How to Write a Movie Review Essay

The very first thing to know is: not only those who study in Film Academies write movie reviews. Even if your major has nothing to do with filmmaking, your professor may still ask you to write such a paper. In general, this task is about performing a thorough analysis and expressing your own opinion, not about films. That’s why you still have to know how to write a movie review essay even if you are in humanities, management, psychology or history student. Although it doesn’t look like something complex, writing a film review essay isn’t like writing a review for IMDb or for AllMovie. It may look like a quite fun thing to do, but it’s still an academic assignment, with all its features, complexity, and formatting requirements. Let’s talk about movie review as an academic paper. One more fact: if you want to skip all the information and just look at the example of a film review essay, you can skip to the 10th paragraph of this text. However, it’s highly recommended to read it thoroughly – there are many important and interesting facts for those who want to know how to write a movie review (guide is quite long so make sure you have at least 10 minutes to read it). What Is a Movie Review? So, if you are looking for an article about how to write an essay on a movie review, you’ve definitely come to a right place. But before learning how to write a review essay on a movie, it’s necessary to understand what actually a movie review is. As we already know, it’s an academic assignment, which you can get in your college or university. It’s a typical essay that should be written according to the academic requirements, with all references and sources cited according to the citation styles (such as APA, MLA or Harvard), with thesis statement and with deep analysis, of course. However, this assignment is usually not as difficult and mind-blowing as some other types of essays or coursework – we all like watching films and writing a text about films shouldn’t be a serious problem. Let’s now talk about the format of movie review – it’s very important to familiarize yourself with this paragraph before you start writing. The Format of Movie Review It doesn’t really matter whether you want to know how to write a movie review essay for college or for university – the format of this essay should be perfect anyway. When it comes to the film reviews, the format is very similar to the other types of essays. It’s very typical: as you probably know, the most popular format for academic papers is five-paragraph essay. Movie review isn’t an exception – five-paragraph paper about film would be a great and classic choice. Five-paragraph essay is a very â€Å"safe† way to write papers, of course. However, if you are looking for something more than that, you can use some other formats – but as well as five-paragraph essays are the most popular and the most effective ones, we will describe them in details a little bit later. One of the other definitions of the word â€Å"format† when it comes to essays is a citation format. Here we can’t tell you about which one should you choose – it depends on your major which one will you use. Thus, if you are an education or psychology student, your paper will be formatted in APA; if your major is Humanities, you’ll have to format your essay in MLA style; and Chicago style is used by the business and history students. Your professor will tell you what style you should use, and formatting isn’t actually very complex so you shouldn’t worry about it. The Elements of Movie Review As it’s a guide that tells how to write a review of a movie in essay, we will continue talking about an ideal essay. This paragraph is about small elements that you can forget about. We’ve collected the most â€Å"forgettable† of them here, so be careful and add them all! The title. We’ll explain later, but this whole work doesn’t have any sense if you don’t mention the name of the film in your paper. It may seem a little bit odd, but, well, students often make this mistake. Don’t be one of them! Actors. It may look unnecessary when it comes to deep analysis and psychologic sides of a film, but you shouldn’t forget about actors, too. Are they good? Do they show the emotions and internal conflict of a character? Looks like another odd advice, but students often forget about this element, too. Filmmaker. This element is very important – who is the director of the movie? What about his political views, previous films, what about his background in general? Don’t miss anything and review a filmmaker, too. That would be great. Filmmaking aspects. This point will be explained later, but what you should know is that it’s necessary, too. No one expects you to be a professional movie critic, but analyzing the cinematic structure is necessary for almost all movie reviews. Don’t know anything about scene composition and camera placement? Google it and try to become an expert. That’s how the good papers should be written. The Structure of Movie Review The structure is extremely important for those who want to know how to write a movie review essay sample. As we’ve just told, the classic structure of a good essay is 5-paragraph structure. Let’s talk about these 5 paragraphs briefly and then talk about the elements of such essay. In the very first paragraph, you have to tell the name, actors, setting, and type of the film you are going to review. During this paragraph you don’t need to go very deep – just the basic information like time and place the film is set in, and its genre. In the