Everett Library: QEN 102: What Is the Role of Culture?: Find Reviews

Book Reviews

Library Website

You can find book reviews from major publishers through the library website. On OneSearch (the main search bar), choose "Advanced Search":

Under "Content Types", choose "Book Review":

Search for the title of the book (using quotes to force the database to search it as an exact phrase).

You can also filter by date or other options as needed. These filters work the same as other search platforms (like online shopping sites, etc.).

This will search for book reviews from major platforms like Publishers Weekly and Library Journal.

Film Reviews

Below are sources you can use to find film reviews:

Films Selected to the National Film Registry, 1989 - 2010
500+ films and counting, this list provided by the National Film Preservation Board shows all the movies that have been selected for special preservation measures because of their cultural or aesthetic impact.
Filmsite - AMC
Useful for its accessibility and breadth, but occasionally glib or inaccurate about key points of film history.
Great Movies - Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert's series about films that made an impact. Covers a broad range of movies from the past to the present, mainstream and independent, from countries all over the world.
Metacritic
Provides access to and summarizes entertainment criticism available online. Combines the individual critic scores into an overall grade for each item.
New York Times Film Reviews Online
Browse or search 28,000 New York Times movie reviews. Included in the free review archive are all films reviewed since 1960, reviews of all Best Picture Academy Award winners, as well as The New York Times guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.
Rotten Tomatoes - Film Reviews
Strives to summarize critical reaction on movies by averaging the scores given by its list of critics, who are mostly from accredited media outlets and online film societies.
IMDB
Internet Movie Database: User-generated content focused on movies and TV, as well as videogames, podcasts, and other media. Includes plot synopses, reviews, trivia, and more

For IMDB, be sure to look for "Critic Reviews" for movies:

Music Reviews

Some sources for finding music reviews include:

AllMusic
Pitchfork
Rolling Stone
New York Times Music Reviews
- For free access to the New York Times, follow these steps:
  - Login = q + Q-Card number (e.g. q123456)
  - Password: Your birth year (e.g. 1985)
  - Create an individual New York Times account:
    - Enter your library card number ( q + Q-Card number).
    - Click "Create Account" & register with your email address or click "log in here" if you already have created a NYT account.
    - Click "Redeem" & "Get Started" to get 24 hours of continuous access.
    - After 24 hours, you will need to redeem another pass by repeating these instructions for continued access.

User-Generated Reviews (TikTok, Goodreads, Reddit, etc.)

You can also find reviews of all types of media (books, film, music, videogames, etc.) by using search engines (like Google) or social media, and there are plenty of quality reviews there. However, we recommend avoiding user-generated review platforms like Goodreads, TikTok, and Amazon or forums like Reddit.

Many of the reviews on these platforms are thoughtful, nuanced, and worth viewing, but it can be difficult to sift through the huge volume of content online to find quality literary criticism. This doesn't mean you should never use those platforms, but you should always evaluate your sources to ensure you're relying on the highest-quality information when you develop your own arguments.

Reviews of Other Media

We recommend these resources for other media:

Art reviews:
- UNC's Art Research Guide
Game reviews:
- Duke's Game Review Guide
- IGN

For reviews of other types of media, you can also find what other libraries have put together by searching for the following in a search engine:

[other type of media] reviews libguide