Film reviews are written by journalists, with the intention of communicating the review to the general public, describing the plot, characters, cast, and director. The goal of a film review is to help the reader assess whether or not they want to watch the movie. Film reviews are published around the weeks and months when the film is released. A film review is a primary source that tells you what thoughts were around the time that the film was released.
Scholarly criticism of a film analyzes the plot, characters, and cinematic techniques. Criticism compares the film with other films in the genre, or might apply a specific theory to the film. Criticism often considers the historical and cultural significance of the film with the goal of advancing scholarly communication. While reviews are published around the time of release, scholarly criticism could be published years or decades after the release of the film.
Use academic databases (like those listed above, or found in the Database Finder) to execute sophisticated searches and locate relevant scholarly articles.
Identify major journal publications in your subject. Browse Oxy subscriptions to electronic journals using the links at right, or explore the metrics side of Google Scholar by looking at their Journal rankings .
Locate and browse online and print journals accessible at Oxy. Search journals as a Title in an OASys search and view the record to determine whether we have print, online access or both, and to see what years of coverage are included. Sometimes different databases include different date ranges, so look carefully. Our Journal Lists provide coverage information as well.
Finding relevant, peer-reviewed journal articles can be one of the more difficult aspects of the research process. To learn more advanced searching techniques check out the Research and Reference Guide or contact a librarian. You can email questions or use the appointment button to set up a 1-hour consultation.
These open access journals (and others) may not be indexed in major article databases:
Canadian Journal of Media Studies
Mediascape: UCLA's Journal of Cinema and Media Studies