Furthermore, the rise of newsletter critics (on Substack) has allowed for long-form, philosophical critiques. Outlets like The Film Stage or Bright Wall/Dark Room don't even assign numeric grades; instead, they write essays that "grade" a film by placing it within a historical or political context. This is the purest expression of the indie review: criticism as art in itself. If you are a film lover feeling burnt out by the franchise machine, changing your critical perspective is liberating. Start watching movies not as a consumer looking for a dopamine hit, but as a student of human behavior.
Reviewers like those at Film Comment , Reverse Shot , or the late Roger Ebert’s blog (specifically his "Great Movies" series focusing on forgotten indies) have long understood this. They grade films not on a curve of budget, but on a curve of intention. A $10,000 mumblecore film about a dissolving relationship in a Brooklyn apartment might be an "A+" for conversational realism, while a $50 million indie studio film (think Licorice Pizza ) might get a "B-" if it loses its narrative thread. One of the most liberating aspects of the perspective seen from grade independent cinema and movie reviews is the abolition of the "guilty pleasure." In mainstream criticism, a film that is weird, slow, or ambiguous is often penalized. In indie criticism, those are features, not bugs. Furthermore, the rise of newsletter critics (on Substack)
What we are witnessing is a polarization. The general public still uses the 10-point scale based on entertainment value. But the indie-film community has developed a different shorthand. A 3.5/5 on Letterboxd from a user who reviews 500 films a year is often a higher recommendation than a 4.5/5 from a user who only watches blockbusters. If you are a film lover feeling burnt