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How to Find Film Reviews

Because film reviews appear in such a large number of periodicals and newspapers, the most efficient method of locating reviews is through periodical and newspaper indexes. The appropriate index should be selected which covers the subject and publication date of the film for which a review is sought.

To locate a review, first consult an index covering the year the film was originally released. The date can be found in the library catalog, or in WorldCat. Please ask at the Reference Desk if these sources do not reveal the copyright date.

It may be necessary to consult several sources before a review is found, so it is generally advisable to begin with the most comprehensive sources. And, indeed, some films never get reviewed at all!

This guide is organized as follows:

• General Indexes that include Film Reviews
• Subject Discipline Indexes that include Film Reviews are important for finding scholarly reviews in specific disciplines (biology, religion, history)
• Finding Film Reviews on the Web

General Indexes that include Film Reviews

New York Times Index. 1851-. Online fulltext and page images from 1851 to the early 2000s is available. Since 1980 the New York Times in available online in LexisNexis Academic Universe.

Academic Search Premier. As an index to over 3,100 periodicals--both popular and scholarly--Academic Search Premier includes reviews for films of all types in a wide variety of subject areas. The most effective approach to searching is to type the title of the film for which you are searching a review. The entry does not summarize the review. The length of the review is indicated by the fraction of the page which it occupies. Tremendously useful for films published after about 1990 since it cuts across disciplines and includes popular as well as scholarly journals.

LexisNexis Academic Universe. An index to hundreds of newspapers and trade and professional journals. To find film reviews follow the following steps:

• Within LexisNexis select "Guided News Search"
• In the first pull down menu select "Arts & Sports News"
• In the second pull down menu select "Book, movie, music and play reviews."
• Adjust the time frame to cover the publication date of the film.
• Type in the director's name and a few words from the title.

Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. 1901 - 1999
This index is the most useful for film reviews published before 1990. Go to the print volume for the year the film was released and look up the heading "Motion Picture Reviews" and find the films listed in alphabetical order.

Subject Discipline Indexes that include Film Reviews

Art Abstracts
Indexes periodicals on art and film, 1984 to present.

Art Index Retrospective
Indexes older periodicals on art and film found in Art Index, 1929 to 1984.

MLA Bibliography
This index covers a wide range of periodical that provide literary criticism and well as semi-popular periodicals that focus on literature in its broadest sense which includes journalism, theater, film, etc. The database includes journal articles, books, essays in books and dissertations. Because of its nature the types of articles one finds are more likely critical studies of cinema, rather than reviews of the type found in popular periodicals and newspapers.

Philosopher's Index
Indexes and abstracts books and journals of philosophy and related fields, 1940 to present.

Women's Studies Abstracts. 1972-. Printed. Index Shelves.
As a major access point for women's studies, this source is particularly useful for reviews of films concerning women's issues.

Finding Film Reviews on the Web

Film reviews on the Web are good examples of the pluses and minuses of Web content. You may find a terrific review written by a knowledgeable reviewer or you may find a review by a nut, and sometimes it is hard to tell because there are few if any clues to help you decide. To test the accuracy of a review on the Web you will want to find published reviews that can be compared with the insights of the Web review.

Here are two suggested Web sites that link to film reviews:

Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
Encycopedic coverage of films credits, with links to film reviews, official film web sites, etc.

Movie Review Query Engine (MRQE)
Links to over 48,000 film reviews.