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Mark and Niall discuss the 1991 sequel Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Directed by Nicholas Meyer, and starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Christopher Plummer and a gnarly mind-meld, the even-numbered sequel is easily one of the best Star Trek films. In this episode, they also talk about angry Kirk, magnetic boots, and shapeshifters. 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!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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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 DJ Valentine (@TryingToBeDJV on X) talk about their favorite moments from the second season of Andor. They also talk about Star Wars television, dance parties, and excellent eyebrow raising. 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!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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Bored? Feeling nice? Please write a review for the Movies, Films and Flix podcast. Thanks!
Hello! Mark here. I’ve never done this before, but I’m asking for help. If you have a few spare minutes it would be awesome if you wrote a review for the podcast. The reviews help improve our visibility and give potential listeners more reasons to check out the show. If you don’t feel like writing a review (it’s totally cool), please give us a rating on the platform where you listen to the show. Ratings help too!
Thank you! Have a nice day.
Mark
Here’s the new episode.
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Wick is Pain (2025) – Review
Quick Thoughts
Grade – B+
- Wick is Pain is a well-deserved victory lap for everyone involved with the John Wick franchise. It’s entertaining, honest, and loaded with excellent information.
- All filmmakers should study this doc to learn how to make a good lookbook
- Keanu Reeves is a legend.
- I love a good “warts and all” documentary.
- It makes me happy that the first cut of John Wick (2014) resembled a dour Swedish noir.
It’s easy to forget that the production of John Wick (2014) was fraught with budget limitations, production issues and two first-time directors who argued about everything. At one point, the production was in trouble of shutting down and it was saved by Eva Longoria who wrote a check for three million dollars to keep the production rolling. Also, in 2014, Hollywood legend Keanu Reeves had been on a years-long run of unsuccessful films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Generation Um…, 47 Ronin, and Henry’s Run, which meant the $20-30 million budgeted film wasn’t guaranteed to be picked up by a major studio. Most people looked at John Wick as a straight-to-video action film – which is insane to think about now. It also didn’t help that co-directors Chad Stahleski and David Leitch, who were well-known stuntmen (who worked with Keanu on The Matrix films), wanted to prove that they could do dramatic stuff as well as kickass action. So, they loaded the first cut of John Wick with about 30 minutes of Wick moping around his house after the death of his wife, which gave the film a “Swedish noir movie” vibe that needed to be edited into something watchable. John Wick seemed destined to fail, however, Lionsgate Films believed in it, and 10 years later the four John Wick films have collected over a billion dollars worldwide and garnered excellent critical (89.5% Tomatometer average) and audience (7.47 IMDb Average) averages. Not bad for a franchise that introduced itself to the world by murdering an adorable puppy.
During the documentary, pretty much everyone involved from the stunt crew to the producers talks about how grueling the productions were – which is where the term “Wick is Pain” comes from. Here are some of the factors that led to so much pain.
- Director Chad Stahleski is a bit of a maniac and he pushed Keanu Reeves and his crew to extreme places to achieve greatness.
- After each film wrapped, everyone on the crew never wanted to work on another John Wick film ever again. However, they always came back for the sequels.
- Keanu Reeves needed about 7,000 ice baths while filming the four movies. The guy is a machine and was sick for most of the 100-day shoot of John Wick: Chapter 4.
- Getting John Wick (2014) off the ground was a considerable task, which meant everyone involved was exhausted before the shoot began.
- 415 people are killed throughout the franchise (I ranked them all for The Ringer), that’s a lot of stunt work and big falls.
The best thing about Wick is Pain is that it’s a warts-and-all look at the making of a legendary action franchise. It should be required viewing for anyone thinking about going into the industry because it does a great job of showcasing how difficult it is to make a movie. I worked in the Georgia film industry for many years and found myself on about 150 different film, TV, industrial, music video, and commercial sets. They were all exhausting, and my experiences don’t come anywhere close to what Stahelski, Reeves and the crew went through. After watching the documentary I understand why the movies work so well – nobody was content to make a stock action movie, they wanted to create something legendary, and that meant long days, little sleep, and ice baths (and divorces because of all the long days and nights)
The main takeaway from Wick is Pain is that Keanu Reeves is awesome. Without his dedication and ability to absorb pain, the franchise wouldn’t be nearly as good. Reeves turned 50 in 2014, which means he spent the majority of his 50s wrestling with burly stuntmen and being thrown around. Admittedly, it’s pretty cool that he got paid to drive cars and shoot guns, but his leadership and ability to stay on his feet during grueling productions make him one of my favorite actors.
