Category: Movie Review

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Emilia Perez: A Second Look

John Stark

Emilia Perez: A Second Look- 13 Oscar Nominations Was Enough To Trigger English Audio Description! So, I originally made a pretty big fuss about the lack of audio description on the major Oscar contender from netflix. I did sit through the film, with only Spanish available at release, and reviewed the film as it was presented. I addressed the problems with the lack of inclusivity on a film touting nothing but, and how Netflix had previously ignored fellow Spanish-language Oscar nominees like El Conde, Brdo, and Roma, none of which got audio description in their respective years. But, as Timothee … Continue reading Emilia Perez: A Second Look

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The Devil’s Bath

John Stark

The Devil’s Bath- Shudder Sponsored Austria’s Failed International Oscar Bait Quick Take: This is why I push so much for international content, because viewpoints from around the world are so important in a day and age where we seem to want to isolate ourselves from everyone and expel those different from us. The Devil’s Bath takes a hard look at women’s mental health during a time when people didn’t think about mental health. We’re still in the age of lobotomies. Men use to diagnose “hysteria”. So, Austria’s bid for an International Oscar, which didn’t make the shortlist, has no English, … Continue reading The Devil’s Bath

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Things Will Be Different

John Stark

Things Will Be Different- Without Audio Description,I Had A Wildly Different Take Quick Take: I just got a ton of screeners, OK? So, this came my way, without audio description, and I did not know what it was. I had a completely different reaction to the film, because I didn’t realize time travel was an element. It was totally lost on me, so this is a great example of how we just can’t have movies in English, with no audio description, and assume blind people will follow them. I thought something was happening, sure, like some form of insanity, but … Continue reading Things Will Be Different

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Fat Albert: 20th Anniversary

John Stark

Fat Albert: 20th Anniversary- There’s A Reason We Can’t Have Nice Things Anymore Quick Take: Not all anniversary releases are golden, not all are memorable, and not everything with audio description is a good film. This is my second time through this live action adaptation of the classic cartoon series, and something has dramatically shifted since 2004. I just can’t put my Jell-O finger on it. The refreshing thing about watching this 20 years later starts with the continued growth of Kenan Thompson. We see him 20 years ago, knowing he was a fresh cast member on Saturday Night Live, … Continue reading Fat Albert: 20th Anniversary

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Inheritance (2025)

John Stark

Inheritance (2025)- Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans In A Father/Daughter Twisty Treat Quick Take: releasing today in theaters, Inheritance is the first title from IFC Films to kick off hopefully another year with some gems. Last year, they paired with Shudder on a handful of my favorites, like Oddity and late Night With The Devil, but also were responsible for my favorite film of 2024, Ghostlight. Everyone else can fall all over the year end Oscar bait, but Ghostlight had me at “what light on yonder window breaks”. As with most screeners, I was not passed audio description. I’m fairly … Continue reading Inheritance (2025)

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Red One

John Stark

Red One (Amazon)- Really Overcomplicates The Magic Behind Great Holiday Movies Quick Take: Talk about a film that made zero impact on me. My video was shot after having seen it, and just now catching up to this, I’ve almost entirely forgotten this film. I remember Chris Evans, and his character’s backstory. he had an accent. Dwayne Jonson was here. But, my brain has deleted this, because it was so average. I remember the films I loved or liked, and I remember the movies I didn’t like or hated, but put enough time between me and a movie I’m mostly … Continue reading Red One

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All We Imagine Is Light

John Stark

All We Imagine Is Light- Oscar Shortlisted, Golden Globe Nominated, Audio Description Forgotten Quick Take: This is a pretty quick one. Nominated for Director and International Feature at the Golden Globes this year, this entry from India, which is not their official Oscar submission, lacks audio description. I did sit through the movie, and my most profound thought was “sounds like a lot of rain”. I’d love to experience international cinema, but it seems as though the barricades and gatekeeping are going to work against us. Feel free to check out my video, but the grade is definitely unwatchable due … Continue reading All We Imagine Is Light

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Sugar Cane

John Stark

Sugar Cane (Disney Plus)- A Gut Punch Of A Film For Oscar Consideration Quick Take: The funny thing is, I got a screener for Sugar Cane, but it was so close to its drop on Disney Plus, I figured I’d wait for the inevitable audio description on Disney Plus. Then, the movie landed, and no audio description. Wait, what? this is one of the most gut punching documentaries of 2024, and is a virtual lock for an Oscar nomination, so where is the audio description track? On an unrelated note,I had this dream last night. And in that dream, I … Continue reading Sugar Cane

