Author: John Stark

Blogger. EIC of macthemovieguy.com. Contributor to mjsbigblog.com and houseofgeekery.com. Previously featured on starpulse.com.
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Salem’s Lot

John Stark

Salem’s Lot (2024)- A Spooky Season Review A seemingly impossible to adapt Stephen King novel hit MAX quietly. That has to be a good sign. This movie has been in the can for a while, and had a theatrical release briefly scheduled, before drawing the ire of Stephen King by winding up heading straight to streaming. is it really that bad? Well, it certainly is better than last year’s Pet Sematary prequel. It is also a far cry from many of King’s best film adaptations, including Brian DePalma’s Carrie, Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, and the most recent two-parter adaptation … Continue reading Salem’s Lot

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The Small Screen Diaries- 11/10/24

John Stark

TV News: A few big drops this week. In the world of film, Deadpool and Wolverine hits Disney plus on Tuesday, the Oscar-bait Amelia Perez hits Netflix on Wednesday, and Twisters lands on Peacock on Friday. in terms of major shows, both the next five episodes of the final season of Cobra Kai (Netflix) and the second season premiere of Silo (Apple plus), drop on Friday, while Amazon tackles James Patterson’s legendary detective in cross, which drops all eight season 1 episodes on Thursday. I believe that show has already been renewed for a second season. TV Shows Watched: Fight … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 11/10/24

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Long Legs

John Stark

Long Legs- A Spooky Season Review An unnecessarily divisive movie. I watched so many critics join in on the artistic backlash of Long Legs, which originally had the vibe of being the scariest movie of the year, only to see the late stage critics writing it off as self indulgent and boring. Is it perfect? No. this is not in my Top 10 of the year either, but I can put each of the little problems in their own bubble and enjoy the totality of what was intended. And when you do that, Long Legs is just shy of brilliant. … Continue reading Long Legs

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The Platform 2

John Stark

The Platform 2 (Netflix)- A Spooky Season Review This quietly slid onto Netflix in time for October, and my initial reaction was “There was a first one?” So, I basically watched these two films back to back. They compliment each other much the same way the first two films in A Quiet Place do. The first movie is clearly the better one, as they introduce the premise, and the second film expands upon that, hoping to show you that there’s even more to be afraid of. The platform as a franchise is just a tower system in some alternate version … Continue reading The Platform 2

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the Small Screen Diaries- 11/09/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Ghosts: S4E4 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Krapapolis: S2E5 (Hulu) no audio description, Shrinking: S2E4 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Matlock: S1E4 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, and The Lincoln Lawyer: S2E3 (Netflix) with audio description Podcasts: none YouTube: Adam Does Movies (Review: heretic), Breakfast All Day (Review: Heretic), Deep Focus Lens (review: Heretic), Luke here field (review: Queer) movies: Doc Of Chucky (AMC Plus/Shudder) No Audio Description First. My only aforementioned film became such because the damn thing was 5 hours long. So, if you were excited for it, it isn’t audio described, and it is … Continue reading the Small Screen Diaries- 11/09/24

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

John Stark

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice- The Ghost With The Most Unnecessary Side Characters What was the last great Tim Burton movie? I think that is probably why so many years later, Tim Burton finally jumped on the legacy sequel train and made beetlejuice beetlejuice, which brings back a handful of original players and puts them in the mix with some new faces. Once again, despite the title, Michael Keaton is still not the star of this film. I will concede that he does feel somehow in more of this film than the original, which probably could have expanded even further if this was … Continue reading Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

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Thelma

John Stark

Thelma- Can June Squibb Land A Best Actress Nomination For This Delightful Comedy? One of the reasons I always get into this conversation of accessibility, and the need for an overwhelming prevalence, is that I think Hollywood is under the misconception that blind people live on blind island and only communicate with other blind people. We actually have sighted friends and family members, who often are aware of our accessibility needs, and when they aren’t met, the burden is pushed onto them to fill it. If I watch a TV Show or a movie without audio description, that person feels … Continue reading Thelma