Final Thoughts – Watch the doc. Learn something.
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Mark and John discuss the 1987 fantasy epic Masters of the Universe (1987). Directed by Gary Goddard, and starring Dolph Lundgren, Courteney Cox, Frank Langella and a box of chicken, the movie focuses on what happens when a large shirtless man gets teleported to earth. In this episode, they also talk about Final Destination scenarios, Buick Slayers, and the excellence of Frank Langella.
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!
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Dangerous Animals (2025) – Review
Quick Thoughts
- Grade – B+
- Dangerous Animals rules. Between The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy, and Dangerous Animals, director Sean Byrne is on a roll.
- Jai Courtney is a hoot
- Hassie Harrison is cool
- Josh Heuston is likable
- It’s an intelligently made thriller
- I love that it got accepted into the Cannes Film Festival
What I appreciate most about Dangerous Animals is that it’s not content with being just another high-concept film about a serial killer feeding his victims to sharks. Director Sean Byrne went out of his way to make the film look gorgeous and he accomplished this by storyboarding, shooting on open water, and using prime lenses to capture excellent wide shots. Also, if you’ve watched a Byrne film (The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy) you’ll know that he gets the best out of actors and whether it’s Ethan Embry giving a career-best performance in The Devil’s Candy, or Jai Courtney stealing every scene in a Dangerous Animals, the actors trust Byrne and you can see it on the screen.
Since 2017, Byrne has been attempting to follow up The Devil’s Candy but kept having projects fall through due to a lack of funding or the pandemic. This is why Nick Lepard’s script for Dangerous Animals must’ve felt like a revelation. For starters, it’s a movie about sharks which means funding would be easier to find, which is the reason why director Matthew Holmes chose to direct and write Fear Below — the other 2025 Australian shark movie (both will be covered on Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast). Also, It isn’t as gut-wrenching as The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy, but it’s still a Sean Byrne movie in that it features a serial killer (Jai Courtney), a damaged hero (Hassie Harrison), a cool love interest (Josh Heuston), and most importantly — gnarly violence. Also, Byrne went out of his way to not villainize sharks by treating them with respect and awe. There are moments when the highly evolved creatures look incredible and there’s an all-timer movie shark that comes into play during the climax.
The Cinematography by Shelley Farthing-Dawe is spectacular and starts beautifully with a cool wide shot of Tucker’s boat that showcases the beauty of the Coral Sea. In an interview with IndieWire, Farthing-Dawe said Byrne storyboarded the entire film and they used an ALEXA Mini LF with ARRI Signature Prime lenses to give it a great look. The unhurried wide shots give the movie an old-school vibe that isn’t rushed, and the lack of shaky cam shenanigans makes it seem more organized and methodical. Byrne and crew shot in open water for a few weeks which created terrible nights for everyone on the boat, but it looks fantastic on screen. Also, the practical boat lighting conceptualized by Byrne, Farthing-Dawe and production designer Pete Baxter looks great and it pays off when you see Jai Courtney’s exquisitely-lit curly hair (the hair lighting is legit)
Michael Yezersik’s score is welcomely bombastic and the song selection is inspired. Between The Donna’s cover of “Dancing with Myself,” “Baby Shark,” “Apocalypse” by Cigarettes After Sex, and “Dangerous” by Ryan Bingham (who is married to Harrison) it’s a well put together soundtrack, which isn’t surprising because the entire film is put together well.
Dangerous Animals opens with two tourists, Greg (Liam Greinke) and Heather (Ella Newton), heading out for a shark dive on a boat owned by a hulking guy named Bruce Tucker (Jai Courtney). Before you can sing the entirety of “Baby Shark,” things go bad and Heather is left chained to a metal bed frame in the guts of the boat. From there, we’re introduced to an American named Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), who traveled to Australia to surf and be left alone (she’s a window seat type of person). While stopping at a convenience store to buy dozens of bread rolls, she meets Moses (Josh Heuston) and the two good-looking people bond over their love of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) and surfing. The following morning, Zephyr takes off early to catch waves and is abducted by Bruce (named after the shark in Jaws btw), who traps her in the same room as Heather. From there, Zephyr and Bruce engage in a fun game of cat-and-mouse that involves stab wounds, head kicks, and shark feedings.
