Who I Am
Welcome to my review haven! I'm Alyssa Charpentier, an author and freelance essayist passionate about powerful stories and analyzing everything from the trendy and recent to the overlooked, misunderstood, and forgotten media of our time. My thoughts on film, music, and popular culture are featured in PopMatters, Film East, Asian Movie Pulse, Geeks Under Grace, and Today's Christian Living Magazine.
As a critic, I publish all reviews and ratings in the spirit of artistic integrity and authenticity. If I don't like something — even if the rest of the world does — I'll say so! And I'll stamp a star rating and a Charp/Dull personal approval (or disapproval) seal on it to go with.
Favorite Film Genres:
Science fiction/kaiju, monsters
• Disaster
• Dystopian
• Fantasy
• Apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic
• Psychological horror/thriller
• Theological horror
• Christian
• Drama
• Adventure
• Coming-of-age
• War/WWII
• Satire/existential commentary
• Classics
Review & Rating System
You’ve heard of the Tomatometer and films that are certified “fresh” or “rotten”, but on Stay Charp Cinema, I have…
CHARP ✒️
Films (and music) that are, per my judgment, creative successes, or “sharp” entertainment
DULL 🪨
Films (and music) that are dull, disappointing, or generally failed artistic endeavors
Star Ratings
Stars measure both a film’s objective standalone quality and its quality as comparable to others in its genre.
NOTE: All movies aren’t created equal, and star ratings aren’t everything; a film reviewed on this site may have a lower star rating but still be certified Charp because it is, overall, a recommendable movie.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐= exceptional, masterful, almost no flaws
⭐⭐⭐⭐= excellent with some flaws
⭐⭐⭐= solid and entertaining with notable flaws
⭐⭐= unsatisfactory, some highlights with major flaws
⭐= unenjoyable, disappointing, and not recommended
Charpentier’s Choice Films
Anything marked “Charpentier’s Choice” with a “🌟” glowing star is a favorite of mine and comes highly recommended for readers with similar taste.