Tag: International Digital Center

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The Small Screen Diaries: 10/18/26

John Stark

As the sun rises this early morning, I reflect upon that which I have consumed in the day prior, and meditate now on the content therein, deciphering for you which of these programs rose to the occasion. Probably going to go back to kicking off tomorrow, but it’s a change, at least. Taking home the top spot on a rather interesting day, especially considering some of the newer entries, is Dark Matter, Season 2, Episode 3, on Apple TV, with audio description. The existence of so many different versions of the same characters makes this an excellent showcase for audio … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/18/26

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Animals

John Stark

I remember that glorious moment when we all realized Ben Affleck could actually direct. Gone Baby Gone was a surprisingly good crime thriller, one of those underseen gems you can recommend to family and friends because they likely haven’t seen it. But even if they have, it usually sparks a conversation about how underrated the film is, considering it didn’t exactly explode at the box office, nor did it sweep the Oscars. He followed that up with The Town, which is always rapidly rising on my list of favorite films of all time. Every time I see it, I’m reminded … Continue reading Animals

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The Small Screen Diaries: 10/04/26

John Stark

I guess I’ll kick off today’s Small Screen Diaries with a little good news for fans of Tulsa King, as Paramount has renewed the Sylvester Stallone drama for a fifth season, despite the company still being in flux in the middle of a merger. Interestingly, the fifth season will apparently move the action to New York, which isn’t entirely surprising given the direction of the series, but does seem a little strange when your show is literally called Tulsa King. I suppose you can still be the king of Tulsa without actually living in Tulsa. Meanwhile, I don’t believe Lioness … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/04/26

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Tyler Perry’s Doing Life

John Stark

Tyler Perry’s back. I feel like we hear that all the time. I feel like he’s trying to set some sort of world record for how many films he can direct within his lifetime. He’s getting close to 40 films now, and probably next year he’ll hit 40, which is an astounding amount for someone who didn’t start directing features until after September 11th. From Diary of a Mad Black Woman to now, Tyler Perry has amassed a bizarre filmography containing some of the worst films I’ve ever seen, mixed in with promising content and a few underrated gems. Mostly, … Continue reading Tyler Perry’s Doing Life

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/30/26

John Stark

Kicking off the Small Screen Diaries for the day is Ted Lasso, season four, episode nine, which is on Apple TV+ with audio description. I didn’t have any problems this week with Ted Lasso. I didn’t think there was a scene that was missing something like last week. This episode has the girls fighting to get their underdog team promoted to the next level, and it revolves around the game that will either do that for them or not. There’s also still the mystery of who is trying to steal the team by buying shares, and Keeley has a little … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/30/26

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unabomber

John Stark

September seems to be the season when Netflix clears out most of what it doesn’t really intend on having as its high-profile Oscar contenders. Even one of its better offerings that kicked off awards season a few years ago, Fair Play, still ended up not making much of an impact in the awards race despite being generally well liked. Well, we won’t have that problem with Unabomber, because I can’t imagine critics piling onto this movie. It’s deeply unsatisfying, aimless, and rather pointless. It’s a film that isn’t sure what its structure should be, how much of either story it … Continue reading unabomber

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/21/26

John Stark

I feel like I consistently come in here with bad news all the time, and apparently we’re opening with bad news again. Ride or Die, the Prime Video series starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, has been inexplicably canceled after one season. This is particularly surprising considering it outperformed other Prime Video shows that have already been renewed. I’ve seen the trades breaking down the viewership data that is available and lining it up against shows like Off Campus, Elle, and some of the other younger-skewing series Amazon has picked up, and Ride or Die was ahead of several of … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/21/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/18/26

