Here are our film reviews...

'Oliver!' A film of the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Last year was the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth.  

We watched a film of one of his novels, 'Oliver Twist'.  This is one of the first novels ever written with a child protagonist as its central character.  Dickens shows the great divide between the rich and the poor in Victorian society as it follows the adventures of Oliver, an orphan who is a fugitive from a workhouse and ends up joining a gang of pickpockets.

Last year we watched two films which we answered questions on and Mrs Thorogood summarised our answers for the class blog.
This year we have written our own reviews to practise free writing in English...

Oliver asks for second helpings of gruel and as a result is sold to work for an undertaker

Oliver runs away

There are many different film and television versions of the novel.  We watched the 1968 musical version which is good for language learning as the songs are repetitive and memorable.  It is also a certificate U.  There is a more modern BBC series of the novel , filmed in 2007, which is very watchable but contains some violence and emotionally difficult scenes.

 
Year 5 are writing reviews of the film (or of a different film or book of their choosing)...

Here is a song from the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEQDllvuy1I

And here are the first reviews.....

Review of Oliver

Oliver is a fiction novel. The film is a musical. It was made in 1968 in London.

It's set in Victorian England. The film is based on a novel written by Charles Dickens.

Oliver is an orphan. He lives in a workhouse. One day he escapes to London.

He meets a boy called Dodger. He joins with Dodger a gang of pickpockets.

Oliver gets caught by mistake. Then a rich man looks after Oliver. But Oliver is kidnapped.

I didn't want to reveal the whole story so I stop here!

I liked the film because it's a good story and I liked the songs.

I would recommend the film to everyone.

By Dragon

Oliver!

In our class we saw a movie which is fiction and it is called Oliver. It is set in Victorian England and it is based on a novel  by Charles Dickens . The film was made in 1968.

Oliver is an orphan who works in a workhouse and he escapes to London. He joins a gang of pick pockets. The police arrest him because they thought he stole something. Oliver  goes to live with the rich men who thought Oliver stole something from him. The gang kidnaps Oliver. Bill a very good pick pocket kills Nancy (his girlfriend) because she wanted to free Oliver. Finally some people find Oliver and they kill Bill. They give Oliver back to the rich men.

And they lived happily ever after!!!

                             the end 

                                           By Cookie

 

Oliver Twist

‘Oliver!’  is a musical. It was made in 1968.  It's fiction. It is set in Victorian England.  It is based on a novel by Charles Dickens.
Oliver is an orphan.  He lives in a workhouse.  He is sold to an undertaker.  Then he escapes and goes to London.  Adventures begin when he meets a boy called Dodger.  Dodger works in a gang of thieves.  Oliver joins pickpockets organised by Fagin.  Oliver gets caught by mistake.  Then he goes to court.  A rich man looks after him.  The rich man is Oliver Great Uncle!  After he's kidnapped from the rich man by Nancy but she regrets it and tries to save him but her husband Bill murdered her.  What will happen in the end?  Will Oliver be saved?
I like the film but I didn't like the songs because they where boring.
I would recommend the film.
                                                Nancy

FILM REVIEW

   The film is called ‘Oliver’! Oliver is fiction and it was set in Victorian England in 1968.

   The film is based on a story of a boy who is an orphan who runs away to London, by Charles Dickens.

   The boy gets kidnapped by a gang of thieves and then he escapes with an old rich man who takes care of him, but from a mistake he gets kidnapped again.

   I didn’t like it very much because there are lots of songs and they were very long.

   I wouldn’t recommend the film because I think it was boring.

By Remi

Life of Pi!

This film is a drama. It was written in the years 2012/13. The story happened in India and on the Pacific Ocean.

Pi's family has a zoo, but not enough money to keep the zoo. So the family has to move to another country.

The country´s name is Canada. They go on a big ship, together with their animals.When the ship arrives over the Mariana Trench, a heavy storm starts. The ship sinks and all the passengers die, except Pi and a tiger. They survive with a rescue boat and strand on an island, which is very dangerous. It is dangerous, because during the night, the soil comes to life and eats everything on it.

Pi and his tiger are save on the trees and they can escape again with the rescue boat. Finally they reach a land named Mexico. People find Pi and transport him to hospital.

He gets well again and has a good life again, but only one man believes his story and writes it down.

I liked the film because there was a lot of action, but the part where his parents died was a bit sad.

I recommend the film to all of you!

Bartimäus

The titanic is a long story.

The titanic was a drama movie, which tells how this big boat sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg.

The sinking of Titanic caused the death of 1502 people.  James Cameron produced a movie in 1997 which made Rose and Jack meet together and fall in love.  At the end Jack died when the boat sank.

I liked the movie because there is a lot of action.  I disliked the movie because at the end it is very sad.

I recommend the movie for people who like drama.

