When watching musicals, you have to buy into a certain level of delusion on screen, otherwise you’ll just be scratching your head for two hours. Likewise, if musicals were absolutely literal, it would be preposterous for any sane character to sit there without questioning why everyone around them knows the words and dance moves to a brand new song …

My earliest awareness of Pharrell Williams’ music came circa 2004, but in the most obscure way possible. Despite producing some of my favorite tracks from the likes of Usher, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, and No Doubt, Pharrell, along with his production team The Neptunes, wasn’t the name I had attached to these zeitgeisty songs.…

I’ve been a fan of The Smurfs ever since I saw The Smurfs and the Magic Flute as a kid in the early 1980s. While there’s been plenty of Smurfs games released on all sorts of platforms, most of them have been duds until recently with hits such as Smurfs Kart and even last year’s The Smurfs 2: The Prisoner of the Green Stone.…

Once again, Amazon has waited a full three years to update their flagship Kindle Paperwhite e-Reader with a host of improvements that improve the experience over the still-incredible 2021 model. I’m sure even the most diehard book enthusiasts would be amazed at just how competitive - and innovative! - the world of E Ink e-Readers has become in rece…

One thing longtime Michael Connelly fans should know before diving into The Waiting, which is being marketed as a Ballard and Bosch adventure, is that the “Bosch” could mean one of two characters; retired LA detective Harry Bosch, easily the writer’s most popular character, or his daughter, Maddy Bosch, now working as a patrol officer in the LAPD b…

BenQ is back at it with their MOBIUZ EX321UX Gaming Monitor, an updated follow up from the prior EX3210U model I covered a while ago and called one of the best premium PC game displays at the time. Upon first glance, I thought there was a mistake with shipping because it almost looks identical, but the similarities are only skin deep as this dedica…

After reviewing the Reolink Battery Doorbell, I couldn’t wait to see what other security devices the company would come up with next. I didn’t have to wait long as our friends there sent over the Reolink Altas PT Ultra 4K Wireless Security Camera that makes watching over your property as easy as possible.…

PC power supplies (PSU) are often an overlooked component that practically does all the heavy lifting for your system, basically it’s the heart of any desktop computer whether you’re building something essential or a raw gaming beast with multiple GPUs attached. Enter Super Flower, a brand that you probably never knew by themselves but is actually …

PC power supplies (PSU) are often an overlooked component that practically does all the heavy lifting for your system, basically it’s the heart of any desktop computer whether you’re building something essential or a raw gaming beast with multiple GPUs attached. Enter Super Flower, a brand that you probably never heard of by themselves but is actua…

It’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Halloween Spooktacular!, our yearly dose of creepy movie mayhem to help make the holidays extra sweet and double-dangerous. The theme for this year’s ghoulish goulash of frightful fun is Terrifying Tots!, i.e. films meant for kids that were unintentionally (or intentionally) scary, leaving impressions for all the wrong re…

For a series titled the Legend of Zelda, we don’t typically see much of the titular princess. Our hero has always been Link, with Zelda working behind the scenes in one way or another.由popzara

Blood, guts, and Christmas-themed horror rarely end with a worthwhile combination, and unfortunately, in the case of Terrifier 3, the tinsel-draped streak continues. It’s a jolly, corpse-filled romp with little to say and, if we’re being honest, not much care in saying it.由popzara

Ever since one of my cousins showed me her Ring doorbell where you could always see what’s in front of her place, I’ve always wanted to grab a doorbell camera for myself. Thanks to our friends at Reolink, I was given the opportunity to check out the Reolink Battery Doorbell.由popzara

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since Diablo IV came on the scene and gave players the power to slay demons and explore the land of Sanctuary with their buddies. As with Diablo III, it was only a matter of time before an expansion would come along, which brings us to Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred.…

The Switch! It's old! Games that have to include it in their development tend to be worse from a graphical and performance standpoint because of its lack of power! I've said it a billion times and, alas, I'm probably going to have to say it a billion more. That said, at least this makes for a great surprise whenever a previously Switch-locked game …

I’ve been wanting and meaning to pick up a rice cooker for quite some time now, but could never find a solid one without paying hundreds of dollars for it. Well it looks like Toshiba has finally answered the call for a budget friendly device that’s reliable with their Toshiba Electric Rice Cooker.由popzara

For most of the English speaking (and reading) world, 2022’s Talk to My Back was likely the first time they experienced the comics of Yamada Murasaki, a manga artist few had read (even in Japan) known for her work in the style known as gekiga, or manga designed for mature readers. Like Offshore Lightning, Saito Nazuna’s short story manga released l…