John Stark

Unfortunately, we have to start off the Small Screen Diary for today with a sad bit of news. Not really, because I gave up on the show after the first episode, but I’m sure someone out there cares. Netflix has canceled Sweet Magnolias, which really indicates to me, following the cancellation of Ransom Canyon, that there’s a very specific audience that has either abandoned Netflix or that Netflix is looking at abandoning. And if I was a fan of Virgin River, I would be afraid. I would be very afraid. I mean, I am casually a fan of Virgin River, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/18/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/11/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Stuart Fails: S1E7 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Trying: S5E1 (Apple) with audio description, Black Clover: S1E4 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description, Rise Of The teenage Mutant Ninja turtles: S2E12 (Paramount) with audio description, Robin Hood: S1E8 (MGM Plus) with audio description, and Jeopardy Masters: S4E2 (Disney plus) with audio description Stuart Fails- Loved the opening credits about the dog. Another brilliant episode with terrific audio description. The show also has massive recaps at the beginning, so if you somehow missed an episode on streaming, and are too lazy to click back to it, you catch up really … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/11/26

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The Whisper Man

John Stark

Do you know the Whisper Man? He’s nothing like the Muffin Man, so if you do know the Whisper Man, you might want to stay away. Maybe not from this film, though. The Whisper Man has sort of its own identity in that it’s not as terrible as a slew of other Netflix original titles, but it’s also not going to launch into the upper echelon of the few, the proud, the Netflix originals that make the subscription worthwhile. It’s basically a one-time-watch type of film, especially given how much it hinges upon a twist ending. Directed by James Ashcroft, … Continue reading The Whisper Man

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/24/26

John Stark

Yesterday… was nuts. I’m amazed I watched anything. TV Shows Watched: Lanterns: S1E2 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Black Clover: S1E2 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description, Solar Opposites: S6E9 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Strip Law: S1E10 (Netflix) with audio description Lanterns- Did we just learn in this episode that Zoey is black? Probably could have gotten that piece of info earlier. I don’t think her intro at the bar in Episode 1 described her, so it forced me into defaulting her into redneck white lady, which she apparently is not. If studios don’t want ethnic description in the AD track, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/24/26

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Stranger Things: Tales From 85: Season 1

John Stark

How quickly a good thing can become a bad thing is not one of the specific tales from ’85, but it is more or less the overall theme of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. That applies both to the story connecting these ten episodes and to the general feeling I had when it was all over. Our young cast is in between mysteries in 1985, now fully aware of Eleven’s powers, the Upside Down, and everything that happened to Will. With nothing particularly strange happening at the moment, the kids are bored enough to consider expanding their detective talents. Luckily … Continue reading Stranger Things: Tales From 85: Season 1

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/21/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Silo: S3E8 (Apple) with audio description, Stuart Fails: S1E4 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Mating Season: S1E6 (Netflix) with audio description, Robin Hood: S1E6 (MGM Plus) with audio description, The Miniature Wife: S1E10 (Peacock) with audio description Silo- The episode is titled Grey Goo, and when you get to the end, that’s all you really need. It’s like Silo’s version of Olaf’s Frozen quote “some people are worth melting for”. Jedediah Barton and Pixel Logic do more wonderful AD as they cram a lot into this episode. Not only do we check on the past, but we … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/21/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/13/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Citadel: Season 2 (Amazon) with audio description, Stranger Things: Tales From 85 (Netflix) with audio description, Life Larry and the Pursuit Of Unhappyness: S1E6 (HBO MAX) and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: S5E3 (Disney Plus) with audio description Citadel- I did review this yesterday, so check it out. Also, if you were thinking about watching the second season of Citadel, and have pushed it down your watchlist, move it up before someone ruins that finale for you. Jaw dropped. I couldn’t go enough into it in my review, but the show takes a really big swing … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/13/26

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The Last House

John Stark

It’s only been a short period of time since The Last House dropped on Netflix, and I’ve already seen some really wild reactions to the film. The latest in Netflix’s continued onslaught of skipping theatrical brings recent Academy Award nominee Wagner Moura and Greta Lee to a pandemic-era-style film where it’s a limited location, trapped inside a house with seemingly no end in sight. The director bringing this masterpiece to life is Louis Leterrier, the man behind The Transporter, The Incredible Hulk, and Now You See Me, and unfortunately, most recently, Fast X, which was not a great film and … Continue reading The Last House