By Vanille

 

The Lorax

There is a boy called Ted who wants to give some special trees to his girlfriend. Her grandma tells

him where to find trees. He goes to a tower with a man inside. The man tells him a story about him

and a small creature called the Lorax. In the story the man cut all the trees. So the man gave to Ted

a seed. He planted the seed and lots of trees start growing. The man of the tower and the Lorax

meet again.

I love this film because there are a lot of adventures. It’s a cartoon and the Lorax is very funny.

I would recommend the film.

By V

29/01/13
Step Brothers

This film is a comedy which isn’t based on anything. Our story begins when Nancy Huff and Robert

Doback get married. They decide to move together into Robert’s house. But Dale and Brennan (2 adults who act like children) don’t really seem to like each other. They both sleepwalk and

Brennan has a brother called Derek. I really like the film because it was funny and exciting.  I would

recommend the film.

9,5/10 stars,  Age: must be 11

Dark Spyro

By Percy

‘OLIVER!’

‘Oliver’ is a musical. It’s fiction. It was made in 1968. It’s based on a novel by

CHARLES DICKENS. It’s set in Victorian England.

Oliver is an orphan. He lives in a workhouse. When he escapes to London, he meets

Dodger and joins a gang of pickpockets. In this gang, there is Bill. When Oliver escapes the gang, he lives in the house of a rich man, but Bill kidnaps him.

I’m not going to tell you more of the film because it’s too long.

I love this film. It’s very nice! There are lots of adventures. I recommend it!

Oliver!

It's a musical and adventure story.

It was made in England.

It is set in Victorian England.

It's based on a true story written by Charles Dickens.

Oliver is an orphan. He lives in a  workhouse. He is sold to an undertaker.

Then he escapes and goes to London.

He meets a boy called Dodger, and together they join a gang of pickpockets led by Fagin.

One day, Dodger tries to steal something from the pocket of a rich man and escapes. 

The rich man thinks that it was Oliver who was the thief and looks after him.

Oliver gets caught by mistake and is taken to the court.

He is released and the rich man takes him to live with him...

I didn't like the film because there were too many songs, even if the story was interesting and there was a lot of suspense.

I wouldn't recommend the film.

By S

Oliver!

Oliver Twist was an orphan. He knew nothing about his parents. His mother died shortly after his birth. He grows up in an orphanage and work house. There he was badly treated and he escaped to London. To survive Oliver was forced to steal. Oliver is a poor 9 year old boy but with a great heart. His salvation is the good Mr. Brownlow. He takes Oliver to his house after he was arrested by the police. Mr. Brownlow found out the secret of his true origins. His parents were rich people and Oliver was finally rewarded.

I liked the film because I like musicals but the story is very sad.

By M

Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist is a musical drama. It was made in 1968 and is set in London. The film is based on a novel by Charles Dickens. 

The story is about an orphan named Oliver Twist, who lives in a work house. He runs away to London and lives with a group of boys who are trained pickpockets. Oliver gets in trouble, but finds his real great Uncle by chance who is very rich.  He ends up with becoming a rich and amazing person.

I didn’t like the film, because it’s a musical and I didn’t like the songs. I liked the part when he escapes, runs to London and becomes a pickpocket.

However, I wouldn’t recommend the film.

By G

My film review about Oliver Twist

The film is a fiction, a drama and a musical.

It was made in 1968 in England.

This story is set in the Victorian England in the 1800s.

It is based on a novel written by Charles Dickens.

The film is about the unfair life in London at this time.

It tells us the differences between rich and poor people and how life was hard for children without a family.

In this story Oliver is an orphan who lives in a workhouse. He is sold to an undertaker. Then he escapes and goes to London.

There he meets a boy called Dodger in a gang of thieves. He joins these pickpockets organised by Fagin. Oliver gets caught by mistake but he escapes.

Then a rich man looks after him but he was kidnapped back by the pickpockets who also murdered Nancy because she wanted to help Oliver.

If you want to know if it's a happy-ending for Oliver watch the film!

I like the film because it is interesting to learn about life in this society.

I didn't like the too long musical parts.

I wouldn't recommend this film but I prefer the new one from 2005.

I would recommend you (and me!) perhaps to read the book!

  
By Mr Chang

Editor's note:
The novel is a very exciting story which is quite revealing about human nature and about how people lived in a very unequal society in Victorian England.  The original novel is written in slightly old fashioned English so it might be better to read a version which has been adapted for children such as the version in the Usborne Young Reading series.  This uses simplified vocabulary and grammar and is printed in larger text which is easy to read.  Mrs T

  

Here is my description of Ice Age 4:

Ice Age 4 is made in 2012. The genre is a computer-animated adventure film.

The film starts with the earth being created. This is very interesting to see.

The film is about a teenage mammoth and her father. They get separated and try to find each other.

I think the film is really funny and I liked it a lot. I will give it 4 3/4 stars out of 5.

