Tag: Steve Carell

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The Small Screen Diaries: 09/08/26

John Stark

I’m still trapped in my own personal hell, so welcome back to Reinventing the Small Screen Diaries for the time being. I tried to watch some things today, and while my attention span wasn’t always willing to cooperate, I did manage to bounce among four very different shows. First up was the new Netflix series My Brilliant Career, which follows Sybylla Melvyn, a young Australian woman who wants to become a writer and has absolutely no interest in getting married. She doesn’t necessarily want to leave her family behind either, but they’re poor, have too many children to support, and … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 09/08/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/22/26

John Stark

A weird day yesterday. Best laid plans. Didn’t get to review things as I had hoped. Coming up this week on streaming, the biggest movie seems to be Netflix’s The Whisper Man with Adam Scott, Robert DeNiro, and Michelle Monaghan. Returning Series include Dark MAtter (Apple), Adults (Hulu), The Undeclared War (Peacock), Leann (Netflix), and Beauty In Black (Netflix), as well as more Jeopardy Masters (ABC). On the new horizon, not much. Netflix has something called The Airport Chaplin with Hugo Weaving, but it is pretty bare. TV Shows Watched: The Vampire Lestat (Interview With A vampire Season 3): All … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/22/26

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The Small Screen Diaries: 08/15/26

John Stark

Coming up this week, a bit of a slow week, Lanterns (HBO) premieres tonight, Outer Banks (Netflix) returns for a final season on Thursday, with Conan O’Brien Must Go (HBO) dropping on Friday. Disney is celebrating itself all week long with various content on Disney Plus, and features like Passenger (Paramount) and Mother Mary (HBO MAX) hit their streamers. I also believe THe Christophers (Hulu) is dropping this week. TV Shows Watched: Avatar: The LAst Airbender S2E1-5 (Netflix) with audio description, Pop Culture Jeopardy: S2E16 (Netflix) with audio description, Marshals: S1E12 (Paramount Plus), Little House On The Prairie: S1E7 (Netflix) … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 08/15/26

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The Four Seasons: Season 2

John Stark

The Four Seasons returned for a second season on Netflix, and honestly, I’m not surprised. Netflix has been persevering with this one, likely because it has such an incredible cast behind it that how could they not? It also came back remarkably quickly. That’s becoming one of the biggest advantages a show can have these days. Netflix has run into a real problem with series that take forever to film and even longer to return. Shows like The Four Seasons, My Life with the Walter Boys, and The Diplomat all feel like safer bets for renewal because audiences can actually … Continue reading The Four Seasons: Season 2

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The Small Screen Diaries: The Weekly Rankings

John Stark

I actually finished a lot of shows this week, which should free up a ton of space and shake up the list next week. Joining the list this week are Dexter Resurrection (Paramount Plus), Building The Band (Netflix), Back To The Frontier (HBo MAX), Foundation (Apple Plus), Sullivan’s Crossing (Netflix), and The Art detectives (Acorn). Also, I took a look at A Different World (Netflix) which has audio description! WINNER: Squid Game (Netflix) with audio description- I’m not quite done with the final season, and I’ve basically lost all the new characters I was rooting for, yet something about this … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: The Weekly Rankings

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The Small Screen Diaries: 07/12/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: Building The band: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, All Of Us Are Dead: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, Dexter: Resurrection: S1E1 (Paramount Plus), And just Like That: S3E7 (HBo MAX) with audio description, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: S10E10 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Sullivan’s Crossing: S1E2 (Netflix) with audio description, King Of the hill: S2E6 (Hulu) no audio description, Pop Culture Jeopardy: S1E25 (Amazon) with audio description, and The Office: S3E17 (Peacock) no audio description Best Episode: And Just Like That, Runner Up: All Of Us Are Dead Best Audio Description: Dexter Resurrection, Runner Up: And … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 07/12/25

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The Small Screen Diaries: 07/07/25

John Stark

Today was a great day. I hope to give more on that later. But for now, you came to find out whaat i watched. TV Shows Watched: The Waterfront: S1E5 (Netflix) with audio description, Smoke: S1E3 (Apple plus) with audio description, the bear: S4E10 (Hulu) with audio description, Bet: S1E10 (Netflix) with audio description, The Better Sister: S1E8 (Amazon) with audio description, A Different World: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Scrubs: S1E4 (Peacock) no audio description, King Of The Hill: S2E4 (Hulu) no audio description, Silicon Valley: S2E10 (MAX) wit audio description, The office: S3E16 (Peacock) no audio description, The … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 07/07/25

