Month: January 2025

Dog Man “Review”

Release date: January 31, 2025 (USA)

Director: Peter Hastings

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Based on: Dog Man; by Dav Pilkey

Music by: Tom Howe

Produced by: Karen Foster

The poster looks super cute and enjoyed watching Captain Underpants so had to check this title out.

To my surprise there was a Bad Guys 2 short prior to the movie. Love this direction for DreamWorks as 2024 Inside Out 2 didn’t have a short which was mind blowing for a Pixar movie not to feature a short.

Buckle your seatbelt as Dog Man takes you through a barrel of laughs, emotion & visual overload. A great fathers day movie, I wasn’t expecting to have so much love and bonding in this movie.

From prior to Dog Man existing, this cop duo was the brains and brawn of the police force. Sadly, due to an explosive incident attempting to capture Petey, the head of Dog and body of the Man became Dog Man and thus the emotion begins. Going from having your best friend one minute to being merged the next. There’s a lot of heart and loneliness to Dog Man at first.

That’s until Chief calls Dog Man and centers his focus onto capturing Petey. An “Evil” cat that’s out to do bad. You know what could top his evilness? A clone of himself! Thus Lil Petey was born! Loved loved loved these three characters. Chief is great along with Flippy the Fish, Flippy. You’re going to have a blast watching this movie.

So many moments of greatness, I’m back and forth on a 8 or 7.5. I’m excited to see more as there’s plenty of source material to expand on this franchise. I’d love to watch it again but somethings keeping it back from an 8 due to moments of lengthiness despite being an hour and 34 minutes long.

Did you check out Dog Man? Excited to check it out this weekend? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Stay tuned for 1 last movie of the month with Love Me. (Which maybe the movie I thought Companion was :P) Coming Friday Night.

Thanks for coming by Popped.blog fellow movie goers and have an awesome weekend ahead with Companion and Dog Man :D.

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Companion “Review”

Release date: January 31, 2025 (USA)

Director: Drew Hancock

Producers: Zach Cregger, Raphael Margules, J. D. Lifshitz, Roy Lee

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Budget: $10 million

Cinematography: Eli Born

When you have the day off to watch films and it happens to coincide with a horror secret movie. You just gotta take the Mrs to go check it out :D.

In my head I thought Companion was the virtual reality AI movie that’s coming up but I was wrong. I did hear lots of positive buzz so did go in with higher than usual expectations.

My wife and I had a good time in this movie. It’s a good one time watch about a group of friends going out into the middle of nowhere to hangout. I’ll keep it spoiler free so I’ll keep it short. If you enjoy Jack Quaid staring in another upcoming movie Novocaine or Lukas Gage who was in Smile 2 along with Sophie Thatcher in the recent release of Heretic, then you’re going to have a good time. Great performances from everyone.

The plot/story points can be weak and pulled apart but overall it’s not bad. A good one time watch movie I’m sitting between a 7/7.5 on this title. With the audience reaction to certain scenes I can see some enjoying this more than others. I’m feeling this sits nicely at a 7 when looking back on this feature and if I’d watch it again.

That’s been this weeks latest batch of “Reviews”, pretty short but don’t want to spoil the experience here as that’s the whole point of this title. Keep an eye on Popped.blog for another “Review” staring that of Dog Man to wrap up the first month of 2025.

Overall a good month of movies. Definitely starting stronger than 2024 and something I’m excited to see more from as we get nearer to the summer with big block busters releasing.

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The Colors Within “Review”

Release date: January 24, 2025 (USA)

Director: Naoko Yamada

Distributed by: Toho Co., Ltd.

Box office: $2.1 million

Japanese: きみの色

Music by: Kensuke Ushio

Other than an Anime Movie and directed by Naoko Yamada who directed A Silent Voice. I had no idea what this title was about. Well, that was short lived because not long into this movie I had met our cast of characters and fallen in love.

Fallen in love you say, that’s pretty strong no? Haha yea it’s strong, BUT TRUE! 😀 I honestly loved all the characters, supporting characters and the title! Colors within is literally our main lead Totsuko Higurashi voiced by Sayu Suzukawa seeing the auras of individuals through color. The use of color with emotions and expressions is beautifully breath taking before they make you fall in love when adding the music to that combination.

