I'm writing some reviews for a site

[grim_tales]

Hey,
Recently I've been asked to write some reviews of DVDs and stuff for a site called BFKDVD (on a voluntary basis), who raise funds for autistic adults' care. I can watch/review anything I like in my collection (so I've been told).
Some of the reviews submitted are actually old stuff I wrote ages ago (eg Shrek, Moulin Rouge).

But so far I've submitted:
Hero
Battleship Potemkin
Shrek
Moulin Rouge
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs BD
Spongebob The Complete Season 4

Both the last 2 are "newly done" by me.

http://www.bfkdvd.com/

See what you think

[Markgway]

[grim_tales]

Thank you

[Shingster]

Have the people who run that site thought of getting in touch with Amazon or Play or Zavvi/The Hut etc about setting up affiliate links to go with those reviews? The fact it's a charity site might encourage click through sales.

[grim_tales]

They have a link to Amazon

[grim_tales]

Just done a Game of Death review which will hopefully go up soon.
Game of Death 2 is even cheesier in a way but it's actually a lot more fun

[Shingster]

They have a link to Amazon

That's good, but where is it? It'd best serve them at the end of every DVD review with a note asking people to either donate or purchase said DVD from your affiliates. Normally you wouldn't generate many click-through sales but I think the fact it's for a good cause might offer a real incentive to readers.

Your reviews read well btw. The only bit of advice I'd give you is with regards to your review of Hero, which I assume is one you wrote for these boards originally? It's basically written for people with a working knowledge of HK cinema and not a general audience who for instance may never have heard of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, so if you're porting more Asian forum reviews over you might want to add a little bit more exposition whenever you're talking about other seminal works of the same genre.

[grim_tales]

Thanks Shing for the advice
I wrote the review of Hero a long time ago, maybe for these boards as you say (I cant remember TBH)
The link to buy the DVD/BD from Amazon is on the side of each review.
Maybe my review of GOD assumes a knowledge of HK cinema too

[Shingster]

I must be losing my mind, as I can't see any link to Amazon anywhere on the review pages. I see lots of links all over the page to other sections of the BFK site and a Donate Now button, that's all.

EDIT: It's because I'm using firefox! The Amazon box doesn't show at all in firefox.

[bradavon]

You're using Adblock Plus right Shing? If I disable Adblock Plus I can see it but not otherwise. Most people don't use Adblock Plus but a lot do. Maybe suggest a normal link too.

[grim_tales]

I didnt know that Shing uses AdBlock Plus I can see a "Buy from Amazon" link on the side of a thumbnail of the DVD/BD.
Can you see it in IE?

[bradavon]

Yes because I don't bother with an Adblocker in IE. Few people do. Not because it's not needed but IE users don't tend to be technical.

[Shingster]

You're using Adblock Plus right Shing?

Yeah that's what the problem is.

[grim_tales]

I've written some more reviews:

Game of Death (HKL Platinum DVD)
The Wizard of Oz (Blu ray)

http://www.bfkdvd.com/reviews/game-of-death-1979

http://www.bfkdvd.com/reviews/the-wizard-of-oz-1939

[grim_tales]

Hey,
Here is my new review - the classic Fist of Fury:

http://www.bfkdvd.com/reviews/fist-of-fury

[grim_tales]

What do you think of the review? I didnt know how much to write, do any of you reckon it has any spoilers?

[grim_tales]

I think its OK myself

[grim_tales]

Written another review here

http://www.bfkdvd.com/reviews/enter-the-dragon-1973

[grim_tales]

Wrote a review of The Wiz:

http://www.bfkdvd.com/reviews/the-wiz-1979

[Shingster]

Christ, isn't anyone on here prepared to take five minutes out of their day to read one of his reviews and give the poor sod some feedback?

Sorry about the late reply grim, been busy with a bunch of reviews of my own! Read your last three and I think what you're doing with keeping the synopses very light and highlighting a number of facts on each production is a pretty good approach, the one thing you need to refine now is the overall structure and flow because you sometimes get into the habit of jumping from topic to topic in short sentences and that can give a "recipe list" effect. Also try not to make such obvious or uncertain statements like "I like this, I like that, I think this is good" just state your case positively. For instance your opening line for your Fist of Fury review is a bit clumsy:

"I think this is definitely Bruce Lee's best film, actually one of the best martial arts films ever made and I really enjoyed it." when an absolute statement: "Fist of Fury is one of the best martial arts films ever made and one of my all time favourites" sounds more confident and direct.

