Tag: audio description

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The Strangers: Chapter 3

John Stark

I never thought I’d be reviewing a film like The Strangers: Chapter 3, a film that exists only because a studio apparently had too much money and decided to fund an entire trilogy at the same time. They didn’t do it with the promise of a hot new horror filmmaker behind the camera either. They handed the keys to Renny Harlin. Now, has Harlin directed films I like? Absolutely. But not recently. The last film of his I genuinely enjoyed was Deep Blue Sea, and when you pair that with Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight, you’ve got a small … Continue reading The Strangers: Chapter 3

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Saw 4

John Stark

As I continue working my way through the Saw franchise, we’ve officially arrived at what I like to call the Tales of Hoffman era. If there has ever been a less inspired replacement killer in horror history, I’m struggling to think of one. One thing the Saw sequels absolutely love doing is circling back to previous films and pretending there were major revelations hiding in plain sight the entire time. Every sequel seems determined to convince us that events from earlier movies were secretly much more important than we realized. Saw IV leans heavily into that approach, but it does … Continue reading Saw 4

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Send Help

John Stark

Sam Raimi certainly has a voice and a style, and even if he’s not fully embracing his gory Evil Dead beginnings these days, there’s still a campy charm to his films. He understands what his audience expects and what they want from a Sam Raimi movie. Too many people weren’t fans of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but I enjoyed it largely because Raimi brought so much of his own flavor to the film. It felt like Marvel was dabbling in horror, and that willingness to lean into the strange helped it stand out. Of course, it wasn’t … Continue reading Send Help

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Saw 3

John Stark

And now we’ve come to Saw III, which had so much promise to it, but also starts to show the cracks that would eventually split the Saw franchise wide open. Weirdly enough, this is the only one of the first seven films not done by Descriptive Video Works, so even the narrator changes. It’s strange how noticeable that is once you’ve settled into a rhythm with these movies. I’m not sure the writing itself suffered because of it, but the film definitely feels heavier. More cluttered. Like the franchise is starting to collapse under the weight of its own mythology. … Continue reading Saw 3

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The Testaments: Season 1

John Stark

When I first caught wind of The Testaments, it was a bag of mixed emotions. Part of me was excited that The Handmaid’s Tale would continue in some form, but the other part knew it couldn’t possibly hope to live up to the original. Then I got to the series finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, where they had the audacity not to reunite June with Hannah, and suddenly this sequel series became less of an option and more of a necessity. What a casting boon it turned out to be when someone picked Chase Infinity to play Agnes MacKenzie, aka … Continue reading The Testaments: Season 1

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Wake Up Dead Man

John Stark

Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic. If you build it, he will come. In Rian Johnson’s third outing in what is called the Knives Out series (for no other reason than it being the title of the first Benoit Blanc outing), we are asked to have a little faith. or, perhaps it is better to have a lack thereof. Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man may center in a church, but this is no Murder In the Cathedral. If you dress it up with simplicity, it could be seen as a modern day version of that, but woven in Johnson’s narrative … Continue reading Wake Up Dead Man

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Thoughts And Prayers

John Stark

The benefit of being on my own is being able to write whatever I want. is this a review? I don’t know. as long as I can remember, i wanted to be a Dad, likely due to my own Dad being around but not present. I remember having dreams about having kids before I was even ten, or anyone had a birds and bees conversation.when Columbine happened in April of 1999, I was wrapping up my Sophomore year in High School. I came from a small town, and we did fire and tornado drills. I’ve never participated in an active … Continue reading Thoughts And Prayers

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The Choral

John Stark

I’ve already gone to the “they don’t make them like they used to” well this year with Nuremberg, a courtroom drama that seems pulled from somewhere between 1995 and 2005. Here, The Choral reminds me of the kind of uplifting war-adjacent stories we got like Mrs Henderson Presents, or other “movies for grown ups” like Calendar Girls or Waking Ned Devine. Somehow a film like this now comes around and festival audiences react like they’ve just seen some schmaltzy drivel. the reality is, we’re living in an everything Everywhere Saw The TV Glow kind of world, and the kinds of … Continue reading The Choral

