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.

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.

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. 

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