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Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of August 3, 2026

Tony
Rated R for pervasive language, drug use, and sexual content/nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
In Theaters
Anthony Bourdain has burned his name into history for being one of the first food writers in the modern era to receive legendary status. His book, “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” along with his hit foodie travel shows “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown” have put him on the map as the definitive voice for people who like to travel, dine and take in the culture of their destination. For those who know his story, he was taken from us far too early. But instead of focusing on the ending, this movie tells us the beginning. When you young Tony, played here by Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers), doesn’t get into the writing fellowship he dreamt of, he follows a girl, played by Emilia Jones, who doesn’t know she’s being followed, to Provincetown, Massachusetts where he finds himself depressed, out of money, and practically homeless. After making a fool of himself and getting kicked out of a local restaurant, a kind-hearted chef (Antonio Banderas) gives him a hammock to sleep in and a job as a dishwasher. Finding that he loves the kitchen environment, his life goals begin to change and we begin to see the transformation between the Tony here and the modern Anthony Bourdain. While he doesn’t really resemble the guy he’s playing, actor Dominic Sessa does a remarkable job here playing the character. His attitude and swagger are spot on and that alone makes the portrayal uncanny. And it helps to have a fantastic supporting cast with Banderas, Jones and Leo Woodall, whose character Sal represents the dangerous inspirations for Tony’s former erratic behavior and drug abuse he speaks so often about in his writing. In all transparency, I went into this as someone who has read some of his work and watched every episode of his shows, so there were high expectations. The brilliance of the film was to put a complex character into a simple story. Writer/director Matt Johnson shows off his ability to get into Anthony’s head with what is a fairly undocumented part of his past in a story, maybe based on some truth, that most likely went to the grave with him. But when we look at Anthony as a legend, and not a real person, the movie makes sense and the story is incredibly compelling. There is a moment in the third act where I had a little trouble with the dark plot direction, but the movie turns around in a way that feels more like a celebration than a downer. Just like having watched an episode of one of his shows, I felt like I had a better understanding of my guide and I left the theater with a renewed longing for visiting places I’ve never been and food I’ve never eaten. A-

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of July 27, 2026

Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Rated PG-13 for some language, and sequences of action/violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
In Theaters
Since Marvel took over Spider-Man a decade ago, we’ve had some fun adventures and some more than decent films to add to the franchise. But as Marvel has traded story for complexity, I have to be honest – I couldn’t even remember where we left off five years ago with No Way Home. It wasn’t a bad movie, but it threw out a huge mess of ideas that I confused with the Spider-Verse films, which left me guessing where they dropped us off last. So I did a quick recap, and I am happy to tell you that the only thing you need to remember going in here is that Peter Parker (still played by Tom Holland) asked Dr. Strange to have everyone he knew lose their memory of knowing him, because after his Aunt Mae was killed, he didn’t want to risk losing the lives of others he loved, such as Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya). So now Peter is a lonely guy, afraid to make even casual relationships, but still wanting to fight crime and make his city safe, because after all, as his Aunt Mae told him as she was dying, “with great power, there must come great responsibility.” So with that mantra, Peter cleans up the streets, making New York the safest it’s been in years. But just when he thinks things are nice and tidy, and he can start focusing on maybe reintroducing himself to Ned and MJ, a new villain shows up who can possess anyone they’d like, with a hidden agenda that no one seems to understand. For a while, Marvel was pushing everyone towards super-villain Kang the Conqueror, but with the legal problems facing the actor portraying him, they switched directions entirely. This has caused a great deal of confusion and mayhem within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the shift has been a bit ugly. While Spider-man is inside this overall story-arch, and the new villain from this film is technically a major player that could have wide-ranging implications, here they do a really good job of containment. Sure they throw in The Hulk and The Punisher (Jon Bernthal is really perfect in this supporting role), but the overall story seems encapsulated and complete. While many like the tie-ins and crossovers, many more are tired and simply want a good movie. That’s what Brand New Day is. A complete movie, filled with everything you want in a Spider-man flick. The film has a terrific script that is well-acted by its talented cast, and it might just be the best Spider-Man film (live-action that is) since 2004’s Spider-Man 2. With many new Marvel projects in the works, I know we will get back into the chaos and confusion soon, but it’s great to just have an enjoyable adventure like this as a summer tentpole worthy of the web-slinger. A-

