Popcorn Culture

With Princess Mononoke back in theatres, we thought it would only be right to look back at one of Hayao Miyazaki’s early masterpieces the way it’s meant to be seen: On the biggest screen possible. We also review Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, a Malayali superhero movie that’s making waves in Indian cinema. Then, we discuss your favourite female-led action movies and series, before deep diving into Joe...

Netflix’s hit gothic mystery series, Wednesday, is back for its highly anticipated second season. The stakes are higher, there are new mysteries to be solved and loads of wild teenage drama too! Meanwhile, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington reunite for Highest 2 Lowest, an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film High and Low. So, in this episode of Popcorn Culture, we’ve got a double bi...

With Merdeka around the corner, Popcorn Culture celebrates local filmmaking with a review of three local short films: ' Pace ' by Ekin Kee Charles, ' The House of Brick and Stone ' by Ananth Subramaniam and ' Fasa ' by Syahmi Norsan. Then on Take 2, we discuss your favourite Malaysian movies, before hearing from our local filmmakers about the hopes thay have for Malaysian cinema. For this we hear...

Superstar Rajinikanth is back on the big screen with his 171st film, Coolie – a milestone that also marks his 50th year in cinema. Not only that, it’s also the first time he’s teamed up with Lokesh Kanagaraj, who’s arguably the most popular action-film director in India right now. There’s also the star-studded pan-Indian supporting cast – Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan and a came...

This week, we’re reviewing the latest, much-anticipated entry into the Horror Canon of Creepy Children, in the form of Zach Cregger’s Weapons. In it, seventeen children from the same classroom mysteriously run out of their homes towards an unknown target in the middle of the night, going missing, with no reason why. We talk about the movie, and whether it lives up to the acclaim it’s been receivin...

The Police Squad is back in an all-new reboot of The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. - the one man who has the particular set of skills to save the world - and Pamela Anderson as femme fatale, Beth Davenport. So of course, we talk about whether old-timey slapstick comedy still lands in 2025. Then on Take 2, we ask you for your favourite comedies, before diving into Liam Nee...

We're halfway through 2025, so we're looking back at releases we didn’t get to review, beginning with the much-hyped return of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's '28 Years Later'. We also review the Palestinian film, 'All That's Left of You' which won Best Film at MIFFest, and the beloved Tamil-language 'Tourist Family'. Then, we open up our phone lines and ask listeners for their selections! Image Cr...

The Fantastic Four finally arrive in the MCU in First Steps, a 1960s-set sci-fi adventure from director Matt Shakman. Pedro Pascal leads as the stretchy Reed Richards, alongside Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. After two previously failed attempts at launching these popular comic book characters on the big screen, will the third time finally be the charm? We review the film, an...

This week, we bring you a double-bill review of the 4-hour meditative epic, The Brutalist, in which Adrian Brody portrays a Hungarian architect’s postwar life in America, and Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters, a candy-coloured action romp where a girl group secretly fights demons. Then on Take 2, we ask: are movies just too long now — and which ones actually earn their runtime? Plus, on the B-side, we...

After putting us through the emotional wringer in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn is back with another comic book adaptation — this time, not obscure misfits but arguably the most iconic superhero of all: Superman. Starring David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel, this marks the first chapter in Gunn’s ambitious reboot of the DC Universe. Could this be the film that finally sets the DCU...

We review F1, a high‑octane, Hollywood‑polished Formula 1 drama starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up racer turned mentor, and Jurassic World Rebirth, where Scarlett Johansson leads a team to a forbidden island to extract DNA from colossal, mutated dinosaurs for a miracle drug. And then on Take 2, inspired by the original wonder of turning the corner and seeing the brachiosaurus for the first time, we...

We bring you a double bill of Pixar's latest space-venture, Elio, and the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon. In the former, Pixar bring us a socially alienated boy who's obsessed with aliens and finds himself abducted and having to navigate an intergalactic conflict. In the latter, we have Dean DeBlois, who directed the original animated trilogy, returning to bringing Hiccup and Toot...

