General Online Resources
- AllMovieA comprehensive database including basic product information, cast and production credits, plot synopsis, professional reviews, biographies, relational links, and more.
- FilmsiteWebsite dedicated to the study of film that is built around the idea of listing the 100 greatest films of all time with interpretive, descriptive review commentary and background history. Includes reference material including Academy Awards history, film genres, film terms, film history by decade, and trivia.
- Internet Movie Database (IMDb)An online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. Can be searched by actor, director, country, character name, etc. (Advanced search is available – click “more” and then “power search”). It includes links to online published reviews and also features reviews submitted by users.
- Media History Digital LibraryMillions of pages of books and magazines from the histories of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound.
- MetacriticAssembles about thirty reviews per movie from publications around the U.S., with links to the full reviews and gives each film an average rating based on the reviews. Attempts to include every new release, including limited releases and films that appear at film festivals and are reviewed in at least three publications.
- Senses of CinemaAn online journal from Australia that is devoted to the serious discussion of cinema. It includes critical evaluations of dozens of directors, film annotations, scholarly essays, top ten lists, and archived articles back to 2000.
Notable Film Critics
- Online Film Critics SocietyA collection of notable film critics who post their reviews online. Admission to the society is regulated to ensure the quality of content produced by the body.
- Roger Ebert's Choice BlogsA selection of film criticism blogs hosted on Roger Ebert's personal website. The blogs cover a broad range of current issues and developments in cinema and showcase a diverse group of critics.
- Richard RoeperA former associate of the late Roger Ebert, Roeper has written film reviews for many different publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times. His website features current film reviews (some written, some videos) and archives of past reviews.
- The New Yorker: Richard BrodyIn "The Front Row," film critic Richard Brody discusses current and past trends in cinema culture as well as posts reviews for select recent releases.
Filmmakers
- International Dictionary of Films and FilmmakersA four volume work with the following sections: 1. Films, 2. Directors, 3. Actors and actresses, 4. Writers and production artists. Each volume includes entries with lengthy expository essays, filmographies, bibliographies, and biographies for the entries about people. Broadly international in its coverage.
Downloadable Video Clips
Youtube.com is a main source for video clips. There are many sources on Youtube, but on good starting place if you are looking for clips from feature films is the Movie Clips Channel
Clip Cafe is another source for clips. Many clips from 100s of movies available. Resolution is fairly low.
- VimeoLarge collection of videos on various subjects; some (but not all) are available for download.
Links to some useful (and, in some cases, free) software for working with film clips:
Film Catalogs
- American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States(1911-1950, 1961-1970)
Each volume alphabetically lists the feature films produced in the United States during the years covered. Each entry includes credits, a synopsis, and appropriate subject headings. The index volumes allow users to search for films by genre, geographic location, and personal names.
- AFI CatalogThe American Flim Institute's catalog contains detailed information about every theatrically released feature film between the years 1893 - 1993. For films released after 1993, basic information is included.
- Halliwell's Film and Video GuideListing of films with short synopsis, major credits, availability on DVD/Video, and a 0-to-4 star rating. Appendixes list Academy Award winners as well as 3 and 4 star movies. Earlier editions are available.
- Magill's Survey of CinemaA four volume set that analyzes films from 1927-1980, providing plot synopses and critical discussion on production, acting, direction, script, and cinematography.
- Motion Picture GuideA 10 volume set covering films from the years 1927-1984, with vol. 10 devoted to the silent film era. Includes a description, cast and credit information, and a rating (1 to 4 stars) for each film. Features entries for most English speaking films, as well as many foreign language films.
Film Scripts
- Film Scripts Online Series, Volumes I (American Film Scripts) & II (Film Scripts Online)Authorized versions of copyrighted screenplays. Includes Warner Bros., Sony, RKO, MGM, and other major film studios' scripts; rights holders such as Faber & Faber, Newmarket Press, Penguin Putnam, and Vintage Anchor; and the writers themselves.
- Daily ScriptProvides many recent scripts in easy-to-read HTML format.
There are several film scripts available in Infokat, the libraries' catalog, including several as part of the series "Newmarket shooting script series."
- The Screenplay and the ScreenwriterAn excerpt from "Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia" that briefly discusses the role of screenplays in film. The article mentions several notable screenwriters and scripts that may be of interest to students of film.
Film Quotes
- Cassell's Movie QuotationsContains quotations from movie dialog, critical judgments of the most celebrated movies ever made, commonly misquoted lines, and statements by the stars, directors, and other cinema personalities. Organized alphabetically by film titles and names of people. There is also a section for “anonymous” and “catch phrases."
- Film Quotations: 11,000 Lines Spoken on Screen Arranged by Subject and IndexedListing of film quotes organized by subject. Indexed by both performer and by movie title. Each quote gives the movie title, production company, year of release, speaker of the line, and, when appropriate, a comment putting the quote in context.
- QuodbSearchable online database containing millions of movie lines.