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of July 13, 2026

The Odyssey
Rated R for violence and some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
In Theaters
When you think Christopher Nolan, your mind should immediately imagine big, smart epic filmmaking. For decades, he has brought us some of the grandest movies imaginable, such as The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, Inception and his recent Oscar-winner, Oppenheimer. Now he is taking on The Odyssey from the ancient Greek poet Homer. The story takes place after The Trojan war as King Odysseus of Ithaca (played here by Matt Damon), and his men, make the journey back home after winning the war. But instead of going straight home, they make a few stops along the way, all the while testing the gods and confronting monsters, deadly armies and all sorts of perilous traps. Meanwhile, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and Prince Telemachus (Tom Holland) are held captive in their own kingdom by suitors who want to marry the Queen, in case of the death of Odysseus, and overthrow the prince. From the moment the movie starts, you know you are in for a long but deeply satisfying ride. While it’s a bit of a slow burn at first, that is just Nolan setting up the stakes, and as soon as the action starts, it hardly lets up. There is danger around literally every corner and our heroes find themselves knee-deep in it every time. It’s hard to review a film such as this without over-using words like impressive, impactful, and huge, but it is all these things and more. The cast itself is one of the finest ever put on screen, full of Oscar-winners and iconic figures such as Damon, Holland, Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, and many, many others. Nolan has never had an issue attracting great actors to his scripts, but The Odyssey is just ridiculous. He also brings back long-time collaborators such as cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and composer Ludwig Göransson to a production worthy of their skills and talents. What is most important here is Nolan’s vision. He is thoughtful in every detail, telling a story that will be greatly appreciated by fans of the work, and to those that have never heard of it before this weekend. He makes it relevant to today’s political climate without making it preachy or distracting. In the end, you get an Earth-shattering, monumental motion picture that will leave you exhausted but still thrilled that you were able to experience the three-hour journey. If you do get the chance to see it in IMAX, I would highly advise doing so. This is the first movie ever filmed 100% with IMAX cameras, with visuals and sound truly worthy of the technology. A+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of June 29, 2026

Lucky Strike
Rated R for language, violence and some grisly images
Rotten Tomatoes Score 57%
In Theaters
Based on true events, Lucky Strike tells the story of a soldier (Scott Eastwood) during The Battle of the Bulge who finds himself the lone survivor of an attack, but deep behind enemy lines without any aid to come get him. Using his wits and a desire to survive, he must make his way through the German lines and back to safety. Director Rod Lurie (The Contender) has given us some really great films over the years, so expectations were high. I found the movie to have a 70’s feel to it, like maybe a vehicle for Steve McQueen or even Eastwood’s dad, Clint. It is definitely a one-man show, and Scott is good enough here. The action is tight, at least tighter than the script. The dialogue was predictable and what you would expect from a screenwriter who grew up on these types of films. The story was also something that most have seen before, but if you’re new to war movies, you might not get the sense of that. To get down into it, the movie at times gives you the feel that you are watching the movie within the movie. In Quentin Tarantino’s film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a character much like our hero here in a film called the The 14 Fists of McCluskey, which gets fully fleshed flashbacks. DiCaprio plays a character similar to Clint Eastwood in that film, which to me makes sense with this new story. Alas, I was distracted enough during the film to not take it as seriously as it wanted to be taken, thinking up these alternate scenarios. Perhaps if they got a bigger star, the film could have held more interest. As a theatrical release, I think it is going to suffer under the weight of the tentpole films at every corner. But it might possibly find a home on streaming soon, giving it a home with an audience who thrives on these kinds of projects. C+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of June 22, 2026

Supergirl
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
In Theaters
At the end of last year’s Superman reboot we found out that Superman’s dog, Krypto, was actually the pet of his cousin, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl (Milly Alcock). This story plays as a prequel, but not quite an origin story. The setup occurs as a young girl’s entire family is killed by a villain with super strength, known as Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts). The girl (Eve Ridley) wants revenge and seeks out anyone brave enough to help her. Supergirl just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time (a bar on a distant planet where alcohol has greater effect on her) when she finds herself forced to protect the girl from the villains she is trying to recruit. The two have a run-in with Krem and Krypto is shot with a poisonous dart that will kill her best friend unless she finds the antidote within 3 days. The unlikely team go after Krem, one to avenge her family and the other to save her pet. The story is definitely serviceable, especially since it is most action and very little fluff. We do get a backstory for her origin, but it is quick and painless and actually sheds light (literally) on some important Superman lore. I’ve never really had a lot of interest in the Supergirl storyline, but I found this to be a rather compelling spinoff idea. First off, and I thought this last year, the dog is genius. Without Krypto, this new franchise would have a tough time generating this much interest. I find that we are immediately taken with the plot here and ready to rescue the super canine. I liked the approach they took making it a buddy pic of sorts, but while I think Milly was a great piece of casting, I didn’t think much of Ruthye’s character and Krem seemed more like a baddie from Guardians of the Galaxy than from the DC Universe. The only A-lister in the cast is Jason Momoa as the wild card Lobo, another part I’m not sure we needed but who at least added some comedic effect. Once again, this summer delivers another film that I didn’t love yet didn’t hate. I did find some potential for the franchise, but I’m still not sure what they are going to do with it. While James Gunn didn’t direct this one (it was helmed by Cruella director Craig Gillespie) you can still see his fingerprints all over it. I’m hoping that eventually that will be a good thing and not what we ended up getting towards the end of Zach Snyder’s run. B-

