Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga “Review”

Release date: May 24, 2024 (USA)

Director: George Miller

Budget: 168 million USD

Sequel: Mad Max: Fury Road

Distributed by: Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Pictures

Cinematography: Simon Duggan

Apologize on the delay of this review. Life events occurred that didn’t align until now to watch this feature.

Furiosa is the prequel to the much successful Mad Max: Fury Road. I truly hope we get more movies in this universe because the ground work made prior to this movie and for what’s to come in the timeline after Furiosa makes this such an epic.

If I give this a 9/10 then fury road is a 10/10. I don’t think this is a master piece alone. But Furiosa is such an awesome tale that adds to this universe and gets you pumped to revisit Fury Road straight after.

A tale told across 5 acts, my favorite portions were 2 through 4. By the time act 5 came around the movie was getting a little long however was well treated with a great ending. Act 1 set the tale and introduced us to Furiosa and her story from roughly age 10 onto 26 I believe. It’s been a minute since Fury Road so I’ll story details tame to not to spoil easter eggs.

Performances across the board were spectacular and honestly all I can say is its an epic. If Fury Road is S tier movie then this is right below it at A tier. Go watch it check it out and then binge watch the entire series all over again.

Just as Quite Place is having a day 1 to fill in the events of the before time. I’d love to see a prequel prequel that went over the entire downfall and led us through all the events to current before making a sequel to Fury Road. I love the Mad Max universe and I’m ready to rewatch them all over with this new additon.

9/10 Popped Batch for this title. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and I’ll be back later in the week with Watchers “Review”.

Thanks for reading movie fans 😀

In a Violent Nature “Review”

Release date: May 31, 2024 (USA)

Director: Chris Nash

Distributed by: ShudderIFC Films

Box office: $2.1 million

Cinematography: Pierce Derks

Produced by: Shannon Hanmer; Peter Kuplowsky

Welcome back to Popped! Fellow movie going lovers.

A movie not originally on my watch list I was recommended to watch this title and intrigued with a description of one of the kills in this feature.

In a violent nature takes an interesting approach to the slasher movie genre by taking the POV of the “Villain”. A leather face origins? I was quite excited to see that this title was a Shudder movie. What timeline we find ourselves to have Shudder movies on the big screen.

With Hollywood and big studios making budget cuts and movies with highly inflated budgets making them loose millions. I feel there’s a home for this style of film with extremely small budgets.

I appreciate what the creators were trying to achieve here. Even if personally I felt they missed the mark in some aspects. But where they didn’t miss the mark was the deaths and kills. This feature was a true torture porn flick going in on the details of each death.

To score this movie higher I’d of trimmed the fat and including some story details to attach me to our main character. Shortening the expositions when travelling the terrain of this universe would have been nice and prevented getting to realms of boring between fun moments. Tweaking the ending by saving an additional 10/15 minutes and this could have been a solid hour story with a unique and interesting perspective.

Until the ending I was at a 6/10 but sadly wasting 10 minutes on a conversation leading nowhere I had to drop it to a 5.5/10 praising the details of gore, deaths and story telling attempts. Failing on keeping my attention and having me care for this character on why he’s doing the acts that he’s doing.

Have you checked out In a violent nature? Curious to see what I mean by torture porn? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you in the thunder dome of the next review.

Haikyu!! The Movie “Review”

Release date: May 31, 2024 (USA)

Director: Susumu Mitsunaka

Distributed by: Toho Co., Ltd.

Adapted from: Haikyu!!

Welcome back to Popped everyone it’s been a little while and same goes for this anime Haikyu!!

Looking up when this series last released it was back in 2020 if you want to revisit those times. This series began back in 2014 and decided to wrap up with anime with 2 movies.

Dumpster Battle is part 1 of those 2 movies. Literally without missing a beat I felt as the film picked up from the end of season 4. Doing a great job for those new to this series you could jump in and get hyped with this movie alone and watch these parts alone or catch up with the 4 seasons prior to part 2 releasing.

Honestly a shorter review of sorts as this is literally a part 1 of a series finally so going over story would spoil the series. That being said if you came because you enjoyed the show then you’re going to love it as it felt like an extended episode focused on our main character and his friend/rival in the tournament that’s occurring to wrap this series up.

It feels like part 2 will have to pack a lot into it however that’s the path chosen for this show and I’ll be there for the finale. A solid 7 /10 from myself. Looking forward to the next sports anime unless I give Blue Lock a go prior to his first feature length film.

