Movies, Films & Flix

I’d love to write more about The Long Walk, but my schedule is insane, so I wanted to share some quick thoughts because I’m a big fan of the film. 

1. Now that the Academy Awards have a “Best Achievement in Casting” category, it would be cool to see Casting Director Rich Delia (Joy Ride, Short Term 12, Game Night, It) get a nomination. The cast is excellent.

2. David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman have beautiful chemistry. Aside from the technical wizardry, solid supporting actors, and confident direction, they are a big reason why the film works so well. 

3. Between I Am Legend, Hunger Games 2-4, and The Long Walk, director Francis Lawrence has proven himself to be adept at bringing post-apocalyptic (or dystopian) worlds to life. Crafting something like The Long Walk couldn’t be easy, so I appreciate the hard work Lawrence put into it. You can tell it was a passion project for him. 

4. The Long Walk was shot in chronological order during a hot summer in Manitoba, Canada, and the actors walked an estimated 8 to 14 miles per day during the 35-day shoot. You can feel the exhaustion in their performances, and actual pavement pounding creates a welcome dose of authenticity. 

5. Cinematographer Jo Willems (Hunger Games 2-4, Red Sparrow) should be applauded for the shot selection and ability to not make the walking seem monotonous. He said he shot the film with “almost no equipment, no lighting and no control,” and he totally pulled off something special. You can tell that he and Lawrence have a nice shorthand, and it’s interesting that they found inspiration from Vietnam War photos and videos to create the look and feel of the film.

6. It would be great if David Jonsson picked up a bunch of acting nominations. I know The Long Walk is a genre film about young kids being murdered (which won’t help come awards time), but his performance is exceptional. He called the film “a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” and you can tell he walked hard for it. 

7. It will win the 2025 movie award for “Most Pooping on Empty Roads.”

8. Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Mark Hamill, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, and Joshua Odjick are very good. 

9. Writer JT Mollner is on a roll! Between Strange Darling (2024) and The Long Walk (2025), he’s written two legit screenplays (adapted and original). 

10. The 7.4 IMDb score and the 89% Tomatometer score make me happy.

You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).

If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.

Mark and Erik discuss the 2009 romantic comedy Couples Retreat. Directed by Peter Billingsley and starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Bell, and Guitar Hero, the movie focuses on what happens when four couples are forced to endure couples therapy while visiting a beautiful island. In this episode, they also talk about original ideas, rom-com tropes, and vacation movies. Enjoy!

If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!

Quick thoughts:

1. The final fight between Marko Zaror and Brahim Chab is wonderful
2. Between Fight or Flight, Diablo and Affinity, it’s fun watching Marko Zaror flex his acting chops
3. I like knowing that director/editor Ernesto Díaz Espinoza (Fist of the Condor, Diablo Redeemer) edited the film. 
4. Watch Fist of the Condor (2021). It’s one of my favorite action films of recent memory.
5. Brook Ence has all the tools to become an action movie star
6. Louis Mandylor makes everything better. Watch The Debt Collector (2018) and Avengement (2019).

Plot Synopsis (from Well Go USA) – Chilean martial-arts star Marko Zaror is Bruno, an ex-SEAL struggling with PTSD. He lives a life in fear of his demons until one day when he discovers a beautiful woman with no past of her own. Together they begin to build a life, but when she disappears, Bruno must return to his violent past if he’s going to save her from a shocking conspiracy in this riveting, fast-paced sci-fi action film from director Brandon Slagle.

If you’re a fan of DTV action films, you’ll know the name Marko “The Chilean Dragon” Zaror. The Chilean martial arts action star has been steadily building his action movie credentials since the 1990s and has appeared in Undisputed 3: Redemption (2010), Machete Kills (2013), Redeemer (2013), and Savage Dog (2017). The 6′ 2″ face-kicker has been picking up steam since 2020, and it’s been awesome watching him in The Fist of the Condor (2023), John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), The Killer’s Game (2024), Fight or Flight (2025), Diablo (2025), and now Affinity. The Well Go USA distributed film gives Zaror his first lead role in an English-speaking action film, and it allows him to flex his acting muscles alongside Louis Mandylor, Brooke Ence, Brahim Chab, and Jane Mirro. 

Directed by Brandon Slagle (The Flood, Arena Wars, Breakout) and edited by Ernesto Díaz Espinoza (who directed The Fist of the Condor), Affinity focuses on a badass named Bruno (Marko Zaror), who has fallen on tough times after his brother died during a botched mission. Bruno spends his nights drinking in Thailand bars, and his days working at a restaurant owned by fellow Navy SEAL Joe (Louis Mandylor), who also frequently bails Bruno out of jail after he beats up surprisingly well-trained pickpockets. One night, Bruno finds an unconscious woman named Athena (Jane Mirro) on his doorstep, and after nursing her back to health (and several synth-scored montages), the two fall in love. Since it’s an action film about a guy finding an unconscious woman on his doorstep, Joe’s restaurant is soon attacked by a horde of gunmen lead by a guy named Krieger (Brahim Chab – a famous fight choreographer who developed the fights in Fight of Flight, Monkey Man, and Ninja: Shadow of a Tear), who kidnaps Athena and forces Bruno to go a rescue mission that will see him murdering dozens of unlucky henchmen. During his mission, he’s joined by Fitch (Brooke Ence – a legendary CrossFit athlete), and the two find themselves in a beautifully insane sci-fi twist that involves bio-engineered humans and secret laboratories. 

Affinity is a passion project for Zaror, who developed the idea with late director Daniel Zirilli and worked on the script with Gina Aguad, Liam O’Neil, and Christopher M. Don. When you’ve watched most of Zaror’s filmography, it’s easy to understand why he wanted to take on a challenging role that forces him out of his comfort zone and pushes him to pull off various emotions. At a brisk 86 minutes, the film moves along quickly and ends with a fantastic final fight (directed by Zaror) between Zaror and Brahim Chab, who utilize decades worth of experience to give audiences a memorable finale. 

Overall, Affinity is a fine showcase for Zaror and even though the various plot elements never really gel, the film is worth a watch because of all the talent behind and in front of the camera.