Tag: Max

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The Parenting

John Stark

The Parenting (MAX)- This Movie Feels Tailor Made For Me It is always a cabin in the woods. No one ever rents a haunted condo in Fort Lauderdale on a timeshare. It is always something oddly rustic in these horror movies. I like horror comedies more than straight horror because I feel like it is easier to be funny and poke fun at the genre, than it is to be reliant upon jump scares that don’t work. Most of my favorite horror titles have a tinge of comedy to them, so I was already predisposed to liking this. the cast … Continue reading The Parenting

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Flow

John Stark

Academy Award Winner Flow has finally landed an audio description track here in the United States, courtesy of WBD. Flow streams on MAX, and while I don’t have direct proof as to who paid for the track, my options appear to be WBD, Sideshow/Janus, or Criterion. While Criterion has released a handful of physical discs with audio description, I don’t believe they have ever bothered to create a track. their service is highly inaccessible and features no audio description. I think WBD, which also landed the streaming debut rights to The Boy And The Heron and Drive My Car, two … Continue reading Flow

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The Wizard Of oz: 85th Anniversary

John Stark

The Wizard Of Oz: 85th Anniversary- One Of The Best Audio Description Tracks Ever? Quick Take: This is one of the best tracks I’ve ever heard. It is as if the people making it knew they were touching greatness. The audio description for this film was going to be used time and time again, and needed to be perfect. To transport us into the world of oz, to give us a strong depth of description on Dorthy and her black and white life in Kansas, while embracing the technicolor parade of the Yellow Brick Road. And, to have this at … Continue reading The Wizard Of oz: 85th Anniversary

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The Commandante’s Shadow

John Stark

The Commandante’s Shadow- Profound, Heavy, and Timely, and One Of The Best Films Of 2024 Quick Take: I’m really disappointed that this documentary didn’t make the Oscar shortlist. Sometimes, documentaries are born out of a world on fire, and sometimes they are reflective of a world that was. The Commandante’s Shadow is one that takes a look at a time when the world was on fire, specifically the Holocaust, and uses the lens of generational trauma. One woman seeks to find her Jewish and German roots, as her mother survived a death camp, and did not like to talk about … Continue reading The Commandante’s Shadow

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Caddo Lake

John Stark

Caddo Lake- A Spooky Season Review M. Night Shyamalan rarely jumps on board as a producer, but when a directorial team he worked with on his Apple Plus show Servant has a great idea, the man jumps. I’ll be honest, you are in November, checking out a review of a film from October. I’m sure you’ve already seen this, but if you haven’t, it really does have this interesting twist which suffices as all the reason in the world that Shyamalan would want to produce. I actually watched this twice, because when the movie starts to shift, it is such … Continue reading Caddo Lake

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Salem’s Lot

John Stark

Salem’s Lot (2024)- A Spooky Season Review A seemingly impossible to adapt Stephen King novel hit MAX quietly. That has to be a good sign. This movie has been in the can for a while, and had a theatrical release briefly scheduled, before drawing the ire of Stephen King by winding up heading straight to streaming. is it really that bad? Well, it certainly is better than last year’s Pet Sematary prequel. It is also a far cry from many of King’s best film adaptations, including Brian DePalma’s Carrie, Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, and the most recent two-parter adaptation … Continue reading Salem’s Lot

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The Boy and the Heron

John Stark

Without crushing the integrity of my review, and somehow not coming across as a believable fan of Hayao Miyazaki, I should mention that I’m not a completionist. There is at least one Miyazaki movie out there I still have not seen. There are also a few I own on physical media. My favorite headed into this is still Spirited Away, not because I’m a basic bitch, but because it is an excellent work of art. It wasn’t my first Miyazaki experience, but it has been really hard to beat. So, when he announces a new film, when everyone thinks he’s … Continue reading The Boy and the Heron

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Horizon: An American Saga: Part 1

