Category: Good Solid Movie

Hell of a Summer “Review”

Release date: April 4, 2025 (USA)

Directors: Billy Bryk, Finn Wolfhard

Distributed by: Neon

Box office: $1.8 million

Production companies: 30West; Aggregate Films

We’re back movie goers with a fun one – A trip to memory lane of older slasher movies in this campy fun Hell of a Summer.

Thoroughly enjoyed the pacing of this title. No stretching moments or story plots out. Sets title up. Shows you type of action and then goes into the introduction of our characters.

Great cast across the board here. From our camp lead Jason played by Fred Hechinger. Plays the old guy in the group quite awkward but charming qualities. Then our several counselors of Camp Pineway.

(Honestly there’s a lot of great younger actors here so let’s include them all. Skip this part if not interested.) From Finn Wolfhand playing Chris. His friend Bobby played by Billy Bryk. The popular ones Demi & Mike played by Pardis Saremi & D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. Supporting (Love?) interest – Claire & Shannon played by Abby Quinn & Krista Nazaire. Then our supporting characters with their own personal charms and personalities – Miley (Julia Doyle) – Ezra (Matthew Finlan) – Ari (Daniel Gravelle) – Noelle (Julia Lalonde).

What more can I say for this title honestly. It was a fun one. Half way in things start to heat up and then all the slasher fun begins. Loved all the surprises left out of the trailer. Was refreshing to see for a change.

Grab some popcorn and enjoy a solid 7/10 good experience packed with campy jokes and more camp like humor. Would love to hear yours thoughts on this one. Seems mixed online from 55% on RT, 6 on IMBD & Letterboxd. 98% of google users like the movie also which I’m curious how that’s calculated.

Anything I may have missed before we dive deeper into April that should be checked out? The Friend? Comes to mind but let me know if there’s others. Possibly Wednesday morning I’ll release a Popped Date while waiting in the queue for Comic Con Hotels Raffle :D.

See you all then and catch you Friday night with The Amateur “Review”. Big Nintendo Day that day for me 😀

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A Working Man “Review”

Release date: March 28, 2025 (USA)

Director: David Ayer

Producers: Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, David Ayer, Bill Block, Kevin King Templeton, John Friedberg, Chris Long

Distributed by: Amazon MGM Studios

Based on: Levon’s Trade; by Chuck Dixon

Cinematography: Shawn White

Welcome to the 2nd movie of this weeks “Review” batch with A Working Man.

Jason Statham is back in another action packed popcorn flick playing the character Levon Cade this time round. A working man and ex military. His skills and family situation will be put to the test.

I absolutely loved the chemistry between Levon & his daughter Merry Cade (Played by Isla Gie). This feature is a perfect fathers day popcorn flick for anyone into action and fatherly love for his daughter. Bonded by family and father hood. Levon goes on the hunt to search for his bosses daughter Jenny Garcia (Played by Arianna Rivas) when she’s abruptly kid napped one night during a pub crawl with her gal pals.

Michael Pena plays Joe Garcia, Jenny’s father and although the chemistry isn’t felt between the family. He’s a name from Ant Man that could draw people in along with Statham himself. Not to forget David Harbour being in this title but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The trailer keeps mostly to the intro / first half and packs this feature with a ton of action. Left with plenty of material for a potential sequel this is a fun experience worth checking out if you’re into these types of movies.

No end scene to stick around for so many no sequel. But I’d be happy for a return to these characters and to see what crazy situations could come from this title.

Overall a solid 7/10 good movie. Those online are fairing a lot more mid tier with 53% to 5.7/10. Google users are at 96% so some of us are thoroughly enjoying the action packed into this one.

Ready for the next feature in our triple decker “Review” this evening? Stick around to find out how this all ends!

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The Woman in the Yard “Review”

Release date: March 28, 2025 (USA)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Language: English

Producers: Jason Blum, Stephanie Allain

Written by: Sam Stefanak

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Welcome to the first of a triple batch “Review” this evening. First up, another contender for the Blum House Universe – Woman in the Yard.

