movie review other name

613 Movie Blog Name Ideas to Direct Your Success Story

If you’ve ever thought of launching your very own movie blog, you might have gotten stuck on the most basic yet crucial step: naming it. 🎥✍️

Just like choosing the title of a blockbuster movie, your blog’s name can set the tone for your entire platform.

This article will guide you through the maze of choosing the perfect movie blog name.

Whether you’re looking to start a movie review blog, a movie news blog, or a film-based website, these movie blog name ideas are the perfect inspiration for your blog.

Just go through this list and pick the name you feel is suitable for your movie blog.

Catchy Movie Blog Names

Here’s the deal: Your blog name is like the headline of a magazine. It’s the first thing people see, and a catchy name can make them want to dive deeper.

Why Catchy Names Matter:

👉 Immediate Recognition: A catchy name sticks. People remember it, helping you build a brand.

👉 Engagement: If it piques interest, they’re more likely to click on your site from search results or social shares.

👉 Establishing Tone: A snazzy name gives off vibes of fun and entertainment, perfect for a movie blog.

Now, remember the magic formula for catchiness: simplicity + creativity = catchiness . Too complex, and you risk losing potential readers. Too bland, and well, it’s just another name in the crowd.

So, ready to roll the film on these catchy names?

Here goes the premiere of our catchy blog names:

Movie Mingle
Screen Scoop
Film Frontrunners
Cine Circle
Film Fraternity
Movie Metropolis
Filmroll Chronicles
The Film Forecast
Cinematic Canvas
Reel Rundown
Movie Matrix
Film Fanatics
Reel Reflections
Film Fluent
Screen Dreams
Movie Momentum
Silver Screen Speak
Movie Mosaic
Screen Sage
Cine Critic Central
Silver Screen Sightings
Cine Stream
Film Facade
Movie Manifesto
Reel Report
Film Fiesta
Cine Cellar
Film Forecast
Screen Savvy
Movie Meadow
Film Frontier
Movie Magnet
Silver Screen Seeker
Cine Savant
Film Fountain
Movie Marathon
Reel Reviews
Cine Century
Film Frequency
Screen Scope
Movie Mirror
Movie Majesty
Cine Cluster
Screen Seer
Movie Morsels
Reel Resonance
Cine Chronicle
Screen Synopsis
Movie Meridian
Reel Ripple
Film Feature
Movie Metric
Cine Canvas
Screen Spotlight
Reel Reviewers
Film Flicker
Screen Stories
Movie Mentor
Cine Centric
Film Facets
Screen Series
Cine Corner
Film Fusion
Screen Segment
Movie Mystique
Reel Roundup
Cine Connect
Screen Sift
Movie Mural
Reel Roster
Screen Slate
Reel Thoughts
Screen Seen
Moviewpoints
Reel Life Stories
Clips Chips
Flicks N Sticks
Screen Beans
Cine Scene Seen
Plot Twist Tips
Reelationships
Flicker Picker
Frame By Fame
Reel Lovers Lane
Scene Cuisine
Cine Binge Bin
Reel Recipe
Movie Motive
Frame Fame Game
Celluloid Savvy
Flick Flicker
Cine Sine Wave
Frame Tales
Reel Rewards
Plot Hotspot
Screen Queen
Movie Maven
Cinema Scope
Screen Siren
Indie Inklings
Blockbuster Buzz
Cinema Sizzle
Plot Twists
Celluloid Charm
Popcorn Premiere
Flick Fusion
Silver Screen Sage
Flick Fables
Screen Spectacle
Indie Imprints
Talkie Tales
Cinema Cascade
Director’s Cut
Box Office Bonanza
Picture Perfect
Reel Ripples
Film Fables
Flick Frills
Cinema Carnival
Filmy Fairytales
Scene Stealers
Screen Symphony
Flick Feast
Cinematic Capers
Feature Follies
Cinema Capers
Flick Fixation
Celluloid Symphony
Silver Screen Sparkle
Film Flurry
Talkie Trends
Blockbuster Blast
Script Scintillations
Picture Palooza
Movie Magic
Cinematic Chorus
Film Festival Fervor
Star Struck Screen
Cinema Centric
Flick Fervor
Celluloid Circuit
Frame Frenzy
Movie Maelstrom
Silver Screen Scoop
Film Fest Feast
Cine Circuit
Film Frolics
Celluloid Cavalcade
Cinema Chronicles
Magic Movie Moments
Silver Screen Saga
Cine Spectacles
Final Cut Frenzy
Screen Side Stories
Movie Midway
Cinema Circuit
Fab Film Features
Scene Seers
Indie Impressions
Action Angle
Screen Sagas
Film Fondue
Movie Montage
Cinema Courier
Silver Screen Symphonies
Reel Ruminations
Cine Scroll
Silver Screen Serenade
Film Fable Fusion
Picture Perfect Pundits
Cinematic Charm
CineSavvy Lens
Flicks Digest
Cinematic Sequences
The Reel Reviewer
The Reel Rundown
Classic Cinema Chronicles
Cinephile’s Spotlight
Flashback Features
Movie Maestro Musings
Protagonist Pundit
The Flick Whisperer
The Cinematic Cineaste
The Reel Authority
Projector Projections
Auteur’s Avenue
Cinematic Quill
The Auteur Advocate
Filmosphere Chronicles
The Flick Fanatic
Film Noir Nook
Screenplay Savvy
Cinematic Showtime
Popcorn Perspectives
The Filmic Foresight
Cinephile’s Society
Retro Reel Reviews
The Filmlore Foreseer
Lights, Camera, Reaction!
Indie Impressions Insider
The Marquee Master
Cinematic Catharsis
The Movie Buff’s Guide
Scripted Shadows
The Film Philosopher
Screenlife Chronicles
Hollywood Highlights
Marquee Mavens
CinemaScope Lens
On-Set Observations
The Film Cognoscente
The Movie Montage
Cinequill Chronicles
Fade In Film Insight
Cinema Serenade
The Reel Rat
Film Reel Radar
Final Cut Forefront
Flicker Fusion
The Cinema Cicerone
Movieland Musings
Filmic Frontier
Talkies Tribune
FilmVerse Chronicles
Silver Screen Scholar
Cinemania Conversations
Tale of Talkies
Frame-In-Focus
The Framed Fiction
Cinema Curation Chronicles
Silver Screen Synapses
Flicker Feels
TakeTwo Chronicles
Frame Perfect Pundit
The Cinematic Chronicles
Frame by Frame Flicks
Frame Freeze Fables
Panoramic Picturehouse
Stardust Screenplay
Rolling Reels Insider
Scene by Scene Scrutiny
MovieLovers Manifesto
Celluloid Secrets
Cinematic Cadence
The Panoramic Projectionist
Silver Screen Analysis
The WideScreen Wisdom
Cineaste’s Central
Little Big Screen
The Scripted Saga
Celluloid Scribe
Scene Stealer Insights
Film Fanatics Forum
The Epic Film Echo
Classic Chronicle Cinematics
Frame Narrative Navigator
The Spotlight Scribe
Epicenter of Film Enthusiasm
The Luminary Lens
The Premier Prognosticator
Director’s Cut Corner
Sequel Seeker
The Projectionist’s Prophecy
Scene to Screen
Silver Linings Scriptbook
The Feature Framer
Feature Presentation Forecast
Filmstrip Forecaster

Creative Movie Blog Names

Diving into the realm of creativity can set your movie blog miles apart. Why? Because creative names hint at a deeper understanding and appreciation of films.

The Power of Creative Names:

👉 Uniqueness: Stand out in a sea of generic blog names.

👉 Brand Potential: Easier to design logos, themes, and content strategies around.

👉 Conversations: Creative names spark curiosity. “Oh, what’s that blog about?”

And our little secret to creativity? Merge two seemingly unrelated ideas or words. You’d be surprised at the results!

Without further ado, let’s unveil the masterpieces.

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the creative movie blog names spotlight:

Cinematic Cerebration
Filmophile’s Frenzy
Film Frames
Silver Screen Sapiens
Lights Camera Action
Hollywood Herald
Film Flamboyance
Film Flashbacks
Red Carpet Review
Films and Feelings
Director’s Dissection
Screen Scene
Theater Thesaurus
The Dialogue Digest
Cinematic Celebrations
The Movie Mingle
The Film Fable
Director’s Diary
The Premiere Post
Movie Mavens
The Movie Matrix
Pictorial Projections
The Movie Mill
Fantasy Film Files
Movie Marquee
Best Seat Reel Reviews
Star-studded Screens
The Drama Digest
Cinema Seekers
Behind The Scenes
Action Packed Adventures
Silver Screen Studies
Film Fascination
Flick Finesse
Cinephilia Central
The Movie Mosaic
Feature Flick Forum
Screenplay Scoop
Film Buff Forum
On-Screen Ovation
Picture Perfect Reviews
The Movie Mastermind
The Movie Muse
Reel Review Rendezvous
Screen Savor
Film Fervor
Premiere Perspectives
Projector’s Pick
Motion Picture Musings
Cinephile Chronicles
Blockbuster Breakdown
The Popping Popcorn
Cinema Cognizance
Celluloid Cognoscenti
Screening Stories
The Oscar Oracle
Cinematic Chronicles
Film Fantasy
Screenplay Symphony
Filmic Feast
Epic Ensemble
Roll Credits
Classic Cinephiles
Cinematic Symphony
Flick Forecaster
Cinema Connoisseur
Movie Maestros
Flick Finds
Box Office Banter
Silver Screen Secrets
The Flick Files
The Movie Maestro
Picture Palace Perspectives
The Projectionist’s Picks
Silver Screen Smorgasbord
The Film Flaneur
Movie Mantra
Motion Picture Muse
Feature Film Files
Scene By Scene
Cinematic Critic
Projector Prose
Premiere Pundit
Script Scribbler
Epic Epilogues
Protagonist Picks
Box Office Buzz
Shutterbug Scoop
Film Fanfare
Red Carpet Reviews
Silver Lining Screenings
Star Studded Stories
Cinematic Celestial
Talkie Takes
Filmstrip Feed
Iconic Imagery
Celluloid Ciphers
Blockbuster Blog
Premiere Pulse
Screenplay Speak
Reelin Reviews
Technicolor Talks
Panavision Perspectives
Scene Screen
Filmic Feeds
Cinemascope Chats
Flicker Feeds
Rolling Reel Reviews
Take Two Talks
Cinematic Cues
Screen Story
Matinee Musings
Frames Focus
Showtime Shifts
Altered Angles
Lens Lookout
Celluloid Circle
Filmroll Fables
Picture Perfect Pages
Stills Story
Cinemascope Scribes
Vibgyor Views
Filmstrip Fables
Studio Scoop
Cinephile Circle
Screenplay Scribes
Movie Mumble
Flicker Flare
Scene Scribes
Filmic Fusion
Silver Screen Stories
Analog Angles
Feature Flick Facts
Narrative Niche
Scripted Screens
Premiere Pages
Directorial Digest
All About Angles
Cineaste Circle
Flicker Frames
Iconic Imprints
Big Screen Buzz
Feature Lenses
Cinematic Contours
Filmic Footnotes
Rolling Reel Rants
Screen Savants
Showbiz Scoop
The Moving Picture Blog
Silver Screen Scroll
Flicker Folks
Take Two Tales
Picture Perfect Projections
Reel Reality
Cine Sculpt
Reel Radiance

Movie Blog Name Generator

Ah! If you’re someone who’s thinking, “I love movies, not the naming game!” then this section’s for you. A movie blog name generator can be a handy tool to churn out ideas when your creative well seems dry.

