The Film & TV Newsletter Catalogs

A Substack directory to help with Discovery Problems

Jan 28, 2023

Though numerous film and television newsletters exist, especially on Substack, there are few, if any, newsletter directories that feature “film and TV” as a specific category, making it difficult for such publications to be discovered. It doesn’t help that Substack itself tends to list such newsletters under the ‘Culture’ category when one uses the Explore function.

In response to this, I have created a directory of Substack publications that include film, television, and related media criticism. Newsletters are listed in alphabetical order according to the title of the publication. The name of the author(s) appears later, followed by a description below. Click on the name of the newsletter to jump to its webpage.

*I’ve chosen not to list my own publication, as it would be redundant and unnecessary.

The listing will be updated over time, as some publications become inactive, are moved or discontinued, while newer ones are located. If you are an author and wish for your Substack to be added to or removed from this directory, please let me know in the comments.

Please use the bar below or the TOC Bar on the left to jump to a specific catalog.

Catalog: #-A

                    150 Word Reviews // John Devore

Thoughts on movies, culture, etcetera. Mercifully Short™ + longer essays.

                      5AM Storytalk // Cole Haddon

A place to talk about stories in all their forms, the craft that goes into them, and the role art plays in our lives.

                  The 90-Minute Movie // Amanda Kusek

Reviews, recommendations, and general joy for movies that pack a punch in 90 minutes or less. Throwbacks, newbies, and in between.

               A Celebration of Cinema // Oene Kummer

Reviews of movies and (the first two episodes of) series.

                 A Link to the Masses // Josh Link

Film, television, and comic book news, analysis, and recommendations.

               Ada's Film Depository // Ada Sussman

A 19 year old film fan’s account of new releases & classics. Based in Boston.

                   Ahch-To Baby // Matthew Freeman

A newsletter about Star Wars by award-winning playwright Matthew Freeman.

                  Always Be Watching // Dan Barrett

TV industry commentator and critic Dan Barrett curates the must-read stories direct to your inbox every morning, with a bit of analysis nobody asked for.

            Animation Obsessive // Animation Obsessive Staff

Exploring the best in animation from all around the world — part investigation, part treasure hunt.

              The Ankler // Richard Rushfield, Janice Min

Giving Hollywood the business.

                Anthony Reviews // Anthony Oleszkiewicz

Love Film. Love Life.

             Are You Still Watching? // In the Mood Magazine

Film, TV, and pop culture takes from In The Mood Magazine

                 As Luck Would Have It // Richard Luck

ALMOST 30 YEARS-WORTH OF DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINE OF POPULAR CULTURE.

                      Awful Screen // Awful Stack

stop watching things.

Catalog: B-C

                    The Backlot // Keegan Sentner

A weekly newsletter sharing experiences, commentary, and knowledge from working in the film industry.

              Tim Goodman/Bastard Machine // Tim Goodman

It's TV+Culture from the former Chief TV Critic of The Hollywood Reporter and The San Francisco Chronicle. Film, books, music, etc. Writing multiple projects.

          Beth’s TV & Film Recommendations // Beth Lisogorsky

I find the good stuff for you. So you don't have to.

                  Black Film Archive // Maya S. Cade

Black Film Archive is a living register of Black films. In its current iteration, it showcases every* Black made film from 1915 to 1979 currently streaming. This newsletter serves as its blog.

                     Boy Movies // Allison Picurro

Girl talk, boy movies

                    Buffa’s Buffet // Dan Buffa

Baseball and movie commentary, deep dive TV show discussion, random hockey and assorted sports takes, dad humor, and basically unfiltered access to my filthy mind.

                 Bulwark Goes to Hollywood // Various

Sonny Bunch on movies, technology, and understanding the next Hollywood

                     Cause Cinema // Jon Fitzgerald

Entertainment for good - Your guide to the best of socially relevant movies, series, and campaigns. Filmmaking for Change - Develop, produce, and release social impact projects.

                    Chrisicisms // Chris Williams

Film, television, pop culture and more.

