Category: Good Solid Movie

Backrooms “Review”

Release date: May 29, 2026 (USA)

Director: Kane Parsons

Cinematography: Jeremy Cox

Distributed by: A24

Editor: Greg Ng

Executive producers: Kane Parsons, Alayna Glasthal, Jenni DePiero

FNAF type experience? – Let’s Discuss! Shall We 😀

To the Point!?

I really enjoy the Five NIGHTS at Freddy’s. Not so much the made-up movie adaptation storyline outside of the FNAF universe. Same thing with this feature. When the movie opens, it captures that feeling of playing a horror video game. This experience, however, someone else is driving at the helm, so I can’t back away. Then an hour of long, stretched out character story that I couldn’t care less about, before exploring more of the Backrooms. I’m torn between a fine & good one-time watch rating. – 7/10 Popped Score.

The “Deeper” Dive In

Mentioned above. But the sense and atmosphere from the intro captured what I expected this movie to feel and be about. Loved the setup & ending. The middle hour felt extremely long and drawn out, meant to string the audience along with sequels to get the full picture. They could have combined movies 1 & 2 into this for a complete, worthwhile experience.

Sadly, it focused on (For me personally) the wrong things. Leaving many questions unsolved and unanswered to focus on characters and their story, which felt had no impact on the backroom story and lore being dropped. Took me out of the experience each and every time, which made this hour-and-45-minute-long movie a bit of a bore. When there are movies out there like Obsession, coming in 3 minutes longer, it feels much more entertaining and worth your time & money. 7/10, it’s a one-time watch for me personally.

Thank you for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. Checking out Backrooms this weekend? Love to know your thoughts in the comments below. Lots of movies releasing this weekend, so let’s see if we’re able to hit 3 or even 4 movies in this week’s batch :D.

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

2

I Love Boosters “Review”

Release date: May 22, 2026 (USA)

Director: Boots Riley

Running time: 1h 53m

Production companies: Ryder Picture Company, Annapurna Pictures, Waypoint Entertainment, Savage Rose Films

Producers: Boots Riley, Allison Rose Carter, Aaron Ryder, Andrew Swett, Jon Read

Executive producers: Keke Palmer, Gus Deardoff · See more

The wackiest movie I’ve seen since watching “********** ********** *** ** ****”!

Honestly take the prior sentence and combine it with the premise and go watch this movie without anyone spoiling it.

“Professional shoplifters embark on a wild adventure as they target a cutthroat fashion mogul”.

Loved the cast. Loved the vibes. Loved the wackiness! The story came together well. It’s a good, solid watch.

That’s it, 7.5/10. Go watch it. Find out if you’re the niche that will love it and come back and join us in the comments :D.

*Potential Spoilers Ahead*

The wackiest movie I’ve seen since watching “Everything Everywhere All At Once”!

If the above movie is my 9/10 best picture of 2022. Then I can’t have this feature being an 8 or higher. It’s a good one-time watch. I wouldn’t be mad watching it again. But probably wouldn’t seek it out. Did enjoy the viewing experience and ride though :D.

Thank you all for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. WordPress awarded an achievement yesterday for reaching viewership from 50+countries. That’s pretty awesome!. Appreciate you all taking the time to come on by.

Going to check out I love Boosters? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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

0

The Mandalorian and Grogu “Review”

Release date: May 22, 2026 (USA)

Director: Jon Favreau

Cinematography: David Klein

Running time: 2h 12m

MPAA rating: PG-13

Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

It’s my birthday! This is the way 😛 gotta get my “review” in before I head out for the evening haha.

My thoughts on the critics’ response

Let’s address the elephant in the room – Critics came out with a mid 61% scoring, stating it’s a glorified Disney+ episode. That’s fair. The film’s quality is rather jarring. Constantly between shots, showing it’s on / using a green screen as a shot would be blurry/out of focus, then cut to a different shot within a scene that had a movie-quality look to it.

It definitely felt like the Moana Disney+ series was made into a theatrical sequel. There are two episodes combined into a film. With a solid, good ending fitting inside before the Grogu movie kicks off.

“Review”

That being said, this drew heavily on the Star Wars animated series, including the Mandalorian series. For those deep into Star Wars, I can see this rating being higher. It felt like good Star Wars mixed in with jarring music choices that felt like Star Wars John Wick at times. Full of cuteness (Filler?) that I can see being cut to shorten this length down, but at the same time, did lead to extensions of character development.