Why Use a Movie Blog Name Generator?

👉 Volume: Instantly receive a list of names, giving you plenty of choices.

👉 Inspiration: Even if you don’t choose one of the generated names, they might spark a unique idea.

👉 Time-Saving: Instead of spending hours brainstorming, get a list in seconds.

👉 Customization: Some generators allow you to tweak settings like name length, keywords, or themes.

But remember, while generators are great, they’re not foolproof. Some names may seem robotic or lack the personal touch. Our advice? Use them as a starting point or for inspiration, not the end-all solution.

Using a Name Generator:

👉 Specify Keywords: Most generators ask for a keyword. This could be “film”, “cinema”, or even your favorite movie.

👉 Tweak Settings: Some allow you to set the tone – playful, serious, quirky, etc.

👉 Generate & List: Hit the generate button and list down names that catch your eye.

👉 Personalize: Feel free to mix and match or add your personal touch.

Curious about what a blog name generator can dish out?

Behold, the cinematic ensemble generated by our movie blog name generator:

Popcorn Flix
Cine Chatter
Movie Mania
Cine Flicks
Movie Pulse
Picture Party
Screen Jive
Flick Frenzy
Film Frolic
Flick Tales
Popcorn Chronicle
Showtime Shenanigans
Silver Cine Sightings
The Movie Magnet
Plot Point Pulse
Reel Chatter
Flick Fever
Movie Banter
Flix Galaxy
Cinema Craze
Film Giggle
Playful Flix
Flicks N Chats
Screen Sirens
Movie Munch
Movie Maniax
Screen Sizzle
Popcorn Pulse
Reel Reverie
Picture Playhouse
Reel Vortex
Popcorn Fever
Screen Chirp
Movie Frolic
Flick Vibes
Film Dazzle
Flix Junkie
Flick Pulse
Flick Flair
Reel Playful
Movie Fiesta
Movie Whimsy
Cinema Whimsy
Flix Playground
Flicker Frolic
Cine Dazzle
Screen Cheer
Showbiz Joy
Reel Ruckus
Picture Playful
Flix Giggles
Cine Whimsy
Flix Chatter
Flick Frolic
Cine Giggle
Cine Whisper
Flix Tastic
Cinema Chuckles
Movie Whirl
Film Frenzy
Flicks Fizz
Flix Whimsy
Picture Playground
Flick Squad
Popcorn Fiesta
Flickosphere
Screen Serenade
Cine Frolic
Movie Playpen
Flicks Nook
Picture Playtime

How To Name Your Movie Blog?

So, you’ve seen the names, but perhaps you’re thinking, “How can I craft one myself?”.

Let’s get into the director’s chair and understand the art of naming.

Steps to Name Your Movie Blog:

Define Your Niche: Are you reviewing indie films, blockbusters, or diving deep into film theories?
Know Your Audience: A quirky, young audience? Or a mature group looking for in-depth analysis?
Make it Memorable: Alliteration, rhymes, or puns can be your best friend here.
Check Domain Availability: Before getting too attached, ensure the domain name is available!
Seek Feedback: Share the name with friends, family, or even your social media followers. Their feedback is invaluable.

Just remember, naming is a combination of art and science. It’s about resonance. When it feels right, you’ll know.

Roll credits! 🎥🍿

Conclusion: Movie Blog Names

Choosing the perfect name for your movie blog isn’t just about finding a cool title. It’s about encapsulating your passion for cinema, your blog’s unique perspective, and connecting with your intended audience. Think of it as choosing the perfect title for your own movie. 🍿

A piece of advice? Don’t fret over it too much. Just like in filmmaking, sometimes the first take might be the magic one. But even if it’s not, revisions lead to perfection.

So, next time you watch a movie, and the title captures your heart, let it inspire you. Because if it can leave a lasting impression on you, imagine what the perfect blog name can do for your readers.

Happy naming, future film critics! 🎬

If you enjoyed our article, please remember to share it on social media because sharing is caring 🙂

657 Entertainment Blog Name Ideas For a Scene-Stealing Presence

543 Cool Blog Name Ideas That Will Get Your Blog’s Reel Rolling

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Film Studies

How to Write a Movie Review

Last Updated: March 6, 2024 Fact Checked

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 178 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,545,524 times. Learn more...

Whether a movie is a rotten tomato or a brilliant work of art, if people are watching it, it's worth critiquing. A decent movie review should entertain, persuade and inform, providing an original opinion without giving away too much of the plot. A great movie review can be a work of art in its own right. Read on to learn how to analyze a movie like a professional film critic, come up with an interesting thesis, and write a review as entertaining as your source material.

Sample Movie Reviews

Writing an Intro for a Movie Review

Step 1 Start with a compelling fact, quote, or opinion on the movie.

Comparison to Relevant Event or Movie: "Every day, our leaders, politicians, and pundits call for "revenge"– against terrorist groups, against international rivals, against other political parties. But few of them understand the cold, destructive, and ultimately hollow thrill of revenge as well as the characters of Blue Ruin. "
Review in a nutshell: "Despite a compelling lead performance by Tom Hanks and a great soundtrack, Forrest Gump never gets out of the shadow of its weak plot and questionable premise."
Context or Background Information: " Boyhood might be the first movie made where knowing how it was produced–slowly, over 12 years, with the same actors–is just as crucial as the movie itself."

Step 2 Give a clear, well-established opinion early on.

Using stars, a score out of 10 or 100, or the simple thumbs-up and thumbs-down is a quick way to give your thoughts. You then write about why you chose that rating.
Great Movie: ABC is the rare movie that succeeds on almost every level, where each character, scene, costume, and joke firing on all cylinders to make a film worth repeated viewings."
Bad Movie: "It doesn't matter how much you enjoy kung-fu and karate films: with 47 Ronin, you're better off saving your money, your popcorn, and time."
Okay Movie: "I loved the wildly uneven Interstellar far more than I should have, but that doesn't mean it is perfect. Ultimately, the utter awe and spectacle of space swept me through the admittedly heavy-handed plotting and dialogue."

Step 3 Support your opinions with evidence from specific scenes.

Great: "Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer's chemistry would carry Fruitvale Station even if the script wasn't as good. The mid-movie prison scene in particular, where the camera never leaves their faces, shows how much they can convey with nothing but their eyelids, the flashing tension of neck muscles, and a barely cracking voice."
Bad: " Jurassic World's biggest flaw, a complete lack of relatable female characters, is only further underscored by a laughably unrealistic shot of our heroine running away from a dinosaur – in heels."
Okay: "At the end of the day, Snowpiercer can't decide what kind of movie it wants to be. The attention to detail in fight scenes, where every weapon, lightbulb, and slick patch of ground is accounted for, doesn't translate to an ending that seems powerful but ultimately says little of substance."

Does the film reflect on a current event or contemporary issue? It could be the director's way of engaging in a bigger conversation. Look for ways to relate the content of the film to the "real" world.
Does the film seem to have a message, or does it attempt to elicit a specific response or emotion from the audience? You could discuss whether or not it achieves its own goals.
Does the film connect with you on a personal level? You could write a review stemming from your own feelings and weave in some personal stories to make it interesting for your readers.

Composing Your Review

Step 1 Follow your thesis paragraph with a short plot summary.

When you name characters in your plot summary, list the actors' names directly afterward in parenthesis.
Find a place to mention the director's name and the full movie title.
If you feel you must discuss information that might "spoil" things for readers, warn them first.

Step 2 Start to talk about the film’s technical and artistic choices.

Cinematography: " Her is a world drenched in color, using bright, soft reds and oranges alongside calming whites and grays that both build, and slowly strip away, the feelings of love between the protagonists. Every frame feels like a painting worth sitting in."
Tone: "Despite the insane loneliness and high stakes of being stuck alone on Mars, The Martian's witty script keeps humor and excitement alive in every scene. Space may be dangerous and scary, but the joy of scientific discovery is intoxicating."
Music and Sound: " No Country For Old Men's bold decision to skip music entirely pays off in spades. The eerie silence of the desert, punctuated by the brief spells of violent, up-close-and-personal sound effects of hunter and hunted, keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat."
Acting: "While he's fantastic whenever he's on the move, using his cool stoicism to counteract the rampaging bus, Keanu Reeves can't quite match his costar in the quiet moments of Speed, which falter under his expressionless gaze."

Keep your writing clear and easy to understand. Don't use too much technical filmmaking jargon, and make your language crisp and accessible.
Present both the facts and your opinion. For example, you might state something such as, "The Baroque background music was a jarring contrast to the 20th century setting." This is a lot more informative then simply saying, "The music was a strange choice for the movie."

Step 4 Use plenty of examples to back up your points.

Great: "In the end, even the characters of Blue Ruin know how pointless their feud is. But revenge, much like every taut minute of this thriller, is far too addictive to give up until the bitter end.""
Bad: "Much like the oft-mentioned "box of chocolates", Forest Gump has a couple of good little morsels. But most of the scenes, too sweet by half, should have been in the trash long before this movie was put out."
Okay: "Without the novel, even revolutionary concept, Boyhood may not be a great movie. It might not even be "good.” But the power the film finds in the beauty of passing time and little, inconsequential moments – moments that could only be captured over 12 years of shooting – make Linklater's latest an essential film for anyone interested in the art of film."

Polishing Your Piece

Ask yourself whether your review stayed true to your thesis. Did your conclusion tie back in with the initial ideas you proposed?
Decide whether your review contains enough details about the movie. You may need to go back and add more description here and there to give readers a better sense of what the movie's about.
Decide whether your review is interesting enough as a stand-alone piece of writing. Did you contribute something original to this discussion? What will readers gain from reading your review that they couldn't from simply watching the movie?

Studying Your Source Material

Step 1 Gather basic facts about the movie.

The title of the film, and the year it came out.
The director's name.
The names of the lead actors.

Step 2 Take notes on the movie as you watch it.

