Tag: audio description

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Movies With Pride: Love Lies Bleeding

John Stark

I’m always amazed by the cult of A24. They’re just a distribution company, yet there are some out there that think this studio is carefully curating the best cinema of the year. If not the best, certainly the most challenging. I don’t disagree with the latter, as A24 films always seem like we’d never see them released by anyone other than A24 or Neon. Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding is very much one of those films. I struggle to see where a film where the two leads are lesbians would fit in, especially in a way where the studio would … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Love Lies Bleeding

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Die Hart 2

John Stark

I take some ownership for the absolute destruction in this review. I remember when Die Hart was a thing, and I thought it was a show on Quibby, which I did not subscribe to, and it died really fast. My recollection was that Roku bought the library of Quibby content, including Die Hart. So I don’t know how it got to Amazon, and I’m not sure why it is a full length movie. But, it had audio description. This was also trending on Amazon, and I had the time and the curiosity to find out exactly what the hell was … Continue reading Die Hart 2

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Jim Henson: Idea Man

John Stark

Inevitability. It was impossible to avoid the eventual documentary that would be about Jim Henson. Luckily, it is directed by Ron Howard, which feels like an upgrade of sorts, except he’s more known for features.There was a lot of hesitation on my part, this being a Disney Plus release, and whether or not Disney or the Henson family would ever let anyone “go there”. Like, no one is perfect, and a documentary that does nothing but paint their topics as carefully crafted masters of art that left no wake aren’t interesting to me. Even Fred Roger’s, one of the nicest … Continue reading Jim Henson: Idea Man

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Movies With Pride: To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar

John Stark

I’ve basically been using Pride Month to hit a lot of the films that made an impact on me when I needed to see that kind of representation. I was young, and it seemed like there was no one around me who was thinking the same thing as me. it wasn’t until I started seeing representation in films and television that I didn’t feel so broken. The reality was, I still was in an area where you just did not say gay. Even when I was bullied in school, it was almost always for being overweight. it almost was like … Continue reading Movies With Pride: To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar

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Problemista

John Stark

If I had known this thing was so close to dropping on MAX, i wouldn’t have renewed it. I will say, that with almost 100 titles so far this year, this is currently at the top of my list. I am probably the only person who can say that, since I think everyone is likely to have seen something at one of the festivals by now. But for me, I thought this quirky A24 comedy hit the mark, a rare feat for what has been a fairly mediocre year thus far. The audio description is produced by Deluxe, with primary … Continue reading Problemista

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Movies With Pride: A Single Man

John Stark

As pride month continues, I really wanted to take a look at something that I had not seen in years, but remained striking. I’ve seen and already reviewed films that are near and dear, but Tom Ford’s A Single Man isn’t something I have a nostalgic attachment for, but rather just something that the question is does it hold up on the second viewing? Now that I’m blind, I’ve experienced films differently, in both ways. Some films seem to get better, particularly films with strong violence that might have been a turnoff. Not being able to see gore allows me … Continue reading Movies With Pride: A Single Man

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MoviePass MovieCrash

John Stark

Just a few years ago, the movie theatre industry was rocked by something that would dramatically affect attendance. That thing was the rise of cable TV, pay cable, home video, DVD, video rental stores, Netflix by mail, streaming services, and the pandemic. Through all of those trials, we’ve always had Nicole Kidman to bring us back to the theatres. But, when moviePass pounced, it was the thing no one saw coming (except everyone did). As you learn the history of MoviePass, you learn that it was pitched in early concept stage, to the industry, and they saw no value in … Continue reading MoviePass MovieCrash

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Atlas

John Stark

Between this being her now, and sharing her greatest love story never told, this has certainly been ‘a year’ for Jennifer Lopez. I have no idea what is happening with her personal life, but I do actually hope she and Ben can figure this out.At bare minimum, they are actors, and you can’t drop a whole movie about your loe and then just split. But, what you can do is save the world from Shang Chi destroying human life as we know it. You can be a strong female lead who can never seem to find a good cup of … Continue reading Atlas

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Arthur The King

John Stark

There is this wonderfully perfect Saturday Night Live sketch Mark Wahlberg Talks To Dogs, and in so many ways this feels like the feature adaptation of this. You will find Mark Wahlberg having many conversations with a dog in this movie.Is it enough? Based on a novel that has a much longer title, Arthur The King isn’t really about Arthur, so much as it is Mark Wahlberg playing a guy who competes in extreme challenges and needs one more shot at glory before he retires and becomes a stay at home dad. Marky Mark has come a long way. Still, … Continue reading Arthur The King

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Immaculate

John Stark

I’m excited for the possibilities of a career by Sydney Sweeney. Plenty of actresses have started off with a career launching moment, only to be stuck in some truly forgettable films. I feel bad for Sweeney here because she so deeply believed in this film. She joined as a producer, because originally she wasn’t considered for the lead role, and then finally got her dream role. And her dream role was this? Immaculate treads no new territory. I truly mean, when I heard the title, I predicted this movie almost perfectly. I feel like I should have writing credit. Aside … Continue reading Immaculate

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Forrest Gump: 30th Anniversary

John Stark

This year brings about the return of Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Robert Zemeckis. Later in the year, they have a film releasing together called Here, but it feels special because 30 years ago they made the Best Picture winning Forrest Gump, based on a best selling novel. The film has since not aged quite as well as others, especially since its big Oscar competition was Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption. Shawshank at the time did not have the box office, and while Pulp Fiction marked a return to form and a new career high for John Travolta, Tarantino … Continue reading Forrest Gump: 30th Anniversary

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Imaginary

John Stark

This feels like the film that should have been the first release of 2024. We always seem to need to sacrifice and suffer through a mediocre or terrible horror film to start every year, like a ritual sacrifice. I also sat through a barrage of reviews trashing this film, so when I finally got around to Imaginary, I was ready to believe that this would be battling my eventual thoughts on a Winnie The Pooh: Blood and honey sequel for worst picture. But, no. It’s not good, but there are worse films this year. there are films that have made … Continue reading Imaginary

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Thelma The Unicorn

John Stark

As a member of Film Independent I keep getting invites about a special live read of Napoleon Dynamite. That odd breakout hit was directed by Jared Hess, who has now found his way after all these years to animation with Thelma The Unicorn. Does this make you want to put on some chapstick and vote for Pedro? But first, let’s talk audio description. International Digital center is behind this, with Liz Gutman writing, and Tristan Snyder narrating. I’m excited for this, because I haven’t heard too much from Tristan since The Good Doctor switched audio description companies. Here, he proves … Continue reading Thelma The Unicorn

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One Life

John Stark

When I heard the title of the new Anthony Hopkins film, it reminded me of all those Hacksaw Ridge trailers where Andrew Garfield would say “…just one more”. Sadly, One Life, is an abandoned Oscar bait film. This happened to a few films released at the end of the year, when the distributor behind the film already had their primary contenders. This is like the “in case of emergency, break glass”, except that for a random recognition from the BAFTA’s, One life went largely without being lauded. Neon did the same thing with origin, A24 had The iron Claw, Amazon … Continue reading One Life

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The Blue Angels

John Stark

I always try to go into a movie with a clear mind, and the idea that any movie can swing any way for me. but, we are still a product of a series of experiences, and our tastes are what they are. I was intrigued by The Blue Angels because it had been given at least some kind of an IMAX screening, and it had audio description by The Media Access Group, narrated by Ingir Tudor. But I have to admit that I don’t have a desire to ever go to an air show, sighted or not. I even had … Continue reading The Blue Angels