second paragraph, you will need to describe the plot of the film. Of course, no spoilers are allowed – you need to describe the movie to the people who don’t have an idea about its plot, so you will have to explain what’s going on without describing the ending. The third part. Here you’ll have to talk about filmmaking aspects (remember, we’ve told this in the previous paragraph?). Write about acting or direction, about the scene composition or about the quality of background music – choose the one you like mostly (and the one you can describe better). In the fourth paragraph, you can choose one more filmmaking aspect. What about shot structure or camera placement? Does a camera placement add drama to the scene? How does a color palette set the mood of a scene? Think about it, analyze it, and write it. If you want to know how to write a good movie review essay, pay attention to this paragraph – you will need to learn lots of new facts, but it definitely worth it. The fifth paragraph is the last one. It’s an ideal place for a conclusion: here you can describe your opinion and your reaction, as well as your recommendations and final thoughts. The last paragraph is extremely important because it’s the last thing a reader reads in your paper – and that’s why you should make it outstanding. The Steps of Writing Movie Review We are talking about how to write an essay about a movie (review), a good review – and to make it clearer, we’ve prepared this step-by-step guide. During the three following paragraphs we’ll tell you about writing an essay in details. Let’s go. The first step is not even related to writing. The very first step is (not including the process of selection of the topic for the paper) watching a movie. You didn’t expect to write a review of a movie without spending a few hours on it, right? Watch it one or more times, if you have enough time. Pay great attention to all the details. Then write everything you’ve understood from the film. Be very careful and don’t miss a thing at this step. Listen to experts. What do they say about the movie? Can you use their arguments and thoughts in your essay? Write the best arguments down and use them later. Read everything you can find about the film. Reviews, experts’ arguments, everything. Combine all this information with your own thoughts and opinions and write them down, too. Then start thinking about the outline of your essay. How to Write a Movie Review Outline Now, when you know how to write a movie review essay format and what to do first, let’s move to the outline. An outline is very similar to an essay draft. It’s the very first thing to write, a brief summary of what you will write in the paper. It’s not necessary to write it, but it’s recommended – an outline helps to organize the content of your essay better, and sometimes the tutors require to write an outline before writing an essay. It’s more convenient to write an outline when you watch a movie for the third or the second time. You should focus on the elements we’ve described earlier (actors, characters and acting, filmmaking aspects, etc.) as well as on the plot, special effects, symbols and all the other details. A good outline has introduction (you will talk about the basics like title, filmmaker and actors here), summary (here you’ll explain the concepts, the plot and everything you want to describe), analysis and conclusion. An outline is done? Let’s now go to the guide. How to Write a Movie Review Text Step-by-Step Let’s repeat what we’ve already said for a better understanding. Watch the film a few times. Make notes, analyze what you see. Write every thought about this film and read all you can find, like expert reviews (and all the other reviews). Make an outline. Start writing. Introduce the film, its title, filmmaker, and actors. Include all the information needed and don’t forget to cite the sources properly. Describe the story briefly (but avoid spoilers!). Analyze the film and all the aspects of it. Write this analysis down. Write down your thoughts about the filmmaking aspects in 3-4 paragraphs. You can look at the example of a film review for students in order to understand how this paragraph should be done. Make a conclusion. Write your final thoughts down and make this paragraph perfect. Cite the sources and format the paper according to the requirements of your college or university. There are many websites that can help you with proper citations – use them. Read your paper twice and correct the mistakes. Read it one more time! Tips for Writing a Movie Review We’ve collected three very important tips – follow them if you want to get a perfect movie review essay. Well, it’s more like â€Å"three mistakes that you must avoid†, but these mistakes are very common and non-obvious, so it would be useful for you. The first one is: focus on the film, not on the story. Many students write lots of words about the history of cinema and about the previous movies of the actors, but it doesn’t make sense. Your essay should be concise, so you don’t need to waste half of it on lengthy statements. The second tip: check the facts. Don’t rely on your memory only, check all the facts (and cite the sources of information, too). The last one: don’t forget about the structure. It can be a traditional 5-paragraph essay or something else, but the structure must be clear. Structure helps a reader to understand your ideas, and only an essay with a clear structure can get A+! Examples of Movie Review You can read many good examples of reviews anywhere in the Internet, so we