Tag: reviews

A Quiet Place: Day One “Review”

Release date: June 27, 2024 (USA)

Director: Michael Sarnoski

Story by: John Krasinski; Michael Sarnoski

Budget: $67 million

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Based on: Characters; by Bryan Woods; Scott Beck

I’ll be separating this “review” as two parts:

Part 1 Spoiler Free – Part 2 Spoiler “Discussion”

Spoiler Free “Review”

If you’re a cat person or even more so a cat parent this movie will have you on the edge of your seat. Best character was the cat. We’re introduced to our therapy cat when Sam, our main human character played by Lupita Nyong’o is in a hospital being treated for her cancer.

You decide, is Sam driven by the love of pizza. The love of her father and the small things in life or the power of companionship? Something to think about as you watch this third installment that’s a prequel to the Quite Place franchise.

As seen in the trailers and it didn’t occur until seeing him in the movie. But Henri played by Djimon Hounsou is the guy from the island in Part 2. Possibly next year with the third part we’ll get to see what’s going on with him and the family we were introduced to in Part 1.

With the movie having a lot of quite scenes sadly they ran a little long or got boring before momentum built back up once more. Something keeping this movie back from being great is it never felt like the characters were in danger unless they purposefully did something stupid to get themselves into dire consequences.

Our other character alongside Sam is Eric played by Joseph Quinn. I’m not sure his connection to the franchise if any but these three human characters are played well enough. Sadly I just never connected with them and had all my focus on the cat.

This movies energy felt like part 2 rather than part 1. Nothing really seemed to have happened. No stakes were planted to keep you engaged. I really hope for part 3 to possibly wrap this franchise up, they look back at what made Part 1 so great and focus on that energy and feeling. I want the silence to feel impactful. I want to be silenced myself as I’m along side the characters on screen.

It’s moments attempted to create connection that failed and when they failed it prevented this movie getting on my possible re-watch list. With that I’d give A Quiet Place: Day One a 6.5/10. It’s another installment to this franchise giving “origins” to some characters that maybe we’ll get to see developed in a later installment. Let’s hope they find the secret formula before they create to many installments and ruin the franchise with mediocrity.

Spoiler “Discussion”

Some light spoiler discussion.

Who turned off the car alarm twice in this movie? (Yes the scenes were that quite / long / boring I had these thoughts in my head).

Is this an advertisement for therapy animals? Specifically by maybe a cat adoption agency or for hospital therapy?

How comes they talked during scenes with no surrounding noise when they already established they can only talk with surrounding noises? Continuity is a little broken in scenes. (Don’t worry no Abigail rants for this one).

Little bigger spoiler talk

When everyone is being evacuated already being informed to stay quite……wtf did a bunch of people start screaming O.o. Stupid!

It’s the decisions the humans made that kept me from being attached to anyone but the cat.

Does the cat make it? It was on my mind the whole time. Guess you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

7/10 for cat lovers.

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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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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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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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Boy Kills World “Review”

Release date: April 26, 2024 (USA)

Director: Moritz Mohr

Story by: Arend Remmers; Moritz Mohr

Distributed by: Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Films

Box office: $1.7 million

Music by: Ludvig Forssell

For a movie not even on my radar a couple weeks back, the word of mouth and late feedback this week drew me in to watching this movie yesterday. I watched the trailer afterwards and wow that’s a fun entertaining trailer.

The movie opens up with a narrative voice over almost to that of Sin City meets Dead Pool humor. Throughout the movie this voice sat with me and then it hit! This is Bob from Bob’s Burgers. This honestly may have been what stole the entire film for me as I loved! Watching this movie with his commentary over the top.

Back to the opening however the story was to that of a Hunger Games meets Squid Games. Within this world is a yearly event called “The Culling” when people are rounded up based upon a list and killed. The villains in control of this entire thing is a family called Van Der Koy which have some interesting personalities. Sadly not enough to have kept me entertained when the fantastic H. Jon Benjamin isn’t voicing over the scenes occurring.

Without Boys voice over the later half of the movie does get a little boring and I waited for the next scene we get to have him back.

The reason why the voice over is so important and crucial to this movie is due to “Boy” played by Bill Skarsgård who’s also staring in the upcoming Crow movie. Is deaf and mute only able to read lips, which is rather funnily implemented and used during this feature. Boy is raised by a shaman due to loosing his entire family in The Culling and has one mission and purpose in life. To Kill Hilda Van Der Koy!

With his voice over inspired by a video game voice over from Boy’s childhood I love his interactions with other individuals throughout the movie. The fight choreography and cinematography used in this film is excellent and worth checking out as you go along this revenge plot with some intriguing tid bits that I’ll leave out for your discovery as you watch Boy Kills World.

Again word of movie drew in me into watch this title so I had a score in mind I wanted it to be at. In addition to having the bar set high with Challengers the previous day I was thinking of this title around an 8. Until sadly the lack of Boy’s voice over was truly felt and sadly the Van Der Koy family not being engaging enough for me personally when Boy isn’t interacting with them.

I couldn’t get to an 8 personally so felt 7.5 for Boy Kills World felt right sitting along side Monkey Man for 2024. Now if you’re not into the voice over for some reason this maybe a harder watch but maybe the action and other aspects of the film will be enjoyable enough viewing experience for you.