                     CineMancuso // Peter Mancuso

A film criticism newsletter

Cinemantics // Tyler McQueen, Caleb Boyer, Daniel Mitchell & Graham Piro

A newsletter about the magic (and madness) of the movies.

              The Classic Film Experience // Mark Enders

A discussion about what has made cinema great through exploring the history of key elements - picture palaces, movie posters and the production houses

                  Coffee, TV & Me // Jim Halterman

Join this writer and journalist musing about not only TV offerings but also observations about pop culture, travel, cats (yes!) and life along with conversations with creators and artists. Let's grab a coffee (or tea) and see where all this takes us.

                  Commentary Track // Matt Goldberg

A pretty good newsletter about movies, TV, and media.

                 Commonplace Book // Alissa Wilkinson

Reflections on culture and living from Alissa Wilkinson, a critic at the New York Times.

           Cool People Have Feelings, Too // Maria E. Gates

Home of the Weekly Directed By Women Viewing Guide. Here you will find writing about films directed by women, silent cinema, and other esoteric (mostly) film related stuff.

                  Culture Study // Anne Helen Petersen

Think more about the culture that surrounds you

Catalog: D-E

                       Dad Shows // Liam Matthews

TV for the dad-minded

                  Daily Movie Question // Chris Mann

Love movies? Get a daily question tied to current film news. Free subscribers get the weekly newsletter, while paid subscribers access a fan community and daily content. Join us!

                   Decoding Everything // David Chen

A newsletter by David Chen about movies, TV, tech, the media, and being an online creator.

      The DEC4 Podcast Companion Newsletter // George Fairbrother

Nostalgia, cultural history, and a little rock and roll

                  Deeper Into Movies // Celia Mattison

answering cinema's unasked questions

                   The Dillon Empire // Simon Dillon

Film Reviews, Short Stories, Essays on Cinema History, and more.

                 Dinner and a Movie // Jenny Hamerton

Treat yourself to a star-spangled experience

          Do You Know What I Love the Most? // Spencer Irwin

One Man's Relationship with Media (From Quarantine and Beyond)

                 The Draftland Scene // Darren Franich

Movie reviews, film essays, and more cinematic exploration.

                   Dust On The VCR // Jeremy Burgess

Conversations on 20th Century Cinema and (Slightly) Beyond

                     Element X // Steve McFarlane

The official newsletter of film programmer and writer Steve Macfarlane (℠). Enjoy each new volume for free the first 24 hours after it's published, or sign up for a paid subscription to enjoy the full archive.

                    Employee Picks // Nick Pinkerton

Movieshows

                   Episodic Medium // Myles McNutt

Reviewing television one episode at a time like it's not going out of style.

               Eric Goldman’s Cultured Pop // Eric Goldman

Exploring what's exciting, intriguing (and occasionally infuriating) about movies, TV shows, theme parks, toys, and other entertainment.

Catalog: F

                         Fanfare // Eric Pierce

An irreverent celebration of pop culture. Covering movies, TV, and video games. Publishing long form articles, quick reads, and a podcast.

                       Fandom Exile // Monia Ali

Fandom psychology, ethnography and history. Documenting the consecration and corporate exploitation of fandom, and contextualizing the rise of stans in our cultural ecosystem.

                     Film Daze // Film Daze Staff

A newsletter uplifting the unheard and underrepresented voices of the film community.

                       Film Flavor // Via Marsh

Film Flavor is a newsletter discussing food, film, food in films, and all things flavorful.

                       Film Glow // Ian Nathan

Occasional thoughts on the world of cinema

                 Film Occasionally // Michael Nordine

Your friendly neighborhood film critic.

                    Film Robots // Kristina Budelis

Inspiration at the intersection of film & AI. Plus an image of a cute baby animal.

                   Film Yap // Christopher Lloyd

Essential movie reviews, commentary and news from Hoosier film critics.

                Flick Filosopher // MaryAnn Johanson

Thoughtful film criticism: feminist, progressive, geeky. I examine movies (and sometimes a bit of TV) as part of the cultural zeitgeist, and help you make sense of it all.