By T

Skulduggery Pleasant is a mystery/thriller, and a bit of comedy. It is written by Derek Landy. The first book came in 2007. It happens in Dublin, Ireland.

Stephanie Edgley is a normal girl, but one day her world changes. Her uncle Gordon gets murdered,

but nobody knows who murdered him.

When her Dad, her Mum, her uncle Fergus, her Aunt Beryl, and a strange man called Skulduggery

Pleasant go to the reading of the will, Stephanie gets her Uncle Gordon’s house. Her uncle and aunt get a boat, a car, a summerhouse, and a little box with something in it. In it, there is a key to a secret

celler. But they don´t know. And here the adventure begins.

I like the series very much.

Well, I only read three of them, but I hope I will find the others in the library. There are 7 books in

the series, but he might write more.

I would recommend it to those who see it in their library. It is very good. I like the drama.

By Catstein Junior

 

 

Festivals in our country.

This week we're writing about Festivals in our countries.

The biggest "festival" in my country takes place in December. It's called Jul. This means Christmas in English. The "festival"celebrates Jesus` birth. At festival time some people dress up as Santa. Usually it's our parents. And then they give us presents. On the 24th of December we give each other presents. I think it's a very nice "festival".

By Dark Spyro

One festival in Germany takes place on the 11th November. 

It is called St Martin.

We celebrate his goodness.

The people walk in the streets with lanterns in the evening.

St Martin rides on a horse. He meets a poor frozen man on the road, takes his sword, cuts his coat and gives one part to him.

At the end the children eat milk bread in form of a little man.

By Mr Chang 

The biggest festival in my town, Drama, takes place in September.  

www.dramafilmfestival.gr/en/history.htm

 It is called "Festival tenion mikrou mikous".   

This means "short film festival" in English.  The festival celebrates the art of cinema in Drama.   At the festival a lot of young directors from all over Europe present their short films and take their first steps in cinema.   Every year Drama comes to life as the artists make the city more beautiful and vibrant.   It is a free festival and a change for people to watch different short films.

By Nancy

This festival takes place in November .

It's called "La festa dei morti ".

This means "The day of the dead ".

The festival honours the memory of people who have died.

People dress up in black or normal clothes go to the cemetery to visit dead relatives.

  
By Dragon

The Grim Reaper

We all love Christmas. In my family, Christmas is very important. Christmas is to celebrate Jesus’ birth. We dress up as St Claus, but just with a red and white hat. People celebrate it like this: they stay at home and celebrate it with their family. St Claus comes to our house and puts the presents under the Christmas tree. In lots of countries, we eat a cake made of ice cream. In french it’s called a 'bûche'

Have a nice Christmas!

By Percy

Santa Claus is skiing!

Now we know what Santa does in his spare time :-)

The 6th December in Austria is an important and good day for all children. In the evening St. Nikolaus comes.  He’s not Santa Claus (Weihnachtsmann).

He is a bishop.  He has a big white beard and a red coat. St. Nikolaus  reads from a huge book the names of the children and if they were really well behaved, they get small gifts, nuts, fruits and sweets. 

Unfortunately, there are also the Krampus, scary devils with chains and rods who catch bad people and badly behaved children.   

Kids are a little bit afraid but boys have also fun showing their courage running behind the devils.  Fortunately the Krampus is afraid of St. Nikolaus.  He is much stronger and can drive away the Krampus. 

By M

In December the biggest festival is Christmas.
We celebrate Jesus Christ being born.
We dress up in nice clothes.
We dance around the Christmas tree and open presents.
There's no King or Queen.
The family enjoys themselves.

By Wendy

The biggest festival in my village takes place in December. It's called Christmas.

At festival time people don't wear a special costume.

They celebrate the birth of Jesus.  People eat special food.  They give presents to each other.

                                          

By M

A festival in my country is in December. It is called "Weihnachten".
It means Christmas and celebrates a Religious festival. The people dress up in normal clothes.
Most people go to church. People in church ring bells, sing and pray.

Bartimäus

My festival takes place in February. It´s called Fastelavn. It celebrates fertility. People dress up in all kinds of costumes. People hit a barrel. We have 1 king and 1 queen. The king is the one who hits the barrel down, and the queen the one who hits the first piece down.

By A

In Spain, the 6th of January is very important because we celebrate when the Three Wise Men came to give things to Jesus. At night on the 5th January, we go to sleep and the three kings (Los Reyes Magos) leave presents for us under the Christmas tree. When we wake up we open our presents. The good children have presents, but the naughty children have coal. Then we celebrate with the family at home and we eat some "roscon" (a biscuit like a large doughnut).

By V

The biggest festival in my region is ‘Feast of the Artists’ in Chassepierre (Belgium).  For two days hundreds of international artists (clowns, musicians, acrobats, etc.) put on shows in the streets of the village. It’s really a family festival where the people sit on the floor or in the fields. I went this summer with my parents and my brother and we loved it!

By Vanille