Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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Movies With Pride: Burlesque

John Stark

As i looked into a few titles for Pride month, I noticed Burlesque. Is this really a Movie With pride? there’s something so inherently queer about this film, yet it appears to only really have one supporting character that is gay, and is played by a straight actor. Perhaps this comes from living in a metro area where burlesque is an actual thing. i know burlesque performers, and most of them are somewhere on the LGBTQ scale. Not all, but more common than not. this is also a movie I wasn’t a fan of the first time, but it had … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Burlesque

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Tribeca 2025: The Travel Companion

John Stark

Just when you think you’re out, Tribeca pulls you right back in. With one final hanging review, the travel Companion is the kind of film festivals were born to showcase. These directors are not well known, the cast has limited credits to their name, and yet, this is one of those human condition movies carefully disguised as a comedy/drama. Like most films seeking distribution, this doesn’t have an audio description track, so my ability to nail down a firm grade on a narrative feature drifted away. I remain optimistic a strong distributor will back this, and describe it. Basically, Simon … Continue reading Tribeca 2025: The Travel Companion

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The Small Screen diaries: The Weekly Rankings

John Stark

Another day, another dollar. Another week, another set of shows being ranked. Some new shows debuted, like FUBAR (Netflix), Next Gun NYC (peacock), and Sherlock and daughter (MAX), but also a great time to catch up on some old shows, including Euphoria (MAX), Breaking Bad (Netflix), King of The Hill (Hulu), and Futurama (Hulu). WINNER: Hacks (MAX) with audio description- Hacks wins the week again. Two episodes still left, so it shouldn’t be losing its spot anytime soon. But, can Hacks sweep the Emmys? That’s the question. Justice for Hannah Einbinder! Runner Up: Sirens (Netflix) with audio description- I’m obsessed. … Continue reading The Small Screen diaries: The Weekly Rankings

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The Small Screen Diaries- 06/14/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: tires: S2E2 (Netflix) with audio description, The great North: S5e14 (Hulu) no audio description, Love Death And Robots: S4E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Murderbot: S1E6 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: S3E10 (Netflix) with audio description, Adults: S1E2 (Hulu) with audio description, King Of The Hill: S1E5 (Hulu) no audio description, Grimmsburg: S1E11 (Netflix) with audio description, Pop culture Jeopardy: S1E20 (Amazon) with audio description, Hacks: S4E8 (MAX) with audio description, and Sherlock and daughter: S1E1 (MAX) No Audio Description! New Show Alert! I started watching Sherlock and Daughter, which I was surprised to … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 06/14/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 06/13/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Duster: S1E5 (MAX) with audio description, And Just Like that: S3E3 (MAX) with audio description, Drag Race All Stars: S10E6 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Destination X: S1E3 (Peacock) with audio description, Dark Winds: S1E4 (Netflix) no audio description,The narrow Road to The Deep north: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description, F1: The Academy: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, The Kardashians: S2E1 (Hulu) with audio description, Breaking Bad: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description. best Episode: Breaking Bad- As I start to finally watch Breaking Bad, after having it on my checklist forever, that pilot was terrific. I actually … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/13/25

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Sinners

John Stark

Ryan Coogler is on fire. Don’t be alarmed. it is a good kind of fire, like the heat a bright young filmmaker brings to every project. I think every project of Coogler’s is either an A or A-, which is a strong consistency rate. most directors can’t have that level of output, and for Coogler, he’s been doing it through other people’s stories, until now. Sinners is his first original film, not based on a previous work or someone’s life story, and it shows us the kind of director Coogler could be when not having to work within the confines … Continue reading Sinners

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The Monkey

John Stark

Monkey see and monkey do, what Ozgood has might not be right for you. There’s been a long standing fear in Hollywood anytime someone adapts a Stephen King anything. book, novella, or even a tweet. We’ve had some crazy success stories, like Brian Depalma’s Carrie, frank darabont’s the Shawshank Redemption and The green Mile, and to many cinephiles, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. On the other end, we have films like Sleepwalkers, Cujo, and The Dark Tower. Ozgood Perkins, the director of Long Legs and son of Anthony Perkins, is hoping to put his name on the auteur side of the … Continue reading The Monkey

