Category: Movie Review

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Titanic: The Musical

John Stark

Sometimes, the barrage of new movies on other streaming services means I don’t get to use my Broadway HD subscription as much as possible, but every once in a while, I still check something out. This Tony winning musical from the 90’s has never really been a personal favorite. i decided to tackle it, because obviously titanic would have some visual elements, and broadway HD is 99% non-audio described. In an effort to get them to consider expanding their selection, I still talk about these titles. I ended up enjoying the musical more than I thought I would, sitting down … Continue reading Titanic: The Musical

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Scoop

John Stark

Films about journalism have had a broad impact, as we have classics like All The President’s Men and Spotlight, and even well-reviewed but slightly less classics like Frost/Nixon and She Said. So I’m sure someone thought that the world really wanted a film about the earth shattering Prince Andrew interview from 2019. Instead of making a broader look at that Epstein scandal, this is laser focused on just how this interview came to be. It’s the kind of minutiae that definitely wasn’t going to rock the box office. but sliding it onto Netflix, and who knows? right? Much like the … Continue reading Scoop

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Night Swim

John Stark

Night Swim hurts like jumping off the high jump with a belly flop into a kiddie pool. If you thought I was going to buck the trend on night Swim, and tell you it is the most groundbreaking horror of the year, you haven’t seen Night Swim, or you just woke from a coma since birth, and this was the only movie you’ve ever seen and have no point of reference. Night Swim ultimately fails to deliver any chills or thrills, and instead devolves into a frustrating mess. Whether it is underveloped characters, a half baked plot, or its reliance … Continue reading Night Swim

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The Book Of Clarence

John Stark

I actually remember when religious outrage was a thing. Films suffered backlash because of their thematic elements. Somehow, and likely because it flew completely under the radar, there wasn’t any noise here. Still, this basically was abandoned and buried at the beginning of January with a theatrical release that was extremely underwhelming. So, is this the next Dogma? No. The director of The Harder They Fall has once again assembled an insane cast, including Lakeith Stanfield, who pulls double duty as twin brothers. One of them is a disciple of Jesus, the other is Clarence. Clarence is just a regular … Continue reading The Book Of Clarence

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The Wages Of Fear

John Stark

Sadly, I’m not talking about the 1956 version. No, I clicked on a random Netflix title, and I got a French action film that somehow passed the audio description quotient at Netflix. i don’t understand why I can see this with audio description, but Oscar nominees Roma, Bardo, and El Conde all lacked audio description. Three filmmakers whose content I’m actually interested in, and this random terrorist thriller got audio description. To be fair, it got AI audio description. And while I might have mistaken some human voices as AI in the past, I will not budge. This is not … Continue reading The Wages Of Fear

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Wish

John Stark

Wish landed with all the enthusiasm of an audience that did not enjoy the 2022 Disney entry Strange World. There was too much weight on this film being a part of Disney’s 100 years celebration. It was supposed to somehow represent the totality of everything that came after Walt first conceived the mouse that would go on to launch an empire. Somehow, Wish would bring in the audiences who loved early Disney animation like Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, the middle years with 101 Dalmatians, the dark times of The Black Cauldron, the renaissance of The Lion King, the … Continue reading Wish

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The Boys In The Boat

John Stark

This was a late stage potential Oscar spoiler. Amazon posting a George Clooney directed film over the Christmas frame felt so much like what they tried to do with The Tender bar. While Ben Affleck did get a little traction for his supporting turn in that film, these Boys rowed on a path to nowhere. perhaps, because, we’ve seen an inspirational sports drama about almost everything already. So, a film about the underdogs at the historic Berlin Olympics who got there by rowing crew, perhaps wasn’t the Oscar bait we thought it might be. Based on the best-selling novel of … Continue reading The Boys In The Boat

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The Truth Vs Alex Jones

John Stark

In the grand tradition of versus movies like last years Lakota Nation vs United States, or more comically lined up entries like Godzilla Vs Kong, Freddy Vs Jason, Ecks Vs Sever, or Joe Vs The Volcano, now we have another battle. Though, much like if Joe were to actually be fighting a real volcano, there is a clear winner here and it isn’t Alex Jones. This MAX documentary with audio description from Zoo Digital.I’m sure that if you are here, you already have an opinion, and you have already made up your mind if this is in your wheel house … Continue reading The Truth Vs Alex Jones

