
• Past Simple Affirmative & Negative
• Past Simple Passive
• Past Simple Regular Verbs
• Past Simple Was and Were
• Past Simple Wh Questions
• Past Simple Yes/No Questions
• Past Simple vs. Past Continuous
• Past Simple vs. Present Perfect
• Past Tense Review
• Present Continuous
• Present Perfect
• Present Perfect Continuous
• Present Perfect - Ever and Never
• Present Perfect - For and Since
• Present Perfect - Just, Yet & Already
• Present Simple Affirmative & Negative
• Present Simple Passive
• Present Simple vs. Present Continuous
• Present Simple vs. Present Perfect
• Present Simple Wh Questions
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• Present Tense Review
• Question Words
• Relative Clauses
• Reported Speech
• Subject-Verb Agreement
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• Interjections
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TV and Film ESL Activities, Games, Lessons and Worksheets

• Pre-intermediate ( A2 )
• Intermediate ( B1 )
• Upper-intermediate ( B2 )
• Advanced ( C1 )

Lights, Camera, Communicate!

Esl film and cinema board game - vocabulary and speaking: impromptu speech, communicative practice - group work - pre-intermediate (a2) - 25 minutes.

What's on TV tonight?

Esl tv programmes activity - speaking: information gap, asking and answering questions from prompts - pair work - pre-intermediate (a2) - 25 minutes.

Film Genres

Esl film genres activity - vocabulary and speaking: table completion, asking and answering questions, recommending, controlled and freer practice - pair work - intermediate (b1) - 30 minutes.

Movie Conversation Questions

Esl movie conversation questions activity - vocabulary and speaking: gap-fill, asking and answering questions, controlled and freer practice - group and pair work - intermediate (b1) - 40 minutes.

Movie Review

Esl movie review activity - vocabulary, reading and writing exercises: matching, short answer questions, form completion - speaking activity: discussing opinions - group work - intermediate (b1) - 30 minutes.

Talking about Films

Esl film and cinema lesson - vocabulary exercises: matching, listing, sentence completion, gap-fill, short answer questions - speaking activity: guided discussion - group work - intermediate (b1) - 60 minutes.

Talking about TV

Esl tv programmes lesson - vocabulary exercises: matching, listing, sentence completion, gap-fill, short answer questions - speaking activity: guided discussion - group work - intermediate (b1) - 60 minutes.

TV and Film Question Time

Esl tv and film activity - speaking: asking and answering questions from prompts, controlled and freer practice - intermediate (b1) - 30 minutes.

Behind the Scenes

Esl tv and film game - vocabulary: guessing - pair work - upper-intermediate (b2) - 20 minutes.

Film Review

Esl film review worksheet - writing exercises: form completion, writing sentences, writing a summary and review - upper-intermediate (b2) - 45 minutes.

The Movie Pitch

Esl movie pitch activity - writing and speaking: table completion, writing a story outline, writing and presenting a dialogue - group work - upper-intermediate (b2) - 60 minutes.

ESL Film Awards Discussion - Speaking Activity: Expressing Opinions, Agreeing and Disagreeing, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair and Group Work - Upper-intermediate (B2) - 40 minutes

ESL Describing TV Programmes Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Describing, Guessing - Group Work - Upper-intermediate (B2) - 25 minutes

Film Vocabulary Dominoes

Esl film and cinema game - vocabulary: matching - group work - advanced (c1) - 20 minutes.

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Learn it town | learn english in an online virtual english city, 5  per class with a plan, cinema - describing a film - esl vocabulary for film and television.

Describing a film

If you’ve just seen a great film, you might want to tell your friends about it. Here are some tips for doing that. Make sure you know how to sequence your story, and use linking words to help others understand you.

Telling a story about a film

Here are some ways you can tell the story (plot) of a film you’ve seen.

It’s set in…(New York / in the 1950’s).

The film’s shot on location in Arizona.

The main characters are … and they’re played by…

It’s a mystery / thriller / love-story.

You can tell the story of the film in the present simple tense.

Well, the main character decides to… (rob a bank)

But when he drives there…

Giving your opinion

I thought the film was great / OK / fantastic…

The actors / costumes / screenplay are/is …

The special effects are fantastic / terrible

The best scene / the worst scene is when…

The plot is believable / seems a bit unlikely

Not telling all

You don’t want to spoil the film for your friends, so you can say something like:

“I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’m not going to tell you what happens in the end.”

“You’ll have to go and see it for yourself.”

