West Side Story (2021)
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Ziegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Mike Faist, Brian D’Arcy James, Corey Stoll, and Josh Andres Rivera (plus a ton of other Jets and Sharks). Directed By: Steven Spielberg Where I Watched It: Disney Plus (though it is also currently available as of this writing on HBO MAX as well) English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A remake and reimagining of the classic Leonard Bernstein musical that hit screens sixty years ago. The Romeo and Juliet inspired plot follows to rival gangs, the Jets (the poor white kids) and the Sharks (the Latino immigrants) … Continue reading West Side Story (2021)
House Of Gucci
Starring: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, Jeremy Irons, and Jack Huston. Directed By: Ridley Scott Where I Watched It: Apple VOD English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Love at first sight. When a man (Driver) meets a woman (Gaga) and falls in love with her, you would think that this story would be simple. Except the man is part of the Gucci family, and their fashion house is legend. Over the course of their relationship, decadence and betrayal break the relationship, eventually leading to murder. It’s based on a true story, so that’s not … Continue reading House Of Gucci
Kimi
Starring: Zoey Kravitz, Erika Christensen, Rita Wilson, Jaime Camill, and Devin Rattray. Directed By: Steven Soderbergh Where I Watched It: HBO MAX English Audio Description Available?: Yes The plot: Angela (Kravitz) works from home , in an age of covid, where her job is analyzing data for an Alexa/Siri like entity called Kimi. While doing her job, she comes across an audio clip that convinces her someone was just murdered. And then the film gets all twisty. What Works: If I was all certified and stuff on Rotten Tomatoes, I would want my little blurb to be “a delightfully magical … Continue reading Kimi
Fresh
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, and Jojo T Gibbs. Directed by: Mimi Cave Where I Watched it: Hulu English Audio Description Available?: Yes The plot: I didn’t bother to watch a trailer for this, but even I could figure out what “unusual eating habits” meant. So, if you think this is a spoiler, you don’t watch enough movies. The film centers around a woman (Edgar-Jones) who is trying to navigate a seemingly awful dating scene when she encounters a charming man (Stan), who invites her away for a little trip on their second date, which is bad for her, because … Continue reading Fresh
Cop Shop
Starring: Frank Grillo, Gerard Butler, Alexis Louder, Toby Huss, and Chad L. Coleman. Directed By Joe Carnahan Where I Watched It: Peacock English Audio Description Available?: Unknown. The plot: A con artist (Grillo) on the run tries to hide by getting himself locked up, but pretty soon, those who wish him dead still find their way to the police station. What Works: What a great out of nowhere movie. This was recommended to me by someone whose opinion I usually agree with, and this was a delightful action crime caper full of vibrant characters, great dialogue, and inventive plot development. … Continue reading Cop Shop
The Too Much TV Roundup
You know the drill. There are a ton of streaming services, not to mention actual cable still exists, and it’s hard for one person to cover all my feelings about every single series I’m watching in their own individual post. So here’s a glance at what I watch (slowly, while not binge watching) when I’m not watching movies. Netflix: One of these days I’d like to write about All Of us Are Dead. I’ve heard good things, but I heard good things about Squid Game too back in the day, and tried to start watching that without audio description and … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup
Ascension
Documentary Directed By Jessica Kingdon Where I Watched it: Paramount Plus English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: There is no plot.Ascension is a documentary largely centered around life in China, from an observatory standpoint, across many different paths and walks of life. What Works: If you were to visit Epcot at Disney World, you would be able to visit the world showcase, where several of the countries featured have short documentary films representing life in their country. This could (except probably for the sex toy assembly sequence) be one of those films, specifically and obviously for the China pavilion. … Continue reading Ascension
C’Mon C’Mon
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Woody Norman, Gaby Hoffman, and Scoot McNairy. Directed By: Mike Mills Where I Watched It: Apple VOD English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: A radio journalist (Phoenix) is asked to look after his nephew (Norman) for a short period of time, and the two explore other parts of America together, as well as each other’s thoughts. What Works: A film like this always hinges on just how good the child actor is. And, I’m proud to report that Woody Norman is exceptional. I don’t think I’ve seen a performance this good in a movie since Jacob … Continue reading C’Mon C’Mon
Procession
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
Free Guy
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
Shiva Baby
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
Needle In A Time Stack
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
Audible
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
Attica
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
The Too Much TV Roundup
Once again, a massive post giving you a glimpse of what I’m watching on TV, because one man doesn’t have the time to watch and review all the content I consume. Netflix: Starting off with a non-recommendation. After three episodes, I gave up on Stay Close. I was really excited for another Netflix adaptation from this author, as I enjoyed The Stranger from two years ago. But, even with the presence of Richard Armitage (who was also in The Stranger), Stay Close has done nothing but push me further away. It’s three and done. I don’t care how this limited … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup
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