Category: Movie Review

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Federer: 12 Final Days

John Stark

Admittedly, as an independent critic, I have no editor telling me what to watch. What I love about documentaries, and why I often take a swing on ones I have little interest in, is that I might learn something, or gain perspective.That’s my way of telling you I do not like Tennis. I don’t follow it. I can’t even fully conceive how much of a GOAT Roger Federer is compared to the other male tennis players, even after this Amazon doc. This is essentially content creation for Amazon. Someone followed roger around for the final days of his career before … Continue reading Federer: 12 Final Days

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Brats

John Stark

Andrew McCarthy has some time on his hands. So, he’s decided to tackle the most pressing question of all. What was it like to be in “The Brat Pack”? In order to do this, he has to track down a bunch of people he barely knows and hasn’t seen in years, all so Hulu has more content. Well, that and he also had a lot of free time. Andrew starts out in a very home video setting, starting off by explaining his premise from his perspective, and interspersing it with hopeful phone messages for people who were generally recognized as … Continue reading Brats

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Monkey Man

John Stark

Before watching this, I had already heard all the interesting tales of how this came to be. As Dev Patel was making his directorial debut, while starring, he managed to injure himself a few times, and still kept filming.It seems like the kind of press you leak to get fans of action films uniquely excited for the experience as the action scenes must be intense for Patel to have sustained multiple injuries. This isn’t just a tragic accident like Dylan O’Brien on the set of the Maze Runner sequel. Patel got knocked down, and chumbawumba’ed himself back up again multiple … Continue reading Monkey Man

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Tarzan (1999): 25th Anniversary (with Tarzan II!)

John Stark

Come stop your crying, it will be an all right. I know you just watched The Acolyte, and you are missing classic Disney, which is a great time to take a look at what Classic Disney looked like. Following my celebration of The Lion King, in all its 30th Anniversary glory, five years later they released Tarzan. It’s one of the divisive movies that not everyone loves, but I do. And if you think just because we hit the sweet spot with TThe Lion King, Inside Out 2, and Tarzan, that I adore everything Disney, this just happens to be … Continue reading Tarzan (1999): 25th Anniversary (with Tarzan II!)

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inside Out 2

John Stark

Where were you when puberty struck? One day, you’re just a kid, doing regular kid things, and then overnight, puberty just begins. That is the big question behind the sequel to Inside Out that has swept the nation. That’s right, I’m reviewing a theatrical release. Shocker! As such, I have a little bit of a spoiler for just my blind fam coming here to talk about audio description. In my theatre, the force was not strong with the bluetooth in my receiver, and short of wandering the theatre like I’m in a Verizon commercial trying to get cell reception, I … Continue reading inside Out 2

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The Muppet Movie: 45th Anniversary

John Stark

45 years of The Muppets on the big screen. When I noticed that this was an anniversary year, albeit an odd one, I wanted to tackle this because we just had Jim Henson: Idea Man, and even then I felt like I needed to review something Muppet related. This isn’t where it began, but it is the first of the film franchise. I’m also not here to try and tip the scales on what is clearly a time honored classic. No one has been waiting 45 years to hear if I endorse The Muppet Movie. This is not my first … Continue reading The Muppet Movie: 45th Anniversary

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The Karate Kid: 40th Anniversary

John Stark

The classic film that would unsuspectingly launch an entire new generation of fans through a YouTube show, which later was saved by Netflix and turned into a pop culture phenomenon. Of course, I’m talking about The Karate Kid. The original. A film you wouldn’t expect to be nominated for an Academy Award, but actually got Pat Morita a nomination for his iconic Mr. Miyagi performance. An unlikely film to stand the test of time, but it has. The Karate Kid is about a rising Karate star named Johnny (William Zappa) who studies at the top dojo in the area, Cobra … Continue reading The Karate Kid: 40th Anniversary

