Venom: The Last Dance- We had three films in the Spider-Man Cinematic Universe in 2024, a move that likely stripped Sony of some of their cash flow, and this was easily the best of the three. Somehow, the people behind the Venom films have understood to some extent why Venom is popular as a stand alone character, and managed to craft a trilogy of films out of him. Still, with all the multiverse and Spider-Verse possibilities, I hope this isn’t the last we see of Venom, as he could be quite terrific in the right hands. But, in a slightly more accessible, more family friendly way, his final outing in The Last Dance serves as an OK ending to an OK trilogy. None of these films defined comic book adaptations, but none really failed it either. the first was a solid introduction to Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and the entity known as venom, but didn’t know what to do with Michelle Williams or its villain, who is deeply forgettable. Then, Venom: Let There Be Carnage seemed to fix one problem, by giving us a villain that is impossible to ignore, yet the script and clunky way of introducing Carnage put a lot of critics off. Woody Harrelson may not seem like the first choice, but he did Ok. This last film, is a road trip buddy comedy that mixes with an alien invasion. Once again, the villains are bland, Michelle Williams has totally vanished, and the supporting characters are nowhere near as interesting as the dynamic of Venom and Eddie. But, was it watchable? Yes. And, I didn’t hate myself after either. It wrapped up what came before it, and put a close to the series of ill fated spinoffs that Sony insists on failing with. Their only marginal success has concluded, and we are better for it, but we will be even better if Venom gets transferred into competent hands. Even that argument is hard to find in the current MCU, as Kevin Feige seems to have a difficult time managing multiple properties, and a gigantic universe. Could venom show up one day? Yes. And he should. Aside from Green Goblin, Venom makes the most sense, and should Ryan Reynolds ever tire of playing Deadpool, a recast for a new Venom from a multiverse could give the Marvel films another fan favorite anti-hero. the audio description is pretty great, describing the many times that Venom seems to partially separate from Eddie. There are other symbiotes to describe, as well as aliens, and a pretty fun final battle. Venom also steals a drunk guy’s clothes. It’s a mixed bag, but plenty to describe, and describe well. It’s bittersweet to see this end, but I’d rather see him in better films. he has had a rough time getting brought to the screen, and perhaps when the Spider-Verse trilogy is over, the team will be willing to take on an animated Venom movie that resembles the 90’s Spawn cartoon. that would be badass.

Fresh: Final Grade: C+, Audio Description: A-

La cocina- A movie we all need right now. the immigrant experience is alive and well in this Spirit Award nominated entry, which lacked audio description when I screened it. Rooney Mara is the most instantly recognizable star, but this feels like a really intense and somehow more dramatic version of The Bear (which really needs to stop competing as a comedy). It isn’t entirely in English, and that did put a chasm between myself and fully being invested in the characters, but I’m hopeful at some point I’ll find this again with audio description. I liked it enough to say it is a safe recommend for those who are sighted, but it is a pass for those who are not. At least, until our accessibility needs are met.

no Grade Due To Lack Of Audio Description

Cash Out- Around the end of 2024, I was watching lists getting released of the best and worst. I actually caught this on some worst lists, and wanted to see if the hype was real. It was just living on Hulu, so it took nothing from me except time. John Travolta stars as a charismatic bank robber stuck in this odd cat and mouse game with the horribly miscast Kristin Davis, and without audio description, it relied a lot on travolta’s banter. I’ve seen him do much worse, as a sighted person, and blind. Travolta apparently either is working just for money, or doesn’t read scripts. This probably isn’t a good movie even with audio description, but with over 450 titles in 2024 watched, Cash Out wasn’t even in my bottom 25. I’m not saying there’s much of a chance of me finding a reason to go positive on this, so this is not a recommend, merely an acknowledgement that there was far worse, and this is just deeply mediocre, and possibly a little incompetent in terms of the cast beyond Travolta. Even his crew didn’t seem up to the task, but I never bought Davis in her role. She also never had any chemistry with Travolta, which they are at least supposed to have some flirtation. Pass on this.

No Grade Due to Lack Of Audio Description