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Jeannette

John Stark

I had never been to Pulse. Bars and clubs are just not my thing in general. I’d feel so uncomfortable in any location. However, i had driven past it many times, and remember its iconic sign, all of course before going blind myself. I knew people who went to pulse all the time, as well as other gay bars in Orlando. It seemed to certainly be a staple in the rotation. And while it really isn’t talked about much, straight people go to gay bars. From what I can tell, it seems to be more of my female friends who … Continue reading Jeannette

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The Small Screen Diaries- 06/12/25

John Stark

Thanks for yesterday. Hopefully kindness found you, or you brought kindness into the day. TV Shows Watched: Black Mirror: S2E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Stick: S1E2 (Apple Plus) with audio description, FUBAR: S2E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Overcompensating: S1E6 (Amazon) with audio description, battle Camp: S1E10 (Netflix) with audio description, The Rehearsal: S2E3 (MAX) with audio description, and Yellowstone: S5E10 (Peacock) with audio description Best Episode: Overcompensating- Now that benny and carmen are in a different place, the show takes on a fun new dynamic. I have lots of thoughts on Peter’s character, and I wonder about his last awful … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 06/12/25

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The Small Screen Diaries- 06/12/25

John Stark

June 12th, 2016. It has been nine years since the Pulse massacre, and while I was not there, and didn’t lose any friends, I did have friends who lost people, and I witnessed our community react to an act of hate against the LGBTQ community. I never can let this day pass without acknowledging that 49 people were lost, and all they wanted to do was have fun and dance. They were killed for who they were. Our country still isn’t doing enough to push back against homophobia, and under this current administration seems apt to run right into it. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 06/12/25

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Straw

John Stark

I ultimately feel obligated to watch Tyler Perry films for review consideration. I think if this was just for my own pure enjoyment, I would have stopped giving him a chance ten films ago, and saved myself the likes of Divorce In The Black and Duplicity, as well as basically anything featuring Madea. However, on his 28th feature, he may have finally directed something of value. He might have finally shown a level of competence and care that are often missing from his films, because he is overextended in his bid to rule the world. You just can’t be involved … Continue reading Straw

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Predator: Killer Of killers

John Stark

If it ain’t broke… the familiar phrase is missing conceptually here, as the predator films evolve into adult animation. but, gone are the vibes from the original predator films of the 80’s, or either Predators or The Predator, and instead this builds a bit more on the concept Dan trachtenberg so successfully ran with a few years ago in Prey. take something we know, but instead of throwing more soldiers with guns, send him back to fight other kinds of warriors. They even used the reversal of time to show that the aliens also had some less perfected technology. Prey … Continue reading Predator: Killer Of killers

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Tribeca 2025: Metallica Saved my Life

John Stark

I wish this was less of a film review, and more of an actual experience I had at Tribeca where the entire band Metallica somehow saved my life. Not through the power of music, but maybe lifting a car off of me? sadly, Metallica and i have never met, which I’m sure for them is no loss. I don’t listen to their music, and I don’t think about Metallica that much on a regular basis. So, does a documentary about Metallica and their fans work on me? Sure. it is a pretty simple documentary that explores both the fans of … Continue reading Tribeca 2025: Metallica Saved my Life

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The Small Screen Diaries- 06/10/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Sirens: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Bet: S1E7 (Netflix) with audio description, The Buccaneers: S1E3 (Apple plus) with audio description, The Pitt: S1E7 (MAX) with audio description, Secrets We Keep: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Berlin ER: S1E7 (Apple plus) with audio description, Next Gen NYC: S1E1 (Peacock) with audio description, Earnhardt: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description, Bad thoughts: S1E6 (Netflix) with audio description, The Daily Show: Monday (Paramount Plus), your Friends And neighbors: S1E9 (Apple Plus) with audio description new Show Alert!- Next gen NYC is the most forced reality show ever. I know the “Real … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 06/10/25

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Tribeca 2025: We Are pat!

John Stark

this documentary reminded me a lot of one from last year, Chasing Chasing Amy, where a filmmaker tackled a problematic representation of LGBTQ culture and not only shared how it might have brought them some joy, but also how it is now permanently trapped in time. That phrase we so often use, “it was different back then”, or any comparable phrase to suggest that people in the past really didn’t know any better. In Chasing Chasing Amy, Kevin Smith participated, along with various cast members, to dissect its effect on lesbian culture, and how a cisgender straight white man might … Continue reading Tribeca 2025: We Are pat!