Tag: Roku

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Summer Sparks

John Stark

Did you know Roku makes movies? They do. Over Christmas, I reviewed the disappointing Jordin Sparks Christmas film they put out, and earlier this year, I tried to sit through some ill-fated road trip comedy with Sophia Bush and Lauren Holly. My heart and soul just weren’t in it, so I passed on reviewing that one. I can’t even remember what the movie was called or anything else about it, except that it involved a mother-daughter road trip. I remember being shocked that Lauren Holly’s career is still somehow chugging along, and I’m always a little sad when I see … Continue reading Summer Sparks

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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 Too Much TV Roundup- 12/28/23

John Stark

The exciting TV news for the day? Night Court has axed Neil. of course, with my limited time, I was planning on axing Night Court anyway. Also, expect even less day and date releases in 2023, since the strikes pushed back a lot of films on the 2023 calendar. Now they are worried that 2023 could be a really slow year at the movies. Well, maybe you should have stopped trying to replace everyone with AI. 1) Neon (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Not Yet Renewed Santi pushes his crew further away as he chooses his fake alliance with … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 12/28/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/25/23

John Stark

Rumor has it that the team behind the new Scott Pilgrim show on Netflix have no plans to do a second season. Just an FYI for fans. Then again, the Strangers Things guys were only going to make 4 seasons, and they made more. So, peoples minds can be changed. And we’re probably getting a third season of Big little Lies. 1) Goosebumps (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Not Yet Renewed In what is likely the penultimate episode, a nod to the Give Yourself Goosebumps books, the kids are trapped in the Biddle house as Biddle is after … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/25/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/18/23

John Stark

I guess there has been movement on the Big Little Lies front. Kidman just finished shooting a series for Netflix, Reese Witherspoon should be between seasons of The Morning Show, and I assume the rest of the cast is available. 1) The Fall Of The House Of Usher (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited Series I went seven episodes warning Flanagan that if he did what I was aware could happen, that we would not be on good terms. he made his choice, so i make mine. That is the LEAST spoilery way I can offer you a recap … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/18/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/11/23

John Stark

Did you watch any programming themed for Veteran’s Day yesterday? Or, were you like me, just catching up? 11) Hey Dude (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: no Status: Ended A cringeworthy episode where Ted is tasked with monitoring water usage, and asks his Native American friend Danny if he can do a rain dance. When Danny says he doesn’t know how, Ted says it’s easy and just does one. Later, this 80’s kids comedy does make a point of mentioning that this is offensive, but it also spends more time invested on Danny trying to figure out how to do … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/11/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/10/23

John Stark

The Marvels box office is not just reflective of Marvel fatigue, but also the impact of the strike. Two of the films lead characters are being played by rising stars from Disney plus shows, and were unable to promote the film. Disney should have pushed this back, and now they have their lowest opening ever. 9) Name That Tune (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Unknown honestly, just the most underwhelming episode. Jeff Ross knew all the songs until he got to the final, and then Tig knew all the songs, yet somehow Nicole ended up in the finale. Baffling. … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/10/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/15/23

John Stark

I haven’t watched it yet, but the new Rick and Morty voice cast premiered last night. Also, I truthfully decided to start watching Step By Step after noticing it on FreeVee, and a few hours later I saw Suzanne Somers died. I’m very weirded out about how that worked out. 9) 9) Fright Crew (Hulu) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Unknown Eli Roth produced this 10 episode animated show aimed at… I’m not really sure. Eli clearly wants to go hard, so there are some things and themes here that feel targeted for maybe middle school to high school aged … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/15/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/14/23

John Stark

Best Buy announced they will no longer be selling physical media after this holiday season. That breaks my heart. I have a massive physical media collection of DVD’s and BluRay’s, and before losing my vision, I used to love to hit up Best Buy on Black Friday, run in and grab a ton of new entries to my collection for cheap. Now, I’m all worried about whether or not something has audio description, which shockingly not every disc does. 12) Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended It’s not down here because of quality, … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/14/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/07/23

John Stark

Your TV news for the day is that the upcoming 3rd season of Vikings: Valhalla will be its last. 11) The Continental (Peacock) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited Thank God this is behind me. I was so over this show. Mel Gibson really gave his all to an unredeemable villain, but as far as the rest goes, this feels nothing like the franchise from which it was adapted. it has so much dialogue, it almost feels like a more violent TV adaptation of oceans 11. Final Grade: C- 10) Trophy Wife (hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended The … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/07/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/06/23

