Film

To find full-text film reviews in our databases search for "name of the film" AND review in our Multisearch or film databases. If you're searching for a film based on a book, it's a good idea to add AND film or the year to your search string...or you can just search in a film-specific database like the Film and Television Literature Index (below). For example:

• "Avengers: infinity war" AND review
• "Gone with the wind" AND review AND film

Additionally, every film will have its own subject heading and by doing some quick searches in the database you can find it. This is particularly handy for film titles that are very short or comprised of common words. Clicking on the subject heading will perform a new search that brings up articles that specifically mention or are about that movie. The format is usually either:

• [title of the film] (film) PITCH Black (Film)
• [title of the film] (motion picture) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Motion picture)

Identify film review sources using PDF below. Follow these steps in your search:

1. Use Google or free Internet Movie Database (IMDB) to determine the date of the film's release.
2. Consult the Film Review Index (kept behind the Reference Desk) to identify citations to contemporaneous film reviews.
3. Use the PDF below to identify available sources in the library's print, microfilm, and database collections.
4. If you need assistance, contact a librarian.

The Magill's Survey of Cinema reference series provides brief critical and analytical 2-4 page essays on over 1,800 films released up to 1980.  Although they are not reviews per se, they can be used as a quick scholarly introduction to particular films.