Honestly, I felt like it was a good one-time watch with a Popped score of 7/10. If it wasn’t for the length and glaring quality issues, I’d possibly go 7.5 for a repeat viewing of this story amongst the show itself. Otherwise, it’s not bad.

Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below :D.

Thank you all for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. Going to check out Mandalorian & Grogu at the theatre this weekend? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Also, best easter egg and series tie-in would be a fun discussion :D. Don’t want to spoil anything within the “Review” itself :D.

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

0

Mortal Kombat II “Review”

Release date: May 8, 2026 (USA)

Director: Simon McQuoid

MPAA rating: R

Running time: 1h 56m

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on: Mortal Kombat; by: Ed Boon; John Tobias

Get over here! Let’s Discuss! ;D

No spoilers, other than one point – I wanted music…I got the music….but for 1% of the movie :(. Either way, let’s get into this.

Releasing 5 years after the previous installment that arrived shortly after theatres reopened after COVID, splitting its release with theatrical and streaming simultaneously. How did the sequel perform? Personally, get a good drink (Got the Flawless Victory drink from Harkins), and this movie will entertain you. Great action & death scenes. Had my questioning who had the rights to the music until the credits rolled, and finally got what I was asking for.

Nonetheless, music was still good even if they chose not to use the music laid out for them from the video games! The roster of characters slowly increases despite having a lot of repeats from the previous installment…however! This time with progressive lore behind them, and I’m excited for what they do next. You could skip the first title honestly with the intro from this movie filling you in.

I’ve praised the action and fatalities…. disappointed by the lack of Mortal Kombat music. How’s the story? As set up toward the end of the previous installment. We’re entering the 10th tournament between two realms. If earth realm looses this fight. Earth will be placed under the dark ruling of Shao Kahn. It’s up to our earth realm defenders to win the fight and save our realm! (MORTAL KOMBAT!) Haha.

Could have been a 7.5 or even 8 with the mortal Kombat music. However, I had a good time and enjoyed the fight scenes which were executed well. Popped score of 7/10 – Good watch!

Appreciate you all for coming by Popped for your movie “reviews”. Checking out Mortal Kombat 2 this weekend? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you all once again, until next time with Obsession.

Happy movie-going fellow movie-goers 😀

0

The Devil Wears Prada 2 “Review”

Release date: May 1, 2026 (USA)

Director: David Frankel

Story by: Lauren Weisberger

Distributed by: 20th Century Studios

The gangs back together after a 20-year gap – Have they still got the magic? Let’s discuss!

Loved the throwback jokes and references to the original. Checked who wrote the first story compared to sequel. It’s the same person!. But I really didn’t care about the story in this one sadly. Having just watched the original again last week in preparation it’s not as strong for me personally.

The movie felt darker in tone with less bright colors. Which is odd since the poster is fully white, making the characters pop. Moments shone through with the music and all, which I loved the feel of connecting with the first title, but again, from my last “Review,” I was in and out of sleep for 25 minutes in the middle. AC Kicked on and got SUPER COLD, which is why I need a blanket going forth, haha :D.

That being said, without going into spoilers for a major moment that felt off. Some major character reintroductions played off poorly, written in a way that maybe tried to re-create the original but didn’t come through well, and felt completely odd after watching how the first title left the story and character dynamic off.

Having just finished watching the ENTIRE Office Fan Edition – Loved! Seeing B. J. Novak being himself in this movie. I think I missed some key moments of his, which I’ll catch again sometime down the road if another sequel is made in 20 years. But otherwise, I’m good with a 1-watch.

Popped score of a 7/10

Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Should I re-watch this movie? Or just wait for streaming to catch the scenes I may have missed. Either way, appreciate you coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”.

I’m really hopeful Mortal Kombat 2 can succeed from the stage setup from the first title. With Street Fighter coming out in a few months. That trailer was insane! I’m super pumped and excited from seeing that as it feels like they captured the game energy. So fingers crossed MK2 gets it right with the epic music and cool action.

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

0

Hokum “Review”

Release date: May 1, 2026 (USA)

Director: Damian Mc Carthy

Running time: 1h 41m

Screenplay: Damian Mc Carthy

Language: English

Producers: Derek Dauchy, Roy Lee, Mairtín de Barra, Steven Schneider, Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde

I’ve learnt from this weeks batch of movies that I need a blanket & to sleep better haha…..