Keep writing and you'll learn to avoid these trappings instinctively over time, your reviews for Enter the Dragon and The Wiz for instance I feel are better than your review of Fist of Fury, not that the latter is a bad review!

[grim_tales]

Thanks for the friendly advice Shing

[HungFist]

I'd link my reviews but you wouldn't understand much

I'd recommend being an asshole while writing reviews A good critic needs to have a personality so that the readers can learn to know him. Strong opinions are good. Some will agree with you, some will disagree with you, everyone will get an image your film taste and it will be a more interesting read than a "safe" review. I don't use "IMO" or "my" in my reviews at all.

When you give enough content description (that's not plot referral) and the readers know you and your taste, they can interpret your review and see if it's a film they might like even if you hated it.

For structure, it's ideal if you can find certain topics that you want to explore in more detail. You don't have to mention every technical aspect of a film, that would easily turn your review into a list. For example, if you're reviewing a new Harry Potter film it's needless to write about cinematography and such things unless it's especially great or unexpectedly bad. It goes without saying that these big Hollywood are technically well made. Instead you could try to find some interesting point, let's say Potter and religion (ok, that sounds a bit boring but I haven't seen any of these film and don't know anything about them) that you explore.

Try to find continuety between paragraphs. Let the review find its form as you write it. Just go whatever direction feels natural. Don't decide how it's gonna end before you reach the final sentence.

Of course, these are just my personal views and not "facts".

I'm working on a review that is the most challenging I've ever written: Mamoru Oshii's Talking Head. The film is a sort of analysis of cinematic rules, with tons of dialogue concerning the subject. I'm writing the review from the same perspective, analyzing the film by using quotes from the film that the film itself makes about filmmaking. Creating continuety between paragraphs in this way is extremely challenging, not to mention the film itself is a extremely challenging. But it's a sort of experimental review and it's interesting to see if I can manage it. And I don't recommend this kind of reviewing unless you've written enough to get bored of "the same old structures".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386065/

[Shingster]

Funnily enough I recently ordered the R1 Mamoru Oshii DVD Boxset from second spin for about £8, so I might be watching Talking Head as well soon, Oshii's are always difficult to review or discuss though because they're so understated. I'd say the most difficult review I've ever had to write was for Tokyo Story, purely because it's extremely easy to fall into the trap of over-analysing that film, and I fell for that trap spectacularly. My usual method when reviewing a film is to watch it with an A4 notepad and scribble down a complete breakdown all the themes, motifs and subtext in rough form, then take those notes and mould it somehow into a review. On average I'd say my notes take up about 10-14 sides of A4 per film, in Tokyo Story's case I wrote almost 50!

[HungFist]

Have you seen any of those films? The Red Spectacles is a wonderful overkill. A spy-noir-farce. It may exhaust you on the first viewing, but it's quite fantastic on second try. Possibly Kawai's best soundtrack ever, and some of the most stylish visuals I can think of.

The sequel Stray Dogs is an even better movie.

Talking Head is good also, but you really have to take a 15 minute break during the movie to prevent your brains from exploding. Maybe a bit easier if spoken or subtitled in your native language, but the information flow still equals to 25 average movies...

Oshii's films are difficult to review also because they require quite comprehensive cinematic and literatute knowledge.

I've come to realize Ghost in the Shell and Innocence aren't Oshii's most famous films because they're philosophical and clever. They're popular cause they're Oshii's easiest and intellectually least challenging films...

Oh, and Angel's Egg. God, you need have a Master's Degree in Bible interpretation before you can even try to analyze that film...

[Shingster]

No not seem them yet, for many years they were hard to get hold of in subbed form and I never got round to purchasing the DVD boxset (obviously) but I do really look forward to them and have read all about them.

I've come to realize Ghost in the Shell and Innocence aren't Oshii's most famous films because they're philosophical and clever. They're popular cause they're Oshii's easiest and intellectually least challenging films...

Ironically the Ghost in the Shell manga is extremely complex on a techno-theological level! Oshii's film is still "philosophical and clever" but made shallower by its mainstream action film trappings, but it contains the hallmark Oshii themes of dissociative identity and ethereal reality.