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/05/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: X-Men 97: S2E8 (Disney Plus) with audio description,Ted Lasso: S4E1 (Apple) with audio description, Daemons Of The Shadow Realm: S1E10 (CrunchyRoll) with audio description, Strip Law: S1E9 (Netflix) with audio description, Tales Of The TMNT: S2E10 (Paramount) with audio description, Life Larry And The Pursuit Of Unhappyness: S1E5 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Breaking Bad: S4E7 (Netflix) with audio description X-Men 97- Still synthetic, but in terms of the written context, it was fine. Some of the X-Teams take a back seat, and aren’t mentioned anywhere, but they basically are all now in the same plot line. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/05/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 07/31/26

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Silo: S3E5 (Apple) with audio description,Stuart Fails To Save The Universe: S1E2 (HBO MAX) with audio description,Mating Season: S1E? (Netflix) with audio description, Will Trent: S4E16 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Invincible: S4E8 (Amazon) with audio description, The Hawk: S1E4 (netflix) with audio description, and Little House On The Prairie: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description Silo- Man, this is hard to describe now without spoilers. So, I’ll just say that it had solid audio description, especially regarding the person with the burns. However, I wish we had a better idea of the expansiveness or lack thereof of … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 07/31/26

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I Will Find You: Series Review

John Stark

I’m not a Harlan Coben fan. I think he’s highly overrated, or at least his television adaptations are. I’ve enjoyed very few of them. Previously, I would have said Shelter was the best adaptation of one of his books. However, this Sam Worthington-led limited series, running eight episodes, features a stacked cast, delivers a fairly thrilling ride, and even though I saw certain twists coming, it’s far better than I expected it to be. Sometimes Coben’s stories reach a little too far. They swing too wide, becoming increasingly nonsensical as they go. The adaptations I’ve liked the most are the … Continue reading I Will Find You: Series Review

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Man On Fire: Season 1

John Stark

Perhaps I should give the Tony Scott-directed Denzel Washington film Man on Fire another look, because after watching Netflix’s adaptation starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, a recent Emmy nominee for Wonder Man, I’m reconsidering the entire concept. It’s possible there was something I missed more than 20 years ago when I watched the original film, which at the time didn’t resonate with me. I wasn’t much of a fan despite strong performances from both Denzel Washington and a very young Dakota Fanning. The Netflix series changes a number of things, mostly so that if they decide to continue Man on Fire … Continue reading Man On Fire: Season 1

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In The Hand of Dante

John Stark

I’d heard about In the Hand of Dante coming out of the Venice Film Festival and knew it hadn’t been especially well received. At the time, though, a lot of the conversation seemed to revolve around the cast and the controversy surrounding their positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict rather than the movie itself. Now that it’s on Netflix, complete with an excellent audio description track from International Digital Center written by Stephen Christopher and narrated by Jamie Lemchek, I finally had the chance to check out Julian Schnabel’s latest film. On paper, this thing should be incredible. It’s produced by … Continue reading In The Hand of Dante

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Wake Up Dead Man

John Stark

Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic. If you build it, he will come. In Rian Johnson’s third outing in what is called the Knives Out series (for no other reason than it being the title of the first Benoit Blanc outing), we are asked to have a little faith. or, perhaps it is better to have a lack thereof. Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man may center in a church, but this is no Murder In the Cathedral. If you dress it up with simplicity, it could be seen as a modern day version of that, but woven in Johnson’s narrative … Continue reading Wake Up Dead Man

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Frankenstein (2025)

John Stark

Sometimes the interesting thing about film is watching the growth of an auteur. Depending on when you were born, you might have gotten to see the rise of certain artists honing their craft, but the exciting part is that first film, and feeling like you just witnessed the birth of something. I’d consider myself a big fan of Del toro, who even when he doesn’t top himself as a director, certainly is never boring. he has such a love for film, and for the celebration of monsters, that it really does carry through all the themes. Even his stop-motion animated … Continue reading Frankenstein (2025)

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In Your Dreams

John Stark

2025 has not really been a banner year for animation, which perhaps has worked in favor for Netflix, who went to the bank with a certain group of singing demon hunters earlier this year. The largest opening weekend for an animated feature went to CrunchyRoll, for their continuation of Demon Slayer. I’ve been waiting for a film to really pull some emotion from me. I like my animation to have a bit of heart with it. Not that it can’t make me laugh myself silly, but my favorite animated movies have a punch to them. An emotional gut punch. We … Continue reading In Your Dreams

