Under the radar websites for film buffs

February 2, 2016 8:04 PM

Ten eight under-the-radar websites every film buff should know about

What it says on the tin.

R.I.P. Grantland and tobecontd.com (now apparently in partnership with moviemezzanine.com, however).

posted by MoonOrb (11 comments total)

For people in Chicago there is absolutely-terribly-url-but-good-site cine-file.info

I don't remember who owned it, but I do remember that they refused to change the name to something, you know, memorable. I had to repeatedly be reminded what it was because it never shows up on Google searches, and it's not enough to mumble "it's called Cinefile, isn't it?" to yourself while getting redirected from wrong urls.

Anyway, that probably counts as totally under-the-radar, although I guess it's mostly relevant to film buffs in Chicago.
posted by teponaztli at 9:03 PM on February 2, 2016 [6 favorites]

Thanks for this.

http://366weirdmovies.com/

is great too.
posted by tummy_rub at 9:43 PM on February 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

And http://www.cinephiliabeyond.org/ is absolutely amazing too...
posted by ianso at 10:03 PM on February 2, 2016

The Hollywood Prospectus had great film and music coverage.

And RIP The Dissolve.

In addition to the good ones in the list, we still have with us TCM's companion blog Movie Morlocks, the encyclopaedic They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?, the pulp action movie sage Outlaw Vern, and the legacy of Roger Ebert's essay reviews. Oh, and beanplatey Film Crit Hulk. Anyone else got some? I'm always looking for more.
posted by JauntyFedora at 10:34 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thanks! Now I have a few more sites to visit.

I would also recommend Bright Lights Film Journal and the Acidemic Journal of Film and Media.
posted by sapagan at 10:51 PM on February 2, 2016

I'll ditto cinephilia and beyond.
some other recommendations:
David Bordwell's Observations on film art
Senses of Cinema
Reverse Shot
posted by juv3nal at 12:05 AM on February 3, 2016

oh I also like Rouge although their last issue was in 2009 I guess.
posted by juv3nal at 12:07 AM on February 3, 2016

I like the The Film Doctor, which hooks me up with interesting articles and the occasional review, and there is also the Truefilm Subreddit, which even has regular screenings of topical films with chat.
posted by KMB at 12:40 AM on February 3, 2016

For screenwriting, I particularly enjoy Scriptshadow and Cockeyed Caravan.

For trailers, FirstShowing.
posted by heatvision at 4:15 AM on February 3, 2016

Even without Mr. Ebert, rogerebert.com is a great site for contemporary reviews. Before he passed, Ebert wisely handed the keys to the site over to Matt Zoller Seitz who has a solid stable of writers like Christy Lemire and Brian Tallerico.
posted by octothorpe at 4:20 AM on February 3, 2016

For critique and analysis of classic film I really like The Nitrite Diva.

Her latest post is the excellent 60+ Classic Films Directed by Women (and where you can watch them)
posted by dorkydancer at 7:58 AM on February 3, 2016