              For What It’s Worth Newsletter // T.B. Meek

Film, fiction and forethought

                Formerly Dangerous // Drew McWeeny

What does a movie site look like when you don't want anything from the studios but the movies?

Catalog: G-I

                Geekerati Newsletter // Christian Lindke

Discussions of Film, TV, and Games with a dash of Political Science and Statistics from Time to Time.

            Gena Radcliffe Watches Things // Gena Radcliffe

Movies, TV & pop culture for the modern philistine.

             Get Reel with Richard Walter // Richard Walter

Musings about film and life from Professor Richard Walter, Former Head of UCLA’s prestigious screenwriting programs

                    Girl Culture // Caroline Siede

Caroline Siede's newsletter on pop culture, feminism, and all things girly

            Gilmore Women // Maggie Mertens and Megan Burbank

Two journalists discuss everything that’s wrong with every episode of “Gilmore Girls” & why we still love it

             Good Eye: Movies and Baseball // Noah Gittell

movies, baseball, and also baseball movies

                   Hitchcock’s Vertigo // Dan Auiler

All about Vertigo and the world of Hitchcock’s cinema

                Historians At The Movies // Jason Herbert

History, film, pop culture, and other shenanigans

                    Hollywood Heretic // Wade Major

Hollywood is broken. Here's where we fix it.

                       Hope for Film // Ted Hope

We need a vibrant alternative to mainstream culture; a non-dependent cinema ecosystem is that path. Let's build it together and examine what got us in this situation in the first place.

                    The Hot Button // David Poland

An inside perspective on the Film/TV/Streaming Industry from a 30-year veteran seeker of truth.

                       Hot Chips // Pranav Manie

a monthly deep (AF) dive at the intersection of culture and numbers ($ / % / #)!

                HOT PLATE! Print Edition // Karl Straub

Our culture is totally fucked! On the other hand, music, books, and movies are pretty good.

                        Hung Up // Hunter Harris

A newsletter about movies, tv, the celebrity industrial complex, and personal pop culture obsessions. Delivered twice a week to your inbox.

                    In a panoramic? // Haaniyah Angus

journal entries masquerading as personal essays (+ some culture criticism)

                  Indulging a Second Look // Dane Benko

Experimental videos, short stories, and essays that tinker with those eldritch phantasms haunting the blind spots of your perception.

                       Inneresting // John August

A Quote-Unquote Newsletter about Writing

                   It’s the Pictures // Max Covill

A newsletter for reviews and analysis of movies, television, animation, and more.

Catalog: J-L

                   Jagger’s Substack // Jagger Waters

Ideas, thoughts & meditations on AI, Hollywood and other topics.

                      Joe’s Video Club // Joe Cruz

Aggressively middlebrow capsule reviews of movies, new and old.

                      Kani Releasing // Pearl Chan

Films with subtitles

                        The Kino // Atharv Gupta

Unsolicited (and superior) opinions about all things movies

                  La Loma Film Review // Deany Cheng

Semi-regular dispatches about canonical films and films I wish got more attention, among other things.

                     Labyrinth of Art // breanna

A collection of historical and analytical film essays, and the personal reflections of a cinephile and media savant

                     Lack of Taste // Alex Didion

A Newsletter About Movies For People Who Don't Like Movies

                The Last Thing I Saw // Nicolas Rapold

Where good movies are always news! Homebase for The Last Thing I Saw Podcast. Conversations about movies with leading critics and filmmakers. New releases, old favorites, festival highlights, streaming recs.

        Le journal d’un critique de trop // Bertrand Pechorin

Critique cinématographique et littéraire. Outrecuidant.

                  Less Art // Henry Giardina

Film criticism for adults

          Fiction for the Cosmically Disturbed // Louis Mangum

Musings from the horror fiction underground by father, author, and weirdo Lucas Mangum.

              Letterbox: Bookish & Filmish // Helen Walsh

Author of the novel PULL FOCUS and a screenwriter, I write about Books & Films, festivals, reviews, recommendations, industry news and gossip, plus cultural travel writing and the writing life. For readers, writers, industry folks, and arts aficionados.

