Featured Resource

Library Essentials is a collection of short video tutorials on how to complete library research. Tutorials focus on searching for books using our online catalog CLIO, how to more effectively complete a keyword search as well as provide an introduction to a number of invaluable services. The FINDING IMAGES segment may be of special interest.

Featured DVD of the Week

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Miramax Films and Paramount Vantage present ; written for the screen and directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen ; produced by Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen ; a Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss production.

Butler Media DVD6953

"He Found a Bundle of Money and Now There is Hell to Pay" by A.O. Scott. See Scott's review in the New York Times published November 7, 2007.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/movies/09coun.html

Academy Awards, 2008: Best Achievement in Directing; Best Motion Picture of the Year; Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Bardem); Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published. Golden Globes, USA, 2008: Golden Globe - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Javier Bardem) ; Best Screenplay - Motion Picture (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)

Featured Resource

Film Indexes Online -- AFI Catalog
The Film Indexes Online searches across the American Film Institute Catalog and the British Film Institute's Catalog entitled Film Index International.

The AFI Catalog is an exceptional resource and quite possibly my favorite resource for film research. It is an attempt to catalog every film produced in the United States. It currently includes works produced from 1893 - 1972 (they are completing the 1970s). You can search by title, director, cast, crew, character name, song, genre and subject. For each one of these fields, a browse option is provided. The most outstanding features include plot summaries (for major feature films -- these are quite extensive) and a notes summary which includes varying levels of detail regarding the production and filming. Culled from the major industry publications during the production period, the notes provide incredible film histories and a fabulous read.
Example: search Casablanca, Wizard of Oz, The Women and Gone with the Wind.

Locating Film Reviews at Columbia University

Film reviews can be found in a wide range of publications including books, newspapers, popular magazines and the scholarly journal literature. Reviews can vary in length, assessment and style. The work of notable film critics (see picture of Andrew Sarris on the left) past and present can provide a critique as well as an analysis of the film.

You can search for book publications, generally compilations of reviews, in CLIO by entering "motion pictures -- reviews" as your subject search entry.

For reviews published in journals and newspapers, begin by consulting the Film and Television Subject Guide -- Film Review section for recommended sources. Film and Television Literature Index and the International Index to Film Periodicals index the major journals in Film Studies. You can limit your search to film reviews. MRQE is an excellent web resource indexing major nationals, regional and other news sources. Proquest is an excellent resource for the popular journal literature.

For retrospective (generally pre-1970s), check the guide to printed resources --
Motion Pictures, Cinema, and Film.