Author: John Stark

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

The Cathedral

John Stark

Where I Watched It: iTunes English Audio Description?: no I swear, once i start reviewing 2023 movies, it will be very different. I went all in for 2022, and it’s so hard catching up on reviews. i saw this about three weeks ago, and I’m just now getting around to trying to remember a rather artistic film that had no audio description. I’d love to believe I could do it. i can’t. I chose to watch this after I saw it getting some love in some smaller critic awards, mostly for Brian D’Arcy James, who I adore. I would love … Continue reading The Cathedral

Awards, TVLeave a comment

Best of 2022: Top 10 Supporting Actor In A Drama

John Stark

This category had less total people competing for the top 10 than Supporting Actress, though I did still make some tough cuts. One of them being Tyler Labine for new Amsterdam, who made my list last year for his work dealing with a patient that went too far. So who did make the cut? 10) Malcolm Goodwin (Reacher) Amazon 9) Piotr Adamcsyk (For All Mankind) Apple Plus 8) Michael Imperioli (The White lotus) HBO 7) Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul) AMC 6) Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale) Hulu 5) Gary Cole (The Good Fight) Paramount Plus 4) Joe Mantengna (As … Continue reading Best of 2022: Top 10 Supporting Actor In A Drama

TVLeave a comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/21/23

John Stark

8 shows and a movie. That’s what I accomplished, around life stuff. And it looks like no more cancellations for at least one day. 8) The Mysterious Benedict Society (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: Yes Now the gang is split up, lots of fighting, Kate is mad at her dad, Sticky is mad at Constance, and somehow I can’t keep but thinking there must have been a better second season. Episode Grade: B- 7) George and Tammy (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: No I can’t help but think that I’m missing so much in this quieter than you’d expect drama. … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/21/23

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Armageddon Time

John Stark

Where I Watched it: iTunes English Audio Description provided By: The Media Access Group Narrated By: Adrienne Barbeau What I knew about Armageddon Time going in was that it was basically a failed Oscar bait film. It wasn’t getting the kind of reception it had hoped for from all the precursor awards/ That doesn’t always mean a film is bad. Mass got zero nominations last year only because Oscar voters suck. Not because the film did. So maybe Armageddon time was this year’s Mass. It’s not. It’s like Kanye’s fever dream. Racist Jewish people. I’m not really sure what James … Continue reading Armageddon Time

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Retrograde

John Stark

Where i Watched It: Disney Plus English Audio Description?: Yes This pull out of Afghanistan is becoming a hot bed for filmmakers. I already watched the documentary Escape From Kabul earlier this year, and now Retrograde looks to tell a very similar story. My problem here is that while I didn’t give Escape From Kabul a terribly high grade at the time, after watching Retrograde, it’s clearly the better documentary. Escape From Kabul, which is available on HBO MAX, mostly focused on the clusterfuck at the actual airport. It got tons of insane footage, and had interviews with people who … Continue reading Retrograde

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Call Jane

John Stark

Where I Watched it: iTunes English Audio Description?: No This year, I was treated to a fantastic documentary that showed me a part of history I was unfamiliar with. That documentary is The Janes. So, I was interested in a fictional story based around the same concept, even if it didn’t have audio description. The cast here is great, so maybe that all will be enough. And for the most part, it was as good as it could be without audio description. The film centers around a woman who really isn’t necessarily looking to get an abortion until she’s told … Continue reading Call Jane

AwardsLeave a comment

My Final oscar Predictions

John Stark

Oscar nominations are Tuesday morning. Voting has closed. The BAFTA nominees are out. And it’s time. I did fairly well predicting the BAFTA nominees at 80% accuracy and I’m looking to change that here. I won’t bore you to death by going bottom up. I’ll start with the big categories. Because I love my readers. BEST PICTURE 1) Everything Everywhere All At once 2) The Banshees Of inusharon 3) The Fablemans 4) Top Gun Maverick 5) Tar 6) Elvis 7) Avatar The way of Water 8) All Quiet On The Western Front 9) The Whale 10) RRR There are basically … Continue reading My Final oscar Predictions

Awards, TVLeave a comment

Best Of 2022: Top 10 supporting Actress In A Drama Series

John Stark

Working my way down to Top 10 was hard enough. Actually, cutting people to make a top 10 was a lot harder than picking my number one. Usually, that’s also a huge problem, but I knew who this would be when i started. I just didn’t know how 2-10 would shape up. 10) Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaids Tale) Hulu 9 Ruth Jamil (Bridgerton) Netflix 8) Chantel VanSandt (For All Mankind) Apple Plus 7) Audra McDonald (The Good Fight) Paramount Plus 6) Rhea Seahorn (Better Call Saul) AMC 5) Ann Dowd (the Handmaids Tale) Hulu 4) Lisa Emery (Ozark) Netflix 3) … Continue reading Best Of 2022: Top 10 supporting Actress In A Drama Series

