Popcorn Junkies Movie Reviews

Love Lies Bleeding is a 2024 romantic thriller film directed by Rose Glass from a screenplay she co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska. It is a co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, and Ed Harris. Set in 1989, its plot follows the relationship between a reclusive gym manager, who is part of a crime family, and an ambitious bodybuilder. Love Lies Bleeding premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024. It was released theatrically in the United States by A24 on March 8, 2024, and in the United Kingdom by Lionsgate on May 3, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

The Fall Guy is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce, loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers. It follows a stuntman (Ryan Gosling) working on his ex-girlfriend's (Emily Blunt) directorial debut action film, only to find himself involved in a conspiracy surrounding the film's lead actor (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The film also features Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke. The Fall Guy premiered at SXSW on March 12, 2024, and was released in the United States on May 3. It received generally positive reviews, and set a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls performed in a car. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Late Night with the Devil is a 2023 supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Colin and Cameron Cairnes. It stars David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, and Josh Quong Tart. Incorporating elements of documentary filmmaking and found footage, the film follows the events of a late-night talk show episode aired on the night of Halloween 1977, during which the host attempts to boost ratings by inviting an allegedly possessed girl onto the show. An international co-production of Australia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, Late Night with the Devil had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on 10 March 2023. It received positive reviews from critics, garnering praise for its performances, production design, and technical aspects, though the revelation that it utilized AI-generated art in three briefly-featured still images received criticism. It was released theatrically in the United States on 22 March 2024 by IFC Films and in Australia on 11 April, grossing $11 million. The film became available for streaming on Shudder on 19 April. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Challengers is a 2024 American romantic sports film directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes. The plot follows a professional tennis champion (Mike Faist) who plots a comeback with the help of his wife (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy who retired after an injury, as he goes up against another player (Josh O'Connor), who also happens to be his former best friend and wife's former lover. After being delayed from its initial September 2023 release date and pulled out from its slot as the opening film of the 80th Venice International Film Festival due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Challengers premiered in Sydney, Australia, on March 26, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios on April 26, 2024. The film received critical acclaim, with the cast performances (especially Zendaya) being the main highlig --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Civil War is a 2024 dystopian film directed and written by Alex Garland. It follows a team of journalists traveling across the United States during a rapidly escalating Second American Civil War, which has engulfed the nation. The ensemble cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman. Civil War premiered at South by Southwest on March 14, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States by A24 and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film Distributors on April 12, 2024. It received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $28 million worldwide. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Back to Black is a 2024 biographical drama film based on the life of British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, played by Marisa Abela. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and written by Matt Greenhalgh, the film also stars Jack O'Connell, Eddie Marsan, and Lesley Manville. Following the death of Winehouse in July 2011, several filmmakers attempted to create biopic projects but none of them progressed. In 2018, Winehouse's estate announced they had signed a deal for a film about her life and career. By July 2022, StudioCanal moved forward with production, and filming took place in London from January to April 2023. The film was released theatrically by StudioCanal in Australia on 11 April 2024, and was released in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2024. Focus Features will release the film in the United States on 17 May 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Monkey Man is a 2024 action thriller film directed and co-produced by Dev Patel in his directorial debut, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. The film stars Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash Tripathy, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Adithi Kalkunte, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Makarand Deshpande, Jatin Malik and Zakir Hussain. Monkey Man premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024, and was released theatrically in the United States and Canada by Universal Pictures on April 5, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Immaculate is a 2024 American psychological horror film directed by Michael Mohan, written by Andrew Lobel, and co-produced by Sydney Sweeney, who also stars in the film alongside Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, and Simona Tabasco. The film's plot focuses on a young woman of devout faith, who is invited to reside at a picture-perfect Italian convent, but slowly realizes that the convent harbors terrifying secrets. Immaculate premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2024, and was released theatrically in the United States by Neon on March 22, 2024. The film received mixed reviews from critics, though Sweeney's performance was largely praised, and has grossed $13 million against a budget of $9 million. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Mothers' Instinct is a 2024 American psychological thriller film directed by Benoît Delhomme in his directorial debut, and starring Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Josh Charles and Anders Danielsen Lie. It is a remake of Olivier Masset-Depasse's 2018 French-language film, which itself was an adaptation of the 2012 novel Mothers' Instinct (French: Derrière la haine) by Barbara Abel [fr]. Mothers' Instinct was released in Lithuania on March 8, 2024, followed by theatrical release in Britain and Ireland later that month. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a 2024 American supernatural comedy film directed by Gil Kenan from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jason Reitman. It is the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and the fifth film in the Ghostbusters franchise. The film stars Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Celeste O'Connor, and Logan Kim reprising their roles from Afterlife, alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton reprising their characters from the earlier films. Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Emily Alyn Lind, and James Acaster also join the cast. Set two years after the events of Afterlife, the veteran Ghostbusters must join forces with their new recruits to save the world in New York City from a death-chilling god who seeks to build a spectral army. Following the success of Afterlife, Sony Pictures announced the sequel in April 2022, with Reitman returning as director. Co-writer and executive producer Kenan later took over as director from Reitman that December, with the latter staying on as a co-writer and co-producer. That same month, Rudd, Coon, Grace, Wolfhard, O'Connor, Kim, Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson, Potts, and Atherton were all confirmed to reprise their roles. New cast members including Nanjiani, Oswalt, Lind, and Acaster were announced in March 2023, with principal photography commencing that month and wrapping in June. Dario Marianelli was hired to compose and conduct the film's score, replacing Afterlife composer Rob Simonsen. This is the first film in the Ghostbusters franchise to be released following the death of the franchise's co-creator and Jason Reitman's father Ivan Reitman, who posthumously receives credit as a producer alongside his son and Jason Blumenfeld. Additionally, the film is dedicated to Ivan's memory and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first film. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire had its world premiere at the AMC 13 Theater at Lincoln Square in New York City on March 14, 2024, and was released in the United States on March 22, by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label. The film received mixed reviews from critics --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Monster (Japanese: 怪物, romanized: Kaibutsu) is a 2023 Japanese psychological dramatic mystery thriller film directed and edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda from a screenplay written by Yuji Sakamoto. It stars Sakura Andō as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing disturbing changes in her son's behavior. The film marks the first time Kore-eda has directed a film he did not write himself since Maborosi (1995). The film was the last scoring project by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died two months before its release; the film is dedicated to his memory. Monster had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023, where it competed for the Palme d'Or and was honored with the Queer Palm as well as the Best Screenplay award. The film was released in Japan on 2 June 2023. It received widespread critical acclaim with singled out praise towards its screenplay, direction, acting, editing and musical score and vastly appeared in numerous lists of top ten year's best. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Perfect Days is a 2023 drama film directed by Wim Wenders, from a script written by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki. A co-production between Japan and Germany, the film combines four short stories and stars Kōji Yakusho in the role of a toilet cleaner. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 25 May and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Best Actor Award for Kōji Yakusho. It was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, becoming the first film not directed by a Japanese filmmaker to be nominated as the Japanese entry. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Dune: Part Two is a 2024 American epic science fiction film produced by Legendary Pictures, directed by Denis Villeneuve (who co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts), and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The sequel to Dune (2021), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. It follows Paul Atreides as he unites with the Fremen people of the desert planet Arrakis to wage war against House Harkonnen. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem reprise their roles from the first film, with Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, and Souheila Yacoub joining the ensemble cast. Development began after Legendary Pictures acquired film and television rights for Dune in 2016. Villeneuve signed on as director for the film in 2017, with the intention of making a two-part adaptation of the novel due to its complexity. Production contracts were only secured for a first film, with the second film having to be green-lit based on the first's success. Though Villeneuve was concerned about the sequel's certainty after the first film had a simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release, Warner Bros. Pictures assured him the sequel would happen if it performed well on HBO Max. After the critical and commercial success of the first film, Warner Bros. and Legendary green-lit Dune: Part Two in October 2021. Most of the new cast members were announced in 2022. Principal photography took place in Budapest, Italy, Jordan and Abu Dhabi between July and December 2022. Dune: Part Two was scheduled for a November 3, 2023 release, but was delayed due to the Hollywood labor disputes. The film had its world premiere at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City on February 6, 2024 and was released in the United States on March 1, 2024. It has grossed over $182 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2024, and received praise from critics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Wicked Little Letters is a 2023 British black comedy mystery film directed by Thea Sharrock and written by Jonny Sweet. The film stars Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Eileen Atkins, and Timothy Spall. Wicked Little Letters premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023, and was released in the United Kingdom by StudioCanal on 23 February 2024. The film received mixed reviews from critics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