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Fly Me To The Moon

John Stark

Fly Me To The Moon (Apple Plus)- Scarlett Johansson Faked The Moon Landing! Quick Take: I’m one of the few, the proud, the rare people who didn’t hate myself after watching this. It isn’t the best film Apple put out in 2024, but it certainly isn’t the worst. The audio description is also pretty nice, really helping to sell the attempt to make Channing Tatum look more… like he’s intelligent. Scarlett Johansson plays an advertising guru who is recruited by a clandestine government official (Woody Harrelson) to help “sell NASA” so it can keep getting funding, ultimately leading to her … Continue reading Fly Me To The Moon

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Nutcrackers

John Stark

Nutcrackers (Hulu)- Ben Stiller Inherits Four Kids In Time For Christmas Quick Take: I know we are past Christmas, but this wouldn’t be me missing out on a beautiful gift for the holidays. No, Ben Stiller’s new film, relegated to Hulu after a pickup at the Toronto Film Festival, is a miserable excuse for holiday joy. David Gordon Green is returning to his roots after demolishing the Halloween and exorcist franchises, and he’s lost his touch. Stiller, playing a generic “all business” type is inconvenienced by the death of his sister, and the fact that his sister had a bunch … Continue reading Nutcrackers

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It Could Happen To You: 30th Anniversary

John Stark

It Could Happen To You: 30th Anniversary- Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez Quick Take: this romantic comedy is something I have seen more times than what I would have originally predicted. I’d say I’m between 4 and 7. It is just a simple high concept comedy about a nice cop (Nicholas Cage) who tries to do good deeds, and ends up pledging to share his lottery winnings with an out of luck waitress (Bridget Fonda) when he can’t give her a tip. Turns out, it is a winning ticket, but his wife (Rosie Perez) isn’t so quick to share. … Continue reading It Could Happen To You: 30th Anniversary

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The Only Girl In The orchestra

John Stark

The Only Girl In The Orchestra (Netflix)- Could This Win Best Documentary Short? Quick Take: Currently my favorite documentary short of 2024. I was surprised to find out that not only is our main subject interesting in her own right through her set of achievements, but she’s also the daughter of John Wayne. She talks about breaking standards and norms, but also not wanting a ticker tape parade for doing so, as the stories singled her out, when she was just one instrument. Her inclusion was already changing perspectives, but her fellow instrumentalists resented her individual attention. Well, now sh’es … Continue reading The Only Girl In The orchestra

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Azrael

John Stark

Azrael- Samara Weaving Is So Good She Can’t Even Speak Quick Take: Essentially a silent film, Azrael takes the Quiet Place approach one further by pushing humanity into a Hellraiser-esque landscape, and the humans alive actually sever their vocal chords so they can’t make noise even accidentally. Samar Weaving is a scream queen, and I thought this might get some more love from the horror community. it is pretty straightforward a horror film, like In The Mouth Of Madness, and some fucked up things are described through the fantastic audio description. Also, the film is fully reliant on audio description … Continue reading Azrael

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Smile 2

John Stark

Smile 2- Parker Finn Makes A Sequel That Improves On His Original Concept Quick Take: If I had made a list of films I wasn’t looking forward to in 2024, Smile 2 would have made that list. I thought the first was overrated, just a reinterpretation of It Follows, and full of cheap jump scares. As I write this, I know I’ve done a video of my Top 10 horror films of 2024, and it was a great year. Smile 2 made the top 10. I would have never guessed it. Parker Finn grows up a little, and his jump … Continue reading Smile 2

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Bread And Roses

John Stark

Bread and Roses (Apple Plus)- A Timely and Important Doc That Apple Dropped The Ball On With AD Quick Take: Apple was pushing its last two documentaries of the year for awards consideration. A lot of times, I drag companies that don’t care, or I complain about a small film with no audio description.bread And roses has the financial backing of Apple, a platform that until I watched Bread and roses, I believed their streamer (Apple Plus) to be fully audio described. I’ve gone down many an international show with them just because they describe them. that was not the … Continue reading Bread And Roses