Popcorn Culture

To say that we were hyped for The Woman King would be an understatement. Although cinemas in Malaysia decided to give it a pass, we finally get to (legally) watch and review it thanks to Netflix. In this 1820s war drama, Viola Davis plays a battle-tested general who trains an army of female warriors who must protect their kingdom against a new enemy. As if Viola Davis needs any further praise, we...

Sitcoms have changed so much over the last fifteen years. They may not have laugh tracks, but the new generation of sitcoms have given us some of the funniest content ever made for TV and streaming. From It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia to Derry Girls, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine to Abbott Elementary,  we're dedicating today's Supercut to our favorite new-ish sitcoms of the modern-ish era. See om...

On the surface, The Mother looks like just another skippable action flick on Netflix, but upon closer inspection, its skippability quickly decreases. First, it stars Jennifer Lopez as a military-trained assassin who comes out of hiding to protect her estranged daughter against revenge-crazed criminals. If you're still not sold, it's also directed by Niki Caro, who helmed The Zookeeper's Wife, Nort...

Every now and then, a great show debuts with all the right ingredients and a nearly flawless first season... with no (pop) cultural impact. That show is Shrinking. Starring Jason Segel in one of his best roles, the comedy-drama tells the story of Jimmy, a grieving therapist who breaks all rules of conduct by getting too close to his patients. The show is written by Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fam...

Following a week of films in which the score and songs are front and centre, we discuss the importance of getting it right when it comes to the music in films. From pitch perfect needle drops, to famous composers, we run through all our favourites.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conclusion of the madcap adventures of the most ragtag heroes in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is more than a swansong for Star-Lord and gang, but also for its director and writer James Gunn. We discuss whether this is a return to form for Marvel, as well as whether this unlikely trilogy manages to land the (space) ship.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A continuation of the blockbuster saga that is Ponniyin Selvan, Part II picks up where the first movie left off - as Prince Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) continues on his path towards becoming Emperor Rajaraja I, despite threats to his family. And frankly, more characters than you can shake a stick at. The film also boasts a star-studded cast, including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, and Karthi, alongside...

Cole (Chris Evans) and Sadie (Ana de Armas) meet-cute and go on an amazing date, and Cole thinks she could be "the one" - only to find himself ghosted. Determined to win Sadie over, he hops on a flight to London, but discovers that there is a lot more to Sadie than meets the eye. The movie is being marketed as a romantic action-adventure with sizzling chemistry between the two leads; we review the...

It might be as unbelievable as a pair of twins pulling a cross-continental switcheroo, but The Parent Trap turns 25 this year - and we're happy to report that its charms remain as warm and fuzzy as ever. Lindsay Lohan in her sparkling debut performance plays twins Hallie and Annie, who are separated at birth after their parents' divorce, and discover each other at a summer camp after 11 years. The...

For the first time, we're doing something a little different with Supercut - it's a crossover! We're adopting the format and style of A Bit of Culture, and asking each person to bring in a topic - related to cinema and pop culture of course - to discuss, before we close off with recommendations.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest attempt to translate the wildly popular game to the big screen - after some notable flops - features a large celebrity voice cast (Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Seth Rogen) and all the characters that fans would expect (Mario and Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong). But it's also been dogged by some criticisms even before its opening, from casting to its general appr...

One of THE classic buddy comedies, Ivan Reitman's Twins has something of an unbeatable premise: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito are twin brothers, who are initially unaware of each others' existence, until they encounter one another, and then comedic hijinks ensue. We discuss whether it's a fun rewatch, and how it translates to a viewing 35 years after it first premiered.  See omn...

We all know and fear Dracula - so imagine being his helper for centuries on end. This is exactly where Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself in this movie: desperate to break away from his master's clutches and ready to start living his own best life. But will his narcissistic - and undead - boss (Nicolas Cage) leave him be? We love an outlandish premise on this show, so we review the movie and...

Steven Yeun and Ali Wong star in this dark comedy show where two strangers get entangled in a road rage incident that results in an escalating series of events, where they keep trying to take revenge on each other - all while we progressively learn more and more about the twists and turns of their lives. The show has been a smash hit since its release, and we review it to see if it's worth all the...

Here's a true story - this "based on a true story" Supercut is based on a previous Supercut we did back in 2020 about movies and TV shows based on true stories. In the spirit of two critically acclaimed true event movies this week, Tetris and Air, we're revisiting our favourite movies and TV shows that are based on real people and events. We discuss the things Hollywood gets right about these adap...

We're not sure what's more exciting about this movie - the fact that it reunites Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, or that it has a stacked cast including Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, and Jason Bateman, or that it's about the most iconic shoeline in modern culture, the Air Jordan. In this episode, we review Air, a quirky biopic about how Phil Knight (Affleck) and Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) pursued Michael Jord...

Anyone who's anyone knows Tetris - the wildly popular videogame that kept players hooked in the 80s and is still enjoyed to this day. But unlike the game, the story behind the making of Tetris is anything but straightforward. Apple TV's newest watercooler film chronicles the life of Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton), who developed Tetris in 1988 and then risked it all by travelling to the Soviet Un...

A good performance is rooted in so many things - physicality, emotions, the right casting - but something we don't talk about enough (pun intended) is the power of a great voice and how that contributes to an actor's stature and star power. So in this Supercut, we're highlighting some of our favourite voices on-screen!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This latest reboot of the beloved game sees Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page and Hugh Grant (among others in a rather stacked cast) embark on an epic quest to retrieve a long-lost relic, though as you might expect, things also go awry... and hijinks ensue. We talk about whether the laughs stack up against the adventure/fantasy elements, and whether this breathes new life into the fra...

After the success of the Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston pairing in Murder Mystery, it's time for a sequel. This installment sees Sandler's Nick Spitz (a police officer) and Aniston's Audrey Spitz (a hairdresser and mystery novel enthusiast) going head to head with baddies in locales as varied as Hawaii and Paris. We discuss whether it's a fun watch and whether we want to see more.  See omn...

From adorable stoner to romantic heartthrob to sci fi hero to avenging hitman, if any actor’s done it all, it’s Keanu Reeves - while managing to maintain a perennial good guy image throughout. In this Supercut, we pay tribute to all things Keanu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his fourth outing, the John Wick legend continues to grow - the hitman, played by Keanu Reeves (of course), takes his fight global as he goes after powerful underworld figures around the world. We review and geek out over the movie, and talk about the improbable journey the John Wick franchise has taken to mega success.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Woo. Chow Yun-Fat. Leslie Cheung. Hong Kong classics don’t come more stacked than this. Ahead of our review of John Wick: Chapter 4, we throw back to one of the originators of the gun fu and that indefinable John Woo cinematic style. In the movie, an ex-gangster attempts to reconcile with his estranged brother who is a policeman, but finds that his past is more difficult to leave behind than...

One of the most heated conversations in pop culture of late is about Hollywood's dependence on IP - be it milking major franchises, making sequels to movies from decades ago, and yes, remakes. While some remakes (like Ocean's Eleven) are great, many others didn't have to be made, again. In this Supercut, we discuss our favourite and not-so-favourite remakes, what we'd like to see remade, as well a...

With the old DC Universe now defunct and / or collapsing on itself, Shazam! Fury of the Gods could be the last time we see Zachary Levi as the titular goofy hero... or not. It's all pretty confusing. This time, Billy Batson and the gang are up against a trio of ancient gods who are in search of the magic that was stolen from them eons ago. In this episode, we review the sequel to Shazam! and discu...