This one gets interesting without dabbling in spoilers, so let’s paint a scene, and I would love to hear your thoughts on Hokum.

Adam Scott plays Ohm Bauman, a novelist that retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents ashes. (I was in and out of sleep for the first portion but believe this was a dear place of his parents which is why the inn.)

From the start we see Ohm being haunted by someone and as this visual and the story intensifies we get a lot of haunting imagery being displayed. These moments were and are what’s making me want to revisit this feature again in a more awaken state :D. The combination of dark tones on a paranormal and Psychological level are great discussion points that I loved my wife breaking down on the way home.

There’s a lot of layers here which I can see why it came out with a strong 92% (Now sits at 86%). Sadly I was a little sleepy, so the long stretches for the first half had me in and out of sleep. For the second half when my wife jumped at a scene that had me locked in for the remainder of the film.

For now, I’m going with a Popped score of 7.5. Possibly could get to an 8 as I’m wanting to re-watch it once more. That’s why I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below :D. What did you think of Hokum?

Stick around for the next movie “Review” – Devils Wear Prada 2.

Appreciate you coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. Next week we have Sheep Detective & Mortal Kombat 2 😀 very excited for those. Followed by Obsession, Mandalorian & Backrooms. for the month of May. With some extra sprinkles of goodness I’m sure along the way 😀

0

Normal “Review”

Release dateApril 17, 2026 (USA)

DirectorBen Wheatley

ProducersBob Odenkirk, Derek Kolstad, Marc Provissiero

Story byBob Odenkirk, Derek Kolstad

ScreenplayDerek Kolstad

Running time1h 30m

Well this is a normal movie :p Let’s discuss!

Bob Odenkirk is back with another action-type movie similar to that of Nobody, this time playing a Sheriff during an 8-week interim period for the county of Normal. A regular, normal town that he aims to leave in the same state that he arrived in. This small town is based in Minnesota, and as the movie opens and the poster states…. this small town has a big secret about it.

Personally, I prefer the style of Nobody 1, but I can see this being another good 1 time watch at the movies. Personally, being a weak 7 or dipping possibly into 6.5/10. It’s a one-time watch, but not bad at all. Sadly, the shortcomings for me personally came from the execution of creating a normal town so well that when things started to occur, it felt off for this world that had been created.

Hot Fuzz comes to mind, thinking along the lines of style change-ups for examples that I refer to. Hot Fuzz feels in the right place compared to this attempt.

That’s just my thoughts after watching Normal. Love to hear from yourselves after checking normal out.

Thanks for coming to Popped for your movie “Reviews”. Still to come in April is Michael, before we jump into May with back-to-back big releases from Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat 2 & Mandalorian, with possible hidden easter eggs throughout. What’s the May movie you’re most looking forward to? Checking out Michael? Love to hear in the comments below.

Until next batch though, happy movie-going fellow movie-goers 😀

0

You, Me & Tuscany “Review”

Release dateApril 10, 2026 (USA)

DirectorKat Coiro

ProducersWill Packer, Johanna Byer

GenresRomance, Comedy

MPAA ratingPG-13

Running time1h 45m

This movie was super cute, and a much-needed feel-good experience after the last 2 – Let’s discuss!

Yes, the start of the movie is very much like this: here’s everything you need to get to the destination. However, looking past that. The experience was totally earned by the feel-good, happy nature of this 1-hour and 45-minute journey.

Halle Bailey plays our main character Anna. Living the lives of others and never of her own. Dropping out of culinary school after her mothers passing she’s never gotten back to her goal. What she does have though is an unused ticket to Tuscany she had purchased for her mother.

Meeting Matteo (Played by Lorenzo de Moor) in her friend’s hotel bar. The ingredients are set to where in Tuscany to travel to. Marriage! Whaat! Yes, Anna finds herself in a situation that reveals to Matteo’s family that they’re getting married. From there, enjoy this fun journey with love, romance, comedy, and a full cast of characters I’d be happy watching again.

Some shout-outs are to the cab driver, Lorenzo (Played by Marco Calvani). The use of Anna’s friend Claire (Played by Aziza Scott) was very funny, and I loved their dynamic humor. Michael (Played by Rege-Jean Page), among many more, but lastly to Mrs. Dunn ( Played by Nia Vardalos), she was a total hoot! :D.

