Canary Black (Amazon) The Director Of Taken Gives Kate Beckinsale A Set Of Skills Quick Take: A desperately forgettable vehicle for Kate Beckinsale finds her as a spy pushed to treacherous limits to save the one she loves. A simple premise. Director Pierre Morel is famous for giving Liam Neeson a particular set of skills, and the starved Kate Beckinsale is looking for leading vehicles that don’t involve reviving the Underworld franchise. Though, in this day and age, it does seem inevitable that Underworld will return with or without her. Based on the mediocrity of Canary Black, I’d suggest to … Continue reading Canary Black

Natural Born Killers: 30th Anniversary- Is Oliver Stone’s Controversial Film Resonant Today? Quick Take: Oliver Stone’s treatise on “if it bleeds it leads”, and a reflective look at violence in the media was sensationalized in 1994, but now seems like it was ahead of its time. The conversation on violence in the media certainly hasn’t gone away, but our news is still fascinated by mundane killings, because our society has become ultra obsessed with true crime. Natural Born Killers pre-dates an era of mass shootings, and true crime podcasts. In 1994, Dateline and 20/20 used to cover stories outside of … Continue reading Natural Born Killers: 30th Anniversary

Trap- Finally, M. Night Reveals The Twist At The Beginning For A Change Quick Take: It is a little bit of a spoiler to talk about wht this film really is, but for once, M Night Shyamalan reveals his hand really early on. there’s something oddly refreshing about seeing him throw a twist at the top, because you aren’t quite sure if there will be another, or if he is boldly evolving as a filmmaker. But, the movie centers around a father (Josh Hartnett) who is taking his daughter to a concert for her favorite artist. When he gets there, … Continue reading Trap

National Treasure: book Of Secrets: A Second look- Just One Sequel? Should there Be More? Quick Take: Due to the first in the franchise celebrating its 20th Anniversary, it felt like the right time to revisit the only two films that exist. the sequel actually outgrossed the original, so it is strange that the film didn’t reach the necessary threshold to launch a third film. Helen Mirren joined the franchise too, and would have been fun to see in a third movie. A solid sequel that is just a little short of the original, but not by much. For more, … Continue reading National Treasure: Book OF Secrets

National Treasure: 20th Anniversary- Nicolas Cage Searches For a Franchise In Historical Documents Quick Take: I never quite understood why the franchise driven Disney stopped making these films. The first made about 340 million internationally on a budget of 100 million. The sequel actually outgrossed it, with an international of 459 million. Where is the third film? Rewatching this for the first time with audio description, I’m reminded of just how solid this is. Nicolas Cage was really creating a nice “adventurer” type, something the world was chasing as Indiana Jones hadn’t yet made that fourth film. It was time … Continue reading National Treasure: 20th Anniversary

Brothers (2024)(Amazon)- Peter Dinklage, Josh Brolin, Brendan Fraser, Glenn close Quick Take: This odd crime caper didn’t land with me. It has a talented cast, including Peter Dinklage, Josh Brolin, Taylor Page, Glenn Close, and Brendan Fraser, but the dynamic between the brothers, the evolution of the plot, and just some story elements that felt too slow to care about, just made for a very average experience. The cast can only do just so much heavy lifting. Two brothers, born into a family of idiot criminals, find themselves on the same path. Later, Dinklage is in jail, and brolin is … Continue reading Brothers (2024)

Rez Ball (Netflix)- A True Story Becomes A Real Buzzer Beater Quick Take: This surprisingly good basketball drama, produced by Lebron James, is flying under the radar this year. It is centered around an indigenous basketball team who fight hard on the court, and off. They face a tremendous personal loss as a team, and must find their way forward, while it seems like the world is stacked against them. The audio description is fantastic and allows the cast to be supported as they navigate in and out of English and their own indigenous language, which some of the team … Continue reading Rez Ball

Divorce (Netflix)- A Witty International Offering That Asks Some Important Questions Quick Take: This international feature received random audio description from netflix, and I actually appreciated it. The quality was decent, the dub voice cast did nice work, and it was a pleasant surprise. The movie centers around a man and a woman who long ago divorced legally. She is actually remarried, and has a kid with her second husband, but her ex-husband is looking to get married but the church won’t allow it because they consider him still married. So, they have to do this convoluted dance based on … Continue reading Divorce

Memoir Of A Snail- From The Director Of Mary and Max Quick Take: Sadly, this stop motion awards contender doesn’t have audio description. I was not provided any, and the theatrical release was missing it as well. So, while the story of a woman whose life is full of these really heavy moments, and who has an affinity for snails, is not something I’d recommend to a blind and visually impaired audience. it is a shame, because the director’s previous work, Mary and Max, is very well regarded. There are moments here in this R-rated animation that are profound in … Continue reading Memoir OF A Snail

Junior: 30th Anniversary: A Second Look- We Deserve This Right Now Quick Take: As funny as you might think it is to see Arnold Schwarzenegger pregnant, it really isn’t. It’s kind of amazing the talent that said Yes to this, from Arnold, to Danny Devito, Emma Thompson, Frank Langella, and director Ivan Reitman. I think I was in the mood for this when I was a kid, but unlike some of Arnold’s other comedies that remain in my favorites (Kindergarten Cop, Twins) this one is something I can do without. For more, check out the video. Continue reading Junior: 30th Anniversary

Nice Girls (2024) (Netflix)- Is This International Buddy Cop Action Comedy Worth It? Quick Take: This 2024 international buddy cop comedy made me cringe more than anything. Yes, Netflix threw some audio description on a random international title, but it just makes me even more upset that this has audio description in English, but not Emilia Perez. I’ve tried to support audio description for International Titles, but this and The Wages Of Fear were both Netflix titles that are in my bottom ten films of 2024. I’d avoid this like the plague. For more, check out the video. Continue reading Nice Girls