poptransmission

Category: Movies

  • Unfrosted: Seinfeld’s Zany Origin Story of the Pop Tart

    In his directorial debut, Jerry Seinfeld takes on the cereal wars of the 1960s. The epic battle between Kellogg’s and Post to create a toaster breakfast pastry that will addict children to a new form of morning ritual. A Manhattan Project for cereal, if you will. In 1963, Kellogg’s is king and Post the also-ran.…

  • Kingdom: Planet of the Apes Starts a New Epic

    “I’m back home. We finally really did it. You maniacs, you blew it up. God Damn you, God Damn you all to hell.” George Taylor’s (Charlton Heston) anguish in 1968 concluded the first chapter of The Planet of the Apes. The planet with talking apes as the intelligent dominant species was Earth all along. Based…

  • Hitchcock’s Blondes: An Inside Look at Eight Remarkable Actresses

    With over 50 films to his credit, Alfred Hitchcock was a ubiquitous presence in cinema. From the silent movies of the 1920s to the color films of the 1960s, his list of indelible Hollywood moments goes on and on…Ingrid Bergman with co-stars Cary Grant and Gregory Peck, Grace Kelly and co-stars Cary Grant and Jimmy…

  • Bob Marley: One Love – His Reggae Music Still Rules

    Does “Is This Love” get your body bouncing? Does “Redemption Song” get your emotions stirring? If so, hopefully you enjoyed the new Bob Marley movie in the surround sound of the theaters. If not, you still may have time before One Love ends its theater run. And don’t let the lukewarm critical reviews sway you.…

  • The 96th Academy Awards: No Surprise, Oppenheimer Was the Big Winner

    After sweeping the Directors, Producers, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as the Golden Globes, Oppenheimer was a shoo-in for Best Picture. Nominated in 13 (!) categories, it won seven – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Supporting Actor, Cinemaphotography, Editing, and Score. Poor Things took home the Oscar for Best Actress, Production Design,…

  • Oscars Predictions 2024: Looks Like Oppenheimer for the Big Wins

    The Best Picture nominations for the year 2023 run from blockbusters (Barbie and Oppenheimer) to critical favorites that few people saw (Past Lives and Anatomy of a Fall). Often by now many of the categories are sure things by building an unstoppable momentum during the Awards season. That’s still the case, but there are some…

  • Leave the World Behind: A Slow Burn Apocalyptic Movie

    I try not to look at other reviews too much before I write my own. But in my world, they’re hard to avoid entirely. Leave the World Behind seems to have a large share of detractors with the usual comments along the lines of “I want my two hours back” and an audience review of…

  • Napolean Review: The French Emperor’s Glory and Defeat

    France 1793. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror is in full swing. Marie Antoinette is beheaded as a young soldier looks on among the jubilated throngs. So begins Ridley Scott’s Napolean, an epic film saga starring Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line) in the title role and Vanessa Kirby (The Crown)…

  • Nyad: Netflix’s Inspiring Film on Long-Distance Swimming and Friendship

    I’ve always been in awe of open water swimming. My lifetime of swimming has mostly been confined to chlorine, not salt. (I spent 40+ years in the ocean but that was close to shore with a surfboard underneath.) My Dad introduced me to swimming at a young age and I’ve never stopped. We went lap…

  • Killers of the Flower Moon: An Epic Telling of a Sinister Conspiracy

    The Flower Moon. The full moon in May as the flowers bloom and announce the arrival of spring. Everything about Killers of the Flower Moon screams epic from the 3½ hour running time, to the triumvirate of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro, and its relatively unknown story about the murder of Native…

  • Fair Play Movie: A Disturbing Expose’ on Office Romances

    Emily and Luke, co-workers and secret lovers, are partying at Luke’s brother’s wedding reception. They’re horny, in love, and focused on making tons of money working at One Crest Capital. They race into the bathroom and have passionate sex complete with an awkward moment. While putting himself back together, a ring falls out of Luke’s…

  • The Pale Blue Eye Movie: A Gothic Murder Mystery at West Point

    Who is killing U.S. Military Academy cadets in 1830? The first hanging is initially thought to be self-imposed, but upon examining the body, suicide is clearly not the cause of death. Then another cadet is found hanged and a third disappears. The military brass is frantic about the possibility of scandal at the fledgling academy.…