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Kung Fu Panda 4

John Stark

Ska-doosh once again. I do believe the official word origin of “skadoosh” is Shakespearian. One of his lesser known works. Don’t bother fact checking that. Google only knows the popular ones. But, because someone needs money, Kung Fu Panda 4 is here, po is back, and the budget has been trimmed. Po’s teammates, the furious voice cast of Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and David Cross are nowhere to be found. Is that a good thing? First up, this has audio description on Peacock. Oddly, the only entry in the franchise that currently resides on the service with AD. … Continue reading Kung Fu Panda 4

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Remembering Gene Wilder

John Stark

Another review of another film without audio description. Netflix is hosting this, and despite its lack of accessibility, I tend to be interested in documentaries about film, actors, and directors. I don’t know why. It’s just so weird. So I naturally felt compelled to watch the Gene Wilder doc, and hear from all these people about what a terrific man he was. Not only does gene ruminate on his own life, but creatives from Mel Brooks to Eric McCormack discuss the impact of Gene Wilder across his various projects. We hear about how Gene adored the late Gilda Radner, as … Continue reading Remembering Gene Wilder

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origin

John Stark

Origin was one of those late stage Oscar entries from 2023 that seemed poised to stage an upset. The problem is that Neon bumbled the release. It had a qualifying run, and then the few people who had seen and loved Origin tried to get the word out about it. I’m fairly certain not enough people saw Origin, because its lack of nominations is quite frankly baffling. For me, I already went back and looked at my Top 25 from 2023, and it definitely would have made that. As far as the Top 10, I’m pretty sure I could justify … Continue reading origin

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Movies With pride: Am I OK?

John Stark

On the last day of Pride Month, I’m closing it out with a review of a 2022 Sundance hit that is just now landing on MAX. Starring Madame Webb herself, Am I OK is the directorial debut of Tig & Stephanie. There are so many directing duos out there, from the Coens, The Wachowskis, and The Daniels to this married couple, I feel like they need a name to combine them, but Stephanie didn’t take Tig’s last name. But, I’ve seen this couple represented before on screen, and they are freaking adorable together, so I was really excited to see … Continue reading Movies With pride: Am I OK?

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Rear Window: 70th Anniversary

John Stark

I think the secret of all film critics is that there’s always some small list of films we haven’t seen and know we need to see. It is impossible for everyone to have seen everything, especially now with things simply being hard to find or out of print. Thank God, when I first started showing in interest in film criticism, my mom got me a library card, and I was able to rent all these VHS classics. Free. It’s how I’ve seen a number of older titles, in addition to having her just rent specific titles she thought I would … Continue reading Rear Window: 70th Anniversary

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Baghead

John Stark

I do love a reminder every once in a while that there are still functional companies that ignore accessibility. one of those, AMC Plus, is the home to Shudder and IFC Films, two entities that send originals to theatres with audio description, VOD services, and often later to Hulu. yet, with all of that, AMC Plus dodges the hell out of being accessible as a streaming service. Why? Do you honestly and truthfully believe that if the streaming wars lead to the deaths of streamers, like most recently Noggin, that the ones without accessibility will rise to the top? Today’s … Continue reading Baghead

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Hitman

John Stark

Premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film festival, there was some interesting buzz for Hitman. Was it a potential Oscar contender? Who would snap it up in an already tight race? Ultimately, Netflix swooped in, which might have meant a campaign for this year’s Oscars, but that June release date tells me Netflix has other plans. Luckily, the movie stands on its own, and whether it ever wins or is nominated for any major award, this will have fans. It’s the equivalent to last year’s The Killer, which had fans too, even if it really didn’t manifest anything for David … Continue reading Hitman

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Movies With pride: Rocketman

John Stark

I’ve been enjoying my Movies With pride series thus far this year, and I hope to expand to even more titles next year. Every title I did this year had audio description, and I hadn’t already reviewed it. Rocketman initially released during my down period, while I wasn’t writing reviews, and was questioning my self worth. A lot. What I loved about Rocketman, is the reminder that Elton John is so non-traditional in the sense of the physical look of a rockstar, but his talent was so undeniable, and his drive so strong, that people gravitated toward him and he … Continue reading Movies With pride: Rocketman