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PROJECT: REVIEWING A REVIEW
A good way to get ideas for your review is to read other reviews of the same album or movie. It can be an excellent source of information you might not have thought of.
Reading a well-written, insightful review can change the way you think of a movie or album you are already familiar with. It can give you ideas on what to write about and even what to look for when you are listening or watching.
Reading a poorly-written review, or one you simply do not agree with, can be equally motivating. Many critics begin their writing process when they find a point of contention in another critic's work they strongly disagree with. Many critiques are directly or indirectly written in response to other critiques.
By reading a variety of reviews, you will learn some remarkable things, like:
Opinions on the quality of movies and albums vary widely among and between critics.
There are many ways to approach a review and a seemingly endless supply of aspects of a movie or album to discuss.
Reviews are often substantially more flawed than the movie or album they are reviewing.
OBJECTIVES
Analyze written reviews of a movie or an album.
Properly cite periodical and/or Internet sources.
Write a review of an album or movie.
Reviewing the Reviews
The process of reading and thinking about other critics' reviews of the movie or album you have evaluated will help you make your own final review stronger. It will, in a sense, stretch your thinking about the piece you have chosen. You may be surprised to see that someone else's reaction varies so greatly from yours or that it confirms what you already thought. You may even encounter an "Aha!" moment.
Using available resources (Internet, library, newspapers, magazines), locate two reviews of your chosen movie or album.
This can be done most effectively on the Internet. Simply type the album name and "review" in a search engine and examine the results.
If that is not possible, a library will suffice. Check the release date on the album or movie and look in entertainment periodicals and newspapers within the month of the release date.
Ideally, select reviews with divergent opinions: one should be as favorable as possible and the other should be severely critical. This will not always be possible.
Fill out the accompanying worksheet. Select quotes that you will be able to respond to as you will have to incorporate at least two in your review.
Click here for an example review worksheet.
Click here for your worksheet.
Properly record where you got your information. Your review will include a works-cited list according to MLA format (unless instructed otherwise by your teacher). Click here to review the MLA Style Guide.
Writing Your Review
Now that you know how it is done, it's time for you to write your own review.
Instructions:
Here's what you'll need to do for this assignment:
Write a four- or five-paragraph review of the film or album you have been working with (at least 200 words).
Work in two quotes from other reviews. You should probably use the quotes from your worksheet. Either use the quote to support your position or argue against the point.
Discuss at least three of the criteria and apply them in your review.
Be sure to cite the reviews you quote from as well as the movie or album you are reviewing.
Make sure that your review contains no grammar or spelling errors.
