Popcorn Junkies Movie Reviews

Gladiator II is a 2024 epic historical action film directed and produced by Ridley Scott that serves as a sequel to Gladiator (2000). Written by David Scarpa, from a story he wrote with Peter Craig, the film was produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington.[6] Jacobi and Nielsen reprise their roles from the first film, with Mescal replacing Spencer Treat Clark. Mescal portrays Lucius, whose home is invaded by the Roman army led by General Acacius. He seeks revenge against Acacius and fights as a gladiator for Macrinus, a former slave who plans to overthrow the emperors Geta and Caracalla.

A sequel to Gladiator was discussed as early as June 2001, with David Franzoni and John Logan set to return as screenwriters. Over the next few years, Scott offered occasional updates, including the possible involvement of the original film's lead actor, Russell Crowe, along with plot ideas about the Roman afterlife and different historical time periods. Development was halted when DreamWorks sold the rights to the property to Paramount in 2006. The film was finally announced in 2018, and Mescal was cast in the lead role in January 2023, with a script by Scarpa. The rest of the cast signed on over the next several months. Filming took place between June 2023 and January 2024, with a five-month hiatus due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.

Gladiator II had its world premiere in Sydney, Australia, on October 30, 2024, and was released in the United Kingdom on November 15, and in the United States on November 22. It received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $221 million.

Blitz is a 2024 historical war drama film written, produced and directed by Steve McQueen. The film stars Saoirse Ronan and Elliot Heffernan (in his film debut) in the lead roles, along with Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, and Stephen Graham in supporting roles.

Blitz had its world premiere as the opening film at the BFI London Film Festival on October 9, 2024, and was released in select cinemas in the United Kingdom and United States on November 1, 2024, followed by a streaming release on Apple TV+ on November 22, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics

Anora is a 2024 American romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker. It follows the beleaguered marriage between Brooklyn stripper Anora (Mikey Madison) and son of a Russian oligarch Ivan Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), and features a supporting cast of Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Aleksei Serebryakov.

Anora premiered on May 21, 2024, in competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or, the first American film to do so since The Tree of Life in 2011; it was released theatrically on October 18, 2024, by Neon. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Rivals is a television series made for Disney+. It is an adaptation of the 1988 Jilly Cooper novel of the same name. It stars an ensemble cast including David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Lisa McGrillis, Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.

Heretic is a 2024 American horror thriller film written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. It stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and is set to be released in the United States by A24 on November 8, 2024.

Terrifier 3 is a 2024 American Christmas supernatural slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone and starring Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, Antonella Rose, Margaret Anne Florence, and Bryce Johnson. On the days leading up to Christmas, the story follows Sienna Shaw as she attempts to rebuild her life. At the same time, Art the Clown is pursuing her alongside his new accomplice, a possessed Victoria Heyes. It is the sequel to Terrifier 2 (2022) and is the third installment in the Terrifier franchise.

Following the critical and commercial success of Terrifier 2, Leone began writing for the third film with plans for an overarching narrative. Leone wanted to feature Victoria more prominently, as he regretted leaving the character underdeveloped in the first film. Principal photography began in February 2024 on a $2 million budget, and wrapped that April.

Terrifier 3 premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, on September 19, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 11. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $49.8 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the franchise.

Smile 2 is a 2024 American psychological supernatural horror film written and directed by Parker Finn. A sequel to Smile (2022), the film stars Naomi Scott as a pop star who begins to experience a series of increasingly disturbing events as she is about to go on tour. It also features Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, and Raúl Castillo, as well as Kyle Gallner reprising his role from the first film.

In March 2023, following the commercial success of Smile, Finn signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures to develop additional horror projects. In the following April, a sequel to Smile had entered pre-production, with Finn returning as writer and director. Principal photography took place in early 2024 in New York.

Smile 2 was released theatrically in the United States on October 18, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $50 million worldwide.

The Apprentice is a 2024 biographical drama film that examines Donald Trump's career as a real estate businessman in New York in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as his relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn. Directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman, the film stars Sebastian Stan as Trump, Jeremy Strong as Cohn, Martin Donovan as Trump's father Fred, and Maria Bakalova as Trump's first wife, Ivana.

An international co-production between Canada, Denmark, Ireland, and the United States, the film was announced in May 2018, but languished for several years until Abbasi, Stan, and Strong joined in fall 2023. After premiering at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2024, the film struggled to find American distribution due to its subject matter and an attempt by Trump's legal team to block its release. Briarcliff Entertainment eventually bought the rights, and theatrically released it on October 11, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

The Outrun is a 2024 drama film directed by Nora Fingscheidt from a screenplay she co-wrote with Amy Liptrot, and a story the two co-wrote with Daisy Lewis, based on the 2016 memoir of the same name by Liptrot. A co-production between the United Kingdom and Germany, it stars Saoirse Ronan, who also serves as a producer, along with Paapa Essiedu, Nabil Elouahabi, Izuka Hoyle, Lauren Lyle, Saskia Reeves, and Stephen Dillane in supporting roles.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 19 January 2024, and was released by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2024. It is slated for release in Germany on 7 November.

The Penguin is an American crime drama television miniseries developed by Lauren LeFranc for HBO. Based on the DC Comics character the Penguin, it is a spin-off from the film The Batman (2022) that explores the Penguin's rise to power in Gotham City's criminal underworld. LeFranc serves as the showrunner of the series, which is produced by DC Studios in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Colin Farrell stars as the Penguin, reprising his role from The Batman, alongside Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Zegen, Berto Colón, Scott Cohen, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Theo Rossi, James Madio, Joshua Bitton, David H. Holmes, Daniel J. Watts, Jared Abrahamson, Ben Cook, Jayme Lawson, Aleska Palladino, Craig Walker, Tess Soltau, Marié Botha, Michael Kelly and Mark Strong. Development was underway by September 2021, and HBO Max ordered it in March 2022, after The Batman was released. The film's director, Matt Reeves, supervised the writing and was involved in hiring the creative team. Filming began in March 2023 in New York, but was halted in June by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Production resumed in late November and concluded in February 2024. The series moved from HBO Max's successor Max to HBO in July 2024. Craig Zobel directed the first three episodes.

The Penguin premiered in the United States on HBO on September 19, 2024, and is set to run for eight episodes until November 10.