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analysis w/e 14.5.11 |
DVDs out 9.5.11 |
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May 11 2011 
DVDfever co uk
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Dom Robinson reviewsPopcornDistributed by
Producers:
Screenplay:
Music:
Cast:
Suki: Jodi Albert Kris: Andrew-Lee Potts Zak: Luke De Woolfson Florence: Colette Brown Annie: Kate Maberly Jeannie: Laura Aikman Katerina: Ophelia Lovibond Emil: Lee Williams Carl: Kavi Shastri Max: Andrew Dunn Lo: Chike Chan Laura: Charlotte Bellis-Ferreira Fit Girl: Gemma Gregory Yukino: Kacey Barnfield Romantic Screen Man: Tim Robinson Romantic Screen Woman: Kate Loustau The Killer: Sophie Anderton
As the film begins, Danny (ex-Eastenders' Jack Ryder) is waiting for his sister, Laura (Charlotte Bellis-Ferreira) to turn up before going into the local multiplex, Moovieworld. He's looking pensive, but only because the girl who takes the tickets and tells you where to go (that is, the screen in which your chosen film is playing) is the delectable Suki (Jodi Albert, right with Ryder), who looks uncannily like Danny's favourite female anime character. Several cinema trips and several failed attempts to start a conversation with her later, the next plan is for Danny to get a job there. Starting at the same time as another lad, Lo (Chike Chan), and being bossed about by up-himself assistant manager Kris (Primeval and Ideal's Andrew-Lee Potts), it's not long before they're deep in the bowels of the multiplex, learning how things work and seeing how everything connects together with other departments in the complex. It's not long before he's helped by projectionists Zak (Luke De Woolfson) and Florence (ex-Holby City's Colette Brown), since they can see he has the hots for Suki and so begins a series of plans all designed to help him win the girl, one being when Danny is led by Zak into pretending that he fancies posh girl Annie (Kate Maberly) in the hope that Suki will get jealous and take him in her arms instead, but it doesn't really look like it's working. Add to this, he's sort-of got competition from resident wanker Emil (Lee Williams).
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Popcorn is so-called because of a cinema's main source of income. It's not the film themselves, it's
how much you can sell of the sweet and tasty snack that's no good to anyone's guts and makes for a noisy
auditorium.
Elsewhere in the plot, there's a mole on the premises trying to investigate some ne'er-do-well behaviour. Naturally, since Danny's behaving in a shifty manner because he's a young lad with raging hormones, everyone thinks it's him; there's a burgeoning romance between Lo and ticket desk girl Jeannie (The Mysti Show's Laura Aikman, centre-right, with Ophelia Lovibond and Kate Maberly), as she fancies him like mad, and Annie is learning how to stop being so posh and be a little more uncouth in her language thanks to the teachings of fellow ticket seller Katerina (Ophelia Lovibond). Popcorn contains many clever moments, such as early on when Danny and Laura are about to watch him crash and burn for the first time, and are revealed to be standing in front of bizarre standees for films, currently showing at Moovieworld, that make no sense on their own but as they're revealed, they appear to show what each of them is thinking - his is a bloke with an arrow and the words 'Going Down?', as he stares longingly at Suki, and hers is of a woman slapping her forehead in a 'D'oh!'-like moment. Overall, the film is a daft comedy, but it's fun and it's packed with nubile totty - sometimes in various states of undress, including that happening to Laura Aikman who looks very similar to Mena Suvari circa-American Beauty. Don't dismiss Popcorn just because it doesn't star an infinite number of American actors and actresses and the fact it's been made in Britain. It has some clever writing, many engaging performances and great direction when it comes to telling a story and keeping up the pace. It also reminds me of the teen comedies of the '80s, not to mention the fact it has a cast that works brilliantly together. |
The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 theatrical ratio and is anamorphic. The picture looks vibrant
and colourful throughout, which is essential for getting across the feel of the cinema, a place that is
meant to draw the punters in and make you spend all your money. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack starts with
a great opening track - Little Voice by Mohair, which sounds very '80s - and then conveys all the
atmosphere of a cinema to a worthy effect, including the echoing sound within each auditorium as Suki and
Danny go in to check on anyone misbehaving.
The extras aren't massive in number but have some great stuff for the completist:
It's interesting to see the cast explain the difficulty of working nights to complete many of the cinema-based shoots, since that's the only time they could have the cinema all to themselves.
All the screen tests were shot in 4:3.
The DVD menus contain animation, plus music from the film, all of which is repeated within a short space of time, but there is only 13 chapters here, the last one running almost 13 minutes and not even including a separate one for the closing credits - which contain outtakes - and, strangely, the chapter menu only extends to 12. Why?
Also odd is that there are no subtitles. I always put them on, even though I'm not deaf (just choosy about the people I pay attention to) so, Spark, please put them on your next release.
Finally, if you're wondering you the last picture is of, it's Kacey Barnfield and her role will become clear later on in the film.
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FILM CONTENT
PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
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As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Popcorn is not so much 'boy meets girl', but 'boy would like to meet girl but
she's way out of his league' and so many of us have been there.
