Month: October 2026

Clayface ” Review”

Release date: October 23, 2026 (USA)

Director: James Watkins

James Watkins

Screenplay: Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini

Producers: Matt Reeves, James Gunn, Peter Safran, Lynn Harris

MPAA rating: R

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Excited to check out this R-rated version of Clayface, especially only knowing the character from the animated series!

I was so enamored with the character and his story that I had totally forgotten the ability that Clayface possesses. So that first time seeing it :O OMG I loved it haha. Honestly up there for top 5 DC Films in recent memory.

Meet Matt Hagen our origin story Clayface villain of the DC Universe, played by Tom Rhys Harries. I went into this movie rather tired, almost falling asleep during the trailers. It wasn’t even 5 minutes, and I had myself hooked on this character/actor already. No spoilers, but this R-rated universe of Gotham is a dream! I’d love to bring Harley Quinn and the gang from the animated series into this live-action universe and explore a villain-focused Gotham storyline. (I can’t make a comment because of spoilers, but reading between the lines. Villain storylines can be done, Sony)

After certain events that happened to Matt, he finds himself looking like that on the poster. Bringing his path to that of Dr Caitlin Bates (Played by Naomi Ackie), who’s been experimenting with certain AI Nano Technology that will change Matt’s life…for the better?

Creating this R-rated version and having the tagline, “look fear in the face,” was freaking awesome. They put the camera there and didn’t let go. You were along for the ride with body horror and all the R-rated extras. “I don’t need no towel”. You’re going to have yourself a good time with this one for sure. Low end of higher depends, but that last act got me into a solid 8/10 great movie!

The film had a score that played along with certain darker scenes that was captivating and totally unnerving… LOVED IT! I’d love to dive in and chat more, but let’s keep it there and let you experience this one. For those that don’t know Clayface, you’ll be in for a treat. For fans, especially the animated version. Enjoy a treat :D. I’d love more candy, but let’s not spoil the appetite :P. (Would love to see him in Batman 2….mebi).

Appreciate you taking the time to come by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. I’d love to chat more about this feature so if you’re interested in more. I’ll see you in the comments below.

Possibly Whalefall next up; otherwise, I’ll be locked in attempting to finish Fire Emblem prior to the Legend of Zelda remake releasing early next month. Which happens to be when Godzilla releases and WoW Forever! Going to get busy, but you know the saying :D.

Until next time, fellow movie-goers, happy movie-going!

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Wildwood “Review”

Release date: October 23, 2026 (USA)

Director: Travis Knight

Travis Knight

Production company: Laika, LLC

MPAA rating: PG-13

Running time: 2h 12m

Distributed by: Fathom Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment

Well, Awkwafina was an interesting choice for this masterpiece of a movie… Let’s discuss!

Non-Spoiler “Review”

Let’s keep this to the point and without stumbling onto any type of spoiler. Prue McKeel voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee has her Labyrinth moment while looking after her little brother. Along for the ride is Curtis Mehlberg voiced by the awesome Jacob Tremblay, as they go on an epic journey to get Prue’s brother back from the Wildwood.

9/10 awesome movie. Totally being nominated for Best Animated Picture. I loved this experience and will be pitting Toy Story 5 against Wildwood as my top 2. 3rd goes to Forgotten Island. The score in Wildwood was truly stunning, and the team behind making this feature will hopefully continue to get the backing and support for keeping this art of stop motion alive and thriving, given how incredible this movie turned out. Maybe my fave movie from Laika yet.

Potential Spoilers “Review”

Absolutely incredible! A masterpiece is truly not enough to state the case for this feature. All the parts that went into creating and building this world were so beautifully done that a glaring voice just stands out a little too much. Awkwafina. The character isn’t bad but the voice is so well known it does put you off a smidge while being immersed in this world. Not enough to fully take you out of the experience, but you’ll know instantly the character that she plays.

I mentioned the score before, but honestly, mash up Labyrinth with Lord of the Rings, and Wildwood could be their baby. It’s honestly a dark movie. From the get-go, you’re seeing a fully naked child at their lowest point before coming to their end. This movie isn’t going to be for little kids. Be prepared to chat with them afterward if you do end up taking them. Many thought Forgotten Island was scary. This isn’t necessarily scary. But very grown-up, with dark/mature material.

The last act has an incredible finale that pays off the buildup the movie built with its 2-hour, 11-minute runtime.

I hope this gets the support that Forgotten Island never quite rallied. They’re thinking $8 million opening weekend. I’d love a freaking 40-million opener! If Coraline could get $16 million, I believe Wildwood could get at least into the 20s! Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Appreciate you all coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. It’s been a long time coming for Wildwood, and we’re finally here. I’ll be watching it again for sure alongside Toy Story 5 – What comes out as my best animated feature of 2026. I’m thinking it’ll be Wildwood, honestly.

No post-credit scene, but stick around for a behind-the-scenes making-of prior to the crawl. – Be sure to come back tomorrow night / Friday evening for Clay face “Review” 😀 let us know what you thought of Wildwood in the comments.

Until next time, fellow movie-goers, happy movie-going!

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Street Fighter “Review”

Release date: October 16, 2026 (USA)

Director: Kitao Sakurai

Producers: Jason Momoa, Takayuki Nakayama, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Stefan Makhoul

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Can Street Fighter compete with Mortal Kombat? Let’s Discuss :D!

By the end of the movie, I felt like it was nearer to MK2 than the first. Great Job building your foundation for the hopeful sequel! But there’s a lot to “fix” to make this the movie I had hoped for. But I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

First of all, Capcom or whoever was involved with the animated portions. Please make the animated movie of Street Fighter. I’d love to test it for a potential opportunity for Smash Brothers :D. Those animated scenes were incredible!

