Paper #1: Evaluative Essay (or Media Critiques or Top Fives or whatever)
Your first writing assignment of the semester will be in the form of an evaluative essay—
specifically, critiques (or reviews) of various media. Two short papers (which will be due
at the same time, so I’m rolling it into one) will discuss five of your favorite (or least
favorite, if you want to go that route) media-related fill-in-the-blank things (movies/
actors/songs/albums/bands/books/TV shows/videogames/ whatever, really), and they
will be due over the course of the next two weeks.
Due Dates:
 Mon.-Wed. 8/19-21: Writing both critiques (lab time)
 Tue. 8/20: Critique #1 (draft) due at the end of class
 Thu. 8/22: Critique #2 (draft) due at the beginning of class
 Thu.-Fri. 8/22-23: Peer reviewing both critiques (in class)
 Mon. 8/26: Revising both critiques (lab time)
 Tue. 8/27: Critiques #1 & #2 (final) due at the beginning of class
Requirements:
 Each paper must contain both opinion- and fact-related information about five
items within the same media category (you can’t mix music, movies, etc.,
together). Though you might have to look up some clarifying information online
(a release date, the correctly spelled name of a certain artist, etc.), if it made
your list, I expect that you know it well—plagiarism will not be tolerated.
 Each paper must have a word count of at least 500, and the top/favorite/#1 item
on your list must account for at least 200 of those words.
 Pay attention to spelling and grammar, and always give your papers a title and
include the word counts (for the overall work and for your top item). I’m really
cutting back on grammar instruction this year, so try to prove to me that we
don’t need to spend more time than planned on it.
Grades:
 The entire two-paper span will add up to 75 points: 10 completion points for each
rough draft, 15 total points for showing that you made an effort in proofreading
and revising your papers, and 20 points for each final draft.
 Final drafts will be graded with 5 points each for ideas (the actual stuff that’s in
there), voice (how well you narrate and transition the work), organization (how
good it looks), and mechanics (grammar, spelling, etc.).
Since you’re probably still lost, I’ve made an example that you may find on the other
side of this document. Just remember this as you read it: I’m me, you’re you, and I’m
pretty sure that we have different personalities, likes and dislikes, writing styles, etc.
Don’t worry about copying me or trying to be funny—the main goal of this paper is to
be informative; anything else is just a bonus for your readers.
Sure, It’s Dark, but That’s Kind of My Thing: A Cinematic Discussion
By Maybe Your Second Favorite Teacher
I’ve always liked movies that really dig in to the darker corners of reality. Honestly, there
weren’t many kids my age that grew up saying their favorite movies included Gremlins and
Ghostbusters. Though I could go on for hours discussing why I don’t mind of little of the violent or
supernatural on the big screen, it’s more important at this moment in time to illustrate the five
examples of blood- and intrigue-soaked films that stand out most in my mind.
Fifth is always the toughest choice, but in my mind it is 1999’s The Ninth Gate. This movie
has a couple of pluses for me: it stars Johnny Depp and it’s about the search for a book—not just
any book, but The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, which legend says was written by the
devil himself. It is all kinds of weird, and I still don’t understand the ending after a dozen or so
viewings (so don’t ask me about it if you do see/have seen it), but it’s still a movie I can watch
again and again.
Moving up, Zodiac (2007) is next on my list. I still remember reading Robert Graysmith’s
book about the infamous California serial killer that was never caught as a freshman in high
school, and seeing the movie brought everything to life again. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal,
Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr., and it’s about three hours long, but it’s worth it. I get
goose bumps every time I watch this film.
Seven (or Se7en, which I have a problem with as an English teacher) is the second movie
on my list directed by David Fincher, and while I enjoy all of his films, this 1995 thriller is my
favorite. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are chasing a murderer bent on providing an example
of each of the seven deadly sins. While it’s extremely gruesome at times, the film provides good
characterization and doesn’t let the mystery unfold until viewers absolutely need to know, which
is a very good thing.
Up next is No Country for Old Men. The villain in this movie puts all other villains to shame.
Anton Chigurh (played by Javier Bardem, also the most recent Bond villain) is the very definition
of evil, and watching him kill his way through the film to locate the bag of money he’s after is as
exciting as it is scary. This movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2008, and it’s kind
of a slow-burner like Zodiac at times (though not as long), but it’s almost hard not to keep
watching evil like this on the screen.
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” After
more viewings than I care to count, I’m convinced that The Usual Suspects should have used this
as its slogan. My favorite movie of the dark and violent type, this 1995 film is the first one that I
can recall immediately hitting rewind and play to watch again after my first viewing. (As a 14year-old, I couldn’t see this movie in the theaters, but the VHS tape was good enough.) This
story unravels the mystery of a boat explosion, dozens of dead bodies, and, of course, Keyser
Soze—the infamous-but-weirdly-unknown criminal mastermind whose hands are pulling the
strings throughout the movie. Many of these scenes stick with me today—Kevin Pollak
wisecracking as he’s arrested while working on a car, Benicio del Toro saying “Gimme the
keys…” in his ultra-fast, half-Spanish drawl, and Kevin Spacey talking nonsense about being in a
barbershop quartet. I realize these don’t sound all that dark and violent, but what lies beneath
these lighter moments is what this film is really about: career criminals doing what career
criminals are supposed to do. It’s suspenseful and mysterious at times, and like the toy inside of a
cereal box, there’s a nice surprise at the end.
655 words total
214 words for #1