Tag: Nicole Kidman

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The Small Screen Diaries: 10/06/26

John Stark

Yesterday, I talked about the renewal of one show and realized that I completely skipped over another renewal, which was Imperfect Women on Apple TV. This surprised me because it really isn’t a show that needs a second season, and it falls right in line with the ongoing trend of making me wonder why we even bother labeling things limited series anymore. It was a limited series, and now it has a second season coming, so it’s not very limited, is it? Apple has ordered a second season of Imperfect Women that will focus on Kerry Washington’s character, Eleanor, continuing … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 10/06/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/24/26

John Stark

I think the biggest, and really only relevant, TV news to kick this off today is the fact that Netflix has once again proven the term “limited series” means absolutely nothing. They have picked up The Beast in Me for a second season. Originally billed as a limited series, the show is coming back with Claire Danes set to return as Aggie Wiggs following her Emmy-nominated work in the first season. We’ll see if this turns out to be a good decision for Netflix or not. In other TV news, only because I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, Disney+ … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/24/26

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Scarpetta: Season 1

John Stark

It dawns on me that with all of the crime procedurals we have on television, and how it constantly feels like there’s a new detective or investigator showing up across networks, streaming services, and film franchises, there must be twice as many living on the shelves of libraries waiting for their turn. Every time one series ends, somebody discovers another bestselling author with twenty novels sitting there ready to adapt. The latest character to join that ever-growing lineup is Kay Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell’s legendary medical examiner, who finally gets her own television series courtesy of Amazon. The show has already … Continue reading Scarpetta: Season 1

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Margo’s Got Money Troubles: Season 1

John Stark

Apple TV has quite a few shows on its roster that somehow always seem to fly under the radar. Even during awards season, when they have critical praise and plenty of support, they never seem to get quite the attention they deserve. The math just never adds up. A show like Stick, which certainly had its fair share of awards potential, walked away empty-handed this year, along with series like Smoke, Criminal Record, Down Cemetery Road, For All Mankind, and the recently returned Trying, which has always eluded Emmy voters. Yet Margo’s Got Money Troubles, with the pedigree of David … Continue reading Margo’s Got Money Troubles: Season 1

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Dead Calm (1989)

John Stark

I chose Dead Calm randomly this year because of the passing of Sam Neill. While looking through his filmography to rank my favorite performances, I realized the biggest omission on my part was Dead Calm. Of all the films I hadn’t seen, this was the one that stood out as the most essential. So in honor of Sam Neill, I’m finally reviewing the 1989 psychological thriller Dead Calm, directed by Phillip Noyce, who would later go on to direct Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Bone Collector, and Salt. That’s a pretty solid résumé. Dead Calm is … Continue reading Dead Calm (1989)

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Movies With Pride: Boy Erased

John Stark

Watching Boy Erased during Pride Month feels a little ironic. This isn’t a film about celebrating LGBTQ identity so much as it is a film about the expectations society places upon people and the damage that can be done when someone is told they are not allowed to be who they are. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton, who also appears in a supporting role, Boy Erased focuses on the controversial practice of conversion therapy. What is most alarming about revisiting the film today is realizing how relevant it remains. When it was released in 2018, it felt like the … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Boy Erased

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The Small Screen Diaries: 07/08/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: The Sandman: S2E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Ginny And Georgia: S2E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Stick: S1E6 (Apple plus) with audio description, Nine Perfect Strangers: S1E8 (Hulu) with audio description, The Pitt: S1E11 (MAX) with audio description, Sullivan’s Crossing: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Patience: S1E3 (PBS) with audio description, Peaky Blinders: S1E7 (Netflix) with audio description, King Of The hill: S2E4 (Hulu) no audio description, The Daily Show: Monday (Paramount Plus) no audio description, Bosch: Legacy (Amazon) with audio description Best Episode: The Pitt, Runner Up: The Sandman Best Audio Description: the Sandman, Runner Up: Stick … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 07/08/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: The Weekly Rankings

John Stark

Once again I’m running down the sixty shows on my broad watchlist. Joining the list this week, which was fairly slow for new shows, are The Sandman (Netflix), All Of Us Are Dead (Netflix), The Office (Peacock), Such Brave Girls (Hulu), Nautilus (AMC Plus), Dexter (Paramount Plus), and Prison Break (Netflix). I wrapped some shows, and anything that would rank outside the top 60 dies. WINNER: Squid Game (Netflix) with audio description- I knew I was going to lose my favorites. After the tragic uprising didn’t work last season, it meant playing out Squid Game till the end. I’m only … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: The Weekly Rankings

