no you can't say thumbs up!
TRANSCRIPT
No, You can’t say “Thumbs Up”
Movie reviews:The Traditional
OrThe Alternative
The Film Review leadThe lead must include a preview into what your overall opinion of the movie is, but not give it away entirely (you want them to keep reading after all.)Establish your voice!
Disturbia - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
No sense kicking this thriller for plot holes and lapses in logic when the action, suspense and flirty sex come at such a lively clip. Shia LaBeouf, a gifted young actor still in search of that breakthrough role, is a winning combo of smart and smartass as Kale, a suburban teen under house arrest for having clocked his Spanish teacher. The dude was way too condescending about the trauma Kale suffered a year ago when his dad died.
Catwoman - Rob Elder, Metromix
Catwoman arrives in the theaters as the Showgirls of superhero movies. This is not a compliment. A vacuous lingerie show posing as feminism, it's the biggest movie hairball this side of Garfield.
Essential elements of a traditional film review
Condensed Plot SynopsisBackground InformationAbbreviated Arguments about the filmEvaluation
Condensed Plot Synopsis
Early in the review, you must include a condensed plot synopsis.
It is a BRIEF description of the film’s plot that should emphasize the most important moments of the film
Be careful not to reveal the ending.At least give spoiler warnings.
No Country For Old Men, Roger Ebert
It’s not often you see films that are perfect.... No Country for Old Men, inspired by the Cormac McCarthy novel, follows a million dollars around Texas. That’s the MacGuffin. What it does more importantly is give us a character (Josh Brolin) who finds the money, a character (Javier Bardem) who is a homicidal madman who kills with compressed oxygen, a sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) who tries to protect the first from the second, a private fixer (Woody Harrelson) who is hired to find the money, and the various wives (especially Kelly Macdonald), women, employers, victims, motel clerks, corpses and deputies in their lives.
Background Information
Gathering background information will be required for your film review.You will need to do some research to find out general information about film and its creators/actors.My favorite source for information:
http://www.imdb.com/Did you know you can see a man in a baseball hat in Braveheart?
Background InformationMay include:
the genre of the film the director of the filmOther films he/she has directedThe main actors in the filmOther major films at least one of the main actors starred in just before the release of the film you are watching.The screenwriterThe producerIf it’s a new film, you may want to include some discussion of any possible hype that surrounded the film (for example, a Fifty Shades of Gray review you might include how the movie is discussed every 4 seconds)
Abbreviated argumentsThe most important part of the review is the ABBREVIATED ARGUMENTS ABOUT THE FILM.This is the section in which the reviewer analyzes and critiques the film.
No Country For Old Men, Roger Ebert
Many of the scenes in No Country for Old Men are so flawlessly constructed that you want them to simply continue, and yet they create an emotional suction drawing you to the next scene. Another movie that made me feel that way was Fargo. To make one such film is a miracle. Here is another.
Focus of argumentsFocus: Evaluation of what does and does not work in the movie and why.Most reviewers will throw in their opinions about the actors, directing of the film, writing, etcEx:
“Objectively you’d have to go with creepy, but that description hardly fits Mr. LaBeouf, one of the most engaging young actors in movies today.” NY Times, AO Scott“Chigurh enters a rundown gas station in the middle of wilderness and begins to play a word game with the old man (Gene Jones) behind the cash register, who becomes very nervous. It is clear they are talking about whether Chigurh will kill him. Chigurh has by no means made up his mind. Without explaining why, he asks the man to call the flip of a coin. Listen to what they say, how they say it, how they imply the stakes. Listen to their timing. You want to applaud the writing, which comes from the Coen brothers, out of McCarthy.” Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert
EvaluationYou should assess:
The motivation for what happens in the filmWas there gratuitous violence, nudity? Is the dialogue realistic and necessary to advancing the plot of the film? Can the viewer believe that these things would actually happen within the context the director/writer has created?
The film’s entertainment valueIs it believable? True to real life? Funny? Smart? Stupid?
The film’s social relevance, aesthetic, and social valueThe characters:
Can you identify with the characters? Do you care about them? Include this assessment in your evaluation.
Should the reader see the film? Remember who you are.
EvaluationRoger Ebert has been asked many times how he judges movies. He has given slasher movies 3+ stars and panned Oscar winners. His response is illuminating: “I judge a movie by what it is trying to do and whether it is successful doing it.”“The movies are so rarely great art, that if we cannot appreciate great trash, we have no reason to go.” – Pauline Kael
Style and VoiceA great reviewer finds their voice and creates a style (Roger Ebert)
“To say that George Lucas cannot write a love scene is an understatement; greeting cards have expressed more passion.”“No matter what they're charging to get in, it's worth more to get out." “No good film is too long, and no bad film is short enough." "We live in a box of space and time. Movies are windows in its walls."
A great resource to read lots of reviews in one place…ROTTEN TOMATOES
Alternative Movie Reviews
Man-on-the-street reviewTwo-Sentence reviewGenre reviewRetro reviewSeasonal reviewHaiku review
• 100 word review
The Dark Knightin 100-words (or less)
• Batman isn’t a comic book anymore. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is a haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy. It creates characters we come to care about. That’s because of the performances, because of the direction, because of the writing, and because of the superlative technical quality of the entire production…The Dark Knight is not a simplistic tale of good and evil. Batman is good, yes. The Joker is evil, yes. But Batman poses a more complex puzzle than usual. This film redefines the possibilities of a “comic book” movie. - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Alternative Reviews – Movies• Movie trailers
– Yahoo, Rotten Tomatoes• Movie posters
Alternative Reviews• Videos
– Youtube and other sources– How would you review this?
• Idiot with a Tripod
• Songs– iTunes– Lyrics, artists– School
Alternative Reviews• Study Aids
– Spark Notes• Blogs
– Student written• Restaurants
– Chains– Local– School cafeteria