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How to Find Film Criticism

How to Find Film Criticism

To Find Journal and Magazine Articles Online

You can search various databases and occasionally get the full-text of the article online. In other cases, you will have a citation for an article and then need to find the actual article (how do I do this?). The following indexes for film criticism can be found via the Find Journal Articles & Research Tools section of the library homepage:

  • Film and Television Literature Index
    To find reviews, enter keywords. You can also use the index to specify "Reviews & Products" to limit to only reviews.
     
  • Historical Newspapers
    While not scholarly in nature, movie reviews are a feature of many newspapers. You can either narrow your reviews down by publication (e.g. The New York Times only) or search several historical newspapers at once. See also our Newspapers webpage for a more complete listing of the newspapers (print and online) available at Leddy.
     
  • MLA International Bibliography (1884-present)
    To find reviews, enter keywords. You can also use the various thesauri/lists to focus your search on specific individuals or subjects.
     

Finding Books

  • Search in the library catalogue by entering the name of a director or actor, last name first. For example, hitchcock alfred and select to search by subject.
  • Use the phrase "motion pictures" (include the quotation marks) instead of film - you'll get more results.
  • Search in the library catalogue by entering the name of the genre or film style in quotation marks. For example, "silent film".
  • To expand your search, think about issues or themes relevant to the body of work you are examining. For example, if you were looking for books on Spike Lee, it might be helpful to do a Boolean search such as "motion pictures" and (race or black or "african american").


Selected Film Criticism Reference Titles (Online)


Selected Film Criticism Reference Titles

Internet Resources

Think critically about Web reviews as many reviews found online are unlikely to be scholarly; consult with your professor if you are unsure as to whether scholarly/academic resources are required for your research.

  • Internet Movie Database - biggest and most comprehensive film site; offers cast and crew lists, box office information and more
  • Movie Review Query - features reviews of over 45,000 films from newspapers, web sites and entertainment magazines
  • All Movie Guide - searchable guide with plot synopsis, actors, reviews, credits
  • The Greatest Films - extensive resource featuring special lists, e.g. Oscar Winners, greatest films, quotes, posters and more
  • Reel Classics - comprehensive site dedicated to classic films; includes clips, downloads, articles
  • Black Film Center/Archive - while the archive must be visited, this site offers useful information on films by title or director, including plot summaries
  • Screensite - designed for educators and students, it offers articles on the film industry, information on film studies programs, festivals, and discussion boards
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