Pressure “Review”

Release date: May 29, 2026 (USA)

Director: Anthony Maras

Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lucas Webb, Cass Marks

Screenplay: Anthony Maras, David Haig

Production companies: Working Title Films, StudioCanal

Executive producers: Anthony Maras, Ron Halpern, Anna Marsh, Joe Naftalin, Sheeraz Shah, Angela Moneke

Crazy statement coming up…. I need to see Saving Private Ryan in Full after watching this!

Yes! I honestly haven’t seen Saving Private Ryan in its entirety, and that needs to be corrected!

I’ve played the invasion of D-Day through games like Conker’s Bad Fur Day. I’ve seen the referenced footage and scenes from Saving Private Ryan. But after seeing this true story on the strategy that led to all the decisions and inner workings for that to be pulled off. I must watch it, as Pressure truly builds a spectacle to behold once we get there.

Between Brendan Fraser playing Dwight D. Eisenhower (who I learnt from this movie became the 34th President of the USA) and Andrew Scott playing James Stagg, a top-notch meteorologist for the Allied Invasion of Europe. I was introduced to this true story through actors I’ve known and loved for years.

From the first scene, I was hooked. Captivated by the score choice to impact the visuals being displayed on screen. The narrative text setting up the film was very impactful and hit close to home when hearing that Group Captain James Stagg was relocated to forecasting operations in Dunstable. (My grandparents’ hometown.)

Spoilers on a true story are hard to avoid here, but the story was educational and, as a movie, very moving. Honestly, all the pieces and strategy that led to Eisenhower delaying D-Day were an insane combination of believing in his Meteorologist, over the military process from those around him wanting to act fast. The movie’s ending line from Eisenhower even impacts the truths and importance of meteorologists in today’s world. “We had better meteorologists than the Germans.” It was an extremely vital role and something I’d love to watch Saving Private Ryan in full and know this information going into that scene.

Last comments on Pressure. I loved that they panned between the strategic points of the boardroom meetings, then to the soldiers and their situation. Including that and letting it build throughout the film, really hit when the D-Day scenes played out. I was cheering, rooting in my seat. Feeling the feels and clasping my mouth. It’s a powerful scene! Going in as a 9/10 Popped score and onto my top 10 list thus far for 2026.

As always, fellow movie-goers, thank you all so much for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. As a fun personal side project to track movies watched. I’ve seen so many of you interacting and checking out the site over the years. I may not have heard back from Rotten Tomatoes. But that’s okay! I love watching movies and getting to experience all these stories. Good, bad or the ugly side of them. I love being able to experience them, the emotions created and shared amongst all of you. From this website, to socials or at the theatre!

We’ve entered the final month of the first half of 2026. I’m excited for the mid-way “Review”, how right or wrong I was from the beginning of the year. Looking forward to what’s to come for the second half. Along with some shoutouts and a review of my top 10 thus far, comparing them to the movies that released prior to 2026.

Until next batch with Scary Movie & Masters of the Universe, happy movie-going fellow movie-goers!

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Tuner “Review”

Release date: May 22, 2026 (USA)

Director: Daniel Roher

Running time: 1h 49m

Producers: Lila Yacoub, JoAnne Sellar, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler

Distributed by: Black Bear Pictures, Elevation Pictures

MPAA rating: R

Whether we’re discussing Tuna or Tuner, you’ll have a Sensory overload of a good time 😀

As mentioned in my The Breadwinner “Review”. I was looking at which movies I may skip this week with 4 movies releasing. Well seeing 90+ % on critic and audience I had to checkout Tuner & Pressure in this weeks batch.

Tuner was a delightful movie. Once our characters were established. I loved the relationship and beautiful imagery displayed through the imagery displayed alongside the music and audible notes.

What’s Tuner even about before we dive in further? – Niki White (Played by Leo Woodall), an apprentice of a New York City piano tuner, Harry Horowitz (Played by Dustin Hoffman), (Without spoilers) has hyperacusis, resulting in many missed opportunities in life. This leads to a scenario playing out where his meticulous skills turn Niki’s life upside down.

Loved the setup and relationship between Niki & Harry. We’re given a montage of their dynamic relationship between personal and work life, throughout their everyday commuting to work and various jobs. Sometimes, even taking on extra non-related jobs whilst working on tuning pianos.

With a Popped score of 8/10, this is a great movie and well worth watching. I’d have gone with an 8.5/10, but watching Pressure right after. There’s a clear example of seeing a 9/10 film over an 8/10 feature for me personally.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Tuner in the comments below. What’s your favorite movie of this week’s batch between the 4? Stay tuned for Pressure up next.

Thank you for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. Stick around for the last movie of this weeks batch – Pressure! 😀

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The Breadwinner “Review”

Release date: May 29, 2026 (USA)

Director: Eric Appel

Screenplay: Nate Bargatze, Dan Lagana

MPAA rating: PG

Running time: 1h 40m

Producers: Nate Bargatze, Dan Lagana, Jeremy Latcham

While horror continues to break records and lift the movie industry, it’s always nice to check on the smaller releases.

When looking into possibly skipping a release this week. While Tuner & Pressure got high 90’s for audience & critic scores. (Checking those out tomorrow) The Breadwinner had Critics scoring in the 20’s & Audience in the 80’s. Had to go check it out and see where it landed on my rating system :D. Was it worth checking out?

While the first half was needed for the second half to pay off. I thought the first half was okay at best. The latter really came together almost pulling off a good rating but for Popped – Score of 6.5 It’s almost good.