“I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you.”

Useful adjectives

All these are useful words and phrases to spice up your description:

true-to-life (a real story)

the real story of

remarkable (unusual, good)

masterpiece (the best work someone has done)

oscar-winning

Vocabulary for describing movies

Here is a list of vocabulary that reviewers often use when describing movies.

I have divided them into three categories: positive, negative, and neutral.

Note that depending on the combination of words used, they may change from neutral to positive or negative.

Movie / Film vocabulary

Actors’ description

Sophisticated

Multi-talented

Special effects:

Spectacular scenes

Uses simple and ordinary effects

Technically and visually stunning

Mediocre visuals

A compelling work of science-fiction

Unimaginative, implausible and ridiculous

An eye-opening expose

A cliché-ridden script and familiar narrative

Chock full of high-tech dazzling action

Features manic action

Silliest blockbuster

An offbeat but touching romantic comedy

Slapdash comedy

Light and entertaining

Goes overboard with slapstick and effects

Spiced with plenty of humor and affection

Crude and offensive

A funny political satire

Lacks originality, ingenuity, humor, and charm

Gut-busting laughs

An overly melodramatic tearjerker

Thriller/horror/mystery/suspense:

Mammothly entertaining stuff

Movie is skippable

Dark, thrilling and mysterious

A big-reveal thriller with surprises that do NOT surprise

A clever, heart-pounding thriller

An obvious, predictable plot

Suspenseful expose

A dull and repetitive interpretation

Actor/character performance:

Charismatic leads

Merely passable acting

Brilliant performance

Poorly executed

Unprecedented success

Emotionally inadequate

Refreshingly honest and utterly charming

A tired and monotonous

A well-acted, intensely shot, action filled war epic

Fails to come up with interesting characters

Movie review vocabulary

Movie reviews include different elements of the movie including:

Director – the person who directed the movie

Rating – 1-5 number of stars, 5 stars is the best review

Starring – the names of the actors in the movie

Producer – the person/company that produced the movie

Based on – used when a movie is based on a book

Movie genres

Action/Adventure – fighting, chases, explosions, and fast scenes

Animation – computer-animated or hand drawn characters

Comedy – funny, funny, and more funny

Documentary – story about someone or something that actually took place in history

Drama – emotionally charged personal challenges

Foreign – any movie not in English

Horror/Thriller/Suspense/Mystery – dark, scary and bloody scenes

Kids/Family – fun for the whole family

Romance – a love story

Sci-Fiction/Fantasy – not a true story, but based on make-believe, full of imaginative ideas

and special effects

Musical – story told with song and dance

Some other vocabulary related to film/movie

catch a movie

documentary

foreign film

go to the movies

main characters

movie review

movie theater

science fiction

suspense thriller

buy some popcorn

buy tickets

get a drink

go to a movie theater

read a movie review

sit in an aisle seat

wait in line

watch a movie trailer

watch the credits

watch the previews

take a seat

at the front

in the middle

at the back

interesting

Useful phrases

x has much to recommend it.

X is, at heart, a(n) love/spy/adventure story.

It is based on a book by …

It is set in the countryside/the future.

The film has a quality cast.

The film was directed by …

The film score is enchanting/evocative/scary.

The film captures the spirit of …

The hero/heroine/villain is …

I felt/thought it was …

I was impressed by …

What struck me most was …

What I liked most/didn’t like was …

The plot was gripping.

The characters were very convincing/very well drawn.

On reflection, I think it was …

It struck me as being …

What I didn’t understand was how …

In spite of these few criticisms, I think …

I would have no hesitation in recommending …

#onlineesl #ESL #Vocabulary #film #televison #describing #speaking #writing #reviews

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15 Movies About Inspirational Teachers

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Every Disney Animation Movie Releasing After Moana 2

The most annoying characters in otherwise perfect movies, 12 clever easter eggs hidden in five nights at freddy's.

Whether a student performs well or not is normally up to them, but the right teacher can always make a difference. On many occasions, youngsters fail, not because of a lack of intelligence, but because they lack proper motivation or are simply distracted. When a good teacher is in available, students become more focused and do their best to thrive, whether it’s in classroom activities or extracurricular ones.

There are a few school-related movies that make audiences wish they had teachers similar to the ones seen on screen. These professionals work beyond their stipulated hours, make sacrifices whenever they don’t need to, and exercise plenty of patience to ensure everyone under their wing performs to the best of their abilities.

