BFM :: Popcorn Culture

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans team up for Red One, an action-packed Christmas-themed film from Jumanji director, Jake Kasdan. Johnson stars as the North Pole's Head of Security, who teams up with a rebellious “naughty list” tracker played by Evans to save Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) from a mysterious kidnapping. We review the film and then on Take Two discuss our favourite action-comedies and finally on The B-Side, we talk about a Christmas classic, You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch.Image Credit: IMDb

With the 4th season of OMITB newly wrapped up, we share our thoughts on the latest instalment of the cosiest murder crime podcast show around. From its jam-packed cast of Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Jane Lynch (and even more guest stars), to its clever writing, there's a lot to love. Then on Take Two, we discuss what are some of the movies and shows that have proven to be a truly pleasant surprise, especially with so much out there to watch at the moment. And then we close off with that signature Only Murders in the Building theme for The B-Side.Image Credit: IMDb

It's the week of Deepavali! In light of that, we're reviewing a Tamil film, specifically director Ram's 2019 family drama, Peranbu. It stars Mammootty and follows the journey of a single father raising his daughter with cerebral palsy. After that on Take Two, we discuss what we like to watch during festival seasons and close off with the B-Side, where we look at one of composer Yuvan Shankar Raja's most celebrated songs, Rowdy Baby.Image Credit: IMDb

After the success of 2022's Smile, writer-director Parker Finn is back with a sequel in which Naomi Scott plays Skye Riley, a pop star working through trauma and a difficult past, who finds herself ensnared and haunted by a series of increasingly horrifying and disturbing events. We start off by reviewing the movie, and discuss whether - in essence - we found it scary. Then, we move on to asking which central performances have been so integral to a movie that they were make or break, before closing off with a song that's gone viral from the movie.Image Credit: IMDb

This week, we're reviewing a double bill of Stuff We Missed: movies that premiered earlier in the year, that we didn't get to at the time. First up, the Thai tearjerker How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, Pat Boonitipat's film about a university dropout who cares for his dying grandma with ulterior motives. And then we move on to Inside Out 2, which sees Riley at the age of 13, dealing with new situations and new emotions. After that on Take Two, we discuss movies and shows that make us cry, before we close off on The B-Side with a listen to Michael Giacchino's music for Inside Out.Image Credit: IMDb

Joaquin Phoenix is back reprising his role as the iconic DC Comics villain in Joker: Folie A Deux, the highly anticipated sequel to 2019's Joker, which received critical acclaim, smashed the box office and was celebrated by fans too. The sequel which also stars Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, promises to be just as quirky, thrilling and deeply disturbing as the first. We discuss if we agree with the 12-min standing ovation the sequel received at the Venice film festival, before exploring how everyone feels about movies and shows that take a walk on the dark side, and finally on The B-Side, doing a deep dive into the music Hildur Guðnadóttir composed for these films.Image Credit: IMDb

Based on the book series of the same name, The Wild Robot explores the themes of survival, discovery and connection, through the story of Roz, a robot that's shipwrecked on a deserted island, who then has to adapt to these new surroundings. We discuss this critically acclaimed movie, that's also likely to be the last Dreamworks movie done in-house, before expanding the conversation to look at other animation classics that exist outside the Disney/Pixar studio system. Finally, we close off as always with The B-Side, a deep dive into the music of the big and small screen.Image Credit: IMDb

Blumhouse is back with another horror outing, this time it's Speak No Evil, a remake of the 2018 acclaimed Danish film. The 2024 film is directed by James Watkins and stars James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis. We discuss if the film lives up to the original, and then in Take Two talk about remakes that worked (or didn't) and finally on The B-Side explore the music of horror trailers.Image Credit: IMDb

After a very long and circuitous road to being made, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is out! The sequel to the original 1988 film sees the return of Tim Burton (of course), but also most of the main players: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara, along with new additions Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe, among others. We discuss this much-anticipated sequel and whether it's a return to form for Burton, before turning our attention to cult classics in Take Two. Finally, we close off with a deep dive into Danny Elfman's original score for the movies, and a shout-out to Harry Belafonte.

