Thelma “Review”

Release date: June 21, 2024 (USA)

Director: Josh Margolin

Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures

Produced by: Zoë Worth; Chris Kaye; Nicholas Weinstock; Benjamin Simpson; Karl Spoerri; Viviana Vezzani

Production companies: Zurich Avenue; Invention Studios; Bandwagon

Thelma’s trailer got me with a real life comparison and I had to check it out.

For those that haven’t seen the trailer or know nothing about Thelma. This is a mission impossible story inspired by Tom Cruise doing his own stunts for a 93 year old woman when she’s scammed of $10,000.

When you’re told theirs’s nothing the authorities can do and you’re embarrassed and upset to involve your family. It’s up to yourself and maybe some helpful friends to assist in getting this money back.

If you’ve ever seen any of the “100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared” movies then you’re going to enjoy this as their a tier below what Thelma is.

Thelma has so much heart. So much emotion and emotional self journeys by multiple characters as they come to terms with either growing old, bettering themselves for the sake of others. The loss of friends and family or the eventual inevitable and what’ll it mean to one another. On the other hand there’s this epic 93 year old action movie which is fairly grounded and will relate to those in their elder years along with adults 25+ I’d say.

Such a good solid watch I’d recommend to check out this summer movie going season. Thelma gets a solid 7.5/10 getting the closest to a 8/10 as possible.

Stand out performances from June Squibb playing Thelma Post along with Richard Roundtree playing her friend Ben. The supporting family were good but mostly saved by Clark Gregg playing Alan the Son in law to Thelma. Gail the mum played by Parker Posey & Danny the grandson of Thelma played by Fred Hechinger had some good scenes but the other characters are what kept this movie going in the solid 7 tier. Maybe I’d watch again if someone wants to see for first time but happy to have spent an hour and a half with Thelma.

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Inside Out 2 “Review”

Release date: June 14, 2024 (USA)

Director: Kelsey Mann

Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Budget: $200 million

Edited by: Maurissa Horwitz

Music by: Andrea Datzman

Hey! Prowen’s Anxiety here to start things off. Really hope you enjoy this movie and have a great time. Or not it’s whatever, enjoy or not. I WONT GET ANGRY or upset over it. Wow to write something so cool I’m envious of Prowen and his, ICK! That was disgusting guys what were you thinking. I’m so embarrassed I fear for what’s to come.

Haha anyway with that out of the way Joy here to take control and run you through this “review”. Sooner you read the faster we can get your emotions into gear to watch Inside Out 2 at your local theatre.

Sadly it’s been a minute since watching the first film and after watching this I’ll be revisiting it prior to my second watch of the sequel. Inside Out 2 once again follows our main character Riley as the movie sets up the sequel during her hockey game. Recapping Riley’s emotion within this game was a clever way to bring new viewers into the fold while connecting the first film to the events of the sequel for those fans returning for the sequel.

As the day comes to a close and Riley settles in for a good night sleep prior to her hockey camp. Puberty unexpecting-Ly hits and our lovely bunch of emotions get introduced to a whole new world of feelings and situations to understand and deal with.

I’m not going to dive into easter eggs nor spoilers. This is a fantastic 1 hour and 29 Minute journey to emotionally explore and self discover. Stay to the end of the 8 minute credits for a little hidden secret ;).

If you’d like to dive a little further into this sequel than that then carry on reading spoiler free still.

I left the movie feeling like Pixar had returned. I explored and experienced so many emotions throughout this movie and that’s what Pixar has always done best. In my viewing we literally had 3 sides of the experience. Myself with a 9/10 experience. Literally made me cry twice, bursting out laughing several bajillion times along with another viewer probably a little more in the middle happy watching it once probably not twice. Then the other audience member having not watched the first movie happy to have watched it but never again and probably wont check out the first.

Emotions are powerful and the experiences and memories created through life make up our foundation and character. Just like Riley, she’s developed and continued to grow up. She’s created complex emotions and systems of character and a powerful belief system making up her inner core self.

This takes her and the audience through a deep exploration of inner and outer emotions of self discovery of whom we are as an individual. Are we good people? Are we good enough? Are we mean? Bad? Sarcastic? Etc. etc. If the first movie hit you in the feels in anyway, then go watch the sequel and have a blast.

Is this a 10/10 movie? Probably not. But would I watch this again and again? Totally! Placing it in my top 10 list thus far for 2024 with another 9/10 Popped review. I look forward to watching Riley continue to go through school and maybe even end up as a young adult in the sequel looking for a job after graduating. This would place the sequel roughly in another 5 years time and a perfect gap between sequels to not over do this franchise.

Thank you all for coming by for another Popped review. Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and let me know if your emotions were struck watching this sequel. Did the review play with your heart strings and what emotions do you choose to drive your daily self?

Until next time! Prowen pOpped Out 😀

P.S – Sadness & Embarrassment are my faves and Embarrassment is MVP ❤

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Bad Boys Ride or Die “Review”

Release date: June 5, 2024 (USA)

Directors: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah

Budget: $100 million

Distributed by: Sony Pictures Releasing

Based on: Characters; by George Gallo

Cinematography: Robrecht Heyvaert

Whilst getting the photos for this review posting, I looked into how old Will Smith & Martin Lawrence are now. I had no idea that Will was 55 and Martin was coming up to 60 years old. These guys are looking incredible and I can see them wrapping up or passing this franchise off in the 5th installment if we get another one.