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/23/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: High Potential: S2E1 (Hulu) with audio description,Platonic: S2E8 (Apple Plus) with audio description,The Runarounds: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description, Red Fish Blue Fish: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Black Mirror: S4E6 (Netflix) with audio description, Next Gen Chef: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description,Last Week tonight: most Recent (HBO MAX) no audio description High Potential- With Jimmy Kimmel back, so is Hulu/Disney content. So, I caught up with the Season Premiere of High Potential, which I was disappointed to find out was using the same AD team as last year. Although, I’ve heard worse, from this narrator and … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/23/25

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The Small Screen Diaries- 09/20/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Outlander: Blood of My Blood- S1E8 (Starz) no audio description, Black Rabbit: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Dexter: S6E3 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, next Gen chef: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, and Pop Culture Jeopardy: The Neverending Story (Amazon) with audio description Outlander: blood Of My Blood- I think I’ve finally settled on Rotten. As we near the finale, I’m missing too much. I can follow the cliff notes version of the cliff notes for the show, but most of the time there are characters I don’t remember, have no idea what their name is, where … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 09/20/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/19/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: the Peacemaker: S2E5 (HBO MAX) with audio description, My Life With the Walter boys: S2E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Haunted Hotel: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, The Summer I turned Pretty: S3E9 (Amazon) with audio description, The Daily Show: Thursday (Paramount Plus) no audio description, Breaking Bad: S3E1 (Netflix) with audio description Peacemaker- Instead of spoiling through recap, let me say how nice it was to wake up to Alex reminding me that it was a great day to be a nerd, since I could see Superman and peacemaker on the same day. And, yes, I am … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/19/25

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The Hunting Wives: Season 1

John Stark

Brittany Snow as Sophie, Malin Ackerman as Margo, Jaime Ray Newman as Callie, George Ferrier as Brad, Katie Lowes as Jill, Evan Jonigkeit as Brian, Chrissy Metz as Star, Dermot Mulroney as Jed Banks, Alexandria Debarre as Taylor, Joyce Glenn as Monet, Maddison Wolfe as Abby, Chosen Jacob’s as Jamie, Branton Box as Sheriff Johnny, Karen Rodriguez as Salazar Length: 8 Episodes Streaming Service: Netflix Audio description produced By: International Digital Center Written By: Emily Grove Narrated By Amanda Bhutan What Is it?: Seemingly created for those in the red States, the show takes place in Texas, where woke is … Continue reading The Hunting Wives: Season 1

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/18/2025

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: gen V: S2E2 (Amazon) with audio description, Black Rabbit: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Next Gen Chef: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, The girlfriend: S1E3 (Amazon) with audio description, red Fish Blue Fish: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, The paper: S1E4 (Peacock) with audio description, and The morning Show: S4E1 (Apple Plus) with audio description Gen V- The very special guest this episode is Deep, who makes a brief appearance at a frat hazing ceremony. Otherwise, our trio of heroes decide after all that school is the safest place, so they return to take classes on anti-woke … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/18/2025

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/14/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Daryl Dixon: S3E2 (AMC Plus) no audio description, From: S3E4 (MGM Plus) with audio description, The Girlfriend: S1E2 (Amazon) with audio description, Red Fish Blue fish: S1E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Have I Got News For You: S3E2 (HBO MAX) no audio description, The Paper: S1E4? (Peacock) with audio description. Daryl Dixon- Of course the show doesn’t have audio description, but what a weird show this has become. originally, there was a Daryl and Carol spinoff, then Melissa McBride backed out, leaving them to cobble together some weird Daryl in France series. So they spend an entire … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/14/25

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Wednesday: season 2

John Stark

Cast: Jenna Ortega as Wednesday, Emma Meyers as Enid, Catherine Zeta Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, Hunter Doohan as Tyler, Joy Sunday as Bianca, Georgie Farmer as Ajax, Moosa Mostafa as Eugene, Isaac Ordóñez as Pugsley, Gwendolyn Christie as Weems, Christina Ricci as Miss thorn hill, Billie piper as Miss Capri, Evie Templeton as Agnes, Steve Buscemi as principal Dorrit, Owen Painter as Slurp, Heather Matarazzo as Judy, Frances O’Connor as Francois, Joanna Lumley as Grandma Frump, Christopher Lloyd as professor orloff, Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester, thandiewe Newton as Dr. Fairburn, Haley Joel Osment as … Continue reading Wednesday: season 2