I recently got back from my first trip to Tokyo, and boy, are my arms tired. Wait, that's not how that joke goes, is it? Well, regardless, it was a fantastic experience that I'd recommend to anyone.由popzara

The Joker is one of the most iconic and complex villains in comic book history. From Cesar Romero’s campy portrayal to Heath Ledger’s chilling performance, we've seen many interpretations of the Clown Prince of Crime.由popzara

As much as I like Lilo & Stitch, something about the 2002 Disney movie always feels a bit off to me. Sure, it has a very non-Disney sense of irreverence that I can appreciate but it’s also a bit difficult to warm up to the blue alien serving as one-half of the title duo.由popzara

Your Popzara Pals celebrate 40 years of Autobots and Decepticons waging war across the galaxy - and our imaginations - as our own Cybertronian warriors Nate Evans, Chris Mitchell, and editor-in-disguise Sebastian Stoddard assemble in epic cybernetic roundtable chat about two animated features that perfectly everything we love about Optimus Prime, M…

Metroid? Castlevania? Mash them together and you’ve got Metroidvania, two great tastes that taste great together with a name that lets you know exactly the type of adventure you’re about to have. But is there a word for the ever-growing world of Contra clones that attempt to capture the magic of Konami’s run ‘n gun platformer? We’ve got Roguelikes,…

It’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Podcast, where our in-house movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans take you on an unscripted journey yakking and chatting about some of their favorite movie moments and cinematic scenes, from past and present, presented without snark and snobbery for your listening pleasure. On deck for this episode are two entries in Ter…

For many fans of games, comics, and games mixed with comics Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics won't need much of an introduction for this review.由popzara

You’ve most likely seen the many Transformers related reviews I’ve posted on here, and I’ll never get tired of talking about them as I’m forever a fan of the franchise. So it goes without saying I had to check out the latest film entry, Transformers One, which really was more than meets the eye as it’s surprisingly dark and violent, but still has p…

As someone who does a fair amount of walking and bike riding, I’m always looking for the perfect clothes to suit everyday wear as well as double for any walking and biking I do. So when the chance came along to check out these Coalatree Trailhead Pants, I couldn’t pass it up as they’re a nice pair that’s perfect for everyday wear and any adventures…

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a shockingly good name with not-so-pleasant implications for the franchises’ future, is a passable but ultimately route rehashing of another IP better left in the 80s. Finally free from the depths of the animated picture grind, Tim Burton (Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Alice in Wonderland) attempts to return to his original root…

It’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Listen as hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans guide you through the best, worst, and everything else making headlines and headway in the world of interactive entertainment. The biggest games of the month include: Reynatis…

BAKERU is a game all about the feels. It feels like what you’d get if you mashed Super Mario Bros, Kirby, and Sonic into a single package inspired by Konami’s great Mystical Ninja games from the 1990s, resulting in a 3D platformer that is aggressively and delightfully more Japanese than just about any game I’ve ever seen published outside of, well,…

It’s amazing how Turtle Beach keeps releasing gaming tech left and right, while also topping what they’ve released before. The latest series of tech they’ve gone back and made better is their Kone II lineup of gaming mice, consisting of the Kone II and Kone II Air.由popzara

It’s amazing how Turtle Beach keeps releasing gaming tech left and right, while also topping what they’ve released before. The latest series of tech they’ve gone back and made better is their Kone II lineup of gaming mice, consisting of the Kone II and Kone II Air.由popzara

There are two ways to look at a package like Over Horizon X Steel Empire, a collection of classic shooter (shmup) games for modern platforms. One is exploitative, given these are older titles that haven’t been remastered in any way, a barebones package with nothing to pad things out - minus the games, of course.…

Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite) has blazed his own off-kilter path throughout Hollywood’s landscape since he first hit the scene in 2015 with The Lobster. His dry and dark sensibilities, combined with his unique insight into the stranger side of the human condition, have left lasting impacts on critics and audiences alike, clearly sho…

If you’ve been keeping up with my headset and headphone reviews, you already know I can’t get enough testing them to find the best ones out there. Just when I thought I was done looking after the numerous Turtle Beach and SteelSeries ones I was sent, here comes another challenger with the Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset that’s hands down one…

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 p…

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…

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 t…

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.由popzara

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.…

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.由popzara

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…

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.…

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 s…

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 …

Hello reader. Yes, you.由popzara

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 t…

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 Gruniver…

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.由popzara

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 B…

When I first saw the front cover to Human 2.0: A Celebration of Human Bionics, the simple yet colorful illustration from Samuel Rodriguez of a child with certain disabilities being enhanced by technology made me want to look closer into the book.由popzara