review project

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to evaluate a pop culture artifact (movie, book, game, etc.) and then supply well-reasoned arguments to justify that opinion. You might not see the value in writing a game or movie review. Are you likely to find yourself in a career or situation that requires you to write lots of movie reviews? Probably not. However, you are likely to find yourself writing evaluations. Most professions require their members to write evaluations of projects, departments, or colleagues. You may also be asked to write a self-evaluation to justify a promotion. Writing these evaluations is really not that different than writing about why you like or dislike a movie--they involve defining sound criteria, careful attention to detail, and the ability to show rather than merely tell the reader why you feel the way you do. In short, learning to write proper evaluations is a key aspect of almost every job worth having.

Assignment Details

First, you must choose a (non x-rated!) movie, book, show, album, or videogame to review. You are free to write about any of these you wish, but if you are unsure about your choice you should clear it with me first. Since most students choose to write about movies, I'll focus on that here, but the process is similar for the rest.

Second, you will need to establish a theme or thesis for your review. To determine a thesis, think about what the main thing the director was trying to accomplish (artistically speaking) and whether he or she reached that goal. Here are some recent examples of theses from professional reviewer James Berardinelli: 

· 12 Years a Slave: "A gut-wrenching film that doesn't soft-sell the experience of slavery."

· Ender's Game: "A workmanlike adaptation of a science fiction classic."

· Carrie: "Another remake that's more like a pointless regurgitation than a fresh perspective."

Note how these examples state the writer's opinion of the film and the rationale behind it. They are also designed to help readers decide whether the movie in question is worth their time. Adjectives like "gut-wrenching" or "workmanlike" communicate the writer's opinion quite clearly.

You will then write a 1000-1200 word review supporting this thesis. The contents of your essay will vary depending on the type of artifact you have chosen; obviously, movies, games, books, and albums all have their own components that need to be discussed--acting in a movie, for instance, or graphics and gameplay in a videogame.

Be sure to include a works cited page with a proper MLA citation for your artifact. 

Audience

You are writing this review for a website called "SCSU Entertainment Review." This site is intended for smart and savvy game, book, music, and movie lovers who appreciate quality, in-depth, and sophisticated perspectives. Be sure to explain any jargon that your audience may not understand. 

Readings

There are many articles on the web about writing movie reviews. Here are a few:

· http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Movie-Review

· https://www.udemy.com/blog/how-to-write-a-movie-review/

· http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition/Evaluation

I would also read some existing reviews of your artifact. The site metacritic is a great place to start.

Tips 

First, you should put some thought into the topic for your review. Choose an artifact that you feel you have a lot to say about. For this reason, serious movies that address real social issues tend to be great for this project. Light-hearted comedies or "fluff" movies, by contrast, can be very difficult to write about for 1000 words. 

Secondly, I strongly recommend that you purchase your chosen movie or find one that is available on Netflix or Hulu. This way, you can watch it (or parts of it) again for the purpose of your review--don't attempt to work only from memory. The library has facilities for students who need to watch movies but lack the necessary equipment. I doubt that you will be ready to write a review after only seeing a movie once, so make time in your schedule to watch it a few times, particularly the scenes you want to focus on in your review.

Thirdly, put the title of the movie or book in italics: Gone with the Wind, The Hunt for Red October. 

Also, make sure your paper has a proper title. Don't just use the one from the movie in question. At the very least, your title should make it clear that you're doing a review (“A Review of Get Out”).

Finally, do not over-summarize or spoil the movie!  This is a very common mistake. Readers don't need a moment-to-moment recount of what happens in the film; that is a summary, not a review. They especially do not need to know about surprise endings or plot twists. Just give enough information so that they know the gist of the film and can decide whether or not it's something they care to watch. Usually a single paragraph is sufficient for summarizing the story. For some models of well-themed and coherent reviews, browse through James Berardinelli's Reelviews. You may also want to see Roger Ebert's website. For games, I'd recommend IGN and 1up.com.