Author: John Stark

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

John Stark

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Mary Steenburgen, Ron Perlman, Jim Beaver, Tim Blake Nelson, Holt McCallany, and Clifton Collins Jr. Directed By: Guillermo Del Toro Where I Watched It: Hulu English Audio Description Available: Hulu hates blind people, so no. Of course, I’m sure it exists, it’s just hulu can never be bothered to acquire audio description. The Plot: A charming con artist )Cooper) learns how to manipulate people through learning from carnies, and believes he’s landed the ultimate con, with the help of a psychologist (Blanchett) who may be … Continue reading Nightmare Alley

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The Power Of The Dog

John Stark

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Directed By Jane Campion. The Plot: Two brothers (Cumberbatch and Plemons) run a ranch, and their lives are forever changed when one marries a widow (Dunst), who has a rather interesting son (Smit-McPhee) that seems very at odds with the environment around him. Lots of long staring and heavy thinking ensue. What Works and What Doesn’t: Usually, I break these into two fairly divided sections, but The Power Of The Dog is not a typical film, so it gets atypical treatment. This is not my first rodeo with Jane Campion’s … Continue reading The Power Of The Dog

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Long Story Short

John Stark

Starring: Rafe Spall Directed By: Josh Lawson Where I Watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: No The Plot: Time loop/travel movie alert! This time, a man )Spall) wakes up the morning after his wedding to discover that through a magical chance occurrence, his life jumps forward in time every few minutes. Life truly is short. What Works: I’ve been really appreciating the work that Rafe Spall has been doing on Apple’s drama Trying, so seeing him elevated to sole lead in this comedy was an interesting idea. There literally isn’t anyone in this cast other than Spall whose name … Continue reading Long Story Short

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Mayor Pete

John Stark

Starring: Pete and Chastain and a bunch of other people along the way. Directed By: Jesse Moss Where I Watched it: Amazon English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A documentary attempting to chart the meteoric rise of the Mayor of South Bend as he embarks on his quest to become the first openly gay President of the United States. What Works: Well, the runtime is pretty accessible. Not to insult Pete, but I think a long documentary about him would be a bit much at this point in time. Hopefully, he will continue to be a major player in … Continue reading Mayor Pete

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The Last Night In Soho

John Stark

Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Michael Ajao, Syonnve Karlson, Jessie Mai Li, and Terence Stamp. Directed By Edgar Wright Where I Watched it: Apple (VOD) English Audio Description Available: Yes The Plot: Ellie (McKenzie) heads off to school with big dreams, and stumbles into a portal back to the 1960’s where everything seems much sexier, and Ellie finds herself engaged in this fantastical world, that soon starts to unravel everything she knows. What Works: I don’t want to spoil things, but I might say some things here that are slightly spoilery depending on how much … Continue reading The Last Night In Soho

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Dear Evan Hansen

John Stark

Starring: Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Danny Pino, Colton Ryan, Amandla Stenberg, and ink Dodani, Directed By Stephen Chbosky Where I Watched it: Apple VOD English Audio Description Available? Yes The Plot: Based on the Tony winning musical about a despondent youth (Platt) who after a chance encounter with a classmate (Ryan), who shortly after ends up committing suicide, is thrown into a complicated world of white lies and blurred lines that continue to get out of control. What Works: So the source material is strong. I loved hearing so many of the songs here, and especially … Continue reading Dear Evan Hansen

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Promised Land (Pilot)

John Stark

Starring: John Ortiz (and I suppose Bellamy Young?) Where I Watched it: Hulu (though it originally airs on ABC) English Audio Description Available? So far, yes. The Plot: Centers around a Latinx family that owns a winery, and has done rather well for themselves… but dark secrets abound. What Works: So, there’s a natural desire to jump up and down about John Ortiz finally getting to lead his own…something. He’s worked so hard in supporting character roles for years, I want this to work for him. I’m also a fan of Bellamy Young. I’m not familiar with the rest of … Continue reading Promised Land (Pilot)

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Summer Of Soul Or How The Revolution Could Not Be Televised

John Stark

Featuring footage that includes many major black musicians around in 1969, as well as interviews and commentary from current day talking heads. Directed By: Questlove Where I Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Available? Yes The Plot: Questlove revisits the Harlem Music Festival from the summer of 1969 that was such a celebration of black artists and black pride, and deeply personal. What Works: So there are different schools of thought on what I’m about to say here. The latter being that when a documentarian is so deeply connected to their own subject material they can run the risk of … Continue reading Summer Of Soul Or How The Revolution Could Not Be Televised

