Film and Movie Reviews  

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Spring Semester 2012

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Greetings!  This guide is designed to help you locate film reviews. 

The fastest way to locate reviews for recently released films is to use the Internet Resources page.  To get to the page, click on the yellow tab entitled "Internet Resources for Film Reviews."  If you are looking for a review of an older film, you may also want to try the "Print Resources"  page. 

While this guide is meant to help you locate movie reviews, the Library has access to many other useful resources on film history, film studies, film production, and more.  For additional sources, search the HELIN Catalog using the subject term MOTION PICTURES, FILM, or CINEMATOGRAPHY in combination with your area of interest.  You can also browse the reference and circulating shelves in the PN1993-1999 call number range for Motion Pictures, and TR845-899 for Cinematography.  The Library has a collection of feature films and documentaries in the Media Resource Center.  

Good luck with your search!  Please don't hesitate to contact a librarian for futher assistance.

Before attempting to locate your film review, it will be helpful to know the film's date of release. One helpful tool for this is the Internet Movie Database (IMDb, see link below). When you search a film title, be sure that you locate a film rather than a TV series or a documentary, which are occasionally included in the database. The IMDb generally presents the film's original publication date. If you are looking for a review of a foreign film, keep in mind that foreign films are often released later in the United States than in their countries of origin and that their titles may change. Gather as much information about the film in both releases before you begin your search for reviews.

Two helpful print sources can also help you locate release dates for movies made prior to the year 2000. The VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (2000, see link below) provides an alphabetical index of films by title as well as a helpful alternate title index.  The TimeOut Film Guide (1999, see link below) provides a similar "Films A-Z" index that includes release date information along with movie length, producer and director information, and a plot summary.  Both of these books are located in the Reference Collection on the first floor of the library. 

If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact the Reference Desk using any of the methods listed on the "Reference Services" box to the left.

N. Krasilovsky 2/01; rev. by H. Posey 1/11