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 Garfield Movie

John Stark

Sony has claimed the rights to this iconic character, and considering the last cinematic effort is not necessarily beloved, you would think that they’d be able to raise that bar. After all, the 20 year old Garfield movie featuring Bill Murray isn’t on anyone’s favorites list. Well, I think this is maybe a reason to revisit our feelings about that original Bill Murray version, because this one seems to have been written by artificial intelligence. Instead of Bill Murray, we now have Chris Pratt, in yet another animated voice performance. He’s not the worst choice for the lazy lasagna loving … Continue reading The Garfield Movie

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Oddity

John Stark

I always say Shudder is missing out by not attempting to make their streaming service accessible, and the fact that their theatrical titles are tied to IFC, where they end up getting audio description makes it all the more frustrating that the service itself, which now has Oddity, will run it without the track they paid for. Bizarre. But perhaps not as bizarre as this film. When this film first hit the blind market, I remember seeing a specific reaction from someone in the community who was turned off because of the feature in this film that the central blind … Continue reading Oddity

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/26/24

John Stark

Movie News: Variety (and other sites) are reporting that Warner Bros. Has officially shot up every red flag when it comes to the upcoming release of Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2, which stars Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and JK Simmons. This is very likely his final film, and as an Oscar winning director, most expected Juror No. 2 to be an Oscar bait release, as it is releasing during Oscar season. Variety reports essentially the opposite is true. WB is not planning an awards campaign for the film, and is essentially sending it to die in 50 theatres, with no … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/26/24

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A Quiet Place: Day One

John Stark

This entire franchise has been out of my vision reach. The first movie was released in April 2018, and I was already having eye surgery by that point. I remember being interested in this concept, but I’ve experienced the entire thing with comments from friends or audio description shaping the experience. I remember after the first movie came out, I was in a conversation with a friend who said they looked like vaginas. Of course, I only have the audio description to compare it with, or other opinions, but you can imagine what my mind is thinking every time I … Continue reading A Quiet Place: Day One

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The Spooky Season Diaries- 2024 Edition

John Stark

This year, I did what most content creators do, and I revisited a host of horror titles for Halloween. I always try and have a range of horror, from the truly scary, to the horror comedies, to films for the whole family. While I will catch up on the newer titles, I reviewed a bunch of catalog titles for purposes of this event. it is a lot easier to put thoughts on camera, than to type out a review for every single film, especially as I feel like sometimes spell check is out to get me. Much like how I … Continue reading The Spooky Season Diaries- 2024 Edition

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/25/24

John Stark

TV News: Netflix, which recently announced that Virgin River would be returning in December, has renewed the show for its 7th season, which I believe makes its the longest running scripted drama original Netflix has had. TV Shows Watched: Disclaimer: S1E5 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Hysteria: S1E7 (Peacock) with audio description, Teacup: S1E6 (Peacock) with audio description, The Old Man: S2E8 (Hulu) with audio description, Grotesquery: S1E8 (Hulu) with audio description, Beauty In Black: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Love is Blind: S7E11 (Netflix) with audio description, The masked Singer: S12E5 (Hulu) no audio description, and Elzabeth: S2E1 (Paramount … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/25/24

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Hillbilly Elegy: A Second Look

John Stark

Ever since JD Vance became the Republican nominee for Vice president, I have ruminated on the idea of separating the art from the artist. It has been something I’ve been able to do in most circumstances, largely because a film involves hundreds of artists across a spectrum of crafts coming together to provide one singular experience. So much of that experience is reliant upon what the audience sees, and when these actors behave badly, they can create this entire chaotic response to a film, which in turn is reductive to the work of artists whose faces are not on screen. … Continue reading Hillbilly Elegy: A Second Look

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The Deliverance

John Stark

What lee Daniels did in Precious is truly nothing short of a miracle. In one film, he got one of the most remarkable and memorable performances out of a stand-up comedienne whose prior work suggested she had none of that range. Monique’s work in precious is astounding, for anyone who has had to sit through something like her cinematic masterpiece Phat Girlz. That is the director I’m always looking for,and why I follow him into something like The Butler. To be fair, he got good performances in that as well, but from actors far less surprising. Fast forward to 2024, … Continue reading The Deliverance

