Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries- 05/22/26

John Stark

I needed to get my votes in yesterday for one of the voting bodies I’m on the nominating committee for. I need to remember the futility of that, because that form makes no sense, has predetermined choices to choose from (even in a nominating committee stage), and just some baffling choices. One series was in Drama, but all its actors were listed in Comedy. Another series which I gave a nomination to, none of the actors were on the page. Not a single performer from its acclaimed season. Yes, I have ONE other slot, but then I have to ask … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 05/22/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Saccharine

John Stark

I’m a blind film critic. Generally, the focus is from that viewpoint, though I am other things. I’m also gay, male, 40-something, white, American, Floridian, and also… fat. And, by all means, exchange that word with what you feel comfortable. Plump, fluffy, plus sized, overweight, thick, dealer’s choice. Fat is quick, cuts to the point, though it’s one of those words that other people shouldn’t use toward you.It’s funny how we have such odd conversations about weight, and we’ve become such a health centric, diet deranged, quick solution culture. Do I count calories? Is it the south beach diet or … Continue reading Saccharine

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 05/21/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Testaments: S1E9 (Disney Plus) with audio description, The Burroughs: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Young Sherlock: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description, Bel Air: S4E6 (Peacock) with audio description, Your Friends And Neighbors: S2E2 (Apple) with audio description, and Abbott Elementary: S5E16 (Disney Plus) with audio description The Testaments- Basically, can be described as everyone loves Agnes. In an episode about whether or not Daisy had helped Agnes, Becca triples down, and really gives a shocking declaration of just how far she’s willing to go for Agnes. Damn. And that final scene was chilling. Probably the most … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 05/21/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Greenland 2: Migration

John Stark

The only truly good thing that came out of Greenland 2: Migration is the fact it prompted me to finally watch the first one, which was surprisingly much better than I expected. So, I went into the sequel with pretty high hopes, only for those hopes to get obliterated almost immediately. Greenland 2 feels like a sequel made by people who didn’t really understand why the first film worked, but assumed audiences wanted “more”, because Hollywood has confused bigger with better for so long you’d think they were in Texas. Everything is bigger in Texas, but not in California, and … Continue reading Greenland 2: Migration

TV ReviewsLeave a comment

All’s Fiar: Season 1

John Stark

I am legitimately considering casting a ballot in supporting actress for Sarah Paulson for All’s Fair. Then I realized, I never formally reviewed the series, and that taken totally out of context makes no sense if you’ve seen the show. Watching All’s Fair is like watching a kid eat play-doh, or your neighbor doing yoga naked in their front yard. It is one of those baffling experiences that you never truly thought would cross your path. You’d heard of such things, imagined them, but to truly see a show in all its glory be this bad, is something truly wonderful … Continue reading All’s Fiar: Season 1

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War

John Stark

There’s a version of this review where I spend half the time complaining that Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War isn’t trying to be Mission: Impossible, but honestly, that says more about modern criticism than it does about the film itself. This weekend features two films based on television shows, but the difference is one of them is making a giant leap to the big screen, while the other understands exactly what it is. Ghost War is not trying to reinvent espionage cinema, launch a billion dollar franchise reboot, or convince audiences that John Krasinski should be hanging off airplanes … Continue reading Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 05/20/26

John Stark

I do this through WordPress, and yesterday, i unlocked an achievement that my website has been read in at least 50 different countries. So, gracias, danke, grazie, Merci, Obrigado, Arigato, and all those other ways of expressing gratitude. Also, Hulu finally picked up The Testaments for a second season, so there’s that. TV Shows Watched: The Boys: S5E8 (Amazon) with audio description, Witch Hat Atelier: S1E6 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description, Detective Hole: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Gold Land: S1E2 (Disney Plus) with audio description, The Last Thing He Told Me: S2E8 (Apple) with audio description, and THe Lincoln Lawyer: … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 05/20/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Marty: Life Is Short

John Stark

Normally, I have to weigh these celebrity centric documentaries, these career retrospectives, as how truthful, honest, open, or journalistic in nature they are.But also, sometimes, it is just OK to like something. Sometimes, the project itself almost erases the extra checkboxes it doesn’t check, because it accomplishes something else. What Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill) has achieved here is the understanding that his good friend, Martin Short, is possibly the most well respected and liked person in Hollywood.This film is absolutely a simple, lovely, career retrospective for MArtin Short, and very much content creation for Netflix, who will likely launch … Continue reading Marty: Life Is Short

