Film Reviews
Students will be asked to write a weekly review engaging with the film [s] assigned. Film reviews should be around 500 words or 1 page double spaced in which they will connect the films we have watched to the assigned readings for the week. There are two types of reviews that students may write. The first type is analytical. Here you may brainstorm about important motifs, themes, problems, questions, etc., or you may relate the reading / screening to other discussions we’ve had throughout the semester. Each analytical review should be thought of as having a mini thesis statement, or a hypothesis / argument you are trying to make. The majority of your reviews should be like this. Another option that you may choose is to do a research-oriented review. In either case, avoid reviews that are centered on your likes and dislikes – avoid writing a rotten tomatoes review- or that center around only your own feelings. Remain as resource-bound as possible which means enhancing examples with your analysis or research so that bias is not the center of your review. Your film reviews are intended to provoke discussion and thought, and therefore are, by definition, open-ended. This is welcomed. Offering questions that you do not entirely know the answer to is entirely legitimate. PLEASE REMEMBER TO TITLE YOUR REVIEWS.