Ramona (Played by Danielle Deadwyler) is struggling with grief after loosing her husband. Tay her son (Played by Peyton Jackson) is doing his best to be the man of the house in his fathers absence & Annie (Played by Estelle Kahiha) Tay’s little sister is still rather young but has story for growth within her character throughout her story.

As the setting of this family is laid out within the opening scenes. Tay is requested to put the family dog out into the yard before the events take a turn. “Mum, there’s a woman in the yard” – From here the story takes a turn. Without getting into spoilers I’ll be vague but establish levels of interest / areas that worked into my scoring.

Paranormal vs Psychological horror – What are you expecting from this feature? I’ll leave this here and let you experience. A story of grieving told through the studio Blum House.

The use of music, sound, camera work and visual cinematography is what established a feature that created tension and put me on edge when seeing this title. It didn’t need to use jump scares or cheesy visuals. Those scenes were present but worked due to the settings laid out and built upon in this tale. Plenty to experience with this and to enjoy. At least I across the board I feel most will find this title good. Looks like online critics aren’t fairing as well but we’ll get to that later on.

Example of great tension for those into Doctor Who – Weeping Angels mechanics are in play 😉 – Don’t look away now. Dogs warning barking is the first sign of trouble….. when did it get so quite? This and plenty more is to be explored, experienced and elaborated upon going into this one hour 25minute feature.

Stay tuned for my Blum House Universe proposal lists 😀 I’m curious your thoughts on it also.

Popped score of 7.5/10 – Solid Good Film throughout with elements of greatness but just shy for myself. With an RT score from critics of 40% & IMBd currently at 6.7/10 I’m definitely the higher end of the spectrum with this one.

Speaking of laying the ground work with settings. What Horror Studio are you most into consistently? – Blum House | Neon | A24 – Love to hear your thoughts by the third title of our batch of features this week.

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The Alto Knights “Review”

Release date: March 21, 2025 (USA)

Director: Barry Levinson

Producers: Barry Levinson, Irwin Winkler, Jason Sosnoff, Charles Winkler, David Winkler

Budget: 45 million USD

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Cinematography: Dante Spinotti

De Niro got me in. The Bullet that didn’t kill me kept me there. The story that unraveled had me wanting to finish this once and for all. The right way. Frank Costello’s way 😀

Based on true events. The Alto Knights is a tale being told of Americas two most notorious gangsters, Frank Costello played by Robert De Niro & Vito Genovese….played by Robert De Niro.

At first I had no idea what I was watching. So many factions and sides to this back and forth Piece by Piece storytelling between movie and documentary. Then it clicked. I got it. It was like the match being lit before the fuse made contact.

I was in! I had my side and I was rooting for the boss. Which Boss? Ah! You didn’t pay attention to the clues ;), enough’s enough. Let’s get into the meat and potatoes shall we.

I’m not going to ruin this experience. So did I enjoy it? Yes! De Niro and all the other actors did a great job. From having no knowledge and a little hard to navigate into. I was won over and thoroughly enjoying it. Even at the cost of the fuse reaching it’s destination in fireworks.

Fireworks you say? I’ll let you enjoy, sit back and watch history unfold on this tale. Learn some history that this was based on and have a good time. For myself personally. I felt the feature was very good, giving this a Popped score of 7.5/10. Good watch, maybe wont revisit it but enjoyed the ride. Others looking online while writing this. Seem to of had the opposite experience with some platforms ranging from 39% to 6.1/10. With google users rating 88%.

With this info, use your best judgement if The Alto Knights is worth checking out and spending 2 hours with these characters. I had a good time. Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks for coming by Popped.blog for your movie “Reviews” , stay tuned for tomorrow with Ash! – Want to hear my thoughts on the movie as a spoiler “review” also let me know and I’ll dive deeper into previous or up coming batches.

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Locked “Review”

Release date: March 21, 2025 (USA)

Director: David Yarovesky

Producers: Sam Raimi, Zainab Azizi, Ara Keshishian, Petr Jákl, Sean Patrick O

Based on: 4×4; by: Mariano Cohn; Gastón Duprat

Production companies: ZQ Entertainment; Raimi Productions

Had no idea about this movie prior to going in. The actors / Producer caught my eye and …. was locked in on this one ;).