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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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The Small Screen Diaries: 07/05/25

John Stark

TV Shows Watched: FUBAR: S2E4 (Netflix) with audio description, The Sandman: S2E1 (Netflix) with audio description, The Bear: S4E8 (Hulu) with audio description, Revival: S1E2 (Peacock) finally with audio description, And Just Like That: S4E6 (MAX) with audio description, yes Chef: S1E10 (Peacock) no audio description?, Prison Break: S1E2 (Netflix) no audio description, Dexter: S5E3 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, King Of The Hill: S2E3 (Hulu) no audio description, Pop Culture Jeopardy: S1E24 (Amazon) with audio description, the office: S3E16 (Peacock) no audio description, and Sherlock and Daughter: S1E4 (MAX) no audio description Best Episode: The Sandman, Runner Up: The … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 07/05/25

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If

John Stark

This has certainly been a weird year for imaginary friends. Between the creepy imaginary friend in imaginary, to a realistic imaginary friend in The imaginary, and now to If, which is an acronym for Imaginary Friend, where a girl (Kaley Fleming) explores her grief by finding lost imaginary friends and trying to reunite them with new or reunited owners. All three of these films were released in just a little over a three month span. What If If was the best? John Krasinski walked away from the Quiet Place prequel to direct this film, so it must be good. the … Continue reading If

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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 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- 12/20/23

John Stark

Well, the wrong costume won The Masked Singer. Not the one I was rooting for, although, when the winner was revealed, I can’t say that’s a bad person to have on top. Also, Starz is seemingly trying to just turn into the Power network. After rapidly cancelling Heels earlier this year, and recently announcing the upcoming 3rd season of Hightower will be its last, they just cancelled Shining Veil. Really, I’m at a point with Starz that since they offer no accessibility, if they cancel Minx, I really don’t know why I would continue to subscribe. I’d rather save that … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 12/20/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/23/23

John Stark

I didn’t watch the parade. I broke the Thanksgiving rule. I just wasn’t in the mood. However, I did vegetate a lot in front of the TV. Took a nap. The usual. 1) Everything now (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Not Yet Renewed Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like watching a show about a girl with an eating disorder. But, in the third episode, our lead Mia spends most of the episode in her feelings for this girl she likes, only for the episode to once again not turn out the way she expected. It’s so weird to see her … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/23/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/06/23

John Stark

While it does seem like SAG is taking this latest offer seriously, they do have some things to iron out, and they’re planning another meeting. Meanwhile, it took until November for Hulu to renew The Bear. Why? Are they that hard up? The series is projected to win Emmy’s this year for the streamer. They literally can’t afford to lose the show, not with Handmaid’s Tale going into its final season. Their only other prestige show would be Only Murders In The Building. 10) How To Become A Cult Leader (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited In the fifth … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 11/06/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/27/23

John Stark

The writers struck for minimums in writers rooms, and I guess The CW’s All American Homecoming and Superman and Lois had rooms above the new increased minimum, so they are firing some to reduce costs and shrinking the writers rooms. Let’s be honest, The CW is on life support in its current state. 9) Justified (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended I gotta give Raylon’s dad props. When i first met Arlo in Season 1, I never expected to see him still kicking around in Season 4, but here he is. Mainly, people still want to take down Boyd, … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 10/27/23

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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- 09/21/23

John Stark

The Dancing With The Stars drama is getting real. A quick update for those who are out of the loop. Dancing With The Stars currently has its contestants in rehearsal for the upcoming season. The WGA has been picketing these rehearsals, and putting pressure specifically on SAG members Alyson Hannigan, Mira Sorvino, and Matt Walsh. The pressure was enough that ABC is mulling pushing back the premiere, as Walsh has caved and paused his participation with the show. However! Turns out, SAG is the honey badger in this scenario, and they told the WGA “We give zero fucks what you … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/21/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup-09/15/23

John Stark

As I told you several times during my watching of the now final season of The Wonder Years, summer burn offs are never a good sign. ABC has officially cancelled the reboot after two seasons. Home Economics remains in limbo due to the strike, as ABC has extended the options on the cast. 11) Desperate Housewives (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended I just find this show really difficult to follow without audio description. It has such a large cast and a lot going on. It likely is affecting how I’m enjoying the show, as I feel like I’m … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup-09/15/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/11/23

