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‘Trolls Band Together’ Rocks the Stage This Weekend – Movie Review

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Steady and JC caught an early screening for Trolls Band Together and were taken back to the boy band craze of the 90s and 2000s. Hear their take on the new film and let us know what you think about the movie in the comments below.

This holiday season, get ready for an action-packed, all-star, rainbow-colored family reunion like no other as Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return for the new chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster musical franchise: Trolls Band Together

After two films of true friendship and relentless flirting, Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) are now officially, finally, a couple (#broppy)! As they grow closer, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd (Golden Globe nominated electropop sensation Troye Sivan), John Dory (Eric André; Sing 2), Spruce (Grammy winner Daveed Diggs; Hamilton) and Clay (Grammy winner Kid Cudi; Don’t Look Up). BroZone disbanded when Branch was still a baby, as did the family, and Branch hasn’t seen his brothers since.  

But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains—Velvet (Emmy winner Amy Schumer; Trainwreck) and Veneer (Grammy winner and Tony nominee Andrew Rannells; The Book of Mormon)—Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity. 

Featuring Trolls’ signature psychedelic joy-bomb of new and classic pop hits, Trolls Band Together stars a dazzling cast of musical superstars and comedic powerhouses as new franchise characters, including four-time Grammy nominee and Latin Grammy winner Camila Cabello (Cinderella) as Viva; Zosia Mamet (The Flight Attendant) as Crimp; and 12-time Emmy winning drag icon RuPaul Charles as Miss Maxine. 

The returning cast includes Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Zooey Deschanel as Bridget; Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Gristle, the Icona Pop duo Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt as Satin and Chenille, Grammy winner Anderson .Paak as Prince D, comedian Ron Funches as Cooper, SAG nominee Kunal Nayyar as Guy Diamond and Emmy winning Saturday Night Live legend Kenan Thompson as Tiny Diamond. 

Trolls Band Together is steered by returning director Walt Dohrn and producer Gina Shay, and is co-directed by Tim Heitz (head of story, Trolls World Tour). DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls films—2016’s Trolls and 2020’s Trolls World Tour—have sung and danced their way to record-breaking success, earning an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Song and fuelingone of the largest and most beloved entertainment brands in the world.

Genre: Animated Action-Comedy

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello, Eric André, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, Troye Sivan, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi, Zosia Mamet, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, RuPaul Charles, Aino Jawo, Caroline Hjelt, Kenan Thompson, Anderson .Paak, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches

Director: Walt Dohrn

Co-Director: Tim Heitz

Producer: Gina Shay

Ted aka Steady is a film critic and the managing editor forCountdownCityGeeks.com. He has covered some of the largest pop culture events in the world including SXSW and San Diego Comic-Con. He has also hosted a variety of events such as eSports Tourneys, film festivals, to moderating panels for some of the biggest names in entertainment including Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson and Giancarlo Esposito.

Movie Reviews

DISCLOSURE DAY – Radiant as a Meteor that Fizzles Out Into the Night Sky

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Directed by Steven Speilberg
Screenplay by David Koepp

Starring: Emily Blunt (Margaret Farichild), Josh O’Connor (Daniel Keliner), Colin Firth (Noah Scanton), Eve Hewson (Jane Blankenship), Colman Domingo (Hugo Wakefield)

Synopsis: A government whistleblower races the clock to expose decades of state secrets and that will fracture human history: we are not alone, and they are already here.

Being one of the most anticipated films by Steven Spielberg – notable for his masterful technique in visual storytelling – Disclosure Day meets the base line sci-fi thriller expectations through its dramatic characters, visually elaborate cinematography and microbursts of action. However, it appears that it did not match the impact of his legendary films that have pioneered a standard of excellence.

The all-star cast held the line together sustaining the film in a uniform effort. There were slight standouts from Josh O’Connor with his approach of complex inner conflict blended with emotional intelligence. He was a great counterweight to his costars: Eve Hewson’s dynamic exceling in psychological thrillers, and Emily Blunt’s craft of enduring pressure with fierce determination. Their action sequences delivered edge-of-your seat captivating thrills that were relentlessly entertaining.

While the topic of government cover-up on extraterrestrials is intriguing, Spielberg leaned heavily on nostalgic repetition of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind with the added bonus excitement of Indiana Jones. He did incorporate effective touches of deep animal symbolism that layered the narrative of humanity and spiritual faith. However, the film’s impact was undermined by an anticlimactic “disclosure” of the outer space visitor. The production design was noticeably a half-hearted attempt to phone in the main prop reveal.

Disclosure Day is an average watch. It offers flashes of brilliance like a meteor but ultimately fizzles out into the night sky.

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Movie Reviews

Into the Unknown: Reviewing ‘From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle’

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In this video, we take a deep dive into the mysterious and unsettling documentary ‘From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle’.

Exploring one of America’s most infamous paranormal hotspots, this film examines eerie disappearances, strange sightings, and the chilling folklore surrounding Vermont’s Bennington Triangle. We break down the documentary’s storytelling, evidence, interviews, and overall atmosphere—does it truly uncover something unexplainable, or does it leave more questions than answers?

If you’re into unsolved mysteries, paranormal phenomena, and high strangeness, this one’s for you.


Synopsis: Since the mid twentieth century, a mysterious section of land in rural Vermont has been the home of untold strangeness. Rumors of UFOs, ghosts, phantom lights and mysterious creatures can all be found there in abundance, while verified reports of odd disappearances – many still unsolved – cast a shadow over Glastenbury Mountain. From the Beyond: High Strangeness in the Bennington Triangle goes beyond the rumors and campfire stories, while daring to ask what may be the most frightening question of all – why is Glastenbury Mountain so inexplicable, and what happened to those who have gone missing?

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Movie Reviews

THE SHITHEADS aka IDIOTS – Sticky, Icky, and Out of Control

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The Shitheads, now renamed Idiots, was showcased during the 2026 SXSW festival and is scheduled for a theatrical release in August of this year. The film is directed by Macon Blair which he co-wrote with Alex Orr, starring Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Mason Thames. The plot is driven by a couple of underachievers taking on what should be an effortless task of transporting an affluent teen to a rehab center, but this intellectually predatory teen throws them off course.

It didn’t quite reach the heights it aimed for. I was anticipating this dark comedy to be an exciting adventure, bursting with laughs, but it was frustrating like your car getting a flat tire. The characters are defined by basic emotions-anger and confusion-but nothing beyond that. The movie never explores them, so it’s difficult to empathize. When faced with several misfortunes, they lack impact because the audience has no emotional connection.  The weak characters are just along for the ride, dictated by the script rather than the narrative cohesion, making that “road to nowhere” feel long and exhausting. It spends a lot of time lingering on repulsive comedy scenes that not even a jumbo roll of toilet paper could wipe up this mess. It can get sticky, icky and out of control.

Mason Thames, however, made chicken salad out of… well, you know. He impressed me with his performance, a revelation role of a charismatic irritant-sociopathic, spoiled, privileged brat. Thames could have elevated his character to higher levels and carry the film to the finish line. While critically acclaimed renowned actor Peter Dinklage had a brief cameo, it served as a tantalizing preview of the chemistry he might share with Mason Thames for a future team-up.

There is a much better movie buried somewhere inside the pile of Idiots. The underlying premise has potential, but the film eventually stalls under the coherent thematic arc and inconsistent pacing. It’s not a disaster by any means, but it is a disappointing work of inspired fragments rather than a cohesive narrative that falls short of being essential cinema.

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