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Film Reviews/Criticism

This guide is to help you locate reviews and criticism of films. For information on the film industry or individual actors, actresses and directors, see the UTSA Subject Guide Film and Cinema Information.

Since most print film review sources cover films released during a specific period of time, it is often important to know the year of release of a film to find a review. If you don't know the year of release, begin with one of the sources listed under Background Information.

Background Information (Encyclopedias and Handbooks)

The British Film Catalogue,1895-1985
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.5 .G7G5 1986
Comprehensive record of British "entertainment" films arranged by year. Title index. Brief instructions.

Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.5 .I8 R2777 1999

Film Encyclopedia
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.45 K34 1994
Check under the name of the actor, actress or director for a list of films and the dates they were made.

Filmoteca de la UNAM
Free Website: http://www.filmoteca.unam.mx/
Provides free access to their database of information on 12,000 Mexican film titles, as well as citations to journal articles and books on Mexican cinema.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1997.8 .F555 1984
Location: Downtown Library, Reference PN1997.8 .I58 1997
Selective guide to important films arranged alphabetically by title. Includes analyses and bibliographies.

Motion Picture Guide
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1995 .N346 1985
The main set lists films alphabetically by title from 1927 through 1983. (1984 films are listed separately following the "Z's"). Silent films are also in a separate sequence. International in scope. Includes analysis. v.1-10, includes separate indexes.

Oxford History of World Cinema
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.5 .A1 O96 1995
Comprehensive guide to world cinema emphasizing cinematic genres, trends, and national themes but including hundreds of minibiographies of individual film makers.

Internet Movie Database
Free Website: http://us.imdb.com/
A growing Internet database of extensive film information and credits for both domestic and international films. Many extra features and news. Can search by film title, actor, director or browse films listed by year.

South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography 1915-1994
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.5 .S63 S68 1998
Contains entries on 140 significant South American feature films from the silent era until 1994. Grouped by country and arranged chronologically.

VideoHounds's World Cinema
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1995.9 .F67 W56 1999
Plots, basic information and short criticism on more than 800 films produced outside the U.S. over the past 100 years.

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Books

Books and Materials at the UTSA Library

UCAT, UTSA Library Online Catalog
Search UCAT to locate books, journal titles (not articles), government documents, maps and multimedia materials available at the UTSA Library. Read the Search Tips to learn how to conduct a better search.

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  Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

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Databases & Article Searching
(Journal/News Indexes which include film reviews)

Looking for General Databases ?

Film Indexes

Film Literature Index
Location: JPL Folio Stacks PN1993 .F55 (Room Use Only)
Covers film-related periodicals both scholarly and popular. Look for the title of the film in the volume that covers the date you need. Covers 1973 to 1984 (12 volumes).

Film Review Index
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1995 .F464 1986
A major international index to articles in both books and periodicals covering important films. Covers 1882-1949 (vol. 1) and 1950-1985 (vol. 2).

Film Review Annual
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1995 .F4635
Each volume in this series contains reviews of films released the previous year. The reviews originally appeared in magazines and newspapers. Following the last review of each film is a list of sources for additional reviews. Look at the table of contents to find the pages you need. Covers 1982 to 1991.

International Film Guide
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.3 .I544
An annual survey of international film production which reviews outstanding films. Also contains directories of film festivals and other related matters. Coverage varies from 1968 to 1988.

Magill’s Cinema Annual
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.3 .M34
An annual supplement to Magill’s Survey of Cinema covering films of the previous year. It provides credits, cast, signed review, and references to other reviews. Indexes by director, screenwriter, performers, and subjects. Coverage is international from 1982 to the present.

Magill’s Survey of Cinema: English Language Films, second series
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.45 .M32
This set and its companion, Magill’s Survey of Cinema: English Language Films, First Series (Reference Stacks, PN 1993.45 .M319), contain critical essays, list of credits, plot summary and an analysis of the film's direction, action, technical merits, and critical and popular response. It indicates the factors that make each film significant for study, and points out changes in critical perception of the film between the time of release and the present day. Covers films released during the years 1927-1981.

Magill’s Survey of Cinema, Foreign Language Films
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1995 .F464 1986 (8 volumes)
This set provides reviews of over 1500 foreign film from the early 1900s to 1980. Films arranged by titled with country and subject indexes included.

Magill’s Survey of Cinema: Silent Films
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.45 .M327
Credits, principal characters, a plot summary, and a critical essay are included for each film. The essays are arranged alphabetically by title of the film, beginning on page 133 in volume 1. Covers silent films released between 1902 and 1936. 3 vols.

