Tag: Hulu

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The Small Screen Diaries- 02/29/24

John Stark

Actually typing out the 29th of February feels like a mistake, until you convince yourself that yesterday was, in fact, Leap Day. So, how did I spend it? With some disappointing audio description. Of course, that means Abbott Elementary (ABC/Hulu), which Disney has apparently just decided to throw down the tubes this season for blind people. If ABC wanted to experiment with whaat seems to be AI generated audio description on every level, perhaps start with not your number one show. Just a thought. Over on Will Trent (ABC/Hulu), this show did have audio description, but it really felt lacking … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/29/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 02/24/24

John Stark

Man, i hope the SAG awards stay on Netflix. no commercials. Say anything you want. Fantastic. The predictable awards were predictable, and the other trophies painted a picture of the Actor and Actress race. Cillian Murphy has now won both the BAFTA and SAG, defeating Paul Giamatti at both. I cannot shake the feeling that Giamatti is winning for The Holdovers. It may just be because of how much I adore Paul, but I love both films and performances. On the actress side, Lily Gladstone closed the gap between her and Emma Stone by winning the SAG Actress trophy, while … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/24/24

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The Good Mother

John Stark

This is a quickie. Since this film has no audio description on its streamer of choice (Hulu), and it’s not fun to hear Hilary Swank lurk in the shadows with no context, and then all i hear is someone vomiting, I’ll say this was a waste of my time. But really, it’s a waste of Hilary Swank’s two-time Academy Award winning time. Get her out of this film. First, put audio description on it, because accessibility should be a basic right, but then remove her from this trash and start putting her with talented directors again in films that matter. … Continue reading The Good Mother

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Self Reliance

John Stark

I’m a Jake Johnson fan. I really enjoy his brand of humor, and I assumed his effort to write, direct, and star would produce an underrated gem. This movie is fine, until it’s not. It’s also on Hulu, with audio description, which somehow always feels like a victory. This was released theatrically in a one night only thing right at the end of 2023 to make it technically a 2023 film. The plot is basically Jake Johnson being offered money to be a part of this global hunt, kinda like Liam Hemsworth was in Quibby’s (remember that?) Most Dangerous Game. … Continue reading Self Reliance

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The Small Screen Diaries- 02/16/24

John Stark

I’m now only one episode away from learning which of the three contestants I don’t care about wins Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix). Of course, I could just look it up, since this was decided a while ago, but I don’t binge shows. I like my cliffhangers. I’m glad Ashley didn’t make the final 3, since she couldn’t see the irony in someone not following with a selfless group act. But, I’m also not sure I want Maya to win. I’m not sure I want any of these three to win, because this show has been more interested in getting … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/16/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 02/15/24

John Stark

Did you feel like you got hit on the head yesterday? That’s because Paramount Global has axed streamer Noggin, which launched as a cable channel in 199, before developing its own paid service in 2015. Nine years later, Paramount Global is on fire, and they need to cut costs. A lot of the basic core programs of Noggin are available on Paramount Plus anyway, so I’m sure this is just a redundancy they felt was needed. I was more surprised that 800 people worked for Noggin. Just to balance themselves out, they also cancelled Evil. So, something on either end … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/15/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 02/12/24

John Stark

Welcome back Jon Stewart, who has returned to The Daily Show once a week through at least the election. Also, Katy Perry is making this her last season of American Idol. Dear Producers, *PLEASE* get an alumni. It is so awkward that two of them have been on The Voice, but not American Idol. It’s time to bring home Kelly, Carrie, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Jordon Sparks, or any of the myriad of female artists whose career has been launched by this show. Honestly, I wish the whole panel was alumni. And with that, I knocked out another episode of My … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/12/24

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the Small Screen Diaries- 02/02/24

