Chris Stuckmann

Last updated

Chris Stuckmann
Chris Stuckmann 2015.jpg
Stuckmann at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Personal information
Born
Christopher Michael Stuckmann

(1988-04-15) April 15, 1988 (age 36)
Boston Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Occupations
Spouse
Sam Liz
​
(m. 2014)​
Children2
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2009–present
Genre(s) Film criticism
Filmmaking
Subscribers2.03 million [1] [2]
Total views771.8 million [1] [2]
Network Channel Awesome (2014–2018) [3]
Associated acts
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg100,000 subscribers2014
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg1,000,000 subscribers2017
Last updated: December 18, 2024

Christopher Michael Stuckmann (born April 15, 1988) [5] [6] [7] [8] is an American YouTuber, filmmaker, author, and film critic. [9] [10] As one of the most popular film critics on YouTube, Stuckmann has over 2 million subscribers and over 771 million views on the platform as of December 2024. [11] On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, he is an approved critic [12] and a member of the Critics Choice Association. [13] In mid-2021, it was announced that Stuckmann had signed to write and direct his full feature debut Shelby Oaks with Paper Street Pictures and producer Aaron B. Koontz. [14]

Contents

Early life

Stuckmann was born in Boston Heights, Ohio, growing up with two older sisters. [5] [15] Stuckmann is partly of German descent. He took an interest in film criticism from a young age, writing brief reviews of films as early as age fourteen. His primary inspiration among professional film critics was Roger Ebert, particularly the television-program Siskel & Ebert & the Movies which Ebert co-hosted with Gene Siskel. He writes that by watching these reviews, he "discovered the idea of a debate on a film, but a respectful one". [16]

Stuckmann cites his experience watching Signs in theaters as a child as his primary inspiration for becoming a filmmaker. Filmmakers Stuckmann has cited as having heavily influenced him include George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, and Christopher Nolan. Throughout high school, Stuckmann wrote and directed numerous homemade movies and short films with friends and family. [17]

Career

Beginnings and YouTube success

He began publishing YouTube reviews of current films in his twenties and published his first film review in 2009. [18] His reviews initially began under a short-form series titled Quick Movie Reviews. When he began publishing video reviews, there was only a small group of other video bloggers reviewing films on YouTube. He has also expanded into reviewing television shows, anime, and video games. [19] [20]

He published his first book, The Film Buff's Bucket List: The 50 Movies of the 2000s to See Before You Die, in 2016. [5] [15] A year later, he directed and wrote the short film Auditorium 6. [21] In April 2018, Stuckmann published his second book titled Anime-Impact: The Movies and Shows that changed the World of Japanese Animation.

Stuckmann has become among the most popular film critics on the website, having a following of over 2.03 million subscribers as of December 2024. Stewart Fletcher of Moviepilot ranked Stuckmann's YouTube channel as the number one channel that movie fans should subscribe to, citing Stuckmann's passionate and coherently written reviews as the reason. [22]

In a 2021 YouTube video titled "Moving Forward...", Stuckmann announced that he would be minimizing film reviews and would stop criticizing "bad" films. He would focus instead on analyzing, discussing, and guiding others on filmmaking. Stuckmann gave two reasons for this shift. First, he stated that he thought of himself as primarily a filmmaker, and wanted to shift focus into his film projects. Second, due to his popularity - which Stuckmann credits to being one of the first movie reviewers on YouTube in the early days of the platform - he was given the opportunity to be more involved in the production of films. He cited that seeing the effort and time that goes into the film production changed his perspective: "I no longer feel comfortable talking negatively about film. Meeting filmmakers, talking to them at festivals, going on to their sets, seeing how much work goes into even your average not-so-great movie; I just don't feel like doing that anymore. I don't want to talk negatively about filmmakers. I don't want to trash filmmakers. It would be strange for me to be making movies and also [trashing] filmmakers. Also, there's plenty of that on [YouTube] already." [23]

Film projects

On July 6, 2021, it was announced that Stuckmann had recently signed with Gotham Group with multiple horror-scripts in the works. His full-length directorial debut, the horror-film Shelby Oaks, was planned to enter principal photography in late 2021 in Stuckmann's native Ohio. [14] Stuckmann announced that filming was pushed back to 2022, due to insufficient funds and a potential strike between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). He also announced that they would be launching a Kickstarter fundraising project for the film so as to give him the creative leeway to better execute his vision. [24]

