 12 English Phrases for Describing Movies 1. I have class tonight, so let's go to a matinee instead. A matinee is a showing of a movie in the daytime, usually in the afternoon. Matinees are often cheaper than shows at night. 2. What's it rated? Many countries have a system for rating movies, evaluating how appropriate the movie is for various ages. This is the movie rating system in the United States. G. General Audience PG. Parental Guidance Suggested PG-13. Parent Strongly Cautioned R. Restricted NC-17. Adults Only 3. The first movie was a hit, but the sequel bombed. Describing a movie as a hit means it's popular and successful. A sequel is another movie that continues the story or theme of a previous movie. For example, Toy Story 2 is the sequel to Toy Story. If you say a movie bombed, it means that it was a failure. It was not popular or successful. 4. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This is an idiomatic expression that means that the movie was very interesting and exciting. You were so involved with the movie that you sat on the edge, the front part of your seat, to get closer to the action. 5. The special effects were breathtaking, but the acting left something to be desired. Special effects are the effects created by computers, and acting is the performance of the actors and actresses. If you say something is breathtaking, it means it was amazing and incredible. The expression left something to be desired means it was not very good. You wish it had been better. 6. Have you seen the trailer for the final part of the trilogy? A trailer is a 2-3 minute video summary of a movie showing a few scenes that will interest people in seeing the entire movie. A trilogy is a series of three movies, like Lord of the Rings. 7. I have a hard time understanding the dialogue without subtitles. I have a hard time is a common way to say I have difficulty in everyday spoken English. Subtitles are the written words on the bottom of the screen. 8. Although the premise was intriguing, the plot was complex and a little hard to follow. The premise is the idea or concept of the movie, and intriguing is a word that means interesting, something that gets your attention. The plot is the story of a movie or book, and if it was hard to follow, it means it was difficult to understand or confusing as you were watching the movie. 9. The completely implausible twist at the end ruined it. A twist is an unexpected turn of events. If you describe it as implausible, it means it was too unlikely, not probable, or too difficult to believe that it could really happen in that way. The word ruined means made it bad. 10. It's the feel-good movie of the year. I found it very touching. A feel-good movie is one that makes you feel good, obviously. The word touching means that it affected you emotionally in a good way. Another word you can use is heartwarming. It made your heart feel positive emotions. 11. My boyfriend thought it was hilarious, but I thought they went a little overboard with the potty humor. The word hilarious means extremely funny. Potty humor, also called toilet humor or off-color humor, is humor that is rather gross or disgusting because it involves sex or bodily functions. The expression went a little overboard means there was a little too much. 12. To be honest, I liked the remake better than the original. The cast was much stronger. You can start a phrase with to be honest when you want to give your honest opinion. Sometimes filmmakers take a movie from the past and recreate it. The new version is called a remake. The word cast refers to all the actors and actresses who participated in the movie. Thanks for watching English Tips from Espresso English. If you liked this video, please share it.