TheRealJ-Ro
Cinema Addict - 1517 Film Ratings
Member Since: 27 Jul 2008
Location: Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada
Age: 39
Bio: TWITTER @BlockBuster_Guy
YOUTUBE BridgewatersFinest
I rank in tiers of 5 (so every ranking will end in either 5 or 0), decided (mostly) by the following criteria.
100-90 is OUTSTANDING: I do feel like there is such a thing as a "perfect film", but I don't dole out 100s easily. The difference between a 100 and a 95 film is a certain intangible quality I suppose, something that I know will make me always come back to it no matter what. Any film that makes a 90 and up from me is one I would either recommend to anyone in a heartbeat, or one which I feel goes far above and beyond my expectations from it.
89-80 is QUALITY: A quality film for me is one which is often a strong recommendation, a film that does its job to a higher level than the next tier, often notable for overall performances and/or production.
79-70 is SERVICEABLE: A serviceable film for me is one which does its job and is good entertainment either within its own genre or as a stand-alone film. It may or may not be recommended viewing from me, but more often than not it will be.
69-35 is AVERAGE: Since the term "average" is so wide, here is how I define it. An average film falls anywhere between something that is not a total flop and has redeeming qualities (performance, content, production, etc.), and one which has the ability to entertain most people (while potentially not being a personal recommendation).
34-0 is UNDERWHELMED: An underwhelming film is one which is forgettable. It either has no redeeming qualities, or its positive qualities do not outweigh the negative ones. At their worst, movies in this category offend me as a movie-watcher.
YOUTUBE BridgewatersFinest
I rank in tiers of 5 (so every ranking will end in either 5 or 0), decided (mostly) by the following criteria.
100-90 is OUTSTANDING: I do feel like there is such a thing as a "perfect film", but I don't dole out 100s easily. The difference between a 100 and a 95 film is a certain intangible quality I suppose, something that I know will make me always come back to it no matter what. Any film that makes a 90 and up from me is one I would either recommend to anyone in a heartbeat, or one which I feel goes far above and beyond my expectations from it.
89-80 is QUALITY: A quality film for me is one which is often a strong recommendation, a film that does its job to a higher level than the next tier, often notable for overall performances and/or production.
79-70 is SERVICEABLE: A serviceable film for me is one which does its job and is good entertainment either within its own genre or as a stand-alone film. It may or may not be recommended viewing from me, but more often than not it will be.
69-35 is AVERAGE: Since the term "average" is so wide, here is how I define it. An average film falls anywhere between something that is not a total flop and has redeeming qualities (performance, content, production, etc.), and one which has the ability to entertain most people (while potentially not being a personal recommendation).
34-0 is UNDERWHELMED: An underwhelming film is one which is forgettable. It either has no redeeming qualities, or its positive qualities do not outweigh the negative ones. At their worst, movies in this category offend me as a movie-watcher.
Recent Ratings
Check out TheRealJ-Ro's...
| 80 70% | Sing Sing (2024) - Rated 16 Nov 2024
""Brother, we here to become human again." I have no basis of reference for the prison experience, but MAN does that line ever hit hard. I had hefty hopes and anticipation coming into this. I enjoyed it immensely and respect it even more for the real-world foundation of its story. Domingo is quickly ascending my list of favorite performers (though the whole ensemble shines), and the way this handles male bonding really resonated with me. Gets better as it progresses and the intensity picks up."
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| 15 3% | Lumina (2024) - Rated 05 Nov 2024
"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - a true benchmark in terrible Sci-Fi - on 1% the budget. Lumina is terrible in all the ways one would expect: a nonsensical plot, middle-school-play performances, Windows 95-era CGI, and truly baffling moments of sheer "who would ever think this was good?" Yet the worst offense may be that deep down, Gino McKoy (and the rest of his family who financed this bad idea) really feel like they spread their "the truth is out there, bro" "comedy" message."
