November 21 2008

Theory and Criticism

Home > Arts > Movies > Theory and Criticism

Film theory seeks to develop concise, systematic concepts that apply to film and video. Classical film theory provides a structural framework to address issues of techniques, narrativity, diegesis, cinematic codes, "the image", genre, subjectivity, and authorship. More recent analysis has given rise to psychoanalytic film theory, structuralist film theory, feminist film theory, and theories of documentary, new media, third cinema, and new queer cinema, to name just a few.Film criticism is, on some level, encapsulated within this rubric, and includes questions about how and why film works, and what effects it has on viewing subjects. These techniques can be applied to individual films, but it is usually aligned with theoretical concepts of the medium. Notice how this is distinct from film review (or film commentary), which is usually written for a general audience and is generally not theoretical.

'Alliwell That Ends Well
Brief analysis of films by many directors.
http://cmulrooney.tripod.com/alliwell.html

Andre Bazin: An Unofficial Tribute
A tribute to André Bazin, film critic and Cahiers du Cinema co-founder, and spiritual father of the French New Wave movement. Includes text, bibliography, and pictures.
http://www.unofficialbaziniantrib.com/

Brian W. Fairbanks
Reviews and essays on film criticism by the entertainment editor at the Paris Woman Journal.
http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/writer/

Chronicle Of A Passion
Film reviews and commentary by Steve Erickson, with a concentration on foreign film.
http://home.earthlink.net/~steevee/

Cinema Review
Essays on film, directors, and genres.
http://cinema-review.com/

Cinetext - film & philosophy
Internet forum for cinema studies addressing students, researchers, scholars, and anyone with an interest in the thoughtful exploration of cinema, film, and television.
http://cinetext.philo.at

Classic Movies-Related Articles
Repository of articles which originally appeared as newsgroup postings but which stand on their own as arguments or elucidations.
http://articles.dhwritings.com/

Clio's Eye
Essays by scholars, guests, and students, reviewing and discussing films and other media from an historical perspective.
http://clioseye.sfasu.edu/

Culture Court
A review of film, books, and media arts. Includes features and reviews of selected works.
http://www.culturecourt.com/

Die Critics Die
Dedicated to criticizing renowned film critics. Uses background biographical knowledge on the critics to discredit them.
http://die-critics-die.8m.com

EAF
Editorial about Burch's optional representation mode, as well as capsule film reviews.
http://www.geocities.com/eaf_underground/

Eirik Frisvold Hanssen
A literature review and an essay on the role of color in film.
http://www.geocities.com/frisvoldhanssen/

Essays on the Craft of Dramatic Writing
Essays that review films from a storytelling point of view.
http://www.storyispromise.com/wmovies.htm

Film Sound Design
Theoretical and practical aspects on narrative sound effects in Film and TV.
http://www.filmsound.org

Film Trip
Commentary on various movie genres, along with film recommendations.
http://members.tripod.com/mcrae_tony/

Freeman's Critical Eye
Critical analysis of current and past films, as well as theoretical discussions on cinema.
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~freeman/

Hungry Ghost
Film criticism and journalism by freelance writer David Chute.
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/3102/

International Federation of Film Critics
Organization with 46 member countries. Includes film news, festival reports, and resources on film criticism.
http://www.fipresci.org/

Is It A Book: Cinema
A discussion of nonlinear narrative in film.
http://www.philobiblon.com/isitabook/cinema/

Italian Neorealism
A movement characterized by the simple direct depiction of lower-class life. Film analyses, timeline, director filmographies, protagonists, and related links.
http://www.inblackandwhite.com/ItalianNeorealismv2.0/index.html

Jeem's CinePad
Film theory, reviews, and critiques laid out in a floor plan of a virtual house.
http://cinepad.com/home.html

Kaleo Fellowship of Christ : Film and Theology
A San Diego church offers film reviews, looks at the prevelant worldviews, and asks what is being said through cinema and movies.
http://www.kaleochurch.com/culture/film.php

Kaleo San Diego: Film & Theology
Examines several mainstream films from a Christian theological perspective.
http://www.kaleochurch.com/culture/film.php

Keyframe.org
Attepts to answer the question of whether the digital age is affecting traditional cinema.
http://www.keyframe.org/

Life
The meaning of life as suggested by motion pictures. A collection of essays on the priorities implied in movies.
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~lifelong/

Metaphilm
Reviews films of artistic and independent variety, highlighting content and context. List of films as well as feature articles.
http://www.metaphilm.com/

Movia's: J.R. Via Reviews Films
J.R. Via questions why films are too long and good scripts are too rare.
http://www.geocities.com/movias/r.html

Movie 666
Takes tongue in cheek view toward movie criticism and many of the personalities involved in film. Archived articles for each season starting in spring 1999.
http://www.movie666.com/

Movie Structure, Myth and Metaphor
Analysis of how the origins of the Hollywood storytelling system lie in the nature of myth and legend.
http://www.colinmj.com/cinema/

No, But I Read The Movie
"Great books into films, or films from great auteurs... film lovers, make up your critical minds!" By Richard C. Walls [Metro Times Detroit].
http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=923

Offscreen
Critical essays, articles, and reviews published monthly. Affiliated with a Canadian magazine that is published in French. Includes chronological archives.
http://www.horschamp.qc.ca/offscreen/

Philosophical Films
Interpretation of films by using philosophical texts and vice versa.
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/forum15.htm

Recent Movies and TV Programs: Signs of the Future?
The Revelation 13 web site discusses how movies relate to prophecies of world events, and how movies can help us understand the chaotic world events today.
http://www.revelation13.net/movie.html

Senses of Cinema
An online film journal devoted to the serious and eclectic discussion of cinema, of art, independent and experimental cinemas.
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/

Strictly Film School
An evolving analysis journal of landmark cinema, examining universal themes, symbols and imagery, historical and artistic genres.
http://www.filmref.com

Suite101: Films With Social Significance
A detailed look at how several films affect or comment on the values of our society.
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/films_social_significance/

The Image of the Devil in 20th Century Film
Offers an essay which compares the image of the devil in the films Faust, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and The Devil’s Advocate.
http://www.julielorenzen.net/devil.html

The Living Color
Online journal examines the history and personalities of cult, kitsch, and camp films.
http://hjem.get2net.dk/jack_stevenson/

The Unorthodox Reel
Detailed analyses on a range of topics and films.
http://www.un-reel.co.uk/