Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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Wish

John Stark

Wish landed with all the enthusiasm of an audience that did not enjoy the 2022 Disney entry Strange World. There was too much weight on this film being a part of Disney’s 100 years celebration. It was supposed to somehow represent the totality of everything that came after Walt first conceived the mouse that would go on to launch an empire. Somehow, Wish would bring in the audiences who loved early Disney animation like Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, the middle years with 101 Dalmatians, the dark times of The Black Cauldron, the renaissance of The Lion King, the … Continue reading Wish

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The Boys In The Boat

John Stark

This was a late stage potential Oscar spoiler. Amazon posting a George Clooney directed film over the Christmas frame felt so much like what they tried to do with The Tender bar. While Ben Affleck did get a little traction for his supporting turn in that film, these Boys rowed on a path to nowhere. perhaps, because, we’ve seen an inspirational sports drama about almost everything already. So, a film about the underdogs at the historic Berlin Olympics who got there by rowing crew, perhaps wasn’t the Oscar bait we thought it might be. Based on the best-selling novel of … Continue reading The Boys In The Boat

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The Small Screen Diaries- 05/02/24

John Stark

I’ll start off with the good news! The Connor’s is coming back for a short final season on ABC. So they will get to finish on their own terms. Now the less good news. I did try to watch Jeopardy Masters (Hulu) and no audio description was available. This is disappointing, not that it stopped me, as I’m there to try and answer those trivia questions too, but I did want to point that out. I made it through the third episode of Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix), which I’m really enjoying, and even though they have a ‘case of the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/02/24

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The Truth Vs Alex Jones

John Stark

In the grand tradition of versus movies like last years Lakota Nation vs United States, or more comically lined up entries like Godzilla Vs Kong, Freddy Vs Jason, Ecks Vs Sever, or Joe Vs The Volcano, now we have another battle. Though, much like if Joe were to actually be fighting a real volcano, there is a clear winner here and it isn’t Alex Jones. This MAX documentary with audio description from Zoo Digital.I’m sure that if you are here, you already have an opinion, and you have already made up your mind if this is in your wheel house … Continue reading The Truth Vs Alex Jones

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The Small Screen Diaries- 05/01/24

John Stark

X-Men 97 (Disney Plus) is back again this week with the first in a two parter, which hopefully isn’t the season finale but probably is. Bastion has revealed himself and his plan, and the X-Men are outnumbered and outgunned, even with the additional support from Cable.Some classic phrases during this episode, including Beast and his “My stars and garters!” And Professor X with “To me, my X-Men!”, not to mention the iconic phrase “Magneto was right.” Shoutouts to Omega Red and Silver Samurai were welcomed, and seeing Roberto finally using all of his powers to save Jubilee was nice. Can … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/01/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 04/30/24

John Stark

I’ve seen some stuff on the internet where I guess the woman who feels that Baby Reindeer (Netflix) is about her is calling herself a victim. That’s an interesting take. One thing is for sure, the producers of the show do not consider Martha to be a victim. Episode 3 got a little more nuts as she continued to get a little more over the top, and we’re still in the first half of this series. Like, she’s physically attacking people, and spending hours upon hours outside his flat. I’m scared of where this goes. The audio description is terrific … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 04/30/24

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Lisa Frankenstein

John Stark

Sometimes it’s fun to watch the reactions to a film, and then to watch it for myself, and still enjoy a film that seemingly not many people enjoyed. I think that is very much the case with Lisa Frankenstein, which is currently streaming on peacock with audio description. The directorial debut of Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late Robin Williams, off a script from Juno scribe Diablo Cody. Clearly, Williams has a quirky sense of humor, no doubt influenced by her father, and all the gaming they did together. Robin was a big fan of World Of Warcraft, and … Continue reading Lisa Frankenstein

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The Small Screen Diaries- 04/29/24

John Stark

I started off my day with the cheerful Ripley (Netflix), which really put the audio description to work. He killed again, and the attention to detail as Tom spent all this time trying to figure out how to dispose of a body, and clean everything up, really made me appreciate the audio description so much more. probably the best example so far of why this episode needed audio description, even if I did get the stomach churning image of Tom kissing a corpse thanks to the description. So gross. Renegade Nell (Disney Plus) is just a surprise charmer of a … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 04/29/24