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Holland

John Stark

Holland (Amazon)- Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, Gael Garcia Bernal, Jude Hill As someone who uses sites like Gold Derby to track the awards races, I have noticed that for the past two years, there was a Nicole Kidman mention for something called Holand, MI. It never materialized in 2023, nor did it join the multitude of projects Nicole Kidman churned out in 2024. Amazon instead opted to abandon this title in March of 2025, sidestepping a theatrical launch, and serving it to their hungry Prime subscribers.Should that give you pause? Perhaps. Holland is a bit of a mess, but it … Continue reading Holland

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Spellbound

John Stark

Spellbound (Netflix)- Can We Stop Asking Javier Bardem To Sing? Quick Take: I had a lot to say. For a movie with Alan Menken working on the music, I had high expectations. Rachel Ziegler is voicing the main princess in this fantastical land, where she has to babysit her parents who have literally turned into monsters. She’s been trying to hide them, but on her birthday, things go awry, and she has to set off with her parents to try and break the curse. There is one great song at the end, What About Me, but the rest feels like … Continue reading Spellbound

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A Family Affair

John Stark

One of my favorite things about this movie is the audio description. It is another winning combination of Liz Gutman and Jamie Lemcheck, and these two fine women have made it a point to point out Zac Efron’s hotness as much as possible. It isn’t just how Gutman writes the description, mentioning his physique, but how Lemcheck actually sells it. Women and gay men everywhere appreciate it. A script from the male gaze probably would have tried to do a similar thing to Nicole Kidman, but it just doesn’t work for this film. This is a romantic comedy at its … Continue reading A Family Affair

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Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom

John Stark

There was a little conversation around making a film in a studio system with influence, and how Madame Webb likely had a solid creative team but Sony interfered and made shit. That conversation, for some reason, did not happen for Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, a film do inconsequential, Warner Bros opened it the same weekend as two other Warner Bros titles (Wonka and The color Purple). Had they believed this sequel had gas in the tank, doing so for three recognizable franchise films over Christmas is insane. Even in a slower market affected by the strike, you are still … Continue reading Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom

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The Small Screen Diaries- 02/04/24

John Stark

the way my week works, is that I typically try and introduce new shows on Sunday to my rotation, and then Monday starts going through another episode of each show I’ve decided to continue with. So, this Sunday, my watching of Sexy Beast (Paramount Plus) was so disjointed and interrupted, I decided I’d just use its “second” episode that would happen later this week to rewatch the pilot coherently. but, technically I tried. While I do really enjoy the Jonathan Glazer film on which the series is adapted, it’s been years since I’ve seen the film. At least twenty, but … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/04/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/11/24

John Stark

Starting off my column of the day with bad news. MAX has inexplicably struck again, cancelling Julia after two seasons, thus ending Sarah Lancashire’s terrific performance as the famous chef. I refer to everything I said when they cancelled Our Flag Means Death, reminding you that this is a company that used a completed film as a tax write off. But, sadly, Julia isn’t the only show exiting stage right. ABC has announced this will be the final season of the Good Doctor. After failing to produce a spinoff, it’s time for the ABC drama to go away, I guess. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/11/24

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The Small Screen Diaries- 01/04/24

John Stark

Well, I reached the season finale of Upload (Amazon) finally, and wouldn’t that be insane if this show didn’t get a 4th season? Just. Wow. Also, made it through part three of Far Away Downs (Hulu), which I love the fact it has an Australian narrator. I didn’t see Australia before watching this version, so I’ll be doing this in reverse, but this seems like a really toned down Baz Luhrmann. Usually his movies are big loud and fast, and this doesn’t feel like him at all. I wonder if he stripped his soul away ffor this version, or if … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/04/24

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The Too Much Tv Roundup- 12/26/23

John Stark

Apparently Percy Jackson is doing solid numbers for Disney. Over 13M in the first week. Maybe the series will survive. 1) Bodies (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited I may not always know what is going on, but as the series moves forward the series has intrigued me a lot. By episode 5, things are really starting to come together, and you can see characters understand what is going on. Episode Grade: B+ 2) Monarch (Apple Plus) English Audio Description?: Yes Narrated By: Jedidiah Barton Status: Unknown Our characters find themselves really trapped in the freezing tundra being chased … Continue reading The Too Much Tv Roundup- 12/26/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 12/24/23