John Stark

I don’t know how I missed the drama, but Starz apparently cancelled Heels, and almost immediately removed the show from its service. There was a notable campaign on Twitter to shame Starz for cancelling the series. honestly, with Outlander in its final season, if they don’t start figuring out their programming, they’ll be the Power network, and it’ll be hard to get people attracted to new shows who aren’t watching Power spinoffs. 11) Justified (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended People get shot at in this episode, and it’s tough to figure out who and when, since there’s no … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/06/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/30/23

John Stark

Welcome to Spooky Season, where I will be stepping up your coverage of the scariest and spookiest films to watch this season. But for today, it’s just a regular old roundup. 14) The Continental (Peacock) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited From the minds of people who never watched the original John Wick franchise comes a boring show with little to no action sequences and more dialogue in one episode than in the entire John Wick universe. I hate this show. Episode Grade: D+ 13) The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Renewed I’m not really … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/30/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/24/23

John Stark

A tentative deal has been reached between the studios and the writers. The details have yet to be made public, but should be shortly as the membership has to vote on it. An official vote by leadership happens on Tuesday, which will solidify this a bit more, and possibly allow some writers to return to work. Most writers will have to wait until the contract is fully ratified by the WGA as a whole, but writers for talk shows are expected to resume possibly later this week, as all they need is for Tuesday’s vote to pass. 11) Daryl Dixon … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/24/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/23/23

John Stark

The studios claim they have made their best and final offer to the WGA,. After four days of negotiations, the two are scheduled to meet again today. I do believe this has to be ratified by the membership, so if there aren’t major concessions made by the studios it won’t pass. Writers haven’t been picketing for 5 months just so AI can start becoming a credited screenwriter. 11) The Continental (Peacock) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited I suppose its possible that if I had never seen the John Wick films, I might have enjoyed this. However, i have seen … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/23/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/16/23

John Stark

If all you have is Network TV, tonight you are in luck. CBS begins airing the first season of Yellowstone. Give it a looksie. Also, later in the week, look out for the season premiere of the new season of American Horror Story, as well as the final season of Sex Education. 12) Boy Meets World (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended I could have skipped this episode. It’s just this weird Halloween themed episode where Cory thinks he’s turning into a werewolf. However, it does bring Topanga back who hasn’t had anything to do in Season 2, … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/16/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/09/23

John Stark

I apparently need to binge Virgin River, because the internet can’t stop spoiling it for me. it’s been out for 3 days and has ten episodes. Everyone calm down. I know far too much about a season I haven’t watched yet. 11) Hey Dude (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended I’m just surprised this is available, but it could use audio description. They do head out onto paths. I’m not sure if this was on location or on set, but I’ll guess on location just to allow the horses the freedom to go somewhere. But, Buddy hates living … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/09/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/04/23

John Stark

The strike has been going on for a lot longer than the studios thought they would. That’s for sure. I haven’t seen another movie abandon ship from 2023 yet. Only movies that cost a lot of money are likely to do so. 14) Desperate Housewives (Hulu) English Audio Description: No Status: Ended I’m finally ten episodes in. And while there were moments I understood, there were plenty I did not. Lots of quiet scenes, or a scene like Felicity Huffman’s mom taking a break to watch her nanny try to get her kids to eat Brussel Sprouts. It sounded like … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/04/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/03/23

John Stark

I forgot Spectrum was Charter, so watching the people in my Facebook feed complaining about not being able to watch their games yesterday was fun. Hilariously, they all blamed Spectrum, and not ESPN. It’s sort of like the studios don’t realize how many people in this country are against them in the strike. They try to make it seem like an A-list actor wants more money, but most people know not to trust the CEO with the mega yacht. 11) Justified (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Revival Just Finished I’m close to finishing Season 3. This is a really … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/03/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/30/23

John Stark

Well, Hulu rocked the internet with the cancellation of The Great. Just me posting that on my personal facebook feed got more comments than anything I’ve posted in the past month. People are irate to say the least. I’m not really sure what that decision was, to not announce a final season, but it’s a very bizarre call for a streamer about to raise their prices. in other TV news, the Lincoln Lawyer was picked up officially by Netflix for Season 3, which I’m not surprised by at all. 12) Outlander (Starz) English Audio Description?: No Status: Final Season Still … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/30/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/27/23

John Stark

Well, Disney Plus decided to ditch another show. So, Bob Iger complains that the Marvel shows are detracting from the films, but he seems intent on getting rid of the rest of the content. So what exactly will Disney Plus be making? Is he preparing for a Hulu merger where Disney Plus will be making The Handmaid’s Tale? Either way, Nautilus is now dead as a series. 9) Family Matters (MAX) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Ended In the beginning, Urkel is worked into plots in the weirdest way possible. I’m sure Carl was thinking why Urkel was there at … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/27/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/14/23