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of June 15, 2026

Toy Story 5
Rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
In Theaters
Back for another sequel is the gang from Toy Story. If you remember from the last film (and I kinda forgot), the new kid is Bonnie and her favorite toys are Jessie and her horse Bulls-eye. But when her parents try to help her make friends by buying her a tablet to make her fit in, she quickly forgets about all of her physical toys and Jessie ends up dejected and back at her original home with potentially a new owner. But she desperately wants to get back to Bonnie and get her off her tablet. As you can probably tell here, this is a Jessie movie and not a Woody and Buzz movie. They are both in it, but as side players. The thing I’ve always loved about the Toy Story franchise is the buddy element. It’s always worked for me, and I’ve really enjoyed all of the movies to date. This latest story seems to be an inevitable direction as electronics have taken over. I would think that phones and console games are a more dangerous enemy, but the tablet is at least a toy-sized device that can house a Toy Story character easily enough. The film is well-enough made with some clever turns and a good message for kids. But what I loved about the first four films (and the Buzz Lightyear spinoff) doesn’t exist here. Those films weren’t just tolerated by adults to keep their kids happy but rather enjoyed by adults. This one, unfortunately, seems like a kid’s film that won’t irritate the parents too much while they are in the theater with them. In this regard, it feels like they are out of stories to tell and leaning in on the cash grab, taking advantage of the fact that Toy Story is still a massive franchise worth exploiting, but not exploring. Perhaps the biggest disappointment here is that the director is long-time Pixar fixture Andrew Stanton (A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo) who traditionally brings his A game. But this one doesn’t feel like a Stanton project at all. It’s like they still have a pretty car, but it has run out of gas. C+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of June 8, 2026

Disclosure Day
Rated PG-13 for some bloody images, action/violence and strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
In Theaters
If there was a poster child for movies about aliens from outer space, it would be director Steven Spielberg. It’s hard to imagine a conversation about the genre without mentioning movies like E.T., Close Encounters, War of the Worlds, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (we try to forget about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). And now there is Disclosure Day. The movie feels like Spielberg from the very beginning. With a script from David Koepp (Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds), a score by John Williams and cinematography by long-time collaborator Janusz Kaminski, there is no doubt who made the film from its opening moments to its closing credits. The story starts off like a mystery that the audience must be patient to unravel. A young man (Josh O’Connor) is running from an unknown branch of the government with some kind of secret technology in his possession. We are unaware of what this tech does, but we do know it is dangerous and weird things happen around it. We also know that a young weather girl from a Kansas City television station (Emily Blunt) suddenly has a gift to read minds and then understand and speak in all sorts of languages. When she goes on the air, she utters what sounds like a form of communication, but no one knows what it is. The two must somehow find each other and figure out how to use their abilities to change the world. I’ll let you unravel the story from here, as I think knowing too much can greatly hurt your enjoyment of the film. Personally, I wish I hadn’t seen a trailer and had gone in completely cold. What’s important here is the theme of the movie. It’s almost like Spielberg is preparing us for something. With his previous films, he made us either fall in love with or fear aliens. But it was always with a fantasy narrative. Here, it seems he is trying to tell us that information is about to hit, and you need to be ready for it. The world needs to be ready for it. It’s a move to have us at least somewhat mentally prepared for the inevitable disclosure that might be just around the corner, if you believe in that sort of thing. It won’t be just a small release of videos meant to distract from the Epstein Files, but full evidence of alien life on Earth. He asks big questions, like how religion will come into play. What effect will it have on the planet. Will it cause chaos? Will it simply change our worlds’ focus? It’s an adult alien film, and I do have a little concern that it won’t perform well at the box office, but it’s still worth watching, and might give us a lot to chew on as we begin to process its themes and its overarching questions. A-