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Monkey Man “Review”

Release date: April 5, 2024 (USA)

Director: Dev Patel

Budget: 10 million USD

Producers: Dev Patel, Jordan Peele, Samarth Sahni, Erica Lee, MORE

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Music by: Jed Kurzel

Monkey Man was a rollercoaster on where to rate this feature. I had a personal journey ranging between a 7 and an 8 /10.

Monkey Man is an intriguing entry into the revenge-thriller genre that manages to differentiate itself enough to stand on its own. Many individuals prior to my performance compared this to the John Wick series. This film, while steeped in the same visceral action and relentless pursuit of justice, deviates by weaving a more spiritual tapestry around its narrative core.

I found Monkey Man had strength in it’s ability to oscillate between its action packed sequences and the more serene moments of philosophical contemplation.

Unlike John Wick’s more personal vendetta, the protagonist is driven by a broader mission to avenge not just his own losses but the sufferings of others who have been wronged by the same villains.

Hearing after my viewing that no one wanted to pick this title up I was rather happy and thankful that Jordan Peele came to Dev Patel’s aid in producing this feature.

It may bounce between a 7 and an 8 in various aspects. I felt a 7.5 feels right for a movie that offers a satisfying blend of action and a deeper spiritual quest. A journey well worth taking those seeking more than just bullets and bloodshed.

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Late Night With the Devil “Review”

Release date: March 22, 2024 (USA)

Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes

Distributed by: Umbrella Entertainment

Box office: $4.4 million

Cinematography: Matthew Temple

Produced by: Mat Govoni; Adam White; John Molloy; Roy Lee; Steven Schneider; Derek Dauchy

For a movie that wasn’t on my radar. Then the amount of buzz surrounding opening week put this film on my radar. I’ll have 2/3 different reviews for this feature from non spoiler to somewhat spoiler.

Non Spoiler Review: – The setting wasn’t for me but I’m glad I stuck with it.

Non Spoiler with more info Review: – The 70’s look of the film. The biography style intro to the host and his Night Owl passed before getting into the main show was off putting for myself. I was honestly ready to leave if it wasn’t for the first act of the main late night show bringing my attention back to the film.

Honestly I don’t want to say to much with this title for those on the fence as to not influence your experience. I’m glad I stuck with it and the first 20minutes (Guessing time frame) were the most slow / dryer parts to get through.

Before going into some spoiler info in the next section I came out with this feature for myself is a 6.5/10. I class this as a niche film like that of Lisa Frankenstein which I’ve yet to review. This could be someone’s most favorite movie of the year however not for all, specially those having a hard time getting into the beginning of the film. Which is important mind you for the show itself.

Spoiler ish Review: – Late Night With the Devil is set in the 70’s and focuses on Jack Delroy played by David Dastmalchian (Poker dot man from suicide squad) hosting a late night talk show and aiming to grow his numbers and beat the top competition.

The parts at the beginning setup his past / history which is used later for the film. It did drag me out of the film and needed some time to cook for me to get back into the experience.

The premise of Jack Delroy late night show is around a Halloween episode and focuses on proving a skeptic of the supernatural wrong in his skeptic beliefs.

I won’t go any further than that as I want you to experience the film and make your decision. I personally went from a 4 up to a 5 and slowly climbed to a 7 before settling at a 6.5/10 for my rating. Which is slightly below that of Lisa Frankenstein which got a 7/10 but fits in that niche horror/comedy genre.

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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire “Review”

Release date: March 22, 2024 (USA)

Director: Gil Kenan

Distributed by: Sony Corporation

Based on: Ghostbusters; by: Dan Aykroyd; Harold Ramis

Box office: $7,521 (Iceland)

Budget: $100 million

Is 2024 picking up? Well it’s definitely improving with our new contender Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. The opening to this film was such a fantastic setup. Loved the mood, the atmosphere the scene created and the tension felt entering 1904 within a very familiar location ;).

Walter Peck is back and still hates the ghostbusters finding any little thing to bring them down and destroy their ghost corp. 40 years later and still gunning for them 😛 gotta love William Atherton.

I have to give it to Gil Kenan for being able to navigate between Ghostbusters of the 80’s and weaving in the modern story that Afterlife setup. At times this felt so ghostbusters in areas and I love it! So many throw backs and returning characters to enjoy and discover along the way.

If Ghostbusters is PG13 horror then Imaginary was a G rating in comparison because there was so many good spooky tension and ghosts in this movie. Thoroughly enjoyed the expanded world, almost felt like I just watched the first movie and jumped forward in time to 2024 and seeing how this Ghostbusters universe had grown since saving New York city.

I’d compare the universe being that of GB 1 being Jurassic Park and GB Frozen Empire being Jurassic World. Maybe this will pay off down the road if more sequels get created? Will the series have an end point or left open to continue exploring? As long as the story is good I’m down to keep watching.

This title explores and develops lore for 4000 years which you can imagen many stories can be told if their going back that far. Did it weaken the ending? I felt so, bringing down something that felt like a potential 8 to a 7/10. The wrap up of the conflict was kind of weak sauce and didn’t feel right with how quick things progressed.

Ghostbusters Frozen Empire was a fun ride and I’d return for another or a repeat viewing for sure. Hopefully this family continues and maybe give room for other characters to be allowed to be developed going forth?

If you’re still sitting in the theatre past the first end credit scene then save yourself some time and leave already. Nothing at the end of the credits just a mid credit scene.

Enjoy yourself a spooky fun ghostbuster time and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.

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