Action movies are a genre in which there is a heavy emphasis on sequences that involve shootouts, fights, explosions, stunts, and car chases. More often than not, the plot that form the characters in such films involve violence and usually focus on the individual efforts of a single protagonist, (or a few them) as opposed to the usual collaborative efforts by numerous personas one often sees in war films. As such, the action genre, is somewhat akin to adventure and thriller film genres.

Famous directors of this genre, who are noted for their prowess to convey plot development through action sequences, include John Woo, Sylvester Stallone, and Jacky Chan.

Two of the most successful action films are:

·         The Matrix – Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the film tells the fictional story of Thomas A. Anderson, who learns that the world we live in is nothing but a virtual reality created by sentient machines who, after winning an epic war against humanity, have created it to lull the consciousness of enslaved humans in order to use their bioelectrical impulses and body heat to power themselves. Shedding off his “real name,” (which was a sham to begin with anyway, as his identity was part of the fictional world the machines fabricated around his consciousness.) Thomas Anderson took on his hacker name “Neo” and embarked with several others on a guerilla war against their mechanical oppressors.

·         Braveheart – This action film tells the story of William Wallance the famous Scot who opposed Edward I of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. The story is basically one of love, revenge, and the thirst for freedom as the murder of William Wallace’s bride catalyzed the character’s decision to wage an open revolt against the English in a bid for freedom for Scotland.

Comedy film is a movie genre that places emphasis on humor. The genre is one of the oldest in the film industry, having catapulted stars like Charlie Chaplin to worldwide fame. What sets this genre aside from the rest is its intense focus on individual stars, utilizing popular stand-up comics who have shifted their career from the stage to the film industry. Movies of this genre have a lighthearted atmosphere to them and more often than not, end with a happy theme. Others, however, contain social or political commentaries conveyed between the proverbial lines.

The comedy genre can be further broken down into:

·         Comedy of manners – Movies that ridicule a particular social class through a satire falls into this class. Witty dialogue often eclipses events in the film through which the plot develops.

·         Parody/spoof film – is a comedy that ridicules the plot, characters, and/or the character’s action/intentions of a different movie.

·         “Fish out of water” comedy film – Here, the protagonist finds himself in an environment or perpetual situation that he is unaccustomed to. It is on this concept that the film will usually capitalize on producing hilarity.

·         Black comedy – Films that belong to this class revolve around taboo subjects. Popular examples include: “The Ladykillers” and “The War of the Roses.”

·         Romantic comedy – Films that fall into this class has a plot that revolves around the relationship between a man and a woman.

·         Gross out films – depend on dirty jokes and sexy themes. This is a fairly new class of comedy and was largely popularized by the movies “American Pie” and “There’s Something About Mary.”

·         Anarchic comedy films – These use nonsensical humor that ridicules some factions of authority.

·         Screwball comedy – This is a label applied loosely on romantic comedy or slapstick films. The usual archetypical components of a film of this class include a romantic relationship, persons or groups from different economic levels, a reversal of roles, and a happy ending.

Two examples of a comedy film are:

·         Back to the Future – Tells the fictional story of teenager Marty McFly and the zany scientist Dr. Emmett Brown. Dr. Brown invents a machine and accidentally sends Marty to 1955, when McFly’s parents were just teenagers. He unwittingly interferes with his parents’ first meeting and now he must make them fall in love so that he will be born in the future. Add to this the problem of finding plutonium in 1955 that powers the machine and this movie presents numerous hilarious situations.

·         Notting Hill – This is a romantic comedy film. The story revolves around an average bookkeeper, William Thacker, and a world-renowned actress, Anna Scott. Thacker’s life is turned topsy-turvy when a chance meeting with the actress leads into an awkward courtship between the shy bookkeeper and the somewhat stressed actress.

“Romance film” is a term applied loosely to any film that has the romantic relationship between the movie’s protagonists as its focal point. Almost always, the film will have conflicts in it such as a new romantic attraction, a career move, and/or an inner turmoil being tackled by one of the characters. Another staple for the genre is that the plot must have a happy or bittersweet ending. However, this last requisite is being debated over and many scriptwriters and directors have deviated from this formula.

The genre’s appeal lies on the realistic range of emotions being expressed by the personas in the movies.

Two examples of a romance film are “Pretty Woman,” which stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts and “Serendipity,” which stars Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack.