Tag: audio description

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The Truth Vs Alex Jones

John Stark

In the grand tradition of versus movies like last years Lakota Nation vs United States, or more comically lined up entries like Godzilla Vs Kong, Freddy Vs Jason, Ecks Vs Sever, or Joe Vs The Volcano, now we have another battle. Though, much like if Joe were to actually be fighting a real volcano, there is a clear winner here and it isn’t Alex Jones. This MAX documentary with audio description from Zoo Digital.I’m sure that if you are here, you already have an opinion, and you have already made up your mind if this is in your wheel house … Continue reading The Truth Vs Alex Jones

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Lisa Frankenstein

John Stark

Sometimes it’s fun to watch the reactions to a film, and then to watch it for myself, and still enjoy a film that seemingly not many people enjoyed. I think that is very much the case with Lisa Frankenstein, which is currently streaming on peacock with audio description. The directorial debut of Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late Robin Williams, off a script from Juno scribe Diablo Cody. Clearly, Williams has a quirky sense of humor, no doubt influenced by her father, and all the gaming they did together. Robin was a big fan of World Of Warcraft, and … Continue reading Lisa Frankenstein

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Little Wing

John Stark

We’ve made a movie about almost every single sport there is. I think what happened here, is that someone noticed that there was a gaping hole where “racing pigeons” was, and decided to write an inspirational sports drama around that. Sadly, instead of this making any sense whatsoever, they rope in an angsty teenager as the lead. So, a sport almost no one knows anything about is talked about by teens like they probably talk about the latest hashtag trends. At its core, it is a heartwarming film with room for improvement. A coming of age story wrapped in a … Continue reading Little Wing

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Shirley

John Stark

Regina King as Shirley Chisholm seemed like a no brainer in terms of Oscar bait. However, Netflix’s Shirley had these rumored poor test screenings, which is likely why it exited the 2023 Oscar race, and wound up in early 2024. That’s a shame, because while not totally breaking new ground, Shirley did mostly deliver as promised. King actually delivers a powerhouse performance as Shirley Chisholm. Shirley is a captivating look at the politician’s 1972 presidential campaign. Shirley leans into the challenges presented by being the first black female Presidential candidate in a race dominated by white men. There’s a shot … Continue reading Shirley

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Spaceman

John Stark

I remember last year seeing this film floating on some early Oscar lists. The guy who directed HBO’s excellent Chernobyl series was doing a drama with Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dañó, and Isabella Rossellini. I was pretty hyped, and I had Sandler in my early Top 20. That was, of course, before Netflix pushed this to 2024. That’s OK, plenty of films have shifted before. Just last year, Killers Of The Flower Moon and The Holdovers got Oscar nominations after being shifted from the previous year. Then, March. Netflix decided on March. It’s Ok. So maybe not an Oscar … Continue reading Spaceman

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Road House (2024)

John Stark

I won’t bother you with my scattered thoughts on the original Road House. I found the film, watched it again, but it didn’t have audio description. I remember watching the original when I was maybe 10-12 year old, and it was a cable edit. So, no sex, trimmed down graphic violence, and weird substitutions for cursing. Then, some 30-ish years later I watched the original again, without audio description as a refresher. it is an action film, so it wasn’t very helpful, but it triggered some memories.I kinda just really remembered how badass Patrick Swayze made it look as a … Continue reading Road House (2024)

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Code Eight: Parts 1 and 2

John Stark

Netflix has these frequent releases, and one of them was something called Code Eight: Part Two. Immediately, I was like… there was a Part One? How did I miss this? When did I miss this? Well, a few years back, Netflix decided to release a superhero themed original starring the Amells (Robbie and Stephen) and I guess it checked a metric for them. I never remember this happening. But at the speed it took for this sequel to come out answers the question of why we still haven’t seen that Old Guard sequel that was green lit. That means I … Continue reading Code Eight: Parts 1 and 2

