One more show today than last, but before I jump on in, I’d like to point out the uniqueness of one of the titles. You might notice something here that previously did not have audio description. I have started into From, which is an MGM Plus original, and it did not used to have AD, but has added audio description. HOWEVER. Remember, the *ONLY* way to get the MGM Plus audio description for shows like From and Earth Abides, unfortunately, is to do so by having MGM Plus as a Prime Channel Add-On to your existing Prime subscription. And now, my list.
TV Shows Watched: From: S1E1 (MGM Plus) with audio description, Secret Level: S1E5 (Amazon) with audio description, Ghosts: S1E9 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, and Pop Culture Jeopardy: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description
movies Watched: Collateral (PAramount Plus) with audio description, Furiosa (Netflix) with audio description
Best Episode: From- What a deliciously interesting show. No wonder people have jumped on the fan bandwagon. The pilot episode really puts you right in the middle of a world that seems like ours, but clearly has some differences, and doesn’t really explain them right away. It is like watching something in progress. You don’t get character introductions in typical fashion. There’s this little town, and they clearly have a thing about being indoors at night. You will find out why (And, No, this is not a 30 Days of Night TV Show). There’s this thing that happens, really sets the tone, and we start to know a few people by the jobs they perform. Then, we have new people coming into the town, and we still aren’t 100% sure ourselves what the hell is going on. All that stuff with the ravens, the road that kept circling around, there is so much lore to explain after the pilot, but I was super hooked.
Best Performance: Best Performance That Wasn’t In A Movie: Harold Perrineau (From)- I’ve been a fan since Lost, aware of him even before that. He spent so much time on lost trying to find Walt. But, here, he is the central character we learn the most about in the pilot of From. he portrays the Sheriff, and he had a particularly strong scene where he takes this drunk man who didn’t make it home to his family that night, and shows him the repercussions of his shitty behavior (which, by the way, are dire). He’s likely the anchor of the series, and it’s nice to see him back in a science-fiction show with a ton of lore in it to uncover, just like Lost.
Best Audio Description: From- It is sweeping.The competition for it basically just Ghosts, but still. Roy Samuelson narrates here, and he does a solid job from the beginning of not leaning too much either way. When you get into certain parts, it starts to feel like a William Michael Redman thing, where the grit in his voice may match with the more horror leaning aspects of the show, but the first episode is so much like Pandora’s box has just been opened, and no one knows what is going on. Roy is a great choice for a show that doesn’t want to be clearly defined right away, and has a lot to discover. The writing is certainly on point, as there is a lot going on here. We have all new characters, a place we’ve never been, and a set of rules to define the show. I did feel like the show was lacking in ethnic specific descriptions, but aren’t a lot of shows? And like I said, Ghosts is the next strongest competitor, and this wasn’t the right episode to elevate Ghosts.
Best Moment Of Audio Description: From- Collateral- It’ll be a minute before i get there, but having seen this film before my loss of sight, a few times, the audio description here was very strong. Several moments stood out to me, but I did really love the climax of the film, when Vincent is inside the building, and Max is across looking through the windows, trying to save a life. People are on different floors, and Jamie Foxx’s viewpoint is so specific. Plus, you have the low battery phone, as well as the phone line light that Cruise notices. That whole scene is full of tension. So many scenes worked, from the final subway scene, to the iconic moment at the jazz club. Really well done.
Worst…Anything?: I’ve mentioned balancing before. The audio description on Pop Culture Jeopardy is not balanced properly. it is far louder than the show, so if I have the TV set at normal level to hear the questions, the description is twice as loud. I realize that some TV’s can balance, a feature people wanted added to TV’s since commercial breaks were always louder, but not everyone has the same thing, or watches on TV’s anymore. The best way to get the experience optimal, is to just make the best product to begin with, so it never needs to be filtered through a secondary balancing. People watch on TV, Computers, Smart Phones, Tablets, VR Headsets, Movie Theatres, etc. If we get it right the first time, that would be the best case scenario. Also, the reason I avoided Ghosts, is that I didn’t quite follow the body swap thing and who was visible when during the possessions? Was it just the alive actors seen, and the ghosts voices? Or… something else. the whole episode hinged on that, and I was a little confused.
