Hollywood U (English 363)

Selected Resources for Research

A. C. Buehler Library, Elmhurst College

January 2004

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Finding Film Reviews Finding Film & Literary Criticism Miscellaneous Helpful Websites and Books Distinguishing Scholarly Articles Accessing Library Resources from Off Campus Evaluating Websites Writing and Citing

 

Finding Film Reviews

• 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.

• 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). There is no cumulative index- your easiest method might be to search the New Yorker movie reviews published in the year your 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 above New York Times link, which provides access to articles from 1999-present. You can also use the print version of the New York Times Index (on the lower level--ask a librarian for help if you need it) and get the review from the microfilm, also on the lower level.

  To access either of these databases from off campus, go to Electronic Newspapers and choose the database from the alphabetical list. You may also want to look at Accessing Library Resources From Off Campus.

"Academic" or "scholarly" articles are those types of articles 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. To find academic and peer-reviewed articles, you can use the databases listed below.

• 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.

• Illinet Online ~ Mainly useful in this class for books containing literary criticism.

Your Jaypass allows to you to check out books from other libraries in Illinet. It's a good idea to call the other library first to make sure the book is actually there and available for checkout. Illinet also allows you to request that books be sent to the Elmhurst College Library for you--this takes an average of 7-10 days. Feel free to ask at the Circulation Desk for help with these sorts of requests.

• MLA Bibliography ~ Good for film but especially for literary criticism.

• Looking for a specific journal? Check the Alphabetical List of Electronic Journals to determine if the library owns the journal you need.

• More databases to try (you may have to search a number of databases for this assignment).

• Wilson Select Full Text Plus ~ Includes the full text of Sight and Sound from 2000-present, Film Criticism from 1995-present, and Film Quarterly from 1998-2002.
• Academic Search Elite ~ Includes the full text of Film History from 2001 to the present, Film Culture from 1992-1996, Films in Review from 1990-1996, Journal of Popular Film and Television from 1990 to the present, and the Journal of Popular Culture from 1990 to the present.
• Periodical Abstracts ~ Includes the full text of Film Comment from 1992-present.

To access any of these databases from off campus, go to Articles and Databases and choose the database from the alphabetical list. You may also want to look at Accessing Library Resources From Off Campus.

 

Miscellaneous Helpful Websites and Books

• 400 Films About Higher Education

• The College Experience as Revealed in Films

• The Internet Movie Database

• Rotten Tomatoes

• Umphlett, Wiley Lee, The movies go to college : Hollywood and the world of the college-
  life film, 1984. This text is on reserve for your class. Check at the Circulation Desk for availability.

• Hinton, David B., Celluloid Ivy: higher education in the movies 1960-1990, 1994. Consult your professor for availability

• Schuth, H. Wayne, Mike Nichols, Twayne's theactrical arts series, 1978. Consult your professor for availability

Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals