MOVIE REVIEW2
EQ: How do I organize a movie review?
Learning Target:
1. Analyze a narrative story structure
2. Identify terms and concepts that serve the basis for movie reviews
3. Synthesize literary/visual concepts into a structured essay
SUCCESS CRITERIA
I will use vocabulary and assess and create a movie review.
Cornell Notes
Movie Review PurposeThe main purpose of a movie review is to inform the reader about the film and its ideas. Seems simple, right? Reporting all events that happen and stating one’s opinion about them is a common mistake that many students make. While movie review allows writers to express their opinions about some film or documentary, there is also the need for the unbiased and objective approach. An ideal review combines both. The review determines whether someone will want to see the movie. Even if the professor (or teacher) assigned a specific title and film to review, one should act like this is the perfect opportunity to introduce the cinematography work to their lecturer. Always assume they haven’t seen it before. As a result, it becomes easier to analyze events that happened on the screen. Film review should be detailed enough to provide assistance in making an honest decision i.e. whether the reader wants to see it or if they’d like it. Why is this type of paper a common school assignment? Lecturers want to get more insight into a student’s critical thinking skills and the ability to report event (one or more of them) in a manner that others understand easily. In addition, they want to assess the way you analyze plot and characters. After all, movie reviews also involve the analysis of events that happened in a documentary or “regular” film. Reviews test writing and vocabulary skills, adapting to different genres and events they portray, and your capacity to sum up some major work and report it in a cohesive, logical, and interesting manner. While reviews entail more responsibility than initially thought, students find them fun and with this guide, you will too. |
VOCABULARY
1. Blurbs – • When a quote from a review is used in a commercial/ advertisement • (ex – “Better than the Matrix! I would see it again and again!”) 2. Critic – • A professional who publishes his opinion on a particular movie/ play/book • (ex – Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper, Leonard Maltin, Pauline Kael) 3. Mediocre – • Competent but not especially outstanding • (ex – “The film wasn’t bad and it wasn’t good either, it was just mediocre” 4. Cliché – • Something that’s been used so many times that it no longer surprises or interests the audience; overexposure • (ex – In a scary movie, a black cat jumps out and scares the character, but the real danger is RIGHT BEHIND HIM/HER!) 5. Character Driven – • When the characters in a fictional work develop over the course of the story into people you care about • (ex – “Twilight” is about vampires, but more importantly, it’s the relationship between the characters that makes us care about the story) 6. High-Concept – • When the idea behind the story is interesting enough to get people to see the movie without knowing anything else about it • (ex – A young clownfish gets kidnapped and put into an aquarium and it’s up to his father and a misfit group of fish to save him {“Finding Nemo”}) 7. Plot – • What the story is about • (ex – “Kung Fu Panda” is about a clumsy, overweight panda bear who dreams of becoming the ultimate kung fu warrior, etc… {note that a plot summary is about a paragraph long}) 8. Hype – • Using different techniques to get the audience excited about the story • (ex – “Come see ‘Coraline’ in amazing 3-D! It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before!”) 9. Out of Context – • When quotes are mixed up and changed around to give the words a different meaning • (ex – The commercial says: “Roger Ebert calls ‘The Big Crazy Movie’ BRILLIANT!” • What Roger Ebert really said in his review was, “The Big Crazy movie could have been BRILLIANT if the acting wasn’t so terrible.” 10. Puns – • A clever play on words • (ex – “Waiting to Exhale” will take your breath away!) • (ex – “Run to the theater to see “Running Scared!”) 15. Critical bias – • When the critic cannot review the film fairly due to a personal problem with something in the film • (ex – I hated “Jaws” because I’m afraid of sharks.) |
Activity 1: READ + RESPOND
Visit the following website from a popular movie critic. Use the Search bar to find a movie any movie that you thought was no good and read the review for that movie.
Project Movie Review |
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YOUR MOVIE REVIEW TITLE
IDENTIFY MAIN CHARACTERS
PLOT SUMMARY ( SHORT + SWEET)
IDENTIFY CONFLICT CLIMAX + RESOLUTION
THE THEME/ MORAL
YOUR OVERALL OPINION OF THE MOVIE
DEMOGRAPHIC: AGE RANGE/ INTEREST
RATING - (*) (EMOJI) (CUSTOM)
GRADING POLICY
1. A title (headline for your review) – 5pts.
2. The names of the main actors and the names of their
characters (top 5 actors/characters) – 10pts.
3. A summary of the plot of the story (without giving away the
ending) - 10pts.
4. A possible theme (or moral) of this story – 10pts.
5. Give the “audience demographic” or who would like this
movie – 10pts.
6. Your opinion of the movie as a whole (include details you
thought were interesting or awful). – 10pts.
7. A score/rating system (other than “two thumbs up”) – 5pts.
8. Include a very short biography of yourself at the end – 10pts.
Extra credit – If you include a clever “pun” in the TITLE OF
YOUR REVIEW, I’ll give you an extra 5pts.
-2 pts for every vocabulary word you use from the list above
• Note: Write this review as if you were trying to convince
someone who has not seen the movie to either see it or avoid
it, and NO SPOILERS!!!
Total possible score (not including extra credit): 80 pts.