IELTS Speaking for Success - 📺 Films and the movie industry (Part 3)

Episode Date: March 10, 2026

Get access to our episode archive: https://www.patreon.com/ieltssfs What are the different types of films in your country? Are historical films popular in your country? Why? Do you believe movie reviews? Should the director pay a lot of money to famous actors? Why are Japanese animated films so popular? Do you think films with famous actors or actresses are more likely to become successful films? Tune in and have a great day! - Book a class with Rory here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://successwithielts.com/rory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our course on Phrasal Verbs: https://successwithielts.com/podcourses Transcript: https://linktr.ee/sfspremium Find an IELTS Speaking Partner: https://links.successwithielts.com/ieltspartner Our social media: https://linktr.ee/successwithielts © 2025 Podcourses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In communities across Canada, hourly Amazon employees can grow their skills and their paycheck by enrolling in free skills training programs for in-demand fields. Learn more at aboutamazon.ca. Hello, hello, dear listener, and welcome into IELD, speaking part three. We're talking about films, movies, reviews. And Rory here is a super expert on different films, especially Avatar, part three. if you haven't listened to our part two where Rory told us all the truth

about this latest avatar film please go back and listen to it okay what are the different types of films which are popular in your country maybe the same as everywhere else really we show dramas and comedies and science fiction at the cinema to name just a few

but I don't think we have anything wildly different to elsewhere maybe we have more social commentaries. We seem to be a very socially aware country. So I don't think that's very unique to Scotland. Other countries will also be aware of social issues. Are historical films popular in your country? Definitely.

I think everybody loves Braveheart, which is a very inaccurate film about medieval Scotland. But there are others like that, and period dramas, which people really love. Even though everyone knows what will happen because the history is so well known, So it must be the drama around the whole thing. Do people believe movie reviews?

Sometimes, although that probably depends on the source rather than what it is. Some reviewers and critics like to make names for themselves by being particularly scathing, even about things that they aren't that bad. They're just mediocre. And of course, some people are completely uncritical about everything, so you need to be able to recognize these things and find balanced points of view. And is it better to read the reviews before watching a movie? I think it could be helpful if you're trying to work out of the film as good in certain respects,

but it's probably not the end of the world if you don't see, like, a very comprehensive review before you go and watch it. Should the director pay a lot of money to famous actors? I don't know, really. It probably depends on the budget and what gets negotiated by the different people involved. I can see why it would be a good idea, though. Big names often draw people in to watch things they might not otherwise. So it could boost sales. At the same time, just because someone is a household name,

it doesn't mean they're entitled to a lot of money. They could be given other things instead if the budget isn't very high. Why are Japanese animated films so popular? I have to ask someone who watches them, really. I can't remember the last time I watched any anime. Of the top of my head, though, I think the art style is quite visually appealing, and often the narratives they have can keep people's attention for long periods, so it might be that. Do you think films with famous actors or actresses are more likely to become successful? It certainly seems that way, doesn't it? I think it's true for a lot of the bigger budget films, yes, but that's not universally so.

there have been films that have casted complete non-entities that have done very well at the box office as well. They might need a bit more effort or luck to do well, though. One plus one equals more of the greatest stories. The Hulu-on Disney Plus. Stories about survivors. The most dangerous planet. Family. Retribution.

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films, cinema, watching films, Japanese animated films, please do some reading online and you can Google the most popular films all over the world or the most popular genres like Japanese animated films, why they're popular. Okay, so to be in the know, this knowledge could be useful for your essays as well. So you kill two birds with one stone. Or you could just guess and say maybe or maybe or might be or possibly. No, but really, this is also education, right? Dear listener, we give you English and also we educate you.

Like, we tell you what's popular, what's not, like the trends, the recent, you know, innovations in the world of cinema. Yeah, we can tell you everything about the third avatar movie. All the truth. So, we call them types of films or genres. And the examiner is interested what genres are popular in your country. And you may not know. So you just say comedies, action films, horror films, dramas, dramas, these are, you know, like the usual types of films, genres.

