Category: Movie Review

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Love Of Your Life

John Stark

It’s rare to be pleasantly surprised by a title that has been saddled, in this day and age, with a forced streaming debut. It seems like, more often than not, the films that haven’t been given the privilege of at least doing a dry run in theaters, or heading to a festival, end up disappointing. Amazon certainly has had its fair share of oblivious crap that it has thrust upon the world in terms of streaming-only releases, without having to do much thinking at all. The Runner, The Devil’s Mouth, War of the Worlds, Heads of State, and The Bluff … Continue reading Love Of Your Life

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Disclosure Day

John Stark

There is something inherently fascinating about watching Steven Spielberg return to the subject of extraterrestrial life, especially when you consider that he has already explored it from just about every conceivable angle. From the relatively peaceful wonder of Close Encounters of the Third Kind to the outright terror of War of the Worlds, and even the rather divisive alien mythology of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spielberg has certainly been around this particular block before. Which presents an interesting challenge for Disclosure Day, his latest science fiction thriller, because where exactly does this film fit into … Continue reading Disclosure Day

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day

John Stark

With great power comes great responsibility, and likely no one felt that more than Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, who was tasked with following up a really strong, really popular third entry in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise with something of a clean start. In case you didn’t see the last film, the big twist is that Peter Parker gets Doctor Strange to cast a spell that makes everyone forget who Peter Parker is, including the people closest to him. Theoretically, this means those he cares about will be safe. The fourth entry in the franchise … Continue reading Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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Free Leonard Peltier

John Stark

Netflix came out strong for Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year with the release of Free Leonard Peltier, which is one of the best documentaries of the year, and certainly one of the best documentaries Netflix has released this year. Directed by Jesse Short Bull and David France, the film explores the life of Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous rights activist who spent nearly 50 years in prison following his controversial conviction for the murders of two FBI agents. Even if you already know how this story ends, it’s still a journey worth taking, as the film explores the reasons why Leonard … Continue reading Free Leonard Peltier

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Sacrifice (2026)

John Stark

I feel like it’s important to always make the distinction between a Netflix-commissioned film and a film acquired by Netflix, because these are films that could have been acquired by anyone. Oftentimes, critics who get lost in the Friday night shuffle of Netflix originals get tripped up when there’s a film that Netflix didn’t actually make. Sacrifice is one of those films. It premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where Netflix did not immediately pick it up, eventually acquiring it in May of this year and slating it for October. Not necessarily the most promising trajectory for a … Continue reading Sacrifice (2026)

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Leviticus

John Stark

There is definitely a weird discourse to be had around Leviticus, and I’ve already encountered remnants of it leading up to finally seeing the film. Because of the way Leviticus is structured, the things it’s asking the audience to believe, and the situation it sets up for its characters, it can come across as oddly homophobic for a film that is simultaneously so LGBTQ-forward. The main characters here are queer, which should be a win in our book, but this Australian horror film has them trapped in a situation where those of us in the audience who are constantly thinking … Continue reading Leviticus

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Animals

John Stark

I remember that glorious moment when we all realized Ben Affleck could actually direct. Gone Baby Gone was a surprisingly good crime thriller, one of those underseen gems you can recommend to family and friends because they likely haven’t seen it. But even if they have, it usually sparks a conversation about how underrated the film is, considering it didn’t exactly explode at the box office, nor did it sweep the Oscars. He followed that up with The Town, which is always rapidly rising on my list of favorite films of all time. Every time I see it, I’m reminded … Continue reading Animals

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Matchbox: the Movie

John Stark

I would love to be able to start off my review for Matchbox: The Movie by calling it an outlier. Like it’s some sort of weird social experiment to try to create a film based on Matchbox cars, as if there’s actually something there. Some story, some deep lore in which to explore the Matchbox universe. A battle that has long been waged, characters that we grew up with and related to, a devoted fan base that still runs around today with their Matchbox T-shirts and jumps onto Reddit subforums to debate theories about the Matchbox universe. But unfortunately, it’s … Continue reading Matchbox: the Movie

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Going In Blind: Dolph: Unbreakable

John Stark

Man, what a life Dolph Lundgren has had. It’s interesting to think about his career trajectory and actually see it all laid out in a documentary like Dolph: Unbreakable. If I had to jump in with an early complaint, it would be that the film starts at one point in his life before going back to the beginning and working its way forward. I’m not entirely sure that was necessary, because Dolph’s story is fascinating enough when told chronologically. His life has been a series of unexpected turns, some fortunate and others not so much, and the documentary has more … Continue reading Going In Blind: Dolph: Unbreakable