Make a note every time something sticks out to you, whether it's good or bad. This could be costuming, makeup, set design, music, etc. Think about how this detail relates to the rest of the movie and what it means in the context of your review.
Take note of patterns you begin to notice as the movie unfolds.
Use the pause button frequently so you make sure not to miss anything, and rewind as necessary.

Step 3 Analyze the mechanics of the movie.

Direction: Consider the director and how he or she choose to portray/explain the events in the story. If the movie was slow, or didn't include things you thought were necessary, you can attribute this to the director. If you've seen other movies directed by the same person, compare them and determine which you like the most.
Cinematography: What techniques were used to film the movie? What setting and background elements helped to create a certain tone?
Writing: Evaluate the script, including dialogue and characterization. Did you feel like the plot was inventive and unpredictable or boring and weak? Did the characters' words seem credible to you?
Editing: Was the movie choppy or did it flow smoothly from scene to scene? Did they incorporate a montage to help build the story? And was this obstructive to the narrative or did it help it? Did they use long cuts to help accentuate an actor's acting ability or many reaction shots to show a group's reaction to an event or dialogue? If visual effects were used were the plates well-chosen and were the composited effects part of a seamless experience? (Whether the effects looked realistic or not is not the jurisdiction of an editor, however, they do choose the footage to be sent off to the compositors, so this could still affect the film.)
Costume design: Did the clothing choices fit the style of the movie? Did they contribute to the overall tone, rather than digressing from it?
Set design: Consider how the setting of the film influenced its other elements. Did it add or subtract from the experience for you? If the movie was filmed in a real place, was this location well-chosen?
Score or soundtrack: Did it work with the scenes? Was it over/under-used? Was it suspenseful? Amusing? Irritating? A soundtrack can make or break a movie, especially if the songs have a particular message or meaning to them.

Community Q&A

If you don't like the movie, don't be abusive and mean. If possible, avoid watching the movies that you would surely hate. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Understand that just because the movie isn't to your taste, that doesn't mean you should give it a bad review. A good reviewer helps people find movie's they will like. Since you don't have the same taste in movies as everyone else, you need to be able to tell people if they will enjoy the movie, even if you didn't. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Structure is very important; try categorizing the different parts of the film and commenting on each of those individually. Deciding how good each thing is will help you come to a more accurate conclusion. For example, things like acting, special effects, cinematography, think about how good each of those are. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/terminology_and_starting_prompts.html
↑ https://www.spiritofbaraka.com/how-write-a-movie-review
↑ https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/9-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
↑ https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/writing-help/top-tips-for-writing-a-review
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/summary-using-it-wisely/
↑ https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/film-review-1.original.pdf
↑ https://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-tips-for-writing-a-film-review/
↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_film/film_writing_sample_analysis.html
↑ https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/onnyx.bei/dual-credit/movie-review-writing-guide
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conclusions/
↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-movie-review/
↑ https://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/handoutdocs/editing_proofreading.php
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
↑ https://edusson.com/blog/how-to-write-movie-review

About This Article

To write a movie review, start with a compelling fact or opinion to hook your readers, like "Despite a great performance by Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump never overcomes its weak plot." Then, elaborate on your opinion of the movie right off the bat so readers know where you stand. Once your opinion is clear, provide examples from the movie that prove your point, like specific scenes, dialogue, songs, or camera shots. To learn how to study a film closely before you write a review, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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'Blackthorn': Butch Cassidy, By Another Name

Ian Buckwalter

Butch Cassidy (Sam Shepard), living quietly in a Bolivian valley as James Blackthorn, dusts off his guns after he gets dragged into one final caper.

Director: Mateo Gil
Genre: Western
Running Time: 98 minutes

Rated R; For violence and language

With: Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea and Magaly Solier

Watch Clips

'Who Are You?'

Credit: Magnolia Pictures

'We Found Your Horse'

"There are two moments in a man's life: When he leaves home, and when he returns." That's the theory of an aging Butch Cassidy in Blackthorn , and he spends the entirety of Mateo Gil's film desperately seeking that second moment.

The concept of "an aging Cassidy" might initially seem confusing — didn't we all watch Paul Newman getting gunned down at the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?

But that seminal 1969 movie is just one version of the infamous outlaw's story, and many believe reports of Cassidy's death in a Bolivian firefight were greatly exaggerated — and that he escaped to quietly live out his natural days.

In Gil's film, he's doing just that on a secluded ranch in Bolivia. He's calling himself James Blackthorn, living off the land and his savings from his old life, and carrying on a casual relationship with Yana (Magaly Solier), a local native woman.

Despite the relaxed bliss of this life, Cassidy feels the need to tie up a few loose ends. He has a grown son back in San Francisco, though they've never met. And after years away from his old life of crime, maybe he can go back to the U.S. without constantly looking over his shoulder. Fate has other notions.

It's on that trip, after withdrawing every cent he has from the bank and loading it up in his saddlebags, that he meets up with a bandit intent on stealing his horse. He thwarts the attempt, but the horse gallops off with all his money. Good thing the would-be horse thief, Eduardo (Eduardo Noriega), happens to have a massive sum hidden away, recently stolen from a mining company; Cassidy agrees to help him retrieve the cash — and get away from the posse that's after him — in exchange for half the haul.

Thus Blackthorn becomes, for a time, another "one last job" flick, albeit one with a dusty western spin. Cassidy is crotchety and resentful about being drawn back into a life of crime, but when it appears that he and Eduardo have gotten away clean, there's a sudden change in his demeanor that finds him happily singing old cowboy songs as they ride the trail to freedom. There's obviously a familiar old adrenaline rush that life on the ranch just wasn't providing.

Those rushes are few and far between though, and have dire consequences. Gil's film comes with many of the familiar trappings of classic westerns — shootouts, galloping horse chases — but its heart is of the meditative, elegiac school typical of the post- Unforgiven modern western. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the film's gorgeous centerpiece, a showdown on the bleak Bolivian salt flats high in the Andes. Here, the high altitude slows chases down to a trudge, with horses and their riders barely able to put one foot in front of the other.

These quietly evocative moments are the film's strongest, and mostly outweigh weaknesses like a slightly implausible plot turn that puts a disgraced (and excessively expository) Pinkerton agent (Stephen Rea) back on Cassidy's long-cold trail. There are some flashbacks to Cassidy's younger days, too, that feel entirely unnecessary.

Even if those weaknesses were more prominent, though, they'd be mostly forgivable in light of Sam Shepard's powerful performance in the title role. He perfectly blends the mischievousness of the character with the sadness of age and exile. His Cassidy is magnetic and intimidating, and his smoky, reedy voice conveys the dried-out fatigue of someone who has spent too long out under the unforgiving prairie sun.

The lines between Cassidy's honor and dignity and the more craven brand of thief represented by Eduardo may be a little too broadly drawn, as the film attempts to generate support for Cassidy's homeward-bound redemption. Shepard sells it with a depth and a conflicted sense of remorse that pulls this folk hero down to earth.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘My Name’ on Netflix, A Korean Drama With Crime, Fighting, And A Departed-Style Twist

Where to stream:.

Stream It Or Skip It

Stream It or Skip It: 'Hunting Housewives' on Lifetime Is a Plane Crash of a Movie in Every Way Possible

Stream it or skip it: 'the signal' on netflix, about a missing astronaut and her family looking into a discovery that might change the world, stream it or skip it: 'catch me a killer' on britbox, a drama about south africa's first serial killer profiler, stream it or skip it: ‘damsel’ on netflix, a neo-femme fantasy pitting millie bobby brown against a dragon.

The Korean drama My Name (Netflix) puts a young woman seeking vengeance for her drug dealer father’s death at the hands of an unknown assailant on the radar of the kingpin who ran her dad’s organization. He teaches her the ways of vengeance, which involves a lot of punching. But he also schemes to insert his new charge into the local police force…

MY NAME : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Ji-Woo (Han So-hee) is 17 years old today, and, as has become the norm, she wakes up in an empty apartment. Her absentee father’s boxing and martial arts trophies line the walls as Ji-Woo does sit-ups, tunes cranked.

The Gist: Ji-Woo wakes up a forlorn, bullied high school student at the start of this eight-episode Korean drama, and before 40 minutes have rolled by she’s holding her own in a vicious last-fighter-standing battle royale in a dockside training gym for underworld thugs. To say My Name travels in its introductory segment is to put it lightly. But let’s back up a second. Ji-Woo has been on her own since her single dad Dong-hoon (Yoon Kyung-ho) stepped out three months before. Rumors of his involvement with a criminal organization called Dongcheon dog Ji-Woo — “Junkie idiot! Get lost!” — and eventually she puts a few of her bullies in place before dropping out of school entirely. When she takes Dong-hoon’s birthday call, he’s drunk and full of platitudes. “Where are you?” she rages. “The cops who are after you have been following me for a month.” But Ji-Woo’s anger gets through to him, and he arrives at her door. And his daughter watches through the keyhole, terrified, as a masked assailant shoots Dong-hoon dead.

At the funeral, Dongcheon’s kingpin arrives, rolling deep with an 8-man henchman detail. Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon) tells Ji-Woo that Dong-hoon was his most trusted friend and brother, but it’s little solace — the cops drop the murder case, and she is alone. Taking to the streets with “Witnesses! Reward” fliers, Ji-Woo is nearly killed by street toughs before Choi rescues her. All she wants is vengeance for her father’s murder, so he gives her a route: the Dongcheon boss inducts Ji-Woo into his organization as a newbie at the fighting gym. Cue the fight training montages, and the big “prove yourself” final battle.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Netflix goes pretty deep on Korean dramas. My Name joins the ranks of Jo Pil-Ho: The Dawning Rage , which also meshes cops and crime and personal justice, and The Lies Within , where a woman left alone after the death of her father and husband joins the Korean National Assembly.

Our Take: With punches and kicks to spare and a quickening pace to go with Ji-Woo’s heart rate as she trains to become Dongcheon’s newest, most vengeance-driven warrior, My Name offers a rewarding opening to its festivities with this thrilling first episode. Han So-hee also keeps a flashing anger in her eyes that accommodates Ji-Woo’s rapid transformation into a rock ‘em sock ‘em punching machine. But what’s really interesting about My Name is what’s about to go down: Ji-Woo will give up her identity and become Oh Hye-jin, member of the police force and Cho Mu-jin’s hand-picked, personally curated Trojan horse. It’s a twist worthy of The Departed that apparently will still allow Ji-Woo to seek out her father’s murderer, even as she plays both sides of a battle between jaded cops and ruthless gangsters who are all out for each others’ necks.

