GUEST EDITORIAL: 3 Tools to Help You Write a Great Movie Review

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3 Tools to Help You Write a Great Movie Review

by Daniela McVicker

You’d be surprised, but writing a movie review can be a daunting task. Not only you will need to research the movie itself, but you will also have to study the story and the intention behind it. And if a movie is a screen adaptation of a book, you’d also need to analyze the similarities and differences between the two, and whether these differences significantly impacted the plot of the movie. 

Just from the looks of it, writing a great movie review can take you hours or even days. Luckily, there are a few steps of writing a movie review that you can get helped with, thanks to the abundance of different online tools. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at 4 tools that can help you in different stages of writing a great movie review. 

1. SEO Tools

Your more review can be as great as it’s going to get, but if it’s not optimized for the search engines, it’s likely that it will get lost in the myriad of similar reviews. 

That is why it is important to do keyword research before you start writing your movie review, so you could seamlessly incorporate the keywords in your text and make them sound natural. 

What are the best free keyword research tools for movie review writers?

• WordStream Free Keyword Finder – this tool requires you to enter a keyword or a URL, choose your country, and browse keywords according to the industry. 

• Ubersuggest – this tool also allows you to search for keywords for your movie review based on the country where your target audience is located. Here, you can also enter your competitor’s domain to find better keywords.  However, if you want to add more features and make your keyword research broader, you need to sign up with your email. 

• KeywordTool.io – with this tool, you can not only search for keywords on Google, but other search engines like Bing, as well as Amazon and different social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. 

• Answer the Public – here you can search for keywords based on the location and language that your target audience speaks. The keywords are visualized in the form of a diagram based on different questions in Google search that involve this keyword. 

In the majority of these tools, you’ll get information about keyword competition. Try to aim for keywords with medium or low competition to help Google rank your movie review higher.

2. Headline Generators

How hard could it be?

You just type in “The Pacifier: Movie Review” and you have a ready-to-use headline. 

That’s true. However, among the abundance of similar movie reviews with the same title, yours is more likely to get lost. 

A great solution here is to use a headline generator, who will provide you with a few ready-to-use headlines, and if not, you’ll get a bunch of good ideas to get you started. 

• Semrush Isaac Newton Title Generator – this tool allows you to generate a title with two keywords and more with one click. 

• Hubspot Blog Topic Generator – this tool requires you to enter the minimum of 4 nouns to get the idea where your title is heading to. As a result, you get more than a dozen headline ideas for your movie review.

• FatJoe Blog Post Headline Generator – this tool also works well for generating headlines for movie reviews. You can add the initial title of your review, and get 10 headline suggestions. For more headline ideas, this tool requires an email subscription. 

You can also browse for headline ideas by doing competitor research and websites that do reviews of companies with similar content. There, you may find things that your competitors’ headlines lack and add them to the title of your movie review.  

As for the automated headline generators, with the majority of these tools, the more keywords you add, the better. As a result, you can get more precise results. If you don’t see a headline that would fit your movie review well, you can still collect the ideas and use them in your original movie review headline. 

3. Proofreading Resources

A great movie review is not complete without thorough proofreading and editing. At the end of the day, how can you call your writing great if it speckles with grammatical and punctuation mistakes?

If earlier you’d need to proofread your text several times or even give someone your review to proofread, today there is an abundance of proofreading tools that can do the job for you in no time. 

Here are a few of our suggestions:

• Grammarly – with this tool, you can not only proofread your text, but also set the tone, audience, and level of formality before you proofread it. The report is broken down into 4 categories – Correctness and Clarity are for free, but Engagement and Delivery are only available with a Premium subscription. 

• PaperRater – this free tool works well for proofreading movie reviews as well. You can also pick ‘movie review’ as a category to help the tool proofread your text according to its main purpose. The tool also has free plagiarism checker. 

• Hemingway App – one of the key aspects of writing a great movie review is its readability. The majority of proofreading tools focus on grammar or style, not paying much attention to the level of readability of the text. Hemingway App will do exactly that, helping you avoid wordiness in your movie review. 

Skipping editing and proofreading is one of the most common mistakes to avoid while writing a movie review. You risk posting the text that looks unprofessional and amateurish. 

We also recommend you to combine several tools. This will help you proofread your text more thoroughly. Reviewing the text several times yourself should also be an important step of your proofreading routine, as the machine won’t always do a good job ad assessing the style of your movie review. 

Wrapping Up

A truly great movie review requires a lot of research and analysis. It’s likely that you will spend hours or even days writing it, that’s why you might need some help if you start running out of ideas or losing concentration. 