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/12/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Peacemaker: S2E4 (HBo MAX) with audio description, The Hunting Wives: S1E8 (Netflix) with audio description, The Summer I Turned Pretty: S1E7 (Amazon) with audio description, NCIS: Tony and Ziva: S1E3 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Hitmakers: S1E7 (Netflix) with audio description, Match Game: S1E8 (Hulu) with audio description, The Rainmaker: s1E3 (Peacock) with audio description Peacemaker- A bit slower episode in comparison to other episodes, as this was basically just Peacemaker trying to stop Argus from finding the portal. So, he has to move it before they are able to unlock the closet. There was a piece … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/12/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/10/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Alien Earth: S1E6 (Hulu) with audio description, The Girlfriend: S1E1 (Amazon) with audio description, Dexter: resurrection: S1E9 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Red Fish Blue Fish: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball: S1E9 (Hulu) with audio description, Irish Blood: Season Final (Acorn) with audio description, and The paper: S1E2 (Peacock) with audio description Alien Earth- No spoilers. I’d say, all things considered, a well described episode. The little bit of description I liked the most was just the inclusion of the soldier that Joe/Kermit is with, and her braided hair. She felt … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/10/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/09/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Twisted Metal: S2E7 (Peacock) with audio description, butterfly: S1E6 (Amazon) with audio description, Long Story Short: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox: S1E3 (Hulu) with audio description, Mindhunter: S2E1 (Netflix) with audio description, and only murders In the building: S5E1 (Hulu) with audio description Twisted Metal- The first challenge happens, reducing the amount of racers from 12 to 8, and basically everyone I expected to make it to the next round did. There are only a handful of characters likely to make it to the end. If we’re doing a third season, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/09/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/08/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Black Mirror: S4E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Platonic: S2E6 (Apple plus) with audio description, The Runarounds: S1E2 (Amazon) with audio description, The Terminal list: Dark Wolf- S1E3 (Amazon) with audio description, My Life With The Walter Boys: S2E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Red Fish Blue fish: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Rick And Morty: S8E1 (HBO MAX) with audio description, Last Week Tonight: Most Recent (HBo MAX) no audio description Black Mirror- Metalhead is a disappointment. Basically Black mirror made The Terminator, but didn’t flesh out a world interesting enough for it to be in. we don’t … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/08/25

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The Small Screen diaries: 09/06/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Outlander: Blood of My Blood: S1E6 (Starz) no audio description, Wednesday: S2E7 (Netflix) with audio description, Dexter: S6E2 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Foundation: S3E9 (Apple plus) with audio description, All Of Us Are Dead: S1E11 (Netflix) with audio description, Pop Culture Jeopardy: The Show That Never Ends (Amazon) with audio description, Hostage: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, and South Park: S27E4 (Paramount Plus) no audio description Outlander: Blood of My Blood- An episode focusing mostly on childbirth, but including a little bit of that touchstone of the Outlander franchise… rape. Just a dash of rape. Wouldn’t … Continue reading The Small Screen diaries: 09/06/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/05/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Buccaneers: S2E7 (Apple plus) with audio description, Wednesday: S2E6 (Netflix) with audio description, NCIS: Tony And Ziva: S1E1 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Long Story Short: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Sausage Party: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description The Buccaneers- I definitely felt with the last episode that The Buccaneers had finally reached its true potential, and with this episode, all of the strong subject matter they have opened up until now is paying off. the season’s penultimate episode has Nan’s mother filing for divorce from her husband, and she has to have proof. Mind you, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/05/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/03/25

John Stark

TV Shows watched: Alien Earth: S1E5 (Hulu) with audio description, Wednesday: S2E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Butterfly: S1E5 (Amazon) with audio description, Twisted Metal: S2E6 (Peacock) with audio description, the Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball: S1E7 (Hulu) with audio description Alien Earth- I think the wrong name was listed when the cyborg fist slammed down. It should have been Morrow, but I’m fairly certain it was one of the expendables. This episode featured a look at what happened to all those people we saw at the beginning of the series, flashing back to how shit hit the fan in the … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/03/25