The Kickstarter, which was launched in March 2022, quickly became the most-funded horror film on the site mere weeks after launch, while also surpassing the film's initial $250,000 goal. [25] The final fundraising campaign ended on March 27, with $1,390,845 raised. [26] [27] In May 2024, Mike Flanagan, Trevor Macy, and Melinda Nishioka were revealed to be executive producers on the film, under their production company Intrepid Pictures. [28] Shelby Oaks had its world premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 20, 2024. [29] [30] In June 2024, Stuckmann signed with The Gersh Agency, for representation in film, including Shelby Oaks. [31]

In July 2024, Neon acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film, later scheduling it for a theatrical release on August 22, 2025. [32] [33]

Personal life

Stuckmann has been married to his wife Samantha Elizabeth, who goes by Sam Liz, since 2014. [34] He is also a former Jehovah's Witness and in January 2021 he uploaded a video in which he detailed his negative experiences with the religion, and how he eventually left the faith in his early twenties to pursue filmmaking. In the same video, he also publicly came out as pansexual. [35] [36] [37] [38] On November 21, 2021, Stuckmann announced that Liz had given birth to twin boys, Fox and Grayson, on July 7, 2021. In the video, Liz spoke about her health issues and difficulties with fertility treatments. [39]

Filmography

Feature films

YearTitle Director Writer Producer Editor Notes
2003Phenomenon Field [40] YesYesYesYesHome features
2005The Woods [40] YesYesYesYes
2024 Shelby Oaks [14] YesYesYesNoDirectorial debut

Short films

YearTitle Director Writer Producer Editor
2013JuliaYesYesYesYes
2017Auditorium 6YesYesYesYes
2019Notes from MelanieYesYesYesYes
TBAPenanceYesYesYesYes

YouTube

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011–presentChris Stuckmann's Movie ReviewsPresenterMain role
2013–2020Chris Stuckmann's Hilariocity Reviews
2013Stuckmann's 1st Annual Halloween SpecialCo-presenterAlso director
2014Movie Trivia SchmoedownParticipantThree episodes
Awesome Halloween Guilty PleasuresCo-presenterAlso known as Stuckmann's 2nd Annual Halloween Special
2015 Nostalgia Critic GuestThree episodes
Screen Junkies Movie Fights Co-presenterSeven episodes
Scary Movie Binge!Also known as Stuckmann's 3rd Annual Halloween Special
2016AMC Jedi CouncilGuestEpisode: "Will There Be An Episode 8 Trailer Before Rogue One?"
Stuckmann's 4th Annual Halloween SpecialCo-presenterAlso director
2017Anime AbandonGuestEpisode: "Kite The Movie"
I Hate Everything: The Search for the WorstEpisode: "The (NOT DREAMWORKS) Collection – 9 Movies!"
Midnight ScreeningsEpisode: "A Christmas Story Live!"
2018SardonicastTwo episodes

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith David</span> American actor (born 1956)

Keith David is an American actor. He is known for his deep voice and screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uwe Boll</span> German filmmaker (born 1965)

Uwe Boll is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises. Released theatrically, the films were critical and commercial failures; his 2005 Alone in the Dark adaptation is considered one of the worst films ever made. Boll's subsequent projects, released during the 2010s, were mostly released straight to home media. After retiring in 2016 to become a restaurateur, Boll returned to filmmaking in 2022. His films are financed through his production companies Boll KG and Event Film Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abel Ferrara</span> American film director

Abel Ferrara is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and songwriter. He is best known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best known movies include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers The Driller Killer (1979), Ms .45 (1981), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992), and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Beach</span> American actor (born 1963)

Michael Anthony Beach is an American actor. He has appeared in the films Lean on Me (1989), One False Move (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Waiting to Exhale (1995), A Family Thing (1996), Soul Food (1997), Aquaman (2018), and Saw X (2023). On television, he played Al Boulet on the NBC medical drama ER from 1995 to 1997. From 1999 to 2005, Beach was a regular cast member in another NBC drama series, Third Watch, as Monte Parker, and as T.O. Cross in FX's Sons of Anarchy.

Brendan Eugene Sexton III is an American actor.

Robin Bartlett is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in two NBC sitcoms The Powers That Be and Mad About You.