Bob Marley: One Love is a 2024 American biographical musical drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, and Zach Baylin. It is based on the life of reggae singer and songwriter Bob Marley, from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s up until his death in 1981. The film stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley, alongside Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley, and James Norton as Chris Blackwell. Bob Marley: One Love premiered at the Carib 5 in Kingston, Jamaica on January 23, 2024, and was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on February 14, 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $80 million. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

American Fiction is a 2023 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cord Jefferson, in his feature directorial debut. Based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, it follows a frustrated novelist-professor who writes an outlandish satire of stereotypical "black" books, only for it to be mistaken by the liberal elite for serious literature and published to both high sales and critical praise. It stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, and Keith David. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, where it won the People's Choice Award. It received a limited theatrical release by Amazon MGM Studios on December 15, 2023, with an expansion on December 22, 2023. It received positive reviews and grossed $18.9 million. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute and has received numerous accolades. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

The Iron Claw is a 2023 biographical sports drama film written and directed by Sean Durkin. Based on the life of professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family, the film stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, and Lily James. The Iron Claw premiered at the Texas Theatre in Dallas on November 8, 2023. It was released in the United States by A24 on December 22, 2023, and is scheduled to be released by Lionsgate in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2024. The film has grossed $36 million and received positive reviews from critics. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

The Zone of Interest is a 2023 historical psychological horror film written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, loosely based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis. It was a co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom and Poland. It stars Christian Friedel as the German Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss, who strives to build a dream life with his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), in a new home next to the German Auschwitz concentration camp. The Zone of Interest premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2023 to acclaim, winning both the Grand Prix and FIPRESCI Prize. It was named Best Film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, selected as one of the top-five international films of 2023 by the National Board of Review, and chosen as the British entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. It was also nominated for three Golden Globes Awards (including Best Motion Picture – Drama), nine BAFTAs (including Outstanding British Film), and five Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best International Feature Film). --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

All of Us Strangers is a 2023 British romantic fantasy film written and directed by Andrew Haigh, and based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada. It is the second feature adaptation of the novel, after the Japanese film The Discarnates (1988). The film stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy. All of Us Strangers premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2023. It was released in the United States on 22 December 2023 and in the United Kingdom on 26 January 2024, by Searchlight Pictures. It received critical acclaim and was named one of the top ten independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review, as well as earning six nominations at the BAFTA Awards, including Outstanding British Film. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message

The Holdovers is a 2023 American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne, written by David Hemingson in his feature writing debut. Set in 1970, it stars Paul Giamatti as a strict classics teacher at a New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go on Christmas break. Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa (in his film debut) respectively play a cafeteria administrator and one of the students who stays on campus. The Holdovers premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released in the United States by Focus Features on October 27, 2023. It received positive reviews and has grossed $26 million. The film was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and has received many other accolades, including Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Randolph) and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Giamatti). It also received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Randolph, and seven British Academy Film Awards nominations, including Best Film and Director. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/popcorn-junkies/message