Tag: Netflix

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Mea Culpa

John Stark

I’ve seen more Tyler Perry projects in my life than I think I ever truly intended to. Granted, when I started all the way back with Diary Of a Mad Black Woman, I heard that he was big in black culture, but I was far more impressed by the performance Kimberly Elise turned in than his focus stealing Madea character that became such a focus of nearly every film after that. I’ve sat through far more Perry projects than most directors I actually enjoy on a regular basis. The last film I remember Tyler Perry giving to Netflix was A … Continue reading Mea Culpa

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The Greatest Night In Pop

John Stark

Ah. The 80’s. What a wonderful time. I don’t remember much of it, and the parts that I do remember revolve almost entirely around toys, cartoons, and elementary school, so I was not really aware that We Are The World had so much that went into it in order to make it happen. Of course, I am familiar with the song, and knew it had a bunch of famous artists that worked on it, but I didn’t know that in 2024 we would get a documentary exploring just what went into the production of this song. First, this is a … Continue reading The Greatest Night In Pop

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Players

John Stark

I want to enrich my cinema experience. I want to watch less bad, or mediocre movies. But the problem is, I actually like certain actors. So, when Netflix regurgitates something with a generic title like Players, I ignore it. Then I notice it stars Gina Rodriguez (Jane The Virgin, Not Dead Yet), Damon Wayans Jr (Happy endings, let’s Be Cops), and Tom Ellis (Lucifer), and I really am genuinely supportive. The same thing happened with Dan Levy’s writer/directorial feature debut earlier this year. Normally, with a lesser known actor,I would have passed on Good Grief. Netflix keeps hiring actors I … Continue reading Players

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Orion And The Dark

John Stark

I would have liked this concept to go to basically anyone but who actually made this. Arguably, even Dreamworks knows they didn’t stick the landing, which is why you are just now hearing about this as a Netflix original. It’s Dreamworks Animation. This is the same parent company that was more than happy releasing Ruby Gilman Teenage Kraken last year, and had no problem putting Megamind Vs The Doom Syndicate straight to Peacock. Meanwhile, they ditched this. Joke is on them, because it is better than that Megamind sequel (more on that in its own review). Orion and the Dark … Continue reading Orion And The Dark

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Lift

John Stark

Sometimes, i don’t mind seeing a film just a little bit after the flood of critics and online haters. It really gives me perspective. I always approach every movie as neutral as possible, but often, the crowd is right. Maybe not quite to the extremes.While I didn’t really care for either Meg 2 or The Expend4bles, I definitely saw worse last year. Lift was getting that kind of bad press, and I’m going to lightly disagree. It’s not worth fighting over, but in a rotten/fresh, thumbs down/up world, I’d recommend this over not recommending it. Kevin Hart leads an all-star … Continue reading Lift

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Irish Wish

John Stark

I remember watching The Parent Trap remake in the 90’s, and getting that first dose of Lindsay Lohan. She really seemed like a talent that would maintain, and for a long time, it felt that way. She never really could overcome the tabloids, and her attention seeking parents. To this day, I know the names of her mother and father, neither of whom are actors. They didn’t even need a Keeping Up With show. They just wouldn’t go away. Somewhere after a bad movie, and some bad press, Lohan retreated. Now, she’s trying to come back, and it is really … Continue reading Irish Wish

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Good Grief

John Stark

The first official 2024 film reviewed by me, and I saw it two months ago. I would love to be able to say that I remember this film well enough to comment on it in great detail, but sadly this writer/directorial feature debut from Dan Levy is so deeply forgettable. I know he plays a man who finds out his husband had some secrets after his husband dies, and he is trying to navigate the process with two friends who are unnecessary and annoying. I remember originally recording this review for YouTube, and commenting even then that I would be … Continue reading Good Grief

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The Small Screen Diaries- 03/19/24

John Stark

Not surprising at all, but CBS will continue to air its Australian import, NCIS: Sydney for its second season, despite already having two NCIS shows, and currently in development on two more. Fun fact, this entire franchise only exists thanks to a series being rescued from cancellation. Possibly the smartest “save our show” ever has turned out to be CBS picking up JAG after it was cancelled at NBC after one season. Without that, they wouldn’t have had the long and successful run of the original show, nor would they have NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, NCIS New Orleans, NCIS Hawaii, … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/19/24

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The Hill

John Stark

Sadly, Netflix did not have an available audio description track for this at the time of my viewing, so this inspirational Dennis Quaid baseball drama is going to get the grade it gets. In general, 2023 produced a few well made faith based films that had some money thrown behind them. I’ve seen a lot of sub par ones like Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas that seem like they are barely films. The hill tells the true story of a kid who is born with skeletal problems, and spends his time in a brace. He loves baseball, and he wants to … Continue reading The Hill

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The Reeducation Of Molly Singer

John Stark

Now that I’m middle aged, I have these moments where I feel very old. Films celebrating anniversaries is one way of doing that. Last year, Mean Girls hitting 20 was kind of mind blowing. Now, I have Britt Robertson starring as “too old for college” in The Reeducation Of Molly Singer, which is a little like what it felt like to watch Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings. Lawrence is 33, so I guess she’s safely beyond college years, even if you stay and get your Doctorate and have a gap year or two. Shockingly, the former star of Life … Continue reading The Reeducation Of Molly Singer

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The Small Screen Diaries- 03/14/24

John Stark

I’m not really sure what was going on with the actress playing Crystal on The Connors (Hulu), but her few lines were some of the worst line readings I had heard in a long time. Honestly, it felt like a regular person had won the chance to be on The Connors from their live studio audience, and had never acted before. I loved the meta moment where Darlene was trying to answer a trivia question in which she would be the answer in the real world. I also watched Abbott Elementary’s (Hulu) very special post-Oscar episode, which was hilarious as … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/14/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 03/01/24

John Stark

Timing is everything. Netflix announced the cancellation of The Brothers Sun right after I finished the final episode of the season. I liked the show, and I would have come back for a second season, but I could say that about a number of shows Netflix sends into the void every year. I’m not angry enough to tweet them, or X them. I don’t know why Elon had to go and make that weird. I want to send tweets, not whatever the hell we call it now. But, Michelle Yeoh’s Netflix show is short lived. I will testify that Halo … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 03/01/24

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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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Journey To Bethlehem

John Stark

I gotta admit, I was expecting something else. i certainly wasn’t expecting this very odd musical that panders to everyone about the birth of Jesus. This movie seems catered to try and rope in teenagers who don’t go to church. The best part? It has audio description. readily accessible audio description. Other faith based films from 2023 like Jesus Revolution and Sound of Freedom hit streamers without their tracks, but this odd rock musical with Antonio Banderas as a jealous King had audio description day and date on Netflix. It is basically the story. It just has a very modern … Continue reading Journey To Bethlehem

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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