Tarzan (1999): 25th Anniversary (with Tarzan II!)
Come stop your crying, it will be an all right. I know you just watched The Acolyte, and you are missing classic Disney, which is a great time to take a look at what Classic Disney looked like. Following my celebration of The Lion King, in all its 30th Anniversary glory, five years later they released Tarzan. It’s one of the divisive movies that not everyone loves, but I do. And if you think just because we hit the sweet spot with TThe Lion King, Inside Out 2, and Tarzan, that I adore everything Disney, this just happens to be … Continue reading Tarzan (1999): 25th Anniversary (with Tarzan II!)
The Small Screen Diaries- 07/03/24
Dammit. Amazon is officially currently on my shit list for dropping Outer Range. They cancelled the show after 2 seasons, and I should have known better. Every time a show like this gets cancelled, it in turn makes me less invested in the future of other shows. Really, it is the lack of resolution. It’s the idea that we can be loyal fans, and do exactly what we are supposed to do, watch these shows over and over, and never get resolution. At least with a movie, you get an ending. Aside from the Divergent franchise, I can’t think of … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 07/03/24
inside Out 2
Where were you when puberty struck? One day, you’re just a kid, doing regular kid things, and then overnight, puberty just begins. That is the big question behind the sequel to Inside Out that has swept the nation. That’s right, I’m reviewing a theatrical release. Shocker! As such, I have a little bit of a spoiler for just my blind fam coming here to talk about audio description. In my theatre, the force was not strong with the bluetooth in my receiver, and short of wandering the theatre like I’m in a Verizon commercial trying to get cell reception, I … Continue reading inside Out 2
The Muppet Movie: 45th Anniversary
45 years of The Muppets on the big screen. When I noticed that this was an anniversary year, albeit an odd one, I wanted to tackle this because we just had Jim Henson: Idea Man, and even then I felt like I needed to review something Muppet related. This isn’t where it began, but it is the first of the film franchise. I’m also not here to try and tip the scales on what is clearly a time honored classic. No one has been waiting 45 years to hear if I endorse The Muppet Movie. This is not my first … Continue reading The Muppet Movie: 45th Anniversary
The Small Screen Diaries- 07/02/24
Inching closer to the finale of Sweet Tooth (Netflix), in an episode that saw Gus finally reach Alaska, but right behind him is Helen. Look, I love me some Sweet Tooth, but people find their random ass locations or are found at random ass locations far too much in this show. I feel like if the story required Gus to find the lost city of Atlantis, it would take him two minutes to find it, and another minute for everyone else to find him. I can actually imagine him being greeted down at Atlantis with “No one has been down … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 07/02/24
The Karate Kid: 40th Anniversary
The classic film that would unsuspectingly launch an entire new generation of fans through a YouTube show, which later was saved by Netflix and turned into a pop culture phenomenon. Of course, I’m talking about The Karate Kid. The original. A film you wouldn’t expect to be nominated for an Academy Award, but actually got Pat Morita a nomination for his iconic Mr. Miyagi performance. An unlikely film to stand the test of time, but it has. The Karate Kid is about a rising Karate star named Johnny (William Zappa) who studies at the top dojo in the area, Cobra … Continue reading The Karate Kid: 40th Anniversary
Ultraman Rising
I’m just going to admit, I may not be the definitive critic for this. I have never seen any Ultraman shows or films before, on top of that whole niche thing of being a blind film critic. So, this ting could totally deviate and break every Ultraman rule, and I would have no idea. I’m just approaching it like Ultraman just starts today, with this film. Which this film also doesn’t want me to do. Ultraman Rising definitely has that vibe of “you should know what this is”, from the very start. It isn’t debilitating, and you can watch the … Continue reading Ultraman Rising
The Small Screen Diaries- 07/01/24