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The Truth About jussie Smollett

John Stark

Directed By: Gagan Rehill Release Year: 2025 Studio/Streamer: Netflix Runtime: 90 minutes Audio Description Produced By: Descriptive Video Works Written by: Lenizelle Narrated By: Jazzy Frizzle What is it?: A mostly centre of the road take on the events surrounding Jussie Smollett and his various court appearances following his allegation of a hate crime targeting him. What Works: In order to pull this off, they needed everyone to show up, and basically everyone did. If you think you’re in for just a really long interview with Smollett, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that all sides are speaking their truths … Continue reading The Truth About jussie Smollett

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/26/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The institute: S1E7 (MGM Plus) with audio description, Twisted Metal: S1E5 (Peacock) with audio description, Dexter: Resurrection: S1E7 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox: S1E2 (Hulu) with audio description, Long Story Short: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description The institute- You think you know what I’m about to say, but you’re like the guy who has the elephant by the tail. Or whatever that analogy was. The institute did just get a second season renewal at MGM Plus, so expect more mystery. The audio description is… well… fine? I mean, two people got … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/26/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/22/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Peacemaker: S2E1 (HBo MAX) with audio description, Sausage Party Foodtopia: S2E2 (Amazon) with audio description, Long Story Short: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Dexter: S5E12 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Invasion: S1E? (Apple plus) with audio description, Match Game: S6E6 (Hulu) with audio description, and who wants To Be A Millionaire: S4E6 (Hulu) with audio description Peacemaker- Really excited this is back.I would recommend, based on what I just watched, if you have the time to rewatch or binge season 1, please do. Not only has it been a while, which Chris (John Cena) tries to catch … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/22/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/21/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Buccaneers: S2E5 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Twisted Metal: S2E4 (Peacock) with audio description, Tires: S2E12 (Netflix) with audio description, Mindhunter: S1E8 (Netflix) with audio description, The Summer I turned Pretty: S3E5 (Amazon) with audio description The Buccaneers- So much drama! Nan returns home from Ginny/Guy, to her Duke Theo, who has been in the sheets with Lizzie this whole time, but Lizzie is about to get married herself. Of course, no one can get divorced, and Ginny is trapped by a wolf of a husband who is seemingly magically not abusive all of a sudden. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/21/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/15/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Tires: S2E11 (Netflix) with audio description, Sausage Party: Foodtopia: S2E1 (Amazon) with audio description, The Wonderfully Weird World Of Gumball: S1E4 (Hulu) with audio description, Outlander: Blood Of My Blood: s1E3 (Starz) no audio description, And just Like That: S3E12 (HBo MAX) with audio description, Irish Blood: S1E2 (Acorn) no audio description, Breaking Bad: S2E9 (Netflix) with audio description tires- A moderately funny episode, for the series. Shane really is trying to get back some of that “comedians can get away with anything” thing. It certainly isn’t ever high brow, but it can have a certain charm. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/15/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/09/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Outlander: Blood of My Blood: s1E1 (Starz) no audio description, Wednesday: S2E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Foundation: S3E5 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Washington Black: S1E4 (Hulu) with audio description I also crammed in a Leanne Morgan comedy special on Netflix to get a better idea of her schtick, since her series doesn’t know what to do with her. And, I once again considered revival, but they haven’t added audio description to the next episode, so I’m in a standoff. It’s a standoff that is close to me giving up and throwing up a review on Rotten … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/09/25

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Sunday Best: The Untold Story Of Ed Sullivan

John Stark

Featuring (as themselves): Ed Sullivan, Smokey Robinson, Harry Belafonte, James Brown, The Jackson 5, The Beatles, Diahann Carroll, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr, Johnny Carson, Gladys Knight, Elvis Presley, and many more. Directed By: Sacha Jenkins Studio/Streamer: Netflix Release Year: 2025 runtime: 90 minutes Audio Description produced By: International Digital Center Written By: Valerie Hunter Narrated By: What is it?: The Ed Sullivan Show used to be the bees knees. It was a groundbreaking program that launched the career of many musicians, turning mild mannered Ed Sullivan into a TV icon. Families across the country tuned in to see … Continue reading Sunday Best: The Untold Story Of Ed Sullivan

