Category: Movie Review

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Electra

John Stark

Electra (2025)- Maria Bakalova, Abigail Cowen, Jack Farthing The idea that someone is not who they initially seem to be seems to power a range of films. Aside from the usual “killer reveal” in horror movies, where we are also treated typically to a monologue of why this deception has happened, films feature all sorts of lies and manipulation. It is the central twist that powers the Matlock reboot right now on CBS. It is basically the mantra of Tom Ripley in any incarnation. It also runs through Saltburn, with an interesting twist at the end almost validating the lies. … Continue reading Electra

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Lavender Men

John Stark

Lavender Men (2025)- A Proclamation Of Excellence And One Of My Favorites This Year I’ve really only seen one movie before this that I thought had the chance of being in my top films of 2025 list. It is a sad statistic considering that I’m not that far from 100 titles in 2025, and only one title has audio description and could also land on that list. However, I have to say that Lavender Men has made an excellent case as to why it should be included even without audio description. I think this is one of the brightest, boldest, … Continue reading Lavender Men

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G20

John Stark

I realize that I am at somewhat of a disadvantage when it comes to the whole “trust me this film looks great” front, which impacts a lot of action, science-fiction, horror, animated, and to some extent the other genres. it just feels so much more pronounced when visual effects fail a film like G20, as opposed to A Real Pain. But, having seen G20, i can’t really find another reason this would be considered such an egregious failure. it seems to be doing quite well for Amazon, and viola Davis is one of the greatest living actresses. She clearly likes … Continue reading G20

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The Gorge

John Stark

It has taken me a minute to collect my thoughts on the disappointment that is Scott Derrickson’s The Gorge, and Apple TV + original that they didn’t even bother to attempt a theatrical release for. While it is a disappointment, it isn’t quite the crater left behind by Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle last year, but it isn’t far away.Hopefully, you’ll be able to understand the abyss of never ending disdain for mediocrity that consumes The gorge, and perhaps why Scott should have just agreed to jump on the Black Phone sequel instead. The movie is set in one of those dystopian … Continue reading The Gorge

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Star Trek: Section 31

John Stark

being forced to sit down and watch what looks like a new Star Trek film, only to realize it is cheap streaming crap, is like finding a cloaking device in your partner’s underwear drawer. have you been lied to this whole time? What level of deception has transpired in order for this egregious offense to occur? It just leaves you with this lingering question of “WTF?” After all the wait, this supposed deep dive into the intelligence gathering arm of Star Fleet is lacking in intelligence on the page. After all the whispers, this look into the clandestine is more … Continue reading Star Trek: Section 31

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Eephus

John Stark

Batter up. We are headed into cinematic nostalgic bliss. Eephus is a film so profoundly moving, so exquisitely crafted, and so utterly moving that it hasn’t just raised the bar for independent cinema, it has sent it out of the damn ballpark. To call it a masterpiece feels almost reductive, and I say almost, because as a blind film critic, this film does not have audio description. I think that is probably why when I was originally offered an opportunity to screen the film, and I followed it up with a “I’d love to, and if audio description is available, … Continue reading Eephus

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Paddington In Peru

John Stark

Paddington Bear, the cuddly marmalade powered manifestation of kindness returns for his third feature, this time exiting his home in the UK for a new locale in Paddington In Peru. Don’t worry, because even though his family, The browns, are also at a transitional point, they’ll be following him on his journey. Sadly, director Paul King is not returning as director for the third feature, so if you were expecting him to somehow top what he achieved in Paddington 2, he opted instead to direct Wonka. I don’t know if that puts us at a huge disadvantage, but the change … Continue reading Paddington In Peru

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One Of Them Days

John Stark

I’m sure there’s at least one person bemoaning how we keep recycling ideas or gender flipping, but often the problem isn’t either of those things. It is a lack of perspective that kills a movie. Whether you gender flip, remake, adapt, or straight up ripoff a film and slap a new name on it (Transmorphers), if you don’t know why you are doing it, there’s no point.One Of Them Days is one of those films that beats back against the odds. Not only is it fresh, but it clearly owes a lot to a very popular film, and this also … Continue reading One Of Them Days

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Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

John Stark

Currently in limited theatrical release before landing on video-on-demand, Janis Ian: Breaking Silence is a wonderful introduction to an artist time may have forgotten, but certainly never should have. Janis Ian (who is still alive) shares the most intimate details of her life, growing up in a household that welcomed her musical inclinations, through becoming a magnet for social change as a teen simply because she recorded a song about interracial relationships at a time when it was wildly unpopular in some areas to do so. Still, Ian uses her musical influences, which rise out of the excellent professional musicians … Continue reading Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

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Going In blind: on Swift horses

John Stark

While the lack of blind film critics means that studios are not yet accustomed to attaching an English Audio description track to digital (or even physical) screeners, I have to believe that there are visually impaired critics who would benefit, but more likely guild members. So it always baffles me when i get a screener for a film like on Swift horses, which is being released by Sony Pictures Classics, and there’s no description. Not only does their screener platform support changing the audio track, if an alternate one were uploaded, but they make audio description for their titles on … Continue reading Going In blind: on Swift horses

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The Twister: Caught In The Storm

John Stark

I remember one evening in May looking at my Facebook feed and seeing a lot of posts about severe weather. It wasn’t severe weather for where I currently live, but where I grew up. In the coming days, I would see pictures of devastation, hear stories of lives lost, and wonder if any of them would be people I knew. As a resident of Orlando, and LGBTQ, I had a similar moment waking up on a morning in June. But, while I had friends who had gone to Pulse on a regular basis, i had never been. I didn’t know … Continue reading The Twister: Caught In The Storm

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The Four Points

John Stark

I recieved a screener request for the Four Points, asking me to consider reviewing the film. I could have requested a screener link, but it seemed deeply redundant as the film was already on Tubi. It does not have any known audio description, and is definitely independent cinema. I don’t believe that is necessarily the blanket excuse for lack of accessibility in cinema, but I do believe there are a lot of indie, first time filmmakers, who because they don’t need the accessibility, are unaware of it, or how important it is. that is why I’m here, doing this, because … Continue reading The Four Points

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Bloat

John Stark

I always love when studios hype “from the producers of”, like having a past hit under your producing credit gives you the same credibility as writing or directing. I think because we’ve seen a couple of producers rise to the top through careful curation of the type of film they make this has bled into other producers. But am I really supposed to believe that the producer of Searching is going to only make films with that unique perspective? And, isn’t Searching more of a success based on the ingenuity of the concept and choices made initially in the screenplay, … Continue reading Bloat

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Going In blind: Presence

John Stark

First Person Audio description is so interesting. I loved how Nickel Boys navigated the complexities of the perspective being one of the characters in the film, with other characters interacting with you. Presence, directed by Steven Soderbergh, feels like a departure from his typical fare, and also serves as further exploration of first person audio description. Universal Studios, the theme park element, was built on the idea that you can “ride the movies”. Now, with the right VR headset and a good first person movie, you can live the movies. In Presence, you wouldn’t exactly be alive. What makes Presence … Continue reading Going In blind: Presence

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My Fault London

John Stark

When Netflix first started getting into the streaming game with original content, they mentioned that they used algorithms to try and determine what type of programming their subscribers preferred. that way, they knew what kind of original content to pursue. Presumably, every successive streaming service followed. I can only assume that an algorithm showed that subscribers to prime Video had a strong affinity for the 50 Shades Of Grey franchise, with a noticeable overlap into The Fast and Furious franchise, as well as adaptations on a broader note. Somewhere along the way, this algorithm also noted that Prime subscribers must … Continue reading My Fault London