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Big Tip 1 Although it isn't required, knowing the release date or year of the film you're researching will make the search easier. Many films have the same titles because they were remakes of the original, for example:
Sometimes films have the same titles, but they are in no way related to one another and contain completely different story lines and themes, for example:
Consult The Motion Picture Almanac (PN1993.3 .I55 in Reference) or the Internet Movie Database for release date information. |
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Big Tip 2 Be aware that film articles and reviews, whether scholarly or popular in nature, can be published AT ANY TIME and not only when the film is released. Keep your time options open if you have trouble locating reviews of any kind. |
MOVIE REVIEWS
Print Resources - Movie Reviews
Most movie reviews in popular periodicals such as Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, and Variety are published around the time the movie comes out in either wide or limited release.
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Big Tip 3 Most print indices have a handy user guide at the very beginning of the books or volumes. Many periodical titles are often abbreviated, but the introductory pages of the indices will spell out the entire name of the abbreviated titles. |
| Z5784
.M9 F513 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
Film Review Index - Mostly popular articles, very few scholarly ones. For films released between 1882 and 1986. |
| Z5784 .M9
B39 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
Retrospective Index to Film Periodicals, 1930-1971 - Scholarly and popular articles. Indexes film reviews, film subjects, and film book reviews. For films that were released between 1930 and 1971 only. |
| Z5784 .M9
I49 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
International Index to Film Periodicals: An Annotated Guide - Scholarly and popular articles. Indexes articles, interviews, and reviews that have appeared in U.S. and international periodicals. All of the periodicals are film-related. |
| PN1995
.N4 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
The New York Times Film Reviews - Includes film reviews that have appeared in the New York Times for the following years only: 1913/1931-1977/1978, 1981/1982-1987/1988. |
| PN1995
.V34 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
Variety Film Reviews 1930-1933 - Film reviews that appeared in Variety between January 1, 1930 through December 26, 1933. |
For more assistance, see the Step by Step Help section.
Electronic Resources - Reviews
Databases - Reviews
Reader's Guide with Full Text/Reader's Guide Retrospective - (Years covered: 1983-present/1890 to 1982) - Online database of the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. **Note: Database will open in a new window.**
Use the following terms for searching:
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as | Subject(s) |
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as | Title |
Sample search:
Optional: To get the best results, limit your search to a specific year or years. Remember the King Kong and The Ring examples mentioned in BIG TIP 1!
Expanded
Academic ASAP - (Years covered: 1980-present) **Note:
Database will open in a new window.**
Includes articles and citations of scholarly and popular sources.
In the search box, enter the title of your film followed by "movie reviews."
Other databases that can be used to search for movie reviews are listed below:
- LexisNexis Academic - After database opens, select the "Guided News Search" tab. For Step One, select "Arts & Sports News." For Step Two, select "Book, Movie, Music, & Play Reviews." For Step Three, type in the name of the film. For Step Four, select a date range. Step Five is optional. Select "Search."
- New York Times - (1999-present) - Using the "Basic Search" option, click the gray "More Search Options" tab located mid-left on the page. For "Article Type," select "Movie review."
- Wall Street Journal - (1982-present) - Using the "Basic Search" option, click the gray "More Search Options" tab located mid-left on the page. For "Article Type," select "Movie review." Don't forget to type your movie title in the search box.
- OmniFile Full Text Mega Edition - (1986-present) - After database opens, do a "Keyword Search" for your film. Example: I'm searching for a film review of Mulholland Drive. In the search box, I type: mulholland drive (motion picture review). For a review of Gladiator, I type: gladiator (motion picture review).
The World Wide Web - Reviews
Internet
Movie Database
Reviews are actually "User Comments," and are not recommended
for students seeking scholarly movie reviews. However, this is a good site
for getting general information on films, television programs, actors, directors,
best boys, etc.
Scope:
An On-line Journal of Film Studies
A free refereed, scholarly journal edited by the staff and students of the
Institute of Film Studies at the University of Nottingham. Includes reviews
of recently-released films and a select number of films released since August
1999.
