Fight or Flight (2025) – Review
Quick thoughts:
- Grade – B
- I can now say that I’ve seen Josh Hartnett and action movie legend Marko Zaror fight each other in a swanky airplane bathroom.
- Sporting a bleach-blond haircut, and a bulked-up frame that worked wonders for him in last year’s Trap. The 6’ 3” (1.91m) Hartnett towers over his opponents and believably holds his own.
- Charithra Chandran is cool.
- DP Matt Flannagan (The Raid, The Raid 2) knows how to film a fight.
Fight or Flight revolves around an ex-secret service agent and current alcoholic named Lucas Reyes (Josh Hartnett) being pulled from a Bangkok bar to track down a blackhat terrorist nicknamed “The Ghost.” Reyes was once a respectable secret service agent, but after some job-related violence, Interpol slapped a Red Notice on him and for two years he’s been hounded by cops, bounty hunters and criminals. In a good news, bad news situation, Reyes has gotten into so many fights that he’s become a Hawaiian-shirt-wearing weapon who sports a year-round black eye. To take it further, Reyes is such a badass that even with a failing liver and permanent dehydration he can still fight his way out of any bar in Bangkok.
To catch “The Ghost,” Reyes is put on a 16-hour international flight from Bangkok to San Francisco. To get on the flight, his handler Katherine Brunt (Katee Sackhoff) gets him new passports and promises him a clean slate if he can bring in the uber-hacker alive. The “fight” in Flight or Flight occurs when Reyes learns that there’s a bounty on the infamous hacker. This means Reyes has to hunt down a ghost and keep them alive when dozens of money-hungry assassins start attacking them on the double-decker A3 plane. An added wrinkle is that since he’s been drinking himself to death for two years, Reyes has to keep chugging miniature bottles of booze to prevent the mother of all withdrawal hangovers – which won’t help him when he’s battling five assassins in the aisles of the economy seating section. During the violent flight, Reyes teams up with flight attendant Isha (Charithra Chandran), who helps him scour the plane and dispatch various killers throughout the seemingly endless compartments.
The highlights of Fight or Flight come from watching Harnett get stabbed, punched, shot, drugged, and loaded with toad venom. Sporting a bleach-blond haircut, and a bulked-up frame that worked wonders for him in last year’s Trap. The 6’ 3” (1.91m) Hartnett towers over his opponents and believably holds his own against action movie legend Marko Zaror (watch Fist of the Condor – it rules). In interviews, Harnett said that he had a great time doing his own stunts and he had a blast playing a badass alcoholic who has consumed so many intoxicants that attempts to drug him aren’t successful (you can’t pickle a pickle).
Directed by James Madigan, who is no stranger to action scenes because he’s worked as the second unit director on See, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Snake Eyes, The Meg, and G.I. Joe Retaliation. His background with visual effects and shooting action scenes allows Fight or Flight to stretch its budget so it can go all-out on the chaos. The cinematography from Matt Flannagan (The Raid, The Raid, Merantu, Havoc, Gangs of London) is self-assured and understands the movements and structure of each brawl. Flannagan has worked on some of the best action films of the 21st century, which means the fight coverage is solid and the various brawls aren’t edited into oblivion. The highlight of the film is a bathroom fight between Hartnett and Marko Zaror. It’s a brutal affair loaded with broken glass, spin kicks and brain matter being stuck to the ceiling of the spacious bathroom.
The high-concept script from writers Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona is inspired, and despite there being way too much plot and far too many characters, the 97 minutes fly by.
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Thunderbolts* (2025) – Review
Quick Thoughts:
- Grade – B
- Florence Pugh is perfection. She delivers one of the best-ever performances in an MCU film
- I like that it aspires to be nothing more than a fun movie (and a back-to-basics style experience)
- Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell work well together.
- Once again, Florence Pugh is really good. It’s no surprise, but Thunderbolts* proves she can lead giant tentpole films.