            Lit Think Podcast // Alicia Drier and Sarah Styff

Reclaiming literacy through pop culture. Two English teachers utilize literary analysis to talk about pop culture and media.

              Lonely Robot Theme // Lonely Robot Theme

A cultural exploration of loneliness.

                     The Long Take // Jen Bankard

Film and television reviews of Star Wars, Marvel, other pop franchises, and Oscar contenders.

                     Long Voyage Home // Adam Cook

movies

Catalog: M

                 MacGuffin or Meaning // Alise Chaffins

Regular reviews of streaming and theatrical movies, as well as interviews with the folks who make them.

                   The Magic Lantern // Emina Melonic

Seeing Films and Culture in a Different Light

                     The Making Of // Mike Velinsky

"The Making Of" explores the creative pros behind the most innovative films & TV shows in recent history.

              Marshall and the Movies // Marshall Shaffer

Marshall Shaffer talks you through the movies you should watch, twice a week.

                    Material Ghosts // Justin Horton

Personal essays and longform criticism on film and memory, identity and place, from a former Film Studies academic.

The Matterhorn: intersections of literature & art // Dr. Kathleen Waller

how to layer stories with ideas, culture, places, and texts ⬩podcast and original fiction from author and academic Dr. Kathleen Waller

                         Read Max // Max Read

Explaining the weird new future, one newsletter at a time. Subscribe for a twice weekly delivery of internet culture, mega-platform grotesquerie, crypto conspiracies, deep forum lore, fringe politics, and other artifacts of what's to come.

                          Media Diet // Sara

This is Media Diet, a curated newsletter helping you discover new and old movies, documentaries and TV Shows, independent of streaming platforms and release dates.

                The Mendez Movie Report // Luis A. Mendez

The Newsletter Of The Mendez Movie Report, Where A Latino Film Critic Addicted To The Storytelling Power Of Cinema Presents His Thoughts On The Latest Movies, Lists His Favorite Classic Films, And Attempts To Predict The Coming Oscars Ceremony.

                   MIDCENTURY MADNESS! // Don Malcolm

Rescuing/reviving film ultra-rarities, 1935-1970

                 Moviegoing with Bill // Bill Arcenaux

Movie reviews "that care forgot." Taking a big easy approach to film criticism & commentary.

         Movie Industry Musings with Tepper // Kristen Tepper

If you're not a nepo baby or from generational wealth but want to be a filmmaker, actor, screenwriter or in the film industry. This is the spot for you. I'll be sharing my journey to becoming a screenwriter along with some best practices I've learned!

                     Movie Night // Jeff Montague

Movie Night is a free weekly newsletter with a film recommendation that is worth your time this week.

                      MOVIEPUDDING // Elissa Suh

Food and film, and their occasional overlap. Pairings, reviews, recs, and restaurants in nyc. Written by a culture writer and film critic.

                      MovieStruck // Ivan Webster

Movies and the world surrounding them.

                    Ms. Movie Magic // Emmy Potter

Film, TV, Feminism, Astrology, Tarot, and more

Catalog: N-P

                     Noble Fool // Siddharth Khare

For the love of cinema

                 No Content For Old Men // Matt Craig

Cutting through the overwhelming content clutter. Curating the best content from around the internet (Tuesdays), plus in-depth movie and streaming recs (Fridays) so you never have to waste time doom-scrolling again!

                      No One Asked // Kerry Winfrey

movies, books, and my other obsessions.

                Nostalgia Detective // Louis Rabinowitz

Dedicated to covering the cultural histories, weird backstories and messy industry gossip behind cinema's biggest franchises!

          Notes on Videographic Criticism // Will DiGravio

News, links, essays, interviews and more.

            Obsolete Media // Obsolete Media and Ryan Kindahl

Making movies is easy. Except for all the hard stuff. See how we do it!

                  Omnivorous // Dr. Thomas J. West III

Pop culture commentary and sundry other writings by a recovering academic and self-proclaimed public intellectual.

