How to Write Great Movie Reviews for Your Entertainment Website

If you have an entertainment website then you're always looking for fresh, new, fun and interesting material to keep your readers coming back for more. Movie reviews are a great way to do that. People always want to know what someone else thinks about the movie they want to see and they will scour the web to look for these opinions. Now you could syndicate another site's reviews, but why do that? You want your readers to be loyal to you and your site and honestly, they want to hear what you have to say and what you think. If you're thinking you haven't the foggiest idea on how to write fun, compelling movie reviews, then think again. I'm going to tell you all you need to know.

1. Actively Watch the Movie ? Yes, I recognize that movie watching is a passive activity. Watching a movie isn't something you do, it is something that happens to you. However, if you want to write good reviews you have to learn to look at movies with a critical eye. This means you need to pay attention to everything and I mean Everything. Notice how the actors are placed in each shot, the setting, the camera angles, even the music. All of these elements play a role in the story that is trying to be told and are important to talk about if you want to write the compelling sort of reviews that your readers will stop by your site each week to read. .

2. Take Copious Notes ? No, I don't expect you to sit in a theatre with pen and pad or laptop in hand. But I do expect you to take solid mental notes. Information such as the actor's names or who the director was is easy to come across, but information like camera shots, or plot devices is not, so you need to train yourself not only to watch for that type of information but also to remember it.

3. Summarize. Don't Spoil. ? This is important. Nothing is worse then reading a review that tells the whole movie from beginning to end and leaves nothing for you to see. People want your opinion, not for you to spoil the movie. A basic summation of the plot is all that is necessary. From there you can talk about whether or not the plot worked well or was the plot even a plot at all. Let the details of the film be revealed when your readers see the film, not when they read your review.

4. Critical Analysis is Key ? The difference between a review anyone can write and a review people will clamor to read is in how well you analyze the film. Think about those papers you had to write for lit class in college. The professor didn't want you to just tell him what the book was about but wanted you to break down the themes in the book and how they related to the plot, the characters, etc. Well the same is true for a movie review. No one wants a summary of events or the plot. A good review will examine the themes or ideas the movie raises and talk about how well or not so well the movie executed those themes and ideas.

5. Point Out the Pros and the Cons ? No movie is perfect and rarely is any movie all bad, so take the time to talk about what the movies does well and what it does not so well.

6. Be Original ? For some folk it is two thumbs up, for others it is rotten tomatoes. Whatever you decide you want your rating system to be, be original. Try to find a hook that works for you. Just don't do something that closely resembles someone else or you'll just seem like a bad copy of the original.

Follow these steps and you'll be writing the best reviews the web has to offer and your readers will constantly come back for more week in and week out. Happy writing.

(C) 2005 Tamika Johnson

Tamika Johnson is a freelance writer and editor and chief of Prologue, the best arts and entertainment online community the web has to offer. To read more articles by Tamika and to receive FREE tips on how to be a successful writer visit http://www.prologuezine.com

---

Five Tips to Write Winning Web Articles

Looking for another no cost promotional tool? Your fee will... Read More

Article Publishing Is A Key Component Of Internet Marketing

Frequently when I am communicating with other webmasters and I... Read More

Thought Leaders - Using Article Marketing To Entrench Yourself and Your Personal Brand

A "Thought Leader" is someone recognized as an authority in... Read More

Guest Articles: Good for Some, Bad for Others

A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing... Read More

How to Write Articles that Sell

In order to sell your article must do three things:1.... Read More

Tracking Your Articles Properly

Writing articles related to your business is a great way... Read More

Want to Put Your Names on My Article?

There's a new sort of ghost stalking the digital landscape.They... Read More

Writing the Five Essentials

The five essential questions to be answered in your article... Read More

Reward Those Who Publish Your Articles!

It is pretty obvious that content is king online. It... Read More

Essential HTML Skills For Article Authors - 7 Tips

Many successful authors close their mind to learning HTML because... Read More

How To Write an Ezine Article

Writing can be fraught at the best of times but... Read More

Dont Buy Your On-Line Marketing Articles From Article Factories

I was busiy submitting some articles I ghost wrote for... Read More

Incredibly Bad Articles Will Kill Your Credibility

I've noticed a disturbing trend recently of articles suggesting that... Read More

Writing Articles For Permanent Traffic

Writing articles is possibly the best way to generated free... Read More

Publish Articles on Numerous Subjects and Attract More Readers

Writers have one basic need -- readers. We all want... Read More

Article Marketing

A revolutionary marketing device that I call article marketing I... Read More

An Easy Way to Write An Article: Get Someone Elses!

Every successful website needs to be, what the experts consider,... Read More

5 Powerful Article Writing Tips

Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not... Read More

Reprint Articles Hijacked by Text Link Ads - Great for Authors!

We all know that online publishers earn revenue from our... Read More

Theres More Than One Way To Carve This Turkey

Although this may sound like a funny metaphor, if you... Read More

Article Queries That Sell

Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they... Read More

Use Textpad Program for Easy Ezine and Web Site Submissions To Bring More Sales

When you create your articles in TextPad format, something like... Read More

Article Marketing: Capture the Other Half of Your Target Market

Heard about article marketing but not sure why you'd need... Read More

Write What You Think Youre Writing

You've written this wonderful (no question about it) piece of... Read More

Article Marketing & Copywriting Secret: How To Make Your Article TITLE Sell

Most authors are wasting their time producing dozens to hundreds... Read More

An Article

People love to hear stories. They'll identify with what you... Read More

Article Syndication for Better Search Engine Position

If you're sick of being #987 for your best Google... Read More

Should You Hire a Famous Writer or Write Your Own Articles?

Proven and Exceptional Click-Through ResultsTesting has proven again and again... Read More

Build Links and Your Brand: Article Marketing Delivers

Many online marketers have crowed about the value of writing... Read More

Article Writing Made Simple

A great way for self employed professionals to enhance their... Read More

Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box

If you want to really make your article "SELL" then... Read More

4 Major Mistakes to Avoid when Writing an Article

By avoiding these common mistakes, you will greatly improve your... Read More

Writing Articles Can Improve Your Online Marketing and Sales

Many people which in online business world find difficulties in... Read More