Luckily, in the age of technology, you can delegate some of the tasks in your movie review writing routine to a few online tools. 

We selected the most essential tools to help you write a great movie review, optimize it for search engines, catch the reader’s attention with a great headline, and proofread your review to make it look spotless. 

Do you have more tools to suggest? Share them with us in the comments! 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniela McVicker is a freelance writer and blogger. She graduated from Durham University and has an MA in psychological science. Her passion is traveling and finding ways to enrich students’ learning experiences. You can check her last Grabmyessay review.

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GUEST COLUMN: Resources for Watching Hindi Movies Online Through Kodi

Resources for Watching Hindi Movies Online through Kodi 

by Maria Jones

Kodi is a wonderful application through which you can not only view Hollywood movies and TV series but for the Bollywood movies enthusiasts, it is also possible to watch Hindi movies online now through Kodi. New, old, and all-time classic are available here. It is a fact that Bollywood movies have fans all across the globe as these movies feature a wide range of vibrant characters, action, melodic songs, colorful sceneries, and romance at best.

Kodi addons for Hindi movies

Kodi is a standalone application and what makes it possible for the users to get access to more content is with the use of add-ons. So, here let’s talk about some of the top Kodi add-ons enabling viewing Hindi movies online. You can get these add-ons from the top official repositories of Kodi, which are published by different creators.

Einthusan

You need to first check whether Einthusan is restricted to you based on your location. Use a good VPN to bypass any restrictions and gain uninterrupted access. Apart from Bollywood movies, you can get access to other Indian language movies also like Punjabi, Marathi, Telegu, and Tamil, etc. on this channel.

SnagFilms

SnagFilmes is another great resource of Hindi movies online and to watch top Hindi TV series. You can get an impressive list of movies, both old and new here. The content is categorized neatly, and there are about 30 categories with a fairly long list of movies under each category. Most of the movies are of HD quality, and there is also no streaming lag.

Free VPN for Linux

There are many open-source VPNs out there to be paired with Linux operating systems, but it is ideal for getting a native app, which may require only less configuration. Such VPNs also tend to have a high score in terms of privacy and security alongside offering reassuring speeds. Here, let's have a quick overview of the top Linux VPNs. 

• ProtonVPN – It is a highly secured and high-speed VPN which you can operate from the Linux CLI without compromising on privacy.

• Surfshark – Apt choice for those who want to unblock any geo-restrictions. You can easily get the CLI app for Surfshark to be used for Ubuntu as well as Debian.

• AirVPN – Highly secured VPN option for Linux which you can operate from the GUI and also CLI. There are various customization features also available for it.

• Mullvad – Another free VPN for linux if you are operating on a lower budget, but don’t want to compromise on features.

• ExpressVPN – It is a preferred VPN for many who are on the look-out for a multipurpose VPN to be operated through CLI.

• NordVPN - Another great VPN for Linux featuring Linux command-line app. You can unblock many streaming sites, and it also ensures optimum security. 

Hindi movie add-ons for Kodi

ErosNOW

Many of the Kodi add-ons features Bollywood content were closed down recently, but ErosNOW is one which sailed through. You can access a wonderful list of Hollywood movies through this. There is both a free version, which has restricted access to content and an unlimited version also with unlimited access at the cost of $7.99 per month.

Some other wonderful Kodi add-ons to view Bollywood movies including but not limited to Exodus Redux, FilmON Simple, WatchDogs Video, Atlas Movies, Neptune Rising, etc.

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‘You’ve Got Mail’ is on Netflix and I’ve Never Missed Normal Life More

The 1998 audience could not have predicted that online conversation would be relied upon as one of the few means of communication during a pandemic, but here we are.

The post ‘You’ve Got Mail’ is on Netflix and I’ve Never Missed Normal Life More appeared first on Movie Marker.

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always ★★★★

Director: Eliza Hittman Stars: Sidney Flanagan, Talia Ryder Released: 13th May 2020 (On Demand) Eliza Hittman grows in stature every time she makes a film. From It Felt like Love to Beach Rats and now Never Rarely Sometimes Always, bigger crowds are now seeing her work. The Sundance and Berlinale crowds applauded Hittman’s latest feature […]

The post Never Rarely Sometimes Always ★★★★ appeared first on Movie Marker.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast talking "Arkansas"

MY FULL REVIEW OF "ARKANSAS"

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MOVIE REVIEW: Arkansas

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ARKANSAS-- 3 STARS

Let’s just say it. The subgenre of redneck crime films is a messy place. The “black hat” is almost always a crazy SOB engaged with a less crazy SOV “white hat.” Slickness is replaced by stains. Dazzle is replaced by dinge. Calling any of them “sagas” is too much credit and heft. Unless you’re the Coen brothers (and even if you’re them too), spicing up this slow-and-low movie barbecue takes some of that absent slickness and dazzle injected into either the filmmaking or storytelling departments, or both. 