John Stark

What a hot button film considering how little it made at the box office. Around its release, this became the lightning rod for what was labeled as a “woke vs anti-woke” battle over whether or not the film was actually not what the other half was claiming it to be. is it too long? Are people just rejecting the idea of an original epic? Is it politics? Why did Horizon fail? In my opinion, it was likely due to a few things. The runtime, of 3 hours, doesn’t necessarily welcome audiences, though movies are seemingly getting longer on average. But, … Continue reading Horizon: An American Saga: Part 1

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

John Stark

My first encounter with the Mad Max franchise was, if we’re being honest like many, the epic Best Picture nominee Mad Max Fury Road. It is an exquisite work of art, acting as one giant chase that relentlessly pursues its goal of blowing your mind. It’s not just the stunts, or the stunt performers, but the amount of practical effects that made the film look fantastic. Even now as a blind viewer, I find so much enjoyment in the characters, the dialogue, and the rockinn’ score. There’s a vehicle in fury Road whose sole purpose seems to be to rock … Continue reading Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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Knox Goes Away

John Stark

In the tradition of all the other times someone went somewhere, like “Ernest Goes To Camp”, “Madea Goes To Jail”, and “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle”, Michael Keaton plays Knox, who is going… away. Oh god. This movie is nothing like any of those other films. It’s another dementia thriller. Didn’t I just review one of these literally yesterday? And, as to not break the trend, MAX has chosen not to provide audio description for this title as well. It’s that true alliance between Disney and WBD beneath the surface that explains how they are combining into some … Continue reading Knox Goes Away

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Twister

John Stark

Sometimes I feel bad for casual readers. They get really excited that I’m reviewing the 1996 disaster hit Twister, and then they get this. I hate to break it to you, but this is not really a review. As a blind film critic, I’m constantly challenging companies to provide more accessibility, especially where it makes sense. As companies continue to increase their prices, rather unwarranted since they really aren’t delivering more expensive content, the question I have is will it result in more accessibility? what are you going to do for me when I already pay more for a service … Continue reading Twister

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Faye

John Stark

A documentary that allows Faye Dunaway to tell her own story in her own words. Often with this type of documentary, we get surface level, and the director is only comfortable going as far as the subject matter is willing to let them. I’m always pleasantly surprised when someone reveals anything about them that is less than perfect, and Faye Dunaway does that. She also gets to comment on a few of her most enduring performances, like Network and Bonnie And Clyde, and why she can’t stand wire hangers. A handful of commentators, including her son, help bring perspective, but … Continue reading Faye

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Movies With pride: Am I OK?

John Stark

On the last day of Pride Month, I’m closing it out with a review of a 2022 Sundance hit that is just now landing on MAX. Starring Madame Webb herself, Am I OK is the directorial debut of Tig & Stephanie. There are so many directing duos out there, from the Coens, The Wachowskis, and The Daniels to this married couple, I feel like they need a name to combine them, but Stephanie didn’t take Tig’s last name. But, I’ve seen this couple represented before on screen, and they are freaking adorable together, so I was really excited to see … Continue reading Movies With pride: Am I OK?

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MoviePass MovieCrash

John Stark

Just a few years ago, the movie theatre industry was rocked by something that would dramatically affect attendance. That thing was the rise of cable TV, pay cable, home video, DVD, video rental stores, Netflix by mail, streaming services, and the pandemic. Through all of those trials, we’ve always had Nicole Kidman to bring us back to the theatres. But, when moviePass pounced, it was the thing no one saw coming (except everyone did). As you learn the history of MoviePass, you learn that it was pitched in early concept stage, to the industry, and they saw no value in … Continue reading MoviePass MovieCrash

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Turtles All The Way Down

John Stark

The further we go through John green’s catalogue of novels into film adaptations, I’m realizing this guy wrote one really great book, and some just OK books that keep getting adapted anyway. Probably the second best adaptation I’ve seen of his work was looking For Alaska, which had the benefit of being a limited series and expanding upon the material and really getting everything in there. Turtles All The Way Down is emotionally manipulative, with a few strong performances, and also has parts that just don’t work. the meat of the story revolves around a teenager (Isabela Merced) who is … Continue reading Turtles All The Way Down