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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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A box office flop

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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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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.”

Activities for This Lesson