Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton – Week of April 21, 2025

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of April 21, 2025

Andor: Season 2
Rated TV-14
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Streaming on Disney+

Since Disney+ launched in 2019, their goal was to produce a huge amount of content for their Star Wars franchise, filling in the gaps of the massive universe with new stories and characters for us to adventure with. In 2022, they released the first season of Andor, created by Rogue One writer Tony Gilroy (also of Bourne Identity and Michael Clayton fame), which tells the story of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in the events that lead up to 2016’s Rogue One. It was an adult-themed Star Wars show that struck big with fans hungry for a series that was worthy of the Star Wars label. Season One left us with huge chasm of time to fill before the impending doom of its hero, which we are quickly made aware of in season 2 when we see the time stamp at the beginning of the first episode: BBY 4, or 4 years Before the Battle of Yavin, the war that would take down the empire in 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope. I have to admit that I’m not as negative on the multitude of new movies and series as some other fans have been. I like nearly all of them okay and enjoy learning more about the Universe surrounding the stories that filled and deeply influenced my childhood. But while I like (sometimes really like) the content seen so far, I LOVE what Disney has done with Andor. In this new season, you not only see the adventures of renegade rebel hitman Cassian Andor, but we also get to become more aware of the rise of the rebellion through the actions of antiquities dealer/resistance leader Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) and the politician who would take over the rebellion in Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). We also get more interplay from the evil forces of the galactic empire, including super baddie and Death Star mastermind Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) and Deedra Meero (Denise Gough), the ambitious officer who is desperately trying to prove herself while trying not to think about the evil she is committing. It all results in a strong group of characters and a complex web of plots with writing that is undeniably powerful and effective. What also works here is the ticking of the clock with a countdown that will effect the entire galaxy, although unbeknownst to them in the moment. By the end we get an impressive and entirely bingeable series that will undoubtedly leave fans satisfied. While most of Disney’s shows are released weekly for the course of the run, this series will be dropping three per week, starting this week, and will finish its series of 12 episodes in a month’s time, without forcing you to wait until July to complete the watch, or start the binge. A

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton – Week of April 14, 2025

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of April 14, 2025

Sinners
Rated R for sexual content, language, and strong bloody violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
In Theaters

Writer/director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) teams up with Michael B. Jordan again for this supernatural thriller about a pair of twins in 1930’s Mississippi (both played by Jordan) who come back to their hometown, after a stint in Chicago, to open a juke joint. After buying a local sawmill, they hastily put together a band, featuring their young cousin Sammie (newcomer Miles Caton), a blues prodigy with huge potential, and Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) a local legend as the band leader. Opening night begins to go off with nary a hitch, until a trio of music-loving vampires show up to try to crash the party. When the teaser premiered last fall, I didn’t know what to think of it. Was it a crime drama? Thriller? Horror flick? Musical? Race war? All I did know was that Ryan Coogler has an impressive resume and the likelihood of disappointment was low. On that last point I was correct. Sinners does not disappoint. It works on so many levels and its genre is hard to account for. It is a true piece of art with elements of all the above, elevating it to an almost indescribable experience that will simply leave you floored by the end. On that note, make sure you stay until after the credits roll. Obviously, Coogler is the glue that holds the film together. His writing is strong here and the directing is visionary. And Jordan serves as a great lead, playing two roles and having a fun time while doing it. One unexpected element is Miles Caton and his character Sammie who blows the roof off the place in a star-making turn that will leave audiences buzzing. And then there is the wind in the movie’s sails provided by Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Oppenheimer) whose musical vision is breathtakingly on display here. While it’s early in the year movie-wise, I can easily see this score being the one to beat come awards season. Rich in blues, classical and rock, the music is the palette the movie is being painted on, giving the film an almost ethereal feel and unforgettable quality. A

Sacramento
Rated R
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
In Theaters

Lovable loser Michael Cera is about to become a father, but his neurosis is driving his wife (Kristen Stewart) nuts, and something needs to change for both of them. Writer, director, and costar Michael Angarano provides that catalyst for him when he shows up unannounced, wanting to take a road trip to Sacramento from Southern California in order to spread his father’s ashes. But nothing his friend says is on the level and the road trip turns into a chaotic circus with two unstable individuals trying to figure out their lives. If you like awkward comedies (and I mean super awkward), this might be a good buddy movie for you. It is quirky to the extreme and a bit of a mess. But I will admit that the humor isn’t for everyone, and its oddness can be a bit unsettling. Personally, and probably unprofessionally on my part, I was thrown off by Cera’s horrible beard, which he should have never grown. But aside from the nightmarish facial hair, the project just seemed off to me, which I feel was on purpose. There were moments I laughed, but there were more where I could tell they were trying to get me to laugh, unsuccessfully. At least it was short, but I would still only recommend a watch once it comes out on streaming and the only thing you have to lose is 90 minutes. C+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton – Week of April 7, 2025

