As much as Nicole Kidman would love to convince me that there’s really nothing like sitting in a movie theatre and seeing a movie on a big screen, sadly that just isn’t the case anymore. And it has nothing to do with the quality of the films, or the structure of these theatres. The seats are nicer, the concession stands frequently serve real food and alcohol, and by all accounts the theatrical experience has never been better. Except for blind people. Recently, I went to a theatre. I haven’t been to one in a while because as a former employee … Continue reading Why Blind and Visually Impaired People Avoid the Theatrical Experience

Yesterday, I passively attended a panel sponsored by the American Council of the Blind through their Audio Description Project on what they are all doing as streamers. in attendance were reps from Apple, Amazon, Disney (for both Disney Plus and hulu), MAX, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and peacock. The event was hosted by Carl Richardson, who has the temperament necessary to get these people to come back to the table each year. I do not. That’s why I’m over here, speaking my own thoughts, not endorsed or working for ACB/ADP. Of course, i have some thoughts. In my YouTube video, where … Continue reading My Ten biggest Takeaways From The Audio Description Panel

Just like I’m rolling out reviews of 40 of my favorite films (that have audio description) after rewatching them, as part of my personal celebration of turning 40, it’s time to talk about the 40 actors who are most likely to get me to watch a film. Favorites. Not the best. There are people I respect, who are terrific talents, but they just don’t draw me in. obviously, I also like more than 40 actors, so a lot of the people on this list will also be here because they have been in several of my favorite things. So, in … Continue reading 40 For 40: 40 Of My Favorite Actors

Last fall, I was attempting to do a seven day free trial of AMC Plus, but their app was so poorly designed, and I was having such a hard time navigating the app, and their customer service team couldn’t figure things out in time, so they comp’d me a year of AMC Plus. At the time, they had almost no audio description. I was told that AMC took accessibility seriously, and would be working on their app as well as expanding their audio description list. That hasn’t happened. After watching major series after major series drop on the platform, from … Continue reading When You Love The Walking Dead, And it Doesn’t Love you Back

I actually turn 40 years old at the end of the month. That time when you flip the first number seems far more likely to cause a rush of nostalgia, or some might call a mid-life crisis, so I’m living mine out by taking to my YouTube channel (YouTube.com/macthemovieguy) and reviewing some of my favorite films of all time. Comfort films. Films I find rewatchable over and over. I’m not saying these films needed Oscars, or that they are cinematic masterpieces, but to me… they kind of are. It’s possible that on my initial review of these films I might … Continue reading 40 For 40: Part 1

As the year begins, you’ll see a lot of little lists from me, mostly celebrating the best I saw in film and television in 2022. I’m spreading it out, and in no way am I starting with major categories. I’m still catching up on a few titles, so by starting small, it gives me a little bit more time to get those lists done. if you’ve been following me, you’ll notice that i have reviewed titles from Netflix, Amazon, hulu, Apple Plus, Paramount Plus, HBO MAX, Disney Plus, and AMC Plus. I’m not rating FreeVee separately, and I barely use … Continue reading Year End Rankings: Which Streaming Service Is On Top?

Recently, I talked about the lack of audio description on Bardo, and my experience asking for English Audio Description for a title directed by an Academy Award Winning director that has a much larger budget than your typical Netflix release. Technically, the film has two audio tracks. Spanish, and Spanish Audio Description, and while it offers Subtitles and Closed Captioning in multiple languages, it has only one audio. A fellow AD enthusiast decided to be the dissenting opinion on this topic, by saying this is typical of Netflix. But is it? Just randomly selecting titles Netflix is trying to throw … Continue reading So What Is Netflix’s Audio Description Strategy?

Just like I did for Halloween titles, I’m trying to do for Christmas titles. I’m trying to select only titles with audio description, and I’m trying to get to 10. However, these are also recommendations, so I have to have actually seen the film, either with or without audio description (either before I lost my vision or after). I managed to get to 10 with Netflix, but not Paramount Plus or Hulu. Will Prime Video be different? They do have FreeVee. 1) Something From Tiffanys I actually haven’t even gotten a chance to review this yet (I’m a little behind), … Continue reading 10 Titles With Audio Description Included With prime To Make your Holidays Bright

often I feel like I’m stuck on a soapbox, having to consistently remind large multi-billion dollar corporations that accessibility isn’t a perk. It’s not something that I’m requesting, like going to a hairstylist and asking for highlights. I’m not upgrading to Uber XL for more comfort. When I or anyone else in the blind and visually impaired community talk to you about audio description, we are talking to you about accessibility. Audio Description, or Descriptive Audio (if you prefer), is an accessibility tool. It’s not something people just use for fun. It’s not like I’m calling you and asking for … Continue reading yes, Netflix, Accessibility Matters

I always start off with the optimism that the streaming service I’ve selected will have ten films with audio description that I’ve seen at some point in my life and can recommend. See, the thing is it’s like a Venn diagram from hell. you start with every movie ever made. Then, you have to reduce that list to only what’s on my selected streaming service. Then, it has to have audio description. Then, it has to have some relevance to the holidays. Then i have to have seen the damn thing in order to recommend it, and it has to … Continue reading 10 Movies With Audio Description On hulu To Bring You Holiday Joy

Of course, one wonders how this list would look if Paramount Plus and Showtime got their shit together and actually decided that accessibility matters, but just like how I did for Netflix, I will now try and recommend 10 titles on Paramount Plus. The usual rules apply. I’m using the list available on The Audio Description Project (ADP.ACB.org) and any title on this list I must have seen, either with audio description, or without (meaning, before I lost my vision). And then, it has to actually be worth recommending. I know, I set such a high bar to find ten … Continue reading 10 Titles On Paramount Plus With Audio Description To Bring you Holiday Cheer

The final streamer. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Amazon’s list at The Audio Description project (ADp.ACB.org) was included slightly under 600 titles free to prime subscribers. Since the master Amazon list has over 3,000 (we need to have a talk about that disparity, Amazon) I’m glad I didn’t have to search through over 3,000 titles. however, Amazon does have multiple genres which shortened the list, they have films I have seen and can’t recommend without having seen, and they have films I have seen but wouldn’t recommend. They’ve also prioritized a lot of D-list titles, which doesn’t help … Continue reading 10 Titles On Amazon With Audio Description To Frighten Prime Subscribers

So, the year is shaping up. Pretty much everyone has seen every major release minus a few like Babylon, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, and Avatar: The Way Of Water. But taht’s not stopping the Oscar talk, and the 20 actresses most likely to be one of five nominations announced. If I haven’t listed them, lets just be honest and say 15 of these actresses already won’t be nominated, and these aren’t my personal choices based on who I would vote for. This is pure buzz and industry talk. 1) Michelle Williams (The Fablemans) Despite the baffling decision to run a … Continue reading Oscars: Top 20 Contenders For Best Supporting Actress