The Goggler Podcast #745: The Changing Face of Film Criticism

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review Zootopia 2, a vibrant, witty sequel that deepens its world with sharp, heartfelt storytelling. Zootopia 2 is now showing in Malaysian cinemas. In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2, rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a great mystery when Gary De’Snake arrives in Zootopia and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before. Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, the film features the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, Idris Elba, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, Nate Torrence, and Shakira. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on a very special episode of The Goggler Podcast, Uma speaks to fellow film journalists Katie Rife and Nick Newman about how this new world has changed they do the work that they do. This episode of The Goggler Podcast was recorded live at the TIFF Lounge, co-presented by the Japan Foundation and the Tokyo International Film Festival. You can find out more information about the festival here. ABOUT THE TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: In 2025, the Tokyo International Film Festival once again presents a rich lineup of films from Japan and around the world. The selection spans acclaimed titles from international festivals, world premieres, animation, and documentaries. We will also welcome international guests to the TIFF Lounge, symposia, networking parties, and other forums designed to foster dialogue and exchange between Japanese and international filmmakers and industry professionals. Following the launch of the Women’s Empowerment section last year, which opened new horizons for dialogue by embracing female perspectives, TIFF will now inaugurate the new Asian Students ’ Film Conference section. This new initiative will invite film students from across Asia to Tokyo for a short film competition, with the aim of cultivating yet another new path for the future of cinema. This year also marks the unveiling of a new festival poster. One of its core visual themes is “perspective.” In a world often enveloped by sweeping grand narratives, we feel that it is the small, personal gaze that truly gives power to storytelling. Each film presented at TIFF from around the world embodies the unique and indispensable perspectives of its creators and protagonists—perspectives that promise to broaden the horizons of audiences everywhere. We invite you to experience these perspectives as they resonate from the screen. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review the first four episodes of the final season of Stranger Things. The first part of Stranger Things, Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix. The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time. Stranger Things was created by The Duffer Brothers and stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Cara Buono, Nell Fisher, and Linda Hamilton. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review Wicked: For Good, the second part of Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the acclaimed musical. Wicked: For Good is now showing in Malaysian cinemas. Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard. Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible, Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.  As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives. Wicked: For Good was directed by Jon M. Chu, and stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review Edgar Wright’s brand new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man. The Running Man is now showing in Malaysian cinemas. In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television – a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall. The movie was directed by Edgar Wright and stars Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Katy O’Brian, Colman Domingo, and Josh Brolin. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma put forward their theories on why we’ve always kinda rooted for the Predator. Predator: Badlands is now showing in Malaysian cinemas. In the distant future, on a hostile alien planet, a young Predator cast out from his clan for his size finds his world turned upside down when he teams up with Thia, a damaged android with her own mysterious past. Together they embark on a deadly journey through harsh wilderness and ancient hunting grounds, where survival means confronting both monstrous beasts and the code of the Predator itself. Along the way, their unlikely alliance challenges everything they thought they knew about honor, power, and who the real hunters are. Predator: Badlands was directed by Dan Trachtenberg and stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster‑Koloamatangi. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review the third movie in Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator reboot, Predator: Badlands. Predator: Badlands is now showing in Malaysian cinemas. In the distant future, on a hostile alien planet, a young Predator cast out from his clan for his size finds his world turned upside down when he teams up with Thia, a damaged android with her own mysterious past. Together they embark on a deadly journey through harsh wilderness and ancient hunting grounds, where survival means confronting both monstrous beasts and the code of the Predator itself. Along the way, their unlikely alliance challenges everything they thought they knew about honor, power, and who the real hunters are. Predator: Badlands was directed by Dan Trachtenberg and stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster‑Koloamatangi. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review Jay Roach’s tragicomedy about a marriage in decline in The Roses. The Roses is now showing exclusively at selected GSC locations. At first glance, Theo and Ivy Rose seem to have it all: a glamorous life, successful careers, and children in a picture-perfect marriage. But when Ivy’s ambition begins to surge just as Theo’s professional fortunes falter, the veneer of domestic bliss starts to crack. What follows is a sharp, darkly comic exploration of what happens when love, power, and identity get entangled, and when the battleground of marriage becomes one of ruthless competition rather than partnership. The Roses was directed by Jay Roach, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Ncuti Gatwa, and Allison Janney. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review Paul Greengrass’ epic new survival drama, The Lost Bus. The Lost Bus is now streaming on Apple TV+. The Lost Bus dramatizes the heart-stopping true story of bus driver Kevin McKay and schoolteacher Mary Ludwig, who, amid the raging 2018 Camp Fire, must lead 22 children and themselves through collapsing roads, smoke, and chaos in a desperate bid for survival. What begins as a mission of evacuation turns into a test of endurance, leadership, and sacrifice as every moment becomes a fight to stay alive against the inferno closing in. The movie was directed by Paul Greengrass, and stars Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez, and Ashlie Atkinson. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review the long awaited third installment in the TRON franchise: TRON: Ares. TRON: Ares opens in Malaysian cinemas on Thursday, October 9. Tron: Ares picks up the legacy of the digital frontier as a powerful new program, Ares, is sent from the world of the Grid into the real world on a mission that could change the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence forever. Blurring the line between creator and creation, the film explores what happens when digital life begins to question its purpose – and humanity’s control over it. The movie was directed by Joachim Rønning, and stars Jared Leto, Evan Peters, Greta Lee, Gillian Anderson, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, and Arturo Castro. Thank you for checking out The Goggler Podcast, if you have any thoughts or questions, just email us on [email protected], or reach out to us via Instagram. You can also WhatsApp us on The Goggler Hotline, on +60125245208 RSS: https://goggler.my/feed/podcast/