Tag: featured

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Emilia Perez: A Second Look

John Stark

Emilia Perez: A Second Look- 13 Oscar Nominations Was Enough To Trigger English Audio Description! So, I originally made a pretty big fuss about the lack of audio description on the major Oscar contender from netflix. I did sit through the film, with only Spanish available at release, and reviewed the film as it was presented. I addressed the problems with the lack of inclusivity on a film touting nothing but, and how Netflix had previously ignored fellow Spanish-language Oscar nominees like El Conde, Brdo, and Roma, none of which got audio description in their respective years. But, as Timothee … Continue reading Emilia Perez: A Second Look

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Inheritance (2025)

John Stark

Inheritance (2025)- Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans In A Father/Daughter Twisty Treat Quick Take: releasing today in theaters, Inheritance is the first title from IFC Films to kick off hopefully another year with some gems. Last year, they paired with Shudder on a handful of my favorites, like Oddity and late Night With The Devil, but also were responsible for my favorite film of 2024, Ghostlight. Everyone else can fall all over the year end Oscar bait, but Ghostlight had me at “what light on yonder window breaks”. As with most screeners, I was not passed audio description. I’m fairly … Continue reading Inheritance (2025)

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Fly Me To The Moon

John Stark

Fly Me To The Moon (Apple Plus)- Scarlett Johansson Faked The Moon Landing! Quick Take: I’m one of the few, the proud, the rare people who didn’t hate myself after watching this. It isn’t the best film Apple put out in 2024, but it certainly isn’t the worst. The audio description is also pretty nice, really helping to sell the attempt to make Channing Tatum look more… like he’s intelligent. Scarlett Johansson plays an advertising guru who is recruited by a clandestine government official (Woody Harrelson) to help “sell NASA” so it can keep getting funding, ultimately leading to her … Continue reading Fly Me To The Moon

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The Wild Robot

John Stark

The Wild Robot- Dreamworks Beautiful Spin On What It Means To Be A Parent Quick Take: I’ve been waiting to catch up to this point. This is on my list of films to rewatch when I have free time. I caught this in the middle of my awards screener blitz, and it is the best thing Dreamworks has done since How To Train Your Dragon. Following the story of a robot created to help humans, who finds herself lost in the wild where there are none, the robot (voiced by lupita Nyong’o) has to adapt to her new surroundings. We … Continue reading The Wild Robot

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Quality Check: Back In Action

John Stark

I’m quite backed up in terms of reviews of 2024 titles. I wanted to shake things up a bit, so this is hopefully a first in a series for me. As of me writing this, I have not seen this movie. These thoughts are first impressions and immediate reactions to moments in the audio description track. I’m not sure, at the onset, who made this, who narrated, or who wrote it, so we’re in this cold. Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz star. Diaz hasn’t done a film in years, and you would think Netflix would give her a better slot … Continue reading Quality Check: Back In Action

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The Last Showgirl

John Stark

The Last Showgirl- Pamela Anderson Is Mind Blowing In This Dramatic Turn Quick Take: I’ve had the opportunity to debate this quite a bit since seeing this film, and I prefer to reward talent when i truly believe they are near or at the top of their game. So in a year where Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Soarise Ronan, and others delivered strong performances, none of them were definitively their best. In what is like watching a baby walk for the first time, that can’t be said of Pamela Anderson who was matched perfectly to the right role … Continue reading The Last Showgirl

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Blitz

John Stark

Blitz (Apple Plus)- It Could Have Been So Much Better Quick Take: Steve McQueen is a great director. 12 Years A Slave, Widows, and Mangrove are all excellent.This is not. He made a very mediocre war film that was Apple’s final hope, that Oscar prognosticators had thought might find a groundswell at BAFTA, and it just ended up being one of the lost films of the year. Honestly, I didn’t hate Blitz. The audio description is insufficient, but it isn’t bad. It is just disappointing. Sometimes, it is bad to be disappointing. Like, while I still need to fully review … Continue reading Blitz

