Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/11/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Black Mirror: S4E1 (Netflix) with audio description, The hunting Wives: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Dexter: Resurrection: S1E4 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Leanne: S1E5,6,7 (Netflix) with audio description, King of The Hill: S2E13 (Hulu) no audio description,Last week tonight: Most Recent (HBO MAX) no audio description yet, The Gilded Age: S3E8 (HBO MAX) with audio description Black Mirror- The USS Callister episode. I’ve heard so much about this, and it was the first episode to get a sequel. It’s a bit silly. The idea that they would retain their memories, when he’s basically just doing a … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/11/25

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Freakier Friday

John Stark

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Vanessa Bayer, Stephen Tobolowsky, Maitreyi Ramakrkrishnnan, Christina Vidal, Haley Hudson, June Diane Raphael Written By: Jordan Weiss, Elyse Hollander, based on characters created by Leslie Dixon and Heather Hach, and a book by Mary Roger’s Directed By: Nisha Ganatra Original Score By: Amy Daugherty Studio: Disney Release Year: 2025 *Note: Special shoutout to Regal, without whom I would not have been able to view this film without audio description. Your consistency for broken audio description equipment is unmatched. If Disney would like me … Continue reading Freakier Friday

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Freaky Friday (2003)

John Stark

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Harold Gould, Stephen Tobolowsky, Christina Vidal, Ryan Malgarini, Haley Hudson, Willie Garson Written By: Heather Hawke and Leslie Dickson, based on the novel by Mary Roger’s Directed By: Mark Waters Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Release Year: 2003 Audio desProduced by: Deluxe Written by: Narrated By: what is it?: A remake of the original, and the book, which has a mother, Tess (Curtis) switch places with her daughter Anna (Lohan), as Tess’s pending nuptials to a new man in their lives (Harmon) looms. But is he really the reason they … Continue reading Freaky Friday (2003)

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Freaky Friday (1977)

John Stark

Cast: Jodie Foster, Barbara Harris, John Astin, Dick Van Patten, Written By:Mary Roger’s (based on her own book) Directed By: Gary Nelson Studio: Walt Disney Pictures Release Year: 1977 Runtime: 98 minutes Audio Description Produced By: Deluxe Written By: Narrated By: What Is it?: A mother (Harris) and daughter (Foster) believe they would have it so much easier if they were in each other’s shoes, so something freaky happens, and they swap bodies. Now, they’ll spend a day living the life they thought they wanted, only to realize the grass isn’t always greener. What Works: I was born after this, … Continue reading Freaky Friday (1977)

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/10/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Outlander: Blood of My Blood- S1E2 (Starz) no audio description, Platonic: S2E2 (Apple Plus) with audio description, The Summer I Turned Pretty: S3E3 (Amazon) with audio description, And Just Like That: S3E11 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Dexter: S5E10 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Pop Culture Jeopardy: Still semifinals (Amazon) with audio description, Ballard: S1E6 (Amazon) with audio description, Breaking Bad: S2E6? (Netflix) with audio description Outlander: Blood of My Blood- Not much else to say since yesterday. It’s still a show that needs audio description. It’s bizarre how inaccessible Starz is, yet they’ve been around forever. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/10/25

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The Phoenician Scheme

John Stark

Cast: Benecio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, f Murray Abraham, Riz Ahmed, Bryan Cranston, Charlotte Gainesborg Written By: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola Directed By: Wes Anderson Original Score by: Alexandre Desplat Studio: Focus Features Release Year: 2025 Audio Description Provided By: Written By: Narrated By: What Is it?: A death prompts a rush for control of what he left behind, causing one of the parties (del toro), to traverse the globe finding ways of manipulating others into slowly helping him gain majority control. Along the way, he’s accompanied … Continue reading The Phoenician Scheme

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Fantasia: 85th Anniversary

John Stark

Release year: 1940 Studio: Disney Runtime: 124 minutes Audio Description Provided By: Deluxe Written by: Narrated By: What is it?: A classic. Walt Disney originally intended for Fantasia to be a living project, and continue to evolve more over the years. Despite feature length animation being relatively new still in 1940, it didn’t attract the same attention as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and didn’t get a second wind until fantasia 2000. The movie takes mostly silent animated shorts and sets them to classic compositions. Each segment is accompanied by a live orchestra, slightly visible on screen, with a … Continue reading Fantasia: 85th Anniversary

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Simple Plan: the Kids In the crowd

