For each movie you chose, you are required to write a Geographic Movie Review. A Geographic Movie Review covers the cultural and physical features presented in the film. It does not include a summary of the plot or characters. Write the review knowing that we have already seen the film. It is not necessary to go into detail about certain events you would like to discuss. We will know the scene you are referring to.

The first step is writing the Top Page Format. It should look like this:

Name: (your name)
Student #:
Region: (the region in which the film took place)
Title of Movie: (the name of the movie you are reviewing)
Film Setting: (where the film is supposed to be taking place)
Actual Filming Location: (where the movie was actually filmed)
Reference: (where you got the information on actual filming location from)

For Example, if I was reviewing the movie Three Kings, the top of my paper would look EXACTLY like this:

Name: John Doe
Student #: 4554564985231
Region: The Middle East
Title of Movie: Three Kings
Film Setting: Kuwait and Southern Iraq
Actual Filming Location: Southern California, USA
Reference: IMBD.com, and the films credits

People seem to get confused about the film setting and actual filming location categories so let me take a moment to explain in more detail.  Geographically, it is interesting to note when movies portray physical landscapes to be a region that they are not.  A film director might want to give the audience the feeling that the action is taking place in Burma, but due to political unrest the film must actually be shot in Thailand. Are the climates and physical features similar enough between these two counties to convince the audience? This is a theme to address in your review. Please note that the Reference line on the Top Page Format should tell me only where you got the information on the actual filming location of the movie.  Citing sources within the body of your review is covered below.

Content for Movie Reviews

The whole idea of the review is to get you to think geographically, or spatially, as you view the films. Where is this place I'm being shown? What are its physical attributes? Its cultural attributes? How do these physical and cultural attributes manifest themselves in the film? How do they affect the characters in the film? How do they affect the action of the film? Does this jive with my own mental construct of this place? Are these attributes and relationships accurate in the real world, or are they bogus?  This last question may be the most important to answer.

Now this may seem overwhelming at first, but let's add some structure to help you out. You'll soon see that it is not difficult at all to come up worth a couple of paragraphs which cover one or two of these questions. In each movie review you will describe at least one PHYSICAL characteristic of the film, and at least one CULTURAL characteristic of the film---citing examples from the movie and facts from your atlases for support.  In addition, you may want to consider Physical/Cultural Interactions, Western Influences, and Current Events as other excellent themes to integrate into your report.

You are required to write about at least one PHYSICAL feature and at least one CULTURAL feature--everything else is up to you.  Let's look at these themes in a bit more detail:
 
 

1. Physical Features

It is vital to take note of and describe physical features presented in the film. These could include terrain, climate, bodies of water, natural disasters, animal life, and natural resources that your spot throughout out the film. Do these things give you an accurate representation of the region being portrayed? Use outside sources such as your Plaid Avenger's World textbook (PAW) or the CIA World Factbook (CIA) or class notes to confirm or deny such descriptions. Here are some examples of what we are looking for:

• I didn't see many trees in the film which concurs with the vegetation map on PAW Desert section .
• I noticed that the children wore heavy coats whenever they went outside. Also, there were several violent snow storms depicted in the movie.  CIA describes the climate for this country as "subarctic and tundra climates in the north".
• The men were coal miners, CIA Factbook references coal mining as predominant economic activity in this country/area.

 

Cultural characteristics of a place pretty much include everything that is human created or modified. If it is not naturally occurring, than a human must have had something to do with it. A road, a building, a religious practice, or a planted row of corn are all modifications of the environment by humans. For this section, think of cultural aspects more in the sense of things which give character to the country or region--just as a person has personality traits. For Example:

• There were many scenes shot in and around Muslim temples. It showed people praying on prayer rugs facing Mecca. The CIA cites that 97% of the population is Muslim in this country.
• The children were being educated in a small rural schoolhouse.  They didn't have many books and had to share everything.  The CIA states that only 54% of children under the age of 12 attend school in this region.
• I noticed an abundance of children in the film.  The population map (PAW, p. 32) shows that children between the ages of 0-14 are the most populated age group in the country.
• Some people spoke English, but most spoke Farsi...this is because.....

Can you name some specific ways in which the physical or cultural features affected the character's lives or the events  in the film?

• The climate of this region (PAW, p. 412) limits the amount of food that can be grown in any given year. Also, the high occurrence of natural disasters such as flooding as seen in the film often wipes out entire crops. This creates an independence on outside food sources.
• Because of the non-violent nature of the Buddhist religion, the main character was limited in his actions when trying to escape imprisonment.

All of the movies we watch take place outside of the U.S. and Western Europe. However, often you can spot representations of Western Culture in the film. Discuss any prominent symbols of Western Culture you notice.

• There was a Pizza Hut in the street scene in Mexico City
• I noticed that it said "women" in English and Chinese on the door of the bathroom
• I heard a American pop song being played in the background

Relate the movie to things that are happening in the world today.  Are the conflicts presented in the film still an issue? Have political leaders changed? Is the country still affected by droughts or floods? Check out current new stories on BBC News or CNN.

• The BBC reports that millions of refugees fled this region in January just as depicted in the film
• Since this film was made there has been a shift in political power from authoritative to democracy (CNN, 03/15/02).

 Remember you can only turn in one review per week and you must turn them all in before the end of the semester. It will not be accepted late.  You have all semester to turn in 3 reviews (or however many you need to do) so you should have no problem getting full credit for this part of your grade. My advice to get them done early in the semester so you have less to worry about during finals. Follow these guidelines:

• 2.5 to 3 pages in length
• 1.5 line spacing (between single and double-spaced)
• Times New Roman (a standard default)
• 12 point font
• Stapled
• Spell checked
• Printed out
• Top Page Format as shown above.

Referencing

You must cite all sources used.  Put the source in parenthesis after the line in which you referred to the source. If you refer to the following sources, which you should use regularly, it is okay to use these abbreviations:

Plaid Avenger's World (PAW, p.?) Be sure to give page number
World Regions Website (WRW) Mostly for climate references
CIA World Factbook (CIA)
BBC News (BBC) Give the date of when the article you are referring to appeared on the BBC website
CNN News (CNN) Give the date of when the article you are referring to appeared on the CNN website
The Internet Movie Database (IMDB)

If you cite a long web site, use 8 pt. font. Any attempt to lengthen a paper by over-zealous citation will be penalized. It should look like this:

When the Europeans arrived, there were nearly 250 languages spoken in Australia (www.koori.iisds.com).

Here is an actual example of a decent/good paper received last semester.   Here is a link to an actual rotten one received last semester.   I will post the first example of a totally excellent paper I receive this semester.   If you have any questions please contact the TA's.
 
 
 

WHAT NOT TO DO:

DO NOT give a synopsis of the plot; go straight into the matters at hand

DO NOT go into great contextual detail to describe an event

DO NOT tell me your personal opinions of the movie--I would like you to tell me in class, but you have precious few lines as it is for your report.

DO NOT shy away from the foreign films--I tend to be more lenient in grading towards those that challenge themselves.

I WOULD NOT do this review on a movie you absolutely despised--it will show. Go and check out another if you possibly can.

I WOULD NOT watch the movie without my atlas by my side. Refer to it throughout the movie to give you ideas about topics to write about. Just relax and have a good time with it--with only 2.5 to 3 pages to work with, good ideas are more important than fancy words. Brevity is essential.

DO NOT FORGET to enjoy the movie.
 

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