Jai Courtney’s beefed-up 6’1” frame makes Tucker a physically imposing villain who thoroughly enjoys his conquests. Dogs don’t like him, he loves to talk, and he considers himself to be a “genuine, walking-talking miracle” after he survived a shark attack as a child. He’s a coral snake among kingsnakes (or so he thinks), and he’s found his match with Zephyr, who became tough after many years of living in the foster system. Her name means “gentle breeze,” but she’s more of a tropical storm and I love that she doesn’t let the beefy serial killer intimidate her. Their battles are heightend for cinema, but there’s a believability and intelligence to their chess match that makes all the suspense and near misses work really well.
Dangerous Animals doesn’t care about reinventing the wheel (which is nearly impossible), but it does care about being the best possible version of itself — which is refreshing.
Final thoughts – Watch Dangerous Animals in theaters.
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11 Rebels (2024) – Review
Quick Thoughts:
- Grade – B
- Between Seven Samurai, 13 Assassins, The 13th Warrior, 11 Rebels, The Dirty Dozen, Magnificent Seven, Eastern Condors, and 300, I love it when a small group of tough people are pitted against a much larger force.
- Originally written by late screenwriter Kasahara Kazuo (and forgotten about for decades), 11 Rebels is a fun throwback action film.
- There’s a lot of plot.
- The production design is wonderful
- Favorite line – “Is that idiot still alive?”
Directed by Kazuya Shiraishi (The Blood of Wolves, Bushido), 11 Rebels is a fun throwback action film that combines political intrigue with at least 14 moments of limb loss. Based on a 60-year-old screenplay by late screenwriter Kasahara Kazuo (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), the film holds on to his realistically bleak outlook but still delivers a bloody good time.
The lead rebel/criminal/bandit/idiot (depending on who is asked) is a guy named Masa (Yamada Takayuki – who also stars in the 13 Assassins), who is sentenced to death after he kills the Shibata samurai who raped his wife. Before his head is sawed off (in a fun scene involving a frog and a large blade), news is delivered that the Shibata clan is willing to pardon criminals who will help protect a fort on the outskirts of their territory. The choice isn’t hard as the criminals can either be imprisoned with typhoid patients in the neighboring jail cells – or become part of a “suicide squad” with the possibility of not dying via typhoid (or having their heads sawed off). In a refreshing twist, Masa never stops despising the Shibata clan soldiers and has zero problem trying to escape even if it causes the death of the other rebels. There’s a healthy distrust of the Japanese ruling class and I like that the rebels aren’t fighting for their local lord, instead they are putting themselves in danger in hopes of being pardoned for their crimes.
11 Rebels moves quickly and it only takes 15 minutes for the core group made up of Shibata samurai, a card shark, a serial killer, a lecherous priest, a handsome dude, an intellectually disabled young man (with a thing for fireworks), and other ne’er-do-well – to make it to the fort. Once there, they fortify the rundown stronghold and develop a defense plan while they await the incoming imperial soldiers. The fort’s location is important because it’s a key crossing point into Shibata territory that can be held with minimal troops since the only entrance is a rickety rope bridge that bottlenecks any fighting force attempting to attack the stronghold.
From there, the audience is treated to several well-staged skirmishes that feature explosions, hacked-off limbs, bridge destruction, and a serial killer nicknamed “Cut-em-down” swinging his sword so hard that he snaps several steel words in half. The only drawback is there’s a lot of plot involving political angling, double-crosses, revenge, and everything else that took place during the Japanese Civil War of 1868-69 (AKA – The Boshin War). The biggest disadvantage of making a film like 11 Rebels is there are a lot of characters who need screen time, and when the multiple characters are competing with other plotlines – they don’t get the time they need to become three-dimensional characters. That being said, there’s a lot to like about 11 Rebels and it’s worth a watch if you love “few against many” films.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 625: Death Proof (2007), Kurt Russell, and Nacho Grande Platters
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 John discuss the 2007 horror action film Death Proof. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, and starring Kurt Russell, Zoë Bell, Vanessa Ferlito, and a nacho grande platter, the grindhouse film features Kurt Russell as a murderous stuntman who loves crashing his car into people. In this episode, they also talk about movie props, big stunts, and Kurt Rusell’s legendary hair. 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!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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Bring Her Back (2025) – Review
- Grade – B
- I like that the Philippou brothers followed up Talk to Me with an original horror film. They could’ve easily cashed in and made Talk 2 Me.
- Sora Wong and Billy Barratt are excellent.
- There are a few too many themes and ideas (resurrection, loss, trauma, grief, possession, black magic, abuse). I know they were inspired by several real-life tragedies and events, but it’s all over the place.
- I appreciate that the brothers wanted to create something original and unique. The special effects, gore, production design, costume design and cinematography are all top-notch. I wish more directors would take swings like this.
- The “Horror Movie Swimming Pool Hall of Fame” has a new inductee
After the massive success of Talk to Me (2023), I like that Danny and Michael Philippou went out of their way to avoid directing a “bigger and crazier” sequel or follow-up. I also appreciate that the cool people at A24 were smart enough to keep them happy because the $92 million worldwide haul of Talk to Me earned the brothers a chance to direct an original horror film about grief, loss and what happens when a child starts biting into a sharpened knife. That being said, Bring Her Back pulls its punches (which is slightly insane to say) and tackles a few too many themes. The result is a horror film that I respect and admire – but don’t love.
Bring Her Back focuses on two siblings having quite possibly the worst three months in existence. The film opens with 17-year-old Andy (Billy Barrett – excellent) and his partially sighted younger sister Piper (Sora Wong – also excellent) being placed in a short-term foster home after the death of their father. Their hope is that when Andy turns 18 in a few months the two can find a place to live. However, since it’s a horror film, their new foster mother Laura (Sally Hawkins) has other plans for them. What’s interesting is that the film wastes no time letting you know that terrible times are ahead for the siblings. For instance, Laura’s secluded house is surrounded by a white circle of paint (this is never a good thing), she has an empty triangle- shaped swimming pool, and is the foster parent of a selectively mute child named Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips), whom she keeps locked in a room. To spoil anything else would be cruel, just know that skin is ripped, faces are punched, and urine is used in creative ways.
The highlights of Bring Her Back are the excellent performances from Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Sally Hawkins and Jonah Wren Phillips. A lot is asked of the child performers and they deliver natural and believable performances. This is a testament to the Philippou brothers who must’ve created a nurturing and safe environment for the first-time actors to feel comfortable. Also, the sibling dynamic works well (it’s based on siblings the brother’s know) as Andy tries to protect his younger sister from the ugliness of the world by not telling her the truth during certain situations. As always, Sally Hawkins is solid and it’s fun watching the two-time Oscar-nominated performer go to some dark places.
The production design by Vanessa Cerne (Predestination, Addition, Relic) is wonderful as she’s created a lived-in home that feels like a mystery. Cerne’s background as a set decorator must’ve helped the production as Laura’s house is loaded with well-chosen props that give the home an earthy vibe loaded with browns and faded orange colors. The Philippou’s wanted a location where the pool was “at the heart of the house,” and they found a pool that will be a first-ballot inductee into the Horror Movie Swimming Pool Hall of Fame (joining the pools from It Follows, Strangers: Prey at Night and Let the Right One In). Also, the sound editing by Emma Bortignon (Talk to Me) works wonders and it’s impressive knowing there are 750 layers of sound happening in the movie.
The biggest issue I have with Bring Her Back is despite the well-publicized gore, the film pulls its punches, which doesn’t allow it to achieve the heights of artistically nasty horror classics like I Saw the Devil (2010), Thirst (2009), Martyrs (2008), or Raw (2016). Also, by incorporating themes of loss, grief, trauma, abuse, and resurrection, the film isn’t as laser-focused as it should’ve been. I know that Danny and Michael pulled from life experiences and recent traumas, but there’s a little too much chlorine in the pool (I hope this makes sense).
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 624: Under the Silver Lake (2018), Hidden Clues, and A24 Films
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 Joey Lewandowski discuss the 2018 surrealist neo-noir black comedy thriller Under the Silver Lake. Directed by David Robert Mitchell, and starring Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, and dozens of secret codes, the movie focuses on what happens when an aimless slacker goes on a quest around Los Angeles. In this episode, they also talk about secret codes, swimming pools, and A24 films. 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!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
Movies, Films & Flix 