Tag: Olivia Coleman

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Paddington In Peru

John Stark

Paddington Bear, the cuddly marmalade powered manifestation of kindness returns for his third feature, this time exiting his home in the UK for a new locale in Paddington In Peru. Don’t worry, because even though his family, The browns, are also at a transitional point, they’ll be following him on his journey. Sadly, director Paul King is not returning as director for the third feature, so if you were expecting him to somehow top what he achieved in Paddington 2, he opted instead to direct Wonka. I don’t know if that puts us at a huge disadvantage, but the change … Continue reading Paddington In Peru

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Wicked Little Letters

John Stark

I’m realizing this stream of reviews of non-audio described content is quite depressing. This British dark comedy landed on Netflix where they didn’t think to acquire audio description for a film with Oscar Winner Olivia Coleman and Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley. I’m fairly certain this thing probably has a UK Audio Description Track, since it probably had a decent UK release. It’s just about whether or not you care. It is a period piece with a sizable ensemble. I had a hard time following it. beyond Coleman and Buckley, the only other vocally standout actress to me was Alicia Weir, … Continue reading Wicked Little Letters

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Wonka

John Stark

there’s certainly something to a franchise that has made Pure Imagination the touchstone of all the thematic elements. From the completely out there elements of the chocolate factory, various candy creations, to the cartoonish world these characters inhabit, imagination may be prominent, but never really pure. Starting as a novel by Roald Dahl, the story of a young boy with a golden ticket and his chocolatier hero has leapt from book to film, to film, to stage, and back to film again as a prequel. Wonka shows us the wacky candyman before he got super famous. And for reasons, this … Continue reading Wonka

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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 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- 07/26/23

John Stark

It’s kind of amazing how sloe the TV news is during the strike. It’s almost like all of the various streamers are angry at their shows, and can’t pick any of them up for another season. of course, they also can’t negotiate contracts with the actors, so there’s that too. 11) Skull Island (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Unknown I think I keep hoping for that perfect magic that Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous gave me, but Skull Island is struggling to give me that balance. Some of the characters feel aimed at an older audience, while there’s still one … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/26/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/19/23

John Stark

NBC announced some solid news items yesterday. Apparently, they were the only smart network, and actually have episodes banked. So, in the fall, new episodes of Magnum PI, Quantum Leap, and two new dramas, Found, and The Irrational will be airing opposite reality shows and reruns from other networks. 12) The Golden Girls (Hulu) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Ended I’m not going to deep dive this episode, but the direct answer is that this episode wouldn’t exist in todays landscape. Sure, someone will point out that deep inside the barrage of offensive jokes is a heart somewhere, which is … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/19/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/05/23

John Stark

By the way, there’s never been a better time to catch up on a show. If there’s something you didn’t watch initially, and were worried you’d never catch up on, the writers strike and possible actors strike will mean a lot of shows that would have returned in September, won’t be. 13) The Family Stallone (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Renewed It’s just not my type of show. Even with Sly in it. I just don’t get this brand of programming. So, while I’m not mad at this show, I’ll be freeing up a slot in my weekly … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/05/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 06/28/23

John Stark

Before my TV news, I have to say that I always enjoy looking at the list of who has just been offered an Academy voting membership each year. To me, there’s always some hilarious comparison of someone who is obviously getting it really early, versus someone who has somehow flown under the water. You would think that considering neither of these actors were nominated last year that Bill Hader and Raul Castillo, for example, would not be getting offered membership in the same year. It makes it feel late for Hader, and early for Castillo. I always understand that those … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 06/28/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 06/21/23

John Stark

Today, i plan on attending a virtual conference held by the ACB and the Audio Description project, in which I will get to hear representatives from streaming services talk about their commitment to Audio Description. I’m a little intrigued by Paramount Plus/Showtime, but I’m super excited to hear Hulu talk about how ‘committed” they are. Girl, you can’t even get AD onto a Hulu original like The Clearing. Come on now. 14) Ripley (PBS) English Audio Description?: No? Status: I don’t care. Honestly, I sat down with my mom as she was trying to watch the first episode of this … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 06/21/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 04/30/23

John Stark

Good news for fans of The morning Show. Apple Plus has already picked that show up for a fourth season before the third season even premieres. 11) The power (Amazon) English Audio Description?: Yes Honestly, I’m as surprised as you are. I was actually looking forward to this series. However, the pilot is very slow. I felt like I was watching a completely different show than the one the trailers had been hyping. it reminded me of how I used to feel when i was hyped for the latest theatrical adaptation of a hot YA title, only for it to … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 04/30/23

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Empire Of Light

John Stark

Where I Watched It: HBO MAX English Audio description Provided By: Deluxe Narrated By: Christian Simpson Sam Mendes is a director that gets me into a film, cast be damned. I won’t make any claim that he has hit a home run every single time, but he’s a very strong director at bat. Generally, he has delivered some terrific work. For the longest time, when i was young and first starting to explore the art of cinema, I would refer to American Beauty as my favorite film. Times change, the lists move around, and while I still rank that movie … Continue reading Empire Of Light

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Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

John Stark

Where I watched it: Netflix English Audio Description Provided By: Descriptive Video Works I just wrote a review about Spirited where i said explicitly that when you take one of these overadapted stories, you ahve to bring something original to it. Apple seemed ready to go with Spirited, but the Netflix shat out this nonsense. It’s just a C-Level adaptation of A Christmas Carol, full of forgettable pop songs written sort of in the style of music theatre, that paid for a good cast. in fact, it’s that cast that makes the film worth a damn. Luke Evans, Olivia Coleman, … Continue reading Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

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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