Transcript
tommy cresta: Welcome back everyone to the Popcorn Podcast, I'm Tommy Cresta, and this is another little quick solo episode I wanted to do, it's just my Letterboxd recap of the two films that I watched recently, ah well three now, and I did just finish Daredevil before I recorded this, which was unbelievable, very excited to talk more about that with Ryan, but as of right now, I'm just going to talk about these three movies really quick.
tommy cresta: So I saw A Working Man with Jason Statham, I saw Drop, the new Blumhouse film, and then I saw Warfare by A24. ah Starting off with warfare, and as if you did guys didn't know, I did serve, I currently serve in the military since I was 18 years old, just coming up on six years now.
tommy cresta: And I was an infantryman. And this film follows a group of Navy SEALs on an actual mission ah by Ray Mendoza, the co-director and writer of this film. The whole movie is based on his memory.
tommy cresta: And Alex Garland is the other director, who, of course, don't know Alex Garland, did Ex Machina, Civil War. He wrote 28 days later, 28 weeks later. He's one of the most talented filmmakers in the world.
tommy cresta: I'm an absolute huge fan of Alex Garland's. He also did Men. um Yeah, this film was absolutely stunning. It was gritty. It was disturbing. It was unsettling. It was gut-wrenching.
tommy cresta: It was like everything you can to describe a war film in the best way possible. It was truly one of the best films I think I'll see of the year. And I think it's one of the the best war movies, war films ever.
tommy cresta: this start This film stars everyone, first off. Will Poulter, ah Kit Conner, Cosmo Jarvis, Michael Gandolfini, Joseph Quinn, Noah Centeno, Charles Melton, Taylor ah John Smith, Farah Woon Atayi. He plays Ray Mendoza. He was unbelievable in the role.
tommy cresta: I think there was more than that. Finn Bennett as John. It was very Aiden Bradley, Henry Zaga. It was a really good cast. And it was they got some of the biggest names in Hollywood to work on it.
tommy cresta: ah Young actors in Hollywood. um This film had a 20 million dollar budget. and As I said, it was by A24. Cinematographer David J. Thompson did an amazing job with this.
tommy cresta: It was a very different style cinematography for a war film, but I really enjoyed it. I think Finn Oates, who was the editor on this project, was unbelievable while doing it. um he was able to use cutting, sound design, sound editing. I know that's a different job, but he still has final editing over all this.
tommy cresta: The way they put this film together was fantastic. A quick synopsis is that a surveillance mission goes wrong from a platoon of American Navy SEALs in insurgent territory in Iraq.
tommy cresta: This movie is fast-paced. I'm pretty sure it's an hour and a half. Hour and 35 minutes, and it's like ah in the film, it's a real hour and a half that they're fighting through. um This film has a 7.9 out of town IMDb, 76 on Metacritic, 95 on Google, with a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, ah critically, and a 93% audience score.
tommy cresta: Critic consensus is narratively cut to the bone and... Sorry. Just do a run to me. I was trying to get me to get rid my cookie blocker. um Narratively cut to the bone and geared up with superb filmmaking craft. Warfare invokes the primal terror of combat when up with unnerving power.
tommy cresta: That is a perfect way to describe this film. The combat is so fast paced. There's a whole thing in especially war filmmaking when it's not done well that they're on. They're using full auto with their rifle, their M4s. I know there is full auto of saws and 240s and they're sitting there taking their time, which I know slows fast and all that. But how I mean is that they're going from one target to the next, really aiming down their sights. It doesn't always get to be like that is very fast paced moving from target to target.
tommy cresta: You're just trying to keep these people off off of you. And you're trying to gain fire superiority. And that's what they do in this movie. They move, they communicate. They are are fantastic. The basic training that they went through with the actual guys that they're playing was perfectly crafted, perfectly done. i was really, really in awe of how they made this film. And then you get to see them behind the scenes kind of like doing their training. And they, these guys really put it all out there. They wanted to be the best that they could be for this.
tommy cresta: And I think they all did a great job. I think the communication was unbelievable the way they spoke the way that they acted they had that military feel to them uh the way they cleared buildings the way they moved as a as a fire team was all i mean it was unbelievable and i know i'm saying unbelievable amazing but that that describes this film it was truly one of a kind i don't think you can make warfare again i think it was the perfect way to do this story this actual true event about ray mendoza and his fire teams his fire team is squads
tommy cresta: But yeah, it was truly unbelievable. I i want to go see it again. i highly recommend if you like history, if you like war films, even if you're like not into war films maybe but you like action films, still go see this. it would I'm telling you, is unbelievable. ah o The CQB, the close quarters combat was on unmatched in their ability to make it look as real as possible.
tommy cresta: When they start getting into firefights, it looks so well done. They're moving target target just trying to stay alive at this point uh the audio that they used for the the weapons if you guys didn't know when they did civil war alex garland made a decision not to muffle gunshots which is what they do in every other film or tv show you've ever seen with guns they muffle it so it doesn't uh it's not as loud they do not do this in this there's no muffling they the guns set are are exactly how they sound in real life and yeah i'm so proud of everyone that worked on this project and coming from something in the military, it's a huge relief to see something so realistic that makes you feel like they that is seen and it's not, it doesn't feel like it's Hollywood at all. There's no music. it I mean, it's, it's really well done. I really think you, everyone should go check it out.
tommy cresta: So I, but yeah, Warfare was just, it I mean, it's truly just an amazing film. I think everyone needs to go see it. So go check it out in theaters, make this movie some money.