Let me know your thoughts down below of this movie for Haikyu and I’ll see you again in the next batch. Potentially Furiosa & Babes which I’ve yet to catch up on.

The Garfield Movie “Review”

Release date: May 24, 2024 (USA)

Director: Mark Dindal

Distributed by: Sony Pictures Releasing

Adapted from: Garfield

Box office: $49 million

Music by: John Debney

As we wrap up the first half of 2024 and enter the second half of my 50 movie goal with #26. The Garfield Movie was somewhat a rollercoaster ride from mediocre beginnings to entertaining bliss.

I’m still back and forth on my final verdict but will hold firm based on if I’d watch this movie again over IF. Am I still feeling strongly that Garfield will sweep IF? Hmmmm it’s a coin toss to be honest. I think Garfield landed on a better weekend even if it’s releasing alongside Furiosa.

At first Garfield’s latest escapade seemed like a snooze-fest. The first 30 minutes were rather painful. I’m not sure if its Chris Pratt or Garfield’s character writing however the performance was lackluster and the slow progress left me unimpressed, barely managing to stay engaged.

Once Garfield and Odie find themselves in a sticky situation with another (No Spoilers) intriguing character, did things begin to pickup. The final hour was a whirlwind of excitement, filled with great characters that outshined Garfield himself. The supporting cast brought life to the story, overshadowing Garfield’s underwhelming presence.

With quirky personalities, hilarious dialogues, and unexpected twists, the characters stole the spotlight and carried the movie to a satisfying conclusion.

In the end Garfield managed to salvage its rating by delivering a fun final hour, thanks to the fantastic supporting cast. While Garfield may not have been the star of his own movie, the enjoyable ensemble cast made up for his shortcomings, turning this film into a surprisingly entertaining ride.

Overall, Garfield’s journey from a painful start to a captivating finish earns it a 6.5 star rating, just barely making it to a 7/10 in the end.

Stay tuned for this weekend as we journey into Mad Max Furiosa here on Popped.blog :D. Thank you all for coming by for the latest batch and I’ll seen you very soon.

IF “Review”

Release date: May 17, 2024 (USA)

Director: John Krasinski

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Box office: $59 million

Cinematography: Janusz Kamiński

Edited by: Christopher Rouse; Andy Canny

Watched this movie Thursday evening and a mixture of being busy and not caring enough sadly for this film I waited till now to write up this review.

If you have kids by the way I do highly recommend this feature. It’s just my 34 practically 35 year old self where the last 30 minutes I was honestly falling asleep (I was tired so any “boring” hit me hard).

The trailers kept the content shown very specific and direct on its focus of the IF’s. Literally leading up to the start we had 4 minutes of pre show going over the different IF’s and about the movie. Someone by me said “They just showed the movie and spoiled it” mind you 30 minutes from then you could hear them laughing and having a good time.

IF is a heartwarming movie that beautifully portrays the theme of “The power of imagination & the everlasting bond with our imaginary friends”.

*Potential spoiler warning*

The story delves into the emotional journey of dealing with loss, both in childhood & adulthood. Showing how these imaginary companions can serve as pillars of support throughout our lives.

I was enjoying this feature until roughly the last 30minutes where the story took a path, I felt was aimed toward children than the story route I had personally been on till this point. While I would personally rate IF as a 6.5 / 10, it does shine through its cute narrative and heartfelt moments that tug at the heartstrings. IF captures the essence of innocence & resilience, making it a touching tale for audiences of all ages.

The final scene at the end of the movie was the journey I personally wanted to see but again if you have children I’d strongly recommend IF.

Performances all round were great and Cailey Flemin crushed her scenes which in particular without spoilers made certain scenes in the hospital my favorite scenes.

It’s sad that Garfield arrives this coming week which will totally walk over IF specially in the states as it’s a holiday weekend. With some breathing room before Inside Out 2 I hope IF does well and I look forward to the emotions you unlock and feel as you watch IF in theatres.

Thank you all very much for coming by Popped for another movie review. Birthday is on the 21st and I’m excited for a few movies coming up this weekend. Garfield review should be here Thursday morning the 23rd. Wuvering Waves releases the night of 22nd and Furiosa is coming out this weekend also which are both on my top 10 predication list which I’ve just updated totals for IF.

Last Stop In Yuma County “Review”

Release date: May 10, 2024 (USA)

Director & Written by: Francis Galluppi

Cinematography: Mac Fisken

Music by: Mathew Compton

Produced by: Matt O’Neill, Atif Malik & Francis Galluppi

Distributed by: Well Go USA Entertainment

What an unexpected delight and treat after yesterday’s viewings. I was going to watch Planet of the Apes once more however decided to check out Last Stop In Yuma County. I’m so pleasantly happy to have made this decision.