Bumped by a cancelled SXSW, Arkansas has about half of that needed relish, but you sure wouldn’t know it from the first 20 to 30 minutes. Liam Hemsworth’s lead Kevin, with his Kris Kristofferson starter kit, dives right into a tough-talking and half-hearted voiceover putting down the so-called organized crime scene as more of a “loose affiliation of deadbeats and scumbags” than any kind of Dixie Mafia. By the time Kevin hits the “I’m a drug dealer” exclamation point in his limping introduction, this kind of overly obvious narration hits the groan-inducing Scorsese Lite territory. 

Kyle is testy, impatient, and claims to have no feelings so that he can’t have hard ones when such moments usually call for them later. He spouts attempted codas (which will make many of this review’s signature life lessons), but the character’s self-appointed lack of life-defining philosophy makes for zero pathos. This dearth tends to be why most of these redneck crime movies are weak sauce. Kyle’s acquired partner-in-crime hopes to add a little flair to the “strong silent type that talks too much.”

That’s Swin, played by the film’s co-writer and director Clark Duke, with a query or a comeback for everything. He saunters with tacky wit and even tackier clothes. His long mane tops a doughy face with a pubescent mustache that somehow scores the smitten affection of local cutie Johnna (Eden Brolin of TV’s Yellowstone and Beyond). Swin and Kyle together aren’t convincing brains or brawn to any operation. Their pickles create a body count and fewer dollars for the unseen higher-ups.

LESSON #1: “RELYING ON OTHER PEOPLE IS THE FASTEST WAY TO END UP DEAD”-- Another way this is said in Arkansas is “it ain’t smart to f--k around with people you don’t know.” When push comes to shove, only one person fits at the end of a knife point or a gun barrel at a time. Teamwork or a volume of slotted underlings can make a crime network and bring strength in numbers, but few of those moving parts ever bail another one out when asses and lives are on the line. 

Where the potent kick for Arkansas finally hits is in its villain. Vince Vaughn dominates this film in a reserved, yet resplendent performance as Frog, the man who may or may not be the kingpin of all drug-running gambit behind the Rackensack curtain. Arkansas, based on the flashback-filled 2009 novel of the same name by John Brandon, is comprised of five labeled chapters, several of which chronicle the history of Frog’s looming presence.

Vaughn, in every way, makes it look natural in The Natural State. Frog’s exterior shell may be loud with those hideous shirts, vests, and bolo ties provided by up-and-coming costume designer Ashley Heathcock, but the actor’s heat simmering behind his lanky posture and signature drool smirk has bite better than any moonshine. Vince is on a roll maturing from his former manchild prime on the indie scene. He’s the reason to pack a VOD bag and visit Arkansas. 

If Vince Vaughn is the slickness, then the uncommon artistic choices of Clark Duke, in his debut effort as a writer and director, are the dazzle. The feel of the movie and its chapters are spicy thanks to top-notch editing from Green Book Oscar nominee Patrick J. Don Vito. Cinematographer Steven Meizler (The Last Five Years) uses unflashy lighting with whips and pans spun all over the stellar location scouting of Joshua Crane and the designed hayseed gaudiness from Scott Enge. The setting may be simpleton, but the chops are not. 

The most inspired finishing touch is the soundscape. Arkansas is filled with a soundtrack of re-spun country standards performed by The Flaming Lips and stylish score by the team of Devandra Banhart and Alexander Taylor. The 80s-era rockers count as quite a get for Duke and their covers of Johnny Lee, George Jones, The Gatlin Brothers, and Hank Williams Jr. turn the honky and wonky into something twisted and sublime. 

LESSON #2: INCONSEQUENTIAL FALSEHOODS-- The movie likes to talk about “inconsequential falsehoods” while being one itself.  None of that offbeat style can save a meandering and mild story. It has the starting pace of a forced road movie and the ending wimper of an unfulfilled romance. No one in the movie nails their presence quite like Vaughn does, and you want more Frog every time the unsophisticated narrative drifts back to Kyle and Swin. He is given true roots over everyone else

Whether it’s Duke and co-writer Andrew Boonkrong, the source material, or both, this movie wavers wildly in tone and purpose. What could have been a menacing mystery ends up being little better than a quirky pickle or two. The movie drops a quote that inadvertently sums up its engagement stating “It’s better to have something to do, then to have something to do look for you.” Someone needed to give this movie more to do.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Working Man

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WORKING MAN-- 4 STARS

Movies becoming timely is almost always an accident. They’re made months in advance and can never reliably predict the future they will enter when released. The right match of content and happenstance can elevate a film’s mystique, even that of a tiny little indie that normally wouldn’t carry much of one at all. The award-winning Working Man, filmed in and around Chicago last year, debuts on VOD services today to a sheltered public facing jobless claims that topped 30 million in two short quarantined months. The distinctive part about this movie is that it displays a sense of workplace fulfillment that would still work if that bellwether statistic was zero. Timeliness only makes it better.