What’s it about for the audience to give such a high score? – Katie Wilcox (Played by Mandy Moore) has invented a Star-Minder to help her children get ready in the morning and with their daily routines. Gaining backers & interest. Katie lands a spot on the TV Show Shark Tank, which sets the movie in motion for her husband, Nate Wilcox (Played by Nate Bargatze), to look after their three children and take time off work in order to do so.

Sadly, Nate isn’t the funniest, but supported by his three daughters and some surprise characters met along the way. I did chuckle from time to time 😀 Especially that second half of the movie. I can see families and little ones getting a kick out of this. Even some coming-of-age tales can teach us by the end.

Did you check out the breadwinner this weekend? Love to hear your thoughts below!

Thank you all for coming by Popped for your movie “reviews”. Stay tuned for later today when I return from watching Tuner & Pressure!

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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 😀

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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 😀

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Passenger “Review”

Release date: May 22, 2026 (USA)

Director: André Øvredal

Cinematography: Federico Verardi

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Editor: Martin Bernfeld

Executive producers: Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary, Jenny Hinkey

Not all horror can be of the caliber of Undertone, Hokum, or Obsession. Sometimes a generic horror feature drops….

Pretty average horror movie, to be honest. With a rather weak, cheesy, pitiful ending, my audience laughed at how bad it was. I’d place this in the average to stream/skip tiers for Popped score.

Honestly, if you’re choosing to purchase a ticket between this and Obsession, hands down go watch Obsession. Wait for this on streaming or skip it.

I thought this was going to be a horror version of Disney’s Haunted Mansion (the ending of the ride, if you get what I mean :D). Sadly this is so generic it has overly used horror elements. The entity even had a generic cry sound. Plus once revealed not even the characters felt scared of it anymore. Choosing to battle it over running away :S.

You get the picture. 3/10 Skip it or Stream it. Don’t waste your $ on this. Check out Obsession or the other titles from the above list. Thank me later.

Thanks for coming by, Popped for your movie “Reviews”. Stick around, as for this batch, we finish it off with I Love Boosters :D. The wackiest movie I’ve seen since Everything Everywhere All At Once.

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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 😀

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Obsession “Review”

Release date: May 15, 2026 (USA)

Director: Curry Barker

Budget: 1 million USD

Running time: 1h 49m

MPAA rating: R

Language: English

Be careful who & what you wish for! Let’s discuss!

Non Spoiler

To avoid any type of spoiler for those avoiding the trailer, let’s discuss a little and then go in a little more with a spoiler-ish segment afterwards :D.

Bear (Played by Michael Johnston) uses a “One Wish Willow” for his best friend and love interest, Nikki (Played by Inde Navarrette), to make her love him more than anyone else in the entire world.

He’ll soon discover the dark and sinister price of making this wish. A one-hour and 50-minute experience that I was locked in for (No post-credit scene, which, according to a Google search, stated there was). Usually I’ll have popcorn to keep me awake, but I had placed it down pretty early on as I was completely on the edge of my seat, locked into these characters and story.

A $1 million budget is insane. The profit on this one will be easily come by. Honestly, I’m locking this into my top horror of 2026 thus far, 9/10. Inde Navarrette was never on my radar, but after Obsession. I’ll be keeping an eye on her next film. (More on that during the next section – Short end – I’d nominate her for an Oscar).

Spoiler-ish

What got Obsession into my 9’s and repeated horror viewing was the incredible acting and scene atmosphere created. You never know when a situation or scene could be relaxed in or be on edge. The tension and unease was spot on. To say ramped up would undercut the earlier setups and scenes.

The subject matter, consequences, underlying, and straight-up in-your-face decisions being made had you locked into these characters and their stories. We can discuss that more in the comments. Supporting characters and cast sold their roles and characters perfectly. It allowed Nikki or Inde Navarrette to truly soar high as an actor and allowed her to commit to this role/s.

I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

Otherwise, good luck, have fun, and be careful for what or who you wish for 😀 9/10.

Thank you all for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”.

Next Thursday is my birthday, looking forward to watching, or at least intrigued by how The Mandalorian & Grogu does next weekend. I may return earlier than this, however, with Is God Is sometime this weekend, potentially. Depending on whether I get time tomorrow, as I’ll be busy celebrating my wife graduating this weekend! 😀 WOOT WOOT! :D.

Until next time, fellow movie-goers. Happy Movie-going 😀

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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 😀

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The Sheep Detectives “Review”

Release date: May 8, 2026 (USA)

Director: Kyle Balda

MPAA rating: PG

Production companies: Three Strange Angels, Working Title Films

Running time: 1h 50m

Producers: Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

What a perfect little gem to release for mothers day weekend 😀

No spoilers – I’ll leave the mystery to the real detectives – The Sheep Detectives 😀

This movie had so much going for it, that I loved the ending so much, giving it the extra .5 😀 Yes, straight off the bat, I’m giving this the jump from 7.5 – 8 (Even if a weaker 8, it’s a movie I’d be happy to watch again).

Join our lovely cast of sheep characters as they attempt to solve a murder mystery! Great human cast to go along to boot. Hugh Jackman, playing George Hardy, set up the movie and left the established world with such a fantastical premise. Lore depths and so much heart created a most beautiful bow tie ending.

Without spoilers – This movie does such a great job connecting you with the cast of characters that the darkness sweeps you away when you’re least expecting it! Superb weekend to release for Mother’s Day. Go take your mother to this movie and bring a backup tissue just in case :D.

From me here at Popped – 8/10 great movie. It was a delightful viewing, and I’m excited to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you, fellow movie-goers, for coming by Popped for your movie reviews. Stay tuned for tomorrow when this weekly batch of “Reviews” is joined by Mortal Kombat 2. (Just skimmed through the first movie again and have low expectations for the sequel….. here’s to hoping we at least get some awesome music!).

Until next time, though – Happy movie-going!

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