Totsuko during her dodge ball?(I believe it was) P.E lesson is caught off guard by the beauty of Kimi Sakunaga (Voiced by Akari Takaishi) during her throw of the ball prior to getting smacked in the face. Kimi leaves school due to (Reasons you’ll have to experience) which sends Totsuko on a search for her through beautiful scenes and exploration.

Did I say how much I enjoyed this title 😀 Well during this exploration we come to a book store (With CATS!) and meet our other lead friend Rui Kagehira voiced by Taisei Kido. It’s here during some light fun conversation that Rui asks if the others are in a band. Thus their band is formed and from here I fell in love.

I needed to use the bathroom SO FREAKING BAD after watching The Brutalist it caught up to me and I was so hooked into The Colors Within I didn’t want to leave and miss anything…..well I missed the last 3 minutes of the film returning during the credits rolling :(. Sadness, I must rewatch this film for that last scene. But it was worth the wait so I could see the performance.

Captivated is under selling it. I fell in love with this title and thus it’s going up on my top 10 list of 2025. Is Better Man a 2024 title? I believe it is right? Sooo does that make The Colors Within my first top 10 movie of 2025? Or my second? 9/10 Popped score. Go check it out and fall in love… or don’t I wont be hurt by that it’s cool and all :P.

Coming up next on this batch of movie “Reviews” the reveal of a secret hidden movie that I was able to check out early…despite writing the review a couple days later :s I’m Sorry!

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The Brutalist “Review”

Release date: December 20, 2024 (Canada)

Director: Brady Corbet

Budget: $9.6 million

Cinematography: Lol Crawley

Distributed by: A24, Universal Pictures, Focus Features

Languages: English; Hungarian

Hearing the buzz around this movie at it’s limited release and then getting nominated as a best picture for the up coming Oscars. I had to, and finally, checked out The Brutalist after finally releasing in my neck of the woods with such a slow role out in movie theatres.

Before we jump in, a small caveat. This film opens rather abruptly and fast. The subtitle text on screen is fast paced and at the bottom of the screen. I’ll have to rewatch this scene as I couldn’t enjoy what’s on screen while keeping up with the text. (I love watching SUB Anime so it’s not an issue with subtitles overall. Just the implementation in this movie.) Lastly some of the text is over hard to see areas like the sky which is hard to read. The whole movie isn’t in subtitles but when their used. It’s about 15% of the time it could be missed.

With that said, The Brutalist starts with a voice over of our leads wife as he’s escaping postwar Europe to New York prior to settling in Pennsylvania. Our lead, Laszlo Toth played by Adrien Brody is an extremely skilled architect that must rely on his visionary art to make it on his own while navigating the pressures of ambition and societal expectations. This film deep dives into Laszlo while introducing characters of his life throughout the film.

The cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. The use of space and light mirrors the themes of isolation and beauty found in brutalist architecture itself. Every frame is meticulously crafted, drawing the viewer into a world that feels both cold and inviting simultaneously. The sound design complements this aesthetic beautifully, enhancing the emotional weight of key scenes.

This movie is long, its long and it’s long. Like long long. The first hour was the “Hardest” hour to get into. Mainly due to not knowing the intro due to the mentioned critique above and then working out what’s going on and connecting with the lead/characters. After this until the 15minute intermission was a blast and fast paced. I honestly wish certain scenes were cut to reduce the length down to 3 hours and skip the intermission. As much as a nice break, Wicked a 2 hour 40minute movie doesn’t feel long after watching it again. Adding 20minutes including the credits I could see do able (I’ll explain what I mean in the spoiler ish section below).

The performances are standout, particularly from the lead actor, who delivers a raw and nuanced portrayal of a man grappling with his demons. The supporting cast adds depth, with each character representing different facets of the protagonist’s psyche-doubt, ambition, and regret. Their interactions create a rich tapestry of human experience, making the film resonate on multiple levels.

