How to talk about cinema

How to Talk About Cinema is a complete guide to becoming an expert in the seventh art.

Whether trying to impress someone after an arthouse film or discussing Oscar nominations among friends, most people enjoy finding ways to watch and talk about movies. But with so much variety, from Alfred Hitchcock thrillers to Nora Ephron romantic comedies, how can viewers determine what makes a film truly good?

In How to Talk About Movies: A Guide to Appreciating the Seventh Art , The Washington Post film critic and Pulitzer Prize nominee for best film review Ann Hornaday walks us through the aspects of filmmaking—from scriptwriting and casting to sound editing—and explains how to evaluate each stage of the process. How do you know if a film is well-written, beyond snappy dialogue? What constitutes great acting? What makes for remarkable cinematography, editing, and sound? And what really makes a director? The author offers us these answers and shows us how the experience of watching a film can be much richer than we imagined.

Featuring interesting facts and interviews with actors and filmmakers, How to Talk About Cinema will help you see cinema in a whole new light – not just as a fan, but as a true film critic.