Quiz 2 - Cinematic Conundrum
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s awards season in the movie world, a time when winning actors gush and losing nominees flash rictus smiles. So here’s a topical quiz that focuses on the latest production from two fictional auteurs, Trento Quarantine and Roberto Banderas. The idea is simple: read the text below and see how many mistakes you can find. Use the “scribble box” to the right to keep track of the errors discovered. (If the box is not visible, simply click the quiz’s title to refresh the page.)
Trento Quarantine’s latest collaboration with Mexican director Roberto Banderas seems set to stir up more controversy than their last venture together, Killing Me Softly. According to the handful who have seen it, Quarantine’s and Banderas’s new film, Poco Loco, pushes the envelope in cinematic gore.
It is arguable that the directors have done their upmost to shock audiences in an effort to win back fans who were unimpressed by the relatively low body count in Killing Me Softly. Critics were also ambiguous about the film’s love story, which some dismissed as sentimental.
With hardcore fans of Quarantine and Banderas pouring over early press reports and blog postings, the film is likely to have a major opening when it is finally released this June. In the meantime, the picture faces a torturous journey through the film classification process as members of the Motion Picture Association of America and the directors haggle over scenes that might have to be cut.
Among industry insiders, the general consensus is that Quarantine and Banderas will be lucky if their picture, in its uncut form, receives an R certificate.
How many errors are in the excerpt above? Submit your answer:
Show Answers
Paragraph One - 1 Error
Trento Quarantine’s latest collaboration with Mexican director Roberto Banderas is likely to stir up more controversy than their last venture together, Killing Me Softly. According to the handful who have seen it, Quarantine’s and Banderas’s new film, Poco Loco, pushes the envelope in cinematic gore.
“Quarantine’s and Banderas’s new film…” is an example of how confusing it can be when using the “’s” form to indicate ownership. If both directors had made a film each, it would be accurate to write “Quarantine’s and Banderas’s new films.” But in this case the two worked together on a single film, so the correct thing to do is add the “’s” to the end of the last name in the partnership. Here, it would be “Quarantine and Banderas’s new film”.
Paragraph Two - 2 Errors
It is arguable that the directors have done their upmost to shock audiences in an effort to win back fans who were unimpressed by the relatively low body count in Killing Me Softly. Critics were also ambiguous about the film’s love story, which some dismissed as sentimental.
“…the directors have done their upmost…” Although used all the time in conversation, “upmost” is not the correct word for such contexts. Suggesting the highest or most prominent position occupied, “upmost” is a form of the more commonly used “uppermost.” (“Gonzalez said that the safety of the public is always upmost in his mind and in the minds of his officers when dealing with cases of this importance.”)
In contrast, “utmost”—which should be used in the above paragraph—suggests doing all that you possible can in pursuit of a goal.
“Critics were also ambiguous about…” It should be “Critics were also ambivalent about…” There is often confusion about the difference between ambiguous and ambivalent. As a rule of thumb, things are sometimes ambiguous whereas people can be ambivalent.
For example, when asked her views on bank bailouts, a left-wing minister could give an ambiguous answer to avoid embarrassing the government (which has just spent billions nationalising a major bank). Supporters have an ambivalent attitude to this politician: they know she is fighting against the policy behind the scenes but they are disappointed she is towing the line in public.
Paragraph Three - 2 Errors
With hardcore fans of Quarantine and Banderas pouring over early press reports and blog postings, the film is likely to have a major opening when it is finally released this June. In the meantime, the picture faces a torturous journey through the film classification process as members of the Motion Picture Association of America and the directors haggle over scenes that might have to be cut.
“With hardcore fans of Quarantine and Banderas pouring over…”. You pour milk over breakfast cereal and the rain pours down during a storm, but you pore over the words on a page when reading them carefully.
“…the picture faces a torturous journey…” Unless members of Motion Picture Association of America are planning to hold lit cigarettes against the print of Poco Loco, the film does not face a torturous journey but a tortuous one. A torturous experience might involve being stretched on a rack, having thumbscrews applied to your hands, or sitting through the results segment of Pop Idol. The adjective tortuous (with only one “r”) is derived from the Latin tortus, meaning twisting. So a tortuous route is likely to take you from A to B via G, H, J, X, and Z.
Paragraph Four - 1 Error
Among industry insiders, the general consensus is that Quarantine and Banderas will be lucky if their picture, in its uncut form, receives an R certificate.
Pedants feel like violently twisting their steering wheels to face the oncoming traffic whenever the phrase “general consensus” floats out of their car speakers. Why? Well, a consensus is the “collective opinion” of a group of people. By its very nature a consensus is general.