While the pacing may feel deliberate at times, it serves to build tension and allows for moments of introspection that are crucial to the narrative. Some viewers may find the film’s artistic choices polarizing, but for those who appreciate a deeper, more contemplative story, The Brutalist offers a rewarding experience.

Due to the length, sadly like Dune Part 2, I can’t reward a 9 personally. This feature is visually stunning and thought-provoking that challenges the viewer to reflect on the intersections of art and life. It successfully balances its aesthetic ambitions with a poignant narrative, making it a must-watch for fans of character-driven cinema. With it’s compelling themes and striking visuals it earns a Popped score of 8/10.

Spoiler ish section

Spoilers

You’ve been warned!

There’s scenes in the film that were either cut or forgotten about as Laszlo relative had a scene on a river bank which seemed to allude to something awful a bout’s to occur. We’re left on the river bank and go back to Laszlo & his wife Erzsebet Toth played by Felicity Jones, where his relative (I believe it was niece (Can’t remember to be honest)) comes back adjusted her clothes. In the next/later scene when she appears, she’s with another individual and now appears pregnant.

Why was this river bank scene in here? For those that saw this movie please explain. Currently it’s scenes like this that could be cut from the film that didn’t lead anywhere and had no explanation later of what occurred.

Couple of scenes with Laszlo boss towards the end could also have used this time slot for better explanation because it just occurs and it’s over.

Otherwise I enjoyed this very long movie and probably will only watch it once again at a later date.

Thanks for coming by Popped.blog for the “Review” of The Brutalist. Stick around for another “Review” as we dive into the world of The Colors Within.

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Flight Risk “Review”

Release date: January 24, 2025 (USA)

Director: Mel Gibson

Budget: $25 million

Distributed by: Lionsgate Films

Music by: Antônio Pinto

Production companies: Icon Productions; Davis Entertainment Company

I was curious to see how entertaining this movie would be, considering it’s mostly taking place on this plane and between 3 individuals. To my surprise it wasn’t all that bad. Good enough to say that it’s now created a new Popped rating tier of “Fine”.

Flight Risk is a movie focused around 3 individuals, a U.S Marshal played by Michelle Dockery, Winston our “Witness” protection fugitive played by Topher Grace, and lastly the guy that keeps this title entertaining and possibly even worth watching, our “Pilot” played by Mark Wahlberg.

The movie just goes, quickly showing us Winston for moments cooking his cup noodles before the doors come crashing down with our U.S Marshall taking him into custody. Apparently he’s been avoiding them quite some time and been quite a nuisance to catch up to.

Introductions into the film brief as they were it would have been nice to learnt more about them prior to setting up this interaction before getting to our In Flight Entertainment for the next hour and a bit. For an hour and half feature. They did a good job keeping the viewer somewhat entertained.

Despite some questionable actions from the U.S Marshall which made me feel like she wasn’t well trained to be a field agent. The cast did fairly well outside of Markie Mark. Just like with Presence, having this be a shorter movie I wont go into spoilers even if shown in the trailer.

What little enjoyment there is outside of the trailers setup, I’ll allow you to experience that fresh. We had 1 guy clap for this movie upon entering the credits but no one joined in. Make of that as you will haha.

With all this said I’ve painted a picture of my experience but I’d love to hear how your movie going experience was. At a 6.5/10 I feel as I need to create a tier between above average and good. Thus the “Fine” tier will be born :D. I’ll slowly convert the 6.5’s to the fine tier going forward but now I must rest as tomorrow holds a big day of movie going enjoyment.

The Brutalist, The Colors Within, along with a mystery secret movie all await :D. Going to be a journey, but a journey I’ll take in order to experience this beautiful industry of creating movie magic. Even if the magic on the tin sometimes comes with an expired warranty.

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Presence “Review”

Distributed by: Neon

Budget: $2 million

Music by: Zack Ryan

Produced by: Julie M. Anderson; Ken Meyer

I’m writing this at 1:18am so let’s hurry this along so it doesn’t play on my mind haha. You know what they say about 3am :S. Without further ado, Presence “Review”.