                        One Could Argue // d.w.

Meditations on what I'm reading and watching. All proceeds currently going to charity. New entries are published approximately whenever I feel like it.

                  OPEN DOOR FILMS // Andres Benatar

Film's and critical thinking go hand in hand, and more often than we take for granted. I like talking about movies and all the crazy but fascinating ideas they espouse. Hopefully whoever's reading it will get a kick out of the stuff I pull out of my ass.

                The Oscar Project // Jonathan Ytreberg

I started writing about movies as a personal quest to watch every Oscar nominated film I can find. I now write about Oscar nominated movies of the past and bring you reviews, weekly movie previews, and longform thoughts on film.

                     Paradox Newsletter // Miguel

The best and worst in pop culture from the perspective of an academic.

                      Popped // Gareth Bradwick

Seeing cinema through its history, stories and culture. My exploration into the magic of the silver screen from then to now.

             Portrait: The Rough Cuts // Jean Ellen Cowgill

The latest across film, TV, and media from Portrait’s community and beyond. Never miss a premiere, festival, funding deadline, or opportunity.

                        Price Point // Roy Price

The intersection of Hollywood and Technology by the founder of Amazon Video.

Catalog: R

                        Radiator Heaven // J.D.

Deep dives into film and other pop culture ephemera.

               Reading from Top to Bottom // Ursula Munoz

cultural commentary

                 Read, Watch, Binge // Luiza B. Campos

Each week I explore a different topic and give tips on movies, series, and books related to it. You'll never run out of things to watch and read!

                   Read, Watch, Write // Karin Manley

Read books, watch movies, write thoughts

                        The Reel // Alex Gogarty

I review films and TV, despite being in no way qualified to do so. Some feedback this blog has received: "Surprisingly funny." - my mum. "Not awful." - me.

                    Reids on Film // Reids on Film

Every week Callum, Nathan, Theo and Steven take turns in selecting a film, watching it, then submitting it to a masterful critical analysis.

                   Retrofied’s Substack // Retrofied

Retro nostalgia fans rejoice! ‘Retrofied’ celebrates the pop culture you grew up with with thoughtful essays, articles, and more!

              The Reveal // Scott Tobias and Keith Phipps

Deeper into movies (and a little TV). Essays, reviews, conversation. Past and present. From the editors of The Dissolve.

               Rich Text // Claire Fallon and Emma Grey

Cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. You can sit with us.

                       Rough Cuts // Ed William

Fortnightly(ish) essays about the past, present, and future of MOVIES | Described by Paul Thomas Anderson as "the greatest thing to happen to cinema since Stray Dog." (Probably)

Catalog: S

                         SatPost // Trung Phan

A Saturday email on the latest in tech, business and memes.

                   Savor the View // Christine Muller

Curating big questions raised by smart movies for today's casual intellectual. Savor the view, relish the thought.

                 The Schmear Hunter // Gabriel Frieberg

Expert and trustworthy movie and TV recommendations, critiques, and commentary from a vigorous, young critic with deep industry expertise. Always curated. Join us to "Unpack the Hype and Elevate the Unknown."

                    The Screen // Akos Peterbencze

Highlighting the low-key, forgotten, and overlooked pieces of television and cinema — and sometimes the popular, too.

               Scripts and Pieces [PRIVATE] // James Topham

A few thoughts jotted down between projects

        Serially Engaged: A Blog About Television // John Aspler

John Aspler is an academic with a focus on media representation, stigma, and disability studies - and an occasional TV Critic! This Substack aims to have broad conversations on TV as a medium, reviewing specific shows as examples. Antifascist. He/him.

            SHUT UP EVAN: The Newsletter // Evan Ross Katz

An ad-free space where we can cleanly unpack the messiness of pop culture - from cultural commentator, recovering theater kid and fashion columnist Evan Ross Katz.

            Sisterhood Cinema Newsletter // Sisterhood Cinema

A DIGITAL HUB FOR WOMEN IN FILM/TV ...