John Stark

Directed By: Didier Charette Studio/Streamer: Amazon release Year: 2025 Audio Description Provided by: Written By: Directed By: What Is It?: A documentary about the pop punk band Simple Plan.From their creation and influences, to the shocking reality that they are still popular today. Enjoy this Canadian band responsible for more hits than you might remember. What Works: the documentary works. It just feels like what we’re getting more and more of. The rise of streaming services, I truly believe, has pushed the rise of documentaries. Not just investigative documentaries, but the kind that bring people in. By that, I mean … Continue reading Simple Plan: the Kids In the crowd

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/09/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Outlander: Blood of My Blood: s1E1 (Starz) no audio description, Wednesday: S2E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Foundation: S3E5 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Washington Black: S1E4 (Hulu) with audio description I also crammed in a Leanne Morgan comedy special on Netflix to get a better idea of her schtick, since her series doesn’t know what to do with her. And, I once again considered revival, but they haven’t added audio description to the next episode, so I’m in a standoff. It’s a standoff that is close to me giving up and throwing up a review on Rotten … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/09/25

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Going In Blind: Things Like This

John Stark

Cast: Max Talisman Joey Pollari, Charlie Tahan, Jackie Cruz, Eric Roberts, Written and Directed By: Max Talisman Release Year: 2025 Runtime: 99 minutes There is no known audio description for this title in existence. What is it?: Two guys named Zack meet and fall in love, but things get complicated, as their worlds lash, and they ponder how weird it is to date someone with the same name as you. One is a writer, the other a burgeoning talent manager. Can they find love in a film without audio description? What Works: OK. This is super indie. Eric Roberts is … Continue reading Going In Blind: Things Like This

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Billy Joel: And So It Goes

John Stark

Directed By: Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin Studio/Streamer: HBO MAX Release Year: 2025 Length: 2 episodes Audio Description Provided By: Written by: Narrated By: What is it? An intimate look at the piano man himself, Billy Joel, from obscurity to legend, tackling all life offered along the way, from failed relationships to once in a lifetime opportunities. Maybe, he did start the fire after all. What Works: I didn’t realize how much i loved Billy Joel until I watched this. There’s even a moment, where Joel reflects on his failed relationships, and muses if he’ll be alone in his elder … Continue reading Billy Joel: And So It Goes

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Sunday Best: The Untold Story Of Ed Sullivan

John Stark

Featuring (as themselves): Ed Sullivan, Smokey Robinson, Harry Belafonte, James Brown, The Jackson 5, The Beatles, Diahann Carroll, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr, Johnny Carson, Gladys Knight, Elvis Presley, and many more. Directed By: Sacha Jenkins Studio/Streamer: Netflix Release Year: 2025 runtime: 90 minutes Audio Description produced By: International Digital Center Written By: Valerie Hunter Narrated By: What is it?: The Ed Sullivan Show used to be the bees knees. It was a groundbreaking program that launched the career of many musicians, turning mild mannered Ed Sullivan into a TV icon. Families across the country tuned in to see … Continue reading Sunday Best: The Untold Story Of Ed Sullivan

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/08/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Wednesday: S2E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Twisted Metal: S2E2 (Peacock) with audio description, The Wonderfully weird World Of Gumball: S1E3 (Hulu) with audio description, Leanne: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Dan Da Dan: S1E1 (Netflix) no audio description, South Park: S27E2 (Paramount Plus) no audio description, Match Game: S?E3 (Hulu) with audio description Wednesday- the camp episode was perfect. The only thing missing were some direct references to Addams Family Values. I forgot to mention that Christopher Lloyd made his voice available in the previous episode, and a cameo from either David Krumholtz or Christine Baranski would … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/08/25

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The Pickup

John Stark

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, Eva Longoria, Andrew Dice Clay, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Roman Reigns, Marshawn Lynch Written By: Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows Directed By: Tim Story Studio: Amazon/MGM Release Year: 2025 Runtime: 94 minutes Audio Description Produced By: The Media Access Group at WGBH Written By: Directed By: What Is it? Two security truck drivers (Murphy/Davidson) contend with a smart villain (Palmer) intent on taking their truck. But the reason, and what she really wants, is a lot more than they expected. What Works: Some would argue that Eddie Murphy works, but I’d argue Keke Palmer … Continue reading The Pickup

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Opus

John Stark

Cast: Ayo edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Melissa Chambers, Tony Hale, Amber Midthunder Written and Directed By: Mark Anthony Green Studio: A24 Release Year: 2025 Runtime: 104 Minutes Audio Description produced By: Deluxe Written By: Narrated by: Laura Post What Is It?: A young writer (Edebiri) has the opportunity to join other music journalists at the cult-like retreat of an aged rock star (Malkovich), who has reportedly recorded his first new music in years. Although, the opportunity may seem too good to pass up, the little oddities keep popping up, and quickly she begins to wonder if the … Continue reading Opus