Tag: movies

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

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 😀

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 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!

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

Michael “Review”

Release date April 24, 2026 (USA)

Director Antoine Fuqua

Producers John Branca, Graham King, John Mackay

Screenplay John Logan

Running time 2h 7m

Budget 155 million USD

Is it tomorrow already, so I can watch it again!

Honestly, where to start: First, I wake up to see a 27% RT score by the critics. Ignore the critics. Do you like Michael Jackson’s music? If you just said yes! Then get yourself to the theatre and enjoy the music. Curious to learn about Michael himself and his childhood? Did you say yes? Well, get yourself to the theatre! Seriously! What’s with these critics? I can’t even read their reviews due to RT not liking my browser that blocks ads.

That being said, I had an absolute blast! I couldn’t keep still dancing to the music. The emotions I felt. There’s a villain in the story, Joe Jackson, played by the incredible Colman Domingo. Michael’s childhood with his dad was rough. I wish I had been born earlier to have done something to protect him. OMG, I just looked up when he was born! I thought he was 20 years older than me, not 31! Nonetheless! I loved his music when I was a child, and the only info I learnt about Michael was through South Park, of all things. So I’m very happy these films are being released to shed light on who Michael Jackson was.

I can’t wait to watch this again, and the sequel better come soon because I want more :D. From the hard past to his solo outbreak as the King of Pop – Michael is a treat and one that I’ll happily place on my top 10 list of 2026 thus far, 9/10 Popped Score.

I forgot to say how well the rest of the cast was! But of course, massive special shoutout to Jaafar Jackson playing the one and only Michael Jackson! Along with Juliano Valdi playing his childhood self, Incredible!

How about yourself? Did you enjoy the movie? Curious. Or going to wait for streaming. Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks for coming to Popped for your movie “Review” of Michael. I heard a lot of these songs at first through World of Warcraft radio, with spoof songs. So now to listen to them once more, but the originals, as I just can’t get the songs out of my head.

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

1

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

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy “Review”

Release dateApril 17, 2026 (USA)

DirectorLee Cronin

ScreenplayLee Cronin

ProducersJames Wan, Jason Blum, John Keville

Story byNina Wilcox Putnam, John L. Balderston, Richard Schayer

Casting directorsTerri Taylor, Sarah Domeier

This isn’t Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy – Like the tagline states “Some Things are meant to stay buried”

Torn on this one but let’s do a 2 part “review”.

First, we’ll cut to the chase, then tear into it a little for those curious.

(Direct Non-Spoiler “Review”)

This movie is mostly okay, 6/10 Popped score. It follows two stories. One is an overly loud, grotesque “horror” movie, while the other has all the lore and storyline pushed to the back end for the grotesque storyline.

Little story setting for The Mummy. Katie is taken from her family to be found years later in extremely poor shape. What happened to her? Watch Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to find out.

Well thanks for coming by Popped for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Movie “Review”. Interested to hearing a little more. Then stick around for a larger batch :D.

Otherwise, happy movie-going fellow movie-goers 😀

(Lee Cronin’s The Mummy “Review” Spoilers?)

The last 30 minutes had me wanting to walk out, and I’d been okay with it. The storyline / intriguing story felt pushed to the back to create sequels. Which is where I’d say 3/10 wait for streaming.

If you’re into overly loud, grotesque horror, then maybe check it out. Otherwise, there’s nothing really all that special about this movie. Wait and hope for a sequel, or watch all the other good horror movies releasing earlier in 2026 and still to come in 2026. There’s always plenty of it these days.

I’d love to have seen a shorter movie. Or removed some of the grotesque scenes to add plot or dive deeper into creating substance in this entity in the second half of the movie. Honestly, if they chose to hold off just for sequels, I hope this movie was cheap enough to re-coup; otherwise, they sunk money into a sinking ship.

0

ChaO “Review”

Release date April 10, 2026 (USA)

Director Yasuhiro Aoki

Running time 1h 30m

Language Japanese

Distributed by Toei Company

Went in with the poster image, came out having thoroughly enjoyed ChaO 😀

Imagine being a journalist in a world where Mer people coexist with humans. Being told the stories of how it all came to be, and then coming face to face with the guy from the original story that you’ve read the storybooks on since your youth. ChaO takes you through this journey, living through the first human and mermaid couple’s tale.

At first, I couldn’t not think of One Piece, with the princess, but then started to fall in love with the characters, its lore, and the art style independently. This film cooked by the end. Showing so much depth between the characters and a story I’d honestly love to re-watch some time again.

Solid good time, great even, from us here at Popped 8/10. We’d love to hear your thoughts on ChaO. Plan to watch it? Curious? Already seen? Let us know in the comments below.

Thank you for coming by Popped for your movie “Reviews”. This coming weekend, we have Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, along with Normal, releasing. I’m planning to check them both out. Any smaller titles releasing in theatres I should keep my eye on before Michael drops the following week?

Let us know in the comments below and until next time fellow movie-goers, happy Movie-Going! 😀

0

A WordPress.com Website.

Up ↑