won’t copy them here. Let’s just imagine that you are writing an essay about, well, Truman Show. Have you seen The Truman Show? In the first paragraph, you should write about the director and the actors. It’s easy because both Peter Welr (director) and Jim Carrey are famous at what they do, so the first paragraph shouldn’t be a problem. But don’t forget about the fact checking! The second paragraph is about the plot. A man lives a false life, and everything around is not real – tell the readers about it, but avoid spoilers. Go deeper, explain the context to the reader, compare this film with the other famous films of this year (with The Matrix movie, for example – talk about the similarities and differences, it would be quite interesting). Third paragraph – aspect of filmmaking. What about the acting of Jim Carrey? Is he good in a dramatic role? Talk about comedic actors who are as good in dramatic roles as Jim Carrey (maybe, Adam Sandler?). Don’t forget about Jim Carrey’s â€Å"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind† role – prove that he is good in dramas, too! But don’t go too deep, because you are writing about â€Å"The Truman Show†, not about the other Carrey films. Pay attention to the supporting actors, too. In the fourth paragraph, you can talk about one more aspect of filmmaking or about anything else. Would you like to compare The Truman Show to Hamlet and show the parallels? Or, maybe you see some religious analogies? Be careful when writing about religion, of course. And do a deep analysis! The fifth paragraph is a conclusion paragraph. What is your reaction? Did you like it? What would you like to recommend to the readers? Conclusion Well, film review essays can be different. You mustn’t follow all the tips from this text – it’s possible to write an essay without a clear 5-paragraph structure and without an analysis; MLA/APA formats aren’t often necessary, too; you can even write a long story about the actors, history of the film or about its director. Moreover, some students write such reviews without even watching the films – it’s possible, too! However, we highly recommend you should follow all the advice from this article, because that’s a really good way to write a perfect film review and get your A+. Try right now and you will not be disappointed with the result!

It Starts at the Top - Literature Essay Samples

Ismail Kadare’s Broken April features the tale of a region in rural Albania where members of rival families take turns killing each other in an endless cycle of blood and revenge. In this region, the High Plateau, the laws that dictate this cyclical killing are called the Blood Code, or the Kanun. As the chief enforcer of the Kanun, the steward of the blood, Mark Ukacierra’s observations and titular role reveal that traditions are fading and the Kanun is slowly losing its grip on the people of the High Plateau. In chapter 4 of his story, Kadare utilizes many aspects of Mark Ukacierra and his role as the steward of the blood to reveal the decreasing influence of the oppressive Kanun, subtly critiquing Enver Xohxa’s brutal communist regime in Albania. Prompting thoughts over the strength of communism, Kadare compares blood to the flow of water to expose Mark’s inklings of realization that the Blood Code is not as strong as it was. As the Prince of Orosh notes that their subjects seek a less stringent Kanun, Mark is forced to admit that indeed, â€Å"Blood was not rain falling from the sky,† (135). In old times, blood reliably flowed plentifully. However, it does not fall like rain any longer, planting seeds of doubt in Mark’s mind over the strength of the Blood Codes on its subjects. Kadare subtly seeks to reveal the effects of doubt and resistance on sources of power, such as communism, in Albania. After painfully noticing that on some days no blood is even spilled, it becomes apparent to Mark that â€Å"the blood that once flowed in a torrent flowed scarcely at all, in droplets,† (138). Mark is now progressively realizing the extent of the Kanun’s loss of influence, as it flows not like rain, n ot even like a torrent, but instead, in unpredictable droplets. Over time, the Kanun has grown increasingly peripheral in the lives of those in the High Plateau, and as such, Mark fears the impact his will have. As the Blood Code loses importance to its subjects, Mark loses power, as he ponders what he can do about â€Å"blood that comes from who knows where, and stops flowing who knows where,† (155). Because the people of the High Plateau have stopped coming to him with their blood tax, Mark has no idea about the state of the blood feuds, thus rendering him powerless as he does not know where blood is being spilled, and where it isn’t. Kadare conveys the effects of Mark’s gradual realization of the state of observance of the Kanun in the High Plateau, and thus urges Albanians to carry out their lives freely and independent from the restrictions of communism, thus planting doubt in the minds of their government, and gaining power over their controller. Kadare compares the Kanun to a machine in order to reveal its emotionless hold on its subjects, and why its power is diminishing rapidly, in order to reveal the evils of Xohxa’s communist regime. As Mark reads a criticism of the degradation of the Blood Code, he reads that it has â€Å"chang[ed] gradually into an inhumane machine,† (141). Although disgusted by this criticism, his focus on revenue from the blood tax shows that the Kanun has indeed become a sick, income-churning machine. Further supporting