We’ll have to see how Ji-Woo/Oy Hye-jin does on this see-saw. For now, let’s focus on the fights. From Dong-hoon quickly dispatching the two surly cops on stakeout at Ji-Woo’s apartment — he grabs one guy’s neck by smashing through a car window with his fist — to Ji-Woo taking out three bullying girls with a wild series of roundhouses, My Name has a real feel for gritty fight sequences. And that’s all before the first episode’s final sequence, which includes a 360-pan on Ji-Woo crushing a much larger male opponent that’s worthy of the John Wick movies.

Sex and Skin: Lots of fighters stripped to the waist and punching each other in their abs, if that’s a draw.

Parting Shot: Ji-Woo, or “The Rookie” as she’s known in this henchman training gym, wipes blood and sweaty hair out of her eyes, raises her fists, and sets her feet. She’s one of only two fighters left standing in this battle royale, which means she’s still got some work to do. Thwap!

Sleeper Star: Park Hee-Soon is perfect as Choi Mu-jin, the stoic crime boss with immaculate threads who takes Ji-Woo into his organization as both a favor to his fallen friend and brother and as a project of his own design. “You can’t win like that,” he tells Ji-Woo, who’s just blindly kicking a heavy bag. He removes his graciously cut camel-colored suit coat with the 1930’s lapels, and begins to spar with his new charge.

Most Pilot-y Line: Choi can see the fire in Ji-Woo’s eyes, and knows she has no love for the law. The daughter of a gangster, however grudging she was about her dad’s job, still knows the score. And so he makes a decision to harness Ji-Woo’s flame. “If you’re really determined to find and kill him,” Choi says of Dong-Hoon’s murderer, “you must be someone capable of killing others.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. My Name promises larger intrigue ahead after setting up its protagonist’s very personal reason for revenge. The criminals, the cops: can anyone tame Ji-Woo’s rage?

Will you stream or skip the Korean drama #MyName on @netflix ? #SIOSI #MyNameOnNetflix — Decider (@decider) October 15, 2021

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges

Watch My Name on Netflix

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10 Movie Review Examples That Will Help You Write Better Reviews

Studying movie review examples is a great place to start if you’re looking for inspiration for your own movie reviews.

This article has gathered different kinds of movie review examples that will help you write better and more insightful reviews in whatever style you choose.

There is an overwhelming library of movie reviews to sift through, but having studied many reviews by Pulitzer Prize-winning film critics along with your average movie review articles published online, I’ve been able to find a few movie reviews which provide a great template for crafting a review of your own.

10 Detailed Movie Review Examples

The Classic Movie Review

A classic movie review example has a neat structure that clearly communicates the author’s sentiment toward the film in a clean, straightforward manner.

Roger Ebert’s review of North is the perfect example of that.

1. “North” by Roger Ebert

This review starts off with a catchy hook, making readers curious for Ebert to elaborate on his statements.

“I have no idea why Rob Reiner, or anyone else, wanted to make this story into a movie, and close examination of the film itself is no help.”

The opening sentence of this movie review example makes it clear to the audience that Ebert did not enjoy the film in question and if they would like to know why, they are encouraged to continue reading.

The whole first paragraph is chock full of strong adjectives setting the tone for the scathing critique this film is about to get.

Moving on to the next paragraph of this movie review example, Ebert gives a quick synopsis of what this film is about, filling the audience in on the story in case they’re unaware.

“He [Elijah Wood] plays a kid with inattentive parents, who decides to go into court, free himself of them, and go on a worldwide search for nicer parents.”

Following the paragraph summarizing the main plot of the film, the movie review dives straight into the critique explaining why this film garnered the strong adjectives it received in the opening paragraph:

“This idea is deeply flawed. Children do not lightly separate from their parents – and certainly not on the evidence provided here, where the great parental sin is not paying attention to their kid at the dinner table.”

In this movie review example, Ebert dives deep into the oddities of the narrative in what makes it so unbelievable.

He questions the director’s decisions and the plot’s direction as well in these middle paragraphs:

“What is the point of the scenes with the auditioning parents?… They are not funny. They are not touching. There is no truth in them.”

Ebert uses the middle paragraphs to dissect what does not work in the film.

In the final paragraphs of this movie review example, Ebert closes out by reiterating his sentiments towards the film, giving readers a good idea of whether the movie would be something he would recommend others watch.

“I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it.”

“‘North’ is a bad film – one of the worst movies ever made.”

After reading Ebert’s movie review example there is no question of whether he liked the movie or not. I don’t know, he might’ve even mentioned hating it at one point…

And he makes it clear what plot and artistic choices played into his final assessment of the film.

Would you whip out your cash to experience the movie North after reading a review like this?

With this straightforward, informative, evidence-supported review, there is no confusion about the perceived quality of this film.

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF NORTH BY ROGER EBERT

Try this movie review generator to create your own classic movie review in no time!

The Real World Parallel Review

A movie review that can parallel the events occurring within the movie with events occurring outside of the movie shows a deeper level of critical thinking.

This is one of the movie review examples that truly exemplifies a deep critical thinker.

2. “The Flash” by Justin Chang

This movie review example starts off right away with a brief overview synopsis of what the movie, The Flash, is about.

“‘The Flash’ is a time-travel story and a cautionary tale, a warning of how dangerous it can be to change the past or mess around with alternate realities.”

Same as with the classic movie review, this reviewer also hints at his overall sentiments towards the film.

“…this initially enjoyable, increasingly sloppy megabucks mess…”

This review, unlike the classic movie review, spends more time following the plot of the story through a biased lens, further walking readers through the details of the story.

“He gets stuck in the past and… winds up unwisely joining forces with a teenage version of himself (also Miller, with floppier hair), who’s had a much happier childhood but doesn’t (yet) have the Flash’s superheroic powers.”

After indirectly criticizing the CGI and praising the main actor’s performance, Chang gets into his main criticism of the review: the popular trend of reintroducing old versions of superheroes into new superhero movies.

“Really, though, is nostalgia that satisfying anymore?”

And it’s really this last sentence of the movie review example that ties this compelling thought together, not only concluding the movie but drawing a parallel to how the movie creators are perpetrators of the same mistake that the movie’s main character made.

“Lost in an endless game of IP-reshuffling musical chairs, Barry realizes, possibly too late, the futility of dwelling on the past — a fatuous lesson from a movie that can’t stop doing the same.”

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF THE FLASH BY JUSTIN CHANG

3. “Bonnie and Clyde” by Roger Ebert

Another great movie review example, using a movie as a sense of societal self-reflection, is Roger Ebert’s review of Bonnie and Clyde . The final sentences of the review saying:

“‘Bonnie and Clyde’ will be seen as the definitive film of the 1960s, showing with sadness, humor, and unforgiving detail what one society had come to… it was made now and it’s about us.”

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF Bonnie and Clyde BY Roger Ebert

4. “Black Panther” by Soraya Nadia McDonald

Yet another movie review example is this Black Panther review by Soraya Nadia McDonald.

The whole review deep dives into the cultural context of the movie and its timeliness or lack thereof.

“Honestly, the worst thing about Black Panther is that it had to be released in 2018 and not during the term of America’s first black president.”

This movie review example walks through the narrative praising the film’s actors, director, and cinematographer before ending on the note of its cultural relevance.

“Perhaps it’s even capable, just as The Birth of a Nation once was, of helping to steer an entire national conversation.”

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF Black Panther BY Soraya Nadia McDonald

The Storytelling Movie Review

If you have a story of your own that you can parallel with the movie’s story, then connecting the movie’s narrative with your own is a particularly entertaining way to craft your review.

Instead of comparing the film to society as a whole, the following storytelling movie review examples compare the movie to specific stories they pull from their personal life.

5. “The Help” by Wesley Morris

One of my favorite reviews by Pulitzer prize-winning Wesley Morris is written in this style, drawing readers in with his own personal story:

“Three summers ago, I went to visit a friend in West Texas.”

“What happened in Texas?”, readers wonder as we curiously continue reading.

After 3 engaging paragraphs narrating a strange, racial encounter in Texas, Morris introduces the movie, The Help.

“This pretty much captures the cognitive dissonance of watching “The Help’’: One woman’s mammy is another’s man’s mother.”

The following paragraph gives a synopsis of the film and introduces the audience to the main characters:

“Meanwhile, the heart of the film itself belongs to Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), the two very different maids and best friends at the center of the story.”

The center of this movie review example narrates the happenings of the movie from a biased point of view before presenting some debate points about the movie’s approach to race relations.

“‘The Help’ joins everything from “To Kill a Mockingbird’’ to “The Blind Side’’ as another Hollywood movie that sees racial progress as the province of white do-gooderism.”

Morris then praises the actors’ performances in this very character-based film but is unable to shake the social weight of the casting that this film requires:

“And yet here’s the question you ask as you watch a black actor in 2011 play a white lady’s maid, decades and decades after that was the only job a black woman in Hollywood could get. What went through the minds of Davis, Spencer, and Aunjanue Ellis, who plays Hilly’s maid, as they put on those uniforms and went to work?”

Morris finishes off the review sure to reference the personal story that he introduced in the beginning before leaving the reader with something to ponder on.

“These are strong figures, as that restaurant owner might sincerely say, but couldn’t they be strong doing something else?”

Morris’s final statements in this movie review example make it clear his assessment of the film’s quality is good but its messaging is questionable, allowing the audience to make a judgment on whether they’d like to see the film for themselves.

“On one hand, it’s juicy, heartwarming, well-meant entertainment. On the other, it’s an owner’s manual.”

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF THE HELP BY WESLEY MORRIS

6. “Me Without You” by Stephen Hunter

This movie review example also tells a story although it’s not personal.

Instead of starting by talking about the movie or talking about himself, Hunter begins the review like a novel. With an untethered phrase that needs further explanation.

“Friendship isn’t rocket science. It’s much harder.”

He then lists out all of the complexities of trying to maintain a friendship, painting a picture to support his point.

“Oh, yeah, it’s easy to say just be loyal and true and that makes you a good friend. But suppose the other person does something that really irks you, like chew gum or vote Democratic?”

Hunter doesn’t leave you hanging for too long before segueing into how this thought point relates to the film.

“And that thorniness, that dark underbelly of it, is the gist of the acerbic British import ‘Me Without You…'”

As usual, a sign of good storytelling, he finishes this movie review example with his full-circle concluding statement on friendship.

“But the truth is, of course, that friendship matters to those of us who still claim membership in the human race…”

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF ME WITHOUT YOU BY STEPHEN HUNTER (Under the title: ‘Me’: Friendship as Relationship)

The Unconventional Movie Review

A less common but creative and fun way to approach a movie review is to approach it from a different angle or point of view. To write it in a way that’s unexpected.

7. “ET” by Roger Ebert

In another movie review example from Roger Ebert, instead of approaching this review traditionally, Ebert rather writes the review as a letter to his grandchildren.

Rather than addressing the readers, he addresses his grandchildren in his movie review:

“Dear Raven and Emil: Sunday we sat on the big green couch and watched “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” together with your mommy and daddy.”