                    Sounds Good! // Simon Sweetman

Music, Movies, Books...the good stuff! This is also the home now to Off The Tracks - a full archive of 11,000 posts on pop culture

                  Stat Significant // Daniel Parris

Data-centric essays about movies, music, TV, and more.

                      Streamlined // Liz Shackleton

The global film & streaming content revolution

Catalog: T

                      That Final Scene // Sophie

There's a better way to talk about films. TFS connects cinema to the conversations that matter now. Weekly essays that make you the smartest voice in every dinner party, plus monthly watchlists worth your time.

                   That Thing They Did // Will Harris

Everybody's got a past. The people who can look back on it with an eye toward the experiences they've accrued and the lessons they've learned... Theirs are the stories that I want to hear.

                       The Traverse // Travis Clark

Traversing the business of franchises and fandom.

         Thirty, Flirty + Film // Zosha Millman and Cate Young

Hot takes and cultural criticism in 30 minutes or less.

                 Seeing Through Film // Thomas Flight

Seeing Through Film focuses on cinema as a medium and the craft of filmmaking with a larger lens on exploring our relationship to all visual media.

               Thoughts Mostly About Film // Tyler Sage

An exploration of why we love movies and art, and a continuing rumination on what those things say about us.

                       Thoughts on Plots // Shay

Movie, TV, and media analyses you can use at dinner parties to woo a potential suitor or shame your less endowed enemies.

                 Too Much TV Newsletter // Rick Ellis

Your Daily TV Talking Points. A free daily rundown of all the television and streaming news you need to know today.

                   the tv scholar newsletter // Michel

safe space for telephiles

                  TV’s Moral Philosophy // Andrew Heard

Exploring the moral and ethical concepts involved in bringing TV and other mediums to life.

Catalog: U-Z

                   Underexposed // Alex Rollins Berg

Unearthing the hidden gems of cinema, old and new, with filmmaker and erstwhile NYU film teacher Alex Rollins Berg.

               Under the Hollywood Sign // Hope Anderson

I'm a Los Angeles-based documentary filmmaker who writes about about film, culture, Japan and Hollywood (the place and the industry). Lately I've also been writing about music, art and television. I also write fiction and have recently completed a novel.

                    Under the Influence // Ray Banks

Mainlining cinema from 1966-1980.

              Unfound Peoples Videotechnic // Graeme Cole

Roaming absurdist film school. Micro-essays on the esoterics of filmmaking. Trudging through wastelands of ignorance towards a Cinema of Doubt via Béla Tarr, the Kuchars, Maddin and Deren.

                       Video Shop // Video Shop

Escape the algorithm. Get two film recommendations per week from someone who loves film.

                         Wolf // Radical Edward

Reviewing old things. Emrys the Fool. Short stories.

                    the way we weren’t // Kira Cook

essays about writing, film, acting, motherhood, changing.

                     WEEKEND FLICKS // Luke Honey

Cinema for Grown Ups.

                What’s Alan Watching? // Alan Sepinwall

TV criticism, news, links, and other thoughts from Alan Sepinwall

                  What’s in a Scene? // Matthew Tilt

A weekly newsletter exploring some of the best scenes in cinema history. From A to Z, we explore the classics, the cult and the underappreciated gems of film

                When Hope Writes // Nadia Gerassimenko

I write about a smorgasbord of subjects, always with a dash of hope. If you love reading about humanity, literature, writing, cinema, video games, and other related and unrelated stuff, let's connect.

          Women and Hollywood Newsletter // Melissa Silverstein

A Comprehensive Guide to Films and TV Opening and Streaming By and About Women

        Working title: a newsletter about movies // Saul Malone

I like movies. you like movies. let's talk about movies.

                    Worth Watching // Scott Bryan

An email telling you what is worth watching (and what isn't) in the next week on TV and streaming.

            Writing Without Rules: Deep Dives // Jeff Somers

Figuring out why stories work using examples from pop culture.

                   You’ve Got Mail // Erin Carlson

A newsletter about pop culture and film history from the National Bestselling author of "No Crying in Baseball," "I'll Have What She's Having" and "Queen Meryl."

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