This “Review” will be short due to a fairly simple setup but a whole lot of depth once locked in.

Bill Skarsgard plays Eddie Barrish, a down on his luck / deadbeat dad. Take your pick. Having to turn to crime in order to get by and acquire money to repair his vehicle in order to pickup his daughter. Eddie finds himself within the vehicle that will lock him in for a ride he wasn’t prepared for.

Anthony Hopkins plays William, a character played through the car to interact with Eddie in this horrific yet enlightening? Experience to come for them both.

I’ve come to thoroughly enjoy all the projects that Bill Skarsgard signs up with. Locked is yet another title on his belt which is a solid good experience. He mostly carries this movie as the majority is played out within the car itself. Great camera work and story telling.

Again I wont go into details or plot points for those curious on this one so I’ll slap this with a straight up 7. Good ride on this one and glad I checked it out.

Have you checked out Boy Kills World? If so you’ll enjoy this one. Tomorrow I’ll be checking out The Alto Knights so check back later on tonight for a slightly different movie.

Thank you for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews” and I’ll see you, next time.

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Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning “Review”

Release date: February 27th, 2025 (USA)

Directors: Kazuya Tsurumaki

Distributed by: NA: Sunrise GKIDS (Theatrical Release

Studio companies: Sunrise, Studio Khara

“Reviewed” by a non Gundam fan that’s curious and interested to get into the series. Love Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell etc. Just something about Gundam disconnects. Which may fit into my preference within this discussion. Let’s begin.

The start of this title was rather jarring to get into. I had no idea of the characters, the forces battling one another etc. Until that title card. Then I was won over and fell in love with the characters setup for what’s to come.

This is a VERY short film. So short I was shocked things started to ramp up with 25 minutes left and they had so much left to answer…. so I did some digging and found out this feature sets up the series to come next month. April 8th on Amazon Prime. You betcha I’ll be checking it out.

From what I read up on this title, this series is an alternative version of the Universal Century timeline. Far apart from the original series. I was informed by a fan that the intro was a recap to catch those new to the series up with this series to branch out and be it’s own thing.

Honestly I cant discuss much on that intro without watching it again now with some more context. A war occurred for 1 year. There’s a Gundam found that they made red in the pilots image, however after a great explosion in conflict goes missing. Which brings us forward a year to those on the Red Gundam’s side searching for him.

Then my favorite group was introduced with clan battle. I loved all those scenes and the joining of the two fighters. If you’re into Gundam you’re going to love it. For me personally someone not into Gundam but glad I watched this to possible get into this new series. I’m giving it a 7.5/10 Popped score of very good, almost great if it wasn’t for that intro being a hard entry to get into.

Until the 8th of April though, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this feature. What content would you recommend I watch to prep for what’s to come. Or continue going in blind having just seen this feature. See you in the comments or in the next “Review” batch tomorrow, with Night at Zoopocalypse.

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Novocaine “Review”

Release date: March 14, 2025 (USA)

Directors: Robert Olsen, Dan Berk

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Production companies: Infrared Pictures; Safehouse Pictures; Circle of Confusion

During the feature I kept thinking how much Jack Quaid hadn’t aged from Dawson’s Creek….well, that’s because I was thinking of Joshua Jackson from that and Fringe. Any who, The Boys & Companion is Jack Quaid :D. Shall we begin.

With there being 10 days until the official release of this feature I’ll be very protective of spoilers. The marketing of this film was handled very well compared to a certain title released last month. I believe 2 scenes were cut from the trailer from the film which added to certain points.

From a romantic comedy intro to a action packed twist when our couple experience a bank robbery. This was a fun ride throughout. The last act did cost it an 8/10 great popped score placing it very good at a 7.5/10 but would recommend this title for a fun action comedy with complements to the romantic comedy.

Jack Quaid playing Nathan Caine, an assistant manager at the bank is head over hills interested in Shari, an employee at the bank being played by Amber Midthunder. Nathan has a disease that affects him from feeling pain. So much that eating a slice of cherry pie could cost him biting off his tongue. Mix this “Super Power” with the fact his love interest is taken as hostage during the bank robbery, this film goes off to explore many fun ways to implement this into a wacky over the top action movie.

