Tag: Deluxe

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Mortal Kombat 2

John Stark

Instantly comparing sequel to sequel, Mortal Kombat 2 scores a flawless victory over Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the original sequel to the 1995 film that launched this franchise onto the big screen. That movie is atrocious. I probably should review it at some point, but that would require me to actually sit down and watch Mortal Kombat: Annihilation again, which feels a bit like asking someone to intentionally contract food poisoning or drive their car into a lake. We all know those are terrible ideas, and no reasonable person should be expected to volunteer for them. Mortal Kombat 2 is also … Continue reading Mortal Kombat 2

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Avatar: Fire And Ash

John Stark

I suppose I should start this by admitting that I didn’t experience Avatar: Fire and Ash the way James Cameron probably intended. I didn’t see it on the biggest screen imaginable. I waited until it arrived on Disney+, and then I watched it on my phone. Well, “watched” is a strong word for a blind film critic. I can’t see the screen anyway, so the size of it doesn’t really matter to me. What did matter was finally getting to experience it with the absolutely tremendous audio description track produced by Deluxe and narrated by William Michael Redman. This is … Continue reading Avatar: Fire And Ash

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The Wonderfully Weird World Of Gumball: Season 1

John Stark

When I first sat down to see what Hulu and Disney+ were doing with The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, I honestly didn’t expect to watch all 20 episodes of the first season. But I did. Every single one of them. I can’t say I remember every episode perfectly because I watched them over a stretch of time instead of binging the whole thing in one sitting, but next season I’ll probably do exactly that. At only about 11 minutes per episode, you’re really looking at around three and a half to four hours for the entire season, which makes … Continue reading The Wonderfully Weird World Of Gumball: Season 1

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Sisu: Road To Revenge

John Stark

The first Sisu ended up being one of my top ten films of the year it came out because it felt like a breath of fresh air. Sure, it’s a movie that borrows heavily from the John Wick style of filmmaking. One unstoppable man on a path of revenge who will do whatever it takes to make the people who wronged him pay for their crimes. It’s a formula that’s worked incredibly well for John Wick, giving us four Keanu Reeves films and a spinoff starring Ana de Armas. So it makes sense that Finland would want to keep this … Continue reading Sisu: Road To Revenge

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Toy Story 5

John Stark

I can’t believe we’ve been making Toy Story movies for 31 years. I remember being in a theater as a kid in 1995, watching Toy Story for the first time. I was at that age where I was starting to segue away from playing with toys and into life, or video games, or whatever else you start doing when you get into your teens. But, admittedly, I had a robust childhood. I watched a lot of kids programming, loved my daily intake of cartoons, and yes, I had a bunch of toys and action figures. So, I remember going home … Continue reading Toy Story 5

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America’s 250th: An American Tail: 40th Anniversary

John Stark

Today is America’s 250th birthday, and I’ve seen entertainment websites and publications everywhere trying to figure out what the best American films are, the best movies about America, or the most patriotic films to watch on Independence Day. Of course, you could just watch the 1996 film Independence Day, which feels like the obvious choice. Honestly, I’ve watched that movie on July 4th many times. This year, I tried to crack my movie brain open and find something different. Something off the beaten path. Something I didn’t think everyone else would be talking about. I’m sure plenty of people have … Continue reading America’s 250th: An American Tail: 40th Anniversary

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The Bride

John Stark

I maintain that if I’m going to end up watching a bad film, I would much prefer to watch a film that took risks, made bold choices, and shot the moon, as opposed to something that feels like a thousand other movies, and even in its benign state, still somehow managed to be an utter failure. If you can’t follow a formula, get out of the game. And, no, pandemic era War Of The Worlds was not taking risks. Locking Ice Cube in a room is the opposite of risk taking. What is taking a risk is whatever the hell … Continue reading The Bride

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Hoppers

John Stark

At least as of this review, I’ve seen every single Pixar film, which is an achievement in and of itself. Seeing the complete works of any studio is impressive, even if it’s “just” an animation studio like Pixar. And I don’t think anyone is making the argument that Hoppers belongs at the very top of Pixar’s catalog. I also hope nobody is making the argument that it belongs at the very bottom. Realistically, it’s somewhere in the middle, probably almost smack dab in the center. Pixar has struggled in recent years to create the kind of transcendent works that defined … Continue reading Hoppers

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Movies With Pride: Pillion

John Stark

I first watched this back in December as part of A24’s awards consideration package. While I did get a few screeners from A24 last year, Pillion sadly wasn’t one of them,and there was clearly a lot happening. I really wanted to wait to review it until I got the audio description, and now in time for Pride month, Pillion: Unrated is on HBO MAX with audio description! If any of this made it into the R rated cut, we’ve come a long way from This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Kirby Dick’s exploration of the MPAA and its bizarre ratings … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Pillion

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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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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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Marvel’s Zombies: Season 1

John Stark

Featuring The Voices of: Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Elisabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, David Harbor as Red Guardian, Florence Pugh as Black Widow, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Simu Liu as Shang Chi, Awkwafina as Katie, Todd Williams as Blade Knight, Hudson Thames as Peter Parker, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Randall Park as Jimmy, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, Carrie Condon as F.R.I.D.A.Y. Length: 4 episodes Release Year: 2025 Studio/Streamer: Disney Plus Audio Description Produced By: Deluxe Written By: Narrated By: Jedidiah Barton What is it?: A continuation of the themes and ideas set … Continue reading Marvel’s Zombies: Season 1

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Swiped

John Stark

Cast: lily James, Dan Steven’s, Ben Schnetzer, Myah’la, Jackson White, Joely Fisher, Written By: Bill Parker Directed by: Rachel Lee Goldenberg Studio/Streamer: 20th Century Fox/Hulu release Year: 2025 110 minutes Audio description Produced By Deluxe Written By: narrated By: (Need Credit) What is it?: unofficially based on the true story of Whitney Wolfe Herd who was instrumental in the creation of Tinder and Bumble, pushing dating apps onto your phone, and also fighting against a system controlled by men,which ultimately crushes her, leaving her to create Bumble. What Works: lily James is good in this, certainly having more to do … Continue reading Swiped

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/25/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Gen V: S2E4 (Amazon) with audio description, Marvel’s Zombies: S1E2 (Disney Plus) with audio description, The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox: S1E6 (Hulu) with audio description, House Of Guinness: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, The Girlfriend: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description, Black rabbit: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, and Name That Tune: S?E2 (Hulu) no audio description Gen V- Hamish Linklater has been a great cast addition as Cypher, this new head of the school who is really hard to decipher. What are his powers? Does he even have any? You’ll know by the end of this … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/25/25

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Superman

John Stark

Cast: David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luther, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Maria Gabriela De Faria as The Engineer, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Isabella Merced as Hawkgril, Edi Gathegi as Mr Terrific, Alan Tudyk as Gary, Bradley Cooper as Jor-El, Pruitt Taylor Vince as pa Kent, Neva Howell as Ma Kent, Mikaela Hoover as Kat, Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe, Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr, Beck Bennett as Steve, with Michael Ian Black, Anthony Carrigan, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Trevor Newlin Written and Directed … Continue reading Superman