Category: Movie Review

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Kokomo City

John Stark

Shortlisted for the Documentary Feature Oscar, Kokomo City landed on Paramount Plus without audio description. It is a shame, because we never really get to know the ladies of Kokomo City that way. This feature finds a few trans sex workers in the Miami area and lets them tell their stories. It does feature a few other interviews, with potential male clients, but it’s a bit nebulous to follow without the audio description. As a fan of the documentary Paris Is Burning, I can’t help but see the stark contrast time has given to this community. With a touchstone documentary … Continue reading Kokomo City

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Nei Nei and Wai Po

John Stark

I just want the world to know, that as a blind film critic, I take on this years Oscar nominees as presented to me. Disney Plus currently has this nominee for Best Documentary Short, and much like they’ve been doing with all their other Oscar hopefuls, they said “hey, you know those blind people? yeah, fuck em. Fuck em hard, the Mickey Mouse way.” I totally sat through this film which is entirely in another language, so i could write a review that pointed out that yet again, Disney Plus has put out another Oscar film without audio description.Bobby Wine: … Continue reading Nei Nei and Wai Po

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Journey To Bethlehem

John Stark

I gotta admit, I was expecting something else. i certainly wasn’t expecting this very odd musical that panders to everyone about the birth of Jesus. This movie seems catered to try and rope in teenagers who don’t go to church. The best part? It has audio description. readily accessible audio description. Other faith based films from 2023 like Jesus Revolution and Sound of Freedom hit streamers without their tracks, but this odd rock musical with Antonio Banderas as a jealous King had audio description day and date on Netflix. It is basically the story. It just has a very modern … Continue reading Journey To Bethlehem

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Ferrari

John Stark

Michael Mann deserves more love than he’s gotten in his career. I think people forget he directed Heat, and somehow assume based on the casting it was Martin Scorsese, but it isn’t. He also did excellent work with The insider, and I even enjoyed his little seen Black Hat. Ferrari isn’t Heat, it isn’t perfect, but it also walked away with zero Oscar nominations. Did it deserve that fate? For my blind fans, you can watch this film on demand right now. It’s from Neon,which had been sending their films to Hulu. The existence of audio description isn’t super consistent … Continue reading Ferrari

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Suzume

John Stark

Nominated for a Golden Globe for best Animated Feature, this CrunchyRoll film caught my attention. i just didn’t want to pull that trigger right away. It doesn’t have audio description. in fact, nothing on CrunchyRoll has audio description. Perhaps, that is the best reason for me to have watched this, because if Sony’s streamer doesn’t show a metric that there is a demand among the blind community for audio described anime, then will they ever choose it on their own? CrunchyRoll as a streaming service predates many existing services that currently have audio description, including MAX, Peacock, Apple Plus, Tubi, … Continue reading Suzume

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All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt

John Stark

The title is a lie. I found a dirt road, and it did not taste of salt. it tasted awful. Luckily, this feature debut from Raven Jackson, and has a few Independent Spirit Award nominations. As a voter, I was provided with a screener. As a blind voter, I was not provided with accessibility. As a human being, I was ignored by A24, so I hope Raven can take some solace in the fact that I did actually pay to watch a film I had a free screener too just because I’m disabled and apparently that’s a big problem for … Continue reading All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt

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The Last Repair Shop

John Stark

Oscar nominated for Best Documentary Short, The Last Repair Shop is now on Disney plus, but without audio description (at least when I watched it upon release). I don’t care this time. It’s my party and I’ll do what I want. While there are other exceptional documentary shorts this year, I am in love with this one that focuses on a small group of instrument repair workers who try to make sure the Los Angeles public schools have access to workable instruments. Not only is this a love story of sorts to these people who work in a back room … Continue reading The Last Repair Shop