Presence takes place in the POV of “Casper” the “Friendly” ghost as we don’t fully know who this presence is. I’m going to name it Casper for this “Review”. The film starts of almost to floaty as we navigate around this home. Never leaving while always looking out. Our “Happy” family comes for a house tour to setup the stage for this feature prior to making a purchase and living there for the remainder.

I’m not going to get deep with this one to avoid spoilers / the journey. For such a short film I’ll leave the door open for the experience while giving my impressions of the film. (Maybe a small segment to end with a slight spoiler).

Picture Paranormal Identity photography style of filming for this title set within this home. Focused on this family of Mum & Dad with their Son & Daughter. I hated the Mum & Son while became attached to the Dad & Daughter. This title is rather slow and can be boring if not “attached” or connected with a character in the film. Without that connection I can see this movie having little to nothing for you as a viewing experience.

It’s Paranormal Activity with little to light Activity and more Paranormal Presence with a Family Drama being viewed from the sidelines.

I’d say its not a bad movie. But the ending did keep it from getting a good rating for a Popped score of 6.5/10. It’s unfortunate as I was interested in this story / journey. It’s just a shame that ending kind of fell apart. (More in the spoilers segment below).

Spoiler ish Segment

Beware!

Let’s Begin.

It’s established early ish on that this Presence is able to interact with objects in the real world. Then is able to be felt / be known to certain individual/s. Soooo how comes the ending threw that aside to deliver such a jawing outcome O.o.

Also, a character sets up a clue to be solved by stating a Window that cannot be opened…..the window I’m assuming they allure to at the end was never mentioned being unable to be opened… Sooo, why drop that “Clue”.

I’m sure you can break into some more than that but I’ll leave it there and await your thoughts below.

Spoiler ish Segment Fin

Thanks for reading and coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews” :D. Stay tuned for the next batch coming at you real soon.

Tomorrow night planning for Flight Risk. Monday I’m planning for The Brutalist, Colors Within & A Secret Movie :O :D. Wednesday & Thursday have some surprises instore also so stay tuned for a jam packed movie week.

We’re thus far OnTrack to 4x our 2024 January watched numbers :O which is insane!. 300 Movies in 2025 if we kept up that pace haha. I kid I kid, 100 is a pretty reasonable goal for 2025. See you tomorrow night!

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One of Them Days “Review”

Release date: January 17, 2025 (USA)

Director: Lawrence Lamont

Producers: Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi, Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez

Distributed by: Sony Pictures Releasing

Budget: $14 million

Production companies: TriStar Pictures; Hoorae Media; ColorCreative; Big Boss; MACRO

Mainly watched this movie due to seeing Morgan Peter Brown in the trailer for this feature. It may have taken almost 45 minutes to see him but loved! That he was in a big screen title :D.

I’m not going to lie, this movie wasn’t for me. The humor wasn’t hitting with me and I’m probably just not the audience for this feature as younger movie goers were loving it.

Took 40minutes before I genuinely laughed to give you context going in on my experience. It’s an okay movie personally. I prefer the Friday movies & Dude Where’s My Car for buddy duo’s getting up to crazy events in their daily lives.

Keke Palmer playing Dreux & SZA playing Alyssa are our buddy duo as they come to find themselves in a bit of trouble having 9 hours to pay their rent or get evicted. Coming up with ways to both find and earn the money had its charm. I enjoyed certain characters over others. It’s mainly just the jokes weren’t hitting for me which was hard to get through some scenes.

Where I sat in the theatre was mostly quiet but maybe this is for the younger crowd? I have no idea. Check it out if you have time. I wanted it to be on par with Wolf Man slightly under but the amount of time for a short hour and 37 minute title that I felt mid just getting through the scenes / checking my watch waiting for Morgan Brown to turn up was to much to say this id slightly above average at best with a 5.5/10 Popped Score.

I hope you enjoy the jokes and all but it wasn’t for me. I’m hoping for a better experience next week with Flight Risk & Presence? Possibly The Brutalist if I’m able to find somewhere close to watch it for last years potential best picture? The Colors Within would be nice to see also if the theatres near by get booked.