John Stark

I’m writing the next day about what I watched on Christmas Eve, which means you are reading this on Christmas, so Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And for those who don’t celebrate, today is weird because everything is closed… except movie theatres. I guess you gotta go see a movie today. 1) Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix) English Audio Description Provided By International Digital Center Written By liz Gutman Narrated By Sri Gordon Status: Unknown This seems like a no-brainer for a second season, except for the lawsuits Netflix is having to deal with. They gave outlast a second season, and … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 12/24/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup: 09/28/23

John Stark

RIP Dumbledore. I loved both Richard Harris and Michael Gambon’s takes on Dumbledore, and since there is virtually nothing worth discussing in the world of TV and Film news, I’ll use my preamble area to mention the passing of Michael Gambon. 11) Alias (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended Come on Disney! Put some audio description on it! This show always has some kind of action sequence set to music. As much as I love this show, it’s hard to keep ranking it dead last as unwatchable all the time because it is an action show with scenes … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup: 09/28/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/20/23

John Stark

Totes forgot to mention, perhaps because it doesn’t have audio description and I stopped watching it, that Dark Winds was renewed for a third season. So, any lingering fans out there, you may celebrate. 11) Adventure Time (MAX) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended Finn tries to convince a tree trunk to have an adventure. I love that these episodes are so short. Episode Grade: B 10) Futurama (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Revival Now Running in the season 3 premiere, Bender is affected by a were-car, which of course takes the gang on a strange journey. rarely do … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/20/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/14/23

John Stark

Finally! Some TV news. I don’t know which is bigger. Lando has been elevated from a Disney plus series to a full fledged movie, so you can no longer expect it to come to Disney Plus (until after its theatrical run), and Netflix has picked One Piece up for a second season. The latter is kinda of a big deal considering their past anime adaptations haven’t made it to a second season (RIP Cowboy Bebop). Also, Netflix finds it appropriate to release yet another major international title without accessibility for their blind and visually impaired users so I’m considering doing … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/14/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/05/23

John Stark

NCIS has an Australian spinoff that is now slated to air in Primetime this fall. So, get ready for NCIS Sydney. No, I’m not joking. 10) 10) Justified (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Revival Just Ended This time it wasn’t just the shootouts that rendered this episode unwatchable, but also a car explosion. Did it kill anyone? It sounded like Neal McDonaugh was in a car, got out, and then it exploded. I would think he would be standing too close. But I don’t know, because this show is inaccessible. I’m just here to pick up as much of … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/05/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/31/23

John Stark

Following up on my earlier post about The Great, there are rumors that HBo is looking at picking up the show, as some major stars were already rumored to be joining the Season 4 cast, and the show was apparently in pre-production. Little birds were telling me Jonathan Groff and Laura Linney would have appeared in Season 4. Will HBO save The Great? We will have to wait and see. #11) 911 (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Moving To ABC i was halfway into season 3 before I got this Eddie centric episode, which not only included combat sequences … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/31/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/24/23

John Stark

Not TV news, but Dune pt 2 has vacated 2023 due to the strike and the inability to successfully launch a promotional campaign. That leaves some gaps in the Oscar race. I had a feeling this would happen. 9) Justified (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Revival Now Airing There was a car that blew up, and I had to figure out who was in the car, or if someone was even in the car. Turned out it was a narrow miss. But Justified so badly needs audio description, that as I continue to move through the series, it’s becoming … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/24/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/17/23

John Stark

Well, new seasons of Fargo and Chucky were both given fall premiere launch dates. So if the Networks are boring you to death with their strike filler, you can check those out. 10) Outlander (Starz) English Audio Description?: No Status: Final Season Still doing my Season 6 rewatch, and i remember being frustrated with the episode the last time. This is the one where Jamie believes he cheated on Claire while she was ill, and there’s a dead family from dysentery. There’s just a lot of stuff happening in this episode that doesn’t make sense to a blind viewer, and … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/17/23

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The Too Much TV Lineup- 08/13/23