The year is half over, and what do we have to show for it? Another episode of House Of The Dragon (MAX), which was more excellent work by the team of DeWolfe/Samuelson on that audio description writing/narration. This episode damn near checked in on everyone, and served as a nice “where are we now”, with the big take always for me being that Allicent’s brother seems useless and unlikely to survive the season, Damon’s nightmare had imagery that shook me, and Raynera really seemed to also be affected after her conversation with Allicent. And Jace? He tightened his grip on … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 07/01/24
Kung Fu Panda 4
Ska-doosh once again. I do believe the official word origin of “skadoosh” is Shakespearian. One of his lesser known works. Don’t bother fact checking that. Google only knows the popular ones. But, because someone needs money, Kung Fu Panda 4 is here, po is back, and the budget has been trimmed. Po’s teammates, the furious voice cast of Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and David Cross are nowhere to be found. Is that a good thing? First up, this has audio description on Peacock. Oddly, the only entry in the franchise that currently resides on the service with AD. … Continue reading Kung Fu Panda 4
Remembering Gene Wilder
Another review of another film without audio description. Netflix is hosting this, and despite its lack of accessibility, I tend to be interested in documentaries about film, actors, and directors. I don’t know why. It’s just so weird. So I naturally felt compelled to watch the Gene Wilder doc, and hear from all these people about what a terrific man he was. Not only does gene ruminate on his own life, but creatives from Mel Brooks to Eric McCormack discuss the impact of Gene Wilder across his various projects. We hear about how Gene adored the late Gilda Radner, as … Continue reading Remembering Gene Wilder
origin
Origin was one of those late stage Oscar entries from 2023 that seemed poised to stage an upset. The problem is that Neon bumbled the release. It had a qualifying run, and then the few people who had seen and loved Origin tried to get the word out about it. I’m fairly certain not enough people saw Origin, because its lack of nominations is quite frankly baffling. For me, I already went back and looked at my Top 25 from 2023, and it definitely would have made that. As far as the Top 10, I’m pretty sure I could justify … Continue reading origin
The Small Screen Diaries: 06/30/24
I was saddened to learn, but not shocked, that Apple Plus will not be giving a conclusion to The Big Door Prize, which is cancelled after two seasons.The second season had just so many loose ends, I wish it had been given a third and final season to wrap up all those open storylines, but that is not the timeline we live in. Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (Netflix) which I just refuse to binge watch, finally got Ben and Sammie to Yaz, and her perfect commune of dinosaur free living. Then, the bad guys show up, and it turns out … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 06/30/24
Movies With pride: Am I OK?
On the last day of Pride Month, I’m closing it out with a review of a 2022 Sundance hit that is just now landing on MAX. Starring Madame Webb herself, Am I OK is the directorial debut of Tig & Stephanie. There are so many directing duos out there, from the Coens, The Wachowskis, and The Daniels to this married couple, I feel like they need a name to combine them, but Stephanie didn’t take Tig’s last name. But, I’ve seen this couple represented before on screen, and they are freaking adorable together, so I was really excited to see … Continue reading Movies With pride: Am I OK?
Rear Window: 70th Anniversary
I think the secret of all film critics is that there’s always some small list of films we haven’t seen and know we need to see. It is impossible for everyone to have seen everything, especially now with things simply being hard to find or out of print. Thank God, when I first started showing in interest in film criticism, my mom got me a library card, and I was able to rent all these VHS classics. Free. It’s how I’ve seen a number of older titles, in addition to having her just rent specific titles she thought I would … Continue reading Rear Window: 70th Anniversary
Baghead
I do love a reminder every once in a while that there are still functional companies that ignore accessibility. one of those, AMC Plus, is the home to Shudder and IFC Films, two entities that send originals to theatres with audio description, VOD services, and often later to Hulu. yet, with all of that, AMC Plus dodges the hell out of being accessible as a streaming service. Why? Do you honestly and truthfully believe that if the streaming wars lead to the deaths of streamers, like most recently Noggin, that the ones without accessibility will rise to the top? Today’s … Continue reading Baghead
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