However, until then, expect to see some Anime “Reviews” coming soon. Sakamoto Days, My Happy Marriage Season 2, and potentially Solo Leveling Season 2. Thanks for coming by Popped. Blog and enjoy your movie going week.

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Wolf Man “Review”

Release date: January 17, 2025 (USA)

Director: Leigh Whannell

Budget: $25 million

Adapted from: The Wolf Man

Producers: Ryan Gosling, Jason Blum

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

I had low expectations going in. I had some moments that I enjoyed, moments that I appreciated, and a whole lot of mid-moments. Shall we begin?

The trailers didn’t entice me to watch this. Just the dangling hope for that Universal Horror-Verse coming after Black Phone 2 for Blum house features. Will this be selected for that Universe?

Wolf Man introduces us to a child version of Blake going hunting with his father before skipping 30 years into the future. I rather enjoyed this setup and loved the characters being introduced and the lore setup along with it.

Then the time skip happens. I didn’t like the dynamic of this family from the trailers. As much as I enjoy Julia Garner from Ozarks whom plays Charlotte, Blakes wife. I didn’t connect to their chemistry. The daughter was just fine with her mother but had much better chemistry with her father. Matilda Firth did just fine as Ginger.

Overall this title felt like a monster movie of the week. It’s just a fine movie with elements of being good. Something that sets this slightly above is the unique perspective of Blake changing into the Wolf Man and his wife Charlotte having different outlooks on the situation. Sadly this didn’t occur enough but I appreciated this attempt.

There was tension during this movie, even when the enemy was shown on screen, which is usually lost after the main “Scary” villain is shown. I enjoyed some story aspects that this movie had. It’s just a fine movie. I’d like to have seen a different ending but it’s just fine.

If you enjoy your monster movies then have a blast otherwise. An above-average movie at best. 6.5/10 Popped Score.

You can’t always have a Better Man of a Good time but it’s not a Borderlands bad time 😀 Thanks for reading and checking out Popped. Blog for your movie “Reviews”.

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Better Man “Review”

Release date: December 25, 2024 (USA)

Director: Michael Gracey

Music by: Batu Sener (score); Robbie Williams (songs)

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures, Entertainment Film Distributors

Budget: $110 million

Cinematography: Erik A. Wilson

I wasn’t hyped or anything about this title. To be honest, if it wasn’t for my experience in A Complete Unknown I probably wouldn’t have checked this out. WHAT A HUGE MISTAKE that’d have been if I had missed out on this experience. I won’t keep you long unless you’d like to hear more. I FUCKING LOVED THIS TITLE!. Yes, this will be PG13 / 15 Rating “Review” so be warned.

My Emotional Take

Better Man is the tale of British pop superstar Robbie Williams in his meteoric rise, dramatic fall & remarkable resurgence. I knew of Robbie Williams growing up and wasn’t all that into pop myself so although I heard this music back then. I wasn’t all that a fan but damn did those songs hit now like 20 years later hearing them.

Robbie or Robert Williams back then in 1974 was born in Stoke on Trent. A city I’d go to visit myself around his age when this movies roughly kicks off in 1982. Robbie Williams is 15 years older than I and hearing and seeing his story being told gave so much weight behind his life. The music he created and the moments in history that I heard those songs growing up.

It was mentioned at the start with Robbie Williams being British. I flipped Robbie & Robin Williams’s name all the time growing up. I LOVED! Robin Williams he’s an inspiration and idol of mine and shaped my youth. I had a life turning point around 14-16 years of age which could be why the weight of this feature, the songs and its storytelling hit me so much harder than it may others.

Honestly, it’s a shame that not many in the States will see or hear this because it’s so incredible. I was the only one in the first showing premier of this feature. INSANE! It’s incredible. Directed by Michael Gracey who did The Greatest Showman (And finding out about the sequel & the live-action NARUTO MOVIE – I’M SO HYPED AFTER SEEING THIS). This was a true spectacle.

From the incredible songs, the story and the visual choice to be a monkey? Like that of Piece by Piece choosing to have lego style. This TOTALLY! Worked. I love an underdog story and this got me in the feels.