John Stark

Zachary Levi made a comment about the studios pushing out crappy product. Look inside yourself Zachary, and you too will find the solution. Perhaps, the guy starring in the Spy Kids reboot shouldn’t maybe complain too much. Just a thought. 8) Foundation (Apple plus) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Not Yet Renewed The only show that makes me feel stupid. The audio description is great, and the show poses a lot of really interesting questions, but holy hell is this a bitch to follow. I went back a season and rewatched The Witcher and outlander for better context, and the … Continue reading The Too Much TV Lineup- 08/13/23

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Eyes wide Shut

John Stark

Where I Watched it: HBo MAX English Audio Description?: no This is sort of cheating. I’m catching up on reviews, and i watched this on HBo MAX on what was apparently its last day. i went to the ‘Last Chance” row and picked it from there. I wanted to see, would it have audio description? nope. Eyes Wide shut is a weird one for me. Growing up, when i was a little kid, I didn’t watch R rated movies. But once I started into the double digits, certain ones started working their way in. Eventually, i basically never heard No, … Continue reading Eyes wide Shut

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The Too Much TV Roundup- June 11th

John Stark

I’m too intimidated by Homelander to rank these shows any other way. 1) The Boys (Amazon) English Audio Description Available?: Yes In the fourth episode, the stakes are raised. Homelander is becoming the biggest problem he’s been since the show started, making him an obvious choice for a final battle at the end of the season. Maybe Homelander won’t make it out of Season 3. But if he has to go, what could possibly replace him? Episode Grade: A 2) Roar (Apple Plus) English Audio Description Available?: Yes In the second outing, which dealt with memory loss, what could have … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- June 11th

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The Northman

John Stark

Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor Joy, and Willem Dafoe. Directed By: Robert Eggers Where I Watched It: Peacock English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Plot: Hamlet. With Vikings. It’s a lot more fun if you think of how closely this follows the plot of The Lion King. Which is also… Hamlet. What Works: If you pop over to IMDB, you see that in the plot description for the film, you get “From visionary director Robert Eggers”, which is quite a leap there. I guess his third major feature makes him a visionary director worth … Continue reading The Northman

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The Best Of 2021

John Stark

With the Oscar’s swiftly approaching, and my Oscar final predictions released yesterday, it’s finally time to discuss who i think actually should have been nominated in the major categories, and who I would vote to win. This list will be completely different than the Oscar list, because I am just myself, I have no guild or board of people to mess up my nomination process, and my awards mean nothing. No actor is sitting out there waiting with bated breath to see if they will be included on Mac The Movieguy’s Best of 2021. Which is great for me, because … Continue reading The Best Of 2021

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My Very Final Official Oscar Predictions

John Stark

So for those of you movie loving folk out there doing Oscar pools, let me be your guide. or not. Do your thing. Maybe your shaman already told you who will win. But these are my predictions for the Oscars that are being presented on Sunday. Yes, this Sunday. BEST PICTURE: The Power Of The Dog Despite the internet Oscar experts shitting bricks after Coda won the PGA award in this category, I know it is used as a barometer for predicting the winner in this category, and to be fair, i think Coda is in the #2 spot. It’s … Continue reading My Very Final Official Oscar Predictions

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Being The Ricardos

John Stark

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, JK Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Jake Lacy, Clark Gregg, Alia Shankar, and Christopher Dunham. Directed By Aaron Sorkin Where I Watched It: Amazon English Audio Description Available/: Yes The Plot: Following primarily a tumultuous week on the set of I Love Lucy, the cast and crew attempt to put together an episode amidst claims that Lucy (Kidman) is a communist and Desi (Bardem) is a philanderer. The film also uses flashbacks and flash forwards to encapsulate us in the lives of one of America’s most famous and timeless on screen (and off screen) couples. … Continue reading Being The Ricardos

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10 Actors/Actresses Who Didn’t Deserve Their Oscar Wins

John Stark

As we march closer to the Oscars on Sunday, I thought it might be nice to post some lists about the Oscars. For this list, I just took all four acting categories, and picked the 10 people who I thought were the least deserving of their wins. I’ve seen nine of these ten performances. I tried only picking out roles that I had actually seen, but when I saw that Art Carney beat out some true heavy hitters, I had to include him on this list, especially given the general consensus that he probably shouldn’t have won that Oscar. I have two honorable mentions: Marisa Tomei for My Cousin Vinny and Jack Palance for City Slickers. I didn’t include them because I hadn’t seen enough of their competition to really make me feel like they robbed someone else more deserving of an Oscar.

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