My fave characters were Dhalsim, played by Vidyut Jammwal & Vega, played by Orville Peck. Bonus fave: Cody Rhodes as Guile; his lines/scenes were hilarious.

Overall, a solid cast playing solid tier characters from Street Fighter. Which makes it disappointing that you hardly get to see some of them actually fighting. I was excited for the tournament, but I can’t get into that without spoilers, so I’ll leave that there. There’s a lot of Ken & Ryu in this first movie. An origin, if you will, of their characters/friendship. I’d have preferred that movie be told via the animated movie and then the live action kicks in for the tournament. You’ll see what I mean if you check the movie out :D.

Speaking of solid tier characters, shout-out to the three main ladies of this movie that had awesome performances. Chun-Li played by Callina Liang, Cammy played by Mel Jarnson & Juli played by Rayna Vallandingham, (Would have loved to see more of her in action).

Loved the movie when the characters were interacting with one another (the bar scene comes to mind), along with the movie having fun with itself, which is what I wanted from the very start :D. Before we get to the score, let’s talk about music. Because there’s a packed playlist of songs in this feature, get ready for an audible experience to go alongside your action/drama movie :P.

I gave MK2 a 6.5, a vast improvement from the first title. It had a lot of goodness in it. Same goes for Street Fighter. Though the Ken Ryu drama dragged it slightly below, giving this a Popped score of an okay 6/10. I’ll watch it again for sure for certain scenes in preparation for the sequel….which we’ll hopefully get….right?

Thanks for coming by Popped for your movie “reviews”. Appreciate you waiting also on this one. I had intended to write this yesterday, but getting back from the movie and being up 3 hours later for work, I was beat haha.

Join us next week for my most anticipated best animated feature of the year – Wildwood 😀 Along with Clayface in a much darker style than the version I know from Harley Quinn :D.

Until then, Happy movie-going fellow movie-goers.

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Other Mommy “Review”

Release date: October 9, 2026 (USA)

Director: Rob Savage

Story by: Josh Malerman

Producer: James Wan

MPAA rating: R

Running time: 1h 34m

Finding myself with the critics on this one – My wife enjoyed it, which maybe balances my 6.5/10 Fine Rating :S

Other Mommy does it’s job of being a horror movie. There were plenty of scenes I felt tension and unease. For me personally, this felt like two different edited cuts thrown together and called a day. When the movie felt more grounded in supernatural I was enjoying the scares. Once experimental supernatural became a thing I was rather put off and over this very short horror film. To short to be feeling like there was bloatware added on to pad the clock.

Just leading up to the title screen had me feeling like I just watched the trailer. The jawing edits, entering the rollercoaster half way down the buildup left me wanting more substance. Some better ground work would have been appreciated. I get the story tells it by the end but other than the scares. I really didn’t care to learn by the time reveals occured.

If Resident Evil didn’t just recently release I’d of liked some demon designs but it felt like a copy cat rip off. Honestly the movie felt like Backrooms / Resident Evil with a sprinkle of Paranormal Activity. I enjoyed aspects but I was totally over the movie by the ending scenes wrapped up. Critics hit it with a 20% RT Score. My wife enjoyed it for reasons I can’t discuss without spoiling.

So with that in mind. What are your thoughts on Other Mommy? Watched it and loved/hated it ? On the fence or waiting to check it out. Let me know in the comments below.

Appreciate you taking the time to come by Popped for your movie “Reviews”.

Coming up next Thursday is Street Fighter :D.

Until next time, happy movie-going, fellow movie-goers 😀

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Digger “Review”

Release date: October 2, 2026 (USA)

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Producers: Tom Cruise, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mary Parent

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki

Screenplay: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sabina Berman, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris

Story by: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sabina Berman, Jez Butterworth

Knew nothing about this movie going in – Heard it’s like Marmite: you’ll either love it or hate it…let’s discuss!

I’ll keep it as spoiler-free as possible to not ruin your experience

The parts I loved about this movie were when it leaned into what felt like a Wes Anderson film. I’d have loved this being condensed down to a shorter film. The ending was honestly awesome and worth checking this movie out for the greater discussion… but the journey into the second hour was incredibly long and had me checking out. Until that ending, I was hoping to have gotten out along with the cat…

Story tidbit without spoilers… Tom Cruise is playing Digger, a generational member of the diggers. Having ignored all the warnings, he’s now faced with the consequences of this lack of action. From the get-go, I loved the artistic vision of this film. It’s what screamed Wes Anderson to me. Combined with a great soundtrack, the intro had me curious about what’s to come.

There are moments of laughter and comedy, but the scenes felt long and far apart. It’s funny watching Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible being amongst the action. To watching him react to the consequences on screen that are behind the lens we’re peering into. If you dig the movie, I can see people watching this feature again with the knowledge you gain from your first experience.

But I won’t be touching on that to keep this relatively spoiler-free.

With that, I have 2 scores: overall, I’d say to wait for streaming; as a Popped score, 5.5/10. There’s a lot of enjoyment here and great discussion points. Sadly, the movie is just too long to stay entertaining, even if the ending was worth seeing. I enjoy Marmite on toast specifically; sadly, Digger wasn’t presented on toast. The presentation was there, but the delivery didn’t work for me.

Appreciate you taking the time to come by Popped for your movie “reviews”. Next week we’ll be back with Other Mommy! As we gear up for Halloween and ClayFace :D.

Until next time, fellow movie-goers – Happy Movie-Going 😀

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