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 Small Screen Diaries- 10/03/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Agatha All Along: S1E4 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Heartstopper: S3E1 (Netflix), Where’s Wanda: S1E2 (Apple plus) with audio description, Nobody Wants This: S1E8 (Netflix) with audio description, Creature: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Grotesquery: S1E3 (Hulu) with audio description, Krapopolis: S2E1 (Hulu) no audio description, The Daily Show: Most Recent (Paramount Plus) no audio description, The golden Girls: S7E? (Hulu) with audio description. Podcasts: Friends From Work (A Marvel podcast) YouTube: None Movies Watched: Divorce (Netflix) with audio description I did have a conversation with a real human in person today about Agatha All Along, and … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/03/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/02/24

John Stark

TV News: Ryan Murphy, who I literally forgot created the 911 franchise, has announced plans for another spinoff for the flagship series on ABC. Currently, Murphy has on air, that I’m aware of: 911, 911 lone Star, American Sports Story, monsters, Grotesquery, and Dr. Odyssey. Does he have enough shows? Has he taken over TV yet? TV Shows Watched: Where’s Wanda: S1E1 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Last Days Of The Space Race: S1E1 (Hulu) no audio description, Murder In A Small Town: S1E2 (Hulu) no audio description, American Sports Story: S1E5? (Hulu) with audio description, Nobody Wants This: S1E7 … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/02/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 10/1/24

John Stark

News: RIP John Amos, maybe best known for Good Times, but I’m such a fan of The West Wing that I’ll always remember what he brought to that show as well. TV Shows Watched: English Teacher: S1E6 (Hulu) with audio description, Solar Opposites: S5E9 (Hulu) with audio description, Brilliant Minds: S1E2 (Peacock) with audio description, Nobody Wants this: S1E6 (Netflix) with audio description, 911 Lone Star: S5E2 (Hulu) no audio description, Mr McMahon: S1E6 (Netflix) with audio description, What’s next with Bill Gates: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description. Podcasts: Anderson Cooper 360 (News/Politics), Pod Save America (News/Podcasts), Film Threat (Review: … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 10/1/24

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The Small Screen diaries- 09/30/24

John Stark

TV News: Just a lot of death. Apparently famous people don’t die in threes, but in clusters. Just in the last few days we lost Dame Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter), John Astin (Beverly hills Cop), Kris Kristofferson (A Star Is Born), Dikembe Mutumbo (NBA Superstar, and commercial star), and Gavin Creel (a prolific Broadway talent). That’s not a rule of three. Rest in peace to all. TV Shows Watched: The Penguin: S1E2 (MAX) with audio description, The Summit: S1E1 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Creature: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Nobody Wants This: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, … Continue reading The Small Screen diaries- 09/30/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 09/29/24

John Stark

TV News- Well, I guess Kerry Washington won’t be meeting her estranged mother anymore on her Hulu comedy UnPrisoned, which has been cancelled after two seasons. It’s a shame, because her co-star, Delroy Lindo, was excellent. I was always rooting for him for a surprise Emmy nomination, just like I wanted him recognized for his excellent work on Da Five Bloods. He goes under the radar far too often. TV Shows Watched: The Ark: S2E10 (Peacock) with audio description, Daryl Dixon: S2E1 (AMC Plus) No audio description, Mr McMahon- S1E3 and S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Nobody Wants This- S1E4 … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 09/29/24

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Incoming

John Stark

And people say comedy is dead. Well, they haven’t seen Netflix’s latest teen comedy about some high school freshmen looking to par-tay. The hyphenated version is absolutely necessary by the way. In this latest high school romp, three pretty average dudes (because, we don’t really do nerds and geeks anymore), find themselves in the middle of a total rager. Not really, but, a 2024 version of a rager. It’s like if Project X had a version that was Pg-13. There’s nothing here you haven’t really seen before. Crude jokes, usual teen behavior, but all representative of this current Gen Alpha … Continue reading Incoming

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The Small Screen Diaries- 09/28/24

John Stark

TV News: SyFy/USA have cancelled Chucky after 3 seasons. I’m a little surprised, based on the cliffhanger, but also that final season was a bit off the rails if we are being honest. Creatively, it needed a reboot anyway, and new writers. It was getting so bonkers that I wouldn’t be surprised if Season 4 was in space. TV Shows Watched: Pachenko: S2E6 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Mr McMahon: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Nobody Wants This: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Penelope: S1E6, S1E7, and S1E8 (Netflix) with audio description, Everybody Still Hates Chris: S1E1 (Comedy) no audio … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 09/28/24

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Early Oscar predictions: September 2024- Best Picture Rankings