Not seeing a trailer and intrigued by the high reviews coming out I had no idea what I was sitting down to watch. Within the first 15minutes I was eating up Rhubarb Pie and loving it. If you’re unsure, I feel like by 15 minutes you’d know if this movie is for you or not.

Last Stop In Yuma County excels in creating an intense sense of suspense that keeps audience on the edge of their seats throughout. The expertly crafted atmosphere, enhanced by the captivating music, truly elevates the viewing experience.

A standout aspect of the film was how well the characters are seamlessly integrated into the story. Their depth and development play a crucial role in building tension and adding layers to the unfolding narrative. The gradual unraveling of the tale, fueled by the interactions between the characters, is masterfully executed and keeps viewers engrossed from start to finish.

As I said from the top, within 15 minutes you’ll know if this movie is something you’ll eat up or save for later when you catch it on digital.

To keep it brief for those that hadn’t watched a trailer prior to this review. This is a spectacular movie that introduces you to a scenario where you simply go to fuel up before hitting the road at the final gas station of Yuma County. However the truck from that morning has yet to arrive and thus you either wait for the truck in your vehicle or take a seat within the attached diner and wait for gas.

Now throw on some gasoline to the situation with two individuals rolling in whom happen to have just robbed a bank that very morning and there you have your thriller movie Last Stop In Yuma County. A gem of a movie that climbed from a 7 to 8.5 and finished personally at a 9/10 feature.

Loved the cast, they all did a fantastic job and I want to go no further as you take a seat with some Rhubarb Pie that you’ll die for experiencing this spectacle.

Appreciate you coming by and checking out another Popped Review ❤ special shout out to DirtySciFiBuddha for liking several of my most recent reviews and others of the Popped community like Jerzona, Raven, Foxreviewsrock, Bacco Lu & DanLovesFilm. You’re all awesome and I appreciate you taking the time to check out Popped Reviews.


Beware of potential spoilers ahead:

Just watched the trailer for first time after writing this review….. Unless you want to see the movie. Avoid the trailer haha. I think it still holds up as the movie was executed so well however that trailer is filled with spoilers.

Poolman “Review”

Release date: May 10, 2024 (USA)

Director: Chris Pine

Distributed by: Vertical

Production companies: AGC StudiosShiny PennyWicious PicturesCatchLight StudiosBarry Linen Motion Pictures

For a movie not on my list what so ever and happen to see it releasing this week with 3 other titles the dice were rolled. When a 3 sided die is rolled 9 times and there’s 3 1’s,2’s &3’s the decision was made to watch all 3. If it wasn’t to try hit 50 movies in 2024 I truly would have been home watching WWE as during this performance it was announced: Logan vs Cody!

What can I say about this movie other than it was very slow only picking up at the final 30 minute mark and didn’t get me interested until then. The trailer did a fantastic job drawing me in unlike the film did.

With such an incredible cast I was hoping this would have been the better movie of the day. I was bored. Everyone did a fine job with their acting. The story once it picked up was okay. But it wasn’t anything worth sticking around an hour to get into the slight interesting content.

The film is about a Los Angeles pool cleaner Darren Barrenman played by Chris Pine as he’s approached by a femme fatale to help uncover corruption in a shady business deal.

If you’re into the movie by this point then maybe it’s a movie for yourself. I’ve watched slow movies before that were worth the pay off getting to the end. I’ve watched artsy movies that have entertained and intrigued my curiosity. But sadly nothing hit and thus it makes the number 1 slot for me personally on my bottom 5 movies of 2024 thus far.

But hey May 25th is looking very cool specially since that’s my wife’s birthday :D. We’re going out on the 18th for an event and doing nothing on the 21st for mine so maybe I’ll get to watch this match before we go out for dinner.

That aside, go watch Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, have an epic time and I’ll go finish the 3 movies that released this weekend by watching “The Last Stop in Yuma County” and hopefully have a better time than the performances watched today.

Do you have a bottom 5 list yet for 2024? How about movies you’re looking forward to in Summer and the remainder of 2024? Let me know in the comments and keep an eye on my 2024 lists tab on the home page to follow along with my predictions of Summer 2024 Grossing.

Thank you all for reading another popped review and I’ll see you right back here tomorrow.