Giovanni Bertone "John" Campea, is a Canadian YouTuber, film critic, media critic, director, writer, producer, and editor. Campea founded and ran the film website, The Movie Blog from June 2003 to December 2009. He then went on to become the editor-in-chief of AMC Movie News from September 2008 to June 2015. Shortly after that he was hired by Complex to run Collider Movie Talk beginning in July 2015. During his time there, he served as senior producer, host and showrunner of all of the programs. He resigned twice, once in January 2016, but returned in September of that year, and left permanently in June 2017. After he resigned, he began to release videos on his YouTube channel. As of December 2022, he has over 316,000 subscribers and over 265,000,000 total views.

<i>Nostalgia Critic</i> American review comedy web series

Nostalgia Critic is an American review comedy web series created, directed by, and starring comedian Doug Walker. The series initially launched on YouTube on July 3, 2007, before moving to Walker's own site, That Guy with the Glasses, and finally to the online production company Channel Awesome. The show follows Walker as the title character, a bitter and sarcastic critic who reviews films and television shows from his childhood and recent past, usually with comically exaggerated hysteria. The show focuses on analysis of the episode's subject, often incorporated with sketches, rants, or embedded storylines. Many of the films reviewed—such as Exorcist II: The Heretic, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, Batman & Robin, and Foodfight!—are generally considered as the worst films ever made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camille Sullivan</span> Canadian actress (born 1975)

Camille Sullivan is a Canadian actress. Among her notable television appearances are Rookie Blue, Da Vinci's Inquest, Intelligence and Shattered. She won a Leo Award for her role in Normal. She was also nominated for a Gemini Award for her portrayal of the character of Francine Reardon in Intelligence, who is the cocaine and alcohol addict ex-wife of a West Coast crime boss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Rolfe</span> American YouTuber, filmmaker, and actor (born 1980)

James D. Rolfe is an American YouTuber, filmmaker, and actor. He is best known for creating and starring in the comedic retrogaming web series Angry Video Game Nerd (2004–present). His spin-off projects include reviews of retro films, television series, and board games. He is considered a pioneer of internet gaming videos and is noted for his widespread influence on YouTube content after the series premiered on the platform in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A24</span> American independent entertainment company

A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The company is based in Manhattan.

<i>CinemaSins</i> YouTube video producers

CinemaSins is a YouTube channel created by Jeremy Scott and Chris Atkinson. The channel produces the "Everything Wrong With..." series that offers critique and commentary on movies. As of April 18, 2024, CinemaSins has approximately 9,170,000 subscribers and over 3.8 billion video views. Its slogan is "No Movie Is Without Sin". The channel's founders have since established a stand-alone website, CinemaSins.com, operating concurrently with the YouTube channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Flanagan (filmmaker)</span> American filmmaker (born 1978)

Mike Flanagan is an American filmmaker, best known for his horror work. Flanagan wrote, directed, produced, and edited the horror films Absentia (2011), Oculus (2013), Hush, Before I Wake, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game (2017), and Doctor Sleep (2019). He created, wrote, produced, and served as showrunner on the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), The Midnight Club (2022), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), also directing and editing some episodes of each.

Double Toasted is an entertainment website based in Austin, Texas. The site hosts weekly podcasts covering current events, pop culture, movie reviews and video games.

<i>Shelby Oaks</i> 2024 American film by Chris Stuckmann

Shelby Oaks is a 2024 American supernatural horror mystery film produced, written, and directed by Chris Stuckmann in his feature directorial debut. It stars Camille Sullivan, Brendan Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett, Keith David, Charlie Talbert, Emily Bennett, and Sarah Durn. The film is also produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead.

<i>Thane of East County</i> 2015 film by Jesse Keller

Thane of East County, also known as Blood Will Have Blood, is a 2015 black and white horror drama film written and directed by Jesse Keller in his feature film debut and is adapted from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The film won Best Drama at Poppy Jasper International Film Festival and stars Carr Cavender, Molly Beucher, Connor Sullivan and Karl Backus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron B. Koontz</span> American writer, director and producer

Aaron B. Koontz is an American producer, writer and director. He is the founder and CEO of Paper Street Pictures, a film production company in Austin, Texas. He is also a producer behind The Pale Door, the Scare Package franchise, and Shelby Oaks, from YouTuber Chris Stuckmann.