TV ReviewsLeave a comment

The Boys: Season 5

John Stark

I’m still salty about the abrupt cancellation of Gen-V, especially since the characters are given an opportunity to breeze through the last two episodes of the season,and do basically nothing.The plots don’t even converge. The grooming of Marie to become this next level superhero never pays off.The final two episodes of The Boys solidifies that Amazon cancelled Gen V independently of the actual finale, and its implications, because that door is left wide open. It isn’t like the finale prohibits a third season of Gen-V, quite the opposite. Considering how VOT is left at the end of the series, it’s … Continue reading The Boys: Season 5

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 05/19/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: XO Kitty: S3E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Widows Bay: S1E2 (Apple) with audio description, Paradise: S2E6 (Disney Plus) with audio description, The Pitt: S2E15 (HBo MAX) with audio description, Malice: S1E5 (Amazon) with audio description, Top Chef: S24 Top 9 (Peacock) with audio description, Margo’s Got Money Troubles: S1E2 (Apple) with audio description XO Kitty- Jumping back in as Kitty’s summer ends, she heads back to define her relationship with Mino, only to find out a new/returning student is going to throw a wrench into her senior year. On top of that, her cousin now works there, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 05/19/26

TV ReviewsLeave a comment

The Pitt: Season 2

John Stark

It’s odd how much The Pitt has grown on me, because when I first started watching the series in Season 1, I gave up after the first three episodes. At the time, it just felt basic. Another medical drama with doctors yelling things at each other while patients rolled through the ER. I didn’t really understand what made it stand out, and honestly, I wasn’t entirely convinced it did. But then I jumped back in, pushed deeper into the season, and finally understood what the show was doing. The Pitt has this interesting habit of lulling viewers into a false … Continue reading The Pitt: Season 2

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Greenland

John Stark

Just to be clear, this is the review of the film Greenland, not a treatise on American foreign relations with Greenland. I remember thinking that January 2026 was either the best or worst time to open Greenland 2, and it turned out to be the latter of the two options. However, I know there’s a deep amount of lore, and I did not want to feel like I was missing out. Gerard Butler films are known for the intricacies in their screenplays, worlds built carefully and slowly over time. So, join me as I step foot into the pandemic success … Continue reading Greenland

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Tuner

John Stark

Opening this Friday before going wider next weekend is Daniel Roher’s Tuner, which made an unexpected but pleasant splash at the 2025 Telluride International Film Festival, before going on to play Toronto, London, Sundance, and Florida Film Festivals. Black Bear, a mensch, is releasing. They get an individual shoutout for actually giving me an accessible screener with audio description. It’s not their first time doing it, and while I beg, scrape, and claw my way through a sea of films unaware that blind film critics are a thing (naturally, because blind people exist, theretofore, we exist in the same spaces … Continue reading Tuner

EditorialLeave a comment

The Small Screen Diaries: 05/18/26

John Stark

Disney Plus greenlit an Ella Enchanted series. That’s what the kids on the interwebs are talking about. Also, Amazon is doing their screenings of The Boys finale tonight in theaters, so check your local listings. TV Shows Watched: Witch Hat Atelier: S1E5 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description,Big Mistakes: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, For All Mankind: S5E5 (Apple) with audio description, Sheriff Country: S1E12 (Paramount) with audio description, KLast Week Tonight: Most Recent (HBO MAX) no audio description yet, and Matlock: S2E13 (Paramount) with audio description Witch Hat Atelier- I’m kinda liking this. Coco, after being targeted by the dark side … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 05/18/26

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

A Gorilla Story (2026)

John Stark

Truthfully, nature documentaries are not my most favorite thing in the world. Every year, around Earth Day, the streamers all start circling each other like they’ve entered some kind of Planet Earth Thunderdome. This year, Netflix rolled out A Gorilla Story at nearly the exact same time Disney Plus launched their annual “look how beautiful and terrifying nature is” feature, and much like two alpha silverbacks crashing into each other over territory, only one really walked away with my attention. Sorry Josh Gad. Not everything is better in summer. Slight edge to A Gorilla Story. The documentary follows a clan … Continue reading A Gorilla Story (2026)