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Going In Blind: A prayer for The dying

John Stark

I probably need to stop choosing films simply based on their casts, because that strategy doesn’t seem to be working out particularly well for me. Earlier this year, I reviewed a film solely because Willem Dafoe was in it. It didn’t have audio description, and it wasn’t very good. I stand by that assessment, and I honestly don’t think adding audio description would have saved it. Now I’ve found myself watching A Prayer for the Dying, another film without audio description, this time featuring Academy Award nominee John C. Reilly, an actor I’d love to see doing more interesting work, … Continue reading Going In Blind: A prayer for The dying

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Going In Blind: Citizen Vigilante

John Stark

I think somebody should experience a Uwe Boll movie at some point in their lifetime if they plan on commenting on cinema. It’s sort of like taking the plunge and putting on Plan 9 from Outer Space just so you can fully appreciate it for all of its glory. Especially if you’re among the sighted community and you don’t have to worry about audio description, you actually have to know what scraping the bottom looks like in order to know where the bottom even is. Otherwise, if you completely avoid the bottom altogether, you just walk around thinking that the … Continue reading Going In Blind: Citizen Vigilante

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Going in Blind: lady (2026)

John Stark

So that’s why the lady is a tramp. I didn’t fully understand it until now, but now I do, courtesy of Lady, the feature directorial debut of Samuel Abrahams, which premiered at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival and is now rolling out to audiences. While the presentation I received did not include audio description, I have to say this is still one of my favorite films of the year. What a strange, weird little movie. I loved every minute of it. It has these Grey Gardens vibes that I just couldn’t get past, where you have this upper-class socialite, … Continue reading Going in Blind: lady (2026)

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Going In Blind: Borman And The Devil

John Stark

Would you believe me if I told you that I have not seen the entirety of the Exorcist franchise? As a matter of fact, my involvement with the franchise would be what you might call somewhat limited. It’s not that I haven’t seen any of the films in the franchise, but given the number of films that exist, I would certainly never claim to be an expert on The Exorcist. However, when this documentary crossed my path as a film lover, I felt like I had to dive into Boorman and the Devil, essentially a feature-length making-of documentary about the … Continue reading Going In Blind: Borman And The Devil

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Tyler Perry’s Doing Life

John Stark

Tyler Perry’s back. I feel like we hear that all the time. I feel like he’s trying to set some sort of world record for how many films he can direct within his lifetime. He’s getting close to 40 films now, and probably next year he’ll hit 40, which is an astounding amount for someone who didn’t start directing features until after September 11th. From Diary of a Mad Black Woman to now, Tyler Perry has amassed a bizarre filmography containing some of the worst films I’ve ever seen, mixed in with promising content and a few underrated gems. Mostly, … Continue reading Tyler Perry’s Doing Life

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Going In Blind: Tiny Fugitives

John Stark

I don’t know what 2026 is trying to tell me about summer camps, but I feel like I need to go to one. I did as a kid, but apparently there’s some strong cosmic force pulling me back toward summer camp, considering Tiny Fugitives is now the fifth film I’ve seen this year that takes place at one, following Camp, Camp Rock 3, The Floaters, and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. The first was a decent horror-tinged adventure about acceptance mixed with a little bit of The Craft. The second was the unfortunate third film in Disney’s long-running … Continue reading Going In Blind: Tiny Fugitives

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The Love Hypothesis

John Stark

I’m just gonna straight-up say it: The Love Hypothesis is joyful nonsense. That may be my pull quote. Just rip that Band-Aid off right now. The thing about The Love Hypothesis is that it proves Lili Reinhart is ready to be a rom-com star. She is effortless. She hits every single beat and mark, even when the film around her doesn’t make sense. That is the true evidence of a rom-com queen: someone who can take what is essentially a mediocre or even below-mediocre concept, a script that frequently becomes nonsensical, and even a co-star who might be miscast or … Continue reading The Love Hypothesis

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The Stunt Driver

John Stark

When I think of stunt drivers, I think of that iconic shot from Bullitt, with the car flying through the air on the streets of San Francisco. Or I think of the video game Driver, because it was one of the earlier computer games I remember playing and loving, while wishing somebody would turn it into a badass film franchise. When I think of stunts, I think of all the incredible stunt work we’ve seen throughout the history of cinema. Combine those two things and you get a stunt driver, somebody who drives and does stunts. Except The Stunt Driver … Continue reading The Stunt Driver

