Skip to main content
DistrictCampusDirectory
CAMPUS
  2. Theatre Project 3: Movie and Critique

Theatre Project 3: Movie and Critique

Zeigler’s Quarantine Theatre Project #3

A Movie and A Critique

Week of April 6-9, 2020

 

SUBJECT: ALL Theatre 1-4 AND ALL Production 1-4

TOPIC: Movie Critique and Writing Practice

LESSON TITLE: A Movie and A Critique

OBJECTIVE: Practice writing skills and complete a proper movie critique using critical thinking skills and context clues.

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Choose a movie genre from the Movie Genre Information page.

  2. Find a movie you would like to watch that fits into that movie genre.

  3. Make some popcorn and soda. Watch the movie.

  4. Answer the “Movie Critique Outline Questions” on google forms.

  5. Follow the “Outline for Movie Critique” information page to write your movie critique about the movie you watched.

  6. You may type your critique in google docs or classroom and send me the assignment that way. If you do not have a way to type the assignment you may hand write it and bring it back to the school.

DUE DATE: 4:00pm Thursday, April 9, 2020.

EVALUATION:

  • Followed directions. Student has 5 paragraphs with a minimum of 4-5 sentences per paragraph.   20 points

  • Neat and organized. Students used complete sentences and proper organization for their essay; they followed the outline provided.  20 points

  • Details and opinions. Student included examples, details, and their own personal opinions in the critique.   20 points

  • Student did their best to give the movie a proper critique that was interesting to read and gave the reader good information about the movie.   20 points

  • Completed Google Form: Movie Critique Outline Questions.   20 points

 **If you have questions please email me at jzeigler@mwpisd.esc18.net or call the high school and they can transfer you to me.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Outline Movie Critique Theatre Project #3

Directions: Use the outline below to help you write your movie critique. You must have 5 paragraphs with a minimum of 4-5 sentences in each paragraph. If you have questions please feel free to contact me.

  1. Paragraph 1: 

    1. movie title

    2. Director

    3. the genre

    4. the main idea of the movie

    5. your thesis statement (*Remember your thesis statement tells us the three things you plan to talk about.)

  1. Paragraph 2: 

    1. Brief outline of the story. Give a summary of what the movie is about without spoiling the movie for those who haven’t watched it.

      1. Main Characters

      2. Plot

      3. Conflict

      4. Setting/Settings

      5. Point of view

  1. Paragraph 3: 

    1. How and why does this movie fit into the genre category you chose?

    2. Analysis of deeper meaning

    3. Symbolism and cinematic devices

  1. Paragraph 4: 

    1. What did you like about the movie? Why? Give details?

    2. What did you NOT like about the movie? Why? Give details

  1. Paragraph 5: 

    1. Restate your thesis and summarize.

**************************************************************************************************************************************

Action Films

Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous, often two-dimensional 'good-guy' heroes (or recently, heroines) battling 'bad guys' - all designed for pure audience escapism. Includes the James Bond 'fantasy' spy/espionage series, martial arts films, video-game films, so-called 'blaxploitation' films, and some superhero films. (See Superheroes on Film: History.) A major sub-genre is the disaster film. See also Greatest Disaster and Crowd Film Scenes and Greatest Classic Chase Scenes in Films.

Adventure Films

Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. They can include traditional swashbucklers or pirate films, serialized films, and historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown.

Comedy Films

Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, screwball, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy (dark satirical comedy), and more. See this site's Funniest Film Moments and Scenes collection - illustrated, also Premiere Magazine's 50 Greatest Comedies of All Time, and WGA's 101 Funniest Screenplays of All Time.

Crime Films

Crime (gangster) films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly bankrobbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life. The criminals or gangsters are often counteracted by a detective-protagonist with a who-dun-it plot. Hard-boiled detective films reached their peak during the 40s and 50s (classic film noir), although have continued to the present day. Therefore, crime and gangster films are often categorized as film noir or detective-mystery films, and sometimes as courtroom/crime legal thrillers - because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms. This category also includes various 'serial killer' films.

