STUDY SKILLS

Skimming

Skimming means reading a text quickly to find the main idea.

For example, we read a newspaper quickly to see if there are any interesting stories in it.

Read quickly. Don´t worry about the words you don´t understand.

Quick read. Think about the study skill. Skim the text quickly.

-Which texts summarise the plots of fantasy films?

-Is there any detective film?

Fantasy films take the audience to imaginary places where events are unreal. They transcend the bounds of human possibility and physical laws. They often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, and the extraordinary.

Detective-mystery films focus on the unsolved crime (usually the murder or disappearance of one or more of the characters, or a theft) and on and the central character - the detective-hero, as he/she meets various adventures and challenges in the cold and methodical pursuit of the criminal or the solution to the crime.

Romance films are love stories, or affairs of the heart that centre on passion, emotion, and the romantic, affectionate involvement of the main characters (usually a leading man and lady).

The Big Sleep (1946)- Philip Marlowe calls on new client General Sternwood at his Los Angeles mansion. The wealthy general wants to resolve gambling debts his daughter Carmen  owes to bookseller, Geiger. As Marlowe is leaving, General Sternwood's elder daughter, Mrs. Vivian Rutledge stops him. She suspects her father's true motive for calling in Marlowe is to find his friend Sean Regan, who had mysteriously disappeared a month earlier.

Always (1989)- an aviator named Ted Randall is guided through battle by an angel (a deceased WWII pilot named Pete Sandidge).

Roman Holiday (1953)- A runaway princess rebels against her royal obligations and escapes the confines of her royal prison to find a 'Prince Charming' commoner - an American reporter (Peck) covering the royal tour in Rome. She shares with Joe her dream of living a normal life without her responsibilities and restrictions. That night, at a dance on a boat, government agents finally track her down but Joe and Anya escape. Through all this, they gradually fall in love. However, Anya realizes that it cannot be.

The Long Goodbye (1973)- The protagonist meets a drunk named Terry Lennox, a man with scars on one side of his face. They forge an uneasy friendship over the next few months. Everything changes when Lennox shows up late one night at Marlowe's house, asking for a ride to the Tijuana airport. Marlowe agrees as long as Lennox doesn't tell him any details of why he's running. On his return to LA, Marlowe is arrested on suspicion of murder, after having annoyed the police investigating the case with his refusal to cooperate, as an attempt to force him to reveal that he helped Lennox.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)- Dorian Gray, wishing to remain young and handsome for eternity, essentially sells his soul so that a portrait can age instead of him. The wish comes true. Over the course of the next eighteen years, Dorian commits every sort of sin and he remains young. Only the portrait grows old.