- It’s a clunky film with a lot of wedged-in dialogue for people who haven’t watched every single MCU movie/show, but it still manages to be a good time
- DP Andrew Droz Palermo (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight) and production designer Grace Yun (Hereditary, Past Lives, Beef, First Reformed) do good work within the MCU confines
- I want a party limo
After years of watching Marvel Cinematic Universe properties that feature sun restoration, Egyptian gods, pissed-off witches, quantum realms, and quip-loving gods, watching a group of earth-bound antiheroes bickering about how to escape an underground bunker is very refreshing. I love all-powerful shenanigans and pissed-off witches, but after years of CGI smack-em-ups, sometimes you need to watch a Russian assassin bicker with a “dime-store Captain America” about handgun size.” Thunderbolts* is not a return to form for the MCU, but it’s proof Kevin Feige and crew are attempting to refocus on engaging characters who team up with other engaging characters to battle world-ending threats.
Led by Florence Pugh, who gives an all-time best MCU performance, Thunderbolts* works because of its focus on superheroes who have a hard time lifting large pieces of building rubble. The film revolves around a melancholy Yelena Belova (Pugh), who after the events of Black Widow and Avengers: Endgame is working odd jobs for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The off-the-book missions have her destroying well-guarded Malaysian laboratories and other black sites that house secrets Valentina would like buried. Yelena hasn’t talked to her “dad” Alexei “Red Guardian” Shostakov (David Harbour – loving life) in over a year, and when she finally visits him, he says “The light inside you is dim, even by Eastern European standards.” To get a “more public-facing” gig that will give her life some meaning, Helena makes a deal with de Fontaine (the “de” is stressed) to go on one more job. She’s tasked with stopping Ava “Ghost” Starr (Hannah John-Kamen) from breaking into a top secret location. During her mission, she’s attacked by John “US Agent” Walker (Wyatt Russell), who is in turn attacked by Antonia “Taskmaster” Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko). After a brief fight that releases a guy named Bob (Lewis Pullman) from cryo-sleep (or something like it), the group realizes they were sent to the location to be incinerated by de Fontaine – who because of a governmental inquiry is killing off loose ends. After surviving incineration, the collection of misfits work together to escape the cavernous facility in one of the funniest moments in MCU history.
As always, writing about MCU films is tough because there is a lot to spoil. I can say that there’s a great chase involving a “bulletproof” limo and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) gets a badass hero moment while riding a motorcycle. Also, it’s a delight watching the Thunderbolts* punching and shooting their way through villains. None of them can fly, so it’s nice that the ending doesn’t feature two all-powerful characters punching each other through buildings.
The script by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow) and Joanna Calo (The Bear, BoJack Horseman, Hacks) is fun and engaging and does a fine job smashing characters from several different properties together to create a likable team. The constant bickering and quippy lines don’t slow down the proceedings and David Harbour’s nonstop enthusiasm feels earnest instead of overbearing. The straightforward story is nice and it moves in a logical manner which allows the “anti-social tragedies in human form” to argue and bond. There are also small touches like Alexei’s limo business slogan “Protecting You From Boring Evening,” and in a nice grounding touch, the group is named after Yelena’s childhood soccer team.
DP Andrew Droz Palermo (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight) and production designer Grace Yun (Hereditary, Past Lives, Beef, First Reformed) do good work within the MCU confines and must’ve enjoyed adding a little bit of grit and texture to the blockbuster film. After Thor: Love and Thunder, Captain America: Brave New World, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it’s nice seeing an MCU film shooting in actual locations. There’s a lot of VFX involved and massive sets were built, but they don’t overpower the proceedings.
The MVP of the film is Florence Pugh, who delivers a thoughtful and impressive performance. The Academy Award-nominated actor has excelled in movies like Midsommar, Little Women, Lady Macbeth and Fighting With my Family, but with Thunderbolts* she proves she can lead a tentpole blockbuster. Between Black Widow and Hawkeye, Pugh’s Helena has been a solid supporting character, but now she’s ready to lead. You can tell that director Jake Schreier respects and trusts Pugh because he gives her a lot to do and lets the camera linger on her while she monologues and deals with her past.
Final Thoughts – Thunderbolts* is a good time and I’d love to see this group again.
