Project 2: Movie Review (1000 – 1500 words). A movie review evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a film and offers a recommendation for potential viewers. You will be reviewing a film of your choice and producing a review that examines its artistic choices and is working to persuade (or dissuade) others from seeing it.
Background: We have been studying the form and best practices of review writing. In this unit, we are shifting to the mini-genre of the film review. The film review, as we have been studying it, shares some general features with other types of reviews but also has a very specific audience and associated expectations and unique rhetorical movements and best practices.
Task: Write a film review that is between 1000 and 1500 words in length. You may choose any feature-length film, classic or recent, in any genre or language or cultural context.
Helpful Hints:
· You may pick any film you like for this assignment but it will help if you choose a film that you are genuinely interested in writing about. You film may be your favorite film or it may be a new film that has recently come out in the theaters. It could be a film you have seen many times or it could be a film you just saw. What’s important is that you are interested in writing about it and that you think your recommendation will help others.
· You need to decide what film you want to write about right away. You need to watch/rewatch it and start brainstorming and prewriting this week as we are studying examples/models of film reviews.
· When you rewatch the film, take notes—this will be important. What scenes stand out? What specific aspects of the film will you be commenting on to support your review?
· How will you structure your review? Study how the models use a very specific structure and shift through considering different elements of the film. How will you structure your review to focus on the features/elements of the film that are key support for your review?
· What elements/features of the film will you focus on? Will you be focusing on acting, story/plot, camerawork, editing, social meaning or significance, sound effects and scoring, visual and special effects, etc.? Choose at least three different elements of the film to support your review. Do not get stuck just focusing on just one element and do not get stuck summarizing the plot of the film—you are writing a review, not a plot summary of the film!
· Consider carefully the important of details in review writing. The most convincing reviews offer concrete and specific evidence for the review.
Checklist:
Does the review have a title and does the title clearly and effectively telegraph the overall review of the film? Does it include a star rating to quickly telegraph the overall review score?
Does the introduction have an effective hook and does it communicate a clear overall review of the film—whether its good or bad or somewhere in between and whether you recommend it to others—and, very briefly, why?
Does the review contain basic key information about the film early on such as its name, director, year of production, genre, significance, etc.?
Does the review very briefly outline the story of the film without using spoilers? Is it providing just enough of a sense of story to provide context for its subsequent review of the film?
Is the review balanced? Does it pan the film or praise it gratuitously without strong and clear evidence and reasoning? Is it clear why the reviewer has arrived at their judgments? Is the review using strong reasoning and evidence?
Does the review focus on multiple elements/features of the film or is it stuck just focusing simplistically on one element, such as plot? Is it considering lots of elements of the film beyond the story, such as acting, camerawork, editing, social meaning or significance, sound effects and scoring, visual and special effects, etc.?
Does the conclusion summarize the review and provide a clear recommendation about the film?
Due Dates:
Peer Feedback: Wednesday, 4-24. You must bring two print outs of your review to class to fully participate in the workshop. You will get half-credit for participating if you do not bring two printouts to class.
Final Draft: Thursday, 4-25, upload final draft to Canvas by 11:59 p.m. Please note that you allowed to turn in one major writing project up to three days late for any reason without penalty. All subsequent late work will be docked 10 points for each day it is late past the specified deadline.
https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/baby-review-baobei-1202934531/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/20/movies/roma-review.html
Film Review Worksheet
Watch/rewatch the film you will review for Project 2. Take notes on the film as you watch, using the grid below. Some general questions to consider: Why did you choose this film? What ideas or themes or issues is the film working with? Which scenes are particularly rich/strong? Why? What aspects of the films style or structure or craft are you thinking about as you watch?
Writing
1
Project
2:
Movie
Review
(1000
–
1500
words).
A
movie
review
evaluates
the
strengths
and
weaknesses
of
a
film
and
offers
a
recommendation
for
potential
viewers.
You
will
be
reviewing
a
film
of
your
choice
and
producing
a
review
that
examines
its
artistic
choices
and
is
working
to
persuade
(or
dissuade)
others
from
seeing
it.
Background:
We
have
been
studying
the
form
and
best
practices
of
review
writing.
In
this
unit,
we
are
shifting
to
the
mini-genre
of
the
film
review.
The
film
review,
as
we
have
been
studying
it,
shares
some
general
features
with
other
types
of
reviews
but
also
has
a
very
specific
audience
and
associated
expectations
and
unique
rhetorical
movements
and
best
practices.
Task:
Write
a
film
review
that
is
between
1000
and
1500
words
in
length.
You
may
choose
any
feature-length
film,
classic
or
recent,
in
any
genre
or
language
or
cultural
context.
Helpful
Hints:
·
You
may
pick
any
film
you
like
for
this
assignment
but
it
will
help
if
you
choose
a
film
that
you
are
genuinely
interested
in
writing
about.
You
film
may
be
your
favorite
film
or
it
may
be
a
new
film
that
has
recently
come
out
in
the
theaters.
It
could
be
a
film
you
have
seen
many
times
or
it
could
be
a
film
you
just
saw.
What
’
s
important
is
that
you
are
interested
in
writing
about
it
and
that
you
think
your
recommendation
will
help
others.
·
You
need
to
decide
what
film
you
want
to
write
about
right
away.
You
need
to
watch/rewatch
it
and
start
brainstorming
and
prewriting
this
week
as
we
are
studying
examples/models
of
film
reviews.
·
When
you
rewatch
the
film,
take
notes
—
this
will
be
important.
What
scenes
stand
out?
What
specific
aspects
of
the
film
will
you
be
commenting
on
to
support
your
review?
·
How
will
you
structure
your
review?
Study
how
the
models
use
a
very
specific
structure
and
shift
through
considering
different
elements
of
the
film.
How
will
you
structure
your
review
to
focus
on
the
features/elements
of
the
film
that
are
key
support
for
your
review?
·
What
elements/features
of
the
film
will
you
focus
on?
Will
you
be
focusing
on
acting,
story/plot,
camerawork,
editing,
social
meaning
or
significance,
sound
effects
and
scoring,
visual
and
special
effects,
etc.?
Choose
at
least
three
different
elements
of
the
film
to
support
your
review.
Do
not
get
stuck
just
focusing
on
just
one
element
and
do
not
get
stuck
summarizing
the
plot
of
the
film
—
you
are
writing
a
review,
not
a
plot
summary
of
the
film!
·
Consider
carefully
the
important
of
details
in
review
writing.
The
most
convincing
reviews
offer
concrete
and
specific
evidence
for
the
review.
Tiantian
Writing1Project2FilmReview.docx
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