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/08/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Wednesday: S2E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Twisted Metal: S2E2 (Peacock) with audio description, The Wonderfully weird World Of Gumball: S1E3 (Hulu) with audio description, Leanne: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Dan Da Dan: S1E1 (Netflix) no audio description, South Park: S27E2 (Paramount Plus) no audio description, Match Game: S?E3 (Hulu) with audio description Wednesday- the camp episode was perfect. The only thing missing were some direct references to Addams Family Values. I forgot to mention that Christopher Lloyd made his voice available in the previous episode, and a cameo from either David Krumholtz or Christine Baranski would … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/08/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/06/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Wednesday: S2E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Platonic: S2E1 (Apple plus) with audio description, Tires: S2E10 (Netflix) with audio description, Smoke: S1E7 (Apple plus) with audio description, Ballard: S1E5 (Amazon) with audio description Wednesday- I’ve seen this getting a few not great reviews, and while the season premiere didn’t scare me away, it also is setting itself up to mess with the formula a bit. First, we seem to have completely written off Xavier, which is random, but they do give a reason. In his place, Pugsley is now being given WAY more screentime, and I really wish … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/06/25

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My oxford Year

John Stark

Cast: Sofia Carson, Corey Mylchreest, Dougray Scott, Catherine McCormack Written By: Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne based on a book by Julia Wheelan Directed By: Ian morris Original Score By: Isabella Summers Studio: Netflix Release Year: 2025 runtime: 118 minutes Audio Description Provided By: International Digital Center Written By: Betty Capone Narrated By: Kimberly Chatterly What Is it?: An American (Carson) gets to work on her Masters degree while in England at Oxford, where she immediately starts falling in love with the scenery, and a young man with a secret. I’m not good t secrets. He’s dying. What Works: Sofia … Continue reading My oxford Year

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2025: The Best Of The Year So far: August Edition

John Stark

I haven’t seen everything, but as of my last count, I’m at 217 films. It’s slowing a bit as I try to back catalog my reviews onto Rotten Tomatoes, but here’s how I see the year so far. Top 25 Films So Far: #1- deaf President Now #2- Tornado #3- The Parenting #4- Lavender Men #5- My Dead Friend Zoey #6- Sinners #7- The Assessment #8- She Rides Shotgun #9- The Amateur #10- the Ruse #11- Thunderbolts #12- Ballerina #13- Materialists #14- Magazine dreams #15- K-Pop Demon Hunters #16- Bonus Track #17- The Luckiest Man In America #18- Bridget Jones … Continue reading 2025: The Best Of The Year So far: August Edition

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The Small Screen diaries: 07/30/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Hunting Wives: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, The Sandman: S2E7 (Netflix) with audio description, Tires: S2E9 (Netflix) with audio description, The Pitt: S1E14 (HBO MAX) with audio description,Destination X (Peacock) with audio description, All Of us Are Dead: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, The Gilded Age: S2E6 (HBo MAX) with audio description the Hunting Wives- So far, excellent audio description. this is a spicy series from what I’ve heard, and even the little bit you get in the first episode as you’re eased into it does a nice job of tracking this show like it’s an … Continue reading The Small Screen diaries: 07/30/25

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nonas

John Stark

Cast: Vince Vaughn as joe, Lorraine Vracco as Roberta, Talia Shire as Teresa, Brenda Vaccaro as Antonella, Tammy Pescatelli as Cousin Tammy, Joe Manganiello as Bruno, Drea de Mateo as Stella, Susan Sarandon as Shia, Linda Cardellini as Olivia, Campbell Scott as Edward, Written By: Liz Maccie Directed By: Stephen Chboski (The perks Of Being A wallflower) Original Score By:Marcelo Zarvos Wonder) Studio: Netflix Release Year: 2025 Rated PG Runtime: 98 minutes Audio Description produced By: International Digital Center Written By: Liz Gutman Narrated By: What is it?: Nominated for an Emmy for Best TV Movie, Nonas is based on … Continue reading nonas