Not Another Church Movie “Review”

Release date: May 10, 2024 (USA)

Director: Johnny Mack

Producers: Jimmy CummingsPaul SalebaJim CardwellJaron MarquisVern Nobles Jr.Johnny Mack

Music by: Ainz “Brainz” Prasad; Ameya Saraf

Production companies: JMC Media; Monty the Dog Productions

Went to watch 2 out of the 3 other movies released this weekend outside of the Epic Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Sometimes to get to 50 movies in a year you have to watch some not so epic movies along the way.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll round out the 3 by watching “The Last Stop in Yuma County” however for today it was this and “Poolman” . Lets begin shall we.

The plot for this film is Taylor Pherry (The P is silent) is given a mission from God to tell his family’s stories and inspire his community. What he doesn’t know is that the devil has plans of his own. The opening objective before this is for Taylor Pherry to find a successor for Hoprah Winfrey.

The sheer randomness and complete stupid silliness this movie offers with stories occurring across multiple different characters is definitely not boring.

It may not be a good movie but I wasn’t bored. From terrible green screen scenes to utter crazy Nutty Professor vibes this movie was somehow made and wants to offer a sequel before finishing the first feature.

Kevin Daniels plays Taylor Pherry & MaDude, Jamie Foxx is God, Mickey Rourke is the Devil. I loved the Nutty Professor but this was just not a good movie. Like I said I wasn’t bored and its totally silly so you’ll have some laughs but to give this anything higher than a 4 would be insulting to another film I reviewed recently.

At least it gets placed on the newly created Bottom 5 movies of 2024 list that I’ve just uploaded as we now have a Bottom 5 for 2024. Check out the next popped review to see if the second feature of the day ended up on this list and which was the more entertaining movie of the day.

Thank you all for reading and I’ll catch you in the next popped batch.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes “Review”

Release date: May 10, 2024 (USA)

Director: Wes Ball

Budget: $160–165 million

Distributed by: 20th Century Studios

Based on: Characters; by Rick Jaffa; Amanda Silver; Premise from Planet of the Apes; by Pierre Boulle

Cinematography: Gyula Pados

Super non spoiler review. This movie offers so much exploration and discovery I want you to all enjoy the ride before you going into this masterpiece.

I’ve been holding off watching the “legacy” series for after having seen this movie and after coming out I’m super excited to see what’s to come along with find out easter eggs planted in this feature. I love the modern day trilogy based on Caesar. The first is a perfect movie with the sequels being very close with a 9.5 for the second and a 9 for the third title personally.

My interest in this new addition was risen by the fact that Director Wes Ball will be directing the Legend of Zelda movie next. With that I’ll be splitting this review into two reviews for that purpose. One going over this film as a Planet of the Apes title. The second being that of my trust for Wes Ball in creating an epic Zelda movie despite the obvious concerns how bad a live action Zelda could be when we just got such a good Mario Animated title last year.


Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes “Feature Review”

This 4th installment of the modern era of Planet of the Apes shows so much respect to the Caesar trilogy. Expanding on Caesars teachings and continues to develop and explore those teachings from two different perspectives from the same lessons.

I watched Kingdom with a BIG fan of the originals and the franchise as a whole. He had an incredible time watching this movie and was picking up easter eggs from the legacy series which I’m excited to explore over this coming week.

Introducing us to our new lead Noa taking over many generations down the line from Caesar in the previous installments. We’re introduced to such an expansive and beautiful world. It felt like Assassins Creed Origins with Noa and the companion to his clan their trusted Eagles.

There’s so much varied tones and elements within this movie my movie going experience was like going to a theme park and running wild through all the areas getting on roller coasters and seeing all there is to see.

There’s so much that the trailers kept back on (Great Job! 20th Century Studios) that I want you to explore from here. Honestly if you enjoyed the Caesar trilogy what are you waiting for? Go have an epic time watching this 9/10 spectacle feature. If you’re new to this franchise then welcome. You can join here and explore so much content from Caesar’s origins to the legacy series set way way way past this point in time.

Will there be more? I sure hope so! What time period will be next? That’s a question for the team that continues this series toward the legacy series of movies. I kind of want it to end as the first film starts but it sure would be nice to see the legacy movies done with current day cameras and technology.


Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes “Wes Ball Zelda Review”

This movie felt like Assassin’s Creed Origins meets Last of Us. The world building and exploration was spot on for Zelda titles like BoTW & ToTK. It can also work with smaller environments like Gerudo Valley & Kokiri Forest.