LESSON #1: THE SLOW DECLINE OF FACTORY INDUSTRIES-- Working Man presents a slice-of-life story surrounding a tight-knit community of workers beset by the closure of their once-busy factory. The veteran workers speak of a hey-day when the fictional New Liberty Plastics used to employ 500+ people and built the sturdy success of the surrounding community. Ask any Grain Belt or Rust Belt community, and they have their own (or several) New Liberty Plastics equivalents where foreign diversification or automation have replaced people and production. 

The film arrives at the last half-day where the few dozen rabble remaining sadly collect their final paychecks. An envelope and a feigned handshake are the only thanks they get stepping off this line and into the unemployment one. The longest tenured floor employee and last one to leave is Allery Parkes, played by professional TV/movie villain Peter Gerety. Quiet to no end on the outside, you wonder how hard his disappointment is kicking and screaming on the inside. 

Allery is a creature of habit who passed on retirement years before and emotionally depends on the normalcy of a work routine, from his usual lunch gear to his short walking commute to and from the factory. His wife Iola (the ever-glowing Oscar nominee Talia Shire) is eager to see him relax into retirement, but Allery is unsettled and uncomfortable to the point where he begins going back to the factory by himself every day even after the shutdown.

LESSON #2: POINTS OF PRIDE-- Allery doesn’t go there to mope or to protest. He goes there to continue his comforts and to clean the place up. You see that “work” for him is more than a source of means. There’s a different worth, so to speak, to work for this man. It is one of many points of pride to his sense of diligence and dedication. These are character traits we don’t often see portrayed in movies about workplaces where louder and more argumentative characters move the needle. It is flat-out empowering and pleasant to see a veteran old soul employee who is not a trope of the conservative and irascible complainer.

Allery’s neighbors and former co-workers, led by the more ardent mouthpiece Walter (Billy Brown of How to Get Away with Murder), catch wind of what Allery is up to. They admire his efforts and begin to join him rather than chastise him as a senile senior. What starts as shared occupation turns into solidarity and a mini-movement that challenges corporate aims and bolsters contagious hope.

With a different slant or pace, a movie like Working Man would land uncomfortably closer to kumbaya whimsy. Victories would be assured and cheers would be telegraphed on command through the editing of Rocky Oscar winner Richard Halsey working alongside his daughter Morgan. That’s not the case here whatsoever. Patience is paramount. Debuting feature writer/director Robert Jury constructs strengths of wisdom and honesty in each collective cog of this narrative machine. Reality is not bent to suit or save all happiness. Losses are real and the characters emerging as leaders or sources of esteem have tangible flaws that formulate both their limits and their passions.

LESSON #3: ALL WORK IS HONORABLE IF YOU DO IT RIGHT-- This mantra can encapsulate the crew who made Working Man, the characters on-screen, and the performers who portray them. The inspired have created the inspiring. You root not for heroics but for satisfaction of the efforts shown. Mix in the lucky fate of timely poignancy and those efforts have become rewarded in the form of Best Narrative Feature Film laurels from the Kansas City International Film Festival and SCAD Savannah Film Festival.

The person who exemplifies that lesson the most is Peter Gerety as Allery. One of the greatest perks of the independent film scene are the special opportunities to see a long-time character actor get a lead part and run with it. Their bigger and more stock work keeps them employed and present, but it’s in places like this where you truly realize their full talent. If all you’ve ever seen of Gerety is his “hey, I know that guy” animated and nonchalant heavies in the likes of Ray Donovan, Flight, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Wire, and dozens more, you (and this very writer) have overlooked a true master.

Gerety, who turns 80 this month, brings a remarkable level of affecting introvertedness to this damaged leading role. Contrary to his career gilded by a brand of explosive boisterousness, the actor uses massive presence and body language to fill the drama of Working Man. Often alone with his thoughts and sorrow, Peter gives Allery a shuffling gait, and even a wobble of his agape jaw, that never surges into caricature. Restraint and resonance like that is a hearty treat and a revelation all its own.

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