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Using this Page
This page presents three categories of resources to help you locate film reviews.
- Internet ResourcesLinks to web sites that will bring you to full-text reviews for recent films.
- Scholarly and Critical Film DatabasesThese databases will lead you to articles from journals and magazines published by film scholars.
- General DatabasesThese general databases are search-able by document type, so locating reviews within them is fairly simple. Reviews will come from magazines and newspapers along with some scholarly material.
Internet Resources
These Internet sources will bring you to a variety of reviews for recent films.
Be sure to use the proper citation format to cite these online sources. If you need help with citations please see our Citing Correctly and Avoiding Plagiarism guide or contact a librarian for help.
If you are looking for reviews of older films, try the New York Times Article Archive (listed below), or the various databases and print sources also described in this guide.
- MetacriticSearch for the film by title. Once you locate it, click on the link for "critic reviews." The reviews will be listed by the name of the original review publisher. Click on the link that says "read full review." The site will re-direct you to the original review.
- Movie Review Query EngineFind online movie reviews by entering a film title. A list of results will provide links to the review's original publisher. You can also find reviews by selecting film categories such as current and popular films of the recent past few days, film festival reviews, and AFI reviews.
- Internet Movie Database (IMDB)Search for movies and TV shows by title, cast/crew, and character. Information provided includes director, genre, cast overview, rating, year released, runtime, plot outline.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Page image and full-text index to The New York Times. Additional year of content added annually.
- What dates are covered? 1851 - 2021.
Scholarly and Critical Film Databases
These databases index film studies literature.
- Scope: An Online Journal of Film and Television StudiesScope an online journal edited by staff and students in the Institute of Film & Television Studies at the University of Nottingham. The Scope online archive provides movie reviews from 1999 to 2004. You can search for a review using your film's title, or browse reviews by year of release.
- Film and Television Literature Index (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing. It has been designed for use by a diverse audience that includes film scholars, college students, and general viewers. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. Updated twice a month.
- What dates are covered? Mostly 1970s - present, with some older coverage
General Databases
These databases index journals, magazines, and newspapers from a variety of fields. They are helpful in locating film reviews from popular magazines and newspapers.
- Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Citations to and full text of over 8,500 journals and magazines, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Covers a wide range of academic subjects including the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, technology, and more.
- What dates are covered? Coverage varies, but generally covers the mid 1990s - present. Updated daily.
- Nexis Uni (LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? News, law, and business information service. Includes news from national and international newspapers; wire services and articles from hundreds of periodicals; and a number of other reference sources. All sources are full-text. Updated daily.
- Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
- What’s included? Access almost 100 years of cultural history with citations to over 3 million articles that appeared in 373 leading U.S. magazines.
- What dates are covered? 1890 - Present.