ESL Blogs

As a writer, you must always be on the lookout for inspiration. This is why I always carry a notebook. Two things inspired me to create the topic "Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down" for Writing Challenge #17:

1. An excellent blog post on Sherlock Holmes by MyEC Member Franklin Fernandes.

2. Watching Daniel Emmerson's latest film from The Learning English Video Project "Insights from China"

This month we are going to write movie reviews together. Will your movie get a thumbs up or a thumbs down?

1. Choose a movie to review. (An English movie would be best!)

2. Create a new blog post. Use the title "Writing Challenge #17: Thumbs Up (or Thumbs down) for "Your Movie Title".

3. Write a few paragraphs about the film in first person (I). Be sure to include:

a) An attention grabber: The first line of your review must attract the reader.

b) The genre (comedy, action, horror, romantic comedy, documentary) and main actors.

c) A quote from the movie

d) The basic plot: Don't tell the most important details (especially the ending)

e) Why you liked or didn't like the film

4. Provide a star rating at the end of your review. 5 stars is best.

5. Come back to this challenge and share a link to your film review. Don't forget to visit other writers' reviews and leave comments for them!

My Example:

Is visiting China on your bucket list? After watching Insights from China, it is now near the top of mine. Daniel Emmerson's objective in creating The Learning English Video project was to find out "how and why people are learning ESL across the globe." It was obvious that China would be part of the project from the get go. Hundreds of millions of people are learning English in China. Many of these people are business workers, such as those from Spring Airlines, a company that is featured in the film. "We must learn English" says Solomon Molchizdek, the IT manager at the airline company. You can see his passion for the language. He giggles when he says his language is very poor and admits that English is becoming "more and more important". This is something learners around the world can identify with.

Insights from China is a film that stands on its own. It is my favourite film in the documentary series so far. As a teacher who hears the sorrows and fears of learners every day, I think that all English learners should take 18 minutes to watch it. Why? It will motivate you. It will remind you that you are not alone in your journey. It will convince you that by learning English you will have more opportunities in life. As one of the interviewees says in the film, there is no way to avoid learning English. "It's a fact!"

I like this film because it shows the motivation, determination, and warm personalities of Chinese learners. Their smiles are infectious. It also shows the rich culture of cities like Shanghai. Most importantly, I appreciate Wang's point that English is just a language and that learners should follow in the footsteps of a baby! Why do I love this line? Taking baby steps is my motto in life. Watch the film to find out why Solomon's motto is "Never say die".

bucket list: a list of things you want to do before you die

objective: main point or reason

from the get go: from the beginning

giggle: to laugh in a child-like manner

identify with: understand easily because you have similar experiences or feelings

stand on its own: strong enough without the other parts or members

infectious: causes you to have or do the same

If you like this challenge, I encourage you to write a second review as well! Write one "thumbs up" and one "thumbs down". Watch all of the films (and take the online quizzes) from The Learning English Video Project .