Cinema Studies Subject Guide

• Academic Search Premier

This online database indexes cinema-related journals such as Film Comment (1984-), Film Culture (1992-1996), Film History (2000-), Film Quarterly (1990-), and Films in Review (1990-1996).

• BBC Films Archive

Online access to BBC Film Reviews.

• Expanded Academic ASAP

This online database indexes sources with regular reviews of current releases ;The New Yorker, The Nation, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. Expanded Academic ASAP also indexes cinema journals such as Cineaste, Film Comment and Film Quarterly. To search for movie reviews, type in, for example, matrix AND reviews.

• H-Net Reviews (FILM)

H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences is an online scholarly review resource.

• LexisNexis Academic

Covers most of the major newspapers. A "Quick News Search" can be done: huckabees AND review.

• National Newspaper Index

An index to five daily U.S. Newspapers (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times).

• Movie Review Query Engine

This web site will allow you to search for movie reviews in national and regional newspapers. Some of the results are far-out, but all in all its a good resource for locating current reviews.

• Scope: An Online Journal of Film Studies

Retrospective Review Sources

• Art Index Retrospective

Covers major cinema/film journals from 1929 - 1984. Example search: "deliverance AND reviews".

• Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature (online access, 1983-)
  Print Editions in Hodges Reference AI3.R48 vol.1-57 1900-1997

Often overlooked, but a very useful resource for finding film reviews in popular periodical literature. Many cinema journals were indexed in Reader's Guide prior to their coverage in International Index to Film Periodicals. See heading "motion picture reviews" after 1977. For film reviews prior to 1977, movie reviews are listed under the heading "moving picture plays--criticisms, plots, etc. picture reviews."

• New York Times, Historical Newspapers (1851-1999)

This is a database of digitally scanned full text access to the New York Times.

• Index to critical film reviews in British and American film periodicals, together with: Index to critical reviews of books about film
  Bowles, Stephen. New York, B. Franklin 1974
  Ref PN1995.B69 1974

Covers 20,000 reviews of films and over 6,000 reviews of books about films. Alphabetical by title.

• Film Review Annual (1981-2000)
  Englewood, NJ : J.S. Ozer, 1981-2000
  Ref PN1995.F465

Reviews from a broad range of periodicals.

• Retrospective Index to Film Periodicals 1930 - 1971
  Batty, Linda. New York: Bowker
  Ref PN 1993.B38 1975

Indexes the entire contents of 14 film journals from their beginnings to 1971. Journals indexed include with starting year of coverage until 1971: AFFS Newsletter (1965), Cineaste (1963), Cinema (1963), Cinema Journal (1961), Film Comment (1962), Film Culture (1955), Film Heritage (1965), Film Library Quarterly (1967), Film Quarterly (1958), Film Society Review (1965), Films and Filming (1954), Films in Review (1950), Hollywood Quarterly (1945-1951), Movie (1962), Quarterly of Film, Radio and Television (1951-1957), Sight and Sound (1932), Take One (1966), Village Voice (1962), Vision (1962).

• Magill's Survey of Cinema, English Language Films
  Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Salem Press, 1980
  Ref PN1995.M3


• Magill's survey of Cinema, Foreign Language films
  Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Salem Press, 1985
  Ref PN1993.45.M34 1985


• Magill's Survey of Cinema--Silent Films
  Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Salem Press, 1982
  Ref PN1995.75.M33 1982


• Film Review Index
  Hanson, Patricia and Stephen Hanson (ed). Pheonix AZ: Oryx Press, 1987
  Ref PN1995.F545

Covers almost 8,000 feature films released between 1882 - 1985 with an emphasis on reviews in trade publications.

• International Index to Film Periodicals

Goes back to 1972, which means you can still find Film Quarterly's original review of Deliverance!

• Film Literature Index
  Ref PN1993.F453

Quite useful for its quality and scope. It's the only index that is regularly updated and covers trade, popular and scholarly periodicals.

• The New York Times Film Reviews; A One-volume Selection, 1913-1970
  Amberg, George, ed. New York: Arno Press, 1971
  PN1995.A43


• The New York Times Film Reviews, 1913-1998
  Ref PN1995.N4

Annual compilations of New York Times Reviews from 1913.

• Index to Motion Pictures Reviewed by Variety 1907-1980
  Alvarez, Max. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1982
  Ref PN1995.A39 1982

Covers films reviewed by Variety (including foreign films and short subjectss). Alphabetical by title.

• Motion Picture Guide
  Ref PN1995.N346 1985

12 volumes covering over 50,000 films.

• New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
  Nichols, Peter. ed. New York : Times Books, c1999
  Ref PN1995.C343 1999

Contains 1000 complete film reviews from The New York Times (1929-1980). Each entry consists of cast information, production staff and distribution companies for each film.