Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
TVLeave a comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- December 7th

John Stark

Six shows on the block today. Did I like all of them? Is something atypically up front, with at least one of these shows airing their season finale? Trying to build some suspense here. 6) A Friend Of The family (Peacock) English Audio Description?: Yes What on God’s green earth is happening on this show? Was this really the best structure they felt like we needed for this show? The first episode went from 0-100 in a blink of an eye, and we never really got to know anybody. Then the second episode was creepy as hell, but I still … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- December 7th

TVLeave a comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- December 6th

John Stark

Five shows entered the arena today (though I also managed three films). Which one ended up on top? 5) Tell Me A lie Tell Me Lies (Hulu) English Audio Description?: Yes Despite the fact that the rest of the cast returned after that Steven episode, the show isn’t regaining the kind of momentum I’d like it to. It’s really just making me wonder why I’m sticking with it till the end, when i know there’s a new season of Gossip Girl. Episode Grade: C+ 4) Devil In Ohio (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes I’ve already had it with May, victim … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- December 6th

RIPLeave a comment

RIP Kirstie Alley

John Stark

I think I’ve always enjoyed Kirstie’s sarcastic approach to humor. It was very much presentational, with a broad “here I am” and screw anyone who doesn’t like it. Of course, her struggles with weight would be revealed later on in life, but that part of her career was never a problem for me. i don’t know why we don’t expect actresses to change over the course of time. Having this unrealistic expectation that they will weigh the same 85 pounds they wore when they were a barely legal ingenue in their first film is always a bit of a stretch. … Continue reading RIP Kirstie Alley

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

John Stark

Where I watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Provided By: Descriptive Video Works I just wrote a review about Spirited where i said explicitly that when you take one of these overadapted stories, you ahve to bring something original to it. Apple seemed ready to go with Spirited, but the Netflix shat out this nonsense. It’s just a C-Level adaptation of A Christmas Carol, full of forgettable pop songs written sort of in the style of music theatre, that paid for a good cast. in fact, it’s that cast that makes the film worth a damn. Luke Evans, Olivia Coleman, … Continue reading Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

God Forbid

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Provided By: Point 360 Narrated By: Tanzi Alexander Remember Jerry falwell Jr.? The scandal that brought down the head of Liberty University? Well, this is a documentary about that, but produced by Adam McKay, so it can’t just be a documentary about that. it has to be broad as hell. One of the things that works really well is that God Forbid creates a safe, credible environment for Giancarlo (the third man in that holy sandwich) to come forward and tell his story, in a reinforced and straight forward manner. If anything, … Continue reading God Forbid

TVLeave a comment
John Stark

The Too Much TV Roundup- December 5th New week. new mix up of what I’ve been keeping up with. 5) Rami (Hulu) English Audio Description?: Yes I feel like somehow this season is different in that the show is no longer Rami centric. Take this episode, which treats Rami almost as a passing thought. his sister seemed to be more of a focus, like Rami is searching for that ensemble magic that it didn’t quite start out with, but in order to do so, it almost has to totally abandon its lead character entirely. I think there’s a happy medium, … Continue reading

AwardsLeave a comment

Talking Oscars: The Top Screenplay Contenders

John Stark

After covering Picture, Director, and all the acting categories, I acknowledge that I could have split these into two different days. But they’re so similar in nature, I figured let’s just do this damn thing. So, here is a look at the top 15 Adapted and Top 15 Original Screenplay contenders. Adapted: 1) Women Talking Sarah Polley’s dialogue heavy script is a solid contender in multiple categories, but with the strength of it all around, it feels like it could be the early front runner here. The biggest problem is that the number two contender could have also just been … Continue reading Talking Oscars: The Top Screenplay Contenders

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Mickey: The Story of A Mouse

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Disney Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes With all the content dropping on Disney Plus right now, it’s totally possible for you to lose touch with this seemingly innocuous doc. Except, this isn’t just some random crap Disney Plus is generating to fill a void, but rather it’s a real documentary from the director of Won’t You Be My Neighbor. So, we’ve got a proven track record here. Still, it’s a documentary about mickey commissioned by Disney, so it’s only ever going to be just so deep. Mostly, this works as fan service. It does somewhat … Continue reading Mickey: The Story of A Mouse