But yeah, in each country, it might be different. We have documentaries as well. Sci-fi, science fiction. And a whole lot of other ones. Maybe if you're from a specific country, you might have a specific kind of cinema. For example, I think the Indian film industry is called Bollywood, I think. And I'm pretty sure there's a specific and special word for the Korean film industry as well. Yeah, like, for example, Japanese and Japanese and Japanese.

animated films. What do you call them? I think they're called anime. That's what I would call them. Anime, yeah. Lots of angry people will send me messages now saying, it's not that, it's something else. Yeah, but according to the Cambridge Online Dictionary, anime, Japanese films made using characters and images that are drawn rather than real. Can you say anime is popular?

I think so. You could just say anime films. anime series also because not one film but like serious yeah we don't watch it if you are a fan sorry we kind of we are not in the trend here we are too busy

making the podcast you know teaching working sleeping so well and we have other hobbies but we I think I did a good job of guessing but yeah

science fiction films action films westerners comedies drama was what else. But usually, like, the most popular genres are action films, sci-fi, anime. Historical films. So, not historic, but historical films. Films about history, right?

Could be like documentaries, for example. Or, for example, Braveheart, a famous Scottish movie with Mel Gibson, could be called a historical film, because it's about the history of Scotland. Braveheart. if you haven't watched it, please watch it. Shindler's list. Oh, God, that's a depressing film.

Yeah, it is depressing. Yeah, shinless list. But if you Google, like, the best historical films, that's number one. And Shindler's list will be there, yes. Shinless list, yeah, it's about the war and, yeah, so stressful. You watch it once, and then you may never want to watch it again, because, yeah, it's heavy. It's harrowing.

Yeah. historical films. And you can say like, oh, well, yes, some historical films are pretty popular in my country. For example, and then you give some names or you don't, because you say, I don't remember the names, but people in my country usually enjoy films about war, about certain historical events, and we love the drama of certain historical events. That's not a kind of film. That's just the passion and emotions around different events and films. Yeah, because Mel Gibson is really good there. He just goes like, hurrah, right, like that.

Yeah, and then, like, his son dies and then, oh, la, la, very emotional. After you watch the film, you might want to write a review. So this is what people write or they record reviews, like their opinions about films. and some people believe the reviews, some don't. Some reviewers, so people who write reviews, are called reviewers and critics. So some reviews are mediocre. Mediocre means that like usual, nothing special, boring,

but some reviews are really good, are really comprehensive, so really useful. Mediocre is C2, not very good. Oh yeah. For example, while talking about a film you were disappointed about, you can say the film's plot is predictable and mediocre. The acting is mediocre, not very good. A mediocre school, mediocre acting, the film is mediocre. Yeah, the acting is mediocre. Some people are very critical about everything, so they criticize everything. Some people are completely uncritical about something. So they say that everything is good. No, that's me. It's all fine. Everything is fine.

Yeah. But actually uncritical is disapproving. So it's like negative. It's about accepting something too easy because a person is unwilling or unable to criticize. Uncritical audience accepts everything, doesn't want to criticize. So yeah, that's me. Very often I'm uncritical about everything because I just want to criticize things.

Because I believe that even in the worst film, there is something good because somebody has created it. And I'm as a creator, I know that, you know, how difficult it is to create something, to be the author of something. Like people seem to enjoy it when you tear down something, but it's not really a good way to live your life and evaluate things. Yeah, that's why if people read reviews with a balanced opinion, with balanced points of view, with a balance, so it could be useful.

The film has a director and some actors or actresses, so the cast of the film. The cast means actors and actresses who star in this movie. movie who are in this movie. It depends on the budget of the film. Budget, so the money that the director has to make the film. Big names draw people in. So if we see, for example, Brad Pitt, Michael Douglas, I don't know, who else, Angelina Jolie, we recognize these people like, yeah, okay, so I want to see a movie

with Brad Pitt or DiCaprio. And we don't care what the movie is about, but we see the name, a big name, which draws us in. So big names draw people in to watch things, to watch films. They get attention, maybe. Yeah, they attract us. And big names could boost sales. Big names could improve sales. So use Rory's answer if you don't watch Japanese.

