Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Rocket Girl

John Stark

Sometimes, you forget that when you critique something, there is a potential for the person you are critiquing to actually read the thing you wrote. Earlier, before being a blind film critic, I did get a couple of shoutouts for my reviews, even without the TomatoMeter approval. Probably the coolest one was Gina Prince-Blythwood who loved that I loved Beyond The Lights. Those in the industry seem to be built for criticism, but what about documentaries? I certainly have had filmmakers reach out, most of them about this thing called audio description that didn’t exist, or the fact that audio … Continue reading Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Rocket Girl

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The Small Screen Diaries: 06/04/26

John Stark

I had an opportunity to log some votes yesterday for the Dorian Awards (TV version), and it was so hard paring down categories. I’m sure there’s some rule about just putting my entire ballot here, I was delighted to find ways to represent shows like Hacks, Shrinking, From, The Testaments, Pluribus, The Pitt, Widows Bay, The Traitors, Chad Powers,Task, and Welcome To Dairy (among others). Shows I talked about how great they were on The Diaries, and then got to put my money where it counted. I’ll be anxious to see if anything I voted for actually makes it to … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/04/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 06/03/26

John Stark

I’ve seen box office projections for this weekend that feel skewed high. I know Backrooms and Obsession might be clouding judgment, but something makes me think that it’ll be hard for Scary Movie to hit 70M while MAsters Of The Universe rakes in 50. I think the brands on those are overclocking.Backroooms and Obsession will still have gas, and with Obsession climbing the past two weekends, predicting it is near impossible, and Backrooms might also have a strong hold. Can all four films perform above 20M? Absolutely. But even if Kane Parsons horror film had a modest 50% drop that … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/03/26

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Movies With Pride: She’s The He

John Stark

Happy Pride! Kicking off my Movies With Pride this year is an Independent Spirit Award Nominee, She’s The He, which bounced around some film festivals before securing a release date right at the beginning of Pride month. This LGBTQ comedy won over audiences with its witty banter, trans positive story, and winning cast. If you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll be surprised. Ethan and Alex are best friends. They are super close, almsot too close. Alex has even developed quite an advanced rapport with Ethan’s mom. But, for some reason, the school has pictured them as a gay couple, … Continue reading Movies With Pride: She’s The He

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Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Blood And Guts

John Stark

So if the phrase is No Guts No Glory, does that mean those who revel in guts have a ton of glory? If so, The Adams Family is overflowing with glory, as their homespun family horror films have found a space within a community of horror fans committed to finding and uncovering the ickiest, scariest, and often, simply films still using practical effects laden films they can find. The Adams Family has produced a number of these, with their fan following only growing, and their presence in the industry attracting more attention. Their last film, Mother Of Flies, hit Shudder … Continue reading Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Blood And Guts

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The Small Screen Diaries: 06/02/26

John Stark

Someone went and listened to my podcast on Spotify. I appreciate you. Also, Netflix just greenlit a sequel to War Machine, and Amazon scrapped their plans to reboot Stargate. TV Shows Watched: Mating Season: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Free Bert: S1E? (Netflix) with audio description, Rooster: S1E55 (HBO MAXX) with audio description, Widows Bay: S1E3 (Apple) with audio description, The Daily SHow: Monday (Paramount) no audio description, Dutton Ranch: S1E3 (Paramount) with audio description Mating Season- The pilot is great, but it feels like all the jokes are coming fast, and I don’t know what longevity look like here. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/02/26

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Saw: The Final Chapter

John Stark

I don’t immediately want to kick off a review with a spoiler, but thank God, it’s over. I mean, it’s not, because they made three more after this, but Saw: The Final Chapter finally decided it was time to jettison Hoffman from the franchise, something they toyed with in the previous film and sadly chickened out on. So in the final installment of what had basically become Saw: Hoffman Boogaloo, we get our least interesting Jigsaw targeting Jill for revenge. Not that this series has ever cared much about anyone’s fate, or saving the good ones, but considering Jill actually … Continue reading Saw: The Final Chapter

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Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Valentina

John Stark

Some movies come at the right time. I’m convinced One Battle After Another benefitted from the time it released in, and people being more drawn to films of that ilk. Valentina won’t win Best Picture, but it certainly taps into the conversation being had, and takes advantage of our political landscape reshaping how we look at our Latinx population, how valuable they are to our economy, and how they could just be contributing if we would let them. Valentina (Keyla Monterroso Mejia) is a wonderful lead, because she lives in El Paso, a border town, and not only do we … Continue reading Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Valentina