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unabomber

John Stark

September seems to be the season when Netflix clears out most of what it doesn’t really intend on having as its high-profile Oscar contenders. Even one of its better offerings that kicked off awards season a few years ago, Fair Play, still ended up not making much of an impact in the awards race despite being generally well liked. Well, we won’t have that problem with Unabomber, because I can’t imagine critics piling onto this movie. It’s deeply unsatisfying, aimless, and rather pointless. It’s a film that isn’t sure what its structure should be, how much of either story it … Continue reading unabomber

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Going In Blind: The Incomer

John Stark

Sumerian Pictures popped up on my radar earlier this year when they snapped up Sundance darling Josephine, surprising a lot of people who did not know what Sumerian was and weren’t entirely sure what that meant for the future of Josephine in terms of its awards possibilities. Despite the critical acclaim and its success at Sundance, will it actually go on to land any Oscar nominations this year? That’s still a question that has to be answered. But Sumerian picked up more than just Josephine. They also picked up The Incomer, the new Scottish comedy written and directed by Louis … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Incomer

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Going In Blind: The Deputy

John Stark

There are a lot of small towns out there. A lot of murders. That’s what I’ve learned from my years on this planet watching television shows and movies. Murder is not just limited to New York, although the Law & Order franchise would certainly suggest that crime happens there on a pretty consistent basis. No, sometimes murder breaks out in a small town where there’s a sheriff and a deputy, and not necessarily a whole squad of police officers or different departments scattered across the city. Sometimes there are just a couple of guys responsible for keeping everybody safe from … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Deputy

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Going In Blind: Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story

John Stark

I didn’t even know we had made a Dane Cook documentary, and it gave me a Tourgasm. Boy, I wanted it to. Ultimately, though, despite my adoration of Dane Cook, and despite the fact that he seems to have fallen completely and totally out of fashion, I struggled with Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story. The documentary is interesting if you know nothing about the situation involving Dane and his half-brother, Darryl McCauley, who stole millions of dollars from him while managing his finances. Dane and Darryl apparently had a strong familial connection despite technically being half-brothers, which obviously makes … Continue reading Going In Blind: Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/20/26

John Stark

Normally, when I do the Small Screen Diary, I start with the actual order in which I watched the shows. Today, I actually want to throw American Hostage, Season 1, Episode 1, right up at the top. This is the new MGM+ drama, and it was actually one of the later things I watched during the day, but it also had one of the more interesting audio description tracks. I didn’t get to listen to the credits at the end, so I don’t have the full AD information yet, but some choices are definitely being made here. This is the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/20/26

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Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear

John Stark

I often refer to documentaries like this as content creation, because it seems like with the rise of streaming services has come the rise of, “Let’s send a camera crew to follow a celebrity that people will want to watch a documentary about, and let’s bring in some easy views.” You can tell which ones they didn’t put a lot of time and attention into, and which ones are actually a labor of love. Something like last year’s John Candy documentary comes to mind, or even this year’s Martin Short documentary, directed by his longtime friend Lawrence Kasdan. Then you … Continue reading Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear

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Pressure

John Stark

Literally every time I think of this movie and its title, I think of “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, specifically that bassline right at the top, the one Vanilla Ice repurposed for “Ice Ice Baby” and then got into some legal trouble over. I hear it every single time. I don’t know why, but that is the pressure that has been put on me by the film Pressure: trying to remember the lyrics to a Queen and David Bowie song. Pressure is a nice, pleasant surprise for the year, a World War II drama that somehow manages to … Continue reading Pressure

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Going In Blind: First They Came For My College

John Stark

As a Floridian, I was acutely aware of what had happened to New College of Florida. It became part of the larger battle over education in this state, stretching from elementary schools all the way through our public universities. New College was a particularly strange target. This is a small public honors college in Sarasota, with a campus that incorporates part of the former estate of Charles and Edith Ringling. It wasn’t known for athletics. It was known for taking a different approach to higher education, giving high-achieving students considerable freedom in structuring their studies and encouraging unusually close interaction … Continue reading Going In Blind: First They Came For My College

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Where Did The Adults Go?