It's a slow week in cinema releases, but there've been a slew of movies that either never made it to the big screen here in Malaysia (or that we didn't get to review), including The Holdovers, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, so we're discussing them all and dissecting which one is worth watching and re-watching. Then on Take Two, we're looking at the movies we wish would return to the big screen, since there've been a number of re-releases recently, including Sepet. And of course, we're concluding with The B-Side, which is about the music of Mad Max.Image Credit: IMDb

With Merdeka just around the corner, we're having an all-Malaysian episode today! Kicking off with a review of Amanda Nell Eu's much-lauded Tiger Stripes, in its full form on Netflix, before segueing into a discussion about the best that Malaysian film has to offer, before we close off with The B-Side as always.Image Credit: IMDb

The Alien franchise rolls on with its latest instalment, this time as a standalone interquel that takes place in between the events of Alien and Aliens, when young space colonists encounter a xenomorph, while scavenging on an abandoned space station. Helmed by Fede Alvarez, it's a highly anticipated movie especially following the (relative) disappointments of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. We discuss if it's lived up to the hype, and then in Take Two, cover some of our favourite on-screen extraterrestrials, before closing off with a very old track, You Are My Lucky Star on The B-Side.Image Credit: IMDb

M. Night Shyamalan's back with his latest high-concept thriller: this time about a serial killer trapped at a concert with his daughter, as the walls and law enforcement close in. We discuss whether this Josh Hartnett-led vehicle works, and whether the nepo baby accusations are warranted. Then on Take Two, we discuss the directors who are either the main draw for watching something, or the reason we avoid a project. Finally, on the B-Side, in honour of father-daughter duos in movies, we're closing it out with Aerosmith's classic tearjerker, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.Image Credit: IMDb

The second season of House of the Dragon is done and dusted, with the tensions between the Greens and the Blacks at an all time high and more glorious dragon battles. We discuss the entire season before getting into the question of on screen kings & queens on Take Two and closing it off with another one of Ramin Djawadi's iconic themes from the franchise on B-Side. Image Credit: IMDb

Carmy and the gang are back, cousins! Each season of The Bear has had its own unique flavours and travails, and Season 3 picks up exactly where we left off, with the crew of the newly formed restaurant on the search for their menu, and a good review. We discuss how this season stands up against the earlier ones, and then since the awards (and some viewers) keep insisting that The Bear is a comedy, Take 2 is all about the shows and movies that manage to straddle that fine line between drama and comedy, before we close off on The B-Side with some Taylor Swift.

Everyone's favourite motor mouthed masked hero is back, partnered (for real this time) with a well-loved cigar-smoking Adamantium-clawed member of the X-Men! In other words, this week we're reviewing Deadpool & Wolverine, and discussing whether this heavily anticipated reuniting of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman lives up to the hype. Then on Take Two, we discuss the moments when other actors have been perfectly matched with iconic roles. Finally, we close off with the B-Side, focusing on that legendary X-Men animated theme.Image Credit: IMDb

New FBI agent Lee Harker finds themselves tangled in the dark web of a Satanic serial killer known as Longlegs, played by the ever eccentric Nicolas Cage. We review the film, before reflecting on our favourite horror films on Take Two and then closing it off with Bernard Herrmann's iconic score from Psycho.Image Credit: IMDb

House of the Dragon is back with its second season, and with all the hallmarks that have come to characterise Westeros: intense, twisted relationships, endless battles both literal and figurative, and more dragons than you can shake a stick at. We catch up with HotD Season 2 - or at least all the episodes that have dropped so far - before getting into the question of power struggles on screen in Take Two, and closing it off with Ramin Djawadi's famous theme on B-Side.Image Credit: HBO

Popcorn Culture is back, with some changes in the lineup and the show, and we're kicking things off with a review of the latest installment in the A Quiet Place series, A Quiet Place: Day One. After that, we move on to hearing from folks about the movies and shows they've enjoyed the most in 2024 - so far at least - before capping off with a deep dive into Bobby Darrin's Beyond The Sea, which played a significant role in this movie series (and also Finding Nemo, among other films).

All good trilogies need a big finale, so for the third time, we're celebrating music on screeen, and talking about our favourite needle drops, famous film composers, and the movie songs and soundtracks that we just can't stop listening to.Image Credit: IMDb

The TV landscape is an immensely crowded one these days, with new shows dropping every few days, and often, disappearing into the ether just as quickly. Despite that, 2023 proved to be a strong year for TV viewers, whether with adaptations that managed to capture fans both old and new (The Last of Us, One Piece), ongoing shows that kept raising the bar (The Bear, Succession), or unexpected new hits (Beef, Blue Eye Samurai). We look back at our time spent watching TV in 2023, and talk about our favourites. Image Credit: IMDB

