Selected Resources for Research
A. C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst College
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Movie Review Query Engine ~ This is a large online database with links to reviews on more than 36,000 movies. The reviews are from many different sources, and vary as to quality, depth, and bias.
The New Yorker magazine~ the library carries The New Yorker from 1925 to the present day (pre-1984 is on microfilm, 1984-2002 are bound and located alphabetically on the lower level. Current issues from within the last year are located on the upper level). You can search articles 1985-present (citations only) in the Academic Search Premier database. There is no cumulative index for The New Yorker prior to then- if you're looking for pre-1985 film reviews, your easiest method might be to look in issues for reviews published in the year the movie was released.
New York Times ~ 1999-present. An excellent source for reviews.
Historical New York Times ~ This database includes the entire run of the New York Times between 1851-1999. For current issues, use the New York Times link above.
Scholarly articles are those that are published in professional periodicals or books, and are often (but not always) "peer-reviewed." This means that the article has been read by a group of other experts in the field, and they have certified it as containing reasonably accurate information.
Where to start:
The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film, 1999. Reference R 791.4375 G575c. This book will help you figure out if a book, story, play, etc. is the basis for a film you're researching. The movie "The Graduate" for example, is based on a book called "The Graduate," written by Charles Webb in 1963. If you can't find scholarly research on your film, you may be able to find it on the book or play or whatever the film was based on, and go from there.
I-Share Online ~ Since you may have to order a book from another library, it makes sense to start your search here. Combine subject and keyword searches to find books that deal with your film or book.
Some sample keyword searches (put phrase in quotation marks to narrow your search):
Educating Rita
Children of a Lesser God
Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Some sample subject searches:
Motion pictures
Teachers in motion pictures
Education in motion pictures
Ordering books from other libraries ~ Illinet Online allows you to request books held by 65 other libraries in Illinois.
Article databases:
Use Webfeat to search several databases at once~ This link accesses our Webfeat federated search engine. This tool allows you to perform keyword searches in groupings of databases (such as English and Foreign Languages and Literatures) or our entire database, all at once.
MLA Bibliography ~ Good for film but especially for literary criticism. Also includes the full text of Film Quarterly from 1994 to the present.
Wilson Select Full Text Plus ~ Includes the full text of Sight and Sound from 2000-present, Film Criticism from 1995-present, and Cineaste from 1994-2004.
Academic Search Premier ~ Includes the full text of the following journals:
- Film History from 2001-present
- Film Culture from 1992-1996
- Films in Review from 1990-1996
- Journal of Film and Video from 1998-present
- Journal of Popular Film and Television from 1990-present
- American Art from 1997-present
- Literature Film Quarterly from 1998-present
- Velvet Light Trap from 2000-present
- New Cinemas from 2002-present
- American Film from 1984-1992
- Journal of Popular Culture from 1990-present
- The New Yorker is indexed here 1985-present.
Project MUSE ~ (on-campus only) Includes the full text of Camera Obscura from 2000-present, and Cinema Journal from 1999-present (note: this journal is also available full-text from 1966 to 2000 in the JSTOR database).
Periodical Abstracts ~ Includes the full text of Film Comment from 1992-present.
So you found an article in one of our databases, but it's not full-text. Now what?
Don't fret. Look for these buttons:, or
, or this line of text: (Find this resource with SFX) next to the article citation on the search screen. Clicking on this will take you to a list of our full-text sources that carry the journal, if we have it.
These sites are best used as starting points to help you find general information about certain films: some sites contain basic information (such as cast and year of release), while others contain review article. Note: online web sites must be reviewed as to content, accuracy and authority.
400 Films About Higher Education ~list of college-related films, ranked from "best" to "worst."
The College Experience as Revealed in Films ~more college-related films.
The Internet Movie Database ~THE source for basic information about films, casts, and crews.
Rotten Tomatoes ~film site with lots of reviews.
Senses of Cinema ~an online film journal devoted to "the serious and eclectic discussion of cinema."
These books contain critical articles about select films and/or directors.
Losi, Tyson, Learning for a Diverse World, 2001. Call number 801.95 T994l (On Reserve)
Umphlett, Wiley Lee, The movies go to college : Hollywood and the world of the college-life film, 1984. Call number 791.4309 U52M. (On Reserve)
Hinton, David B., Celluloid Ivy: higher education in the movies 1960-1990, 1994. Call number 791.436355 H666C (On Reserve)
Schuth, H. Wayne, Mike Nichols, Twayne's theactrical arts series, 1978. Consult your professor for availability
Website tools
Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals
Webpage created 1/8/2003 by J. Hill- last modified 1/4/2006 by J. Hill