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Sing Sing

John Stark

Sing Sing- Is This One Of The Very Best Of The Year? Quick Take: Last year, when critics were bouncing around festivals looking for 2023 Oscar contenders, the Toronto International Film Festival landed a buzzy indie that had everyone saying “just wait for 2024”. Coleman Domingo was already firmly in the race with Rustin, and the hope was this little gem would be given room to breathe by entering 2024 an early frontrunner. Then, A24 bought the film, and scheduled it for a summer release. last year, this helped the little indie Past Lives get noticed, but that ultimately led … Continue reading Sing Sing

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A Real Pain

John Stark

A Real Pain- Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin Are A Perfect Pairing Quick Take: This viewing was without audio description, as I was provided a screener for this title. Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed, and stars in one of the best films of the year. It is such a simple film, and the second this year with this theme. eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play cousins who are finally getting around to taking a trip to Poland that their recently deceased Grandmother wanted them to take, so they can see where she grew up under Nazi occupation. Eisenberg and Culkin bounce off … Continue reading A Real Pain

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The Substance

John Stark

The Substance- I’ve Avoided It This Long….But It is Time Blindness is weird. Years ago, when I was sighted, I never could have made it through The Substance. I wasn’t a big gore fan, and this is one of the goriest films I’ve ever seen. But you’d be surprised what I can sit through now. I’ve seen so many films, which has really opened me up even more to the horror genre. Case in point, this year I finally tackled In The Mouth Of Madness. I watched In A Violent Nature. I have films in my top 25 that are … Continue reading The Substance

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Alien: Romulus

John Stark

Alien: Romulus- In Space, No One Can Hear Fede Alvarez Quick Take: I’ve seen all the Alien movies except one. I don’t want you to know which one, but in general, I’m informed. A lot has been said about Fede Alvarez’s take on the franchise, as some find it to be nostalgia bait, with him just retreading steps taken before. There’s actually a lot to dislike here, or pick apart. he has literally used generative AI to bring back Ian Holm for an actual performance, despite his death in 2020. I wonder if ian would have agreed to this. Sure, … Continue reading Alien: Romulus

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Maria

John Stark

Maria (Netflix) Could Angelina Jolie’s Grand Return Land Her An Oscar? Quick Take: When you hear “From the director of Jackie and Spencer”, the takeaway might be that you only remember the performances, and that is fair. Natalie Portman really swung for the accent in Jackie, and some people liked what Kristen Stewart did in Spencer. I’m not one of them. So, Pablo Lorraine is coming into Maria with a 50/50 shot of getting excellence from Angelina Jolie, and supporting her with a strong film. While I might have been mostly receptive to Maria, it seems as though many other … Continue reading Maria

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Conclave

John Stark

Conclave- Is This One Of The Best Of The Year? Just two years ago, a director I was unfamiliar with made my best film of 2022. I see tons of films, every year, but in 2022, nothing quite stuck with me like the harrowing All Quiet On The Western Front remake. Oscar voters agreed, as the movie received a Best Picture nomination, and won is several categories. It stands as one of Netflix’s best audio description tracks, and certainly as an example of why they should continue to embrace more audio description for international content. Cut two years ahead, and … Continue reading Conclave

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The Order

John Stark

The Order- Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron Quick Take: To be fair, I did ask if I could have an accessible screener. This movie has an available audio description track that I have not heard, so I’ll likely be reviewing this again at some point. The film was interesting enough that I would check it out, or recommend it if you can get the audio description track. Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron, and Jurnee Smollett create a strong ensemble in a film about domestic terrorism. The thing I found the most striking, even without … Continue reading The Order

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Despicable Me 4

John Stark

Despicable Me 4- A Screenplay That Feels Like It Was Written By 10 Minions Quick Take: The fourth outing, and the sixth technically in the franchise at large, Despicable Me 4 has a lot happening. it feels like the script was written and then rewritten almost like a game of “Yes, and” where the next person added another subplot. this movie is so scattered, so disorganized,it makes the third film seem better. I wasn’t a fan of the third, because I didn’t think Steve Carell should have voiced both. It was a missed opportunity to go in a completely different … Continue reading Despicable Me 4