Just yesterday I was able to watch the 3rd feature for the first time in preparation for the fourth installment. From start to middle ish I felt the same energy as the 3rd title. Which I enjoyed btw probably around a 7. However, despite a weak momentum up and down during the middle. This feature comes into its own into the second half of the movie once someone joins the team (No Small Spoilers Until The End).

It combined so much growth that has been developing and established in the previous 3 titles. This wasn’t a sequel for sequel sake but a film that continues to build on the building blocks before it to make something truly worth enjoying and sitting down at the movies for.

The crowd was cheering and laughing along to many moments of Ride & Die including an explosive round of applause at the end as credits rolled. Of which by the way are very short and offers no end scene like the third feature did.

The plot focuses on the continuation to the previous installment with their late police captain, now being linked to drug cartels and our epic duo team Marcus & Mike embark on a dangerous mission to clear his name.

Overall from start to middle I’d of given this a 7/10 however the second half just kept building and building to land a 8.5 strong ending that took the franchise from retirement to another solid title before potentially handing this over to “the next generation” as we get to live the remainder of the series with them in the back seat.

Creating some space between the review above and the Spoiler ish area.

Appreciate you all for reading and coming to Popped to hear my “Review” on the theatrical features coming out in 2024. I’ll continue to tweak and find my style throughout this year to grow and improve this format for years to come.

Rating system I’m thinking of ironing out for better understanding for the reader is that 5 is average. Anything 6 or above are still good to master piece titles and still worth viewing.

When a title has .5 it either had something that pushed it up toward the next rating or dropped due to failing on a particular area holding it back.

Stay tuned for Friday as I upload that rating system. I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions on this system as I continue to grow the amount of movies watched year over year. 2024 = 50+ 2025 = 70+ Until we reach 100+ movies a year.

Spoiler ish Town

The moment Armando (Mike’s Son) joins the team is when the struggles of the middle wade through into a joyous time. The cast start to have fun it feels and it radiates on the screen and felt (at least to my audience) by the viewer.

Lots of cool action scenes to see on the big screen. Go watch this in theatres you’ll have a blast.

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The Watchers “Review”

Release date: June 7, 2024 (USA)

Director: Ishana Night Shyamalan

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on: The Watchers; by A. M. Shine

Cinematography: Eli Arenson

Music by: Abel Korzeniowski

I didn’t know this was based on a horror novel until now. Fun fact 😀 – The Night Shyamalan family name was what brought my interest into this film. The Watchers was directed by his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan.

Her prior works were “Old” back in 2021 along with “Knock at the Cabin” in 2023 as a second unit director to her father who Directed them both. Knowing this information I can definitely see her style coming through which sets her apart from her fathers work. If Old was a dud, Cabin had promise, then I see her work improving which may give insight into this review before diving into the movie itself.

The Watchers sets this movie up perfectly to hook your interest. Some of the most epic of designs shown without being shown to the viewer. Less is more approach was taken and the sound work was let loose to captivate.

The feature introduces the audience to this expansive world within an untouched forest in western Ireland. We find ourselves following the story from the perspective of Mina and her MVP of a bird.

Something strange is going on within this forest, many individuals have gotten lost never to return. What happens when one goes past the sign of no return?

Well the Watchers shall be sure to inform you of this rather quickly upon nightfall. Stay within the light. Don’t turn your back to the mirror. Don’t open the door after dark and don’t go near the burrows. The Watchers see you but you don’t see them.

This will be a non spoiler review so I’ll be vague until the end when I tag spoiler section for all to be prepared.

Mina finds herself joining 3 other individuals whom fate aligns with her own. Stay within the shelter at night. Venture out during the day for resources / food and surrender this as her new way of living.

I’ll leave the story here for you to explore and if interested in somewhat more of a tease stick around for the tid bit spoiler section at the end.

I mentioned it earlier but I can’t express my love enough over the sound work in this film. I felt like things were around me. There was literally a scene that stole my breath away in complete tension. Who every created these watchers made the coolest designs.

Now before jumping into spoiler ish town. I’m giving this a personal rating of 6.5/10. It could have been a 7 and for others maybe a 7.5 however without going into further details I’d love you to explore this title and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Spoilers ish Town

Less is more was a key, however the more you see of these Watchers the less I was intrigued and more disappointed the film went a generic direction.

If you’re into D&D / Lore & Fantasy then you could very well dive into this feature and have a feast of it. That’s why my 6.5 – 7.5 rating comes from as you may enjoy the feature more or less upon those factors.

Not knowing this was based on a book I felt the story should have ended 20 minutes earlier and left to be baked in the oven a little more to flesh out an epic sequel.

It had what it needed to be a solid great movie but ended up being a good movie. I had a good time and enjoyed the journey. Just sad the film fumbled the ending.

Looking on the wiki I see this was impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strike. Maybe the book has a different ending and there’s hope for what made the beginning and middle so awesome?

Lastly yellow bird MVP.

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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 😀

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In a Violent Nature “Review”

Release date: May 31, 2024 (USA)

Director: Chris Nash

Distributed by: Shudder, IFC 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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