Popcorn Culture

Karthik Subbaraj is the director behind pulpy, Tarantino-flavoured gangster films full of Bruce Lee nods and larger-than-life characters. In Dorothy, now streaming on Netflix, he trades some of that swagger for something gentler. Set in a rural village in the 1980s, it follows two lifelong friends who grow up steeped in machismo and violence, until a woman marries into one of their households and changes the course of both their lives. We dig into the music, the performances and the look of the film, and whether it's a good place to start with the director's work.Image Credit: IMDbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's a DC double bill. First up, Clayface, a body horror villain origin story written by Mike Flanagan alongside Hossein Amini and directed by James Watkins — a pedigree that had us intrigued before a single frame rolled. A mob boss disfigures a rising, Oscar-nominated actor, and the experimental treatment meant to restore his face instead turns him into the shape-shifting monster of the title. We dig into whether the gnarly practical effects and dread-filled first half are enough to carry it through to the end. Then we turn to Lanterns, the small-screen Green Lantern Corps series from Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as a grizzled veteran and an idealistic newcomer dragged into a rural mystery spanning two timelines a decade apart. It's less space opera, more prestige crime drama — and we break down whether that trade-off pays off.Image Credit: IMDbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week it's a double bill that swings from blockbuster spectacle to underwater survival. First, Jailer 2 sees Rajinikanth return as “Tiger” Muthuvel Pandian, picking up three months after the first film as he goes after the cartel behind a statue smuggling ring, all the way to the top. We discuss whether the Superstar’s latest outing lives up to the first installment.Meanwhile, Whalefall follows a grieving son who sets out to honour his late, estranged father and ends up swallowed by a whale, left to figure out how to survive. We discuss how this thriller handles grief, and whether it works as a survival story. Image Credit: IMDBImage Credit: IMDBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the director behind Birdman and The Revenant, turns his gaze on climate catastrophe with Digger, and the result is as divisive as his back catalogue. Tom Cruise disappears into the title role as an oil tycoon with the US president's ear, whose relentless exploitation has pushed the world to the edge of ecological collapse — icebergs, tsunamis and all. We talk about why we love Digger, and why this bold, original swing has been tanking at the box office despite some of the best work of Cruise's career.Image Credit: IMDBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Description: 7 years after its release, Avengers: Endgame returns to cinemas! This time, promising not just the opportunity to re-experience its epic moments on the big screen, but also extended, exclusive footage that its directors say is must-see viewing ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. So is this worth your time, and does it get us hyped and excited for December's big release? We discuss. Image Credit: IMDBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It isn't every day that a beloved video game franchise gets a second film reboot, let alone one directed by someone with Zach Cregger's calibre (Weapons, Barbarian) - so it's no wonder fans are excited. Taking place during events paralleling the 1998 game Resident Evil 2, this new film follows Austin Abrams' Bryan, a medical courier fighting through a viral outbreak of infected monsters while trying to make a delivery. We talk about why this movie has now become one of the best-rated and reviewed video game adaptations, and what it means for the future of the franchise. Image Credit: IMDBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Description: Terbang is the latest film by Chiu Keng Guan, the Malaysian filmmaker behind The Journey and Ola Bola. Loosely inspired by the story of Karamjit Singh, the legendary Malaysian rally driver known as the “Flying Sikh”, the film follows Ajeet as he navigates the world of motorsport and makes a dramatic comeback after a horrific rally accident. Starring Irfan Zaini, Zizan Razak, Jack Tan and Nam Ron, the film marks Chiu’s return to the big screen with another Malaysian sports story. We review the film and discuss how it holds up against Chiu's other films. We also review another Malaysian film, The Fox King, by Woo Ming Jin. A Malaysian-Indonesian co-production that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025, the film is a coming-of-age drama involving two students and their teacher, starring Indonesian actress Dian Sastrowardoyo alongside Idan Aedan and Hadi Putra. Finally, we look at the second season of The Paper, the comedy series by Greg Daniels andMichael Koman, set in the same universe as The Office. This time, the crew leaves Dunder Mifflin behind to follow the staff of The Truth Teller, a struggling historic newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, as its publisher attempts to revive the publication.Image Credit: IMDBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A small border town in South Korea. An alien invasion and a rollicking rampage. Carnage and mayhem. That's the premise and promise of Hope, Na Hong-Jin's latest cinematic release, since 2016's The Wailing. Since its debut at Cannes, Hope generated headlines, and wildly varied ones at that. While some reviews celebrated its exhilarating action and ambitious scope, others were less enthused about its meandering story and wobbly CGI. It's since undergone significant edits ahead of its wider release - so we break down whether the movie works as a whole, whether it's lived up to its initial hype, and if it's worth a watch on the big screen.Image credit: IMDBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Train to Busan turns 10 this year, and the South Korean zombie thriller is returning to cinemas in a new 4K restoration. We revisit the story of passengers fighting to survive a zombie outbreak aboard a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan, and ask whether it still holds up a decade later.Meanwhile, we're halfway through the fourth season of Ted Lasso, in which Ted needs to coach AFC Richmond's newly formed women's football team. We discuss whether this season matches the first three or if the show has lost its way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we pay tribute to two iconic performers who left an indelible mark on the screen and in our childhoods. We look back at the memorable careers of Tim Curry and Peter Cullen and the characters that made them household names. After that, ahead of the long Merdeka weekend, the timing felt right to throw it back to a couple of films that celebrate Malaysia and Malaysianness. So we start off by discussing Yasmin Ahmad’s bittersweet final movie, Talentime (2009), and the love story and acknowledgement of multiculturalism at its heart. Then, we continue on to recommend Ola Bola (2016), a film inspired by the highs of the Malaysian football team that successfully got into the 1980 Summer Olympics. Image Credit: IMDb, Peter Cullen (Facebook)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.