Reddit mentions of Short Guide to Writing about Film, A (7th Edition)

If you are wanting to just do movie reviews like you read in the paper, you just need to be more attuned to how a movie affects you and think about why: were the characters engaging? Was the conflict interesting? Did the film display good technical craftsmanship (blocking, cinematography, costuming, set-design, etc.)? Knowing how movies are made will help you see them in a different light.

Kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum of the movie review are the more theoretical essays. These are more philosophical in nature and have to do with how films relate to reality, the psychology and social functions of movies, the economics of movies, etc. To do this, you need broader knowledge of subjects in the humanities and to a lesser extent the social sciences.

In between the movie review and the theoretical essay is the critical essay. This is more in depth than the movie review and aims to reveal subtitles and complexities that may have escaped the viewer on the first viewing; its goal is to "read between the lines." There isn't a cut and dry formula for doing this, but you can loosely follow these four steps: Describe, Analyze, Interpret, Judge First, you will need to just describe what you saw: what events took place? Who were the characters? How were they portrayed? Were the shot in close-ups, long shots? What style did the film use? The most important question: What were the conflicts in the film, where was the tension? Second, you will analyze. This is where you look for patterns, motifs, symbolism, irony etc. Think about how characters react to the conflicts given to them. It helps to have a knowledge of similar movies to the one you are watching so you can see how they differ in treating the subject material. Third, you will interpret. This is where you ascribe meaning to the patterns. Why did the characters respond the way they did to the conflict and what does this say about their beliefs, world view, "way of seeing," etc? What lesson does this teach? Finally, you will Judge which is where you "talk back" to the message of the film. Was it a good lesson or bad? Was it conveyed effectively? What does this film say about the values of the culture that produced it?

If you want a good, easy to read introductory book on the topic, I recommend this.