Category: Movie Review

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Bros

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Peacock English audio Description?: Yes I think I heard more about how groundbreaking this comedy was than anything else. Always lead with “funny as hell”, and less with “breaking glass ceilings”. You can break a glass ceiling and still not be good. Like, if the first person to walk on the moon was Hitler, something tells me we wouldn’t celebrate that. Sometimes, just being first isn’t really the selling feature. i think that’s where Bros, which actually is hilarious, stumbled at the box office. it was so caught up in letting everyone know it was the … Continue reading Bros

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

X

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Paramount Plus (with Showtime) English Audio Description?: No I’ve been back and forth with the non-responsive customer support at Paramount Plus about audio description and what happens when they add Showtime, but none of the available audio description. Even for Showtime shows that have audio description, like Yellowjackets, they will not import the audio description. So, when i saw X, an A24 slasher from director Ti West, I figured now would be a great time to have yet another conversation about why we matter. The reality is that this film is hard to follow as it … Continue reading X

Movie Review1 Comment

Nope

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Peacock English Audio Description Available?: Yes That feeling we all got the first time we realized Jordan Peele had something to say with his breakout film Get Out is something we’ve been expecting from every project since. He’s become a new Spike lee, interweaving social consciousness into his films, with a pointed intent at driving home something to his audience. What that something is, can be left a little open to interpretation. Just the fact that there is an alternate ending to Get Out suggests that Peele himself often second guesses how to deliver his own … Continue reading Nope

Movie Review1 Comment

Amsterdam

John Stark

Where I Watched It: HBo MAX English Audio Description Available?: Yes I’m coming along after most of the critics and what little audience saw this film have already weighed in. Mainly, because this has audio description, and I want to talk about whether or not that is successful, but that becomes hard to talk about when I’m not really sure I know what I just saw, and also, I’m pretty sure that has very little to do with the audio description. Amsterdam is David O’Russell’s attempt at throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. The director of such … Continue reading Amsterdam

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022)

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Disney Plus English Audio Description Provided By: Descriptive Video Works I think I have to start realizing that Disney is no longer really concerned about quality so much as throwing things at a wall to see what sticks. Having been lambasted for years for turning their classics into live action films for no real purpose, they now are taking live action properties and animating them. Last year, we had our first Diary of A Wimpy Kid animated film, which I never thought would relaunch the damn series. It barely qualified as feature length. I think it … Continue reading Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022)

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Lady Chatterly’s Lover

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Provided By International Digital Center Written By Liz Gutman I have not read the book, so I don’t know how close to the book this actually is. My gut instinct says any film reduced to slightly over two hours of film has had some content cut, and perhaps a better adaptation would have caused me to enjoy this frivolous effort. but as it stands, this is basically if Fifty Shades of Grey and Bridgerton had a baby. It’s not Liz’s fault, it’s something I’ve been dealing with for a while, but there … Continue reading Lady Chatterly’s Lover

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

John Stark

Where I watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Provided By: Descriptive Video Works I just wrote a review about Spirited where i said explicitly that when you take one of these overadapted stories, you ahve to bring something original to it. Apple seemed ready to go with Spirited, but the Netflix shat out this nonsense. It’s just a C-Level adaptation of A Christmas Carol, full of forgettable pop songs written sort of in the style of music theatre, that paid for a good cast. in fact, it’s that cast that makes the film worth a damn. Luke Evans, Olivia Coleman, … Continue reading Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

God Forbid

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Provided By: Point 360 Narrated By: Tanzi Alexander Remember Jerry falwell Jr.? The scandal that brought down the head of Liberty University? Well, this is a documentary about that, but produced by Adam McKay, so it can’t just be a documentary about that. it has to be broad as hell. One of the things that works really well is that God Forbid creates a safe, credible environment for Giancarlo (the third man in that holy sandwich) to come forward and tell his story, in a reinforced and straight forward manner. If anything, … Continue reading God Forbid

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Mickey: The Story of A Mouse

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Disney Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes With all the content dropping on Disney Plus right now, it’s totally possible for you to lose touch with this seemingly innocuous doc. Except, this isn’t just some random crap Disney Plus is generating to fill a void, but rather it’s a real documentary from the director of Won’t You Be My Neighbor. So, we’ve got a proven track record here. Still, it’s a documentary about mickey commissioned by Disney, so it’s only ever going to be just so deep. Mostly, this works as fan service. It does somewhat … Continue reading Mickey: The Story of A Mouse

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Fantasy Football

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Paramount Plus English Audio Description?: Yes I’m sure that the creators of Fantasy Football would prefer I dive right into just how fantastic their film is. No. They don’t get that. Today, we’re going to talk about the non-existent magical properties of lightning. Now, don’t get me wrong. lots of characters in films have been struck by lightning as a means for them to achieve whatever they need to achieve. Generally, it’s handled with some sort of reverence for the force of the lightning itself. You know, that pesky thing that tends to kill us regular … Continue reading Fantasy Football

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

The Noel Diary (Netflix)

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Netflix English Audio Description Provided By: International Digital Center Written By: CJ Hardy Initially, I was interested in this film because I’ve become a fan of Justin hArtley after he learned how to act on This Is Us. but then, I noticed this film was directed by Charles Schrier, who actually has legit film credits. this isn’t just some random director known for churning out Christmas movies for Hallmark or Lifetime every year, but rather from the writer/director of Baby Boom and Father Of the Bride part 2. Sure, he’s not Spielberg, but he’s proven himself … Continue reading The Noel Diary (Netflix)

Movie Review2 Comments

The Swimmers

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Netflix Audio Description Provided By: Post haste Digital Written By: William McDonaugh Narrated by: Tanzi Alexander Yes, the film is about Syrian refugees, and it also looks a bit like none of the actors in the film are stars, so you can be forgiven for thinking this might perhaps be Syria’s entry (or some other country) into the Oscar race. While the characters do speak a lot in their native tongue for the first act of the film, this is a journey of a movie that takes its leads into other countries, where they speak English. … Continue reading The Swimmers

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Spirited

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Apple Plus English Audio Description?: Yes I think Charles Dickens Christmas Carol must be one of the most over adapted works ever, if not the most. The difference between it and say something like Little Women, is that we frequently get the same old story, but with a twist. An example of your not typical Carol would be bill Murray’s Scrooged. Although, Murray isn’t the only one. Even a recent episode of the animated FOX comedy The Great North repurposed A Christmas Carol. I’m sure everyone has their own favorite version, their perfect way this story … Continue reading Spirited

Movie ReviewLeave a comment

Slumberland

John Stark

Where i Watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Provided By: international Digial Center Written By: Liz Gutman Narrated By: Jeannie Lemcheck I had no idea what this was. I knew hit had Jason momoa, and that was it. then, as the film started to unfold, I heard Nemo as the main girl’s name, and I figured this was some kind of Nemo in Slumberland adaptation. Also, it became clear that this fantasy film is meant for families, and is really pretty safe. There are a few nightmare suggestions in here, so maybe not like 5 and under, but I think … Continue reading Slumberland

Movie Review1 Comment

The Guardians Of the Galaxy Holiday Special

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Disney Plus English Audio description?: Yes I was thinking about skipping an actual formal review, but hen, that’s what I do. I just don’t think anyone is waiting on reviews to watch this. It’s for Marvel fans. it’s for people who like the Guardians. it’s for people who think a Holiday Special could be fun. i don’t think there’s a demographic ready for this, despite it’s holiday trappings, that will watch this without having seen either Guardians film, or Marvel. And if there were, those people aren’t waiting to see “what the critics think”. Truth is, … Continue reading The Guardians Of the Galaxy Holiday Special