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The Small Screen Diaries- 11/08/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Disclaimer: S1E7 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Before: S1E4 (Apple plus) with audio description, Queens court: S1E9 (Peacock) with audio description, 911: S7E? (Hulu) with audio description, the Legend Of Vox Machina: S3E8 (Amazon) with audio description, Are you Smarter Than A celebrity: S1E3 (Amazon) with audio description, and Abbott Elementary: S4E4 (Hulu) with audio description Podcasts: the Dark room. I had no idea that sometimes the writers got incomplete versions of a product. i get the need for security, but what a time crunch to expect someone to then fill in the gaps at the last … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 11/08/24

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Hold Your Breath

John Stark

Hold Your Breath (Hulu)- A Spooky Season Review A slightly ironic title, as I’m sure no one has been holding their breath for this review. I posted this video review weeks ago, and it currently has two views. The world could not be less interested in this film. Sarah Paulson is back on Hulu with another horror title, only this one is a bit more ambiguous. I would definitely recommend Run over this. Excellent film, and she’s great in it. Here, this takes place in the Dust Bowl, and tries to tackle a ton of complex issues including the role … Continue reading Hold Your Breath

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House Of Spoils

John Stark

House Of Spoils (Amazon)- A Spooky Season Review This is definitely beneath Academy Award Winner Ariana DeBose. You probably aren’t sure what this even is. To be fair, years later, Ariana won’t remember either. In short, a chef is looking to open her own restaurant when she stumbles upon a rather odd garden full of fruits and vegetables she has never encountered. There’s obviously a spooky reason for all of this, but she presses forth anyway. It feels like a film destined to be forgotten. It comes not long after the excellent The Menu, which will certainly continue to have … Continue reading House Of Spoils

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In A Violent Nature

John Stark

In A Violent Nature- A Spooky Season review Once again, thanks to any who check out the video. In A Violent Nature caught some attention earlier this year from horror fans who look for these low-budget gory movies, plot be damned. In fact, in the case of In A Violent Nature, AI probably could have done most of the work. The plot revolves around a long dead firefighter who comes back from the dead to enact revenge after a necklace of his was taken. This leads him to butchering a bunch of criminally underdeveloped college aged folk who are in … Continue reading In A Violent Nature

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Will And Harper

John Stark

Will and Harper (Netflix)- A Film That Should Feel More Like It Is About Harper First, a big thank you to anyone who checks out my video, with any likes, comments, and subscribes. I definitely enjoyed Will and Harper, which premiered a few weeks ago on Netflix, and centers on this relationship that Will Ferrell has with his friend, a former Saturday Night Live writer, who now lives authentically as a trans woman. Of course, the dynamic between the two feels like two old friends on a road trip, which is what this is. Will has decided that Harper can … Continue reading Will And Harper

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The Small Screen Diaries- 11/07/24

John Stark

TV News: Really, shocking no one, NCIS Origins has been picked up for a full season, joining George and Mandy, and Matlock (which due to its structuring could only get a second season renewal, not an order of more episodes). TV Shows Watched: You Would Do it Too: S1E3 (Apple plus) with audio description, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: S2E4 (Netflix) with audio description, The Last Nights On Tremore Beach: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Fight Night: S1E1 (Peacock) finally with audio description, Monsters At Work: S2E1 (Disney plus) no audio description, and The Masked Singer: S12E6 (Hulu) no audio description. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 11/07/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 11/06/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Where’s Wanda?: S1E77 (Apple Plus) with audio description, American Sports Story: S1E9 (Hulu) with audio description, Bad Sisters: S1E3 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Lioness: S2E3 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Colin from Accounts: S2E4 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, and Have I got News For You (MAX) no audio description. Podcasts: None. YouTube: I cleared my notifications, so i watched way more reviews than I can remember. I’ll give one shoutout to a channel that does a really solid deep dive, and that is Deep Focus Lens (@deepfocuslens). I love her delivery, and she has a … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 11/06/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 11/06/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: like Water For Chocolate: S1E1 (MAX) with audio description, 911 Lone Star: S5E6 (Hulu) no audio description, Shrinking: S2E3 (Apple plus) with audio description, papa’s House: S1E3 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, What We Do In The Shadows: S6E4 (Hulu) with audio description. I always seem to get international traffic. So, let me know why I should live in your country in the comments. Asking for a friend. I suppose I managed to do this today, because I did want my readers to know that there’s an International show on MAX with audio description. this is very … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 11/06/24