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The Surfer (2024) – Review
Quick Thoughts:
- Grade – B+
- Between Mandy, Color out of Space, Willy’s Wonderland, Longlegs, Arcadian, Dream Scenario and Prisoners of the Ghostland, Nicolas Cage has appeared in some wonderful genre films since 2016.
- I’d love to see a series of films featuring Cage having a terrible time in a parking lot.
- Director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium, The Surfer) loves trapping potential home buyers in a remote location.
- The usage of colors is excellent.
The best way to describe director Lorcan Finnegan’s latest film is that it features Nicolas Cage having a terrible time in a parking lot. The almost single-location film features another fun descent into madness for Cage who is no stranger to losing his mind for cinema. Between The Wicker Man, Mandy, Dream Scenario, Pig, and Color Out of Space, It’s fun watching the world attempting to squash him. Cage is one of cinema’s all-time great sufferers because you simultaneously feel bad for him as he suffers, but you kind of enjoy when a barefoot Cage steps on glass after getting a flat white coffee dumped on him.
The Surfer revolves around a stressed-out surfer (Cage) who takes his son to an Australian beach that is near his childhood home. After years of waiting and working tirelessly to raise funds, the sprawling beach house he grew up in has finally gone back on the market and he plans on spending the entirety of his amassed wealth acquiring it. His goal is that the house will help him reunite with his estranged wife (who wants him to sign their divorce papers) and son, whom he wants to spend more time with. The plan of the beach trip is for his son to see the beautiful house while waiting to catch an Indian Ocean wave. Before they can get in the water, they are stopped by local surfers led by a well-tanned dude with comically white teeth named Scally (Julian McMahon), who won’t allow them to surf the waves. This sets off a chain of events involving stolen surfboards, towed cars, dead phone batteries, and the consumption of dirty bathroom sink water.
The local police are no help, so the surfer lingers around the parking lot waiting for the perfect moment to retrieve his stolen surfboard (which never comes) From there, everything goes wrong as the single water fountain in the area is covered with dog poop, and the only person who is nice to him is a photographer (Miranda Tapsell) who helps him hold on to what’s left of his sanity.
You can almost feel Cage’s brain boiling as he drifts around the Australian parking lot looking for food, water and anybody who will listen to him. Finnegan and DP Radzek Ladczuk add a nice layer of hard light which adds to the sun-baked atmosphere that pays homage to the sun-baked worlds of epic Ozploitation films Wake in Fright and Walkabout. The use of colors is excellent as the rusty orange buildings, faded yellow memories and red hoodie that Scally wears work wonders for the overall aesthetic. Scally’s red hoodie helps him give off an evil Jesus vibe (which the director intended), and it pairs well with his absurd tan (and whiter-than-white teeth) that took 40 minutes to apply each shooting day.
Influenced by movies like The Swimmer (1968) and After Hours (1985), The Surfer is a classic “guy has a rough go of it” experience and it was an inspired idea to cast Cage as the guy who has a rough go of it. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Cage said that he listened to the House of Pain song “Jump Around” to let his “inner-caveman” out during the production – and it’s a joy watching his evolution from a stressed-out businessman to a raspy-voiced dehydrated guy with chapped lips and stomach pains caused by dirty water. It would be a shame to spoil how it ends, just know that the film explores toxic masculinity, crushed dreams, and successful stubbornness.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 619: Stoker (2013), Park Chan-wook, and Terrible Uncles
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 Zanandi talk about the 2013 thriller Stoker. Directed by the legendary Park Chan-wook, and starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode, the movie focuses on what happens when a shifty uncle stokes up a bunch of problems for a grieving family. In this episode, they also talk about piano scenes, new shoes, and the overall excellence of Stoker.
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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Earlier this year, in anticipation of the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, I decided to rank all of Tom Cruise’s running scenes in the franchise. I’d worked on several M:I data pieces for various companies and figured it would be easy to rank the 100ish running moments. When the list was completed – it felt incomplete, so I decided to rank all of the running scenes in his filmography. Starting with 1981’s Endless Love, and finishing with 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Cruise had gone to extreme lengths for his films, so I decided to honor his hard work by putting together this absurd list.