Talk about Bow Tie endings by the way 😉 I can honestly just go on and on but go check out this feature. The last song before the last song OMFG Naruto is going to be amazing! – The last song will have you in tears of how beautiful this completed the story. From the first song to the last. This was visually and audibly breathtaking. At first I felt like an 8/10 maybe checking it out again. But by the first big song number with the Take That band I was so WoW it was in the 9’s but by the end this is in my top 10 for 2025 and will be hard to be knocked off for quite some time. WE’RE ONLY IN JANUARY FOR PEET SAKE! Incredible.

My “Review Take”

Want to hear a little more about the feature then let’s break it down:

We’re introduced to Robert Williams in 1982 in Stoke on Trent a very Chavvy place mind you. (Apologize if this is offensive but it’s mentioned at the end being a Chav). Being a Chav myself back in these days the language used was very nostalgic haha.

Inspired by the love to entertain and sing with his father, Robert’s passion to be something and make something of himself grow each and every moment in his life. When his father leaves to failing school. Robert who goes on to be named Robbie when he joins Take That was driven by so much and supported by so few.

His Nan & Mother were his greatest rocks growing up which really supported him through it all. Despite loving his Dad, his Dad wasn’t there for Robert but more so only there for Robbie. This film did an excellent job showing the viewer and audience the inner dialogue of Robbie Williams like that of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings series Smeagol.

This cinematic display of his depression and self-hate while having so many screaming fans was heart wrenching to see him go through this while pushing people away who did stand by him like his girlfriend and his only friend. This movie even offers a helpline and ways to reach out if self-harm is something you’re struggling with and need someone to be there for you.

I wondered why this was R-rated in America. Well other than the language, alcohol, drugs, nudity, and all. There’s also a raw side of depression and the depths and darkness that this path takes you. So maybe have that conversation with your children if taking them to see this title. – I mentioned this above but I’ll state it here. When the second to last song is displayed. The visuals and use of this inner struggle were insane to watch and when you see it on screen you’ll see what I mean by the hype now created to see Naruto done this way.

Totally amazing film, a must-see honestly. Even if you maybe don’t connect on the level that I did. I think the story, music, and visuals are so worth seeing and exploring. With a beautiful and emotional bow tie of an ending, this easily gets a 9/10 for me and goes up there as the first top 10 feature to kickstart 2025.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one if you plan to or now plan on checking it out. Did I overly hype this title? Learned a little more about me through this? Love to hear your thoughts. What an experience for 2025. I’m so excited to see what other hidden gems come along in 2025.

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Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl “Review”

Release date: 3rd January 2025 (Netflix)

Directors: Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham

Distributed by: Netflix, BBC

Music by: Lorne Balfe; Julian Nott

Production company: Aardman Animations

This guy above us was what intrigued me to watch this title. I remember episodes being shorter, I thought 40mins tops but back then Wallace & Gromit episodes were 24 to 30 minutes long. This was perfect in my youth…. so how’s it now? Being 3 times the length and on Netflix?

Just like how Mufasa played the Nostalgia play. Vengeance Most Fowl certainly pulled all the punches to get you in the feels. From the music, imagery and their relationship. It had it all…. and sadly some bloated stuff to boot.

Sorry Norbot but I’d have cut most of your scenes out to relive Wallace & Gromit The Wrong Trousers as a reboot. Shoot I’d love to see that updated with these graphics and go right into this sequel rather than watch 40minutes of bloat to see its sequel.

I’m being harsh to be honest but it’s mainly due to wanting to talk about the next title 😀 which was SO GOOD! haha. Honestly though its not bad. It’s just not great like what came before it.

Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl has a popped score of 7/10. It’s good. But just good. Condense the episodes and stick to a concise plot and I’ll be back. Otherwise it’s a streaming film and there’s a reason why Cinema / Theatre has a different caliber than streamers.

Thanks for coming to Popped.blog, whether you came due to the Popped Cast or a fellow movie goer that enjoys reading these “Reviews”. I appreciate having you here. Check out the next “Review” where I plunge into the movie Better Man. Which was incredible. I’ll explain why over there :D.

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