How do you review?
 

Feel free to approach every film as its own entity. Basically tell how it made you feel and why. Once you know that, try to express it as succintly as possible. You'll be fine - the more films you write about, the happier you'll be with your writing.

Good for you! Glad to hear you're going to start writing reviews:up: We need more reviewers at MoFo. I'll let you in on a secret, it's easy to do:p

All you need is 250 words (or more) about the movie, and a pop corn rating and you can make an official movie review by clicking the box to submit it. Give it a try, MoFo needs more reviews.

My advice? It doesn't hurt to read other people's reviews. If you read mine I suggest you don't read the first reviews I did as they were pretty basic, but I evolved and so will you.

Re: How do you review?
 

Always write reviews for you alone. Never write them for other peoples consumption. Pretend no one else will be seeing them but you. Its the only way you can be truly honest about the art.

That's a good way to look at it.

I'm looking at this like learning a piece of music. I start off playing 7 Bridges Road and then use what I learned to create a new song.

I already know how I plan to do things, I was just looking for others to share their thoughts. Do they take notes, watch a movie twice, use subtitles...

The More You Know *shooting star*

Re: How do you review?
 

Been a while since I reviewed.


I tend to keep to a layout.
Short synopsis... talk about the story layout... acting... then special effects last.


Then a quick "All in all" roundup of if I actually liked it or not.




How I actually write though... is, imagine talking to an imaginary friend... and type as you talk.
Then edit the rambling paragraphs.
I also tend to watch the movie while I'm typing :D

Re: How do you review?
 

if it is old movie you are reviewing , then you can give out major part of the story . but a new movie's story should not be revealed , at least not completely .

write about music of the movie , acting by actors , photography etc---this towards the end of the review . tell how many stars would you give out of five or out of ten in the fag end .

Re: How do you review?
 

When I reviewed movies, I used this format

Before I start the review I mentioned who directed the movie first, usually with a link to IMDB, it helps with SEO.

The first paragraph was a short summary of my thoughts written in a way so as to hook the reader.

I once ended the first paragraph of a review with the phrase "Who would've thought such a flawed movie could pierce through my cold and rotten heart..." Something like that, even if not as dramatic.

The second paragraph was the plot synopsis, usually would add the cast names after their character's name in parenthesis. For ex: "Batman (Christian Bale)".

Then I would say what I liked about the movie, followed by what I disliked about it. I prefer to do it this way because I feel it gives the reader a clearer idea of where I land. If I mentioned 5 small things I loved it but one HUGE thing I disliked about it, they would understand the mediocre rating better.

In the last few paragraphs, I usually try to combine what I liked and disliked into one final idea, to give a clear picture of exactly what I thought about the film.

Then the rating, I don't love doing them myself but the audience expects and demands it.

What SEO means please?

Re: How do you review?
 

Search Engine Optimization. Basically, it's to make your blog more easy to find on Google.

i like this thread and i think you are quite eloquent to be able to make a nice and comprehensible review. When i write a review a go more to my feelings rather than to technicalities. I like to share my very thoughts and moods. Also, I like to think of my readers and make my review as much accessible as possible, meaning, i like to NOT to leave my thoughts opened and trying finish my sentences. thats about it. I dont have much criteria to write a review as I'm not a professional.

you mean to be inserting hyperlinks to your review and similar or something else?

I love the rating part. Shot straight from the hip. No rhyme or reason to mine other than a gut feeling.

Re: How do you review?
 

Put some emotion into it. How the movie made you feel rather than it being clinical. I like (personally) reading shorter reviews that are to the point.....concise...rather than those with waffle. Just my thoughts....I’m no expert and I rarely write a review.

I think its different for everybody. I tend to like to put my thoughts down as soon as possible. Sometimes I would even use a recorder and talk into it because I find sitting and writing more limiting and restrictive then actually speaking both in terms of expression and just plain speed. Actual conversation always seems to work the best for me in terms of conveying my thoughts best. Then I transcribe that into written words. But just free form. No organization, no structure. Just thoughts on a screen (or paper) and then.. walk away... Let it marinate. Immediate emotions and thoughts are important but allowing the art to kind of digest is just as important. So come back to your word explosion later and then work it into shape. And Often times youll have answered initial questions you had about the film or even the way you think about the film. I tinker a lot until Im finally done. Sometimes whole sections disappear or revelations come out that werent there initially.

Re: How do you review?
 

The one consistent thing I do is to give it a score from 1-10... it's usually a feel that determines my love for a movie. I try to say something about it, sometimes digressing.

I give a 5/10 for a movie I feel that I broke even; my time.. Sometimes even shifting grades in my head while watching. I also consider the scores for certain movies. I do admit to giving a bit of a handicap for movies made after 1982 (my birth) because I'm surprised, but also because I know some will only watch newer movies, so a higher grade might help encourage better movies, and hopefully filter out the bad ones

Same - and I'm a fan of Clint Eastwood.... I especially loved "The Outlaw Josey Wales" but it had great writing, better flow... I didn't find "Unforgiven" a very good movie.

It's that, using keywords in a strategic way, using meta titles, etc. it's a whole thing, worth a Lynda course if you are interested in making content online.

I wouldn't hate them if not for most people taking them so seriously, most people skim through the review and react to the rating. It also feels like an oxymoron, a subjective opinion quantified. Maybe I overthink it.

I gotta agree with Vini, I can write a longer and balanced movie review about a popular movie...I can write about the positive aspects of the film, BUT...if I give it less than a high rating, people assume I hated it....I assume they didn't read what I wrote;)

Re: How do you review?
 

I tend to keep my reviews short and sweet. I write a little about the story, the cast, highlights, and then my final verdict. I find it easier to write as tho i'm answering a question.

Re: How do you review?
 

Omg!!
I DID do a keyword search, I swear!!! For whatever it is worth, I really dig your detailed response. Much appreciated. Now I must go hide. in shame. Again.

:D

Re: How do you review?
 

Re: How do you review?
 

Desktops and Obi Wan.

Re: How do you review?
 

For me the most important thing is WHY someone liked or disliked a film. i.e. the reasons for their rating.
"Loved it" or "Hated it" or just a number tells me nothing without exploring the reason why.

Another thing I don't like to see is a film summary (IMDB reviewers are famous for this)... here's why: if I haven't seen a film, but am just curious as to if it's worth watching, then I don't want to know all the details & plot turns & surprises & climaxes & endings. If I have seen a film, but now want to know what someone else thought of it, I don't want to read a summary because it is redundant information. So either way (seen it or haven't seen it) I don't want to read a summary.

I agree with everything you said here. I believe that reviews are written primarily to recommend or to not recommend a movie. You place the film in a context by mentioning the director, the original source if it was a book or play, TV series etc., to contrast it with other films from the same Genre (Godfather's relation to Goodfellas, or other Gangster movies), and then give it an honest evaluation that you can defend. You do not have to convince anybody else, but I think you should be able to say why you recommend it or refuse to recommend it even if it is rating from the gut or just that it was entertaining for you. Why was it entertaining? If you say I like long movies that promote a philosophical view, than the audience knows that it might not be what they are looking for in a movie. The same goes if you like a lot of action and want to watch for an hour and a half of escape. Than those who read the review have more information to determine whether it is something they want to see.