John Stark

Today, I finally found out how Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix) ended, and I’m not sure what a second season would look like. The adventure is always in getting Scott and Ramona together, so unless they keep telling alternate versions of that story, they’d likely be together in another season. So I fully support the creators intent of this being a limited series. Has Been Hotel (Amazon) crossed into trust building. The songs are silly. This is still a show I like but don’t love, though I give it props for being unlike anything else on the market, and also … Continue reading the Small Screen Diaries- 02/02/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 02/01/24

John Stark

Looks like NBC is trying to review Suits, with a pilot order for Suits: LA. Also, Netflix made a giant announcement yesterday confirming several series will bow in 2024, including the final seasons of Sweet Tooth, Umbrella Academy, and Cobra Kai, along with new seasons of The Diplomat, Emily In Paris, That 90’s Show, The Night Agent, and Outer Banks. Waiting until 2025 for sure, are Stranger Things, Wednesday, Virgin River, and Ginny and Georgia. That last one surprised me, as it doesn’t seem like a show that takes a long time to put together, and with the relative youth … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/01/24

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The Retirement Plan

John Stark

Despite being offered gems in 2023, Nicolas Cage is still saying Yes to anything. No wonder he wants to retire. We are so close to having a Cage renaissance, but he desperately needs an agent who won’t put him in useless shit. The Retirement Plan is that. Useless. It’s a “guy with a particular set of skills” movie, when Cage is introduced as a former heavy who is drawn back in to protect his daughter and granddaughter.I think Cage has already done this Liam Neeson genre before, so I’m not sure why he’s back. And he just protected a child … Continue reading The Retirement Plan

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/20/24

John Stark

Lawmen (Paramount Plus) gave me the second to last (or penultimate) episode as Bass faced his own demons and decided he needed to face Mr. Sundown. I love the audio description on this series. Absolute excellence. There’s a scene where Bass keeps fever dreaming other things that cuts with reality which I thought was done rather well. Also managed another episode of Reacher (Amazon) which had the team get closer to the truth, until the truth decides not to leave any tracks. And on a short news day, also watched an episode of Young Sheldon (MAX) which has audio description. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/20/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/19/24

John Stark

I found out that Apple isn’t moving forward on a third season of Schmigadoon. Honestly, I was shocked they made a second. Very pleasantly surprised, as I love that show, but still surprised. Not shocked by the cancellation, especially after they also ditched The After Party last year. I also wasn’t surprised by who won Celebrity jeopardy (Hulu) this week. That’s the person that I assumed would win the whole thing, so the fact they made the final three doesn’t shock me.I laughed at the audio description. At the very end, when our lovely narrator is filling in that lead … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/19/24

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The Small Screen Diaries: 01/15/24

John Stark

The Emmys were last night, and Succession predictably did well, while Better Call Saul finished its run with not a single win for anything ever. I’m most excited for Paul Walter Houser who won Supporting Actor in a Limited for Blackbird, which was on Apple Plus in July 2022. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. He’s fantastic. And now, the shows I actually did watch. My Life With The Walter Boys (Netflix) has some audio description that has grown on me. Of course, four episodes in and I have a bit more of a grasp on this show … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 01/15/24

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/14/24

John Stark

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I don’t think I watched anything yesterday that fits with today. Maybe I’ll try to do that on the day of, but then I’ll be mentioning it the next day. It’s like having a Newsweek subscription nowadays, when everything has already been discussed. The Critics Choice awards last night were pretty predictable. I did see one site refer to Emma Stone’s win as a “shocker”. Really? Yes, Lily won the Globe… but so did Emma. They were just finally in the same category. Interestingly, the same “journalist” had nothing to say about the “shocker” … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/14/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/12/24

John Stark

Apple better be continuing on with For All Mankind. That season finale was a beast, and did exactly what I thought it would. Because the show takes these leaps forward in time, original cast members have to keep being shaved off because there’s only just so much you can age a person. Just like how last season ended with a few original cast members exiting, it’s highly likely that the way certain characters are written, means the end for them on the show (at least as regulars). However, there was one prominent character whose future was not shown, and that … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/12/24