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The Eternal Memory

John Stark

Nominated this year for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, you can now find this on Paramount Plus with audio description. the film is not originally in the English language, so I would recommend not skipping the accessibility if you are blind or visually impaired. It wouldn’t have been my choice, but the Documentary branch frequently chooses documentaries no one watches or cares about over documentaries widely accepted by the public. Every once in a while you get a Summer Of Soul, but most well known documentaries fail to even get nominated. Last year, Moon Age Daydream missed out on … Continue reading The Eternal Memory

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The Other Zoey

John Stark

This wonder is available to prime subscribers right now. Don’t rush. It’s just for romcom addicts. It does not have audio description, but is so surface level that I have to grade it, because calling this film “unwatchable” is insulting your intelligence. Would I have preferred to watch this with audio description? Absolutely. Am I going to tell you I couldn’t follow this? No. Zoey is an outsider. She likes books. She isn’t dating anyone. In walks in the hottest guy in school to her bookstore, because those still exist, and he leaves without taking his credit card. So, he … Continue reading The Other Zoey

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The Good Mother

John Stark

This is a quickie. Since this film has no audio description on its streamer of choice (Hulu), and it’s not fun to hear Hilary Swank lurk in the shadows with no context, and then all i hear is someone vomiting, I’ll say this was a waste of my time. But really, it’s a waste of Hilary Swank’s two-time Academy Award winning time. Get her out of this film. First, put audio description on it, because accessibility should be a basic right, but then remove her from this trash and start putting her with talented directors again in films that matter. … Continue reading The Good Mother

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Waitress: The Musical

John Stark

I bought this instantly, because of course I did. I love this musical adaptation of the film with original songs written by Sara Bareilles, who takes the opportunity to star in her own show. It’s the biggest flex of all time. Write your own musical, and then star in it as legions of fans come to see you. Sadly, because this features her, it also is missing key original cast members, like Keala Settle and the late Nick Cordero. And for reasons unknown it does not have audio description. Bleaker Street has been around too long to use being poor … Continue reading Waitress: The Musical

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Self Reliance

John Stark

I’m a Jake Johnson fan. I really enjoy his brand of humor, and I assumed his effort to write, direct, and star would produce an underrated gem. This movie is fine, until it’s not. It’s also on Hulu, with audio description, which somehow always feels like a victory. This was released theatrically in a one night only thing right at the end of 2023 to make it technically a 2023 film. The plot is basically Jake Johnson being offered money to be a part of this global hunt, kinda like Liam Hemsworth was in Quibby’s (remember that?) Most Dangerous Game. … Continue reading Self Reliance

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Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

John Stark

This terrific documentary took me by surprise. I thought this was about someone named Nikki Giovanni who was trying to go to Mars. Little did I know, I’m an uneducated buffoon, and Nikki Giovanni is a civil rights fixture, poet, and all around amazing person. I loved watching her story, and I’m glad this is on MAX with audio description from Zoo digital. This was a strong year for documentaries, and even though this isn’t at the tip top of my list, it was placed quite nicely in a place where I actually could vote for it. This film takes … Continue reading Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

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Napoleon

John Stark

Two years ago, Ridley Scott released the underrated The Last Duel, which went on to be largely ignored coming out of the pandemic, but still has its fans. I was recently putting together material for my Best Of 2023 lists for this year, and I noticed that my 2021 Award for Best Director went to Ridley Scott for The Last Duel. So, when i say Napoleon is not his best, please understand this is a man who is a very undervalued titan in this industry. Ridley Scott, who has never won an Oscar, is back again this year with Napoleon, … Continue reading Napoleon

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scrapper

John Stark

A BAFTA nominee that flew under the radar here in the states, Scrapper is now available for anyone who has been obsessed with paper Moon and wanted to see a possible update. It’s not, but it is certainly close. Sadly, this independent British feature is on Paramount Plus without audio description. Lola Campbell will steal your heart, much like Tatum O’Neal did in her Oscar nominated performance in Paper Moon. Campbell plays a young girl who is scheming her way through life as we come to realize she’s basically alone in the world. That is, until her estranged father comes … Continue reading scrapper