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The Bloody Hundredth

John Stark

The only film this year to list Tom Hanks and Hitler in the “cast list” section on iMDB. This is the companion documentary to Masters Of The Air, a fantastic limited series on Apple Plus, which was also narrated by Laura Post. This documentary tells the true story, and in many ways would be a spoiler if you wanted the series to surprise you. Real interviews are used, along with footage from the era, and commentary from those involved in the creation and production of Masters of The Air, explaining why this story is so worthy of its own incarnation. … Continue reading The Bloody Hundredth

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Damsel

John Stark

Millie Bobby Brown needs to have a deal with… life. The poor girl basically is living inside Netflix, as the star of Stranger Things, which will probably air its final season when she’s 30, and the Enolah Holmes series, Brown is of course doing Damsel for Netflix. The problem with that, is that Netflix has a movie vomit approach to its platform, and it is so hard to parse which films are worth your time just by assuming it’s the new Friday release. Netflix has so many mediocre movies with movie stars they could stock a defunct Blockbuster with just … Continue reading Damsel

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Frida (2024)

John Stark

Amazon has quietly released a documentary about Frida Kahlo that is uniquely animated to represent her style, and is told through her Owen voice and/or words. The draw here would be, well, the drawings. The animation bringing to life this story, and doing so in a way inspired by one of the most recognizable artists of all time. However, as a blind film critic, it was really just a documentary. Without the ability to wow me with the visual intentionality, how did the audio description help Frida? Well, the audio description done here by the Media Access Group has quite … Continue reading Frida (2024)

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Mea Culpa

John Stark

I’ve seen more Tyler Perry projects in my life than I think I ever truly intended to. Granted, when I started all the way back with Diary Of a Mad Black Woman, I heard that he was big in black culture, but I was far more impressed by the performance Kimberly Elise turned in than his focus stealing Madea character that became such a focus of nearly every film after that. I’ve sat through far more Perry projects than most directors I actually enjoy on a regular basis. The last film I remember Tyler Perry giving to Netflix was A … Continue reading Mea Culpa

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The Greatest Night In Pop

John Stark

Ah. The 80’s. What a wonderful time. I don’t remember much of it, and the parts that I do remember revolve almost entirely around toys, cartoons, and elementary school, so I was not really aware that We Are The World had so much that went into it in order to make it happen. Of course, I am familiar with the song, and knew it had a bunch of famous artists that worked on it, but I didn’t know that in 2024 we would get a documentary exploring just what went into the production of this song. First, this is a … Continue reading The Greatest Night In Pop

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Ricky Stanicky

John Stark

Peter Farrelly returns to his comedy roots with this Amazon original that is sure to leave you feeling like this was, in fact, a movie that you just watched. There will be no doubt, you just sat through a film, and not anything else. A funny film though? Well, comedy is often subjective. Lots of people are really into Tom Green. I’m not. But, for those people, they think he’s funny. Someone out there will find this hilarious. The plot centers around a group of kids who get into trouble, and make up a fake friend who is to blame … Continue reading Ricky Stanicky

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Megamind vs The Doom Syndicate

John Stark

I should have been alerted to the quality of this when it just showed up on Peacock with little to no fanfare. Kung Fu Panda 4 went theatrical, and it did so without the Furious Five involved. So, if Dreamworks was willing to make massive sacrifices for a theatrical sequel, imagine what they were willing to do for a straight-to-streaming sequel. Of course, gone is the charming original star studded voice cast of Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, and even David Cross. Instead, we’ve got… Laura Post. Wait, what? Come to find out, Laura does more than … Continue reading Megamind vs The Doom Syndicate

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Luca

John Stark

As people discuss the downfall of Disney, and the lackluster output by Pixar, I need to point out always that Luca is terrific. This Spring, taking advantage of a release schedule altered by the strikes last year, Disney released Soul, Turning Red, and Luca theatrically, since they did not receive theatrical runs due to the pandemic. I thought Soul was good, but I wasn’t obsessed. I’m not a big Turning Red fan, but Luca is delightful. Taking place off the coast of an Italian fishing village, this is a story of discovery, adventure, family, taking risk, and making the most … Continue reading Luca