Category: Movie Review

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

In The Hand of Dante

John Stark

I’d heard about In the Hand of Dante coming out of the Venice Film Festival and knew it hadn’t been especially well received. At the time, though, a lot of the conversation seemed to revolve around the cast and the controversy surrounding their positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict rather than the movie itself. Now that it’s on Netflix, complete with an excellent audio description track from International Digital Center written by Stephen Christopher and narrated by Jamie Lemchek, I finally had the chance to check out Julian Schnabel’s latest film. On paper, this thing should be incredible. It’s produced by … Continue reading In The Hand of Dante

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Going In Blind: Chapter 51

John Stark

There are plenty of films about making movies. Some are documentaries, while others are traditional scripted fare, like the pandemic-era Netflix comedy The Bubble, which was very much a product of its moment and probably won’t be remembered much beyond that. Chapter 51 takes a different route. It adopts the mockumentary format, but underneath all of the absurdity is a surprisingly grounded core. The film centers on what is supposedly one of the most disastrous productions in movie history, with its reputation placed alongside famously troubled shoots like Apocalypse Now and The Wizard of Oz. You could certainly think of … Continue reading Going In Blind: Chapter 51

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Going In Blind: The Get Out

John Stark

If you’re still hearing the clinking of a teaspoon against a teacup, you might have an obsession with a movie that has nothing to do with The Get Out. Although, if there’s a regional specific accent to The Sunken Place, I’m positive Crowe will find it, and it will sound vaguely Eastern European. Really, it’s for the Albanian’s to critique his accent, but its hard to not notice that he seems to really be devoting himself to roles that require him to vocally disappear over the last few years. The funny thing is, the voice you are accustomed to isn’t … Continue reading Going In Blind: The Get Out

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Going In Blind: Color Book

John Stark

Color Book is the perfect film arriving at the perfect time for Father’s Day. After building a strong reputation on the festival circuit and picking up awards along the way, Color Book finally landed on Netflix on June 19, giving a wider audience the chance to discover this deceptively simple story about a father trying to take his son to a baseball game. Of course, there has to be a little more to it than that. The film is shot in black and white, a stylistic choice that gives Atlanta an almost timeless quality. But the most notable decision is … Continue reading Going In Blind: Color Book

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Never Change

John Stark

Many of us have probably imagined what a high school do-over might look like. Maybe we’d make better choices. Maybe we’d get better grades. Maybe we’d finally talk to the person we spent four years quietly admiring from across the cafeteria. Maybe we’d avoid the mistakes that still occasionally pop into our heads decades later. High school occupies a strange place in our memories. As adults, I’m sure there are things you learned in high school you realize you have yet to use on your own, but there are also skills and knowledge you found missing after you graduated. Why … Continue reading Never Change

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Whistle

John Stark

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Whistle beyond the fact that it was a horror movie, but that’s a pretty wide spectrum these days. Horror can be genuinely inventive and elevated, or it can be pure schlock. Whistle lands somewhere in the middle. It takes ideas we’ve seen before, makes a few adjustments, and ends up feeling fresh enough to stand out from the crowd of teen horror movies where characters get picked off one by one. The twist here is that the killer isn’t a masked slasher with a knife. It’s an antique wooden whistle. Blow it, … Continue reading Whistle

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Voicemails For Isabelle

John Stark

I’ve always had a soft spot for a good melodrama. Not necessarily a feel-good movie, but the kind that mixes romance, grief, humor, and heartbreak into a story that asks audiences to spend a couple of hours with characters navigating extraordinary circumstances. Netflix’s Voicemails for Isabel absolutely fits that mold, and more importantly, it understands something that a lot of modern romance dramas seem to have forgotten. In recent years, we’ve seen a wave of adaptations from authors like Colleen Hoover. Films like It Ends With Us, Regretting You, and Reminders of Him often begin with tragedy and then build … Continue reading Voicemails For Isabelle

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Going In Blind: Maddie’s Secret