References

  1. 1 2 "ChrisStuckmann – About". Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019– via YouTube.
  2. 1 2 "About ChrisStuckmann". YouTube.
  3. ↑ @Chris_Stuckman (April 6, 2018). "Yes I respectfully asked to be removed..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ Jarvey, Natalie (November 10, 2015). "Defy Media to Launch ScreenJunkies Subscription Service". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Rich Heldenfels (April 8, 2016). "Need more movie-watching ideas? Local critic's "Bucket List" has some". Akron Beacon Journal . Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ Stuckmann, Chris (January 15, 2015), Live Reactions to the Oscar Nominations , retrieved May 18, 2018
  7. ↑ "Chris Stuckmann". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Copyright Public Records System". October 11, 2022. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ Crawford, Kayla Layne (April 9, 2016). "There's Still A Blockbuster Video In Indiana And This Guy Went There". Uproxx. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ Kemp, Dustin (June 25, 2016). "'The Neon Demon': Controversial Director Nicolas Winding Refn's Unique Take On Movie-Making Success". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  11. ↑ "chrisstuckmann YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics". SocialBlade. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews & Previews". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Chris Stuckmann". Critics' Choice Awards. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 Wiseman, Andreas (July 6, 2021). "YouTuber Chris Stuckmann To Make Horror Movie 'Shelby Oaks' About Missing Paranormal Investigators". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  15. 1 2 "Film lover shares 50 movies to watch". WKYC.com . March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ "About Me". Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  17. ↑ Stuckmann, Chris (March 19, 2012). "Why I Love Movies - Chris Stuckmann". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012.
  18. ↑ Stuckmann, Chris (August 24, 2019). "10 Years Later..." YouTube . Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Chris Stuckmann". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  20. ↑ Fritz Gleyo (November 24, 2015). "'Star Wars Battlefront' Review Roundup: 10 Reasons Why The Force Is Not Strong With This One". Tech Times. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  21. ↑ Auditorium 6 (2017) , retrieved May 18, 2018
  22. ↑ Stewart Fletcher (November 11, 2015). "Ten YouTube Channels Every Movie Fan Should Subscribe To". Moviepilot . Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  23. ↑ Moving Forward…, July 18, 2021, retrieved July 18, 2021
  24. ↑ Stuckmann, Chris (February 12, 2022). We Can't Do This Without You . Retrieved February 23, 2022– via YouTube.
  25. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (March 21, 2022). "Chris Stuckmann Project 'Shelby Oaks' Breaks Kickstarter Record For A Horror Movie". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  26. ↑ @chris_stuckmann (March 27, 2022). "Our Campaign Ended with $1,390,770 Raised" (Tweet). Retrieved March 28, 2022– via Twitter.
  27. ↑ Colangelo, BJ (July 19, 2024). "The Incredible True Story Of How The Most Successful Horror Movie In Kickstarter History Landed A Theatrical Release". /Film . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  28. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (May 1, 2024). "Chris Stuckmann's Horror Movie 'Shelby Oaks' Adds Genre Specialist Mike Flanagan To Team". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Shelby Oaks". Fantasia International Film Festival . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  30. ↑ Navarro, Meagan (May 9, 2024). "Fantasia 2024 First Wave of Programming Includes Found Footage 'Shelby Oaks', 'Witchboard' Remake, and More" . Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  31. ↑ Grobar, Matt (June 13, 2024). "'Shelby Oaks' Filmmaker Chris Stuckmann Signs With Gersh". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  32. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (July 16, 2024). "Neon Takes Worldwide Rights To Chris Stuckmann's Horror Film 'Shelby Oaks'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  33. ↑ Eriksen, Kaare (January 8, 2025). "3 Theatrical Film Slates to Watch in the Year Ahead". Variety . Archived from the original on January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
  34. ↑ "I married the most beautiful woman alive 1 year ago. She's still putting up with me! Happy anniversary @papiliodream!". Twitter . September 20, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  35. ↑ Damshenas, Sam (January 14, 2021). "YouTuber and film critic Chris Stuckmann comes out as pansexual". Gay Times . Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  36. ↑ Tracer, Dan (January 17, 2021). "Popular YouTuber Chris Stuckmann comes out, reveals harrowing past with Jehovah's Witnesses". Queerty . Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  37. ↑ Davies, Matilda (January 15, 2021). "Chris Stuckmann: Pansexual critic comes out in Jehovah's Witness video". PinkNews . Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  38. ↑ colin (June 6, 2021). Stan Twitter: “Yeah, and I’m pan” . Retrieved September 23, 2024– via YouTube.
  39. ↑ A New Journey Begins, November 21, 2021, retrieved November 21, 2021
  40. 1 2 Stuckmann, Chris (March 5, 2016). The Film Buff's Bucket List: The 50 Movies of the 2000s to See Before You Die. Mango Media Inc. ISBN   9781633530942 – via Google Books.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.