Drama Films

Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects, comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets. See also melodramas, epics (historical dramas), courtroom dramas, or romantic genres. Dramatic biographical films (or "biopics") are a major sub-genre, as are 'adult' films (with mature subject content).

Epics Films

Epics include costume dramas, historical dramas, war films, medieval romps, or 'period pictures' that often cover a large expanse of time set against a vast, panoramic backdrop. Epics often share elements of the elaborate adventure films genre. Epics take an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure, and add an extravagant setting or period, lavish costumes, and accompany everything with grandeur and spectacle, dramatic scope, high production values, and a sweeping musical score. Epics are often a more spectacular, lavish version of a biopic film. Some 'sword and sandal' films (Biblical epics or films occuring during antiquity) qualify as a sub-genre.

Horror Films

Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the earliest silent Nosferatu classic, to today's CGI monsters and deranged humans. They are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not always synonymous with the horror genre. There are many sub-genres of horror: slasher, splatter, psychological, survival, teen terror, 'found footage,' serial killers, paranormal/occult, zombies, Satanic, monsters, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. See this site's Scariest Film Moments and Scenes collection - illustrated.

Musicals/Dance Films

Musical/dance films are cinematic forms that emphasize full-scale scores or song and dance routines in a significant way (usually with a musical or dance performance integrated as part of the film narrative), or they are films that are centered on combinations of music, dance, song or choreography. Major subgenres include the musical comedy or the concert film. See this site's Greatest Musical Song/Dance Movie Moments and Scenes collection - illustrated.

Sci-Fi Films

Sci-fi films are often quasi-scientific, visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters ('things or creatures from space'), either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. They are sometimes an offshoot of the more mystical fantasy films (or superhero films), or they share some similarities with action/adventure films. Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind and easily overlaps with horror films, particularly when technology or alien life forms become malevolent, as in the "Atomic Age" of sci-fi films in the 1950s. Science-Fiction sub-categories abound: apocalyptic or dystopic, space-opera, futuristic noirs, speculative, etc.

War Films

War (and anti-war) films acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting (against nations or humankind) on land, sea, or in the air provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. War films are often paired with other genres, such as action, adventure, drama, romance, comedy (black), suspense, and even historical epics and westerns, and they often take a denunciatory approach toward warfare. They may include POW tales, stories of military operations, and training. See this site's Greatest War Movies (in multiple parts).

Westerns Films

Westerns are the major defining genre of the American film industry - a eulogy to the early days of the expansive American frontier. They are one of the oldest, most enduring genres with very recognizable plots, elements, and characters (six-guns, horses, dusty towns and trails, cowboys, Indians, etc.). They have evolved over time, however, and have often been re-defined, re-invented and expanded, dismissed, re-discovered, and spoofed. Variations have included Italian 'spaghetti' westerns, epic westerns, comic westerns, westerns with outlaws or marshals as the main characters, revenge westerns, and revisionist westerns.

***************************************************************************************************************************************

Writing an evaluation essay on a movie is way more enjoyable experience than a regular essay, because everyone likes watching movies. Moreover, it is easy to write about something you like. You can choose to write a favorite movie essay or a classification essay about movies, if you are a real devotee of cinematographic art. However, when you write a movie analysis essay you should remember that it is more than just a review of the film. While a review expresses only your opinion and summarizes the plot of the movie, a movie evaluation essay involves deeper analysis of different layers of the film, such as symbolism, settings, theme, and so on. If you are not a stranger to these cinematic devices and can identify them when watching a movie, then such paper shouldn’t be a problem for you. However, if you are not sure you can dig deeper than just a basic story line, you can order a custom written movie critique essay from Star-Writers. You can be sure to receive an original unique paper from a professional author and for a very moderate price.

