Guides: Film Studies: Finding Reviews

Film Review Search Tips

Some things to keep in mind when searching for film reviews:

Film reviews are published around the same time as the premier of the film. Knowing the year of premier can help make searching easier.
It is pretty easy to find film reviews via database, the library search, or the internet from the last 30+ years. For older reviews, you may have to widen your search and resources.
If you are not sure of the film's title, search with other information relevant to the film such as using the names of actors, directors, etc.

New York Times (1985 to present)

Search full text of the New York Times.
This resource is provided by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) in partnership with the Massachusetts Library System (MLS). The purchase is supported by funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Coverage: 2005-
Full Text: Yes
ProQuest Newspapers

Search newspapers provided by ProQuest: includes the Boston Globe and the Historical New York Times as part of Global Newsstream which enables users to search the most recent global news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring content from newspapers, newswires, and news sites in active full-text format. This resource provides one of the largest collections of news from the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia.

Full text: Yes

CineFiles
Founded by the University of California Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Archive, CineFiles "contains scanned images of reviews, press kits, film festival and repertory theater program notes, newspaper articles, and other ephemera from our extensive collections."
Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
Created in 1990, IMDb is a "searchable database includes millions of movies, TV and entertainment programs and cast and crew members."
Letterboxd
Letterboxd is "GoodReads" for movies. Track movies as you watch them and rate them and share your opinions with others. Letterboxd is a "global social network for grass-roots film discussion and discovery."
Metacritic
Metacritic collects reviews from across the film, tv, gaming, and music industries and assigns them a score.
Movie Review Query Engine (MQRE)
This site indexes published and available reviews, interviews and other materials related to films.
RogerEbert.com
Run by the late Roger Ebert's wife, Chaz Ebert, this site provides movie reviews, interviews, and commentary.
Rotten Tomatoes
This site provides reviews of television and movies and provides recommendations of what to / not to watch.