The Small Screen Diaries- 03/08/24
I have started to do this thing where I only mention a new show I’m watching that doesn’t have AD once, either as a series or season premiere. I’m still sad that The Masked Singer (Hulu) doesn’t have audio description on the streamer. I know it has had audio description live before, and it’s sad that description goes nowhere. Also, Rita replacing Nicole is fine. Nicole is working on making her Broadway dreams happen with Sunset boulevard. And, Kevin Hart is an awful singer. But, a good sport. He’s a great first elimination, since this is Season 11, and the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/08/24
This Year’s Acting Oscar Nominees
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
The Marvels
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
The Small Screen Diaries- 03/07/24
So let’s jump right into a real audio description topic. This happened, and smacked me in the face because I happened to watch two shows on the same day, almost back to back. On Sunday, I watched the first episode of Shogun (FX/Hulu) and gave my thoughts on the use of one narrator for every voice. Granted, there are a few English speaking characters, but not many. I did think it was odd that the series is going out of its way to represent Japanese characters through their own language, but has a Portuguese character who speaks perfect English. Shouldn’t … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/07/24
The Small Screen Diaries- 03/06/24
Well, I guess the once rumored Home Improvement revival isn’t happening, as Tim Allen is now in a development deal for a new sitcom at ABC. That’s just that cookie crumbling. I did sit through another episode of the Second Best Hospital In The Universe (Amazon), and I’m getting Strange Planet vibes. Strange Planet was adult animation without needing to be crass, because it put our own human condition in a very unique perspective. Here, it feels a little like that, but not quite as strong in terms of hitting the mark. There are too many things that make sense … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/06/24
The Small Screen Diaries- 03/05/24
Well, no internet this morning means my routine is very different. But, a blog post is easy to upload, so I can continue to do that. A couple HD videos to my YouTube? We’ll see… In TV news, CBS has officially ordered the Young Sheldon spinoff centered around Georgie to series. In related news, Disney’s Bob Iger mentioned that Disney has been quietly killing projects in development that it has lost faith in. I wonder if any of those are Star Wars or Marvel projects? I am a huge proponent of the fact that the superhero fatigue is fake, and … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/05/24
The Small Screen Diaries- 03/04/24
CBS has opted to stick with Justin Hartley’s buzzy new drama Tracker, giving it a fairly quick Season 2 renewal. CBS is already looking at the final season of Blue Bloods, SWAT, Young Sheldon, and Bob Hearts Abishola, so they have room. Interestingly, two NCIS spinoffs are in the works, so that franchise will never die. One is NCIS: Origins, and the other is a Tony/Ziva spinoff. Fire Country also has a spinoff in the works. I watched a sad amount of audio described shows. this isn’t all the TV I watched yesterday, but I’ve avoided continuing to platform non-audio … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/04/24
The Small Screen Diaries- 03/03/24
Let’s jump right in to Shogun (Hulu/FX) which seems like a series that has a lot of money in it, except the audio description is on a budget. First, the actual written description is great. It is fine. I even typically enjoy that very American sounding narrator. But, where I run into a problem, is that one guy has to do the narration for a show in which almost every character speaks Japanese. So, he’s doing the usual description, and also reading what would be subtitled for every male character and every female character. No other voice talent is used. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/03/24
Cat Person
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
Wonka
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
The Small Screen Diaries- 03/03/24
Masters Of The Air (Apple Plus) continues to impress with the level of difficulty. There’s a very large cast here, and without facial recognition, it’s hard to follow who is who sometimes, but Laura Post is tracking them as much as possible with names. It’s really important in this episode, where a lot of these guys are killed in an air battle that doesn’t go their way. Some get to parachute out, but some just don’t make it, and for the ones who do, you can feel that weight on them of survivors guilt. Tokyo Vice (MAX) continues its run … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/03/24
Dream Scenario
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
Fools Rush In
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
The Small Screen Diaries- 03/01/24
Timing is everything. Netflix announced the cancellation of The Brothers Sun right after I finished the final episode of the season. I liked the show, and I would have come back for a second season, but I could say that about a number of shows Netflix sends into the void every year. I’m not angry enough to tweet them, or X them. I don’t know why Elon had to go and make that weird. I want to send tweets, not whatever the hell we call it now. But, Michelle Yeoh’s Netflix show is short lived. I will testify that Halo … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/01/24
When Harry Met Sally
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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