Pass the popcorn, please!
1. What are the people in the picture doing?
The man and the woman are watching a movie.
2. Where are these people?
They are in a movie theater.
3. What do you see above the man’s head?
Above the man’s head we see a beam of light. This is the movie coming from the projection room, projecting the picture onto the screen for everyone to see.
4. How do you know which movies can be found at a particular movie theater?
You can look at the movie listing for the movie theater.
5. What other kind of information might you find in a listing?
The movie listing will tell you the show times for the various movies. It will also tell you if there are any special deals on matinees.
6. Where can you find this listing?
You can find the theater’s movie listing in a local newspaper, or online. Sometimes, you are also able to buy tickets online in advance so you don’t have to wait in line at the theater.
7. What is a matinee?
A matinee is a daytime or afternoon showing of a film. Many times a matinee will have a better deal on the ticket price than an evening show.
8. What can you use to help you decide what movie to see?
You can read a movie review to help you decide which movie to see. If you see a movie preview, you can also get an idea whether or not a particular movie is something you might be interested in.
9. What does a movie critic do?
A movie critic’s job is to watch a movie and evaluate it. He will tell you enough of the basic plot of the movie to let you know if it is something you might like to watch. He will also tell you if he thinks the movie actors had a good performance, and if the film was well-made. Critics often give a movie a rating from one to four stars. One star is bad, and four stars is good.
10. What is a review?
A review is what the movie critic writes to let people know what he thinks of the movie, and whether or not he recommends it.
11. What is a preview?
A preview is a commercial for a movie that hasn’t been released yet. It is also called a trailer.
12. What is a screening?
A screening is a special showing of a new movie, done in advance of the regular release. This gives movie critics a chance to see it before everyone else, so they can write their reviews and have them ready for the opening day.
13. What is a documentary?
A documentary is a non-fiction movie. The purpose of a documentary is to give information to people, often about an idea or theory that the filmmaker has. Examples of common types of documentaries are political documentaries, science documentaries, and nature documentaries.
14. What is a movie star?
A movie star is the main person in the movie – the person whose story is being told in the movie.
15. What are the credits in a movie?
The credits in a movie are the information at the end of the movie that tell you who was involved in making the movie – not only the actors and actresses, but many of the behind-the-scenes people as well, like the directors, the make-up crew, who wrote and/or played the music in the film, and so on. The credits often also tell you where the movie was filmed.
16. What does a movie theater often show before the feature film?
Before the feature film a movie theater often shows previews. Years ago, the theaters also used to show a cartoon short before the main film.
17. What do theaters often do if a movie is very long?
If a movie is very long, the theater will often have a break in the middle of the movie. This break is called an intermission. During the intermission people can use the restroom or get a snack.
18. What can you do if you get hungry while watching a movie?
If you get hungry while watching a movie, you can have a snack.
19. What kinds of snacks are common at a movie theater?
Common snacks at a movie theater are popcorn, candy, and soda pop.
20. Where can you get some snacks?
You can get some snacks at concessions. Some people smuggle snacks into the movie theater, but movie theaters usually frown upon this, and they might kick the person out.
Paragraph: At a Movie Theater
Last year for Christmas I went to see the movie “War Horse.” The movie was based on a children’s book by the same name. It’s about a horse that was trained by a farm boy but eventually sold to the British Army, and the movie covers the horse’s experiences as a war horse during World War I, including his miraculous survival of a battle and subsequent entanglement in barbed wire. It was a touching movie with a happy ending, because after the war the boy and his horse were reunited after years of separation.
In the theater there were quite a number of people watching the movie, even though it was Christmas Day. We went to an afternoon showing, and were able to get a good seat. Sometimes when I watch a movie, I like to have some popcorn as a snack. Movie snacks can be rather expensive, but a tub of popcorn is more than enough to share with another person. For drinks, you can get a large soda with an extra straw, so that may be shared as well. Also, some movie theaters have specials such as free refills, which make the prices more reasonable. Some people object strongly to the high prices of concessions at movie theaters and bring in their own food or snacks, but most people consider this unethical. Indeed, some movie theaters will kick out people who are caught smuggling in food. I think that bringing in outside food is a type of dishonesty, so my solution to the high prices is to buy something in an extra large size and share with a friend. That way, everyone wins – you and your friend get a snack without overpaying, and the movie theater gets a profit from the snack you’re enjoying!
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