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James Clay

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

James Cole Clay has been working as a film critic for the better part of a decade covering new releases, blu ray reviews and the occasional drive-in cult classic. His writing is dedicated to discovering social politics through diverse voices, primarily focusing on Women In Film and LGBTQ cinema. His works can be found at FreshFiction and CutPrintFilm. Film is my first love and it shall be my last.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
The Black Phone (2021) 81% B EDIT “Derrickson and his trusty screenwriter, C. Robert Cargill, have the goods to make a sturdy film that smoothly navigates a familiar territory for a savvy horror audience.” – Fresh Fiction Jun 25, 2022 Full Review The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) 67% A- EDIT “This version of high camp Oscar bait is so easy to lap up, digest, and beg for more; it's as if the influence of Frank Perry's MOMMIE DEAREST was in Showalter's filmmaking DNA.” – Fresh Fiction Nov 11, 2021 Full Review Free Guy (2021) 80% B- EDIT “An overall enjoyable movie with egregious scene forms of IP placement in film history.” – Fresh Fiction Oct 13, 2021 Full Review Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021) 52% B- EDIT “This film largely succeeds, and part of the enjoyment is figuring out what each room will entail. Robitel leaves things open for the series itself to continue trapping Taylor Russell in rooms, and honestly good for her.” – Fresh Fiction Oct 13, 2021 Full Review Zola (2020) 88% A EDIT “By encapsulating the fringes of youth culture and the intersection of social media with sex, we are gifted a film that says a lot about what America thinks about money, women, the uneducated, and people of color.” – Fresh Fiction Sep 20, 2021 Full Review Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021) 68% B- EDIT “However, this could be the lovely piece of Springtime cinema you pop on every time the flowers bloom for those who are still a kid at heart.” – Fresh Fiction Aug 31, 2021 Full Review Jungle Cruise (2021) 62% B EDIT “Little added touches like Jesse Plemmons' strange Bavarian accent and whatever Paul Giamatti was going for in the film elevates JUNGLE CRUISE from eye-rolling to good.” – Fresh Fiction Aug 31, 2021 Full Review Candyman (2021) 84% A- EDIT “The best thing about DaCosta's filmmaking is her innate ability to connect with her subjects and audience simultaneously. Warning for the horrors that have yet to come and respecting the horrors that are in our past.” – Fresh Fiction Aug 25, 2021 Full Review Old (2021) 50% B- EDIT “Even if the film is a mixed bag and cinematography by Mike Gioulakis creates a jarring visual language, this film is the most fascinating film by a studio this year.” – Fresh Fiction Jul 23, 2021 Full Review Val (2021) 93% A EDIT “The one thing Val knows we will all run out of is time, and that is more precious than any moment between action and cut.” – Fresh Fiction Jul 23, 2021 Full Review The Forever Purge (2021) 48% B- EDIT “With The Forever Purge, the series finds a stroke of new life just hyperbolic enough not to be grounded in realism and not crazy enough to come off as conspiracy nonsense.” – Fresh Fiction Jul 2, 2021 Full Review Ant-Man (2015) 83% B- EDIT “Provides Humor & Heart, But It's No Marvel” – Fresh Fiction Mar 22, 2021 Full Review The Sparks Brothers (2021) 95% B EDIT “With heart and groovy music pieces, Wright presents the titular pop and rock duo as forever evolving men. And at least for a couple of hours, it's fun to hop into their orbit.” – Fresh Fiction Mar 22, 2021 Full Review Heartworn Highways (1976) 100% A EDIT “HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS fell in line with the great hangout movies of the past 50 years when authority started to lose its power and a few moments of creativity was worth more than its weight in gold.” – Fresh Fiction Feb 25, 2021 Full Review Joint Security Area (2000) 88% A- EDIT “Part action and part legal thriller and buddy comedy, Park's film ushers in an esteemed style that aims to entertain and subtly educate his audience on the senselessness of war. JSA bolsters a strong message of unity and turning the other cheek.” – Fresh Fiction Feb 8, 2021 Full Review Let Him Go (2020) 85% B+ EDIT “It's filled with humble machismo from Costner, impressive range from Diane Lane, and a bonkers role for Lesley Manville. There is more to it than meets the eye.” – Fresh Fiction Feb 8, 2021 Full Review Greenland (2020) 78% B- EDIT “GREENLAND is a throwback that goes through the motions to become a fun film to watch if you want to see the world burn.” – Fresh Fiction Feb 8, 2021 Full Review The Climb (2019) 90% A- EDIT “Covino and Martin find a cadence to their dialogue that perfectly props up the tension of cinematographer Zach Kuperstein's long takes that revel in awkward interactions and hard truths.” – Fresh Fiction Feb 5, 2021 Full Review Wild Mountain Thyme (2020) 25% C- EDIT “WILD MOUNTAIN THYME the result is a baffling, if not enchanting, film adaptation that somehow has a lot in common with Jerry Seinfeld.” – Fresh Fiction Feb 5, 2021 Full Review Jungleland (2019) 75% B EDIT “JUNGLELAND is murky, gross, and heartfelt to the point where you may either roll, or bawl your eyes right out of your head.” – Fresh Fiction Jan 12, 2021 Full Review Love and Monsters (2020) 94% B EDIT “LOVE & MONSTERS is rare, and it could signal a return to more original films that aren't ashamed of their familiarity, yet lean into originality.” – Fresh Fiction Jan 12, 2021 Full Review Honest Thief (2020) 41% C+ EDIT “This benign, yet surprisingly watchable movie is lean and plays with the action template enough to be serviceable.” – Fresh Fiction Jan 12, 2021 Full Review The Craft: Legacy (2020) 47% B EDIT “Jones' film gives itself a reason to exist by refining the tone and witchy plotline that's more coherent and gives its coven more of a satisfying dynamic.” – Fresh Fiction Jan 12, 2021 Full Review Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) 71% B EDIT “While the two men are best known for subverting the tropes of action pictures, they accomplished something a bit more enticing by casting a wide net and integrating a top tier actor like Shirley MacLaine into their hyper-masculine world.” – Fresh Fiction Nov 19, 2020 Full Review High Plains Drifter (1973) 94% A- EDIT “HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER is perhaps Eastwood's most mean-spirited film that deals with supernatural elements and quite literally burning down every cliche, the Western cliche that had predated "The Man With No Name.” – Fresh Fiction Nov 19, 2020 Full Review
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