John Stark

You can tell a lot from a feature directorial debut. We’ve already seen that this year with filmmakers coming from outside traditional Hollywood paths, but for an established comedian like John Early, there’s already a certain expectation about the kind of film he might make. As one of the more prominent queer comedians working today, and someone whose work often comments on identity and performance, his first feature could have gone in almost any direction. Instead, he gave us Maddie’s Secret. Maddie’s Secret feels like an amalgamation of the things that have inspired Early throughout his life. In fact, it … Continue reading Going In Blind: Maddie’s Secret

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Hoppers

John Stark

At least as of this review, I’ve seen every single Pixar film, which is an achievement in and of itself. Seeing the complete works of any studio is impressive, even if it’s “just” an animation studio like Pixar. And I don’t think anyone is making the argument that Hoppers belongs at the very top of Pixar’s catalog. I also hope nobody is making the argument that it belongs at the very bottom. Realistically, it’s somewhere in the middle, probably almost smack dab in the center. Pixar has struggled in recent years to create the kind of transcendent works that defined … Continue reading Hoppers

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Spiral: From The Book Of Saw

John Stark

After a long stretch, there is finally a film in the Saw franchise that climbs back into fresh territory for me, and surprisingly, that film is Spiral. It’s admittedly an odd choice, considering Jigsaw isn’t even in the movie. It’s more of a side story, a departure from the main saga, and I completely understand why some fans don’t connect with it because of that. The movie itself is borderline at times. It’s somewhat predictable, retreads a few familiar ideas, and doesn’t completely escape the shadow of what came before. It might even be a little reductive to point at … Continue reading Spiral: From The Book Of Saw

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Finnegan’s Foursome

John Stark

Edward Burns has spent much of his career exploring family dynamics, Irish heritage, and the baggage people carry from one generation to the next. Finnegan’s Foursome certainly checks all of those boxes. What I didn’t realize until watching it is just how much Burns seems to love golf. And I mean really love golf. Finnegan’s Foursome contains so much golf that it ranks alongside actual golf movies like The Greatest Game Ever Played or Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius. The difference is that those films are about golfers. This one isn’t. The story follows the sons and grandkids of a … Continue reading Finnegan’s Foursome

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Chum

John Stark

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to movies about going back into the water, Australia unleashes Chum upon the world. It’s a low-budget, schlocky attempt at a shark horror movie, notably being released by IFC without the cooperation of Shudder, the branch of the company that specifically handles this sort of thing. They didn’t even want it. Shudder probably heard this thing was coming down the pipeline and dodged it, which says a lot considering some of the highly questionable content they’ve already released. Even then, most of their catalog is better than this. Reasonably, most … Continue reading Chum

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

No Other Choice

John Stark

Some films arrive at exactly the right moment, and No Other Choice benefits enormously from the period in which it was released. People are struggling to find meaningful employment. They’re struggling to keep up with rising costs. They’re struggling to maintain the basic financial stability that previous generations often took for granted. I recently read a BuzzFeed article collecting comments from shoppers, and one person joked that they knew someone was rich if they could afford to buy cherries at the grocery store. It’s a small observation, but it captures something real about the current moment. Everywhere you look, people … Continue reading No Other Choice

Editorial, Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Jigsaw

John Stark

Jigsaw marks a welcome change of pace for the Saw franchise. More importantly, thank God the tales of Hoffman are finally behind us. I know plenty of critics would argue there was never much value in any of the first seven Saw films, but it’s hard to deny the impact the original movie had when it arrived in 2004. If nothing else, it shocked audiences with one of the most memorable twist endings of its era. It also became the poster child for the crudely named “torture porn” subgenre, paving the way for films like Hostel and The Collector, movies … Continue reading Jigsaw

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Movies With Pride: Something You Should Know About Me

John Stark

Something You Should Know About Me is notable for a reason that extends beyond the film itself. I’m genuinely excited that in 2026 I can say this is not the first film I’ve reviewed this year featuring transgender leads. Following She’s the He, it’s actually the second such film I’ve had the opportunity to watch and review in less than a month. Considering how infrequently marginalized voices have historically been given space on screen, that’s pretty freaking cool. The film follows Al, an aspiring artist who is thrilled to attend a creative camp where he can further develop his writing … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Something You Should Know About Me