this, when Mark reads through the names of the thousands of victims of the blood feuds â€Å"coldly† (136), he skims them as their â€Å"syllables were as alike as the pebbles of the endless beach,† (137). Treating the death of a person in such a compassionless way, equating them to pebbles, or minuscule rocks, he shows how evil the Kanun truly is, as throughout the chapter, he is focused on the machine of custom generating income, while showing a complete disregard for the lives it takes. Kadare depicts the Kanun in this way to compare how truly similar the Kanun was to Xohxa’s regime, as both establishments of power sought first and foremost to keep and maintain their framework for power, as well as their ideology, even if it created a brutal, painful, oppressive atmosphere. Continuing his ignorance of his subjects, Mark vows to â€Å"examine the entire mechanism minutely in order to find out what was blocking its action, what was rusted and what was broken,† (152). His care for his machine goes into minutia, but never does he pause to think why it has stopped working. His only concern is to figure out what stops it from churning, what is â€Å"rusted† and â€Å"broken,† again showing his desperation to keep income coming and keep his power over the people. This is eerily similar to the infatuation of communist governments with maintaining communist societies despite obvious negative effects on their peo ple. As Mark reflects on the possibility of a day where no blood tax was paid, he notes that â€Å"its many springs and gears would make an ominous grating sound, would shake from top to bottom, and break and smash into a thousand pieces,† (153-154). If the Kanun lost so much influence that a day passed without the spilling of blood, Mark and the Kulla of Orosh would start to lose all power over the High Plateau, as the people’s disinterest in continuing the blood feuds would result in a â€Å"grating† against the central source of power, and would create such a shift in power, that the Kanun would â€Å"shake from top to bottom,† and finally have absolutely no impact on the High Plateau anymore, fracturing â€Å"into a thousand pieces:† the machine’s disregard for humanity would have cost it its power and influence. Kadare uses this metaphor to show the power people can have if they refuse to be part of the machine that controls them, such as the communist Albanain regime, which suppressed and fractured its people for over 50 years. As outsiders begin to question the legitimacy and ethics of the Blood Code, Kadare reveals that Mark Ukacierra’s power slowly capitulates as he loses support, showing how weak Albania’s communist regime would be rendered if they lost support. As he encounters for the first time one who easily resists the influence of the Kanun, Mark notices that â€Å"the words dissolved in her eyes, lost all strength,† (133). Mark’s power is directly tied to his influence on his subjects, and, if in the eyes of his subjects the laws he seeks to preserve are meaningless, then they lose â€Å"all strength.† Revealing the effects of a loss in power, Mark asserts that if the words of the Blood Code lose all import, then â€Å"a wing of the Kulla collapse[s], and then [he does],† (133-134). If the source of power has no control on those it seeks to control, then it is rendered worthless, and â€Å"collapses.† Kadare uses this idea to inspire fellow Albania ns to not let themselves remain under the cruel influence of Xoxha’s communist dictatorship. After noticing discouraging numbers of blood spilled in the High Plateau in recent years, Mark sighs, â€Å"feel[ing] as if his ribs were creaking like the timbers of a hut someone was trying to tear down,† (145). His external loss of support and control is mirrored internally, as his ribs, the framework of the entire upper body, feel as if they were being torn down. Kadare seeks to exemplify how crucial support is to strength and power. As the true extent of the Kanun’s loss of influence becomes tangible, Mark feels an â€Å"uneasiness of a very special kind, like a damp, gray mass that invaded him everywhere, softly, without any sharp edges nor painful pinches,† (154). Kadare uses words such as damp, which implies a slight wetness, gray, which implies a lack of noticeable color, and softly, which implies a slight pressure, to show that the loss of power is a gra dual process, one that is hard to stop, as it is slight and hardly noticeable. However, it is also unstoppable, as it invades â€Å"everywhere,† showing that faltering support of the Blood Code is becoming increasingly prevalent. Kadare highlights what a lack of support does to those who assert uncompromising power over their subjects, and by doing so, urges Albanians to not be subjected to the brutal, restricting ways of life that Xoxha’s regime forcefully implemented. The Kanun, despite hundreds of years of immense power, has slowly lost its influence on the High Plateau, as its subjects grow weary of the blood feuds. As Mark and the Kulla of Orosh, the facilitators of the machine of custom that is the Kanun, lose influence, their power dwindles and they become increasingly fearful of the ramifications. Kadare utilizes this slow degradation of the importance of the Blood Code as well as the inhumane effects it has on its subjects to criticize Albania’s communist regime, led by Enver Xoxha. In doing so, he urges fellow Albanians to question the influence of their repressive government, which took rights away as quickly as lives, and their role in the cycle of suppression under communist rule.