Category: Movie Review

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Procession

John Stark

Documentary Directed By: Robert Green Where I Watched It: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A group of men unpack their sexual abuse and childhood trauma they experienced while growing up Catholic, by working with a dramatic therapist that encourages them to write and direct short films that explain what happened to them as children. What Works: As of this writing, I’ve seen three of the five nominees for Best Documentary, and I honestly don’t understand how Procession was left off. Maybe voters found the format in which these victims chose to share their traumatic pasts with the … Continue reading Procession

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Free Guy

John Stark

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodi Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Taika Waititi, Joe Kerri, Utdesh Shambukar, and Channing Tatum. Directed By: Shawn Levy Where I Watched It: Disney Plus (though it is also now on HBO MAX) English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: For every gamer that has long wanted a Grand Theft Auto movie, this is about as close as you’ll ever get. Guy (Reynolds) is a non-playable character inside a open world video game eerily similar to Grand Theft Auto online, and after he has a run in with a player known as Molotov Girl (Jodi Comer), he becomes … Continue reading Free Guy

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Shiva Baby

John Stark

Starring: Rachel Sinnott, Danny Deferrari, Fred Melamed, Polly Draper, Molly Gordon, Glynis Bell, Jackie Hoffman, and Dianna Agaron. Directed By: Emma Seligman Where I Watched It: HBO MAX English Audio Description Available?: No. The Plot: A young Jewish girl (Sennett) joins her family for a shiva after having missed the funeral, totally unaware that her sugar daddy )Deferrari) is in attendance… with his own family, that she didn’t know existed. Why It Works: A comedy that uses tradition to also break the social norms is an interesting and original premise. By forcing your characters to sit through a traditional shiva, … Continue reading Shiva Baby

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Needle In A Time Stack

John Stark

Starring: Leslie Odom Jr, Cynthia Erivo, Orlando Bloom, Frieda Pinto, and Jadyn Wong. Directed By: John Ridley Where I Watched It: Amazon English Audio Description Available?: No. The plot: A man (Odom Jr) seems perfectly happy with his life, especially the love he has with his partner (Erivo). But, in this world, time travel exists, and you can go back in time and alter your past to change your future. However, others can do this as well. And the smallest changes can have the biggest consequences. What Works: John Ridley adapts what really is a terrific concept off a short … Continue reading Needle In A Time Stack

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Audible

John Stark

Documentary Directed By: Matthew Ogens Where I Watched It: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Audible centers primarily around a singular football player, but really is about a larger story involving a deaf football team, that loses their first game in a very long time, and how that shapes them and how the uniquely react and respond moving forward. By tackling not just the broader spectrum of what it would be like to operate as a deaf football team, but instead focus more on the individual students experiences, not just losses on the field, but personal as well, … Continue reading Audible

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Attica

John Stark

Documentary Directed By Stanley Nelson and Traci Curry Where I Watched It: Amazon (Though it expires in a few days, it is also available on Showtime as of this review) English Audio Description Available?: Sadly, No. The Plot: Explores the infamous prison takeover by the inmates at Attica in New York, using interviews from several different viewpoints, including a few survivors, to remind and educate its audience about what should not be soon forgotten, and shows the parallels of problems with the prison complex system back then, and how very little has changed today. Why It Works: I have to … Continue reading Attica

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Book Of Love

John Stark

Starring: Sam Claflin and Veronica Echegui. Directed By: Analeine Cal Y Mayor Where I Watched It: Amazon English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A handsome but talentless writer (Claflin) releases a book that doesn’t seem to be making much noise, except in Mexico. That’s because the person who translated the book from English to Spanish, Maria (Echegui), basically rewrote the whole thing. And made it into essentially a trashy romance novel. This is a romantic comedy, so… love happens. What Works: Is this the worst thing I’ve ever seen? No. So that’s something. I think the plot is initially … Continue reading Book Of Love