John Stark

not that it’s necessarily relevant, but have I mentioned how much I love the song The Devil Went Down To Georgia? I guess I’ve just got Georgia On my Mind. (When there are strikes happening, apparently TV news is really non-existent) 9) Trophy Wife (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended I actually like this show, and I feel bad when it ends up on the bottom, simply because I didn’t watch as many shows. I know a one-and-done like this likely will never get audio description, but this show deserved more than 1 season. Episode Grade: B 8) Justified … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/14/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/12/23

John Stark

It is that time. Once again, I have no significant news. Someone needs to renew something for crying out loud. 14) Painkiller (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited I’m trying to keep an open mind here, but DopeSick was so good that this really needed to be terrific too. The pilot was kinda boring and fell short. The cast is comprised of actors I enjoy, but they don’t match the performances of the original DopeSick cast. The whole scene where we were waiting for something horrible to happen to Taylor kitsch was lazily written and dragged out. This feels … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/12/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/08/23

John Stark

I shall predict that the whole thing we aren’t liking about how streaming services are pulling content will be far more common place after the strike is settled, and some of those shows they have to start paying residuals on. So take this strike, and if there is a relatively obscure series on a streaming service right now that you have not seen yet… watch the hell out of it. It likely will get purged. Honestly, I never thought HBo would purge Westworld, so all bets are off. 11) Dark Winds (AMC Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: not Yet … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/08/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/05/23

John Stark

While I watch these older shows, I can’t help but think how much better they would be with audio description, and I want a world where we also prioritize the back catalog of TV shows as well as films. I also get sad when i think of a show I’d watch again that isn’t on a streaming service. Today’s highlight: American Dreams. Ran for 3 seasons on NBC, and launched the career of Brittany Snow. I miss that show. 14) Hey Dude (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended Hey Dude was one of the live action shows thrown … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/05/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/03/23

John Stark

I did a two hour interview on audio description yesterday, and i still had time to watch all of this plus a movie. Plus, there’s actual TV news to talk about! Amazon has renewed The Summer i Turned Pretty for a third season, while Apple plus will not be moving forward with City on Fire. I’m OK with those choices,though I haven’t even started the second season yet of Summer. 12) The Horror Of Delores Roach (Amazon) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Not Yet renewed I’m just not latching onto the Justina machado series, even though I love her. My … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/03/23

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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- 07/06/23

John Stark

Sex Education is ending with Season 4. I’m OK with that. It’s a show about High Schoolers. one of their main cast is now Doctor Who. And, several key cast aren’t coming back for the final season. Plus, for a show that should be relatively easy to shoot, it’s taking a really long time for this season to roll out. 13) Cheers (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended Let me tell you. This episode was a nail biter. i thought Sam was going to throw away everything to be arm candy for a political candidate. I’m glad we … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/06/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/04/23

John Stark

As yesterday was July 4th, you can probably guess that there wasn’t any big TV news. Biggest thing was that Daniel Radcliffe said he has no plans to appear in the Harry Potter TV series. I wouldn’t be too worried about that response. He is on miracle Workers, so he is comfortable doing TV. If the show is good, I’m sure he’d join it. 12) Dinosaurs (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended Robbie is left to babysit the baby. Hilarity ensues. Episode Grade: B- 11) Family Matters (MAX) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Ended Urkel appearance. But, Laura … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/04/23

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Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

John Stark

Where I Watched it: Roku English Audio Description?: No To be 100% fair to Roku, who has not really broken into the understanding importance of audio description and accessibility for the blind, I reached out to them. I had already seen Weird at the time, so I knew the film was currently offered without audio description. I politely asked if there perhaps was a glitch, and that audio description for the film was available but just didn’t make it out right way. I even notified them I was a film critic, and I reviewed films for a blind audience, and … Continue reading Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

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Heathers: The Musical

John Stark

Where I Watched It: The Roku Channel English Audio Description Available?: No I know Roku rarely releases their own content. There was that moment when they dropped a ton of Quibby shows. None of those had any. But, really I find myself never watching the Roku Channel unless something like Heathers is released. The last time was probably Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas when we were all hoping they would save Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. I still haven’t forgiven Hollywood for letting that show die. So here comes Heathers The Musical, which oddly has something happening, cause it took a while for the … Continue reading Heathers: The Musical