Writing about oneself can be challenging. It’s very easy to come off like a narcissistic jerk whose simply listing all his accomplishments without actually telling anything about yourself. So my goal here is for you to learn a little about why I do what I do.

No matter who you are or where you live, if you’re reading this, more than likely you have something in common with me: A love of movies. I yearn to be transported to another place when those lights go down in the cinema, and with each film, I’m always hoping for that chance. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don’t.

An eagle eyed viewer did the math once, and told me that in the year 2013, my grades for every movie I reviewed, averaged out to a B- for the whole year. I found it remarkable that he attempted to add that up, but more importantly, it tells me that my viewers really do care. They want the same experience that I want. Some call it escapism, and that can be an accurate term. But to me, it’s not that menial. A good movie is like a balm. It can soothe, enthrall, entice, inspire. That’s what I want when I go to the movie theater, that feeling, that moment.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in awe of movies. I can’t recall the first time I saw Star Wars, but I certainly haven’t forgotten wearing out the VHS tape in my youth. Imagining that my friend and I were blasting snow troopers one winter on a snow day, or dressing up like Indiana Jones and making fan films were the sort of activities that filled my childhood.

As I grew older, my love for movies turned into a love for the art of film. I began to examine them, thinking about the director, the writer, the cinematographer. I tried to get inside their headspace, and discover why they made the film they did. I become entranced with film criticism, writing brief reviews from the age of 14.

I was tremendously inspired by Roger Ebert, and through him I learned that an opinion on a film was a universal concept. There was no right or wrong, there was simply, your thoughts. Through his television reviews with Gene Siskel, I discovered the idea of a debate on a film, but a respectful one. I didn’t realize it then, but I was teaching myself things that would really come in handy later in life.

It wasn’t until my twenties that I discovered reviewing movies on YouTube. I can’t say I’m the first one to start doing it, because there where a few back then that had already caught that bug. I immediately loved it, and have seen the medium grow and grow over these few years. It’s gone from a small group of “video bloggers” to a respected way of discussing film. Some YouTube reviewers are even recognized as press, and Rotten Tomatoes has opened the door for a handful of them to be certified.

My hopes are that YouTube reviewers will continue to gain more respect as legitimate film critics, and I’m absolutely positive I will see that occur in the near future.

Until then, I’ll be at the movies.

– Chris Stuckmann


Chris Stuckmann was tremendously inspired by Roger Ebert. It was through him that he learned that an opinion on a film was a universal concept. There was no right or wrong, there was simply, your thoughts. Through his television reviews with Gene Siskel, Stuckmann discovered the idea of a debate on a film, but a respectful one. It wasn’t until his twenties that Stuckmann discovered reviewing movies on YouTube. From the very beginning he fell in love with it. YouTube critics and reviews have gone from a small group of “video bloggers” to a respected way of discussing film. Some YouTube reviewers are even recognized as press, and Rotten Tomatoes has opened the door for a handful of them to be certified. As a result of all this, Chris Stuckmann has created a brand of recognizable and respected videos.