Here’s what you need to know about the list:
- I found and ranked 295 moments
- I counted running, sprinting and jogging. The amount of time doesn’t matter either. In Top Gun there’s a one-second shot of him running to hit a volleyball. It was included.
- A short blurb was included for list items 295 – 26
- Timestamps have been included for the top 25. Some of the timestamps may be a little off for you. It depends on where/how you watch the movies. For me, it was a mixture of DVDs, Blu-rays, Vudu and streaming channels.
- I researched the top 10 scenes and wrote more about them (and included YouTube links)
- This list is obviously subjective, but after going through Cruise’s filmography for the fourth time since 2018, I am very happy with the top 10
- There is zero chance that our lists will match up, so don’t be surprised if the 295 moments don’t line up with your list.
- For some of the scenes, I split them up into moments. I just went with the flow of the scene and if he stops for a moment or the scene cuts to someone else – I split up the running moment into parts.
- I’ve worked on some fun Tom Cruise running assignments (here and here) since 2018 (thanks to Reddit) so I had the timestamps handy. I still went ahead and rewatched all the scenes for a refresher.
- I love this quote from his X profile.
Here’s the list!
295. Losin’ It – Quick moment featuring Cruise starting to run.
294. Losin’ It – He runs to get into a car.
293. Losin’ It – While being chased by some people he runs to the convertible (again).
292. Top Gun – He runs to hit a volleyball.
291. Mission: Impossible II – Cruise runs up some stairs.
290. Top Gun – Quick run before going up some steps.
289. Days of Thunder – Jogs through a parking garage to catch Nicole Kidman.
288. The Firm – Stair running.
287. Legend – Hell prison crouched jogging.
286. The Mummy – Cruise runs to his horse.
285. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – A little bit of running to a safe car.
284. The Firm – Super fast house running.
283. Mission: Impossible – Jogs to a ladder.
282. Taps – Runs to get to the front of other students (does it with ease).
281. Taps – Jogs to Timothy Hutton.
280. Knight and Day – Duck and run.
279. All the Right Moves – He can’t catch the running back.
278. Mission: Impossible III – Quick run through Vatican catacombs.
277. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – Mardi Gras running (I combined 5 quick running moments – one/two seconds each).
276. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Runs away from Ilsa when she’s shooting at him in the opera.
275. Mission: Impossible III – Runs towards a car and steals it.
274. Legend – Forest running.
273. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Runs through gunfire to get to Alec Baldwin.
272. Risky Business – Front door running.
271. Jerry Maguire – Panicked running to get back to the office after meeting with Jay Mohr.
270. Cocktail – He jumps out of a car and runs to get on a bus.
269. The Outsiders – Animated moment involving him running around the corner of a house.
268. Oblivion – Runs and hides for cover behind a pillar.
267. All the Right Moves – Mud running on a football field.
266. Knight and Day – Sprints through a jungle.
265. Legend – Hell prison running.
264. Legend – More hell prison running.
263. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Kremlin running.
262. Legend – More hell prison running and crouching.
261. Mission: Impossible 2 – Sneaky running through a tunnel.
260. Rain Man – He runs across a street. It’s fine.
259. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – Rain Jogging.
258. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Flashback running.
257. Rain Man – He runs to help Raymond who is standing in the middle of a street.
256. Edge of Tomorrow – “We’ve been through worse.” Cage and Rita make a final fun at the aliens.
255. Legend – Snow running.
254. Edge of Tomorrow – Running with a limp.
253. Mission: Impossible III – Cruise helps Keri Russell.
252. Mission: Impossible III – More help running Russell. Cruise loves a spin move.
251. Mission: Impossible III – MORE help running Russell.
250. Legend – More snow running.
249. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – He runs for cover whilst inside a tunnel.
248. The Mummy – More running away from the Mummy.
247. The Mummy – Even more running from the Mummy.
246. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Prison running.
