FilmBlog

Movie Reviews (Critical Response)

"In this CLAS lesson, students choose any movie and pretend they're selling it door-to-door. They will write a lively one-page sales pitch for the item they are peddling."

Screening the Silver Screen

"In this lesson, students examine the style and techniques of the 'Movie Guide' column found every Friday in the Weekend section of The New York Times. Using the reviews in 'Movie Guide' as a model for writing, students develop their own descriptive, persuasive movie reviews for favorite films."

From The New York Times Learning Network.

The Movie Reviewer

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone provides the timely vehicle to introduce the basics of movie review writing. An interview with Washington Post movie reviewer Desson Howe gives a glimpse into the life of a critic. It is clear that Howe has academic training and a love of movies. Movie trivia questions get students thinking about their own knowledge of movies and the economics of the motion picture industry. Teachers are provided guidelines for movie review writers, film vocabulary and a checklist for students to use when writing their first movie reviews. Word Study focuses on movie lingo. In the Money vocabulary and Post articles are used in the enrichment activity that introduces students to the business side of franchises, product placement and endorsements. Just for fun, a Harry Potter matching challenge is provided."

Downloadable as PDF from The Washington Post.

The All Movie Guide

The All Movie Guide is my favourite site for movie reviews. Each film has a detailed plot synopsis and review. These are written by specialist staff rather than users, which means that they tend to be more readable (and reliable).   

The Internet Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database, now owned by Amazon.com, is the main rival to the All Movie Guide. The IMD's reviews are written by users and tend to be less authoratative. However, there's a wealth of information about each film including trivia and fun stuff.