So many shots in my head were replacing Noa with Link or even imagining Princess Zelda is certain shots depending what story they end up going with. The flawless integration with the Apes, humans and the environments was truly breath taking and can easily be seen adapted to work with The Legend of Zelda.

The music has already been written for Zelda and adapts to the story telling and visuals. I feel LoZ is in good hands with Wes Ball and hope his team is as strong as the team that supported him on this epic feature.


Thank you for coming by and reading another Popped movie review. Have you seen Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? Watched the entire or some of the previous movies? I’d love to hear your (Non Spoiler or Spoiler Tagged) Comments below and what’s to come from here for this awesome franchise that I just want more and more of connecting Caesar Trilogy to the Legacy Titles.

the Fall Guy “Review”

Release date: May 3, 2024 (USA)

Director: David Leitch

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Box office: $8.5 million

Music by: Dominic Lewis

Summer 2024 has officially kicked off with the Fall Guy releasing in theatres.

I loved the spotlight focus going into the movie on stunt workers and their craft, as this is greatly deserved but often missed in the movie industry. By highlighting the hard work and dedication of these unsung heroes, “the Fall Guy” brings a fresh perspective to the world of film making.

The attention to detail in showcasing the artistry and risks involved in stunt work adds depth to the movie and sets it apart from typical action films. Kudos to the filmmakers for shedding light on this essential but often overlooked aspect of film-making.

I’ve personally not thought of this aspect sitting in the movies which was an eye opener going forward. They even included a nod to stunt workers not receiving Oscars themselves which should totally be looked into.

Now I’m not going to spoil over half of this movie so you’re in safe hands going forth. I will mention and compare this to a movie I never reviewed this year “Argylle”, the movie that had such an awesome first hour then rapidly fell off a cliff each 30 minutes to the end.

If Argylle was a parallel of the movie and real life writing a story and having writers block in finishing the 3rd act. the Fall Guy was its parallel in understanding the script and succeeding in the pay off of the 3rd act.

You’re going to want to stick around when the credits roll as they show a lot of behind the scenes of the stunts within the movie along with a fun mid credit scene.

The characters and supporting roles were excellently casted and written. My wife and I fell in love with them all and I appreciated how they genuinely made two kick ass woman rather than going the Disney route of late.

Emily Blunt is playing the director of this movie and Hannah Waddingham is her producer (Apologize if she’s not I didn’t quite get her title – She’s her boss of sorts). I loved them both and they have great scenes from start to end.

Just as Argylle had secrecy to how much is shown in the trailers. the Fall Guy was able to disguise a lot from the viewer in context of scenes shown to how they came across in the movie. I may honestly be done with watching trailers UNLESS they continue on this trend. I don’t want to see the movie before watching the movie. It may possibly be why I enjoyed Boy Kills World, Challengers & Sting so much this year.

The movie has so many fun meta moments and totally runs with it. The actors and stunt workers show their passion and look to be genuinely having fun creating this title. As a fan of Comic Con and love the fancy Hall H events. the Fall Guy manages to offer up a fun level of excitement not only in the movie but also in the industry of fans and their love for movies.

I gave points to this title for keeping me awake despite being rather tired. I never actually fell asleep as the sound track would kick in or a fun action scene would keep my attention glued. I loved the soundtrack used throughout this feature and the intro to introduce us to this universe.

the Fall Guy staring Ryan Gosling kicks off summer 2024 just as he ended summer 2023 as ken. Gosling has been hard at work performing his own stunts and grown into a fine man of action packed goodness. He has so much fun with this character like the energy ken had with barbie.

[ Prior to posting this “Review” I didn’t include a section on the actual stunt doubles and looked up this little tid bit – Logan Holladay performed the film’s driving stunts while Ben Jenkin was Gosling’s primary stunt double, taking numerous hits for the actor]

This movie centered around the stunts and action along with a romantic chemistry between Ryan and Emily’s characters. The parallel between their story along with the story being created within the film was well written that the second half of the movie really paid off unlike the title I mentioned at the beginning for failing on.

Imagine a movie concentrated on just the action scenes tied together with mystery, espionage, romance and a poetic symmetry between what the viewer is seeing and the film is creating. I thoroughly loved this movie and with a bow tie ending settled from a 8.5 to a 9/10. My wife had 2 critiques for this film which due to all the fun being had was able to turn away from to enjoy the movie. She also said a solid 9/10.

The summer is here and you can follow along my journey here at Popped! Check out my top 10 summer predictions and let me know what you thought of the Fall Guy in the comments.

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