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Hamnet

John Stark

Was Shakespeare ever really in love? Considering how fractured our knowledge of William Shakespeare is, we certainly seem enamored with his romantic life. This year, I’d be shocked if Jessie Buckley didn’t become yet another actress to win an Oscar for their fictional romance with Shakespeare. The difference between this and the Best picture winning Shakespeare In love is that this film is not a comedy. Not in the slightest. Releasing at thanksgiving is a bold move for a film that is not really a warm and inviting experience. this is a film where tissues will clog cupholders, and people … Continue reading Hamnet

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Christy

John Stark

I’ve been watching and reviewing a few things recently based on people I had no idea existed. I’m really starting to question my pop culture knowledge, but is knowing a roster of female boxers really pop culture? Should I have known who Christy Martin was? If Stop The Insanity is a cautionary tale on contract law, Christy is a cautionary tale for homophobic parents who just keep hoping their lesbian daughters will marry a man. Bee careful what you wish for. Christy is a biopic about one of the most successful female boxers, who also struggled with her sexuality, and … Continue reading Christy

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Frankenstein (2025)

John Stark

Sometimes the interesting thing about film is watching the growth of an auteur. Depending on when you were born, you might have gotten to see the rise of certain artists honing their craft, but the exciting part is that first film, and feeling like you just witnessed the birth of something. I’d consider myself a big fan of Del toro, who even when he doesn’t top himself as a director, certainly is never boring. he has such a love for film, and for the celebration of monsters, that it really does carry through all the themes. Even his stop-motion animated … Continue reading Frankenstein (2025)

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Die My Love

John Stark

Film truly has the opportunity to reach just you. Depending on where you are in your life at any given moment, watching the right film is like feeling seen and heard by some unknown force. Something put this film in my path at this exact moment in time. You could be going through a break up, and be far more affected by a film about two people falling in love, or two people also breaking up. you could be experiencing a loss, and at the same time watch a film about a similar situation. When this happens, it alters your … Continue reading Die My Love

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In Your Dreams

John Stark

2025 has not really been a banner year for animation, which perhaps has worked in favor for Netflix, who went to the bank with a certain group of singing demon hunters earlier this year. The largest opening weekend for an animated feature went to CrunchyRoll, for their continuation of Demon Slayer. I’ve been waiting for a film to really pull some emotion from me. I like my animation to have a bit of heart with it. Not that it can’t make me laugh myself silly, but my favorite animated movies have a punch to them. An emotional gut punch. We … Continue reading In Your Dreams

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Hedda

John Stark

Cast: Tessa Thompson, Nina Haas, Tom Bateman, Imogene Poots, Nicholas Pinnock, Katherine Hunter Written and Directed by: Nia DaCosta Release Year: 2025 Studio/Streamer: Prime video Runtime: 107 minutes Audio Description Produced by: the Media Access group Written By: Narrated By: what is it?: An update to Henry Gibson’s classic work, director Nia DaCosta has decided to take the work from 1890 and move it to the 1950’s, combining the complex character with new undercurrents of racial identity and queerness, in a movie that has characters race swapped as well as gender bent. Hedda seems supportive of her husband, and throws … Continue reading Hedda

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Ballad Of A Small Player

John Stark

Cast: Colin Farrell, Tilda Swinton, Fala Chen Written By: Rowan Joffy directed By: Edward Berger Original Score By: Volker Bertamin Release Year: 2025 Studio/Streamer: Netflix Runtime: 101 minutes Audio Description Produced By: VSI London Written by: Narrated By: What Is it?: based on a book, Ballad of A Small Player follows a seemingly upstanding British citizen in Macao who is struggling with debt, and keeping up the appearance that they are not in quite as deep, and if they can just get a line of credit now, everything will be cleared up after the weekend. dodging those he owes, and … Continue reading Ballad Of A Small Player