15 Dangerous Minds (1995)

A transition from the military to the classroom is a rare one and when former marine LouAnne Johnson (Michelle Pfeiffer) is offered a teaching position at a local high school in Dangerous Minds , even she is surprised. Nonetheless, she is glad about being able to make a living but when she meets her batch of students, she realizes things are going to be a lot harder than she expected. To her chagrin, they are all inattentive and unruly, but she vows to fix things.

Describing LouAnne’s methods as unconventional would be an understatement. She teaches them karate because she understands that they need to think she is cool first before they can warm up to her. She also starts by giving everyone an A grade and urging them to maintain it. Because of this method, students work to prevent failure rather than strive to succeed. On top of that, LouAnne serves as the de facto guidance counselor and manages to help the teenagers overcome out-of-class challenges like gang indoctrination and parental conflict.

14 Lean on Me (1989)

In the late ‘80s, Eastside High School as seen on Lean on Me is collapsing because of rampant crime and violence inside the institution's grounds. Students can’t pass basic tests either so the former teacher, Joe Lois Clark (Morgan Freeman), is hired as the new principal to instill discipline. With the New Jersey state government threatening to place the school under receivership, Clark works hard to put things in order.

Morgan Freeman has always excelled in mentorship roles and the situation is no different here. His character Clark employs a combination of authoritarianism and micromanagement to make the students achieve their potential. The bad apples are quickly expelled while the lazy ones are nurtured to a point of industriousness. In the end, the school remains safe from receivership, and Clark closes the proceedings with the iconic "You can tell the State to go to hell" remark.

13 Akeela and the Bee (2006)

Keke Palmer has become more famous because of movies like Nope and Hustlers , but she has been acting since she was 10, making her one of the child stars who have fared well . One of her notable early roles is that of Akeela in Akeela and the Bee . In the film, the titular character is shown to be extremely talented in spelling, but she lacks the discipline required to succeed. Her mother thinks spelling is a waste of time too, so she urges her to focus on her studies.

Thankfully, fate pairs Akeela with the visiting English professor, Dr. Joshua Larebee (Laurence Fishburne) who teaches her all the dos and don’ts. As the two have more and more private sessions, Akeela’s keenness and determination improve, enabling her Scripps National Spelling Bee, triggering feelings of pride from the parent who initially didn’t believe in her.

12 Freedom Writers (2007)

Erin from Freedom Writers is a selfless teacher who goes as far as to take on two additional part-time jobs to pay for books and extracurricular activities because the school has a limited budget. Her dedication to the job is awe-inspiring and so is her patience, which is always on display whenever the unruly students do the opposite of whatever they had been told.

RELATED: The Best Schools in Movies, Ranked

Above all achievements, Erin helps create peace in a school that had been plagued by racial tensions before she arrived. During her first days, the students are shown to have divided themselves into racial gangs like a penitentiary, but as time goes by her message of peace and tolerance kicks in. From taking the teenagers to Holocaust museums to showing them news articles, Erin keeps pushing until the problem is solved.

11 Precious (2009)

Precious is mostly a film about abuse since a huge chunk of the running time is dedicated to 16-year-old Claireece “Precious” Jones’ hostile relationship with her mother, who easily qualifies as one of the worst movie parents . It’s more like Carrie without the murder and telekinesis. Thankfully, the character’s woes come to an end when she is enrolled in an alternative school and meets the compassionate teacher, Ms. Blu Rain.

Within a short time, Precious goes from not being able to read and right to passing her exams. Blu also does way more than just teaching Precious. She temporarily offers her shelter when she falls out with her mother and helps her take care of her baby, who is the product of sexual assault. The movie garnered six nominations at the Oscars, proof of how flawless it is.

10 Dead Poets Society (1989)

One of Robin Williams’ most impressive performances can be found in Dead Poets Society where he plays the English teacher, John Keating. Keating doesn’t agree with the idea of children living under the thumb of parents and teachers, so he encourages his students to be independent thinkers and always follow their hearts’ desires. At the same time, he molds them into incredible poets.

From encouraging his students to rip out unnecessary pages of books to advising them to have unique walking styles, Keating keeps shocking the audience with his methods. And in as much as Dead Poets Society is a drama film, Williams keeps adding a little comedic spice to the scenes, making everything more enjoyable. There’s a sad ending, but it adds great value to the movie.