From the lightning-in-a-bottle craze that was Barbenheimer to awards contenders like Napoleon and Killers of the Flower Moon, 2023 turned out to be a stacked year for movies, especially those in cinemas. Despite two historic Hollywood strikes that shook-up the industry for good, the year saw heavyweight filmmakers like Nolan, Scorcese, Fincher and Scott produce some of their most intriguing works, while franchise blockbusters like Across the Spider-Verse set new standards for animation. In this Supercut, we each look back at 2023 and list our Top 5 favourite movies of the year while asking listeners to do the same.Image Credit: IMDb

Long before its release, Pendatang was making headlines, and for good reason too: it's billed as Malaysia's first fully crowdfunded movie (in part, so that it would also be free for all to watch), it's premiering on Youtube (in part, for wide distribution but also to sidestep issues of censorship), and it has an intriguing premise. It's a dystopian thriller, based in a version of Malaysia where different races are not permitted to mix, but a Chinese family discovering a young Malay girl in their house has to make a tough decision. Directed by Ng Ken Jin and written by Lim Boon Siang, it's been getting plenty of buzz - we get into the film itself, and whether it lives up to the hype. Image Credit: Facebook / Kuman Pictures

Directed by Jin Ong, Abang Adik has been making the rounds at film festivals and garnering acclaim along the way. The film explores themes that are familiar to many Malaysians: inequality, urban living, and family, through the story of two undocumented orphans living in Malaysia, Abang and Adik. While Abang tries to eke out an honest but modest living, Adik has different dreams - and then an event changes their life and relationship and upsets the fragile balance. We discuss the film, its performances, and what it says about our country (and our film scene!). Image Credit: IMDB

A new Hayao Miyazaki film is always a treat, especially since The Boy and the Heron comes after a 10-year gap since his last. The story revolves around a 12-year-old boy struggling to deal with his mother's death, when a talking heron tells him she's still alive and leads him to a magical world. We review the movie, celebrate the joys of hand-drawn animation, and discuss that Miyazaki magic touch. Image Credit: IMDB

Adapted from the wildly popular Japanese anime, this live action series managed to achieve that rare feat: the approval of the original's fans. Set in a fantastical world of oceans, islands, and pirates, the series tells the story of Monkey D. Luffy, who dreams of finding the ultimate treasure and becoming a Pirate King - and along the way, amasses an unlikely crew of friends, each with their own dream to fulfill. We review the show, and talk about how it manages to channel the anime's energy, adventure and aesthetic, while also being accessible to newbies. Image Credit: IMDB

Wonka gave us the origin story of Willy Wonka. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes told us how President Snow, and the Hunger Games, came to be. Whose origin story do we want to see next, and whose origins are best left to uncertainty? In this Supercut, we go through some of our favourite characters and if we want to see their stories expanded. We also discuss if some not-so-interesting characters could have benefited from a proper backstory.Image Credit: IMDB

Did we need a whole movie about Willy Wonka's backstory? Probably not, but it's hard to be cynical about anything by Paul King, director of the heartwarming smash hits, Paddington and Paddington 2. Starring Timothee Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka and Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa, the movie aims to explain how an ordinary man with big dreams became the eccentric owner of the world's most legendary chocolate factory. In this episode, we review Wonka and discuss if it works as a prequel, the stacked cast and their performances, and if this will eventually become a new Willy Wonka franchise. Image Credit: IMDB

The cat. The bat. The penguin. In the spirit of the holidays, we're throwing back to 1992's Batman Returns - the much anticipated yet highly controversial sequel to Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster, Batman. With Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne and show-stealing performances by Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle and Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot, Batman Returns amplifies the gothic eclecticness of its predecessor. We discuss the nostalgic quality of Tim Burton's vision of Gotham, the violence and darker themes that turned a lot of parents off at the time, and if Michael Keaton is the best live-action Batman there is. Image Credit: IMDB

You talkin' to me? I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. We were on a break! Some lines are just imminently quotable... but which movies and shows actually top the list of being quoted most often (and let's face it, often out of context). That's what we explore in this week's Supercut, along with what makes a good quotable line, and why some endure over others. Image Credit: IMDb

A teen/high school comedy with a twist, Bottoms is all about two unpopular queer teenagers (Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott), who inadvertently start a fight club in order to get the cheerleaders of their dreams. Taking its cues from Wet Hot American Summer, Bring It On and Heathers, it was a hit at the festival circuit. Now that it's made its way to our (streaming) shores, we take a look and discuss if it lives up to the hype. Image Credit: IMDb

