Category: Movie Review

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I.S.S.

John Stark

Now is an excellent time to make more thrillers about tensions between America and Russia. I’m not sure we really ever stopped, though I do remember the Red Dawn remake specifically switched the baddies to North Koreans because they couldn’t run the Russian narrative at the time. Well, now we are shooting So you Think You Can Dance alumni Ariana Debose into space. Yeah, I know, she won an Oscar. But she started on So you Think You Can Dance. #neverForget Debose plays an astronaut we know next to nothing about, as the movie starts with her already on her … Continue reading I.S.S.

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Girls State/Boys State

John Stark

This year, Apple released a documentary, Girls State, which I decided I had to check out. I ddidn’t realize it was technically a sequel, because documentary sequels are rare, but there was also boys State, which I had never seen and decided to check out. I’d love to buck the trend here, even as a mal critic, and tip my hat to the ladies, but there’s a contrast here. Although, both films have audio description of pretty similar quality. The first film, Boys State,takes place in Texas. It features aspiring high school leaders who come together and form a fake … Continue reading Girls State/Boys State

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Schindler’s List

John Stark

Not that the internet needs one more review of Schindler’s List. Let’s be honest and say that all these years later, and this is as engrained in the finality of cinema as Citizen Kane, The Wizard of oz, or Casablanca. 30 more years could pass, and nothing will change in regard to Steven Spielberg’s historic accomplishment. I somehow missed the official 30th anniversary of this film last year, and was reminded of it earlier this year when The Zone Of Interest caused many to reference this classic. It had been years since I saw this, and what I saw was … Continue reading Schindler’s List

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Migration

John Stark

Illumination has struck again, much like the flock of geese struck that airplane Sully was flying. Migration is one of those animated films that follows the formula set by other films like it, but it isn’t sure where to make good choices. The end result is like playing Duck Hunt and missing all your shots. I skipped the theatrical release and waited for Peacock. I’m proud of that choice. Kumamoto Nanjiani plays the patriarch of a little duck family, with a wife (Elizabeth Banks), an uncle (Danny Devito) and two ducklings. He’s always been afraid his whole life of leaving … Continue reading Migration

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The Beekeeper

John Stark

There are different types of movies in the world. there’s the kind that attracts critics and film snobs, and they debate the merits of a lot of films no one will ever watch again. too many of those people don’t understand the appeal of something like The Beekeeper, which is one of the dumbest movies I’ve seen in terms of plot, but it was also oddly a blast to watch. Jason Statham clearly wanted his own John Wick style franchise, and David Ayer was happy to oblige. The upside is that this movie has audio description by Jedidiah Barton and … Continue reading The Beekeeper

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Freud’s Last Session

John Stark

This wound up on Netflix, after previously having a VOD run. I didn’t see audio description for this when i wanted to rent it, and Netflix didn’t pick up a track for it. However, I’m a fan of Anthony Hopkins, and I really thought this film would be just a long conversation between Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis. It’s not. You actually need the audio description. While the movie does imagine what a conversation would be like between Freud (played by Anthony Hopkins) and Lewis (played by Matthew Goode), as they debate faith and the human condition at the onset … Continue reading Freud’s Last Session

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The Greatest Hits

John Stark

Last year, the Sundance hit Ry Lane was pushed to a straight to Hulu release in the spring, and this year, another perfectly fine indie has been relegated to the same release window. The Greatest Hits is an interesting look at memories, time, and love, all against the backdrop of music. If it wasn’t for the time traveling aspects, this would be a Gen Z version of high Fidelity. Exploring the profound connection between music and memory, The Greatest Hits is centered on a young woman (Lucy Boynton), who is still processing the loss of her boyfriend, and has to … Continue reading The Greatest Hits

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The Mummy (25th Anniversary)