After noting how his grandchildren reacted to climactic parts of the film, Ebert recounts the events of the movie, ET, continuing to include his grandchildren’s remarks and reactions.

“The camera watches Elliott moving around. And Raven, that’s when you asked me, “Is this E.T.’s vision?” And I said, yes, we were seeing everything now from E.T.’s point of view.”

Ebert uses this opportunity to make a simplified analysis of the director’s use of POV in the movie, praising the film’s direction without losing the context of a grandfather’s letter.

“Some other filmmaker who wasn’t so good might have had subtitles saying, “E.T.? Are you out there? It’s Mommy!” But that would have been dumb.”

Ebert ends this movie review example like anyone would end a letter, with good wishes and a signature.

“Well, that’s it for this letter. We had a great weekend, kids. I was proud of how brave you both were during your first pony rides. And proud of what good movie critics you are, too. Love, Grandpa Roger”

The average person has a 7-8th grade reading level, so a simple letter like this, is not only cute, creative, and endearing but it’s incredibly easy to read and understand the critic’s assessment of the movie.

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF ET BY Roger Ebert

8. “Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse” by IMO Flicks

Another unconventional movie review example is one that I wrote for this blog website.

Instead of writing from my point of view, I decided to write from the point of view of an out-of-touch grandma, someone who may not have the background knowledge to really understand and appreciate the film.

I approached the film this way because I was tired of reviewing Marvel Superhero films but the thought of writing it as an out-of-touch grandma made the review so much more fun and less pressure-filled, even if it’s really not the most straightforward or informational read.

The review does not include a clear synopsis and the critiques of the film waver between genuine observations and areas that the grandma misunderstood.

It was a blast to write.

The grandmother writer uses the remarks of her grandchildren as a voice of reason for the film.

“My granddaughter told me to rate this spider film [ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ] out of 10 points. I initially wanted to give it 4 points out of 10… Apparently, my grandchildren think this rating is ridiculous. One of my grandsons almost threw a chair. He gave the film a 200/10, claiming it’s one of the best films he’s ever seen.”

This sort of review may not be as befitting for a serious homework assignment but if there’s space to think outside of the box, I say go for it.

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Try this movie review generator to create your own unconventional movie review in no time!

The Self-Aware Review

Similar to the unconventional movie review, but not quite as unconventional, these movie review examples are self-aware of their influential power. It breaks the fourth wall of movie reviews so to speak.

9. “Manchester By the Sea” by Ty Burr

This movie review example of Manchester By the Sea wants to encourage you to watch the movie but doesn’t want your expectations so high that you don’t experience the same subtle unexpected magic that the movie works on viewers.

Burr explains this in the first paragraph:

“Nothing destroys an audience’s appreciation of a small good movie like advance praise.”

Careful to not ruin the audience’s expectations, Burr goes on to begin every following paragraph with a phrase that denies all of the critiques that follow.

“So I won’t tell you that I’ve seen “Manchester by the Sea” twice now and both times felt haunted for weeks.”

“I won’t bother you with how the movie stands as a soul-satisfying comeback for its maker…”

“I could say, but I won’t, that we’ve all seen too many movies in which a lost soul comes out of his shell and rejoins the human race after he inherits a kid from a dead relative.”

The entire center of the film covers the movie in a way that says, “You didn’t see me. I was never here.” Good and well knowing that people are going to be more curious about this film and expect it to be as fantastic as Burr says.

But don’t worry, Burr accounts for this “undesired” outcome that he had been trying to avoid from the beginning with this closing paragraph.

“If I do tell you all this, forget I ever did. Just remember you heard somewhere that “Manchester by the Sea” is an experience worth having…”

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF MANCHESTER BY THE SEA BY TY BURR (Under the title: A Shore Thing)

10. “Mark Kermode” by Mamma Mia

Kermode’s review of Mama Mia takes his self-awareness in a different direction where he personally loves the movie Mama Mia and is not afraid of letting the world know it.

In fact, the movie has brought something to life in him as a movie critic.

“One minute I was a miserable critic; the next, everything had gone pink and fluffy.”

Kermode continues the movie review example, touching on the actor’s performances, the director’s execution of the film, and the soundtrack before returning to how the film affected him as a critic.

“I feel duty-bound to report that I came out of the screening an utter wreck.”

Further aware that as a serious critic, he probably shouldn’t like this film as much as he did, he lets his guard down and leans into the wonder of the film.

“I have certainly mellowed, and perhaps my critical faculties have withered and died. But I simply can’t imagine how Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again could be any better than it is.”

The self-aware review speaks to the readers as a friend rather than as a removed source of movie information.

A lot of the time, this personal voice can be merged with other review styles as well.

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF Mamma Mia by Mark Kermode

Common Questions

How to write a movie review.

To write a movie review you would need to watch the movie and take good notes, then you would craft an attention-hooking introduction, a few center paragraphs explaining your critiques of the film, before concluding on whether you’d recommend the film or not. This article breaks down the 10 steps to writing a movie review effortlessly .

What should a good movie review include?

A good movie review should include a synopsis of the film, a clear stance on whether the film was good or not, including why or why not, and a conclusion that makes it clear whether the critic would recommend others to watch the film or not.

What is the best movie review for students?

The best movie review example for students would be the classic movie review because it’s straightforward and the easiest to follow and grade.

In Conclusion…

There are so many movie review examples to choose from but the majority can fall into one of these 5 groups: the classic movie review, the real-world parallel, the storytelling review, the unconventional review, and the self-aware review.

If you would like to view 50 more outstanding movie review examples , I’ve grouped some here in a shared Word document available for free!

I hope this article was able to provide some movie review examples to help you craft your own. Happy movie reviewing!

What’s your favorite movie review example? Let me know in the comments below!

And be sure to subscribe for the latest blog updates (form in sidebar).

Peace, love, and lots of popcorn,

When I'm not over-analyzing movies, I'm eating chocolate, belting my favorite songs, and binge-watching reality dating shows. Feel free to share your opinions with me and follow me through my social links!

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Another Me Reviews

Another Me is a fairly good movie, but a slow burn of a story, the acting saves it from being boring.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 19, 2020

plays out all the expected tropes of a doppelgnger film in a dreamy haze, while leaving it for the viewer to decide whether this divided self is a real spectre dogging Fay, or a mere metaphor for her anxieties about coming of age.

Full Review | Sep 4, 2015

Turner is solid, if perhaps miscast, with beguiling screen presence and the strength to (mostly) avoid succumbing to the teeth-gnashing melodrama of her character's situation.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 1, 2015

Perhaps if Coixet (Elegy) had approached Another Me as a family drama instead of a genre exercise, she might have captured its real horrors.

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Entertainment

5 great movies that should’ve won the Best Picture Oscar, but didn’t

When the Academy Awards roll around each year, several traditions kick into high gear: guessing who will be nominated, lamenting over who got snubbed, judging the red carpet looks a little too harshly, and wincing at the cheesy musical numbers at the ceremony.

Call Me by Your Name over The Shape of Water (2017)

The Social Network over The King’s Speech (2010)

Pulp Fiction over Forrest Gump (1994)

E.t. the extra-terrestrial over gandhi (1982), chinatown over the godfather, part ii (1974).

Another tradition is arguing with your friends (or yourself) about who should’ve won the Oscar in years past. The Best Picture category is the most recognizable category of the Oscars, so it makes sense that it’s the one that inspires the most passionate discussion. Should Oppenheimer win over Barbie ? What about The Zone of Interest ? The below list details five times the Academy got it wrong with their Best Picture winners, and which other nominated movie should’ve won the statuette.

Need more Oscar recommendations? Check out how to watch the 2024 Oscars for free , 2024 Oscar predictions , 10 biggest Oscar snubs ever , 10 best Oscar-winning movies ever , 10 most Oscar-nominated movies ever , and 5 great Oscar-winning movies on Amazon Prime Video .

5 best moments from the 2024 Oscars, ranked (plus one happy dog)
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Other nominees: Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

It’s not that The Shape of Water is bad. As Best Picture winners go, it’s above average, and it was great to see a genre master like Guillermo del Toro finally get recognized by the Academy. But 2017 was a great year for movies, and the Academy had better films to select for its top prize. A convincing case can be made for Phantom Thread , Dunkirk , Get Out , or Lady Bird , and even The Post and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri have their fans, but there’s one film that bests them all in my mind.

That Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name was nominated at all was a small miracle, as the film is bit too … European for the normally conservative Academy. Sensual, lyrical coming-of-age tales aren’t usually fully embraced by the Oscars, but this one should have been as it contains some of the best cinematography, acting, song selection (justice for Sufjan Stevens!), and writing in the last few decades. James Ivory’s adapted screenplay deservedly won an Oscar, but the Academy shouldn’t have stopped there and given its ultimate prize to this fine movie.

The Social Network over The King’s Speech (2010)

Other nominees: black swan, the fighter, inception, the kids are all right, 127 hours, toy story 3, true grit, winter’s bone.

This one still hurts. There’s no reason why The Social Network shouldn’t have won Best Picture in 2011. It was the rare intelligent drama movie that played well with younger audiences, was adored by critics, and was a commercial success. It was filmmaker David Fincher’s best and most accessible film to date while still displaying his trademark dark humor and stylish direction. Plus, it was about something everyone could understand and relate to: Facebook .

The Academy, however, just couldn’t resist going for The King’s Speech , a moldy, routine picture that combined two genres the Oscars love: WWII movies and biopics. Colin Firth, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Geoffrey Rush all gave good performances in the film about King George VI overcoming a speech impediment, but they couldn’t compare with Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield as real-life tech bros who inadvertently change how people communicate forever. Time has treated The Social Network well, while barely anyone even remembers The King’s Speech .

Other nominees: Four Weddings and a Funeral, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption

It wasn’t a surprise that Forrest Gump won Best Picture on March 27, 1995. The Robert Zemeckis picture had been a critical and commercial smash in the summer of ’94, and had already situated itself in pop culture forever with the immortally stupid line, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Whatever. Even as Gump was winning every award in sight, everyone knew that Pulp Fiction was better and more memorable. In fact, I’d argue that Gump is the worst nominee of the bunch; I’d much rather watch Four Weddings and a Funeral , Quiz Show , or The Shawshank Redemption again than that sentimental schlock. But Pulp Fiction not only was the best of the bunch, it was groundbreaking, helped cement the indie scene as the dominant force in 1990s filmmaking, and signaled the arrival of one of cinema’s most talented directors ever, Quentin Tarantino .

Other nominees: Missing, Tootsie, The Verdict

When the Academy honored Gandhi with the Best Picture Oscar in 1983, it was generally not seen as a crime to do so. The Richard Attenborough film was admired by many (although New Yorker critic Pauline Kael hated it) and was typical of what a Best Picture winner looked like: big, expensive, classy, and about something important. Today, it’s seen as well-intentioned, but seriously dull and uninspired.