John Stark

Disney and Charter have kinda sorta figured their stuff out. So, Football fans probably enjoyed last nights game. 11) The Masked Singer (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Presumably Renewed I really wish that this show had audio description. I’ve never really gotten an idea of these elaborate costumes. It would also help with the visual cues in the clue packages the judges don’t immediately say out loud.That being said, while my ears didn’t direct me to the person, the second clue package they gave was so obvious. This was such a disappointing episode, because their idea of best performances … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/11/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/02/23

John Stark

Hulu is on a cancellation spree. After axing The Great, the drop came for How I Met Your Father which has been cancelled after two seasons. 12) Designing Women (Hulu) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended In Anthony Jr., Anthony is told he has a son. Oddly enough, until now, I thought his character was gay. Or, at least the equivalent of the time period when having gay characters on TV meant they never really talked about it. Also, what actually happened to Delta Burke’s career? I feel like she should have had more sitcoms after this, and all I … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 09/02/23

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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- 08/28/23

John Stark

Not quite as many shows today, but more than the previous Monday. The big TV news is that HBO has predictably cancelled The idol. No surprise there. 7) 7) How To Become A Cult Leader (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Limited I was more interested in the second episode, which found us diving into Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre. This actually brought up quite a lot of things I didn’t know, and I found it more interesting than the Manson episode. Episode Grade: B+ 6) Frasier (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Revival Coming Soon Bulldog spends … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/28/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/22/23

John Stark

MAX is sticking with And Just Like That, picking up the series for a third season. Also, Paramount Plus confirmed that the show is coming this fall, and will at least have a brief linear appearance on CBS. 12) X-Men (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended I hate seeing this show on the bottom, but narratively, they just got back from Genosha, and there was zero mention of Gambit. He never shows up to fight the episodes central villain Juggernaut, and instead we get Colossus, which is great. I love that big Ruskie. But, to act like Gambit … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/22/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/19/23

John Stark

RIP Ron Cephas Jones. Only 66. Wow. He’s sure to be known for his work on This Is Us, but he’s done many other projects, and just didn’t gain that level of recognition (or Emmy award) until that show. his daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones is also a brilliant actress, currently starring on Starz’s Blindspotting. 13) Hey Dude (Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended I remember loving this show so much as a kid. It doesn’t even play to that young of an audience either. Yet, I find myself struggling to enjoy a show again that just feels under … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/19/23

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Asteroid City

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Peacock English Audio Description?: Yes Wes Anderson is one of the few directors where I’ve actually managed their entire filmography. He is one of those very influential directors whose style speaks to cinema lovers, but always really stands out as a director who makes the kinds of choices that make me wonder how do we appropriately convey his quirks to a blind audience through audio description? He has released three films in the span of my vision loss, and none of them have pushed into my Top 5 of his filmography. To be fair, it seems … Continue reading Asteroid City

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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- 08/09/23

John Stark

I just saw some encouraging news for fans of Twisted Metal. The debut of that series (which I will start soon) is considered to be Peacock’s most watched comedy original thus far. So if you wanted a second season, there’s a good chance. Then again, FOX did cancel and ship off their most watched series because it was too expensive, so there’s that. 13) 8 Simple Rules (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended Considering a large chunk of what makes this episode funny is some physical comedy from john Ritter, I’d say his storyline didn’t work for me. … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/09/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/04/23

John Stark

Well, the WGA didn’t end up going back to the table after all. So the strike is still on. i truly believe these studios refuse to budge on AI, and the guilds can’t afford to, because they understand once they allow it in the door contractually it will start putting people out of work. When you start scanning background/atmosphere talent and owning their likeness in perpetuity, that’s the end of acting, and when writers start being hired to essentially do a rewrite instead of write a script, but it’s a rewrite of an AI generated script, their already paltry fee … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 08/04/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/30/23

John Stark

It’s a slow news day, but you know how all the streaming services have these random films that didn’t do well at the box office, or were even theatrically released, and were made years ago? I wonder why we can’t have a streamer that does that just for TV shows? Think of how many shows you’ve seen over the years that had short runs, or perhaps aired years ago, and currently don’t appear on a streaming service, but it would be fun to revisit those shows. if I can revisit a crappy 90’s flop, I should be able to revisit … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/30/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/29/23

John Stark

I gotta be honest and say, that while i realize this strike is keeping people from working, I 100% support it until at least the studios give up on abusing the use of AI. honestly, I’m loving catching up on shows, and rewatching them. Even though Sony recently had to make a slew of changes to their release schedule, pushing back several films, there’s never been a better time to catch up on that one show (or multiple) that you just never watched but always meant to. 14) 8 Simple Rules (Disney Plus) English Audio Description?: No Status: Ended Bridget … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 07/29/23

