Databases/Indexes by Subject:
Movie Reviews

1. What is a Film Review? - A film review is a short (usually between 50 and 1,000 words, although some reviews are longer) article published in a newspaper, magazine, or journal  In a review, the reviewer provides information about the film (such as its subject, the technique used, or, a brief plot synopsis and mention of the major characters) and an opinion as to the merit of the film.  It is useful to know the year of a film's release when looking for a review of that film.

  Film reviews are not critical works, (use the Film and Television page for that).  While the two forms are similar, and to some extent overlap, a critic's job is to analyze work in terms of a set of standards.  A reviewer's mission, on the other hand, is to report on the film, much like a reporter's job.  Reviewers, do, however, of make some critical judgments about the worth of a film, but do not go into the depth of analysis that a critic would.

2. Databases/indexes to find reviews in periodicals - These databases are designed to help you identify relevant periodical articles through keyword or subject searches.  In most cases there will be links to either the online version of the article or a listing of the library's holdings.  If you are not sure, you may check the library's periodical holdings list and/or its list of online journals.  These databases are listed in the order in which the library recommends them.
 

Database Name	Link to access from on-campus	Link to access from off-campus if available	Info about the database
Film and Television Literature Index
Academic Search Complete
Humanities International Complete

2. Databases/indexes to find reviews in newspapers- These databases contain the full-text of articles from many newspapers over a long period of time.
 

Database Name	Link to access from on-campus	Link to access from off-campus if available	Info about the database
LexisNexis Academic Universe
Newspaper Source
America's Newspapers