The Notebook- celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, The Notebook seemed like a solid choice for a Valentines themed review. I love Nick Cassavetes’s adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’s book. I remember watching this at an advance employee screening when I was working in theatres, and the ending made me cry, not because of the beautiful romance, but because I had a family member who had dementia, and I watched them deteriorate. For me, every time I watch this, it is always for James Garner and Gena Rowlands, who turn in some truly heartbreaking performances. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are performing a different feat of being two actors who hate each other, but somehow manifest chemistry. The tales of their on set fights are the stuff of legend. So, i got a Uk audio description track for this, and it is abysmal. As someone who has seen this 4 or 5 times prior, and owns it on DVD, I was unprepared for how lackluster the audio description could even be. It abandons the audience for long periods, and in some of the most defining moments of the film, offers nothing. The scene where James brings Gena back, and then loses her, wasn’t supported by audio description on his end. That scene is so devastating as a sighted person because you don’t just see Rowlands slipping away, but you see James Garner being emotionally wrecked watching it. And the realization he’s done this before, as right before, she had just asked “how long do we have?”, and his answer was “the last time was only five minutes.” So, he reads to her, brings her back, and then allows himself to be utterly destroyed watching her slip away, and the narrator didn’t even mention him. It is like he wasn’t even there. I do acknowledge the privilege I have in once being sighted to say this, but this track gave me so little, that should I want to watch The Notebook again, I’m not bothering to find it with audio description, unless I hear it got redone. For me, I come for Garner and Rowlands, and I think at least one of them should have gotten a supporting Oscar nomination. We should be able to separate Oscar-caliber acting from films not deemed Oscar worthy. Garner and Rowlands are Oscar-caliber.
Fresh, Grade: A-, Audio Description: D
conclave- A film I’ve already reviewed on here, I watched a second time. this is one of my top 10 films of 2024, and is also nominated for Best Picture. The audio description track is really well written, tallying votes, and perfectly supporting the emotional performances by the ensemble. The narrator is perhaps a little flat, but I don’t mind it as much here as I would on other films, because conclave is a pretty serious, dramatic film. It is a very well written track, that highlights and supports one of the best movies of 2024.
Fresh: Grade: A, Audio Description: A-