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Lisa Frankenstein

John Stark

Sometimes it’s fun to watch the reactions to a film, and then to watch it for myself, and still enjoy a film that seemingly not many people enjoyed. I think that is very much the case with Lisa Frankenstein, which is currently streaming on peacock with audio description. The directorial debut of Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late Robin Williams, off a script from Juno scribe Diablo Cody. Clearly, Williams has a quirky sense of humor, no doubt influenced by her father, and all the gaming they did together. Robin was a big fan of World Of Warcraft, and … Continue reading Lisa Frankenstein

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Little Wing

John Stark

We’ve made a movie about almost every single sport there is. I think what happened here, is that someone noticed that there was a gaping hole where “racing pigeons” was, and decided to write an inspirational sports drama around that. Sadly, instead of this making any sense whatsoever, they rope in an angsty teenager as the lead. So, a sport almost no one knows anything about is talked about by teens like they probably talk about the latest hashtag trends. At its core, it is a heartwarming film with room for improvement. A coming of age story wrapped in a … Continue reading Little Wing

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Shirley

John Stark

Regina King as Shirley Chisholm seemed like a no brainer in terms of Oscar bait. However, Netflix’s Shirley had these rumored poor test screenings, which is likely why it exited the 2023 Oscar race, and wound up in early 2024. That’s a shame, because while not totally breaking new ground, Shirley did mostly deliver as promised. King actually delivers a powerhouse performance as Shirley Chisholm. Shirley is a captivating look at the politician’s 1972 presidential campaign. Shirley leans into the challenges presented by being the first black female Presidential candidate in a race dominated by white men. There’s a shot … Continue reading Shirley

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Stormy

John Stark

When I heard this dropped at SXSW I really thought something would come of it. I didn’t realize it would just quickly shift to Peacock. The funny thing, is that I subscribe to the “ad supported” version. It normally doesn’t bother me, because with a movie, you get a bunch of commercials up front, and then the movie is uninterrupted. Stormy had commercials throughout. Peacock really didn’t care about this doc. Should you? Why am i even asking this question. If you don’t already have an opinion on this going into it, I’d be shocked. yes, it’s a Stormy Daniel’s … Continue reading Stormy

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The Royal Hotel

John Stark

I think this Aussie backpacking thriller dropped in late 2023, before winding up on Hulu. This was something I didn’t manage to squeeze in before the Oscars, but I was pretty sure wouldn’t be effecting my votes on the best of the year. I do like Julia Garner, but this had some mixed reviews, and seemed to disappear pretty quickly. Hulu didn’t even bother to acquire the audio description for this film, so I was stuck watching this thriller without it. Here’s why it needed it. the movie centers on two friends who are backpacking on a budget across the … Continue reading The Royal Hotel

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Spaceman

John Stark

I remember last year seeing this film floating on some early Oscar lists. The guy who directed HBO’s excellent Chernobyl series was doing a drama with Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dañó, and Isabella Rossellini. I was pretty hyped, and I had Sandler in my early Top 20. That was, of course, before Netflix pushed this to 2024. That’s OK, plenty of films have shifted before. Just last year, Killers Of The Flower Moon and The Holdovers got Oscar nominations after being shifted from the previous year. Then, March. Netflix decided on March. It’s Ok. So maybe not an Oscar … Continue reading Spaceman

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Road House (2024)

John Stark

I won’t bother you with my scattered thoughts on the original Road House. I found the film, watched it again, but it didn’t have audio description. I remember watching the original when I was maybe 10-12 year old, and it was a cable edit. So, no sex, trimmed down graphic violence, and weird substitutions for cursing. Then, some 30-ish years later I watched the original again, without audio description as a refresher. it is an action film, so it wasn’t very helpful, but it triggered some memories.I kinda just really remembered how badass Patrick Swayze made it look as a … Continue reading Road House (2024)