Writing Movie Essay Step by Step

Writing an essay many seem like an overwhelming task. But it is only so when you work without a precise plan. After you learn these steps to writing a perfect movie analysis essay, you will be able to compose your paper with no effort. It will take even less of your time and energy, if you use our professional rewriting services after composing a first draft of your essay.

Step 1: Watch the movie. Obviously, to analyze a movie, you must watch it beforehand. Moreover, you have to watch it actively, not like an ordinary viewer. Have a notebook with you, so you could pause at some moments and take notes. Write down everything that catches your attention. There is no ultimate rule about what you must write about, it is your essay and it reflects the way you perceive things. So be confident, and note everything you like or dislike, any piece of dialog that got your attention or the way some character is dressed.

Step 2: Define the main elements. It is crucial for the success of your essay to identify the theme of the movie as soon as possible. Theme is so important, because it is like prism through which events of the story are perceived. For example the film may revolve around such theme, as unrequited love, revenge, survival, loneliness. Ultimately, there is no limit to the theme, it can be anything. Also it is important to define the genre of the movie, figure out the setting and the point of view. Analyzing a movie is very similar to analyzing a book. You will be able to read about writing a book critique essay if you visit our blog.

Step 3: Look at the characters. While watching a movie, jot down in your notebook some notes about characters. Try to understand the purpose of each character in the story. Define the protagonist, antagonist and the supporting cast; what aspect of human nature each character represents. You should also consider the settings as an important element. Sometimes, for example in movies, such as man vs. wild nature, the setting can be represented as a leading character, too. If all this seems confusing, you can read some of the movie essay samples on our blog to get an idea, how to write one.

Step 4: The role of actors and director. When analyzing a movie, you must certainly take into account the people who created it. These are not only actors, directors and producers, but also music orchestra, camera-men, engineers, visual artists, etc. You don’t need to write about all of them, you just need to choose one angle to look at. Your focus would depend on the type of the movie and the elements you want to emphasize. For example, you can write how music gave a rich emotional tone to the movie. If it is a film with fantastic creatures, you can write about the amazing job make-up artists did in creating the greasepaint.

Step 5: Story short outline. Briefly write about the main story line. Don’t go too deep into all nuances and twists of the plot. The purpose of the movie critique essay is not to summarize the whole story, but to analyze it. So don’t spend much time on this step. All you need is to give your readers a close enough idea what the movie is about. Read this article if you want to learn more about writing short, but concise story outlines.

Step 6: Write your essay.  After you have analyzed all the above elements of the movie and took short notes of them, it is finally time for you to start writing your essay. It will be easier and faster if you outline your essay beforehand. Just make a list of things you are going to mention in each paragraph. You can follow this classic five paragraph essay template, which would make the process of outlining clearer and more visual.  Otherwise, remember that you can always rely on Star-Writers to compose an exceptional movie critique essay for you. Here is the template you can use:

  • Paragraph 1: State the movie title, director, the main idea of the movie, your thesis statement;

  • Paragraph 2: Brief outline of the story.

  • Paragraph 3: Settings, structure, style and point of view;

  • Paragraph 4: Analysis of deeper meaning, symbolism and cinematic devices;

  • Paragraph 5: Conclusion, restate your thesis and summarize.

Step 7: Edit. You cannot submit your essay without making sure it is free of structural, grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. If you have strong grammar skills and good attention to details, you can try to edit your essay by yourself. There are many online guides that would teach you how to do it. However, written language is such a tricky thing and there are many aspects that you can overlook. Thus, it is better to trust this important task to professionals. Star-Writers can help you with your movie analysis essay in any way you like — to revise, rewrite, edit or proofread it.

Writing Perfect Movie Analysis Essay

Writing about movies can be a lot of fun, especially if you know what you must focus on. If you use these 7 steps, you can be sure to compose a winning movie analysis essay. And Star-Writers are always available online to help you out at any moment of that writing journey. In addition, if you submit your email address right now, you will be able to receive a generous 20% discount on your first order. Contact Star-Writers and don’t lose your chance to get a perfect movie analysis essay.