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of April 7, 2025

The White Lotus: Season 3
Rated TV-MA
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Streaming on MAX

Now that this popular TV event is over for the season, it is fully available to binge at your leisure, and I would highly recommend you do so sooner than later, as it is the show everyone is talking about and you are bound to learn things you don’t want to know, the longer you wait. In season three, creator Mike White brings us to a beautiful resort in Thailand. The show begins with gunfire and a dead body floating in water before it goes back a week, giving you time to put everything together before finding out what actually happens in the season’s finale. As you’d expect, the characters are full of drama, maybe more so than previously, and you can see the death coming from inside any of the camps. The season brings on some big names and an overall very talented ensemble, with some of the biggest names stepping in later in the season. The group includes Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger, as well as some names that we will no doubt be seeing and remembering in the future. While the previous two seasons have brought about some disturbing and reckless behavior, this season takes the cake with themes of incest, familicide and revenge. But it’s mostly in good fun, if you have the right sense of humor, and the drama proves to be riveting. While a lot of folks choose to wait and binge, millions of people tuned in every Sunday, impatiently waiting to see what would happen next to this huge gang of misfits. Yes it pushes the envelope, but in a way that makes the audience into more a voyeur, looking through the window, watching what they know they aren’t supposed to see. This just adds to the fun, and by the end, your jaw will surely drop to the ground as much of the story is resolved. I’ve always enjoyed Mike White’s projects, but I’m especially glad that he has found his footing here and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for season 4. A

1923: Season 2
Rated TV-MA
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Streaming on Paramount+

This Yellowstone spinoff got off to a hell of start, leaving us with a huge cliffhanger waiting for this series finale. Picking up right when there left off, John Dutton’s great aunt and uncle (Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford) are being threatened by the town’s billionaire (Timothy Dalton) who wants their land in order to build a giant ski resort. Meanwhile, Dutton’s mother and father (Julia Schlepper and Brandon Sklenar) are desperately trying to make it to Montana from Africa in order to finally be together and save the ranch. Having been separated in season one, they both are making the difficult journey with a huge plethora of obstacles at every turn. While I love the show and the drama it provides, these obstacles for getting back to Montana will truly wear you out as it doesn’t seem that anything goes right for them at all. But the acting and the tremendous production carry us through the blood-drench conclusion that everyone wanted to see coming. Unlike Taylor Sheridan’s other hit shows (Yellowstone, Lioness, Landman) this one comes close to being pornographic or at least like something you used to see on late night Cinemax. Dalton’s character is a sadomasochist and the scenes involving his two prostitutes are highly sexual and disturbing. I remember I tried to get my mom to watch 1923 at the beginning of last season, and I am glad that she ignored me on that one. The Hallmark Channel it ain’t. But regardless, this final chapter in the 1923 saga is a solid piece of entertainment and another excellent example of Sheridan’s work. A-

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton – Week of March 31, 2025

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of March 31, 2025

The Friend
Rated R for a sexual reference and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
In Theaters

Based on the award-winning novel by Sigrid Nunez, Naomi Watts plays a single novelist living in a small New York City Apartment whose mentor and friend, played by Bill Murray, commits suicide, and bequeaths his giant Great Dane to her. As her apartment doesn’t allow dogs, and she has no interest in taking care of a 150-pound behemoth, life is tough as she tries to figure out a new home for the animal. But as she starts to bond with the dog, things start to change. I was really looking forward to this one after seeing the trailer, as it looked like a great Bill Murray vehicle that would undoubtedly be sad at times, but it also looked to have real potential for being funny. So there was a little disappointment that Bill Murray plays a relatively small role and there is very little humor to be found. While Murray doesn’t have the expected screen time, he is looming large in every single frame, as the entire film is basically about him. While the film lacks in laughter, it turns out to be a highly intellectual and poignant look at the relationship between a dog and their owner, as well as a thoughtful viewpoint of suicide and legacy. With the subject matter being so grim at times, the filmmakers make a tremendous attempt at trying to keep the tissues away by keeping the focus off the sad things, while always making them the elephant in the room. This proves to be effective, and while I did drop a few tears, I wasn’t balling like I expected as I moved through the film. Naomi Watts was such perfect casting here, turning in a deep and moving performance which draws in empathy like a black hole. You can easily put yourself in her shoes as you experience her ups and downs. This ends up being a very different kind of dog movie than I have ever seen. As I have already inferred, there is no hijinx or silliness anywhere to be found here. Instead, this turns out to be a more mature discussion about the relationship between man and beast which fixates more on the human and the influence that dogs have on them. B+