John Stark

I am pleasantly surprised that this little indie film, with actors no one would necessarily consider bankable, yet who are very talented, somehow managed to get an audio description track. I think the selling point here is the fact that disability is actually central to the story, which you would think would initiate the demand for accessibility across the board. Sadly, that’s not true. I would point toward Netflix and its release of Color Book this summer, a film where a disabled youth was at the center of the story, yet the film did not have an audio description track. … Continue reading Where Did The Adults Go?

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Supergirl (2026)

John Stark

I hate to say it, but I think Greta Gerwig would have killed this movie. It could have been great. Instead, for reasons unbeknownst to everybody, we got Craig Gillespie, who sort of lacks a singular voice as a director and is utilized a bit more to plug into various different genres. He just seems to be able to make a broad film for audiences, whether it’s comedy, action, horror, or something else. He’s touched all of the genres, and now he’s coming for Supergirl. The problem is that he’s coming for James Gunn’s Supergirl. Because make no mistake, this … Continue reading Supergirl (2026)

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The Mandalorian and Grogu

John Stark

Sometimes being able to Monday morning quarterback a film is a little bit more interesting, because you get to see the car accident of film critics clashing over the initial release, fighting to get their opinions out there and determining whether or not they have the most valid opinion in the marketplace. Well, hold my beer, because the blind film critic has entered the chat. I did not see The Mandalorian and Grogu on the big screen. Of course, I really don’t see anything on the big screen, thus the blind film critic part. Instead, I watched this with audio … Continue reading The Mandalorian and Grogu

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Tyler Perry’s Why did I Get Married Again

John Stark

The benefit of having aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes is that you can find critics who come from all various walks of life, with different perspectives, approaching each film from a different angle, with a different background and a different subset of films that we’ve seen throughout our lifetimes. Different upbringings, different life struggles, so on and so forth. And in this regard, you have stumbled onto a review of a Tyler Perry movie. But not just any Tyler Perry movie. The third film in the Why Did I Get Married? franchise. And you get to read this from the perspective … Continue reading Tyler Perry’s Why did I Get Married Again

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Going In Blind: The Weight

John Stark

Jumping back into the review fray with Vertical’s acquisition out of Sundance, The Weight. This Ethan Hawke historical drama premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it was eventually acquired by Vertical for distribution, landing on a September release date. This didn’t used to be a strong month for releases, but every once in a while somebody throws a strong blockbuster into September, confusing people and making them think it’s suddenly a valid month for consumers. Really, what usually happens is they have a title so big it doesn’t matter where it opens because it’s going to draw people … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Weight

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Mayday

John Stark

I really didn’t know what to expect from Apple’s new film Mayday, which skipped a theatrical release despite the star presence of Ryan Reynolds and was slotted into early September. The late August and early September period around Labor Day used to be considered the doldrums of theatrical releases. Every once in a while, a film would challenge that idea, obviously, but this isn’t necessarily when people release their best films. So, with Apple dropping Mayday here, I was definitely a little worried. However, I was encouraged by the directorial team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who previously … Continue reading Mayday

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The Runner (2026)

John Stark

I got to The Runner slightly later than a handful of other critics, so I had already watched its Rotten Tomatoes score rapidly plummet and seen most of the ire targeted specifically at Gal Gadot. She seems to be a fairly easy target nowadays. Her choice of films, her limitations as an actress, her thoughts on various topics—pick one. I’m sure there’s a reason why you or someone you know doesn’t like her. However, she is not the reason this movie fails. She is merely one piece in a catastrophic puzzle that Amazon has decided to thrust upon the world … Continue reading The Runner (2026)

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The Whisper Man

John Stark

Do you know the Whisper Man? He’s nothing like the Muffin Man, so if you do know the Whisper Man, you might want to stay away. Maybe not from this film, though. The Whisper Man has sort of its own identity in that it’s not as terrible as a slew of other Netflix original titles, but it’s also not going to launch into the upper echelon of the few, the proud, the Netflix originals that make the subscription worthwhile. It’s basically a one-time-watch type of film, especially given how much it hinges upon a twist ending. Directed by James Ashcroft, … Continue reading The Whisper Man

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Buddy (2026)

John Stark

In every generation, there is a kids TV show that absolutely confounds parents, annoys the heck out of them, but also makes them incredibly glad their children have found something that will keep them quiet long enough that they can use the bathroom in peace. Let’s be honest, screen time can be useful. I have no idea what the little kids of today are watching. Probably Gabby’s Dollhouse. Paw Patrol seems like a strong possibility. Buddy, however, feels very much targeted at the Barney generation, even including a song with different lyrics that sounds suspiciously close to something Barney would … Continue reading Buddy (2026)