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Little Wing

John Stark

We’ve made a movie about almost every single sport there is. I think what happened here, is that someone noticed that there was a gaping hole where “racing pigeons” was, and decided to write an inspirational sports drama around that. Sadly, instead of this making any sense whatsoever, they rope in an angsty teenager as the lead. So, a sport almost no one knows anything about is talked about by teens like they probably talk about the latest hashtag trends. At its core, it is a heartwarming film with room for improvement. A coming of age story wrapped in a … Continue reading Little Wing

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Shirley

John Stark

Regina King as Shirley Chisholm seemed like a no brainer in terms of Oscar bait. However, Netflix’s Shirley had these rumored poor test screenings, which is likely why it exited the 2023 Oscar race, and wound up in early 2024. That’s a shame, because while not totally breaking new ground, Shirley did mostly deliver as promised. King actually delivers a powerhouse performance as Shirley Chisholm. Shirley is a captivating look at the politician’s 1972 presidential campaign. Shirley leans into the challenges presented by being the first black female Presidential candidate in a race dominated by white men. There’s a shot … Continue reading Shirley

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The Small Screen Diaries- 04/28/24

John Stark

Yesterday, i finally started the buzzy Korean horror show Parasite: The Grey (Netflix), which wastes no time in jumping into its plot. It has a lot of explaining to do, so it doesn’t bother with any lead in before the events. In many ways, that is what makes it a strong pilot, is you know exactly what this show is. There is no main character prior to the alien invasion, but we find one after the fact. This show definitely uses body horror, and is very gory, and the audio description leans into that. I’m so happy Netflix decided to … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 04/28/24

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10 Actors Most Likely To Get Their First Oscar Nomination This Year

John Stark

Last year was a great year for first timers. Cillian Murphy, Coleman Domingo, Jeffrey Wright, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hueller, Sterling K Brown, Danielle Brooks, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Emily blunt, and America Ferrera all became Oscar nominees. this year, we take a look at the 10 actors most likely to get their first acting nomination this year. 1) Best Actor: Daniel Craig (Queer) Craig, hot off his tenure as James Bond, and following some excellent stage work, has teamed up with Luca Guadanino on his second film of 2024. With a more Oscar friendly release pattern than Challengers, it is likely … Continue reading 10 Actors Most Likely To Get Their First Oscar Nomination This Year

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Stormy

John Stark

When I heard this dropped at SXSW I really thought something would come of it. I didn’t realize it would just quickly shift to Peacock. The funny thing, is that I subscribe to the “ad supported” version. It normally doesn’t bother me, because with a movie, you get a bunch of commercials up front, and then the movie is uninterrupted. Stormy had commercials throughout. Peacock really didn’t care about this doc. Should you? Why am i even asking this question. If you don’t already have an opinion on this going into it, I’d be shocked. yes, it’s a Stormy Daniel’s … Continue reading Stormy

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The Royal Hotel

John Stark

I think this Aussie backpacking thriller dropped in late 2023, before winding up on Hulu. This was something I didn’t manage to squeeze in before the Oscars, but I was pretty sure wouldn’t be effecting my votes on the best of the year. I do like Julia Garner, but this had some mixed reviews, and seemed to disappear pretty quickly. Hulu didn’t even bother to acquire the audio description for this film, so I was stuck watching this thriller without it. Here’s why it needed it. the movie centers on two friends who are backpacking on a budget across the … Continue reading The Royal Hotel

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the Small Screen Diaries- 04/27/24

John Stark

I finally allowed myself to finish the incredibly short third season of Girls5Eva (Netflix) and I really I’m sad there aren’t more episodes of this now. I really hope Netflix sticks with this, especially considering it ends on a cliffhanger. I think the show changed a little bit moving to Netflix, but mostly for really positive ways. I did miss Andrew Rannells a bit, so maybe he could pop in and guest in Season 4? The audio description here is doing pretty solid work for a sitcom with constant dialogue. I’m not loving the tier system that much. I tried … Continue reading the Small Screen Diaries- 04/27/24