In this episode, we’re reviewing Ana de Armas’ entry to the John Wick universe, as a ballerina trained to be an assassin in the - obviously named - Ballerina. We talk about whether it’s a worthy spinoff, and as stylish as the original franchise, before going on to talk in Take Two about violence on screen, and where the limits and appeal are, from bone-crunching, blood-gushing fights and sequences...

Anwari Ashraf – the man behind the hit series Project: High Council – brings the iconic 90s comedy animated superhero Keluang Man to life on the big screen. But does he do Malaysia’s OG superhero justice? Separately, Mountainhead is the new HBO film from Succession creator Jesse Armstrong. It’s a satirical look at tech billionaires grappling with guilt and ego as the world collapses around them. W...

Brace yourselves for a weird and wild double bill on Popcorn Culture this week as we review the second season of The Last of Us, which sees the survivors of the cordyceps zombie apocalypse continue to deal with grief, tribalism, and of course, said cordyceps zombies. Then we pair that up with Disney’s latest live action remake of a beloved animation, Lilo & Stitch. After that, we extend the di...

With Tom Cruise’s final outing (or is it) as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning making its blockbuster-y way to every Malaysian cinema, we talk about the movie, where it fits into the larger franchise, and whether it’s a fitting end to the adventures of the IMF. After that, we ponder the changing nature of movie stardom, especially with Tom Cruise often touted as one of the las...

In this episode, we catch up with the second (and as it turns out, final) season of Andor, completing the transformation of Cassian Andor into the rebel leader we see in Rogue One. We discuss whether it lives up to the expectations set in Season 1, as well as how the compressed production and story schedule affects the show. Then, we're taking the opportunity to geek out about all the people, thin...

In this Round Robin edition of Stuff We Missed, we’re each taking turns to recommend a recent release that's worth watching and catching up with. First up, a local film helmed by Abhilash Chandra & Syafiq Yusof. It has grossed over RM 62 million so far and is one of the most successful local films ever made. Then, we talk about a Polish satire that blends questions surrounding UFOs and extrate...

We review Thunderbolts, an antihero ensemble that brings together the likes of Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian and US Agent—basically, the chaotic neutral Avengers. We discuss whether this morally grey squad can inject fresh energy into a superhero universe many feel is running on fumes. Then on Take Two, we ask: Is the MCU still exciting for you? And what’s your favourite Marvel movie p...

Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther) reunite for Sinners, a period vampire thriller set in the 1930s. Jordan delivers dual performances as twin brothers who are trying to leave their troubled life behind and return to their hometowns only to be greeted by a greater evil. We review the film and then on Take Two, we discuss our most memorable IMAX expe...

2 years after its last outing, Black Mirror is back with its 7th season, promising a return to its roots, as well as sequels and companion pieces to earlier episodes. But of course, as real life has gotten more surreal, Black Mirror has also had to expand and experiment to keep up - so does this latest season manage to land its punches? We discuss, before then talking about the best science fictio...

White Lotus is back with another season, this time set in one of if not the most popular tourist destinations in this side of the world, Thailand. As you'd come to expect from the series, there are of course shenanigans involving privileged and eccentric characters and a mystery brimming underneath the surface. We discuss if it lives up to the previous seasons, and then on Take Two explore the var...

Based on the hit video game, A Minecraft Movie explores what happens when a bunch of misfits find themselves in a cubic world that thrives on imagination, and set out on a quest. Starring Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Danielle Brooks in an ensemble cast, the film has had a long production journey, but has finally made it to the big screen! We discuss whether it’s a film that works even if you’re not...

We’ve got a double bill of TV reviews in this episode, starting with Severance Season 2! Now that the innies have discovered the truth about their outies, what do they do next? Will Helly R, Mark S and Irving B ever be liberated from their never-ending nine-to-five? We discuss if season 2 is just as addictive as the first. Next, we discuss the most talked-about miniseries on Netflix right now – Ad...

It's a double bill of reviews tonight, kicking off with what is - at the moment - the most successful animation films ever, Ne Zha 2. We talk about whether the film is worth the hype, and what it signals about international animation. After that, we move on to RaMell Ross’s Nickel Boys, which is about a friendship that forms between two boys who’ve been sent to a notoriously abusive reform school,...