Category: Movie Review

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Immortal Beloved: 30th Anniversary

John Stark

Immortal Beloved: 30th Anniversary- Gary Oldman’s Surprise Symphony Quick Take: As someone who spent quite a bit of time in music classes, I think its funny how frequently I was treated to Amadeus, but all I remember was being shown about 5 minutes of Immortal Beloved at one point. So, technically, this is my first watch, even though I have this image burned into my brain of Gary Oldman as Beethoven. And, even though this has audio description, Amadeus is far and away the better film. With these anniversary releases, I always ask… “Did this stand the test of time?” … Continue reading Immortal Beloved: 30th Anniversary

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Maria

John Stark

Maria (Netflix) Could Angelina Jolie’s Grand Return Land Her An Oscar? Quick Take: When you hear “From the director of Jackie and Spencer”, the takeaway might be that you only remember the performances, and that is fair. Natalie Portman really swung for the accent in Jackie, and some people liked what Kristen Stewart did in Spencer. I’m not one of them. So, Pablo Lorraine is coming into Maria with a 50/50 shot of getting excellence from Angelina Jolie, and supporting her with a strong film. While I might have been mostly receptive to Maria, it seems as though many other … Continue reading Maria

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Quiz Show: 30th Anniversary

John Stark

Quiz Show: 30th Anniversary- Robert Redford’s Best Picture Nominee Is Still Fantastic Quick Take: As I am doing these anniversary releases, I’m realizing just how excellent some years were. 1994 brought us definitive classics like The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, and Forrest Gump, but also adored auteur efforts like Leon: The Professional and The Crow, and blockbuster smashes like The Lion King and True Lies. But, Quiz Show deserves to be remembered as well. The absolutely excellent historical drama unpacks the real story of 21, one of the original TV Game Shows, and how the producers rigged the results, and … Continue reading Quiz Show: 30th Anniversary

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Bad Faith

John Stark

Bad Faith- A Documentary Exploring The Blending Of Politics And Faith Quick Take: This documentary will not be for everyone. That’s because it doesn’t have audio description. Also, some may not watch things that lean politically in the opposite direction, but this movie isn’t directly about He Who Shall Be Orange, but rather specifically through a net of people who all are upset with how their faith has become synonymous with politics as of late, and religious leaders using their platform to push political agendas contrary to their faith. So, in some ways, it does mention how the conservative movement … Continue reading Bad Faith

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Conclave

John Stark

Conclave- Is This One Of The Best Of The Year? Just two years ago, a director I was unfamiliar with made my best film of 2022. I see tons of films, every year, but in 2022, nothing quite stuck with me like the harrowing All Quiet On The Western Front remake. Oscar voters agreed, as the movie received a Best Picture nomination, and won is several categories. It stands as one of Netflix’s best audio description tracks, and certainly as an example of why they should continue to embrace more audio description for international content. Cut two years ahead, and … Continue reading Conclave

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Catwoman: 20th Anniversary

John Stark

Catwoman: 20th Anniversary- Chalk It Up To Cat Scratch Fever Quick Take: We all have those movies that we know aren’t good, but there’s something entertaining about them. There is an entire YouTube channel devoted to these “So Bad It’s Good” types, Good Bad Flicks, which dives into these movies in depth on YouTube. As this disaster turned 20, I decided to revisit it one more time. It even had audio description. My reaction to that is that whoever wrote it, is obsessed with Benjamin Bratt’s abs. Everytime he’s shirtless, the narration has an erotic reaction to his upper torso. … Continue reading Catwoman: 20th Anniversary

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The Crow

John Stark

The Crow (2024)- Don’t Just Push Out remakes Unless You Have A Fresh perspective Quick Take: Thank God, Bill Skarsgard is also in Nosferatu this year. This is a career killer. This is one of the most incompetent efforts of the year, made by a director who likely will never be handed a budget higher than “we’re trying to get on Tubi” ever again. It is such a weird thing, to think that no one stopped at any point and notice how awful this film actually is. Lionsgate dropped some massive bombs in the second half, and this is by … Continue reading The Crow

