Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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Ride The Eagle

John Stark

Starring: Jake johnson, Susan Sarandon, JK Simmons, and Darcy Carden. Directed By: Trent O’Donnell Where I Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Available?: No. Plot: Leaf (Johnson) is a transient musician living two shakes away from rock bottom when he discovers that his estranged mother (Sarandon) has died, and left him her cabin in the woods, provided he finish her bucket list. What Works: Full disclosure, as a blind critic, reviewing something without audio description, you can take this however you want. There is a good idea buried in this film that after multiple rewrites might have actually had some … Continue reading Ride The Eagle

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The Eternals

John Stark

Starring: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Rudolf, Kit Harrington, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, and bill Skarsgard. Directed By: Chloe zhao Where I Watched it: Disney Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Inexplicably set in the same marvel Cinematic universe as everything else that has been happening, there are these celestial beings that travel all throughout the universe, and on Earth there is a specific group, The Eternals, that are here for a reason not even they fully understand… nor will the audience. What Works:…I’ll get back to you on that. What Doesn’t WWork: … Continue reading The Eternals

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The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things

John Stark

Starring: Kyle Allen, Katherine Newton, Jermaine Harris, Josh Hamilton, Al Madrigal, and jorja Fox. Directed By Ian Samuels Where I Watched it: Amazon English Audtio Description Available?: Yes The plot: You’ve seen this before. it’s a time loop movie, that actually even directly references past time loop/time travel movies, just so you know that it knows it’s not breaking new ground. In this variation, a teenager (Allen) is repeating the same day, and in his day he has fallen for a mysterious girl (Newton), with whom he spends an uncomfortable amount of time trying to get her to change a … Continue reading The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things

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8 Bit Christmas

John Stark

Starring: Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Zahn, June Diane Raphael, Winslow Fegley, and David Cross. Directed By; Michael Dows Where I Watched it: HBO MAX English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: In present day, a father (Harris) deals with his daughter requesting a cell phone for Christmas by recounting when he was eleven and really wanted a Nintendo for Christmas. What Works: Look, I know this film isn’t reinventing the wheel here. The storytelling aspect that helped make The princess Bride such a hit, as it cut back and forth between the banter from Peter Falk and Fred Savage, and … Continue reading 8 Bit Christmas

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The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

John Stark

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, Richard E Grant, Caroline Goodall, Gary Oldman Directed By: Patrick Hughes Where I Watched It: HBO MAX English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A bunch of Hollywood executives saw the box office results for The Hitman’s Bodyguard and decided to try and turn it into the next buddy cop type action franchise. True to form, a third is added prominently into their dynamic, giving Salma Hayek more screen time than in the first film. And, because talent was inexplicably drawn to the franchise, Antonio Banderas … Continue reading The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

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F9: The Fast Saga

John Stark

Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Cena, Charlize Theron, Sung Kang, Kurt Russell, Jordan’s Brewster, Helen Mirren, Shea Wiggum, JD Pardo, Lucas Black, Shad Moss Directed By: Justin Lin Where I Watched It; VOD (Apple) English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Family. But seriously, for the ninth entry in this franchise, Vin Diesel expertly gaslights you through an insanely improbable storyline, using a ton of flashbacks, to tie in a story and make it seem like it was always inevitable, and you just weren’t paying attention. Explaining the plot is a spoiler in itself, … Continue reading F9: The Fast Saga

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Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

John Stark

Starring (or featuring the voices of): James Corden, Rose Byrne, Domnhall Gleason, Lenny James, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debecki, Sam Neil, Hayley Atwell, and Sia. Directed By: Will Gluck Where I Watched It: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: Yes The plot: Picking up basically where the first film left off, Peter (Corden) and his extended animal family now live sin somewhat harmony with their respective humans (Byrne and Gleason), the former of whom uses the cute critters for her own work… much the same way Beatrix Potter did by writing the books. Get it? It’s like..this is real life. But all … Continue reading Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

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Good Sam (Pilot)

John Stark

Starring: Sophia Bush and Jason Issacs. Where I Watched It: Paramount plus (though it airs on CBS) English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: The Good Sam in this question is a doctor (Bush) who works at the same hospital as her father (Issacs), who is the Chief of Surgery, and the two have a contentious relationship. He’s a brilliant doctor, but she believes she is as well, and he just doesn’t see that. She’s about to leave when (this is not a spoiler) her dad is shot and lands in a coma. While he’s in a coma, she becomes … Continue reading Good Sam (Pilot)