The Academy ignored two outright classics that year: Tootsie and E.T . On another day, I’d pick Tootsie as my winner since it’s one of the funniest comedies ever made, its’ screenplay is often cited in film schools as one of the best ever written, and Dustin Hoffman, Teri Garr, Bill Murray, and Jessica Lange all turn in career-best work. But it’s hard to ignore the timeless magic of E.T. , Steven Spielberg’s wonderfully warm and good-hearted sci-fi story about a boy and his pet alien. Its images are burned into every ’80s and ’90s kids’ brain and its score is the soundtrack to a generation’s dreams of soaring into the sky. No film made before or since can quite touch it, and that’s why E.T. deserved to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Other nominees: The Conversation, Lenny, The Towering Inferno

It’s a testament to just how great 1974 was for movies that The Godfather, Part II is rightly considered a classic, and yet, I still don’t think it should’ve won Best Picture in 1975. In fact, it’s not even the runner-up; Francis Ford Coppola’s other 1974 movie, The Conversation , is my No. 2 that year. No, the proper winner that year should’ve been Roman Polanski’s cynical, pitch-black noir Chinatown , a film that ranks as the best movie of the 1970s and of all time.

It’s not hyperbolic to claim its all-time status; if you’ve watched it, then you’ll understand why. Polanski’s dark story about corruption in sunny California revolutionized the genre, cemented Jack Nicholson as both an actor and star for the ages, gave Faye Dunaway one of her best roles ever, and had one of the most memorable endings in the history of movies. “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown,” is the last line uttered, but few have forgotten the film 50 years later.

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Usually, you can pretty much predict who is going to win an Academy Award. If you're a dedicated movie fan, you'll know who was nominated for a Golden Globe, what film scooped up a lot of Critics Choice Awards, and who took home a SAG Award. By the time Oscar night rolls around, the winners have all but been anointed.

Yet there have been times when not all has happened as predicted. An underdog performer can beat the odds and win or a fan-favorite movie can win over enough voters to take the top prize. In its 96-year history, there have been some surprising victories that have left fans happy or angered. These are the five most shocking wins ever.

The long awards season is finally reaching its high point: the 2024 Oscars. The best actors, directors, screenwriters, and below-the-line talent will be honored on March 10. Netflix will be represented by several prestige films looking to bring home an Oscar, notably Maestro, Nyad, Rustin, and May December.

But not everyone is a fan of the Oscars, and that's quite OK. If you are not interested in watching the ceremony, fire up Netflix and stream a TV show. Four of our five suggestions are from 2024, including two TV adaptions of popular movies and one hit reality show. However, there is also a terrific drama from 2018 featuring a popular actor from Game of Thrones.

The 2024 Oscars aren't for everyone. You can be a movie fan and not really care for the red carpet interviews, the long victory speeches, the cheesy musical numbers, or the tribute to those who passed away in the past year that's always a downer.

If that's the case, and you're looking for some good TV shows to watch, just head over to Amazon Prime Video. It has a lot of shows, but there are three in particular that are worth your time. One is a 2024 show that just debuted, another is one of 2023's most underrated series, and the final one is a sci-fi series that should appeal to fans of Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies.

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Al pacino skips announcing nominees while presenting oscars best picture.

The actor went right to "my eyes see 'Oppenheimer.'"

By Christy Piña

Christy Piña

Associate Editor

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Al Pacino speaks onstage during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California.

Al Pacino skipped over quite a few steps before announcing Oppenheimer as the best picture winner at the Oscars 2024.

The actor took the stage at the awards ceremony to present the top prize of the night. As is tradition, announcers usually name all of the nominees before announcing who will be taking home the award.

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StarsInsider

Movies with the same title (that are completely different)

Posted: February 9, 2024 | Last updated: February 9, 2024

<p>When we mention famous movie titles such as 'The Fast and the Furious' or 'Twilight,' most of us associate them with the 2001 and 2008 films, respectively. This makes sense, as these are indeed the most famous movies with these names. But there are in fact other movies with the same titles, which, unlike remakes, have a completely different <a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/movies/500835/movie-titles-that-gave-away-the-plot" rel="noopener">plot</a>.</p><p>Click through the following gallery and get to know the movies that share the same title but are completely different.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/56996?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=519875en-us"> See how plastic surgery transformed these celebs </a></p>

When we mention famous movie titles such as 'The Fast and the Furious' or 'Twilight,' most of us associate them with the 2001 and 2008 films, respectively. This makes sense, as these are indeed the most famous movies with these names. But there are in fact other movies with the same titles, which, unlike remakes, have a completely different plot .

Click through the following gallery and get to know the movies that share the same title but are completely different.

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<p>Before the huge success that was the 2008 movie with the same title, there was a 1998 neo-noir thriller starring Susan Sarandon, Paul Newman, and Gene Hackman.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'Twilight' (1998)

Before the huge success that was the 2008 movie with the same title, there was a 1998 neo-noir thriller starring Susan Sarandon, Paul Newman, and Gene Hackman.

'Twilight' (2008)

And then in 2008 we had a human (Kristen Stewart) falling in love with a vampire (Robert Pattinson), and the rest is history.

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<p>Most of us are familiar with the franchise that began in 2001, but this 1955 movie shares the same name. It is, however, a different story. The film is about a prison escapee who steals a rich woman's car with her in it. She ends up falling for him.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'The Fast and the Furious' (1955)

Most of us are familiar with the franchise that began in 2001, but this 1955 movie shares the same name. It is, however, a different story. The film is about a prison escapee who steals a rich woman's car with her in it. She ends up falling for him.

<p>'<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/movies/325066/fast-and-furious-the-thrilling-story-so-far" rel="noopener">The Fast and the Furious</a>' (2001) shares the use of cars with its 1955 predecessor, but that's where the similarities end. We have street racers, an undercover FBI investigator, and lots of action.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/157658?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=519875en-us"> The mystery surrounding the missing Malaysia Airlines plane</a></p>

'The Fast and the Furious' (2001)

'The Fast and the Furious' (2001) shares the use of cars with its 1955 predecessor, but that's where the similarities end. We have street racers, an undercover FBI investigator, and lots of action.

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'Gladiator' (1992)

This 1992 film is a sports drama about two teens (played by Cuba Gooding Jr. and James Marshall) who participate in illegal boxing matches.

'Gladiator' (2000)

Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' on the other hand was a huge award-winning film starring Russell Crowe as gladiator Maximus.

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<p>When we mention 'Bad Boys,' likely the 1995 buddy cop movie comes to mind. However, there is a film with the same title released in 1983. It's a coming-of-age crime drama set in a juvenile detention center. The cast includes Sean Penn, Esai Morales, and Clancy Brown.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'Bad Boys' (1983)

When we mention 'Bad Boys,' likely the 1995 buddy cop movie comes to mind. However, there is a film with the same title released in 1983. It's a coming-of-age crime drama set in a juvenile detention center. The cast includes Sean Penn, Esai Morales, and Clancy Brown.

'Bad Boys' (1995)

This is the first 'Bad Boys' movie where we can watch Miami PD agents Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) working together.

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'The Patriot' (1998)

Steven Seagal plays an immunologist trying to find a cure for a deadly virus released by a militia group.

<p>As for the 2000 film with the same title, it's about war veteran Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), who joins in the American Revolutionary War after his son is killed.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/367581?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=519875en-us"> How to save money around the house during summer</a></p>

'The Patriot' (2000)

As for the 2000 film with the same title, it's about war veteran Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), who joins in the American Revolutionary War after his son is killed.

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'The Aviator' (1985)

A pilot (Christopher Reeve) and his passenger (Rosanna Arquette) crash and have to fight against a pack of hungry wolves in order to survive.

'The Aviator' (2004)

This Martin Scorsese movie is about the life of record-setting pilot and business magnate Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio).

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<p>The original Avengers were actually the stars of a 1960s British TV series. In 1998, we had this satirical spy action comedy starring Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery, and Patrick Macnee.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'The Avengers' (1998)

The original Avengers were actually the stars of a 1960s British TV series. In 1998, we had this satirical spy action comedy starring Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery, and Patrick Macnee.

The Avengers finally team up and fight against Loki and his alien army. This film concludes Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

'The Avengers' (2012)

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'Child's Play' (1972)

No, this movie has nothing to do with the popular horror movie. 'Child's Play' (1972) is about the struggles of a new gym teacher in a Catholic all-boys boarding school.

<p>This is probably the 'Child's Play' most people are familiar with. The supernatural horror film revolves around an evil doll named Chucky, who is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/469964?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=519875en-us"> Unexpected signs you'll be successful in life</a></p>

'Child's Play' (1988)

This is probably the 'Child's Play' most people are familiar with. The supernatural horror film revolves around an evil doll named Chucky, who is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer.

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'Heat' (1987)

This movie stars Burt Reynolds playing a bodyguard with a gambling addiction who is trying to save up money to leave Las Vegas.

'Heat' (1995)

In this movie, we have a seasoned criminal (Robert De Niro) forming an unlikely bond with a detective (Al Pacino).

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'Broken Arrow' (1950)

This Western, directed by Delmer Daves, was one of the first movies to portray Native Americans in a positive light after World War II.

<p>This movie couldn't be more different from the 1950 Western. It stars John Travolta and Christian Slater as two pilots involved in the theft of nuclear weapons.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/494870?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=519875en-us"> The extravagant spending of royals around the world</a></p>

'Broken Arrow' (1996)

This movie couldn't be more different from the 1950 Western. It stars John Travolta and Christian Slater as two pilots involved in the theft of nuclear weapons.

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'Possession' (1981)

This psychological horror movie directed by Andrzej Żuławski revolves around a couple who are on the verge of divorce.

'Possession' (2002)

Fast forward to 2002 and we have this romantic drama starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart as two scholars studying Victorian poets.

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<p>This 1986 movie stars Ralph Macchio as a guitar player with a passion for blues (and features an epic guitar solo battle between his character and guitar virtuoso Steve Vai).</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'Crossroads' (1986)

This 1986 movie stars Ralph Macchio as a guitar player with a passion for blues (and features an epic guitar solo battle between his character and guitar virtuoso Steve Vai).

<p>The 2002 movie with the same name couldn't be more different. The teen drama starring Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, and Taryn Manning follows three friends on a road trip across the US.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/499961?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=519875en-us"> The gods goddesses and legendary heroes of Celtic folklore</a></p>

'Crossroads' (2002)

The 2002 movie with the same name couldn't be more different. The teen drama starring Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, and Taryn Manning follows three friends on a road trip across the US.

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'Invincible' (2001)

Actor Tim Roth plays a Jewish strongman working at a German cabaret during World War II.