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Going In Blind: The Sun Never Sets

John Stark

I definitely have not fully participated in the entirety of Joe Swanberg’s filmography, but the indie darling who helped push forward the mumblecore movement is back with a feature-length film that feels like one of his more accessible works. Perhaps this is a new form he has taken following opportunities like the Netflix series Easy, which ran for three seasons. Maybe dabbling in higher-profile projects with larger budgets got Swanberg moderately interested in tackling something starring Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, and Cory Michael Smith. Although, much like other mumblecore movies, The Sun Never Sets is a very down-to-earth slice of … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Sun Never Sets

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Freefall: A Reckoning For Boeing

John Stark

This just surprised me in my Netflix feed, and I decided to watch it. I will say that while the lack of having a publication to back me as a film critic certainly limits my exposure, one of the things it does for me is allow me to choose what I want to review and when I want to review it because I’m not working on assignment. I’m working on a wing and a prayer. So, much like pilots when they’re flying a Boeing airplane, they’re doing so on a wing and a prayer. It also tends to mean that … Continue reading Freefall: A Reckoning For Boeing

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Wishing You Were Somehow Human Again: Nothing To Lose (2026)

John Stark

Netflix does this thing where they randomly select international titles on their streaming service and tap them for audio description. I’m not really sure what the wheel of algorithms that drives them to do this tells them in terms of supportive data. Pick this film because the English-speaking blind audience will like this one more. Don’t pick that one because the English-speaking blind audience won’t like it. It’s such a tremendous fallacy given the fact that a film like Nothing to Lose just kind of randomly and quietly dropped on Netflix with little fanfare, yet Netflix has had films in … Continue reading Wishing You Were Somehow Human Again: Nothing To Lose (2026)

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Going In Blind: Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma

John Stark

There are several directors who have started coming up through the ranks recently, mostly out of the horror genre, who have clearly unique voices within the field, and I think Jane Schoenbrun is definitely one of those burgeoning auteurs. They last directed I Saw the TV Glow for A24, which, while not necessarily my favorite film of that year, was definitely a stunner and my first interaction with Schoenbrun as a director, as Let’s All Go to the World’s Fair doesn’t have audio description and has kept me at arm’s length from being able to appreciate it. So their third … Continue reading Going In Blind: Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma

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Going In Blind: The Magic Far Away Tree

John Stark

When I was growing up in a different time and a different generation, back in the days when churning butter was a thing, before electricity, when dinosaurs were roaming the Earth, I loved to read books. I had plenty of children’s books, and because I read so voraciously, I moved fairly quickly up the age bracket, routinely reading material above my grade level, except for Goosebumps, which was just for fun. I definitely grew up in the Goosebumps generation. We were always presented with the summer reading list, and the goal was to check off as many books as possible, … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Magic Far Away Tree

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Is God Is

John Stark

Somehow Is God Is slipped completely by me. I remember seeing it listed when it was opening in theaters, and it was a film starring Sterling K. Brown and Vivica A. Fox, and I immediately thought, why is this being released theatrically? I also thought it was probably a Christian movie, and it is anything but. It’s amazing what happens when you actually know what something is about, but I skip nearly every trailer for a film, so I work largely off of what studios send me and what other critics are talking about. It wasn’t until after Is God … Continue reading Is God Is

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Going In Blind: The Snare

John Stark

I was not part of the After School Special generation. I did not come home after school to watch a weepy teen drama about life lessons, but if that were still a thing, I imagine The Snare could have found a place among the pantheon of what I’m sure are legendary classics. It’s very much a cautionary tale, both for teenagers in terms of being a coming-of-age story and for parents who apparently need to get all up in their kids’ business 24/7, because the world from The Snare’s perspective is very much waiting to find your children and eat … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Snare

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Monstrous Me

John Stark

Obviously, if you’re here, you know I’m a blind film critic. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you found this review, clicked on it thinking it was just another review of Monstrous Me, and just learned that a blind film critic exists. I’m also an advocate for audio description. So pretty much whenever somebody comes to me and says, “Hey, will you review my movie? It has audio description,” I go, “Sure.” I want to support films that bothered to snag an audio description track for people like me, since major studios are still releasing titles without them. It’s funny that … Continue reading Monstrous Me

