TheRealJ-Ro
Cinema Addict
Member Since: 27 Jul 2008
Location: Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada
Age: 40
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...
Novocaine (2025) - Rated 03 Jun 2025
"That opening scene set to "Everybody Hurts" was a REAL strong start, even if Nate's dialogue borders on turbocringe (by design, but still). Amber Midthunder fucking RULES and even if it isn't the greatest performance ever, she's just so damn endearing. There's definitely some jank to this story, but there's also plenty of fun and satisfying action, which is what they were going for. Big body count for a comedy! Feel-good ending. I had a good time with this even if it wasn't particularly special."
Queen of the Ring (2024) - Rated 27 May 2025
"At first take I didn't think too much of this. They're SPRINTING between plot points. Performance-wise, it's fine but no more. It's interesting material... I just had higher hopes, I guess. As usual, when it pauses to breathe it's much better, and deftly highlights the oft-convoluted world behind the curtain. Finishes strong (despite Hollywood-izing what happened) so it gets a generous bounce ratings-wise. I'm glad wrestling is seen as viable movie material; there's a better one to be made here."
Seven Veils (2023) - Rated 21 May 2025
"Atom Egoyan has been horny since the early 90s and there's no stopping him now. Here he re-teams with the muse behind his best work; Seyfried offers a driven performance. This has plenty of intrigue and plenty to say, especially for those who know the meta-contexts, and like another of my favorites this year - Presence - it builds its narrative piece by piece. In the right mood, this would be a powerhouse film. Gets better - and more difficult - as it goes, and arguably demands a second watch."
Companion (2025) - Rated 19 May 2025
"Somehow, it slipped my mind that this involved AI humans so that re-revelation was a nice treat! In the recent pantheon of horror-tinged films about AI, I will take this over most of them; it has valid things to say, doesn't pander for jumpscares, and succeeds in being entertaining - even funny - without goofiness or losing that suspension of disbelief. Some genuinely hard-to-watch moments. I'm yearning for the film equivalent of the TNG episode "Measure of a Man", but this was fun and I dug it."
Salvable (2025) - Rated 18 May 2025
"I've made this point before, but there's this particular chord that good UK drama strikes with me: even when it's a bit hyperbolic, this feels thoroughly without artifice, and its characters are all investment-worthy and interesting as a result. It's a very male-centric story that explores a variety of male relationships - to the father figure, to the brother figure, to the daughter - and they're all treated with high regard. The lead trio of LaBeouf, Kebbell, and Cosmo, all deliver the goods."
Baby Invasion (2024) - Rated 18 May 2025
"This really captures the essence of FPS gamers' "edgy" wannabe-ism. The ever-present Twitch chat is a nice touch and that may be indeed where the best messaging of the whole film takes place: a livestream filled with chatters completely desensitized to atrocity, more concerned with the memes and sounding clever. Korine's latest foray into his AI-slop-niverse is more accessible, which is something, but I can't say it's as good of an experience as AGGRO DR1FT. Maybe Korine just isn't for me."
Thunderbolts* (2025) - Rated 16 May 2025
"An MCU that is unafraid of just *doing different shit* in its mainline movies, is an MCU that is better for all. This one crept up on me in terms of how much I enjoyed it. I'm on record that I like when the MCU goes darker and it doesn't get much darker than "I'm a villain that attacks you with depression and self-destruction". This also led to some unexpectedly powerful moments AND impactful visuals; seeing people get "shadow-blipped" into a world of their own worst memories really hit me."
Magazine Dreams (2025) - Rated 14 May 2025
"There's a fair share of pretense, but it's always compelling, even when it plods a bit. Killian fights so hard for awhile to be normal amidst social ineptitude, obsession, violence, and an inability to find belonging - eventually delving into complete fantasy about his life, just for self-preservation. Did the stuff with Brad even happen, I wonder? Majors is fucking brilliant, and given what transpired with him, it makes you question to what degree this might be a metaphorical self-insert."
Mickey 17 (2025) - Rated 09 May 2025
"Y'know I'm not afraid to admit that this took about 40 minutes to get going for me. It was laying the breadcrumbs early for stuff it was obviously coming back to, but until they introduced the Multiples aspect, this was only treading water. R-Pat is fantastic, and the combo of Ruffalo + Collette are dynamite as well. I once said there was a subtle art to unsubtle filmmaking, and the themes and messaging here definitely lack subtlety. Touch and go for a bit but ultimately this lands as it should."
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) - Rated 07 May 2025
"Right from the jump this feels fundamentally different from what we've come to expect from MCU fare over the years. Mackie's believability as Cap is a work in progress but in general, I'm a fan, and I think the movie succeeds in building that as it goes. I'm not in love with the end of what was a pretty damn good battle with Red Hulk. I like political intrigue as a concept, and adamantium is a great vehicle for that. Suffers HEAVILY from the "if you didn't watch X and Y and Z, you're lost"."