245. The Mummy – He runs away from the mummy and some rats.
244. Mission: Impossible III – Shrub running followed by hospital running.
243. The Mummy – Runs away from zombies.
242. The Mummy – More running away from zombies.
241. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Train running.
240. Edge of Tomorrow – He manages to outrun an exploding helicopter.
239. Knight and Day – Rescue running.
238. Mission: Impossible III – Runs into a room and shoots a goon.
237. All the Right Moves – Runs onto a football field.
236. Taps – He leads a group of students to the front.
235. Legend – Running away from little demons.
234. Taps – Runs with a gun.
233. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – New Orleans running.
232. The Firm – He runs into his office to answer a phone call.
231. Cocktail – Beach running!
230. War of the Worlds – Runs behind a car door.
229. War of the Worlds – Crowd running.
228. Minority Report – Runs down a platform (3 seconds) and puts on a shirt.
227. Oblivion – Med Kit running.
226. War of the Worlds – Sprints out of the way of a crashing alien ship.
225. The Mummy – Gallops away from Russell Crowe.
224. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Sewer running.
223. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Quick train run followed by parachuting.
222. The Mummy – He runs to grab a weapon.
221. The Color of Money – Cruises runs across a street to chat with Paul Newman.
220. Minority Report – Runs around the precog platform.
219. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Runs to a fight in Venice.
218. Risky Business – Jumps off his car and runs to the front door of a house.
217. Born on the Fourth of July – Intense snow running during wrestling practice.
216. Rain Man – He notices that Raymond is gone so he runs out of the phone booth.
215. Days of Thunder – Runs to Nicole Kidman’s car.
214. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He runs across a street and goes up some steps.
213. War of the Worlds – Stair running followed by a bit of street running. He then runs into his backyard.
212. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Runs inside a shelter during a sandstorm. There’s a few more running moments during the gunfight.
211. All the Right Moves – He runs outside to smooch Leah Thompson.
210. Edge of Tomorrow – He runs up to a bridge to see the aliens attacking.
209. Edge of Tomorrow – Training Cruise.
208. Legend – Runs through a closing hell gate.
207. Legend – Cruise runs to pick up a sword to battle Darkness.
206. All The Right Moves – He goes for the man and not the ball.
205. Far and Away – Snow running.
204. Mission: Impossible III – “Get down!” Cruise runs from gunfire coming from an helicopter.
203. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Tight Venice alley running.
202. War of the Worlds – Running through the woods while carrying Dakota Fanning.
201. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Crouched running to a car.
200. War of the Worlds – Cruise gets his family on a ferry. Then, they run through the ferry.
199. Mission: Impossible III – More “Get down, stay down” shenanigans. He does jump over a car – which is fun.
198. The Firm – Runs around his back yard.
197. Eyes Wide Shut – Run across a street and towards a cab.
196. Jerry Maguire – Runs through the rain to get to make some copies of his manifesto.
195. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Runs into a building.
194. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Sand running.
193. Far and Away – Runs with a mule and a gun.
192. Mission: Impossible III – Bridge running capped off with a fun slide.
191. American Made – Are we running? – Tom runs to grab his cash.
190. Far and Away – Irish fog running.
189. War of the Worlds – Cruise runs and grabs Fanning.
188. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He makes a move through a couple closing doors and runs after a food truck.
187. Oblivion – Sand running to help Julia. He also runs back to his ship.
186. Oblivion – He lands his plane and runs to Julia.
185. Rain Man – He runs through his house after the fire alarm goes off.
184. Cocktail – Running in white pants. Brave move.
183. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – More Venice running.
182. Cocktail – Cruise jets past a pair of bouncers.
181. Interview With the Vampire – Creepy Cruise Running.
180. Risky Business – He runs in his backyard with some lawn gear.
179. Top Gun: Maverick – Beach running while playing football.
178. The Mummy – He runs up stairs to get away from the mummy. Good form.
177. Legend – Runs and jumps into a lake so he can get a ring. He doesn’t play.
176. Far and Away – Jumps off a train and runs through a field.
175. Jack Reacher – Quarry running.
174. Jack Reacher – More quarry running.
173. Endless Love – Plays Soccer, takes off shirt and sits down.
172. The Firm – Runs with books. I like prop running.
171. Mission: Impossible – Disguised as a firefighter jogging.
170. Cocktail – Mice crane shot of him running through the snow. He has props too.
169. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – He runs away from the hideout, talks to Ilsa and runs down a hallway.
