Reviews

Recenziile (Reviews) – sunt nişte articole apărute în ziare sau reviste, în care se exprimă propriile opinii cu privire la o carte, o piesă de teatru, un film, un program TV etc. Scopul unei recenzii este, în primul rând, acela de a oferi informaţii reale despre subiectul în cauză, şi abia apoi să ofere o părere personală cu privire la subiectul respectiv. Aceste informaţii vor ajuta cititorii să decidă în ce măsură cartea, piesa de teatru sau filmul respectiv merită atenţie. De obicei, recenziile conţin trei părţi (descrierea subiectului, dezbaterea – comentariu detaliat despre părţile pozitive şi cele negative ale subiectului, verdictul – recapitulare şi recomandări), dar acest lucru nu este întotdeauna obligatoriu (de exemplu, autorul recenziei poate să descrie un aspect al subiectului şi apoi să-l comenteze imediat, înainte de  a descrie şi alte aspecte ale aceluiaşi subiect.

Descrierea oferă detalii despre subiectul în cauză. Acestea sunt, de fapt, răspunsuri la întrebări de genul:

-          Despre ce este vorba?

-          Cui se adresează?

-          Ce trăsături speciale prezintă?

-          Ce fel de carte/ film/ piesă de teatru etc. este?

-          Ce aduce nou?

-          De unde se poate procura/ unde se poate viziona?

Dezbaterea include comentariile detaliate cu privire la succesele şi insuccesele subiectului respectiv. Pentru a realiza acest lucru, este nevoie de o prezentare atât obiectivă (bazată pe fapte reale – de exemplu, fotografiile sunt de proastă calitate, costumele nu sunt pe măsura actorilor, nu sunt destule campanii publicitare etc), cât şi subiectivă (bazată pe sentimentele personale – subiectul nu prezintă prea mult interes, e prea calm/ violent etc.). Oricum, o bună recenzie oferă argumente pentru toate părerile exprimate. Uneori, este posibil ca autorul recenziei să tindă spre latura subiectivă, ceea ce nu este un lucru rău, însă nu trebuie să pierdem din vedere faptul că trebuie să încercăm să redăm toate aspectele subiectului respectiv.

Verdictul reprezintă o recapitulare şi recomandările personale. Ultimul paragraf rezumă opiniile autorului recenziei şi spune clar dacă acesta recomandă sau nu subiectul. De cele mai multe ori, cititorii se uită la ultimul paragraf pentru a vedea care este concluzia autorului şi pentru a-şi face repede o părere generală.

Ex.

Book review(fiction)

Mr. President – Iris Osbourne, Omaha Press, $12.50 This is the unbelievable story of a second-rate actor who becomes President of the United States. Young Ronald Smith seems set for a rather mediocre acting career in Hollywood in the 1950s until he ventures into politics and wins a nomination for Governor of California. Seven years and two marriages later, he runs for the White House and actually wins the elections! He is now the most powerful man in the world. Iris Osbourne, the author, finds herself at the beginning of the writing career. This book is certainly packed with action and exotic settings, but somehow, the formula doesn’t work. The hero, Ronald Smith, seems too improbable to hold the readers’ attention. A very forgettable book. We are waiting for the next one.

Book review(non-fiction)

The joy of appetizers – The Getaway  Press, $ 45 Despite its rather unpromising title, this is actually a fascinating and comprehensive study of a neglected aspect of the culinary art. The first part of the book deals with general information about this subject. There is a detailed history of appetizers from their very first appearance up to our days. There are several chapters on „Appetizers in Art”, „Appetizers in Music”, „Appetizers in Literature” etc. This section ends with a survey on the place of appetizers in the cultures of various countries around the world. The second part of the book is devoted to recipes, some traditional, some new, and each recipe is beautifully illustrated with a full page colour photograph. The recipes are clear enough even for a child to follow. There are helpful line drawings showing some of the preparation techniques. In a nutshell, it is a superb book which should provide inspiration for all the cooks in the world, whether they are beginners or “old hands”. Only the rather expensive price, $45, may prevent it from becoming the best seller which it deserves to be.

Radio / TV programme review

The world through an ant’s eyes, 9.30, Sunday, BBC This was the first in a new series of wild life documentary programmes presented by the famous bioligist, David Jason. Each programme will focus on one creature and looks at its habitat and life cycle in depth. This week’s subject was the ant and we learnt something about the complex architecture of the ant hill. Ants are not particularly attractive looking creatures, but the photograph was so beautiful and David Jason’s own commentary so detailed, that it was practically impossible not to be all ears. I, for one, have certainly developed a new respect for these industrious little insects. In the following weeks we can look forward to programmes on the eathworms and bettles. If they can maintain the standard set in this first programme, this will be a very successful series.

Film/ Play review

Changing careers: Hilton Cinema If you have seen the intense publicity, you might think that this was a funny film. Wrong. It’s a film which struggles to be funny and fails consistently. The story presents a musician who is not very good in his field. When his employer sacks him and he can’t pay the bills, he decides to turn to …crime.  He tries a little shoplifting (he’s not good at it, of course) but then, he gets involved in bigger things. William Myers, the hero, has only a few good lines, but most of the time he’s struggling with an awful script. There are some good moments – the bank robbery is memorable – but the story line is very slight and the director seems to run out of ideas very quickly. As the film progresses, the level of violence increases. In spite of the publicity, this is not a film for children. A great sum of money went into the making of Changing Careers but in the end, spectacular effects are no substitute for real humour.