Sit back, and enjoy the ride on March 14th at your local theatre. Popped Scoring of 7.5/10.

Happy March everyone, looking forward to Mickey 17 this coming week, Looney Tunes next and to explore maybe some hidden gems along the way before Snow White releases end of the month. Whatever your thoughts are on Snow White, we have Minecraft right around the corner leading us into the glorious summer box office of 2025.

Let’s shoot for end of April to look ahead into Summer and cast our predictions for the slate ahead. Thanks for coming to Popped for your movie “Reviews” and I’ll see you, next batch.

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The Monkey “Review”

Release date: February 21, 2025 (USA)

Director: Oz Perkins

Adapted from: The Monkey

Distributed by: Neon

Budget: $10–11 million

Cinematography: Nico Aguilar

Getting a little behind after my surgery so let’s speed run this and get caught up with the Oscars shall we :D.

From the opening scene with Adam Scott (My wife and I just started watching Severance during my recovery which was cool seeing him in the intro of The Monkey), to the intro when our twin brothers are in their youth and seeing Tatiana Maslany playing their mother.

I was rather entertained and digging this feature. Placing it easily at an 8/10 for it’s greatness. Capturing the fun energy of gory kills that Hearts Eyes didn’t quite capture for me personally but did for so many others.

Tatiana Maslany smashes the roll out the park channeling the performance to her Orphan Black era which is one of my all time favorite shows of all time. (Fingers crossed she can continue from here and course correct the awful writing/script she was delt with She-Hulk).

The Monkey is centered around two twin brothers whom inherit a “toy” (Don’t call it a toy) wind-up monkey which results in the death of individuals throughout the movie. Splitting the movie between their childhood and then 25 years later in their adult years. This movie certainly takes a decline as certain threads and plot points collide in an awkward mess ruining the greatness that was setup earlier.

It’s a good watch maybe even very good but sadly ends shy of being great due to those last act weakness’s. Did you get a chance to check out The Monkey? Love to hear your thoughts and with that, let’s jump over to the Oscars and get caught up shall we :D.

Popped “Review” score of 7.5/10 – Not to shabby on a 10-11 Million $ Budget to make some box office $. Still insane to hear Ne Zha 2 which has hit over 2Billion Dollars was made on a 80Million budget. Insane!

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Paddington in Peru “Review”

Release date: February 14, 2025 (USA)

Director: Dougal Wilson

Story by: Paul King; Simon Farnaby; Mark Burton

Distributed by: StudioCanal, Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing

Based on: Paddington Bear; by Michael Bond

Box office: $104 million

Paddington may have gotten older since releasing in England vs now in the states, but lets buckle up for another charming dose of Paddington Brown. Now adventuring within Peru.

This is the third installment of the franchise and maybe the last? I honestly have no idea but it sure feels like a wrap on this series with all the characters getting older. Some leaving the nest, others finding their way and even a nod to some throw backs throughout the series.

Despite briefly seeing her at the end of the second feature. Aunt Lucy has become depressed, acting out of character and getting herself lost on an adventure. The Reverend Mother of the Home for Retired Bears, sends word to Paddington in hopes that reuniting him with his Aunt this would help in her depression.

Sadly the trailer shows 85% of the story so you know what comes next. Paddington and the Brown family will go off to look for Aunt Lucy while getting into many adventures along the way. This is the third installment so you’ll know if this franchise is for you by now…..right?

I honestly wish the film had the same energy from the ending scenes for it’s entirety. This could have pushed it into a repeat viewing. However this is a still a good fun movie and worth seeing. Popped scores this batch a 7.5/10.

Tomorrow I’ll try checkout both Captain America 4 along with Ne Zha 2. Then Nickle Boys for the best picture nomination on Sunday, before having surgery on Tuesday :D.

I’ll post my Oscar thoughts during next weekend after seeing Nickle Boys and maybe Emelia Perez/I’m Still Here.

Thank you for coming by Popped.blog for your “Reviews” and love to hear your thoughts on movies released thus far or even coming out soon for 2025.

Until next time! Keep on Popping 😀

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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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