Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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Tango And Cash: 35th Anniversary

John Stark

Tango And Cash: 35th Anniversary- Sylvester Stallone + Kurt Russell = Lethal Weapons Quick Take: The 80’s knew how to make fun action films. We’ve confused many of them with being technically proficient, or film classics, but truthfully is there a difference between a fil that seems to have achieved a high level of filmmaking, or a film that achieved a high level of entertainment value, and has proven rewatchable as a result? Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop certainly come to mind, but the 80’s was full of fun buddy cop movies, including Tango And Cash. This Sylvester Stallone … Continue reading Tango And Cash: 35th Anniversary

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/28/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Paradise: S1E2 (Hulu) with audio description, Bookie: S2E7 (MAX) with audio description, 911 Lone Star: Second To last Episode (Hulu) No audio description, and St Dennis Medical: S1E? (Peacock) with audio description Movies Watched: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Apple Store) with audio description, Hitman (Netflix) with audio description Best Episode: St Dennis Medical- I think this might have the edge. I could make a case for any of the shows. None were at their best, but all were strong. Ultimately, I had the least glaring issues with the two comedies, and I’m giving this one the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/28/25

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/27/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Watson: S1E1 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, XO Kitty: S2E3 (Netflix) with audio description, The Night Agent: S2E5 (Netflix) with audio description, and Paradise: S1E1 (Hulu) with audio description. Movies Watched: Babes and Ezra (both films I own digital copies of from the Apple Store). I also bumped up the speed since I’ve seen, and reviewed, both. Best Episode: Paradise- Hulu’s new drama was calling itself buzzy before it premiered, and I even knew what it was. Then, it boldly decided to premiere the first episode a day early, as two more drop today. Hulu’s confidence should … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/27/25

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/26/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Night Agent: S2E4 (Netflix) with audio description, From: S1E4 (MGM Plus) with audio description, WAGS to Riches: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, American Primeval: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Cross: S1E8 (Amazon) with audio description, Virgin River: S6E10 (Netflix) with audio description, The Rookie: S7E3 (Hulu) with audio description, The Daily Show: Thursday’s Show (Paramount Plus) no audio description Movies Watched: The Substance (Screener) with audio description, Sing Sing (screener) no audio description, Kraven The Hunter (Apple Store) with audio description, and Ad Vitam (Netflix) with audio description Best Episode: From- This show really is letting … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/26/25

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Vermiglio

John Stark

Vermiglio- Golden Globe Nominee For Best International Feature Quick Take: And yet, another International Oscar hopeful that bit the dust. It did manage a golden Globe nomination, but this Italian film missed out on the Oscars. It lacks audio description, so unless you are fluent in Italian, I don’t foresee this being your thing. However, I’ll always dive back in if somehow this gained audio description in English along the way. it technically qualifies as LGBTQ, but the main story is not. I’d explain it, but my knowledge of the film is all second hand. My experience sitting through this … Continue reading Vermiglio

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Flow

John Stark

Flow- A Blind Film Critic Reviews A Silent Animated Film With No Accessibility Quick Take: Yes, I was provided a screener for the Golden Globe winner for Animated Feature. no, despite being nominated for two Academy Awards, and the most obvious film to require audio description of the year, it has no known audio description. this is a cash and awards grab. This is already on VOD. It flew through theatres, like it has some rapid half-life to make the most money it can, before people go back to celebrating The Wild Robot. Yes, I listened to this movie. I … Continue reading Flow

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The Room Next Door

John Stark

The Room Next Door- Pedro Almodovar’s English Language Feature Debut Quick Take: this was a screener from Sony Pictures Classics, and it lacked audio description. The film does have audio description, and I plan on reviewing it again when it eventually lands on Netflix, where Sony movies go eventually. This is just a few initial thoughts, in case I don’t come back around. Pedro Almodovar’s English language debut has been pushed as being not as good as his best work. Almodovar has such a long list of iconic Spanish language films that it is hard to say this, or any … Continue reading The Room Next Door