tommy cresta: And keep Alex Garland from retiring from directing. ah Moving on to the second ah film I saw. That was Dropped, the new horror movie by a b Blumhouse. ah It's very much a definitely over-the-top story, but it definitely works. For me, at least. A quick synopsis is that Violet is a widowed mother who goes on an upscale restaurant date to meet Henry, her charming and handsome date.
tommy cresta: However, her pleasant evening soon turns into a living nightmare where she receives phone messages from a mysterious hooded figure who threatens to kill her young son and sister unless she kills Henry. ah This was directed by Christopher Landon.
tommy cresta: And hold on. Where did it go?
tommy cresta: There we go. Directed by Christopher Landon. Megan Faley as Violet. Brandon Skelner as Henry. Violet Bean as Jen. ah Gabrielle Ryan as Kara, Ed Weeks as Phil, and then smaller actors.
tommy cresta: But I will say, Brendan Skelner, yeah. um I was not, I didn't know much about him. I knew he was in that Blake Lively movie. It's getting a bunch of controversy, and I knew that he was in 1923, the Yellowstone prequel.
tommy cresta: This dude's super charismatic. He was absolutely awesome in this. ah Megan Fahey. was also unbelievable in this. I think both their performances really carry this film, and their chemistry makes it so hard to look away.
tommy cresta: But it does currently have an 84% on Google, 6.6 out of 10 on IMDb, 65% on Metacritic, and then on Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has an 83% critic score, 80% audience score.
tommy cresta: ah The critic consensus is that a Hitchcockian thriller that cleverly utilizes modern technology for its twists and turns Drop delivers on its pulpy premise while providing a welcoming showcase from the leading late lady, Megan Faye.
tommy cresta: She's unbelievable. The movie's unbelievable. The cine cinematography was so cool. They really took chances with it. I think Jillian Jacobs did a great job with the screenplay. For such a crazy PG-13 storyline, it really keeps you on the edge of your seat.
tommy cresta: There's parts where you want to look away. It gets so awkward sometimes. trying to like you Not awkward. like You're like, oh my god, please let this end. like Covering your face. it It has everything. It's funny.
tommy cresta: um Their waiter in the movie was absolutely hilarious. But I think it was a really good thriller and even better whodunit, especially with a whodunit with the new take on tech with the new take with technology and how people can just start airdropping you photos now and they just need to be within a certain distance. And the way that they play with that idea was really cool.
tommy cresta: I was a really big fan of the whole concept. I didn't think the movie was going good. I will say that I was making fun of the trailer a lot. but I was definitely 100% wrong. It was absolutely a great time, and it's probably one of my favorite movies I've seen so far this year.
tommy cresta: So go check out Drop right now in theaters. And then the final film, a film that I'm not going lie, disappointed me, and it's very hard to do for Jason Statham, but it was a working man.
tommy cresta: Jason Statham is the best action hero in the world. he plays He's always great. He does same pretty much same story, but different character. But this one just does not does not hit the mark like the last one.
tommy cresta: Levin Cade left behind a decorated military career in the Black Ops to live a simple life of working construction. However, when the human traffickers kidnap his boss's daughter, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he could have ever imagined.
tommy cresta: ah This was directed by David Ayer, ah producers Jason Statham, David Ayer, Sylvester Stallone, was also written by David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone. This was an Amazon MGM Studios film and an MGM film.
tommy cresta: I said, sorry, MGM and Amazon did this ah currently has 89% Google, 87 on Fandango, 5.9 out of 10 on IMDb and a 50% on Ryan tomatoes. Critically the 87% audience critics are saying an efficient action flick that delivers on the meat and potatoes of adjacent state on vehicle.
tommy cresta: While skimping out on its personality, a working man clocks in and out without much flesh or flair. That's, I 100% agree. I think didn't it didn't have enough fun in it. It was definitely slower than most of his movies.
tommy cresta: I would have enjoyed a lot more action in a lot more violence. I just think it miss it misses the mark for Jason Statham action film, which was really heartbreaking for me to say because I watch every one of these. I go see them in theaters, but this one definitely missed the mark for me a little bit.
tommy cresta: Um, audiences say that the Staphes stoically and reliably delivers high-octane action in A Working Man, a bang-bang shoot-em-up that pairs perfectly with hot buttery popcorn. I don't agree with that. I think that there wasn't enough bang-bang shoot-em-up, and it was not a perfect buttery popcorn movie.
tommy cresta: The better popcorn movie was his last one, The Beekeeper. Beekeeper was the perfect action flick. Like, perfect, campy action movie. And I kind of wish they leaned more into this one. Um...
tommy cresta: But yeah, if if you are like a diehard Jason Statham fan, you're still going to find enjoyment in this movie. It just didn't have enough for me. So I hope his next one is back to more Jason Statham fun action.
tommy cresta: Some one-liners in there. I'll be living. David Harbour was good in this, though. Michael Pena, Ariana Rivas, Ava Moreau, Naomi Gonzalez, and of course Jason Statham.
tommy cresta: It's not Jason Statham's fault. It's the whole story is a little bit off for me. But those are the three movies I've been watching. I definitely think you should still go check them all out in theaters. so I really had a good time with all of them. I still think Jason Statham may have missed the mark a little bit, but Warfare and Drop made up for that in every bit. ah Make sure to continue checking us out on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, everywhere you find us on social media, Twitch.
tommy cresta: Yeah, just go keep checking us out. Keep giving us support. or We're so thankful for that. We are really going to get on a better schedule. I know it's some we haven't been every week like we want to. But we're figuring out our schedules, and we should be back to that very soon.
tommy cresta: So thank you again so much for tuning in to this week's episode of the Popcorn Podcast, and we will be back to talk about Daredevil and The Last of Us.