Most scholarly, academic, and refereed articles can be found by searching through electronic databases or certain print indexes. **Very few scholarly articles are available randomly on the Web.**
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Big Tip 4 Critical essays on films may not appear in the index for the year in which they were released. It is possible for a scholar to write an essay in 2002 on a film that was released in 1961. For example, if you wanted to look for critical essays on Carl Franklin's film Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) starring Denzel Washington, you'll find that the 2000 edition of Film Literature Index contains three entries for this film. The articles were not published in 1995, the year of the film's release. Therefore, it may be necessary to check as many of the Film Literature Index volumes as possible to see if an article on your film was published one, two, five, eight, ten, or twenty years after its release. |
Print Resources - Critical Essays
| Z5784
.M9 F45 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
Film Literature Index - Mostly scholarly articles, some popular. Indexes approximately one hundred twenty-five international film periodicals and one hundred non-film periodicals that often feature film-related articles. Includes citations for topics in film, television, and video. |
| Z5784
.M9 F513 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
Film Review Index - Mostly popular articles, very few scholarly ones. For films released between 1882 and 1986. |
| Z5784 .M9
B39 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
Retrospective Index to Film Periodicals, 1930-1971 - Scholarly and popular articles. Indexes film reviews, film subjects, and film book reviews. For films that were released between 1930 and 1971 only. |
| Z5784 .M9
I49 (Reference, Non-Circulating) |
International Index to Film Periodicals: An Annotated Guide - Scholarly and popular articles. Indexes articles, interviews, and reviews that have appeared in U.S. and international periodicals. All of the periodicals are film-related. |
Electronic Resources - Critical Essays
Expanded
Academic ASAP - (Years covered:
1980 to present)
In the search box, enter the title of your film followed by the words "critical
essay."
MLA
International Bibliography - (Years covered: 1963 to
present)
When the database opens, select the "Subject guide" search option,
and enter the title of your film or any key words about the themes or subjects
related to your film.
Art
Index with Full Text / Art Retrospective (1929-present)
or Humanities
Full Text - (Years covered for both: 1984 to present)
Enter the title of your film or any key words about the themes or subjects
related to your film. Some key words you may want to use: motion pictures, cinema, film.
You may be able to find critical film essays in other arts and humanities databases. Visit the Film and Video Research Guide for a listing of these databases.
Important Note: Remember, there is always the possibility that an essay on your film was never published. If you don't find a critical essay written about your film, and you have exhausted all of your options, it may not be out there. Please feel free to consult with a reference librarian for assistance.
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Big Tip 5 - You will receive the best results when you begin your research early! This means at least a few weeks before you begin writing your paper. |
1. Look in one of the print indices listed above. Begin with the year that your film was released. (Check the Internet Movie Database if you don't know this information.) Look it up by title and see if it is indexed. If it is not, check the succeeding volumes. If your film was released many years prior to the first volume, begin with the first volume that the library owns.
Did you find your film in a print index?
- Yes - Continue with Step 2.
- No - Make sure you have looked in ALL of the print indices listed on the Guide. It may very well be that no one has written about your film, especially if it is an obscure or unknown title. In this instance, you should make an appointment with a reference librarian for a consultation. Allow enough time for this. (See BIG TIP above.)
2. Write down the citation information (e.g. periodical name, date, page number(s), etc.) for the article(s) you need.
3. Look in the Library Catalog to see if we have the periodical(s) in our collection. Make sure we have the volume or issue that you need. (Select the "Library Has" link from the Catalog listing.)
Do we have a subscription to the periodical(s) you need?
- Yes - Continue with Step 4.
- No - Request the article through Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad). Allow enough time for this. (See BIG TIP above.)
4. Go up to the stacks to retrieve the periodical and your article, or if we have an electronic subscription to it, open the database or electronic journal through the Electronic Collection page. See the Reference Desk for assistance, or visit the Library Online Tutorial (L.O.T. - "Databases" module) for more help.
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