168. War of the Worlds – Basement running.
167. Mission: Impossible III – Puddle running followed by a run up to an abandoned factory.
166. War of the Worlds – “Stay together” Cruise chases after his kid.
165. Jack Reacher – He runs up some steps and kicks a door in while holding a gun – Impressive.
164. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – He runs across an elevator to get to a ladder.
163. Mission: Impossible 2 – He shoots two guys and runs to steal one of their motorcycles.
162. Jerry Maguire – Jerry runs to the field through a dark hallway – He’s booking it.
161. War of the Worlds – Field running followed by a run into a basement.
160. Minority Report – Jumps off a bed and grabs a guy.
159. Collateral – Runs away from a crashed taxi.
158. Oblivion – Gets blown backwards after running to save a person.
157. Risky Business – He leaves a cab, runs along the street and to an apartment.
156. Edge of Tomorrow – Runs away from an alien to grab a gun.
155. Far and Away – Irish hill running.
154. The Last Samurai – He runs before a battle. Solid crouch running/jogging.
153. Far and Away – Irish hill running.
152. Mission: Impossible III – He runs from the MI crew and gets darted in a hospital parking lot.
151. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Cruise pulls a slick move on some Italian guys.
150. Mission: Impossible III – Bridge running followed by a loooooonnnnggg jump.
149. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – “Open the door!” – More prison running.
148. War of the Worlds – They get out of the water and run on the shore and through some woods. Legit wet running.
147. Knight and Day – Ducks and runs when Cameron Diaz starts shooting.
146. Born on the Fourth of July – Rounds up a team before a battle. Things go bad.
145. War of the Worlds – Rachel! Runs to protect his daughter.
144. Legend – Swamp running to save a quest comrade.
143. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – He and Renner chase down Benji.
142. Knight and Day – Roof running.
141. Mission: Impossible III – Runs and puts a walkie talkie near a radio.
140. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Suit running to catch villains.
139. American Made – Cruise chases after a car and it explodes.
138. Vanilla Sky – Runs down some stairs – Wobbly running.
137. Edge of Tomorrow – He runs and bumps a guy out of the way of a crashing helicopter. It lands on Cruise.
136. Vanilla Sky – Runs wobbly threw a lobby – Does a nice spin.
135. Minority Report – Creeps around a hallway while running while chasing eyeballs.
134. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He runs on top of a roof and charges into a goon.
133. Edge of Tomorrow – Cruise kicks some alien butt on the beach.
132. Edge of Tomorrow – Cruise runs and knocks a car out of the way.
131. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He runs towards a guy and pushes him off a roof (Tom goes with him – the goon dies – Tom lives).
130. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – He sees a helicopter about to take off and runs towards it and grabs onto a rope.
129. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Runs out of the Kremlin, collects his breath and leaves.
128. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Airport running.
127. Mission: Impossible III – Shanghai side street running.
126. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – He runs to Luther to make sure he is okay.
125. Legend – He lands a sweet jump, runs to grab a weapon and battles a hell guard. There are several instances of running during this moment.
124. All the Right Moves – He has more left in the tank than most of the other football players
123. Minority Report – Runs away from operatives.
122. Mission: Impossible III – “I’m in the approach position.” Nice long shot of Cruise running.
121. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Airport running – ladder climbing – Running on top of the airport. Nice overhead shot.
120. Knight and Day – Roof running followed by a nice jump, slide, and another jump and finally a fall into a river.
119. Far and Away – He hoofs it out of his apartment.
118. Born on the Fourth of July – Cruise and a small group run into a village. Big scene.
117. Edge of Tomorrow – Manages to get past the truck and he runs into Emily Blunt – and then runs out of the drop ship.
116. All the Right Moves – Pass interference in the rain
115. Edge of Tomorrow – Cage and Rita run at the aliens.
114. Mission: Impossible – He runs around a corner and does some nice acting (and stopping) when a car explodes – He then runs down a flight of stairs.
113. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Hunts gets chased by goons and runs into a cathedral.
112. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Jumps off a club balcony and runs through the club.
111. Born on the Fourth of July – Rain running. It’s nice and awkward.
110. War of the Worlds – Street crack running.
109. Edge of Tomorrow – How about a little PT? Fun running scene.
108. The Mummy – Cruise runs and jumps around the top of the building. Good running and crawling.
107. The Last Samurai – Runs around during a nighttime battle and saves a life.
106. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Runs to catch a train. Renner has good running form btw.
105. Knight and Day – Runs, jumps, runs, jumps, hangs. – Good stuff.
104. Risky Business – I like the wide shot of him running into his school – You can see the running skill.
103. Edge of Tomorrow- Following a sweet roll he runs alongside a truck and is very pleased with what he pulled off.
102. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – He runs/walks/limps to fight Walker.
101. Mission: Impossible 2 – He runs and does a nice roll so he can sneak into a vent.
100. War of the Worlds – He can’t outrun a giant alien machine.
99. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He and Colby run away from a dude. Colby got jacked for this movie.
98. Knight and Day – Runs on the beach while explosions go off behind him.
97. Mission: Impossible II – He runs up to a goon and kicks him.
96. Oblivion – He runs and jumps over a gap (doesn’t make it).
95. The Last Samurai – He uses his explosiveness to save people during an ambush.
94. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He runs, climbs up a car, jumps onto a balcony and keeps running. Good work Tom.
93. The Outsiders – He runs outside a house and does a flip off of a car- Athletic kid.
92. Top Gun: Maverick – Treadmill running.
91. Mission: Impossible III – Street sprinting to grab the Rabbit’s Foot.
90. Oblivion – Running on a circular treadmill.
89. Top Gun: Maverick – Cruise runs away from a helicopter that is shooting at him.
88. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Hunt starts limping and then breaks out into a run and then he jumps over some shrubs.
87. War of the Worlds – Leather jacket running.
86. The Last Samurai – CHARGE! Dead man running.
85. Mission: Impossible – He does some solid slick cobbled road running.
84. Mission: Impossible – He climbs a fence and sprints down an alley – the cops have zero chance of catching him. Nice crane shot – the scene ends with him running into a phone booth.
83. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Sand running.
82. Mission: Impossible 2 – Rips off a mask whilst running.
81. Edge of Tomorrow – Beach running followed by him getting hit by a truck – Love it.
80. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Runs after villains to get the MacGuffin.
79. Mission: Impossible III – Running moment heavily featured in the trailer in which an explosion knocks him into a car.
78. Oblivion – He runs and jumps and shoots – It’s fun.
77. The Mummy – He runs through a library while glass shatters around him.
76. The Mummy – They run through London avoiding sand.
75. Mission: Impossible – He runs up some stairs and along a bridge to find Voight – He also runs towards Sara after a few beats. I included them together.
74. Vanilla Sky – Labored and odd running. Crane shot – Trippy running – REM – Slick streets.
73. Minority Report – Running through the streets while pre-crime ads play – Good expository run.
72. All the Right Moves – You are not god! Lots of running and acting. Good stuff.
71. Cocktail – He uses his breakaway speed to sneak past a doorman and into an elevator.
70. Oblivion – He runs away from a fireball – Good jump.
69. The Last Samurai – He tries to teach some kids how to play baseball – “You gotta get the ball!”
68. Mission: Impossible 2 – He runs, picks up Dougray and slams him.
67. Far and Away – While running he slips on something and almost wipes out.
66. Far and Away – He runs and tackles a guy who stole Nicole Kidman’s spoons.
65. Collateral – Staircase running followed by lobby running.
64. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Running/limping after a car.