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Fantasy Football

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Paramount Plus English Audio Description?: Yes I’m sure that the creators of Fantasy Football would prefer I dive right into just how fantastic their film is. No. They don’t get that. Today, we’re going to talk about the non-existent magical properties of lightning. Now, don’t get me wrong. lots of characters in films have been struck by lightning as a means for them to achieve whatever they need to achieve. Generally, it’s handled with some sort of reverence for the force of the lightning itself. You know, that pesky thing that tends to kill us regular … Continue reading Fantasy Football

TVLeave a comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- December 4th

John Stark

More Covid reviews, now brought to you in part by the drugs I’m on to fight Covid. Some good stuff. 6) American Gigolo (Paramount Plus/Showtime) English Audio Description Available?: No Since paramount Plus has quietly told me to go fuck myself for three months, I’ve decided to continue to review Showtime content despite the fact they won’t import the existing audio description. Yes, if you subscribe directly to Showtime, they have been making an effort to add audio description to all of their newer shows, going back at least as far as Yellowjackets. So, here we sit with American Gigolo, … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- December 4th

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

The Noel Diary (Netflix)

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Netflix English Audio Description Provided By: International Digital Center Written By: CJ Hardy Initially, I was interested in this film because I’ve become a fan of Justin hArtley after he learned how to act on This Is Us. but then, I noticed this film was directed by Charles Schrier, who actually has legit film credits. this isn’t just some random director known for churning out Christmas movies for Hallmark or Lifetime every year, but rather from the writer/director of Baby Boom and Father Of the Bride part 2. Sure, he’s not Spielberg, but he’s proven himself … Continue reading The Noel Diary (Netflix)

TV1 Comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- December 3rd

John Stark

My first day of Covid viewing. I tested positive, so looks like I won’t be going anywhere for a while. Just in case you didn’t know already, Covid sucks. 7) Interview With A Vampire (AMC Plus) English Audio Description?: No The streaming service that is struggling, with a parent company that is laying off its workforce, and recently reversed its decision to air a second season of moonHaven, still hasn’t done anything about the audio description on the interview With A Vampire adaptation. It’s actually a shame, because beneath the really hard to follow story elements are some good moments. … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- December 3rd

Movie Review2 Comments

The Swimmers

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Netflix Audio Description Provided By: Post haste Digital Written By: William McDonaugh Narrated by: Tanzi Alexander Yes, the film is about Syrian refugees, and it also looks a bit like none of the actors in the film are stars, so you can be forgiven for thinking this might perhaps be Syria’s entry (or some other country) into the Oscar race. While the characters do speak a lot in their native tongue for the first act of the film, this is a journey of a movie that takes its leads into other countries, where they speak English. … Continue reading The Swimmers

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Spirited

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Apple Plus English Audio Description?: Yes I think Charles Dickens Christmas Carol must be one of the most over adapted works ever, if not the most. The difference between it and say something like Little Women, is that we frequently get the same old story, but with a twist. An example of your not typical Carol would be bill Murray’s Scrooged. Although, Murray isn’t the only one. Even a recent episode of the animated FOX comedy The Great North repurposed A Christmas Carol. I’m sure everyone has their own favorite version, their perfect way this story … Continue reading Spirited

TVLeave a comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- December 2nd

John Stark

Five shows. Not all had audio description, Guess which ones lost? 5) Wedding Season (Hulu) English Audio Description Available?: No It’s been about a month since I called in to Hulu and had a conversation about the lack of audio description on a show that is a Hulu original. The tech even acknowledged that this was a known issue that Hulu was trying to resolve. Here, it’s December, and the 2nd episode still doesn’t have audio description. This show came out in September. Sometimes, it’s the actions of these corporations that state just exactly how important inclusivity is, and how … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- December 2nd