9 Little Man Tate (1991)

Great teachers spot talent instead of waiting for it to come to them and in Little Man Tate , Jane Grierson — who runs a school for gifted children — doesn’t hesitate to approach seven-year-old Fred’s mother when she hears the child is a genius. Though reluctant at first, the parent agrees, opening a new journey of improvement for Fred under Jane’s wing.

Since Fred is a genius, Jane’s task in Little Man Tate is mainly to hone his social skills. Fred is reclusive to the point no child attends his birthday, but even though this is seen as no problem because he is smart, Jane understands that networking is essential for growth and that Fred will need people at some point in life. She, therefore, encourages him slowly and by the end of the film, he gets to have a packed birthday party.

8 Stand and Deliver (1988)

In Stand and Deliver , Maths teacher Jaime Escalante’s work is so good that everyone starts accusing his students of cheating in exams. Racism is slightly in play since his class mostly consists of Latino students who were doing poorly before he arrived, but Escalante swallows the discrimination like the gentleman he is.

Throughout the movie, Escalante is shown to be both a skilled mathematician and a great motivator. He paints pictures of all the bad scenarios that await his students in adulthood if they don’t succeed in their academics. His passion is admirable too, and at one point, he even escapes from the hospital to go teach his class. Eventually, he overcomes claims of cheating by having his students retake their exams and pass.

7 Queen of Katwe (2016)

Adapted from a similarly title book by Tim Crothers, Queen of Katwe follows 10-year-old Phiona as she struggles to get by in the Katwe slums of Uganda. Life is tough until she meets the soccer coach and chess teacher, Robert Katende. She urges him to help her learn the game and through his guidance, she gets to compete in the world championships.

In the film, Robert appears to know what’s best for children, even more than their parents. He is stubborn and defiant, insisting on taking the chess players to the national championships even when the local community is against it. He doesn’t believe in giving up either, so when Katwe thinks of quitting after a loss, he gives her a dressing down and urges him to keep going. Ultimately, she manages to pull her family out of poverty.

6 School of Rock (2003)

School of Rock is a laugh fest, and the teacher Dewey Finn (Jack Black) doesn’t exactly have the best interest when he takes up a gig as a substitute teacher. Having been fired from his rock band, Dewey’s primary aim is to get money to pay his rent so that his girlfriend won’t kick him out. To do that, he forms a band full of students to enroll them for Battle of the Bands, where there is huge prize money.

Though Dewey starts by only thinking about himself, his relationship with the students turns out to be a heartwarming one. Thanks to his charming and understanding nature, most of the youngsters quickly improve in all areas of their lives. Eventually, even the parents warm up to him, making him the most popular person in the school.

5 Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

Mr. Holland's Opus tackles the Arts vs. Science debate through the story of Glenn Holland. The composer quits his job and starts teaching at a local high school to be closer to his wife. There, he sets up a successful music program but constantly faces opposition from the management that is more interested in funding science-related ventures.

Through Holland, Mr. Holland's Opus’ also inspects topics such as work-life balance and parenthood. The teacher is adored by his students, but he is constantly sad about the fact that his deaf son will never grow to appreciate his work. On top of that, his marriage crumbles because he puts in extra hours for the students. The movie ultimately ends on a sad note, yet audiences are left appreciating all the sacrifices he made.

4 The Great Debaters (2007)

Based on an American Legacy Magazine article written by Tony Scherman, The Great Debaters follows Professor Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) as guides students at Wiley College to the national debate championships where they defeat the record-setters, Havard. Tolson’s work is astounding because he builds everything from the ground up. When he first arrives, there is no debate team in the college, but he encourages his students to form one before teaching them the basics and tricks.

Undoubtedly one of Denzel Washington’s most underrated films , The Great Debaters is also great because it tackles racial injustice. It’s set at a time when Black people weren’t even permitted to be members of the debate society. Because of this, Tolson’s students get stripped of their tile. It’s a sad ending to an otherwise inspirational movie. Nonetheless, the school writes its name in the history books thanks to Tolson’s work.

3 To Sir, With Love (1967)

For the immigrant Mark Thackeray (Sydney Poitier), teaching is a last resort. He initially wanted to be an engineer but having failed to get a job for 18 months, he settles for work at a high school in London. It turns out that the students there are mostly 'rejects' from other schools, so his work becomes a lot harder than expected.

Instead of laying down the law, Thackery vows to treat the students like adults. He lets them talk about any topics they wish and allows them to study on their terms. This wins him respect and to the management’s surprise, their performance improves. In addition to that, To Sir, With Love has a perfect ending that involves Thackeray tearing up an engineering job offer that he has received.

