Guide to film terms (clip and save)

Originally posted here:

This handy guide will help you make sense of movie terms:

• Bittersweet = someone dies
  
• Tear-jerker = someone dies a long, drawn-out death
  
• Gritty = a lot of people die
  
• Mystery = one or more people die mysterious deaths
  
• Thriller = one or more people die gruesome deaths
  
• Tour de force = a long movie by a famous director
  
• Epic = a very long movie by a famous director
  
• Farce = a funny European movie
  
• Romp = a funny, sexy European movie
  
• Screwball = a comedy made in the 1930s
  
• Nutty = a comedy made in the 1960s
  
• Hip = a comedy made in the 1990s
  
• Film-noir = a black and white movie featuring men with hats and guns
  
• Western = a color movie featuring men with hats and guns
  
• Cult classic = laughably low-budget, but with some good performances
  
• Blockbuster = an expensive movie with a lot of explosions
  
• Critically acclaimed = the public hated it
  
• Box-office favorite = the critics hated it
  
• Romantic comedy = chick flick
  
• Summer fare = try not to think about the plot holes
  
• Family fare = the smartest person in the film is a kid or an animal
  
• Action = people run and sweat a lot
  
• Action-Adventure = people run and swear a lot
  
• Auteur = a director that no one likes, but who has had undeniable success
  
• Genius = a director that no one understands, but who has had undeniable success
  
• Legendary = a director whose best work is behind him
  
• Wunderkind = a director who is far too young to be paid so much money

You could see some / any / none of these types of films at the Oxford Film Festival in 2007. Stay tuned!