Category: Movie Review

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Freelance

John Stark

John cena stars in a film that seemed to just skip right over theatres. He’s lost theatrical privileges I suppose. He also apparently has lost audio description as well, but maybe that’s just because this is on Hulu. Hulu be Hulu. So, no audio description and a straight to streaming john Cena film? Why am i reviewing it? To remind the world that we do still deserve to have accessibility. I should be able to watch crappy John Cena films with audio description just like sighted people can put on whatever they want. However, this film is primarily an action … Continue reading Freelance

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Surrounded

John Stark

I want so much more for Leticia Wright in her film career. It’s not that she chooses bad project, she just winds up in things like The Silent Twins or Surrounded that seem to fly under the radar. She’s Shuri. She’s the new Black Panther. Let this woman kick some ass in major films. Surrounded shows that the potential is there. In this western, now living on MGM Plus with audio description, Wright plays a former Buffalo Soldier traveling to a destination with a stagecoach, when they get robbed, and the event turns into your typical Wild West shootout. At … Continue reading Surrounded

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The Creator

John Stark

I first tried watching this on Hulu shortly after it released, but not right away. it did not have audio description, nor did it through Hulu on Disney Plus. Months later, I finally was able to watch this film with the wonderful description done by Deluxe and William Michael Redmond. I avoided really reviewing the film the first time, because I had a feeling I was enjoying the film, I just couldn’t understand it. Man, I was missing a lot. the creator stars John David Washington as a man caught in a futuristic war where countries look very different, AI … Continue reading The Creator

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Upon Entry, Mountains, and We Grown Now

John Stark

So, I’ve waited until after the Spirit Awards to mention my thoughts on three films I was able to screen as a Film independent awards voter. You might call me lazy for grouping this together, but I have reasons. Film Independent prides itself on finding voices and stories from underrepresented and marginalized talents. This year, that was shown in the awards they handed out, to a variety of diverse talents. Of course, the big films won anyway, but they still represented the mission of Film independent, which is a factor we are supposed to take into consideration. Uniqueness, representation, inclusivity, … Continue reading Upon Entry, Mountains, and We Grown Now

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Next Goal Wins

John Stark

Back when we were predicting the 2022 Oscars, this film was rumored to be hitting that block, until it got pushed. Now, it wasn’t the only film to get pushed, and some films did end up benefitting from moving, like Killers Of The Flower Moon. However, after seeing next Goal Wins, I’m not sure why it was ever “in contention”. Not that I didn’t like the film, it is just your basic inspirational sports drama. I caught this on Disney Plus with audio description by Deluxe, with narration by Mary Song. The narration is fine, since this is a grown … Continue reading Next Goal Wins

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This Year’s Acting Oscar Nominees

John Stark

For this years acting nominees, and for my YouTube (YouTube.com/macthemovieguy), I reviewed another title from each of the nominees with the goal that each film had audio description. It didn’t quite work out perfectly, but some were featured in a few films worth mentioning. Here’s a rundown of the nominees, and another performance of theirs to check out. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer) Also was in Tropic Thunder, which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. It’s a complicated film to talk about and it isn’t even that old. I’m not sure how RDJ feels about this performance, … Continue reading This Year’s Acting Oscar Nominees

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The Marvels

John Stark

The maligned box office flop The Marvels came home to Disney Plus, with audio description by Laura Post and the team at Deluxe. Picking up where something else left off, which then had this spinoff that featured another character but had one from the movie this is a sequel to, whilst incorporating a brand new character from another TV series… this really doesn’t follow just one thing. This is an amalgamation of what happens when a cinematic universe is taken to the furthest degree. So, Brie Larson is back as Captain Marvel, who is technically the star of this film. … Continue reading The Marvels

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Cat Person

John Stark

It’s a shame that the first time I’ve actually seen Nicholas Braun with range, and the film doesn’t have audio description. So, despite starring one of my favorite rising stars in Amelia Jones, who I did name Best Actress in 2021 for her performance in Coda, and Braun giving her best work, this odd relationship dark comedy is unwatchable. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you why. there are times here where Jones has conversations that make you wonder how they are being presented. is she slipping in and out of sanity, or something else? Jones is having conversations with herself. Somehow. … Continue reading Cat Person

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Wonka

John Stark

there’s certainly something to a franchise that has made Pure Imagination the touchstone of all the thematic elements. From the completely out there elements of the chocolate factory, various candy creations, to the cartoonish world these characters inhabit, imagination may be prominent, but never really pure. Starting as a novel by Roald Dahl, the story of a young boy with a golden ticket and his chocolatier hero has leapt from book to film, to film, to stage, and back to film again as a prequel. Wonka shows us the wacky candyman before he got super famous. And for reasons, this … Continue reading Wonka

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Dream Scenario

John Stark

A24 has to manage their portfolio better. It is a little like how WB dropped Wonka, Aquaman and the lost Kingdom, and the Color Purple on the same weekend. A24 needs to figure out their awards contenders, so films like Dream Scenario, The iron Claw, and other late entries aren’t forgotten. I’m happy Nicolas Cage got a Golden Globe nomination, but with the work he’s been putting in recently in films like this, Pig, Massive Talent, and a few other choices, I feel like we are pulling him away from exceptionally awful straight to streaming titles. he had at least … Continue reading Dream Scenario

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Fools Rush In

John Stark

The other film I chose to watch for Valentine’s Day this year was sadly not audio described in the Apple Store sale. However, I’ve seen Fools Rush In a handful of times, and it is probably my favorite movie featuring Matthew Perry. Ever since his passing last year, I’ve been meaning to revisit his mid-90’s romantic comedy with Salma Hayek, and this sale allowed me to do that. It also really reminded me of the heavy use of montages in this film which are a pain in the ass when you don’t have audio description, even if this is your … Continue reading Fools Rush In

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When Harry Met Sally

John Stark

For Valentine’s Day this year, Apple ran a sale on a lot of digital purchases for all kinds of wants and desires. One look at this broad range of titles, and I knew immediately which film I had to tackle. So, I simply told Apple “I’ll have what she’s having.” What a simple line. it has probably been used just as regular dialogue in so many projects over the years, and even a few that intentionally nod to Rob Reiner’s classic romantic comedy. But, when you say it, it evokes an immediate connection to one film, and one scene. Even … Continue reading When Harry Met Sally

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The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes

John Stark

Young adult or not, I really enjoyed The Hunger Games franchise. I actually read the books before watching the movies, and it is one of those odd franchises where I didn’t hate all the changes. yes, I could get really nit picky especially around characters totally left out of the books, but some of the aspects that were changed made sense. If you’ve only seen the films, for example, when it is just down to the final three in the first book, the game unleashes these human/wolf hybrids using the reanimated corpses of the fallen child tributes. I’d imagine that … Continue reading The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes

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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