TVLeave a comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/20/23

John Stark

I imagine there was a conversation happening yesterday at the Cock that went a little like this… :Look at this dumb fucker. He’s finishing One of us is Lying, like that’s going to matter.” “He has no idea what’s coming.” “What a loser.” Somewhere, in my effort to support this damn thing, they cancelled it the same day i finished the season. Like God forbid I get a heads up on watching something I’m not sure needed a second season.That’s right. I actually don’t care that it got cancelled, nor do i care that CBS is parting ways with the … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/20/23

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Mac and Rita

John Stark

Where i watched it: iTunes (though it’s now on Hulu) English Audio Description?: no I’m not sure even audio description would have saved this film. I don’t know why Diane Keaton is in this. She did Annie hall. Why does she keep choosing these mediocre and terrible films? It’s like she keeps hoping she’ll have another Something’s Gotta Give, but Mac and Rita just isn’t funny. The plot revolves around a young woman who is such an old soul that (you really don’t want to know how, it’s too stupid) becomes an old lady. Suddenly, MAc becomes Rita. hilarious. Most … Continue reading Mac and Rita

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Funny Pages

John Stark

Where I Watched it: iTunes English Audio Description?: Yes Owen kline’s directorial debut is a bold statement for the kinds of stories he wants to tell moving forward. The son of Kevin Kline, who does have an acting background himself, has decided to shoot for this john Waters-lite style. He’s not quite subversive enough to go full Pink Flamingos, but tehre’s something about kline’s adoration for garbage, and featuring a character who believes the only way to ever be a true artist is to start from the bottom. Kline is saying a lot here, not just about artists, but possibly … Continue reading Funny Pages

TVLeave a comment

Best of 2022: Top 10 Ensembles in a Drama Series

John Stark

Just a reminder, that I will be doing my own unique list that covers Sci-Fi and fantasy shows, which might be my most favorite and fun category. So don’t freak our because House Of the Dragon or whatever isn’t on this list. 10) Cobra Kai (Netflix) 9) Bel Air (Peacock) 8) Riches (Amazon) 7) Better Call Saul (AMC) 6) Bridgerton (Netflix) 5) Severance (Apple Plus) 4) The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) 3) Yellowstone (Paramount) 2) Ozark (Netflix) 1) For All Mankind (Apple Plus) This was a tough list, and I’m acutely aware of the fact that I’ve offended everyone by not … Continue reading Best of 2022: Top 10 Ensembles in a Drama Series

TVLeave a comment

Best Of 2022: Top 10 Supporting Actor in A Comedy

John Stark

After giving Ensemble to Abbott Elementary and Supporting Actress to Janelle James, you might be surprised to find out that my category here is so tight, I literally couldn’t fit in Tyler James Williams. So who does make the cut? 10) Chris Redd (Bus Down) Peacock 9) Brooks Ashmankis (Uncoupled) Netflix 8) Christopher Walken (The outlaws) Amazon 7) John Goodman (The Righteous Gemstones) HBo 6) Stephen Merchant (The outlaws) Amazon 5) Frankie Quinones (This Fool) Hulu 4) Tony Shaloub (The Marvelous Ms Maisel) Amazon 3) Henry Winkler (Barry) HBo 2) Paul Reiser (Reboot) Hulu 1) Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) FX … Continue reading Best Of 2022: Top 10 Supporting Actor in A Comedy

TVLeave a comment

Best Of 2022: Top 10 Ensembles For a Comedy Series

John Stark

Catching up on some top 10 ensembles, and I had to leave a lot of great casts off this list. I acknowledge that from Rutherford Falls (Peacock) to The After Party (Apple Plus), lots of ensembles didn’t crack the top 10. 10) Mythic Quest (Apple Plus) 9) Reboot (Hulu) 8) Only Murders In The Building (Hulu) 7) The Outlaws (Amazon) 6) The Righteous Gemstones (HBo MAX) 5) Girls5Eva (Peacock) 4) The Marvelous Ms Maisel (Amazon) 3) Ghosts (Paramount Plus) 2) What We Do In The Shadows (FX) 1) Abbott Elementary (ABC) Maybe it’s cliche to name Abbott Elementary here, but … Continue reading Best Of 2022: Top 10 Ensembles For a Comedy Series

TVLeave a comment

The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/19/23

John Stark

Spotted. Dumpster fire of a streaming service cancels popular show. ZOZO, RIP, Gossip Girl. I didn’t watch much TV yesterday. Sorry. 4) his Dark Materials (HBo MAX) English Audio Description?: Yes I’m at the point where after a few episodes into the third season, I’m not even sure I care if I finish. Perhaps if I had read Phillip Pullman’s books, but I’m so far behind on TV, and this show is dumping religious allegories on me, talking about whether or not Ruth Wilson’s character can be let into the Heaven stand in, and how the original creator isn’t even … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/19/23