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| 75 56% | Smile 2 (2024) - Rated 03 Nov 2024
"Brought to you by Voss. Seriously, that's some Wayne & Garth levels of shameless product placement, without the comedic irony. Hey, whatever gets the movie made. Anyway, I dug this! Apparently I didn't see the first one but this carries over well enough from where it left off, and Naomi Scott put her whole self into this and was the best & most believable part of the movie. The ending I thought was good but doesn't exactly leave anything for the future other than "Smile 3: Post-Apocalypse"."
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| 80 70% | Conclave (2024) - Rated 02 Nov 2024
"I can definitely see this getting under the skin of a particular segment of society - and admittedly, the "twist" at the end could probably be described as shoe-horned, dare I utter the phrase, "woke". Meh. Even taking that at its worst, I still greatly enjoyed a controlled, powerful lead performance from Ralph Fiennes, set against the pompous tone of the conclave. Operates both as a tout for religious progression, and taut political thriller. May not change minds, but certainly entertains."
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| 60 25% | Aggro Dr1ft (2023) - Rated 25 Oct 2024
"Was this destined to be something I appreciated more than I liked? Probably. It's certainly unlike anything I've ever seen before, and Korine laid claim to genuine auteur status long before this. Ultimately, I'm a movie-goer who is very driven by narrative and performance, as much as I appreciate great visuals and other elements, and I think even ardent fans of this will admit that the narrative isn't the strong suit here. A bold experience, but doesn't give me what I'm looking for. So it goes."
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| 80 70% | Longlegs (2024) - Rated 24 Oct 2024
"Tonal and atmospheric in all the ways that directly appeal to me personally, which is a credit to the vision and production spearheaded by director Oz Perkins. An ideal Halloween-season watch. Cage is undeniably creepy and intense when he gets the proper screen time, and Maika Monroe I feel delivers the best performance of her career. All the setup left in doubt was whether they could stick the landing when they finally pulled back the curtain, and happily, I think they did just that. See it!"
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| 80 70% | A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) - Rated 20 Oct 2024
""Day One" holds much of the tension of its predecessors along with the seismic jumpscares. I'm comfortable with this not necessarily "expanding" on the universe too much because of course it's a prequel, and should be therefore more foundational in the gimmick; that said, they figured out "hey let's all be quiet" awfully quick. Lupita Nyong'o is a powerhouse performer, but there's no replicating Emily Blunt in this universe. Nice juxtaposition of "resignation to death" vs "will to live on"."
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| 80 70% | Saturday Night (2024) - Rated 16 Oct 2024
"A tremendously kinetic, firecracker of a movie, with an excellent ensemble cast including some big names (Dafoe, Simmons, Wolfhard) in secondary roles. Makes ample (and effective!) use of the continuous shot gimmick to lend the whole goings-on an air of unpredictability. Even though we all know the outcome, it does leave you with a sliver of doubt right up until the 11:30 hour as to whether or not they'll actually pull this off, and that's the sign of a great film by a skillful filmmaker."
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| 90 93% | Godzilla Minus One (2023) - Rated 14 Oct 2024
"You know... it's easy to forget in the early going that this is a Godzilla movie. You kinda get roped in by this investment-worthy Japanese domestic historical fiction about the rebuilding of a life post-war. And then it's like "oh shit wait this is a Godzilla movie", and it's SUCH a great Godzilla movie on top of that. The iconic train scene, the scale and design of the monster (and the destruction), everything. And watching it in black & white lends it an added layer that was worth the wait."
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| 45 15% | The Crow (2024) - Rated 11 Oct 2024
"Has there ever existed a lower-security prison? I want to give myself to this but it's SO insistent on itself and its gravitas (the CGI crow is particularly goofy). Emo McSadboi and a charisma vacuum have awkward sex and don't scream "soulmates" to me at all. It most certainly has its moments, interesting conventions, and okay action sequences - the Operatic one being the highlight - but ultimately it just doesn't work for me. If this was the best a remake had to offer, leave it at the original."
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