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The Cleaning Lady (Pilot)

John Stark

Starring: Eloise young, Adan Canto, and Oliver Hudson? Where I Watched it: Hulu (though it airs on Fox) English Audio Description Available?: No. The plot: A doctor (Yung) who is here illegally to get her son a special kind of medical treatment works crappy jobs, not as a doctor, until a version of the mob needs her to become…The Cleaning Lady. What Works; Eloise Yung deserves to breakout as a star, and despite this show being something destined for cancellation, I hope Hollywood doesn’t give up on her. I’d love to see her back with Marvel. What Doesn’t Work: It’s … Continue reading The Cleaning Lady (Pilot)

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Cloud Atlas

John Stark

Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, James D’Arcy, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess Directed By: The Wachowski Where I Watched It: Netflix (though this was not my first time) English Audio Description Available?: Hell Yes. Plot: People. Over time. Stories. Intertwined. I’ve now seen this film twice, and trying to describe it seems still like a monumental task. The film stretches over thousands of years, imagining actors almost as reincarnations of themselves across time in completely different circumstances and explores deep themes like human connection and fate. What Works: Well, for the sighted, I do remember … Continue reading Cloud Atlas

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Together Together

John Stark

Starring: Ed Helms, Patty Harrison, Nora Dunn, Fred Melahmed, and Tig Notaro. Directed By: Nicole Beckwith Where I Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Available?: No. The Plot: A 40 something man (Helms) decides that despite being single, he is at the point in his life where he wants to be a father. So, he connects with a surrogate (Harrison), and the two begin on a nine month journey that certainly tests all preconceived notions these two may have had about how this thing is supposed to happen. What Works: Well, what may work for me may not work for … Continue reading Together Together

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This Is The Night

John Stark

Starring: Naomi Watts, Frank Grillo, Bobby Cannavale, and Method Man. Directed By James DeMonaco Where i Watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: No. The Plot: It’s 1982, we’re on Staten Island, and Rocky 3 has just hit theatres. You’d be surprised what you can do with just that longline. What Works: This movie was admittedly hard to follow, but the heart of the story are these boys living in Staten Island when Rocky 3 is first released, and their west to view this film in a way that treats Rocky 3 like some massive cinematic event. It’s amazing. And … Continue reading This Is The Night

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Don’t Look Up

John Stark

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah hill, Cate Blanchett, Timothy Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Tyler Perry, Michael Chili’s, Paul Guilfoyle, Kid Cudi, Mark Rylance, and Melanie Lyndsey. Directed By Adam McKay Where I Watched It: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Born obviously out of a lot of current events, two scientists (DiCaprio and Lawrence) embark on a journey to convince people that there is a.comet headed directly at earth and will cause an extinction level event. What Works: You’ve probably already heard about this film, an you probably already have an idea of whether or not … Continue reading Don’t Look Up

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The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

John Stark

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry jones, Vincent D’Onofrio Directed By Michael Showalter Where I Watched It: HBO MAX English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A rather endearing and sympathetic biopic about Tammy Faye Bakker (Chastain), from her life as a little girl, brought up with a deep religious conviction, and later introduced to the charismatic Jim (Garfield), who has some very interesting ideas about preaching and wealth. Which, of course, leads to his eventual downfall. Along the way, we see them interact with lovely human beings like Jerry Falwell (D’Onofrio). What Works: Showalter has decided to share his … Continue reading The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

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Ron’s Gone Wron

John Stark

Featuring The Voices Of Jack Dylan Grazer, Zack Galafanakis, Olivia Coleman, Ed Helms, Rob Delaney, Justice Smith Directed By: Sarah Smith, Jean-Philippe Vine, and Octavio E Rodriguez Where I Watched It: Disney Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes Plot: It’s another boy and his robot story. This type of film needs its own genre by now. There’s Barry (Grazer), an outcast in a rather dystopian view of the future, where kids and their connection to social media is so insane that a corporation (yes, presumably evil) has created robots that are even more tapped into the social network, forcing kids … Continue reading Ron’s Gone Wron