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of June 1, 2026

Masters of the Universe
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material, sequences of violence/action and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75% at time of writing
In Theaters
I grew up with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. At times it gave me inspiration. At others, severe body dysmorphia. Looking back, you can easily see that it was a franchise designed to sell toys (and possibly protein powder). The Saturday morning cartoon told the story of a handsome young prince named Adam, who upon lifting his sword and saying “by the power of Grayskull! I have the power!,” is transformed into a giant, muscle-bound hero. Together, with his giant tiger and several other gym rats with weird powers, they fight the skull-faced Skeletor and his minion army. Honestly, the show was super dumb, as was the Dolph Lundgren movie in 1987. So hopes weren’t too high going into this one, to say the least. But I try to have an open mind, regardless of the film, and in this case I’m glad I did. Playing the role of He-Man is relative newcomer Nicholas Galitzine, who turns out quite perfect for the role. With Jared Leto as Skeletor and Idris Elba as Duncan, the film made some smart moves with casting, giving the movie much more street cred than you would expect. But what really gives the film its edge is its sense of humor. The movie never takes itself seriously, as it shouldn’t. This is a stupid story and the more earnestness you tell it with, the worse it becomes. The action figures had the dumbest names you can imagine, and to give some rationale behind this, they wrote them in as the names young Adam gave them before he was sent to Earth. Upon his return fifteen years later, he only knows them by their ridiculous monikers from his childhood. What should have been a big budget Hollywood dud finds itself rescued from itself by a smart narrative that makes everything tongue in cheek. While not as clever as the Barbie movie, Master of the Universe manages to impress where it shouldn’t, giving us a much more entertaining two hours than you would ever expect from such a picture. B+

Backrooms
Rated R for some violent content, language and bloody images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
In Theaters
Based on the viral Youtube videos, Backrooms tells the story of a lonely furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who discovers a hidden collection of mazes under his store with nightmares lurking around every corner. There are some very scary moments throughout the film, with some decent tension and jolting jump scares. And it helps to have two Oscar nominees starring with Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) and Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) to give the film realism and credibility. But honestly, you need a primer for this one. If you don’t know what the movie is before going in, it won’t help you while you’re watching. There is backstory that is important, and personally, I hate it when a movie requires homework before watching it. Maybe in the future I could find this to be a decent horror film, but upon my first viewing, I found the unfamiliarity with the prior videos to be a handicap, making the movie that much harder to understand or enjoy. C+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of May 18, 2026

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Rated PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%
In Theaters
With the success of the Disney+ television series, it only makes sense that Disney would want to create an entire movie around their Mandalorian franchise. For those of you who have completely missed out, the Mandalorian tells the story of bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe who takes up with a young apprentice who went by the name “baby Yoda” until it was revealed that his real name was “Grogu.” Not one of my favorite creative choices, but that is the way. Together, they would go on missions that would both make them a little money and take on any Imperial powers that scattered through the universe after the death of Darth Vader. In this adventure, Mando and Grogu are hired by Jabba the Hutt’s siblings “The Twins” to find their nephew, Rotta the Hutt, voiced here by Jeremy Allen White, who has been kidnapped by a notorious gangster. But when they find that he was not actually kidnapped, there is a change of heart which forces the hunter to become the hunted. Quite honestly, the film is exactly what I thought it would be: a two-hour version of the tv show, with a much bigger budget. From the moment the film starts, it is one action-packed scene after another, with tons of monsters and drama. Aside from a dreadfully boring scene before the third act, the film keeps you on your toes. While the special effects and action are exciting enough, the story lacks any heart or weight. It Is like a video game where you go from one fun challenge to another, but the movie did nothing to push the story of Mando and Grogu forward. I expected much of what I saw, but I was really hoping for a lot more, especially from a theatrical release. I do like the whole “Western” theme they have on the show, and that is alive and well here, but with so much at stake for the overall Star Wars Universe, I’m surprised that Disney didn’t try a little harder. B-

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of May 4, 2026

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)
Rated PG-13 for suggestive reference and strong language
No Rotten Tomatoes Score at Time of Review
In Theaters
There have been very few artists in our relatively short modern music scene that have resonated like Billie Eilish. At 24 years of age, she has already garnered the status of giants like Taylor Swift, Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson. In this newest theatrical concert experience, one of the most famous and respected filmmakers in the world, James Cameron, takes on her live experience with a stunning 3D filming that has to be seen to be believed. Between each song is a short interlude, showing everything from her concert prep, to her creative process, to her puppy room used to both improve her mental health and find homes for rescued dogs. Sure, the film sells her as a generational talent with a heart of gold. But in this case, perhaps she is. Having met her myself a couple of times, she has always been genuinely nice and her songwriting and performance skills are truly spectacular. And since she is so young, she has had relatively little time in her life to experience the drama that is seemingly inevitable for such a star. So in lieu of said drama, we get pure creativity on a massive scale, co-directed by one of the greatest filmmakers of our lifetime. What this movie shows best about Billie is that she is not on stage merely to entertain – she is there to connect. The film shows how Billie has changed her audiences lives for the better, given them a place to fit in, and in some cases truly saved them. I can highly recommend this unusual theatrical experience if you get the chance to go to the movies while it’s still there. It won’t be nearly as powerful watching from your couch. A