In these pages, Trimbur discusses different kinds of reviews, ranging from film reviews to consumer reports to concert reviews. He makes the point that reviews are based on criteria, though these criteria might not be stated explicitly in the review itself. Because most people are accustomed to reading reviews, they know what to expect in a specific kind of review. For example, readers of film reviewers expect that the writer will talk about the film's plot, acting, directing, and certain special effects. It is not uncommon to see comparisons in film reviews, such as comparing an actor's performance in the film to previous performances.
Reviews use persuasive writing techniques.
Even though the reader might disagree with the reviewer, typically a reader knows a good review when seeing one because the reviewer is persuasive. As a reviewer, you need not persuade your readers to share your opinions, but you should convince them that you have built a good case for arriving at your judgments. These two reviews are excellent models. They are well written and include the basic characteristics common to a film review. After you complete this section of the reading, do Journal 15 .