2 Educating Rita (1983)

Educating Rita is the kind of movie where both the student and the teacher owe a lot to each other. Bored with life, the 26-year-old hair stylist Rita chooses to go back to college where she is tutored by the alcoholic professor Dr. Bryant (Michael Caine). Rita’s passion for her studies helps Bryant bring out the best of his skills hence the two get to have a wholesome friendship where they complement each other.

RELATED: The Best Back-to-School Movies, Ranked

Dr. Bryant is, therefore, not an inspirational teacher because he turns average students into academic superstars but because he experiences personal growth. The early version of him that audiences are introduced to is despicable but by the third act, he has morphed into the kind of professor everyone would wish to have.

1 Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

Based on James Hilton’s novella of the same name, Goodbye, Mr. Chips is told via flashbacks (kinda like The Irishman ). In the introductory scene, the teacher Mr. Chipping is shown taking a nap before audiences are taken on a journey through his career. He starts as a tough teacher but grows more considerate with time, thanks to encouragement from his wife. When he finally grows old and gets pressured to retire, the students stand by him, insisting he ought to stay till he is 100 years old.

Goodbye, Mr. Chips also offers more than just the usual tutoring and mentoring sessions. There is a lot that Mr. Chipping has to deal with in the film, including losing several students and colleagues to World War I. He never gets to have children of his own either because his wife died during childhood. A part of him thus feels like he is missing something, but he remains strong. On his deathbed, he responds to gossip about him never having been a parent, saying, “You're wrong. I have! Thousands of them!”

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Critic’s Pick

‘The Killer’ Review: John Woo With a French Twist

Woo’s new version of his Hong Kong action movie “The Killer,” starring Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy, may be a remake, but it’s not a retread.

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By Glenn Kenny

When he started a run of contemporary action movies in the early 1980s, the Hong Kong director John Woo forged a personal mode influenced by the stylized violence of American directors like Sam Peckinpah and Don Siegel (see the shootouts in “The Getaway” and “Dirty Harry”), and the mentholated cool of the French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville (à la the existential assassin of “Le Samouraï”). Before taking up in Hong Kong again in 2008, Woo created some galvanizing work in the United States: “Face/Off” (1997) and “Mission: Impossible 2” (2000).

It is exhilarating, then, to see him set his sights on Paris with a remake of his 1989 Hong Kong classic, “The Killer.” He depicts the City of Lights with a loving, romantic eye.

Woo’s original starred the incredibly charismatic Chow Yun-fat as the title assassin, a hired killer with an ethos who makes some sacrifices on behalf of a young woman he accidentally blinded during a shootout. (Woo has more than a touch of Chaplin’s “City Lights” in him, too.) One challenge for a remake would be finding a younger lead actor to match Chow’s magnetism. There is none, and Woo knows it as well as we do; hence, the film’s rather delightful surprise of gender-switching the title character.

The British actress Nathalie Emmanuel plays the soulful marauder Zee, and man, does she cause a ruckus. The film’s first big blowout, in a cabaret-bar, features quarts of spilled blood, a skyscraper’s worth of shattered glass and mirrors, slow-motion flying bullets and, yes, a mishap in which a cabaret singer named Jenn (Diana Silvers) is blinded. Zee is a little more coldblooded than Jeffrey was in 1989; at first she tries to get rid of the singer rather than help her.

Zee’s contractor, Finn, played by Sam Worthington, isn’t pleased that the singer was allowed to live. Zee is confused — she always asks before taking a job whether her future victims deserve to die. Finn tells her that this one had it coming. But Zee insists on keeping Jenn alive, despite the shadowy forces trying to wipe her out.

Omar Sy plays Sey, a French cop who will, of course, form an uneasy alliance with Zee. (Woo’s world is like the one Mick Jagger’s devil envisions: Every cop is a criminal and all the sinners saints. Sort of.) Sy projects assuredness and vulnerability in almost equal measure.

Emmanuel, best known as Missandei, the trusted adviser to Daenerys in “Game of Thrones,” conveys a smooth, chameleonic expertise. As in the first film, the killer spends a lot of time in a moody, deconsecrated church, which is, of course, kitted out with a complement of doves — Woo’s favorite symbolic animals.

The direction is energetic, incorporating frantic flashbacks and resourceful split-screen perspectives, and the plot adds several new twists not found in the first movie. Rest assured, this may be a remake, but it’s not a retread.