'Invincible' (2006)

In the 2006 film with the same title, we have Mark Wahlberg playing the main character in the biopic of American football player Vince Papale.

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<p>While both movies are set in the same place, the plots are indeed different. The 1952 film is a biopic about tormented artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'Moulin Rouge' (1952)

While both movies are set in the same place, the plots are indeed different. The 1952 film is a biopic about tormented artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

'Moulin Rouge' (2001)

The 2001 film is basically about a writer (Ewan McGregor) who falls for a Moulin Rouge performer (Nicole Kidman).

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<p>This 2005 sci-fi movie is actually a continuation of the show 'Firefly' (2002–2003). The story revolves around the crew of the ship Serenity trying to escape an assassin.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'Serenity' (2005)

This 2005 sci-fi movie is actually a continuation of the show 'Firefly' (2002–2003). The story revolves around the crew of the ship Serenity trying to escape an assassin.

<p>As for the 2019 movie with the same name, we have the ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) of a boat captain (Matthew McConaughey) trying to convince him to murder her current husband (Jason Clarke).</p>

'Serenity' (2019)

As for the 2019 movie with the same name, we have the ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) of a boat captain (Matthew McConaughey) trying to convince him to murder her current husband (Jason Clarke).

'Vice' (2015)

Bruce Willis plays Julian Michaels, a man who created a resort called Vice, where clients' wildest fantasies can become reality.

'Vice' (2018)

This film, on the other hand, is about the rise of American Vice President Cheney, played by Christian Bale.

'Christine' (1983)

This movie is based on a Stephen King novel about a teen who buys a Plymouth Fury that is in fact an evil entity with a mind of its own.

'Christine' (2016)

The 2016 movie is not about an evil car, but it's also pretty dark. 'Christine' (2016) is based on the life of TV journalist Christine Chubbuck (Rebecca Hall), who was the first person to take her own life on live TV.

'Black Sheep' (1996)

'Black Sheep' (1996) is a comedy starring Chris Farley as an incompetent assistant to his brother, who is running for governor.

<p>The 2006 movie of the same name, however, is about a flock of sheep who turn evil following a genetic engineering experiment and devastate a farm in New Zealand.</p>

'Black Sheep' (2006)

The 2006 movie of the same name, however, is about a flock of sheep who turn evil following a genetic engineering experiment and devastate a farm in New Zealand.

'Notorious' (1946)

The 1946 movie 'Notorious' is an Alfred Hitchcock noir thriller starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.

'Notorious' (2009)

This 2009 film is a music biopic about rapper Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G. (Jamal Woolard).

'Crash' (1996)

David Cronenberg's 'Crash' is a twisted movie about a number of people who essentially eroticize car crashes.

<p>As for the movie with the same name released in 2004, it revolves around the lives of Los Angeles citizens and explores racial and social tensions.</p>

'Crash' (2004)

As for the movie with the same name released in 2004, it revolves around the lives of Los Angeles citizens and explores racial and social tensions.

'Glory' (1956)

This musical follows the journey of a foal called Glory as he becomes a strong racing horse.

'Glory' (1989)

Edward Zwick's movie, on the other hand, is a historical war drama about the first black regiment in the Civil War. 'Glory' (1989) stars Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman.

'Proof' (1991)

The 1991 movie is about a blind photographer who takes photos and has people describe them to him.

'Proof' (2005)

'Proof' (2005) follows Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow), the daughter of a recently-deceased genius mathematician, who worries about inheriting her father's mental illness.

'Flawless' (1999)

Robert De Niro plays a very conservative man who suffers a stroke and needs the help of a drag queen to get his speech back.

<p>In this 2007 movie set in 1960s London, we have Michael Caine playing a janitor who convinces a frustrated executive (Demi Moore) to help him steal gems.</p>

'Flawless' (2007)

In this 2007 movie set in 1960s London, we have Michael Caine playing a janitor who convinces a frustrated executive (Demi Moore) to help him steal gems.

'Fair Game' (1995)

'Fair Game' (1995) is about a lawyer (Cindy Crawford) who gets involved in a case with ties to former KGB members. A cop (William Baldwin) ends up protecting her.

'Fair Game' (2010)

This movie is a drama biopic based on the life of CIA spy Valerie Plame (played by Naomi Watts).

'The Island' (1980)

This movie is about a journalist (Michael Caine) and his estranged son who end up kidnapped by pirates.

<p>As for the 2005 movie, it couldn't be more different. The island refers to the last safe haven on Earth where it's possible to live...or at least that's what the main character believes.</p>

'The Island' (2005)

As for the 2005 movie, it couldn't be more different. The island refers to the last safe haven on Earth where it's possible to live...or at least that's what the main character believes.

'The Accused' (1949)

This film noir drama is about psychology professor Wilma who accidentally kills her attacker, college student Bill, when he tries to rape her.

<p>This legal drama as also about rape, and the journey of district attorney Katheryn (Kelly McGillis) in her attempts to protect a victim (Jodie Foster) and prosecute the criminals.</p>

'The Accused' (1988)

This legal drama as also about rape, and the journey of district attorney Katheryn (Kelly McGillis) in her attempts to protect a victim (Jodie Foster) and prosecute the criminals.

'Heaven Can Wait' (1943)

This comedy is about a man who presents himself at the Gates of Hell to review his life with Satan, who will decide if he enters or not.

<p>In this 1978 film, a quarterback (Warren Beatty) sees his soul mistakenly taken from his body by an angel before dying, and returns to life in the body of another man.</p>

'Heaven Can Wait' (1978)

In this 1978 film, a quarterback (Warren Beatty) sees his soul mistakenly taken from his body by an angel before dying, and returns to life in the body of another man.

'The Host' (2006)

'The Host' (2006) is about a family trying to rescue the victim of a monster that emerges from the Han River in Seoul, South Korea.

'The Host' (2013)

This 2013 film is about parasitic aliens that erase memories from people.

'Cake' (2005)

This 2005 rom-com is about a travel writer who finds love after assuming control of her father's wedding magazine.

<p>The 2014 film with the same title couldn't be more different. This one is about a woman named Claire Bennett (Jennifer Aniston), who suffers from chronic pain and questions the death of a woman in her pain support group.</p>

'Cake' (2014)

The 2014 film with the same title couldn't be more different. This one is about a woman named Claire Bennett (Jennifer Aniston), who suffers from chronic pain and questions the death of a woman in her pain support group.

<p>Alfred Hitchcock directed this movie starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery. The movie is about a couple who have been together for three years and find out that their marriage is not legally valid.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content everyday</a></p>

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' (1941)

Alfred Hitchcock directed this movie starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery. The movie is about a couple who have been together for three years and find out that their marriage is not legally valid.

<p>But 2005's 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' on the other hand, has a couple (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) discovering that they are both assassins and have been hired by different agencies to kill each other.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/408996?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=519875en-us"> The British royal family at the races</a></p>

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' (2005)

But 2005's 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' on the other hand, has a couple (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) discovering that they are both assassins and have been hired by different agencies to kill each other.

'Chocolat' (1988)

Interestingly, both movies feature a French woman. This one is about a woman who returns to her childhood home in Cameroon.

'Chocolat' (2000)

The 2000 movie is about another French woman, who opens up a chocolate shop in a small village.

Sources: (IMDb) (CBR) (Screen Rant) (Digital Spy)

See also: Movies you didn't know were based on books

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, call me by your name.

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Luca Guadagnino ’s films are all about the transformative power of nature—the way it allows our true selves to shine through and inspires us to pursue our hidden passions. From the wild, windswept hills of “ I Am Love ” to the chic swimming pool of “ A Bigger Splash ,” Guadagnino vividly portrays the outside world as almost a character in itself—driving the storyline, urging the other characters to be bold, inviting us to feel as if we, too, are a part of this intoxicating atmosphere.

Never has this been more true than in “Call Me By Your Name,” a lush and vibrant masterpiece about first love set amid the warm, sunny skies, gentle breezes and charming, tree-lined roads of northern Italy. Guadagnino takes his time establishing this place and the players within it. He’s patient in his pacing, and you must be, as well. But really, what’s the rush? It’s the summer of 1983, and there’s nothing to do but read, play piano, ponder classic art and pluck peaches and apricots from the abundant fruit trees.

Within this garden of sensual delights, an unexpected yet life-changing romance blossoms between two young men who initially seem completely different on the surface.

17-year-old Elio ( Timothee Chalamet ) is once again visiting his family’s summer home with his parents: his father ( Michael Stuhlbarg ), an esteemed professor of Greco-Roman culture, and his mother ( Amira Casar ), a translator and gracious hostess. Elio has the gangly body of a boy but with an intellect and a quick wit beyond his years, and the worldliness his parents have fostered within him at least allows him to affect the façade of sophistication. But beneath the bravado, a gawky and self-conscious kid sometimes still emerges. By the end of the summer, that kid will be vanquished forever.

An American doctoral student named Oliver ( Armie Hammer ) arrives for the annual internship Elio’s father offers. Oliver is everything Elio isn’t—or at least, that’s our primary perception of him. Tall, gorgeous and supremely confident, he is the archetypal all-American hunk. But as polite as he often can be, Oliver can also breeze out of a room with a glib, “Later,” making him even more of a tantalizing mystery.

Chalamet and Hammer have just ridiculous chemistry from the get-go, even though (or perhaps because) their characters are initially prickly toward each other: testing, pushing, feeling each other out, yet constantly worrying about what the other person thinks. They flirt by trying to one-up each other with knowledge of literature or classical music, but long before they ever have any physical contact, their electric connection is unmistakable. Lazy poolside chats are fraught with tension; spontaneous bike rides into town to run errands feel like nervous first dates.

Writer James Ivory ’s generous, sensitive adaptation of Andre Aciman ’s novel reveals these characters and their ever-evolving dynamic in beautifully steady yet detailed fashion. And so when Elio and Oliver finally dare to reveal their true feelings for each other—a full hour into the film—the moment makes you hold your breath with its intimate power, and the emotions feel completely authentic and earned.

The way Elio and Oliver peel away each other’s layers has both a sweetness and a giddy thrill to it, even though they feel they must keep their romance a secret from Elio’s parents. (Elio also has a kinda-sorta girlfriend in Marzia [ Esther Garrel ], a thoughtful, playful French teen who’s also in town for the summer.) One of the many impressive elements of Chalamet’s beautiful, complex performance is the effortless way he transitions between speaking in English, Italian and French, depending on whom Elio is with at the time. It gives him an air of maturity that’s otherwise still in development; eventually his massive character arc feels satisfying and true.

But Oliver’s evolution is just as crucial, and Hammer finds the tricky balance between the character’s swagger and his vulnerability as he gives himself over to this exciting affair. He’s flirty but tender—the couple’s love scenes are heartbreaking and intensely erotic all at once—and even though he’s the more experienced of the two, he can’t help but diving in headlong.