A solid 7 good movie. I’m placing a Popped score of 7.5/10 as I wouldn’t be made to watch this again if someone asked.

Thank you all for coming by Popped for this weeks batch of movie “Reviews”. I possibly may watch ChaO tomorrow before work but we shall see if time permits. Had a late night last night and back in tonight tonight so hopefully off on time to rest :D.

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

0

*Content Warning* Faces of Death “Review” *Content Warning*

Release date: April 10, 2026 (USA)

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

Producers: Greg Gilreath, Susan Montford, Adam Hendricks, Don Murphy, John Burrud

Distributed by: Independent Film Company

WOW – First Content Warning for Popped “Reviews” – Should warn people what’s to be discussed!

I went in blind, and wow, I wish I knew a little more….. but would that have changed my experience?

Before we dive in, this is the most R-rated movie I’ve seen in a VERY long time. It’s a shudder movie – If your stomach can handle extreme R-rated content adjacent to a snuff film, then stream it. Having this experience in a movie theatre was something totally different.

The types of content being shown aren’t held back. It’s not sheltered, it won’t hold punches back. You’re going to get very up close and personal with death. Do you enjoy this as entertainment, a laugh, or a light watch. Or the other spectrum of finding this deranged, messed up or an uncomfortable (Yet still a good watch). This will create a unique viewing experience for all. (Not to say I recommend this in the theatre. But I want all to know this content that will be displayed prior to going into a crowded theatre).

Just looking up the title I found out that this movie actually does exist from the movie being remastered in the film. Like holy shit! There’s even a freaking sequel to the 1978 movie released in 1981. For those around still then you’re truly brave. This film sits below A Serbian Film but just by literally saying that gives you context on WHY there’s a content warning on this “Review”.

This is all to say that Dacre Montgomery most recently known by myself from Stranger Things and Dead Man’s Wire. Did a solid job in his role and totally worth seeing this movie for his performance. (Remember I’m speaking to those that are prepared and know what there getting into here).

Not sure how else to warn you than to check this out on Shudder or brace yourself for a 7/10 solid 1 time watch that may or may or not sit with you after the film lets out. How deep does the rabbit hole go? I don’t want to blooming well know haha.

With that said brave movie-goers. I’ll be back tomorrow with something a little different. Lighter, but still horror – Exit 8 :D. Now to watch an animated show and get back to the light 😛 haha.

0

The Drama “Review”

Release dateApril 3, 2026 (USA)

DirectorKristoffer Borgli

ProducersAri Aster, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone

ScreenplayKristoffer Borgli

Running time1h 46m

MPAA ratingR

Didn’t pay attention to the trailer. Enjoy both Zendaya & Pattinson, so had to check it out – Let’s Discuss!

Heard nothing but negative things about this movie. Possibly why my expectations going in were curious, which had me coming out actually liking it. I call it a morality play? Explanation – There’s heavy subject matter, especially in today’s current climate within America. Where do you stand or find yourself when met with The Drama’s scenario?

No spoilers here despite sitting on this “review” over the weekend/week. The performances for the actors I actually really enjoyed. I was behind the characters and empathized with the turning points, where I could understand where certain decisions and mindsets had developed from. Isn’t the point of “The Drama” to stir the pot and have a divide? Maybe the movie was too meta and created its own Drama?

Regardless, I thought it was a solid watch where I could watch it again, either with some time apart or for someone interested in checking it out. From us here at Popped, The Drama gets a 7.5/10 Good Solid Movie. 😀 – Again, no spoilers but a little tea for those curious themselves.

Zendaya & Pattinson are a week away from their wedding. A group setting leads to hard truths being revealed among friends. Creating some hard lines in the sand that cause great tension and…. The Drama :D.

Thanks for coming to Popped for your movie “Reviews”. Stay tuned tonight for an unexpected “Review” – Faces of Death :O. As we dive into the early access to a movie I have no idea what it’s about other than the name and poster!

Tomorrow I’ll be back with Exit 8 and possibly over the weekend – You, Me & Tuscany….mebi!

Until next time though fellow movie-goers, Happy movie-going!

0

A WordPress.com Website.

Up ↑