FCE Writing: PART 2 (Review)
STYLE: neutral / informal
WORD LIMIT: 140-190 words
TASK TYPE: a review is usually written for an English-language magazine, newspaper or website. The main purpose is to describe and express a personal opinion about something which the writer has experienced (e.g. a film, a holiday, a product, a website etc.) and to give the reader a clear impression of what the item discussed is like. Description and explanation are key functions for this task, and a review will normally include a recommendation to the reader.
TIME: 40 minutes
The task: We want your views on films being made today. Write us a review of the last film you saw. Tell us about the story, characters and any special features of the film, and whether you would recommend the film to other people. The best review will be published in the magazine.
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The movie I want to share with you is extremely popular. It's shot by famous English film director Guy Ritchie. It's called Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. By the way, this movie stars the no less famous British actor Jason Statham. The plot is full of twists, so I don't want to spoil them here. The story revolves around four characters who want to earn easy money. The plan is a cakewalk; they need to win a popular card game. But gambling is a plague and often leads to terrible consequences. That's exactly what happens with our naive protagonists. They lose their money and get into an exorbitant debt of £500.000. They have to pay back the money by the end of week. Here, the really dizzying adventure begins.
A lot of critics compare this masterpiece to the movie "Pulp Fiction" by Quentin Tarantino. If you like this kind of movie or those that keep you in suspense till the end, contain bad language, Cockney vernacular, dirty jokes and black comedy, then sit back and enjoy.
Very good! No unnecessary fancy language — very succinct and relatable. Great job!
Here's a question for you: Do you know what the title means?
@CocoPop I think it enumerates parts of a rifle. I Googled it and it says it means "everything". Right?
So the expression lock, stock and barrel is a funny way of saying everything: "I fed Danny some bullshit story about why I didn't go to his party, and he bought it lock, stock and barrel." That means he believed every word. But in the title of this movie, it says smoking barrel, which is a reference to smoke coming out of the barrel of a gun because it was just shot, so apparently there was a murder.
enumerates is too literary and formal. Better: lists
@CocoPop Hah. Got it!) Thanks!