animated films. So off the top of my head, just like I'm thinking now on my feet, I don't know the answer, but I guess it's this. So every good idiom to use in this situation, off the top of my head. Like, ooh, that's a difficult question. Off the top of my head. Just saying, I don't really know, but maybe it's this. Maybe the art style is appealing, is pleasant, is attractive. The next, the narratives, like the dialogues, right, are good. And according to Google... Oh, have you asked Google why anime is popular? Yeah, Google says that Japanese animated films, anime, are globally popular due to their high

quality. Distinct visual style. Yeah, so they do have a distinct style, visual style. Complex storytelling. Okay, they have complex plots. So storytelling is very complex And it's for all ages Teenages, adults,

Like everyone is involved And attracted And they evoke deep emotions From you So you see like you watch it And you feel a lot of emotions And that's why they are popular That was such a random question though

Why are these films popular I have no idea No but kind of like I think I else people keep up with the recent trends. Oh, good for them. I'm glad they have this time on their hands to do that. You can say that that's true for bigger budget films.

We have bigger budget films, like... Titanic, that's a big budget film. Yeah, but originally, did they plan it to be a big budget film? I think they had to invest a lot of money in that. Yeah, it must have been expensive. Avatar is a big budget film. Let's not dwell on that. Whoa, yeah.

Yeah, but Avatar doesn't have any big names, right? Yes, it does. Sigourney Weaver stars an Avatar. She's very popular. Oh, okay, okay. What are non-entities? It's a bit like a nice way of saying

people who don't have a big reputation. Yeah, so some films have famous actors or actresses. Some films have big names, but other films have... have non-entities. Some kind of like people who are not famous. Some films with non-entities have done very well at the box office. So this means that films without any popular actors or actresses

were bought by millions of people and were very famous. This is where you asked me to give you an example of a non-entity and I can't give you one because no one knows who they are. And you can say that this film did very well at the box office. or this film didn't do well at the box office so people just didn't go to watch it at the cinema. And on that positive note, thank you very much for listening. Thank you very much for listening.

We'll get back to you in our next episode. All right? Bye. Bye. Where are my gloves? Come on, heat. Any day now. Winter is hard, but your groceries don't have to be.

This winter, Stay warm. Tap the banner to order your groceries online at voila.ca. Enjoy in-store prices without leaving your home. You'll find the same regular prices online as in-store. Many promotions are available both in store and online, though some may vary. What are the different types of films which are popular in your country? Maybe the same as everywhere else, really. We show dramas and comedies and science fiction at the cinema to name just a few. But I don't think we have anything. wildly different to elsewhere. Maybe we have more social commentaries. We seem to be a very socially aware country. So I don't think that's very unique to Scotland. Other countries will also be aware of social issues.

Are historical films popular in your country? Definitely. I think everybody loves Braveheart, which is a very inaccurate film about medieval Scotland. But there are others like that and period dramas, which people really love, even though everyone knows what will happen because the history is so well known. So it must be the drama around the whole thing.

Do people believe movie reviews? Sometimes, although that probably depends on the source rather than what it is. Some reviewers and critics like to make names for themselves by being particularly scathing, even about things that they aren't that bad. They're just mediocre. And of course, some people are completely uncritical about everything, so you need to be able to recognize these things and find balanced points of view.

And is it better to read the reviews before watching a movie? I think it could be helpful if you're trying to work out if the film is good in certain respects, but it's probably not the end of the world if you don't see a very comprehensive review before you go and watch it. Should the director pay a lot of money to famous actors? I don't know, really. It probably depends on the budget and what gets negotiated by the different people involved.

I can see why it would be a good idea, though. Big names often draw people in to watch things they might not otherwise. So it could boost sales. At the same time, just because someone is a household name, doesn't mean they're entitled to a lot of money. They could be given other things instead if the budget isn't very high. Why are Japanese animated films so popular? You have to ask someone who watches them, really. I can't remember the last time I watched any anime. Of the top of my head, though, I think the art style is quite visually appealing. And often the narratives they have can keep people's attention for long periods.

So it might be that. Do you think films with famous actors or actresses are more likely to become successful? It certainly seems that way, doesn't it? I think it's true for a lot of the bigger budget films. Yes, but that's not universally so. There have been films that have casted complete non-entities that have done very well at the box office as well. They might need a bit more effort or luck to do well, though.