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The paper: 30th Anniversary

John Stark

The Paper: 30th Anniversary- Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Marisa Tomei Quick Take: Not my first time through Ron Howard’s The Paper, which feels like some alternate reality nowadays. Trying to get kids to accept that a film about newspaper journalism is full of actors who are mostly still alive (Yes, Robert Duvall is still kicking, but RIP Jason Robards), and they see in films all the time, and when this was made… it was not a historical period piece.This is not The Post, or even All The President’s Men. The Paper takes place in the year it was … Continue reading The paper: 30th Anniversary

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The Order

John Stark

The Order- Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron Quick Take: To be fair, I did ask if I could have an accessible screener. This movie has an available audio description track that I have not heard, so I’ll likely be reviewing this again at some point. The film was interesting enough that I would check it out, or recommend it if you can get the audio description track. Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron, and Jurnee Smollett create a strong ensemble in a film about domestic terrorism. The thing I found the most striking, even without … Continue reading The Order

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American Pie: 25th Anniversary

John Stark

American Pie: 25th Anniversary- The Apple Pie Doesn’t look So Appetizing Anymore Quick Take: we all think we grew up in the best of times. For me, I look at how many films directed clearly at teen audiences we had, theatrically, in my window when I was in high school. technically, I wasn’t old enough to see American Pie in theatrical release without a parent, but that never stopped me before. But in 1999, American Pie was part of a cluster of teen classics, including Varsity Blues, She’s All That, Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About you, Never Been … Continue reading American Pie: 25th Anniversary

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American Star

John Stark

American Star- Ian McShane Shines In This Indie Drama Quick Take: I noticed Ian McShane was in a new film, but I didn’t bother to prioritize it until I was sent the FYC campaign for him. He sadly hasn’t gained much traction, and I think that has a lot to do with American Star feeling like so many other films of its ilk. An aging assassin is sent to a target, but when the target isn’t home, he starts familiarizing himself with the local area, the people, and the culture, who think he’s just another tourist, or an ex-pat. Of … Continue reading American Star

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The River Wild: 30th Anniversary

John Stark

The River Wild: 30th Anniversary- Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon Hold Up This Survival Thriller Quick Take: 30 years ago, Meryl Streep did her most action packed performance, playing a mom who has to use her particular set of skills to stop criminals and save her family. Later, Netflix made an ill advised remake, but we’re not talking about Bruno today. This is The River Wild, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathair, and john C. Reilly. It is a movie I’ve seen several times, and have loved every single one. I was just starting to … Continue reading The River Wild: 30th Anniversary

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Twisters

John Stark

Twisters- An Indie Director Brings Americana And Glen Powell To Stir Up This Series Quick Take:I loved the first Twister. I lived in tornado alley, and Twister is always a fun movie until it becomes someone’s reality. the ride at Universal Studios was hot garbage though (ride is a strong word). I’ve seen Twister enough times to qualify it as a desert island movie, except now I can’t find it with audio description, and it is way less fun. But, I did own it on VHS, and later BluRay. Twisters is basically trying to have its cake. It wants to … Continue reading Twisters

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Ed Wood: 30th Anniversary

John Stark

Ed Wood: 30th Anniversary- Tim Burton’s Classic Look At A Maligned Filmmaker Quick Take: While not my favorite Tim Burton film, I do really enjoy the energy he brings to this tale of the maligned director of Plan 9 From Outer Space. There’s something about Burton and his style that oddly compliments one of the most notorious directors of all time, and he managed to get a strong cast together as well. Johnny Depp is good, Sarah Jessica Parker is fun, Patricia Arquette does fine, but it is the MArtin Landau performance as Bella Lugosi everyone remembers. That is because … Continue reading Ed Wood: 30th Anniversary

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The People’s Joker

John Stark

The People’s Joker- This Joker Certainly Is Wild Quick Take: I’ve seen this on demand, and I was provided a screener. To my knowledge, this has no audio description. It feels very low budget, directed and starring Vera Drew, and this is one of a handful of films that lack audio description that I’m debating about whether or not to include them in my top 25 of 2024. Drew is clearly a bright new voice as a director, and this comically semi autobiographical look at how Vera came to be is a bold and daring shot that ropes in Gotham … Continue reading The People’s Joker