Being Critical Readers

It is important that students are critical readers... this does not mean that they can look at an End of Grade test (EOG) and be able to answer a few questions based on what they've read. I agree with you-- movies as "texts" help students to use certain strategies they have learned and apply them outside the confines of the 4 walls of a classroom. Students must be critical readers of their society and surroundings.
When students are asked to make "text-text" connections as readers I tell them that they can use a movie/TV Show as a "text". Students look at me confused but seem surprised that many of the reading strategies they use to aid in comprehension can be applied to the visual arts... for instance: With a film you can still...
A) Question B) Make Predictions C) Make text-connections D) Infer E) Visualize
F) Clarify G) Provide support for opinions H) Evaluate and I) Summarize

In my class when students watch a film version of a book or a film that suits a unit thematically, we analyze how music and color affects the mood of the film. We READ body language. There are so many skills that can be applied to films. Teachers need to stop using FILM DAYS as a means of catching up on some grading and use it as a teaching experience.