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Don’t Say Good Luck

John Stark

I’m sure many critics don’t really know what to do right now. We’re in a little bit of a daze. It’s certainly an unfamiliar place. Had I known that this would be what it was, I would have tried to get an advanced screener so I could get my thoughts out on this film earlier. But instead, I watched it with the normies on Netflix. And color me surprised that Happy Madison produced a coming-of-age drama starring Sunny Sandler, which is both extremely on brand for them, given the actress, and extremely off brand for them, given the fact that … Continue reading Don’t Say Good Luck

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Going In Blind: Night Nurse

John Stark

When I was a kid, my parents did not pay for the premium cable channel packages: HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and The Movie Channel. I’m old enough that I predate Starz, so in case you’re wondering why I didn’t mention Starz, well, I’m older than you are. Those were the four movie channels you could pay extra for to get your big movies without commercials and without the profanity edited out of them. I used to get really excited whenever they had their free preview weekends or weeks. Sometimes, you might even get lucky and just barely be able to see … Continue reading Going In Blind: Night Nurse

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Going In Blind: Nimrods

John Stark

In every generation, there is a film about kids wanting to go to a concert. It doesn’t matter which generation. There are always going to be kids wanting to see their favorite musical artist perform, regardless of who that artist is, whether they’re real, fictional, or otherwise. While the concept certainly isn’t new, there’s something to be said for being able to correctly follow a formula. I know some critics don’t believe in formulaic filmmaking, but flip that into cooking. If somebody is following a recipe to perfection, then all of your meals are delicious because that’s what the cookbook … Continue reading Going In Blind: Nimrods

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Going In Blind: The Birthday Party

John Stark

I really do enjoy Willem Dafoe as an actor. I have this thing where a lot of times performances and actors sell me on movies even more than what the actual film is about, or anything else about the film. Sometimes I can just see that there’s an actor in a film and I’m immediately more intrigued by their presence, and it makes me want to see it. So when I was offered the opportunity to screen The Birthday Party, starring Willem Dafoe, I was at first concerned that it might not be in English, but after I was assured … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Birthday Party

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Going In Blind: Union COunty

John Stark

This would not be the first film about drug addiction, nor would it be the first film about the rehabilitation process. The state of battling addiction, no matter what it was you were addicted to, is a bit of a gold mine, albeit a depressing one, for filmmakers. Often, that’s because it allows for personal reflection and offers that human connection to the audience. People will watch Union County and immediately be able to relate to it or take something away from it, whether they themselves have found themselves on the exact same path or they’ve watched somebody else go … Continue reading Going In Blind: Union COunty

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The Last House

John Stark

It’s only been a short period of time since The Last House dropped on Netflix, and I’ve already seen some really wild reactions to the film. The latest in Netflix’s continued onslaught of skipping theatrical brings recent Academy Award nominee Wagner Moura and Greta Lee to a pandemic-era-style film where it’s a limited location, trapped inside a house with seemingly no end in sight. The director bringing this masterpiece to life is Louis Leterrier, the man behind The Transporter, The Incredible Hulk, and Now You See Me, and unfortunately, most recently, Fast X, which was not a great film and … Continue reading The Last House

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EPIC: Elvis Presley In Concert

John Stark

In case you thought that year where Austin Butler walked around doing every interview pretending he was such a heavy method actor that he couldn’t shake his Elvis Presley voice was some sort of fever dream, it actually wasn’t. Baz Luhrmann really did direct an Elvis biopic, and it really was nominated for multiple Oscars. As a byproduct of making that film, Luhrmann clearly developed an even deeper fascination with Elvis Presley, and that eventually led him to dig through archival material, restore and assemble footage from different performances, and create one of the most exhilarating concert films I’ve ever … Continue reading EPIC: Elvis Presley In Concert

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The Highest Stakes

John Stark

Every once in a while I watch a movie where I can see that the elevator pitch is solid, and somewhere along the way it just got lost. Maybe there was a good treatment that slowly became muddled in the screenplay, or perhaps the director simply wasn’t sure how to translate the concept to the screen. Whatever happened, The Highest Stakes is built around an interesting premise that never quite works. It reminded me of those morality tales where some unseen force gathers a group of people together for reasons that aren’t immediately clear, with the audience slowly uncovering the … Continue reading The Highest Stakes