TV Shows Watched: Earth Abides: S1E3 (MGM Plus) with audio description, Black Doves: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Cruel Intentions: S1E8 (Amazon) with audio description, This Is Not Hollywood: S1E2 (Hulu) with audio description, Dream Productions: S1E1 (Disney plus) with audio description, The Lincoln Lawyer: S3E? (Netflix) with audio description
Podcasts: None
YouTube: I had to watch some critics for some non-audio described content again.
Movies Watched: Los Frikis (Screener) no audio description, Queer (screener) no audio description, Baby Girl (screener) no audio description, Porcelain War (screener) no audio description, Nocturnes (screene) no audio description, Saturday Night (Apple Store) with audio description
Tonight, myself, and the Dark Room boys (Alex and Lee) will join moderator Carl Richardson for a community call on the ACB Link about Holiday Movies with Audio Description. It starts at 8:30PM EST, and the festive fun will be happening. So, check that out.
Best Episode Watched: Earth Abides- I’m fast becoming a fan of this show. there’s this time leap in Episode 3, that brings more survivors into this little cluster, and then by the end of the episode we’ve aged a few more years. I’m thinking by the end of the season, our original lead won’t even be the lead anymore. Heather is aging fast, and these kids could be the new future as we are just laying the groundwork.
Runner Up: Dream Productions- I want to give a shoutout to this little spinoff from inside Out. I think this is the perfect way to offshoot from inside Out, and I really enjoyed the pilot. You do get a little bit of the original film voice cast for a hot second with Amy Poehler, but it is almost all this world we have barely begun to scratch the surface with. I hope they don’t tank it like they did Monsters At Work with an inferior second season that doesn’t even have audio description.
Best Performance: Ben Whishaw (black Doves)- In the fourth episode, after learning what happened to his relationship, we see him trying to reach out and connect, and there are some really strong moments here for Ben, as his character gets this phone call he’s been longing for, just at the worst possible time.
Runner Up: Alexander Ludwig (Earth Abides)- A few strong moments for his character Ish, but there’s one heartbreaking moment that is too spoilery to get into. He really brought it home.
Best Audio Description: Earth Abides- I considered just writing “All Of Them”, but I feel like that’s cheating. So, I’ll pick this, to help encourage more quality audio description on MGM Plus. Perhaps, finally, even From.
Runner Up: This Is Not Hollywood (Hulu)- Again, kinda the same reason. All of the shows had strong audio description, but this is a random international drama on Hulu, that has excellent dubbing and audio description.
Best Moment Of Audio Description: Dream Productions- That opening dream sequence, when we have no idea what we’re about to get ourselves into, and Riley is having to say goodbye to her pacifier in this heart wrenching melodramatic train station sequence perfectly set the tone for the whole episode.
Runner Up: Earth Abides- We are introduced to several new faces this episode, some of which have hints at an abusive past. All the mentions of her scars, leading to perhaps why she doesn’t talk, and also when the gang finds where they think she came from, and there was that description of that disturbing drawing. Everything really goes to support this girl who likely can talk, but has been so traumatized she no longer can. And when one of the adults revealed her scars too, and the description behind those, all of that. It is kind of multiple moments, but all supporting this shaping of one new character.
Worst Episode: Doesn’t Exist. I enjoyed all these shows too much. I did watch three films not in the English language, but I think for at least two of them, had I been given audio description, i would have liked them as well. I’m not sure there’s one specific loser today.
Worst Performance: no real loser here either, except that Dream Productions reminds me that Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling walked from the franchise, which pisses me off. However, i don’t know who to be mad at. Someone is a loser here, and it is either Hader/Kaling or Disney/Pixar.
Worst Audio Description: Every title I watched without audio description is unwatchable without it. Every. Single One. English or not. I wouldn’t recommend trying to face any of them without audio description. Not that they are bad, I think I would give favorable reviews to all if provided accessibility, but in their current states, all disappointingly unwatchable.