WRITING A MOVIE CRITIQUE

Pick a current popular film that you have seen recently. In this Critical Process exercise write a three- to four-page (750-1,000 word) movie critique either defending or attacking the movie as a form of popular culture.

Include plenty of examples to support your argument, and focus on three or four significant points.

1. Description. In preparing to write your critique, describe important plot, theme, or character points that are relevant to your argument. (This is essentially the note-taking part of your paper.)

2. Analysis. Analyze the particular patterns (the three or four significant points) that emerge from your Description step and that you have chosen to examine.

3. Interpretation. Interpret what all this information might mean based on the evidence you provide.

4. Evaluation. Discuss the limits of your critique, and offer evaluations of the film industry based on your evidence and your interpretations. Evaluate the movie by judging whether it works as high art or as popular culture.

5. Engagement. Does your critique of the movie differ substantially from published reviews in local or national newspapers and magazines or a Web page? (Try Movie Review Query Engine at www.mrqe.com to find reviews.) Use the evidence from your critique to present your interpretation of the film in a written response to a published review.