The Killer Rated R for — guess — violence. Running time: 2 hours 6 minutes. Watch on Peacock .

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'Blink Twice' takes some truly unexpected twists in Zoë Kravitz's bold directorial debut

Zoë Kravitz does not hold back in “Blink Twice,” the actor’s directorial debut.

Starring her fiancé Channing Tatum as a once-and-future toxic tech bro, the film leans heavily into elitism, power imbalance, women’s agency and sexual violence. All of this is bottled up inside a horror mystery that is, from time to time, pretty funny.

It’s a movie that’s trying really hard to do a lot of things in a big way. It does not succeed at all of them, though it does succeed at some of them. And wouldn’t you rather take a chance on a filmmaker who takes big swings and misses occasionally, if only for the satisfaction when they finally connect?

What is 'Blink Twice' about?

The film stars Naomi Ackie (Frida), who is scrolling Instagram when she comes upon Slater King (Tatum), who is apologizing for unspecified actions, saying he has retreated to his private island to work on himself and, through extensive therapy, is a changed man — the kind of smarmy apology only the super-rich can afford. (We never learn exactly what he did.)

The next night, Frida is working with her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) at a black-tie fundraiser, serving food. Frida has a surprise, though; she dons a fancy dress and decides to mingle. This backfires when she trips while among the moneyed set, but she’s helped up by none other than Slater. By the time the night is over, Frida and Jess are on Slater’s private jet, headed for his island.

It’s a paradise, albeit one with hangers-on played by Christian Slater, Simon Rex and Haley Joel Osment roaming around. There are other women guests, as well, including Sarah (Adria Arjona, superb), a TikTok famous reality show contestant. Slater and the staff provide clothes, swimsuits, gourmet food and plentiful drugs (done with intention, Slater assures) in as gorgeous a tropical setting as you can imagine. This means the occasional snake, but Slater is doing what he can to rid the island of those.

Slater has the time and money to obsess over things like where the red chair in one of his rooms should go, a problem his assistant (Geena Davis, addled and entertaining) endlessly tries to solve.

'The Batman' review: Why so serious? Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz star in one dark film

It all seems perfect, but when is the last time anything that seemed perfect actually turned out to be? That’s not a spoiler. It’s a feeling that permeates the film as soon as Slater’s jet touches down on the island.

Cracks begin to appear in the seamless non-stop hedonism. What is the maid saying? Where is Jess? In a classic horror film trope, Frida can’t remember where the dirt underneath her fingernails came from. On the other hand, Slater spends a lot of time with her; she seems to be his favorite.

Zoë Kravitz makes an assured debut as director

How it all shakes out is genuinely disturbing, but that’s as far as we need to travel in that direction. Kravitz chips away at the facade slowly and carefully; she is an assured director (she also co-wrote the screenplay). Without her confidence in telling the story it wouldn’t work — that and the performances, particularly from Ackie, Tatum and Arjona, though Christian Slater’s ability to make a smile look sleazy has always impressed.

The humor, for instance, doesn’t seem out of place. And working with recovered memories can also be tricky, or a cheap storytelling tool. Here it builds tension without feeling like a stunt.

Only when it’s over will you think, wait, could this have really played out this way? Do all of the aspects of the story hold up? It’s to the credit of the film and Kravitz that those questions never occur to you while you’re watching “Blink Twice.” You’re too engaged to notice.

'Blink Twice' 4 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Zoë Kravitz.

Cast: Naomi Ackle, Channing Tatum, Adria Arjona.

Rating: R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references.

How to watch: In theaters Friday, Aug. 23.

Reach Goodykoontz at   [email protected] . Facebook:   facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm . X:   @goodyk . Subscribe to   the weekly movies newsletter .

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After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she has ever... Read all After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she has ever faced. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she has ever faced.

• David G. Derrick Jr.
• Dana Ledoux Miller
• Ron Clements
• John Musker
• Auli'i Cravalho
• Dwayne Johnson
• 2 Critic reviews

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• Trivia Originally began as a television series in 2020, with plans for the series to air on Disney+. In February 2024, the series was transformed into a theatrical sequel.

[from trailer]

Moana : Maui?

Maui : [picks up Hei Hei] Boat snack!

[Pua falls into his other hand]

Maui : Boat snack upgrade! Bacon *and* eggs?

[Pua snorts]

Maui : Why didn't you bring the pig last time?

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• November 27, 2024 (United States)
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Technical specs

• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• 12-Track Digital Sound
• D-Cinema 96kHz 7.1

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