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/24/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Agatha All Along: S1E7 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Beauty In Black: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: S2E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Territory: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Teacup: S1E5 (Peacock) with audio description, Hysteria: S1E6 (Peacock) with audio description, and Frasier: S2E? (Paramount Plus) with audio description. podcasts: Friends From Work (A Marvel podcast) YouTube: FishJelly Film Review (review: Venom The Last Dance) Movies Watched: The prince and Me (Netflix) with audio description, and Caddo Lake (MAX) with audio description And the comments are… Agatha All Along- I thought this week was … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/24/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/23/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Where’s Wanda?: S1E5 (Apple Plus) with audio description, High Potential: S1E5 (Hulu) no audio description at time of viewing, American Sports Story: S1E7 (Hulu) with audio description, and Hysteria: S1E5 (Peacock) with audio description Podcasts: None YouTube: Chris Stuckmann (Review: ginger Snaps) Movies Watched: None I was a little busier than usual, like on Monday. So, a relatively low day with few options. So, let’s talk about all of them! Where’s Wanda?- when I think about all the international content out there, and how very few titles get audio description, i don’t think we make nearly enough … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/23/24

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The Small Screen Diaries: 10/22/24

John Stark

TV News: Well, that was fast. Just a few days after airing Episode 2, in a brand new time slot, CBS has picked up Matlock for Season 2, further signifying how successful this buzzy reimagining has been.Hopefully the strength of Matlock will help keep Elzabeth afloat as well. TV Shows Watched: Solar Opposites: S5E12 (Hulu) with audio description, What We Do In The Shadows: S6E1 (Hulu) with audio description, Papa’s House: S1E1 (Paramount plus) with audio description, 911 Lone Star: S5E5 (Hulu) no audio description, Hysteria: S1E4 (Peacock) with audio description, krapapolis: S2E3 (Hulu) no audio description, Only Murders in … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/22/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/21/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Penguin: S1E5 (MAX) with audio description, Tracker: S2E2 (Paramount Plus), Hysteria: S1E3 (Peacock) with audio description, the Franchise: S1E3 (MAX), and Last Week Tonight: ? (MAX) no audio description Podcasts: the Official The Penguin Podcast (Interviews/Recaps) YouTube: Chris Stuckmann (review: Final Destination 5) Movies: None After yesterday’s shoutout, I feel somewhat underwhelmed. Partially, I just watched way less stuff. only 4 shows with eligible audio description to even mention. the penguin- International Digital Center continues to produce a great track, which really has Dakota green making a terrific script, for a perfect narrator in Ren Leach. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/21/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/20/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Daryl Dixon: S2E4 (AMC Plus) No Audio Description, Teacup: S1E4 (Peacock) with audio description, Hysteria: S1E2 (Peacock), Have I Got News For You: S1E6? (MAX) no audio description, Tulsa King: S2E5? (Paramount Plus), and the Lincoln Lawyer: S3E1 (Netflix) with audio description. Podcasts: None YouTube: the Awards Contender (Best Supporting Actor predictions) Movies Watched: bagman (Apple Store) with audio description, Strange Darling (Apple Store) with audio description I’m bestowing an award. I don’t know which one, but I’m gonna snatch some audio description award and give it to whoever is writing the Lincoln Lawyer this season. While … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/20/24

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Early Oscar Predictions- October 2024- Best Actress

John Stark

In September, I revealed my current top rankings for Best Picture. Now, it is time to take a hard look at who is in and… well… if I don’t mention them, I guess they are out. At least, they aren’t in my rankings. 2) Angelina Jolie (Maria) I actually think once Jolie gets the nomination, she’ll overtake Madison.While Pablo Lorraine hasn’t gotten his last two ladies Oscars, he has gotten them both to nominations. With Netflix behind this, the only thing hurting Jolie is that she might be this films only nomination, and Netflix has a top priority in Amelia … Continue reading Early Oscar Predictions- October 2024- Best Actress

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The Watchers

John Stark

If I was the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, I’m not sure I would want to tread in the same waters. I feel like the bar is so high, that even if you are able to out direct your father’s most incompetent directing for films like The Last Airbender and After Earth, you would still have a hard time beating his older works like The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, or Signs, or even the more recent Split. Yet, that’s what we have here. We have someone trying to father in the closest footsteps possible. Dakota Fanning plays a young woman who … Continue reading The Watchers