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The Too Much TV Roundup- October 29th

John Stark

A slow Saturday, but I still managed four shows and a movie. Here’s how those four shows laid out. 4) Little Demon (FXX/Hulu) English Audio Description?: no I think the most frustrating thing about this show isn’t the content, which I’m sure turned away viewers, it’s that because FX slacks on AD, or Hulu refuses to use it (who knows), this show doesn’t have it. So, all of the absolutely crazy stuff that happens, regarding demons or demons using abilities, or even our main girl using her powers, a lot of that visual stuff is 100% lost on me. I’m … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- October 29th

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The Too Much TV Roundup- October 22nd

John Stark

Good golly Miss molly. I finally reached the breaking point of audio description on one of these shows. But which one? And how high did it go? Last week, with audio description it managed a first place finish. Can it do that against seven shows that all had audio description? 8) Fire Country (CBS/Paramount Plus) English Audio Description?: Yes I’m glad that CBS seems to be sticking with audio description for now with their new big hit drama. My concern now is that the show is going to do exactly what I was afraid of in the pilot, and have … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- October 22nd

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The Too Much TV Roundup- October 15th

John Stark

Seven shows to count down today. No heavy hitters to block the top spot. So who will it go to? 7) The Rookie: Feds (ABC/Hulu) English Audio Description?: Yes I’m a big fan of the original flagship show, so it will take a lot for me to stop watching this, but it just doesn’t have the same flavor. Sometimes, there really is magic in casting a perfect ensemble that balances itself out, and telling the stories with the whole group. Niecy Nash is hilarious, but sometimes she takes up the whole room, which is something Nathan Fillion doesn’t do on … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- October 15th

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The Too Much TV Roundup- October 9th

John Stark

A lot of shows fighting for the top. only one can have it. It was a though fight this week. 1) The Sandman (Netflix) English Audio Description Available?: Yes The Sandman wraps officially its 1st season (Yes, I’m still putting positive energy out into the world), and with a finale that wrapped everything up in fine form, I can see where we’ve been and the ride I enjoyed, but also see the groundwork laid for next season.Hopefully Netflix steps up and gives this a shot. Episode Grade: A, Season 1 (without the bonus episode): A- 2) The Good Fight (Paramount … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- October 9th

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Minions: The Rise Of GRU

John Stark

Where I Watched It: Peacock English Audio Description?: Yes Sadly, Peacock doesn’t want you to watch credits. I was really hopeful that I would get to the audio description info since the Minions were dancing through part of the credits, but as soon as that was over, I got ripped into something else. My rankings, not including this, are: Despicable Me, Despicable me 2, Minions, Despicable Me 3. in many ways, this film is more of a Despicable Me film, a prequel of sorts, than a true Minions spinoff. While it does feature the minions in their antics, they are … Continue reading Minions: The Rise Of GRU

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The Too Much TV Roundup- September 30th

John Stark

Heading into Halloween season, I leave September behind with a few thoughts, and some new additions to the rotation. 1) The Patient (hulu) English Audio Description Available?: Yes See how easy that was Hulu? All you needed to do to stop getting shitty scores on this show was actually add audio description so I could follow the show. in Episode 4, the tension continues to mount, as the trapped doctor tries to communicate with the next likely victim, knowing that if he can’t get a breakthrough with his serial killer patient, the guy across the hall is dead. Not only … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- September 30th

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The Too Much TV Roundup- September 23rd

John Stark

Sometimes I wonder if I give out too many perfect A grades to series, and I want it to be earned when the episode warrants it. So, we have only one clear winner today. 1) Harley Quinn (HBo MAX) English Audio Description?: Yes In the penultimate episode of the season (this show has been renewed already), Harley, ivy, and the gang have to team up with Batgirl and nightwing to save Gotham as Bruce accidentally triggered a zombie apocalypse. However, ivy believes that because these zombies are infused with stuff from Frank, she can control them, so she sets off … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- September 23rd

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The Too Much TV Roundup- September 16th

John Stark

I’m quite conflicted today, as many of these shows are quite close in the lineup. 1) Solar Opposites (Hulu) English Audio Description?: Yes In a world where a lot of the shows I watched today tried their hands at some different tricks, the 8th episode of Solar Opposites was wildly on brand, featuring dueling storylines between the people in the wall trying to escape, but essentially running into Morlock versions of themselves, while the main family enter this trippy reality where people are being replaced, and there’s a Hall of Betrayal. Is eating someone’s taki’s really anywhere near the level … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- September 16th