We're breaking both the first and second rule of Fight Club this week, as we throwback to this modern classic from David Fincher. Starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, Fight Club explored male disenfranchisement, the disconnectedness of capitalist life, and mental health, in a highly stylised, highly violent and lurid way. We explore how the film has aged, and also discuss the many similar movies and shows it's inspired. Image Credit: IMDb

The premise of today's Supercut is simple: if you could, what movie would you like to make? Would it be a quirky indie feature with up-and-coming actors, a big blockbuster action movie, a dark, futuristic rumination on humanity, or a laugh-out-loud comedy? Or something else entirely? The sky's the limit, so we discuss our dream screen projects.Image Credit: IMDb

A Ridley Scott film comes with certain expectations: epic scale, larger-than-life characters, and lots of bombast. Napoleon certainly ticks all the boxes. The movie reunites Jaoquin Phoenix with the director, in the titular role as the famed French commander who ascends to the throne, and the plot examines his story through his relationship with the woman who is said to be his one true love, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). We review the movie, and talk about what it takes to make a great historical epic.Image Credit: IMDb

Based on the book of the same name, this prequel to the phenomenally successful Hunger Games franchise tells the story of 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), years before he becomes the dictator of Panem. Snow is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from District 12 as the 10th annual Hunger Games quickly approaches. We discuss The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and how it adds to the Hunger Games mythos, filling the shoes of pop culture icon Katniss Everdeen, and whether we'd like to see more movies from the dystopian districts of Panem. Image Credit: IMDb

Loki, Morbius, Sylvie and the TVA return for another round of time-hopping, reality-altering shenanigans, following the events of the critically acclaimed first season. While not as bombastic as its predecessor, Season 2 sheds new light on our timeless characters in arguably one of the best stories in a post-Endgame MCU. We review the second season of Loki and discuss the titular character's glorious purpose, what this season means to the rest of the Multiverse, and if we'd like to see Loki and the gang return for a third season of the show. Image Credit: IMDb

Every decade of filmmaking has its own mores and boundaries of what's acceptable, or okay to say and do. But in recent times. we've seen people revisiting some classics and pointing out some problematic storylines or behaviours, as well as major studios making a point to - at least on the surface - highlight diversity and inclusivity. But that hasn't come without pushback as well, particularly from longtime and deeply entrenched fans of certain IPs (ahem). What does all this mean for audiences, and fundamentally, has it made movies and shows better or worse? We get into this tricky subject.Image Credit: IMDb

Neither Phase Four nor Five of Marvel's releases have been hugely popular among fans and moviegoers, so the question is: where will The Marvels land? Featuring Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani's Ms Marvel, and with a plot that hinges on their powers becoming entangled with one another, The Marvels is a movie that comes with a fair amount of baggage, but also heightened expectations (thanks in part to director Nia DaCosta). In this review, we discuss whether this movie really is out of this world, or crashes and burns.Imagen Credit: IMDb

The latest from David Fincher sees him returning to well-trodden ground: an action thriller about an assassin (played by Michael Fassbender) who gets involved in an international manhunt after a job goes badly wrong. Some have said this is one of Netflix's best films this year, and with the talent of both Fincher and Fassbender (and bonus Tilda Swinton), the odds are good. We review it and discuss whether it's worth a watch. Image Credit: IMDb

From films that crawl at a snail's pace, to movies where lots of things happen but somehow none of it matters, there's a lot to explore when it comes to what makes a cinema visit simply... boring. In this episode, we talk about some of our favourite (and least favourite!) boring movies, and try to unpack what makes them tick. Image credit: IMDb

Described as a science fiction romance, this movie revolves around controversial new technology that allows couples to test their relationship for true love. But what happens when you find yourself in love with more than one person? The cast is packed with interesting names, including Jessie Buckley, Jeremy Allen White, Riz Ahmed, and Annie Murphy. We review the film. Image credit: IMDb

We missed out on reviewing Shahrukh Khan's latest megahit when it was in the cinemas, but we're all locked and loaded for the big streaming release. Jawan sees the King Khan pairing up with buzzy Tamil director Atlee Kumar, for a movie that is big on action and drama, with a bunch of hit songs that have become viral hits - and a story that revolves around a mysterious vigilante who seems out to prove a point. We review the movie and talk about the ingredients that go into the perfect masala entertainer. Image Credits: IMDb