chrisjay

chrisjay

From the dramatic, to the terrifying, to the schmaltzy, I’m just a guy who loves cinema and stories.

Favorite films

  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • West Side Story
  • Nomadland

Recent activity

All
  • Mass

    ★★★★★

  • Here

    ★½

  • Portrait of a Lady on Fire

    ★★★★

  • The Six Triple Eight

    ★★★½

Recent reviews

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  • Mass

    Mass

    ★★★★★

    A real masterclass!! Fucking powerful! 

    Worked even more for me on a rewatch. So damn powerful, so nuanced, so embodied. 

    I’m annoyed at bleeker street and the seemingly poor campaigns for this and the most recent Mike Leigh work Hard Truths. Plimpton and Dowd should have been rolling in the noms that season. 

    Shoutout to Breeda Wool. Made everything out of her character. So good. 

    Looking forward to more work from Fran Kranz.

  • Here

    Here

    ★½

    This would have been better off on the history channel. 

    A really interesting idea with execution that I just didn’t care for. 

    So disjointed with all the cuts…. The CGI wasn’t cute…so much effort on the historical stuff more than the actual characters. 

    The emotional beats didn’t land for me because of all of that. 

    I really think the idea is interesting and could have been quite moving. Didn’t think it was gonna be this much of a miss for me.

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  • Nomadland

    Nomadland

    ★★★★★

    I’ve come to realize that Chloe Zhao films are therapeutic. This work, much like her previous work The Rider, opened me up and introduced me to folks I haven’t spent much time with before. The work is almost like a documentary, so honest, so pure and compassionate without pity. It’s the human experience...love, loss, connection, isolation,exploration..perfectly portrayed.
    This film has left an imprint on my heart. 

    Fav quote (paraphrased)
    “...and If you have bad knees...you could use a 7inch bucket.”

  • Sound of Metal

    Sound of Metal

    ★★★★★

    Am I biased because Riz Ahmed gets me going..maybe?! Regardless..this movie SLAPS!

    His portrayal of Ruben Stone is touching without being cliched. His real battle with acceptance comes through clearly and the development of his character is just right. In addition, it’s one of the best portrayals of deaf folks I’ve seen. 

    I’m left very moved and it’s one of those moments where cinema makes me reflect on my own life. It’s not always about trying to go and fix the problem, often it’s more about acceptance and finding the solution or the peace within. 

    Also gotta give props to Olivia Cooke.

    Highly recommend this film!

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