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Piece By Piece

John Stark

Piece By Piece- Pharrell Plays With LEGO’s quick Take: Piece by piece, brick by brick, putting it together. Sorry, my Sondheim got away from me. I managed to catch this Pharrell Williams documentary back during the consideration frame, but I think most people weren’t grabbed by the gimmick, and left it alone. The film is a documentary, but is shot using LEGO’s, so everyone appears as a LEGO figure. At the heart, it is a celebration of Pharrell and his music, but done in such a way that if he ever got a parking ticket you wouldn’t know. There’s so … Continue reading Piece By Piece

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/25/25

John Stark

Yesterday, i hinted at some shows I was watching still (like The Pit), which are just there because a wave of TV hasn’t hit. Next week, a bunch of shows return, including Matlock, Elzabeth, Ghosts, The Recruit, and Mythic Quest, along with premieres of promising new shows like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman and Watson. Some of these current shows I’ve been watching are living on borrowed time. TV Shows Watched: The Night Agent: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, the Traitors: S3E5 (Peacock) with audio description, The Agency: S1E10 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Harley Quinn: S5E3 (MAX), Dexter: Original sin … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/25/25

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Quality Check: Your Monster

John Stark

Welcome back to another Quality check. To avoid potentially landing the same audio description team as before, I’m jumping into Your Monster, which I literally know nothing about. The only thing I just learned, because I just checked iMDB to make sure it was Your and not You’re, is that it stars Melissa Barrera, seen earlier in 2024 in Abigail. You know how this goes, it’s gonna be a long post, and less of a review of the film than a stream of consciousness as I react to the audio description. I’m assuming this is a horror title, but I’m … Continue reading Quality Check: Your Monster

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Emilia Perez: A Second Look

John Stark

Emilia Perez: A Second Look- 13 Oscar Nominations Was Enough To Trigger English Audio Description! So, I originally made a pretty big fuss about the lack of audio description on the major Oscar contender from netflix. I did sit through the film, with only Spanish available at release, and reviewed the film as it was presented. I addressed the problems with the lack of inclusivity on a film touting nothing but, and how Netflix had previously ignored fellow Spanish-language Oscar nominees like El Conde, Brdo, and Roma, none of which got audio description in their respective years. But, as Timothee … Continue reading Emilia Perez: A Second Look

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The Devil’s Bath

John Stark

The Devil’s Bath- Shudder Sponsored Austria’s Failed International Oscar Bait Quick Take: This is why I push so much for international content, because viewpoints from around the world are so important in a day and age where we seem to want to isolate ourselves from everyone and expel those different from us. The Devil’s Bath takes a hard look at women’s mental health during a time when people didn’t think about mental health. We’re still in the age of lobotomies. Men use to diagnose “hysteria”. So, Austria’s bid for an International Oscar, which didn’t make the shortlist, has no English, … Continue reading The Devil’s Bath

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Things Will Be Different

John Stark

Things Will Be Different- Without Audio Description,I Had A Wildly Different Take Quick Take: I just got a ton of screeners, OK? So, this came my way, without audio description, and I did not know what it was. I had a completely different reaction to the film, because I didn’t realize time travel was an element. It was totally lost on me, so this is a great example of how we just can’t have movies in English, with no audio description, and assume blind people will follow them. I thought something was happening, sure, like some form of insanity, but … Continue reading Things Will Be Different

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Fat Albert: 20th Anniversary

John Stark

Not all anniversary releases are golden, not all are memorable, and not everything with audio description is a good film. This is my second time through this live action adaptation of the classic cartoon series, and something has dramatically shifted since 2004. I just can’t put my Jell-O finger on it. The refreshing thing about watching this 20 years later starts with the continued growth of Kenan Thompson. We see him 20 years ago, knowing he was a fresh cast member on Saturday Night Live, and the version we have today still feels like that same Kenan we grew up … Continue reading Fat Albert: 20th Anniversary

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/24/25

John Stark

Sometimes, this does feel like shouting at the wind. And then sometimes, you shout, and the wind shouts back. Netflix has finally uploaded an English Audio Description track for Emilia Perez, officially giving us 10 Best Picture nominees with audio description. I’m actually impressed by the job done, considering it was just a little over two months ago when the movie landed on Netflix with no audio description. I’ll have a full review later, but I’m certain it was a late commission, and a rush to put out. If Netflix had just commissioned the track back in May when they … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/24/25