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The First Wave

John Stark

Starring: A bunch of first responders and medical professionals who might have saved your life. Directed By: Matthew Heineken Where I Watched It; Hulu English Audio Description Available?: No. The Plot: Taking a rather voyeuristic approach to the beginning of the Covid pandemic, director Matthew Heineken makes a film that not just shows us what these hospitals and their staff were going through, but attempts to encapsulate that period of time for future generations. What Works: Well, it’s hard to hate on a film that is largely celebratory of the hard working medical professionals who spend so many hours, days, … Continue reading The First Wave

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Nobody

John Stark

Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, RZA, and Michael Ironsides. Directed By Ilya Naishuller Where I Watched it: HBO MAX English Audio Description Available?: Yes Plot: A seemingly mild mannered middle aged man (Odenkirk) has his life turned upside down after a home invasion goes too far… and his daughter loses her kitty Kay bracelet. What Works:This was a ton of fun. I had heard some really good things, and in a sub genre already dominated with the Taken and john Wick universes, it was a nice take on a retreaded format. And imagining Bob Odenkirk as an action … Continue reading Nobody

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The French Dispatch

John Stark

Starring: Benecio Del Toro, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Tulsa Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Henry Winkler, Jeffrey Wright, Saorise Ronan, Owen Wilson, Lois Smith, Tony Revolutions, Anjelica Bette Fellini, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Waltz, Anjelica Huston, Liev Schrieber, Lea Seymour, Alex Lawther, Rupert Friend, Griffin Dunne, Fisher Stevens, and Jason Schwartzman. Directed By Wes Anderson Where I Watched It: Apple (VOD) English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot:Follows three different journalistic accounts told by reporters of the fictitious French Dispatch of the Kansas Evening Sun, an American outpost set in a fictional city in France. Truly, this … Continue reading The French Dispatch

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Being The Ricardos

John Stark

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, JK Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Jake Lacy, Clark Gregg, Alia Shankar, and Christopher Dunham. Directed By Aaron Sorkin Where I Watched It: Amazon English Audio Description Available/: Yes The Plot: Following primarily a tumultuous week on the set of I Love Lucy, the cast and crew attempt to put together an episode amidst claims that Lucy (Kidman) is a communist and Desi (Bardem) is a philanderer. The film also uses flashbacks and flash forwards to encapsulate us in the lives of one of America’s most famous and timeless on screen (and off screen) couples. … Continue reading Being The Ricardos

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The Tragedy Of MacBeth

John Stark

Starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Katherine Hunter, Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins, Stephen Root, and Sean Patrick Thomas. Directed By: Joel Coen Where I Watched It: Apple TV Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Unfortunately, this film is not Denzel Washington haunting any daring stage actor who has the courage to say MacBeth instead of “The Scottish Play”. Instead, this is just Shakespeare’s text of Macbeth (Washington) a Scottish lord who becomes convinced that he can make a power grab after consulting with witches (Hunter), and with the full support of his wife (McDormand). What Works: It’s Shakespeare’s text, … Continue reading The Tragedy Of MacBeth

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The Last Duel

John Stark

Starring: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodi Comer, Harriet Walter, and Ben Affleck. Directed By Ridley Scott Where i Watched it: HBO MAX English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot:What a hard movie to market. This story revolves around a knight (Damon), his former squire (Driver), and the titular duel that comes about after a dispute involving the rape of the latter’s wife (Comer). And it is set in the 1300’s, during the reign of Charles VI. What Works: I remember when this film was released theatrically in October, and it bombed. To be honest, I keep my ear to the … Continue reading The Last Duel

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The Tender Bar

John Stark

SStarring: Ty Sheridan, Ben Affleck, Lily Rabe, Max Martini, and Christopher Lloyd. Directed By George Clooney Where I Watched it: Amazon English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: JR narrates this coming of age hybrid following your dreams true story, starting out with himself as a young child being raised by his single mother (Rabe), while living with his grandfather (Lloyd), because his dad is a classic douchebag alcoholic that walked out. JR gets most of his male influence from his Uncle (Affleck), who works at a bar called Dickens, and the various men who frequent his establishment. Later, he … Continue reading The Tender Bar