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Richard Propes

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Richard Propes is an award-winning film critic based in Indianapolis and one of the country's leading disabled film journalists with an outreach that spans web, print, and broadcast outlets. He is founder/publisher of The Independent Critic and a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. In honor of his long history of community service, the Academy Award-qualifying Heartland International Film Festival annually presents the Richard D. Propes Social Impact Award to a narrative and documentary feature.

Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Love & Other Crimes (2025) 3.0/4.0 EDIT “Love & Other Crimes may not tread a whole lot of new narrative ground, however, the ground it does cover is well done and leaves us with maximum impact” – TheIndependentCritic.com Jan 26, 2026 Full Review Standout: The Ben Kjar Story (2025) 100% 3.0/4.0 EDIT “Standout is a rich, engaging documentary that tells a meaningful story and tells it well. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Jan 26, 2026 Full Review Chiquita (2025) 3.0/4.0 EDIT “At a mere 46-minute running time, writer/director Trivikram Gajulapalli's Chiquita isn't your usual narrative feature fare in a myriad of ways.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Jan 25, 2026 Full Review A Fighting Legacy (2025) 2.5/4.0 EDIT “It's an engaging, entertaining documentary as much about the Muay Thai community as it is the actual fighting. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Jan 24, 2026 Full Review Hazel's Heart (2025) 3.0/4.0 EDIT “Convincing both as the gruff, unforgiving father and the relentlessly devoted man doing whatever it takes to save his children, Savante adds much of the electricity that engagingly moves Hazel's Heart forward. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Jan 9, 2026 Full Review Our Happy Place (2024) 2.5/4.0 EDIT “For the most part, I had Our Happy Place figured out early on and was correct. I'd guess the same will be true for many viewers. This, coupled with the film's narratively repetitive nature, makes it a difficult view. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Jan 2, 2026 Full Review Been Here Stay Here (2024) 3.5/4.0 EDIT “Been Here Stay Here is a gentle yet powerful whisper of a film.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 30, 2025 Full Review Misfits (2025) 3.0/4.0 EDIT “Meola and Simone, in particular, are top-notch and give the film the grounding it definitely needs. You believe these two together and that gives an honesty to Josh's grief. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 28, 2025 Full Review The Choral (2025) 67% 3.0/4.0 EDIT “While The Choral may not be the best motion picture you see this year, it's a rather beautiful film with a strong ensemble and meaningful storytelling. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 28, 2025 Full Review Bitter Desire (2025) 2.0/4.0 EDIT “There's a decent little thriller somewhere within Bitter Desire, though mostly sub-par production values and hit-and-miss performances keep the film from rising above mediocrity. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 25, 2025 Full Review The Mean One (2022) 26% 2.5/4.0 EDIT “ I found David Howard Thornton's Grinch to be a gas.- and I found myself drawn to Krystle Martin's Cindy You-Know-Who as she returns to the Newville of her traumatic past. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 25, 2025 Full Review The Mighty Oaks (2025) 3.5/4.0 EDIT “The Mighty Oaks carries with it a quiet, honest intimacy that may never hit like a tearjerker or even a crowd-pleaser in any traditional sense, but the longer I've had to rest with this film the more powerfully its story has rested within me. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 24, 2025 Full Review David (2025) 76% 3.0/4.0 EDIT “David is a visually impressive and emotionally resonant motion picture.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 23, 2025 Full Review The Dummy Detective (2025) 3.0/4.0 EDIT “Don't be a dummy. Check out The Dummy Detective. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 21, 2025 Full Review Merv (2025) 36% 1.5/4.0 EDIT “Who doesn't like a sweetly funny rom-com centered around a personable pooch during the holiday season? I guess that's me. I'm that person. I don't.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Dec 13, 2025 Full Review Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) 92% 3.5/4.0 EDIT “I loved Wake Up Dead Man. I loved that it made me laugh. I love that it made me think. I loved that it called into account the institutions that surround us without condemning those who exist within those institutions.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 29, 2025 Full Review One Battle After Another (2025) 94% 4.0/4.0 EDIT “This is a film that needed someone the caliber of DiCaprio to pull it off and DiCaprio absolutely delivers in what should be considered one of his best performances to date. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 22, 2025 Full Review The Big Scoot! (2025) 2.5/4.0 EDIT “ The Big Scoot is an engaging, entertaining indie doc with colorful characters, beautiful lensing, and a low-key and inspiring story.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 22, 2025 Full Review Baby Brother (2024) 3.5/4.0 EDIT “You may not be entertained by Baby Brother, but you sure won't forget Baby Brother anytime soon.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 20, 2025 Full Review Playdate (2025) 23% 1.0/4.0 EDIT “To say that Playdate is one of the worst films of 2025 feels like an understatement.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 17, 2025 Full Review The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024) 72% 2.5/4.0 EDIT “A sublime example of two top-notch actors elevating their material.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 16, 2025 Full Review Clown in a Cornfield (2025) 74% 3.0/4.0 EDIT “Even if you don't particularly jibe with the actual story, this is a fun film to watch with a terrific turn by Katie Douglas and a strong ensemble cast in support.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 15, 2025 Full Review Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink (2023) 100% 3.0/4.0 EDIT “Fiercely engaging and absolutely vital, Stripped for Parts is a film not to be missed about a story that must be told. ” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 12, 2025 Full Review Romancing Sydney (2025) 1.5/4.0 EDIT “The simple truth is that "Romancing Sydney" is a romantic comedy where I never felt a thing and I never laughed.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 10, 2025 Full Review Tether (2025) 2.5/4.0 EDIT “This is not a perfect film. It's a lower-budgeted film and there are definitely times throughout that it shows. However, there's something inspired about a filmmaker choosing to tackle such a deep, meaningful, and necessary film with his debut.” – TheIndependentCritic.com Nov 10, 2025 Full Review
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