Movies are the popular literature of the 21st century. We devour them with a fervor once reserved for novels and short stories, following our favorite actors and directors the way earlier generations followed favorite writers.

To create this book, each student in my Advanced Placement English Language and Composition class selected one film from the National Film Registry, which chooses up to 25 “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant films” each year for inclusion in the Library of Congress.

Each student then wrote a review, discussing what worked and didn’t work; choices made by screenwriters, directors, and cinematographers; and personal reactions to particular scenes or the film as a whole.  The goal was to create readable reviews that treated film with the same level of respect afforded to other works of art. 

By reading these reviews, I hope that you, like my students, gain a deeper appreciation for the artistic merits of movies. Perhaps you will even discover a new favorite film. 

Chris Schillig

Alliance High School