John Stark

With most of the relevant festivals behind us, and most of the movies having been seen, it was pretty easy to start figuring out this list. So, here’s my current rankings of what is in play, and why, plus why I have them ranked where they are. 2) Emilia Perez (Netflix) the big Netflix title this year. They don’t really have another winner. Netflix has yet to win a Best Picture trophy, but for a Mexican musical tht is also the International Oscar submission for France, and has a really good shot at getting first time Oscar nominations for Zoe … Continue reading Early Oscar predictions: September 2024- Best Picture Rankings

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Double Jeopardy: 25th Anniversary

John Stark

I can’t wait till the day someone uses this film as a real world defense. Although, those circumstances are so specific. You’d have ton be convicted of murdering someone not dead, and then find that person who has been off the grid all those years, and then kill them to challenge the idea that this film is nonsense. But, I think that is what makes the film so damn entertaining, is that we can root for Ashley Judd. Very few films outside the horror genre have someone who you hope will succeed in their quest to kill. Often, there’s some … Continue reading Double Jeopardy: 25th Anniversary

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The Small Screen Diaries- 09/27/24

John Stark

TV News: I’m pleased as punch to report that tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live will air with Audio Description Live. Interestingly, the audio description is not performed by an equally capable group of comedic improv performers, but rather highly skilled audio description professionals. For those of us who fight every day for audio description to be added to our favorite shows, like the gang trying to get audio description on Gilmore Girls, just remember. It only took 50 years for SNL to add audio description. So, keep up the fight. Just… it may take a while. TV Shows Watched: … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 09/27/24

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National Anthem

John Stark

What a rare opportunity. I remember when I joined GALECA this year, the LGBTQ+ critics organization, I mentioned that I rarely get to touch on representation in film from the gay perspective, because there is such a deficit in accessibility for blind and low vision movie watchers. I get lucky from time to time, and we have a character in a film worth mentioning, or an out actor, or even an LGBTQ film. In June, i specifically targeted certain films that also had audio description for pride month. but this? This is a queer rodeo movie. That is what it … Continue reading National Anthem

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The Small Screen Diaries- 09/26/24

John Stark

TV News: I survived the Hurricane. I also never lost power, so i have stuff to talk about today. In the TV News world, James Wan has jumped on board the Robocop series being developed at Amazon. TV Shows Watched: Agatha All Along: S1E3 (Disney plus) with audio description, Penelope: S1E2 and S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Grotesquery: S1E1 (Hulu) with audio description, Mr. McMahon: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Nobody Wants This: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Colin From Accounts: S2E1 (Paramount Plus) no audio description, 911: S7E3 (Hulu) with audio description, Desperate Housewives: S2E14 *(Hulu) no audio description, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 09/26/24

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Kinds Of Kindness

John Stark

I don’t know how many other critics consider themselves a work in progress, but I’m always trying to absorb stuff about film from everywhere. More recently, podcasts, and when i hear this title, it makes me wonder what the team at You Are Good would say about a film that suggest it might be about emotions and feelings, and is kind of adjacent to that, because we are always feeling or emoting, but the title isn’t the nail on the head you assume it is. Then again, was Poor Things? The Lobster? Do you even care what yorgos titles his … Continue reading Kinds Of Kindness

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The Small Screen Diaries- 09/26/24

John Stark

Today should be an interesting day, as Hurricane Helene will bring me some kind of extreme weather. If I don’t have a small screen diary tomorrow, I’m not necessarily dead, i might just not have power. Or internet. You know, the things we now rely on to do things like this. TV Shows Watched: American Sports Story: S1E3 (Hulu) with audio description, High Potential: S1E2 (Hulu) with audio description, Midnight Family: S1E1 (Apple plus) with audio description, Murder In A Small Town: S1E1 (Hulu) no audio description, Penelope: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Women In Blue: S1E10 (Apple Plus) with … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 09/26/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 09/24/24

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Monsters: EPS 8 and 9 (Netflix) with audio description, Solar Opposites: S5E8 (Hulu) with audio description, English Teacher: S1E5 (Hulu) with audio description, 911: Lone Star: S5E1 (FOX) no audio description, Brilliant Minds: S1E1 (Peacock) no audio description, and Only Murders In The Building: S4E5 (Hulu) with audio description. Podcasts: The Christian Harloff Show (The Penguin Reactions), The Ezra Klein Show (Interview: Mayor Pete) YouTube: none Movies: None OK. So, the fall season is upon us. I’ve now watched a handful of new network TV shows: Universal Basic Guys, High Potential, Rescue: high Surf, and Brilliant minds. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 09/24/24