Movie Vocabulary - Part II (With Discussion Questions)
Movies can be great fodder for free conversations, whether new releases or personal favorites from the past.
As we've established in our original post on movie-related English, there are quite a few special terms that often pop up when discussing films. So many, in fact, that we've got an entirely new list of vocabulary that we didn't cover last time.
Have a film-focused free-talk lesson with your students and introduce these useful words while discussing your favorite flicks!
Movie Vocabulary
Spoiler
Meaning: information about a film's story that can ruin the experience for someone who hasn't seen it yet
Warning: This review contains spoilers. If you haven't watched the film yet, stop reading now!
It can also be used as a verb.
If you aren't careful, even YouTube video thumbnails can spoil movies.
It's a good idea to explain how this relates to the original meaning of "spoil," meaning "to go bad or become rotten."
Teaser / Trailer
Meaning: short advertisements for movies on TV and online before a film is released
Teasers are designed to get people excited to see more, which is one of the basic meanings of the verb "tease."
The teaser for the new film has created a lot of buzz on social media.
Trailers are typically released after teasers and offer a longer look at the film.
The trailer was released this afternoon, and it's already gotten millions of views on YouTube.
Cameo
Meaning: a small appearance by someone in a film
Because he only made a brief cameo, the actor didn't ask for any money.
Twist
Meaning: a sudden or surprising change in a story
This is also known as a "plot twist."
The movie became famous for its surprising twist ending.
The plot twist caught everybody off guard.
Cliffhanger
Meaning: an ending that does not complete the film's story
The movie ends on a cliffhanger, so we'll have to wait for the sequel to see how the story ends.
Stinger
Meaning: a very short scene that appears at the end of a movie, usually after the end credits
Stingers are also known as "post-credit scenes."
Everyone in the theater stayed until the end of the credits, hoping to see a stinger.
Easter egg
Meaning: a small detail in a film that hints at or refers to other things
The director enjoys putting Easter eggs into his films and seeing if fans can discover them.
Tentpole
Meaning: films with large budgets that are expected to be very popular and financially successful
"Tentpole" can be used as an adjective or a noun for the film itself.
Tentpole films are usually released in the summertime or shortly before it.
Just because tentpoles are heavily promoted doesn't mean they'll be successful.
Sleeper hit
Meaning: a film that becomes successful despite receiving little promotion or much attention originally
The positive word-of-mouth helped the independent movie become the sleeper hit of the year.
Bomb
Meaning: an unsuccessful movie
This is often used for bigger, expensive films that received lots of marketing and attention.
Many films that were bombs in theaters are now considered classics by movie fans.
"Bomb" can also be used as a verb.
Many films that bombed in theaters are now considered classics by movie fans.
Tearjerker
Meaning: an emotional movie that is likely to make viewers cry
That movie is a real tearjerker. Make sure you have some tissues when you watch it!
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is the name of a famous website for movie reviews. It launched in 1998 and eventually became very influential in the American film industry.
Movies are given a rating between 0 and 100%. Films with a rating between 75 and 100% are “Certified Fresh.” These movies get a special tomato icon that is often used in promotion.
On the other hand, movies with a rating of 59% or lower are considered “Rotten,” which obviously isn't good for the movie's reputation.
The site’s name likely comes from the fact that in the early entertainment industry, people would throw rotten fruit at poor performers to get them to leave the stage!
Discussion Questions
- Not everyone is bothered by spoilers. What about you?
- Can you name any movies with big plot twists?
- Have you heard of or seen the Hollywood film Cliffhanger?
- What do you think about cliffhanger endings? Can you think of any examples of films that have them?
- Movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are famous for having stingers. Have you seen any "MCU" movies?
- Have you ever spotted an Easter egg in a movie? Why do you think they're called "Easter eggs"?
- Do you often watch tentpole movies?
- Can you think of any examples of sleeper hits?
- Are you a fan of a film that was a bomb? Why do you think it wasn't successful?
- Do you enjoy watching tearjerkers? Why do you think people watch movies that might make them cry?
- Have you heard of Rotten Tomatoes? Do you read reviews before deciding to watch a movie? Why or why not?
Wrap-up
If you haven't already, be sure to check out our original post on movie vocabulary, which is the companion to this article.
And don't forget that you can take advantage of our screen sharing and tabs features to view some film trailers or short scenes together with students during a lesson.
Finally, for even more film-related posts, we have the following articles, which focus on particular seasons:
