What is a cinephile?
Cinephile [sin-uh-fahyl]
noun
a devoted moviegoer, especially one knowledgeable about the cinema.
What is a basic cinephile?
Basic Cinephile [bey-sik sin-uh-fahyl]
noun
a devoted moviegoer, especially one knowledgeable about hot men in romantic comedies, legendary leading ladies like Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union, with a deep appreciation for the flavor pairing of a fine boxed wine and movie theater popcorn.
Since 2019, we have sought to create an inclusive online community where basic cinephiles can read reviews and discuss movies daily.
Our Mission
The Basic Cinephile is devoted to diversifying on and off screen representation by providing a platform for people to publish their thoughts on movies, tv series, and pop culture at large. We are a female-founded brand and are unapologetically feminist. We understand that it can be super intimidating, and downright challenging, to a) put your opinions out into the world! and b) find a platform to publish them. It’s our mission to support both aspiring and established film critics by curating a diverse group of cinephiles and empowering them to critically consume media and publish their thoughts! People come in all shapes and sizes, and so should film critics. Whether you’re a film school graduate who’s an authority on Kubrick or an aspiring influencer who can quote every word of Legally Blonde and Clueless, both are like totally basic cinephiles.
“It’s really important for boys to see that girls take up half of the planet - which we do”
“I went deep, deep, deep, deep into Rotten Tomatoes, and I counted how many contributors there were — critics and bloggers and writers. And of those allowed to rate on the Tomatometer, there are 168 women. And I thought, ‘that’s absolutely fantastic.’ And then, if there were 168 men, it would be balanced. If there were 268 men, it would unfair but I’d get used to it. If there were 368, 468, 568 ... Actually there are 760 men who weigh in on the Tomatometer. The word isn’t ‘disheartening,’ it’s ‘infuriating’. I submit to you that men and women are not the same. They like different things. Sometimes they like the same things, but their tastes diverge. If the Tomatometer is slided so completely to one set of tastes, that drives box office in the U.S., absolutely. ”