John Stark

So one of the cool things happening with the lack of releases is that we are getting more and more anniversary rereleases, like Brendan Fraser’s underrated The mummy. This Stephen Sommers flick is something I already own on DVD, but without audio description. The rerelease allowed me to experience the audio description, and encouraged me to explore the sequells, also with audio description. Fraser’s first foray is one of those random moviegoing experiences I still remember. I was actually out of town and my mom dropped me off at the movie theatre, knowing I would be good to go. I … Continue reading The Mummy (25th Anniversary)

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Mending The Line

John Stark

This is exactly the kind of film I would pass over normally. I’ve never heard of it, it randomly pops up on Netflix, and it lacks audio description. but dammit,it has Brian Cox. I’m on a mission to complete his filmography, and he’s constantly popping up in things like this, and the recent Little Wing. So, I watched it. The film centers around a soldier who was injured in active duty and has been trying to rehab so he can get back out there and join the fight. he keeps getting rejected, and recommended for more rehabilitation, so he winds … Continue reading Mending The Line

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Argyle

John Stark

Matthew was experienced in the field. He had been kicking around an idea for quite sometime, and was looking for a buyer. This wasn’t his usual ask, this was an investment. An idea to change all future ideas. He needed a buyer, and one with deep pockets. luckily enough, he knew just the mark. They never saw it coming. When Matthew exited the meeting, he had carte Blanche. He had hoped for maybe a solid 75, maybe 100 million, but they blew that out of the water with double his expectations. Confused, Matthew started to wonder how he would use … Continue reading Argyle

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Drive Away Dolls

John Stark

Now that we’ve officially seen what Joel Coen does by himself, and Ethan by himself, I think we can all agree that the Coen brothers are far better as a team than in their individual pursuits. Often, The Coen Brothers find films that offer that slice of Americana, with some small town personality, and quirky characters. So then what went wrong. Is it simply that Ethan Coen can’t do this by himself, or that he attempted to do a niche 90’s lesbian road trip comedy? The good news, is that this film does have audio description, and the description is … Continue reading Drive Away Dolls

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Bob Marley: One love

John Stark

From the director of the Oscar nominated King Richard comes another biopic that hopes to capture just a fraction of the acclaim of the directors previous effort. I’ll give it a fraction, and I wasn’t even someone who believed King Richard warranted a Best Picture nomination in the first place. Like its predecessor, bob Marley: One Love becomes about the performance of its leading man, and to some extent the actress who lives in his shadow. Following the formula that worked before, bob Marley: one Love leans on the talents of Kingsley Ben-Adir as bob Marley to sell the film, … Continue reading Bob Marley: One love

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Tiger

John Stark

Disney’s requisite DisneyNature release this year is Tiger. Clearly, this is about the diminishing White Rhino population. These titles are always so vague. Like, what is Chimpanzee about? Is Bears an LGBT movie? Kidding aside, if you have the desire to sit down and watch a tiger not know she’s being followed by a camera crew, and given some random name to help us narratively through the feature, then this is your game. For me though, I’ve felt almost exactly the same about every single one of these. Pretty much, they all land at a B, or B-ish. I can’t … Continue reading Tiger

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Rebel Moon Part II: The Scar Giver

John Stark

And we’re back, as quickly as the Wachowski’s sent us into Revolutions after being Reloaded, we are once again sent back into whatever universe Rebel Moon is set in. It can’t be the Snyderverse, because fans already used that name for something else. It is hard to say that this is a disappointing sequel, because that would indicate that the first one was good. No, rather it is a continuation of disappointment, and grandstanding by a director who is exploiting his fan base for his own personal gain. Promising more Rebel moon, and teasing that all these versions have longer … Continue reading Rebel Moon Part II: The Scar Giver

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The Beautiful Game

John Stark

Often I find myself clicking on random titles just because they are trending or new, and have audio description. Such is the case with The Beautiful Game, which immediately gave me mixed emotions. The film is about the Homeless World Cup (yes, Homeless, the film uses that word), that we’ve apparently been doing for some years now, where the unhoused populations of participating countries come together to raise money/awareness for their being unhoused. I’m sure people find this inspiring, but I also think can’t we just figure out a way to help the unhoused without making them play soccer for … Continue reading The Beautiful Game