And yet, the most resonant part of “Call Me By Your Name” may not even be the romance itself, but rather the lingering sensation that it can’t last, which Guadagnino evokes through long takes and expert use of silence. A feeling of melancholy tinges everything, from the choice of a particular shirt to the taste of a perfectly ripe peach. And oh my, that peach scene—Guadagnino was wise when he took a chance and left it in from the novel. It really works, and it’s perhaps the ultimate example of how masterfully the director manipulates and enlivens all of our senses.

There’s a lushness to the visual beauty of this place, but it’s not so perfect as to be off-putting. Quite the opposite. Despite the director’s infamous eye for meticulous detail, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom ’s 35mm images provide a tactile quality that heightens the sensations, makes them feel almost primal. We see the wind gently rustling through the trees, or streaks of sunlight hitting Elio’s dark curls through an open bedroom window, and while it’s all subtly sensual, an inescapable tension is building underneath.

Guadagnino establishes that raw, immediate energy from the very beginning through his use of music. The piano of contemporary classical composer John Adams’ intricate, insistent “Hallelujah Junction – 1 st Movement” engages us during the elegant title sequence, while Sufjan Stevens’ plaintive, synthy “Visions of Gideon” during the film’s devastating final shot ends the film on an agonizingly sad note. (You’ll want to stay all the way through the closing credits—that long, last image is so transfixing. I seriously don’t know how Chalamet pulled it off, but there is serious craft on display here.)

In between is Guadagnino’s inspired use of the Psychedelic Furs’ “Love My Way,” an iconic ’80s New Wave tune you’ve probably heard a million times before but will never hear the same way again. The first time he plays it, it’s at an outdoor disco where Oliver feels so moved by the bouncy, percussive beat that he can’t help but jump around to it and get lost in the music, lacking all sense of self-consciousness. Watching this towering figure just go for it on the dance floor in his Converse high-tops is a moment of pure joy, but it’s also as if a dam has broken within Elio, being so close to someone who’s feeling so free. The second time he plays it, toward the end of Oliver and Elio’s journey, it feels like the soundtrack to a time capsule as it recaptures a moment of seemingly endless emotional possibility.

They know what they’ve found has to end—we know it has to end. But a beautiful monologue from the always excellent Stuhlbarg as Elio’s warmhearted and open-minded father softens the blow somewhat. It’s a perfectly calibrated scene in a film full of them, and it’s one of a million reasons why “Call Me By Your Name” is far and away the best movie of the year.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and some language.

130 minutes

Timothée Chalamet as Elio Perlman

Armie Hammer as Oliver

Michael Stuhlbarg as Lyle Perlman

Amira Casar as Annella Perlman

Esther Garrel as Marzia

Victoire Du Bois as Chiara

Luca Guadagnino

Writer (based on the novel by)

Andre Aciman
James Ivory

Cinematographer

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
Walter Fasano

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Read Like the Wind

2 novels about what’s-their-name.

Not all books tell readers what to call the main character. An editor recommends two that don’t.

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By Leah Greenblatt

Dear readers,

Where did all the Brendas go? The Donnas and Debbies, Sharons and Carols? I wondered that the other day after meeting a friend’s beautifully scrunchy newborn for the first time — a tiny bread loaf fresh to the world, whose name fell refreshingly far down the current list of popular choices. According to the people who compile these things, parents of the 2020s have enthusiastically embraced the brass-fixture nomenclature of characters in an Edith Wharton novel, or at least HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” with every Brooklyn daycare now hosting a small army of Evelyns, Elijahs, Amelias and Olivers.

I grew up in a certain pocket of California kookery where unusual was the default: My best friends had names like Melon and Panama, and even the adults we knew seemed free to redefine themselves as Hindu gods or whimsical shades of the color wheel. My own birth name marked me as unconventional too, so as a teenager I took the opportunity of a family move to change it. (In junior high school, it has been empirically proved, freak flags are best flown at lower altitudes.)

Overwhelmed by options — should I be a bird, a tree, a TV star? — I panicked and reverted to a name that already ran in the family. A perfectly fine one! Easy to spell and only occasionally mispronounced like the galactic princess with the buns in her hair. But even now, I feel a little detached from “Leah,” a designation that floats politely adjacent to me but is still not quite mine.

I have found myself drawn to characters in fiction who exist in that liminal space as well — not just because of my personal history, but for the novelistic skill it takes to sustain an unnamed hero over several hundred pages. Like the protagonists of Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” or Graham Greene’s “The Power and the Glory,” the incognito narrators in this week’s newsletter find distinction in their anonymity: Maybe you can’t call them by their names, but humanity, wily and specific, still seeps through.

“Milkman,” by Anna Burns

Fiction, 2018

It is probably a mortal sin to call an Irish writer “melodious”; haven’t they endured enough shamrock-scented cliché? The writing in Burns’s third novel, though, feels more like free jazz — a teenage girl’s almost psychedelic stream-of-consciousness account of growing up in the acrid thick of the Troubles in the late 1970s. (The city, too, is never identified, though all signs point to Belfast). A broody loner and inveterate reader of fat, dog-eared paperbacks by Dostoyevsky and Flaubert, our heroine is not entirely unsocialized: There’s the sympathetic paramour dubbed “maybe-boyfriend” and a rapscallion pile of small siblings known as “wee sisters.” Other players, equally freed from the bother of proper nouns or even definite articles, go by handily expository titles like “first brother-in-law” or “longest friend.”

Despite her best efforts to sidestep the ugly sectarian war that defines nearly every aspect of daily life in that time and place, she still draws the unwanted romantic attentions of an older, married “renouncer of the state” known simply as Milkman. (Spoiler: He does not sell milk.) And in an era when paranoia levels could be measured every morning like a smog index, his interest alone is enough to make her the subject of heated local gossip — an odd, stubborn lass whose unaccountable reluctance to become a paramilitary moll might easily be resolved in bullets or car bombs.

Though “Milkman” won Britain’s prestigious Booker Prize, not everyone , understandably, was a fan. Burns’s prose pours out in dense, heavily referential paragraphs you may need more than a butter knife to cut through, and the forward engine of plot feels more like a suggestion than a fact. Still, the book’s incantatory rhythms cast a Joycean spell, a 350-page fever dream written in blood and brogue.

Read if you like: The giddy, verbose madness of a Martin McDonagh movie or theater piece; the Pogues; rebellious bookworms Available from: Graywolf Press, in an incongruously pretty pink paperback

“Remainder,” by Tom McCarthy

Fiction, 2005 (in France) or 2006 (in Britain) or 2007 (in America)

The 30-ish Londoner at the center of McCarthy’s sparse debut is almost heroically bland; if a bar code were a person, it would be this man. To be fair, he also has a catastrophic brain injury, incurred from some unidentified falling object — and now, an eight-and-a-half-million pound legal settlement to spend at his leisure. But what is a single guy with few passions and no discernible personality to do with that (literal) windfall?

“It was as though my memories were pigeons and the accident a big noise that had scared them off,” he reflects, without much bother. The only thing that brings him a frisson of pleasure, a sort of pleasant, fizzy tingling from head to toe, is what you might call the deliberate practice of déjà vu. By physically reconstructing ordinary moments from his scantly recalled past — the smell of liver sizzling in a pan, an uneventful tire change at an auto store — he can feel close to something divine, or at least less dead than alive.

It turns out you can pay a lot for the privilege of real-time “re-enactments,” and he does, commissioning a series of increasingly elaborate set pieces whose pursuit soon curdles into monomania. The result is a cool slice of existential horror that feels a little bit, indeed, as if it fell from the sky.

Read if you like: blank slates, organ meats, Gen-X anxiety turned up to 11 Available from: Vintage Books, or maybe just look up at the clouds

Why don’t you …

Revisit the seminal 2008 Zadie Smith essay that helped put McCarthy’s novel on the map, and try to think of ways you too can use “antipodal” casually in a sentence?

Peruse Lit Hub’s recent ranking of literary baby names , and see where your little Augie or Atticus falls?

Dip into the dad-canon iconography of Bill Pronzini’s Nameless Detective series , of which more than 40 hard-bitten installments have been released since the early 1970s? Crime-y continuity, thy name is… you know, this guy.

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Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

Gabriel García Márquez wanted his final novel to be destroyed. Its publication this month may stir questions about posthumous releases.

Tessa Hulls’s “Feeding Ghosts” chronicles how China’s history shaped her family. But first, she had to tackle some basics: Learn history. Learn Chinese. Learn how to draw comics.

James Baldwin wrote with the kind of clarity that was as comforting as it was chastising. His writing — pointed, critical, angry — is imbued with love. Here’s where to start with his works .

After nationwide protests over racial inequality led publishers to promise they would reshape their overwhelmingly white industry, a survey showed they made little progress toward a more diverse publishing work force .

Do you want to be a better reader? Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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From Oscar-nominated director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Damsel stars Brown as Elodie, a princess from a poor kingdom who agrees to marry a much wealthier prince to help her people.But things turn ...
Al Pacino Skips Announcing Best Picture Nominees at the 2024 Oscars
Al Pacino skipped over quite a few steps before announcing Oppenheimer as the best picture winner at the Oscars 2024.. The actor took the stage at the awards ceremony to present the top prize of ...
Movies with the same title (that are completely different)
The 2002 movie with the same name couldn't be more different. The teen drama starring Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, and Taryn Manning follows three friends on a road trip across the US.
Opinion: These three Oscar-nominated films couldn't be more ...
After the Academy expanded its pool to 10 annual best picture nominees in 2009, there have been a handful of instances (2009, 2010, 2020, 2021) in which two movies by women directors have been ...
The Other Woman movie review & film summary (2014)
While "The Other Woman" raises some thoughtful questions about independence, identity and the importance of sisterhood, ultimately it would rather poop on them and then throw them through a window in hopes of the getting the big laugh. Comedy. Christy Lemire. Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013.
Your Name movie review & film summary (2017)
This is when "Your Name" becomes something very unexpected. To say that "Your Name" is visually striking would be a giant understatement. Shinkai and his team have both an eye for detail and a poetic vision. The settings of "Your Name" somehow feel both lived-in and magical at the same time. Whether it's the train system in Tokyo ...
Call Me by Your Name movie review (2017)
There's a lushness to the visual beauty of this place, but it's not so perfect as to be off-putting. Quite the opposite. Despite the director's infamous eye for meticulous detail, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom 's 35mm images provide a tactile quality that heightens the sensations, makes them feel almost primal.
2 Novels About What's-Their-Name
Other players, equally freed from the bother of proper nouns or even definite articles, go by handily expository titles like "first brother-in-law" or "longest friend."