Popzara Podcast

Article: Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn

There are videogame remakes and there are videogame reimaginings, and it’s clear Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn falls into the latter, triumphantly so. Released back in 1990 on the NES, the original Shadow of the Ninja played like a cross between Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden and Konami’s Castlevania, a straightforward action platform with heavy emphasis on precise attacks and jumping.

Article: Alien: Romulus (2024)

In today’s landscape of tired, rehashed IP slop that seems to dominate the market for the better part of the last decade, it’s rare to see a film rise above the low-hanging fruit of nostalgia bait and fanservice callbacks. Alien: Romulus, despite being a brighter spot in the long-running sci-fi horror franchise’s tumultuous and inconsistent history, unfortunately never seems interested in building an identity outside what has already been accomplished.

Article: Jackpot! (2024)

Paul Feig’s Jackpot! asks a strange question: what if a film combined the maddash comedy of 1963’s It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World with the gory dystopian free-for-all premise of The Purge? You’d get a weird action-comedy that’s more of a vehicle for Awkwafina and John Cena that’s occasionally very funny, until it’s not. I couldn’t help but think that a few years back, something like this might have had a chance of becoming a minor hit in theaters.

Article: Black Myth: Wukong

As the great philosopher-musician Beck once said: in the time of chimpanzees, I was a monkey. And why wouldn't I be? Monkeys represent the heart and soul of the human experience.

Article: Bebird Home 30S Ear Cleaner

I think I speak for most people when I say keeping your ears clean is something we don’t like to talk about or get into discussing too much, but we all know it needs to be done. This is especially the case for me as I have sensitive hearing and tend to produce cerumen aka ear wax more than the average person.

Article: Alien: Romulus (2024)

Given the iconic status of the "Alien" franchise, Alien: Romulus had a lot to prove. As the newest entry in a series that's been terrifying audiences since 1979, the pressure was on to deliver a film that could stand alongside the classics.

Article: Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

For as long as they’ve been available, I’ve always wanted to check out some Bluetooth speakers but never got around to picking any of them up. It's true good things come to those who wait, as one of the best Bluetooth speakers came to me in the form of the Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker, which is small but powerful and one of the best you can get.

Article: Creative Outlier Go Wireless Headphones

Since I’m usually pretty mobile when I’m out and about walking or riding my bike, I’m always in the market for some solid headphones that can play my tunes and allow me to answer calls. The Creative Outlier Go Wireless Headphones are the latest to come my way and are perfect for those wanting great sound while still being able to hear around them.

Article: World of Goo 2

It’s impossible to look at a game like World of Goo 2 and not think about just how important its predecessor was, both in terms of unique game design as well as its unique creation and how it was made available to gamers. We live in a world where anyone with a laptop, a modicum of creativity (or worse, a complete lack of ethics and willingness to steal) can create, publish, and profit from a game they put together, sharing their interactive vision with the world and seeing what the world thinks.

Article: DOOM + DOOM II (2024)

It’s safe to say that videogames have been around long enough to produce what I like to call “forever games”, those specific titles that have survived their original release, re-releases, and every attempt to make them “better” by modernizing their visuals, updating gameplay, etc, etc. That’s not to say newer games can't become iconic, but there's something special about knowing a specific title has managed to survive (and in some cases, thrive) decades of modernization attempts, only to revert back to its original intent.

Article: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Hello reader. Yes, you.

Article: Trap (2024)

M Night Shyamalan has done it again, tricking audiences into seeing a film with a logline that’s a much better selling point than anything put on the screen. Trap, a name all too ironic in what it represents to the potential moviegoer, is arguably one of Shyamalan’s most uninspired films, with wonky dialogue and stilted performances up there with the likes of some of his most infamous projects like The Happening (2008) or Old (2021).

Article: Despicable Me 4 (2024)

It seems almost impossible that the Despicable Me franchise could have transcended the highly-specific premise of its first film — in which a super villain turns good after adopting three orphan girls — to become one of the most successful and longest-running series in animation history. Now six films in (including a pair of prequels), the Gruniverse also happens to be one of the most consistent franchises we have, animated or otherwise.

Article: Hades II: Early Access Preview

I’ll admit to being a really big fan of Supergiant’s Hades. I gave it quite the glowing review back in 2020, even calling it my personal choice for Game of the Year.

Article: Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way

It seems like not long ago when Apple TV Plus was just getting started, and one of its hit shows, Ted Lasso, became the talk of the internet as everyone seemed to agree on it being one of the best TV series of all time. Those who don’t have access to the streaming service can finally see what the talk is about with the Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way Blu-ray set, which contains three seasons of laughs and touching drama that scores big.