New York Times Film Reviews
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1995 .N4
Free Website: http://www.nytimes.com
Collection of film reviews reprinted from the New York Times newspaper. Covers 1913-1968. 6 vols. New York Times film reviews,1996 to current, available at the New York Times Web site. Access is free, but registration required.

Retrospective Index to Film Periodicals, 1930-1971
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993 .B39 1975
Index to film magazines published between 1930-1971.

See also: General Databases section below.

General Databases

The UTSA Library may not always own the items listed in the resources below. Search UCAT to see if the library owns or subscribes to a particular item.

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) (UTSA subscription)
Multidisciplinary database which indexes and abstracts more than 4,000 journals with full text/image to more than 3,200. Date coverages vary. Full Text/Full Image

• Search title of film in "Default Fields"
• Add actors or directors if need to narrow search
• Add "motion pictures--reviews"

Academic Universe (Lexis-Nexis) (UTSA subscription)
Full text of 6,000 news, business and legal publications. Includes U.S. and foreign newspapers and wire services. Updated continuously. Source List available online.
Search is by broad keyword. For film reviews, search the title of the movie. Choose Newspapers or Journals and Magazines from pull down menu. Also try News > "Arts & Sports" section. Narrow the search with the director's or leading actor's names, if necessary. Full Text
example: titanic and dicaprio

Art Full Text (UTSA subscription)
Contains reviews that appeared in art-related journals. Covers 1984-present. Choose the Advanced Search,type in the [ film title ] in: [ Keyword ] then select the Article type: [ MOTION-PICTURE-REVIEW ] from the drop down menu. Full Text

Literature Resource Center (UTSA subscription)
Biographies, bibliographies and critical analysis of authors from every age and literary discipline, including film. Includes full text links to relevant journal articles. Search by directors's name, film title or genre. Full Text

America's Newspapers (UTSA subscription)
Global NewsBank (UTSA subscription)
Access World News (UTSA subscription)
Full text news databases for regional, national and international news and sources. (Coverage dates vary). Full Text
To find movie reviews:

• Type film title; add name of actor or director to narrow search
• example: titanic and james cameron

ProQuest (UTSA subscription)
Provides access to journal articles in a number of databases across all subject areas, with particular strengths in business and the social sciences. Also includes 9 major national newspapers. Complete content of the following databases is included: Ethnic NewsWatch, National Newspapers, and ProQuest Research Library. More than 5,500 titles are indexed and abstracted from at least 1971 to the present. Full text and/or images are available for more than 2,000 titles.
Limit to "movie review" or "video review" under " Document Type. Journal coverage is 1988-present, newspaper coverage is 1995-present (except New York Times) Full Text & Full Image

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
Location: JPL Reference Stacks AI3 .R4 
Look for the subject heading "Motion picture reviews--single works"; under that heading, look for the title of the film. In earlier years, use the heading "motion picture plays." Covers 1900 to 1993.

San Antonio Express-News (UTSA subscription)
Coverage: 1990-current. Full Text

• Choose "customized search"
• Type name of film, adding director or actor to narrow search.

Web of Science (UTSA subscription)
Citations to journal articles in a wide variety of subject areas including the  social sciences, humanities, business, science and popular culture. Coverage is 1989-present. Citations Only

• Select one or more Citation Indexes and the years you want to search
• Choose "General Search"
• Type the title of the movie and choose "film review" under document type in bottom pull down menu.
• Click "search" button

See also: Film Indexes section above.

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Further Research (guides, bibliographies, Internet)

Film, A Reference Guide
Location: JPL Reference Stacks PN1993.45 .A75
Basic guide to researching film. Many helpful sections including a listing of major research collections in the area of film.

Film and Cinema Information
Free Website: http://www.lib.utsa.edu//Research/Subject/filminfoguide.html
For information on the film industry of on individual actors, actresses and directors, see the UTSA Subject Guide Film and Cinema Information.

Rotten Tomatoes: Movie Reviews and Previews
Free Website: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/
Links to reviews, previews and trailers of current movies from top critics. Includes box office reports, cast and crew information, and production notes.

Yahoo!: Entertainment:Movies and Film:Reviews
Free Website: http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Movies_and_Film/Reviews/
Yahoo! is a web directory/subject guide that links to web pages on a particular subject. This page links to Internet movie review sites. Keep in mind that Internet sites are of widely varying quality, ranging from the obscure adolescent with an Internet connection to established sources such as critic Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun Times), Washington Post.

Most major newspapers maintain online editions with archives of their movie reviews. Try the New York Times or Washington Post.