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The Sky Is Everywhere

John Stark

Starring: Grace Kaufman, Jacques Colimon, Cherry Jones, Jason Segal, Pico Alexander, and Havana Rose Lou. Directed By: Josephine Decker Where I Watched It: Apple Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Lettie (Kaufman) is a talented teenager with dreams of Juilliard, but when her sister (Lou) suddenly drops dead during a high school performance, the introverted clarinet player is left trying to navigate her world without her extroverted other half. In this journey, she is accompanied by her Gran (Jones) as well as her pot smoking uncle (Segal), her sister’s surviving boyfriend (Alexander), and potentially a new love interest … Continue reading The Sky Is Everywhere

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The King’s Man

John Stark

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickenson, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Djimon Honshuu, Charles Dance, and Daniel Bruhl. Directed By Matthew Vaughn Where I Watched It: HBO MAX (though I saw it’s also on Hulu) English Audio Description Available?: Yes. The plot: A look back in time to the formation of the secret service known as the Kingsmen. This finds Orlando (Fiennes) facing off against an enemy hell bent on taking over the world. You know, typical World War stuff. Except, Rasputin (Ifans) is involved. What Works: I have to be honest and say that I was surprised that Matthew … Continue reading The King’s Man

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

John Stark

Starring: Does it matter? I guess… Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Jacob Latimore, Mark Burnham, Moe Dunford, and a very special surprise guest! Directed By: David Blue Garcia Where I Watched It: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: After surviving a school shooting, a teenager (Fisher) decides to pack up her life and follow her sister (Yarkin) and her friends/co-workers/possible fellow cult members/future dead bodies (cast members not important) to a small town in the middle of Texas with a population of less than 2,000 people, that is famous only for one thing. A chainsaw massacre. It’s been 50 … Continue reading Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

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The In Between

John Stark

Starring: Joey King, Kyle Allen, Celeste O’Connor, John Ortiz, and Kim Dickens. Directed By: Arie Posion Where I Watched It: Paramount Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A teenager (King) wakes up in a hospital room to find out that she survived and her boyfriend (Allen) did not. Soon after, she believes he is trying to contact her from the afterlife, and we get to explore their relationship through a heavy use of flashbacks. What Works: I do want Joey King to be offered the kind of roles befitting her talent. She was so good in Hulu’s limited … Continue reading The In Between

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Old Henry

John Stark

Starring: Tim Blake Nelson, Scott Hayes, Trace Adkins, Stephen Dorff, and Gavin Lewis. Directed By Poncy Ponciroli Where I Watched It: Showtime English Audio Description Available?: Showtime never offers AD, and looking at this through video on demand services, this film has no audio description currently. The Plot:A western of sorts that finds a seemingly run of the mill farmer named Henry (Nelson) take in a wounded stranger (Hayes). However, things may not be all they seem, and Henry may have a particular set of skills. If you get what I’m saying. When a tiny but mighty posse rolls up, … Continue reading Old Henry

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Clash Of The Titans (1981)

John Stark

Starring: Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Burgess Meredith, and Claire Bloom. Directed By: Desmond Davis Where I Watched It: TCM (though it is also available on HBO MAX) English Audio Description Available?: Not on tCM. The Review: I’m going to break tradition again, and instead of using my usual format. Honestly, it was February, and it’s the time when Turner Classic movies runs some solid films in preparation for the Oscars, though technically the Oscars are later than they used to be, so I get Clash of The Titans. Which is fine. I actually got to watch … Continue reading Clash Of The Titans (1981)

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Flee

John Stark

Documentary Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen Where i Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Available?: Not At This Time The Review: Normally, I break my reviews into sections, but my unorthodox and limited ability to view and discuss the Oscar nominated Flee has left me looking for a new format in which to discuss things that affected my ability to enjoy the film, that are out of the control of the filmmaker. Hulu is currently the streaming rights holder to this documentary, and when it first premiered on the streaming service, it premiered without any audio tracks other than default, … Continue reading Flee

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Brazen

John Stark

Starring: Alyssa Milano and Sam Page. Directed By Monica Mitchell Where i Watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Grace (Milano) is a best selling fiction author whose sister is a teacher during the day, and a webcam dominatrix at night. That is… until she is murdered! Armed with the knowledge she has gained from years of writing fiction novels, Grace has the police assist her in solving her sister’s murder. What Works: So, this is on Netflix. That means I got to watch this at home. I made myself these really good homemade nachos, and enjoyed … Continue reading Brazen