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Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Crystal Cross

John Stark

One of the surprises of the 2026 Brooklyn Film Festival is Crystal Cross, a film that could have easily gone down the road of feeling incredibly derivative. Instead, it manages to take the familiar road trip formula and turn it into something far more thoughtful, placing its central characters on a parallel journey that becomes surprisingly philosophical. Dottie, played by Rubyrose Hill, is an aspiring Christian rap artist determined to make her way to the West Coast and get into a recording studio. Along the way, she crosses paths with James, played by Richie James Follin, a terminally depressed man … Continue reading Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Crystal Cross

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The Small Screen Diaries: 06/01/26

John Stark

It is the beginning of Pride month, so look at that. Happy Pride.Also, Marilyn Monroe would be 100. TV Shows Watched: The Wonderfools: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed: S1E2 (Apple) with audio description, Off Campus: S1E2 (Amazon) with audio description, Malcolm In The Middle: Life’s Still Unfair: S1E2 (Disney Plus) with audio description, HTe Comeback: S1E6 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Stranger Things: Tales From 86- S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Last Week TOnight: Most Recent (HBO MAX) no audio description yet, Matlock: S2E? (Paramount) with audio description. The Wonderfools- AI description, and a cheap dub cast. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/01/26

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Saw 6

John Stark

Just a dreadful franchise. I watched in sequential order, and knowing there were 10 of these, by the time I got sucked into Hoffman’s nonsense, I was checked out. Not only do I resent Saw 4-7, but I also now dislike Costas Mandylor as an actor, and a human being.I will forever associate him with the least interesting villain in a horror film,and the demise of a decent concept that is taken in a wild new direction. In the sixth film, Hoffman goes after the man who denied John’s insurance claim for a radical procedure not approved by the FDA … Continue reading Saw 6

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Going In Blind: Seven Snipers

John Stark

No, this is not the legacy sequel to Seven Psychopaths, or even Seven Samurai. Although, it does have a fair amount in common with Seven Samurai, in the whole concept of protecting what is yours, and there being seven people. The film follows an Australian farmer (Radha Mitchell) who is trying to give her daughter the best birthday ever, but first her daughter has to get to school with her boyfriend (although, they have other plans). While she’s away, a mysterious stranger shows up and hints at something from her past, and we learn pretty quickly, she has a particular … Continue reading Going In Blind: Seven Snipers

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Propellor One Way Night Coach

John Stark

I was awake for the film, asleep for the review. I started working on this yesterday, and I fell asleep while pressing the A button on the keyboard, I’m sure that would be an acceptable review. Everyone wants an A, especially a review that is nothing but the letter A. That’s like God level praise. Sadly, for John Travolta’s directorial debut, Propellor One way Night Coach, it isn’t an A. I watched him do an interview at Cannes, and he seems like such a nice guy, and he’s so passionate about this project, that I think he just got too … Continue reading Propellor One Way Night Coach

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The Small Screen Diaries: 05/31/26

John Stark

Did you know that I launched a Podcast? Bam. Going IN Blind with John Stark is now available on Spotify, because they’ll let anyone in. If you’d rather hear me talk to you about the Small Screen Diaries, that’s what I’ve been doing. TV SHows Watched: From: S4E6 (MGM Plus) with audio description, Big Mistakes: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Witch Hat Atelier: S1E9 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description, Half Man: S1E4 (HBO MAX) with audio description, High Potential: S2E17 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Million Dollar Secret: S2E3 (Netflix) with audio description, RJ Decker: S1E6 (Disney Plus) with audio description, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 05/31/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 05/30/26

John Stark

Coming up next week… not much. There’s a new Mindy Kaling produced comedy at Hulu called Not Suitable For Work, Apple is dropping their high profile Cape Fear series with Amy Adams, Javier Bardem, and PAtrick Wilson, Netflix has a limited series in The Witness, and the documentary Michael Jackson” The Verdict, while NBC returns America’s Got Talent, and Amazon brings back The Legend Of Vox Machina. On the film front, Hoppers hits Disney Plus on Wednesday (oddly before Avatar 3), Pillion is your master starting on Friday on HBO MAX, Peacock has Lorne, and Netflix has the Jennifer Lopez … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 05/30/26