63. Mission: Impossible III – I love a good running charge moment.
62. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Ethan and Ilsa run out of the opera (he grabs a rope). Then they run across the building (he takes off her shoes) and they use a rope to get out of the area.
61. Top Gun: Maverick – Cruise runs to an airplane hanger and says “Let’s start running.”
60. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Runs away from the Kremlin explosion.
59. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He and Colby run through an open park and she is outpacing him.
58. Minority Report – Great run and spin.
57. Jack Reacher – He grabs a rock, runs towards a guy and knocks him out. SPEED.
56. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – As a train falls off a cliff, Cruise runs up it (Think Furious 7).
55. Mission: Impossible 2 – Runs in slow motion towards a helicopter and misses it. He then does a flip whilst running to shoot a goon.
54. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – He and a couple people run away from thugs. I like the way it’s shot. Good parallel running between the groups.
53. Mission: Impossible 2 – Beach fight running. – several instances during the same scene.
52. Mission: Impossible III – Skyscraper running.
51. Edge of Tomorrow – He can’t outrun a fiery death on a beach.
50. Oblivion – He sprints to take the battery out of a drone.
49. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Hunt and Ilsa run around.
48. The Color of Money — He kicks a guy in the balls, makes himself big and runs out of a bar. It’s fun.
47. Oblivion – He runs up a sand dune and then he runs down the dune to meet his clone. Impressive sand running.
46. Top Gun: Maverick – He runs a long distance through the woods in the freezing cold.I like the overhead shot. Good work.
45. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Hunt runs with a limp and stops to catch his breath. It’s nice. He does more limp running which is nice – He then explodes through some glass.
44. Taps – Running with a group of people and he looks like the best runner. Excellent posture.
43. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Venice running featuring Cruise jumping over a boat. Then, he’s given the wrong directions by the Entity.
42. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Hunt and Ilsa run and jump over a car. They are like a pair of raptors.
41. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – “I am terribly sorry.” He interrupts a funeral whilst being chased.
40. The Mummy – While running away from the mummy he hops a stone fence and leaves his lady friend behind.
39. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – He runs through kitchen grease and jumps into another train car.
38. Born on the Fourth of July – Slow motion beach running. It’s tense.
37. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – He runs to jump kick on a henchmen and then lands on Ilsa.
36. Mission: Impossible 2 – Runs in slow motion (through some doves) and lands a sweet kick. – Fun Woo stuff.
35. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Venice running to get to Ilsa.
34. War of the Worlds – Funny moment in which he’s enjoying the “Storm” but then lightning hits and he runs into his house.
33. Mission: Impossible III – Cruise literally runs up a wall.
32. Risky Business – He runs to catch his egg – It’s intense.
31. Oblivion – He runs up to his clone and punches him in the face – Good acceleration on sand.
30. Mission: Impossible III – He runs and jumps off a Shanghai building.
29. War of the Worlds – Dead cow jumping.
28. All the Right Moves – Snags an interception and runs through two players to score a touchdown.
27. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – He runs and jumps onto the wing of a plane.
26. The Firm – Chases after Abbey – This is the first time we ever get to see Tom’s super running form.
Top 25!
25. Collateral – Subway running followed by a beautiful jump – Dude is pissed. – 01:46:10
24. The Mummy – “Slip in, slip out. Just like we always do.” Then it cuts to them being shot at whilst running away. – 00:10:15
23. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Keep going straight? – He runs into an office building and smashes a window. 01:34:53
22. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Why is he running in a circle? Great overhead shot of cruise sprinting up stairs, losing the goons, and running around the upper floors of the cathedral. – 01:32:59
21. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Roof running and two amazing jumps. – 01:33:48
20. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – During the bathroom fight Hunt runs at a guy and slams him through a wall. Great stuff. I love how he really doesn’t want to do it. – 00:32:38
19. Minority Report – Runs up to the house and has to stop a potential murder. – 00:15:28:00
18. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Runs away from the Burj Khalifa – Looks awesome. Brad Bird shoots it from every angle. I love how the camera looks up at him.
17. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – “Ethan he’s getting away from you, you’re going to have to go faster! – Cruise absolutely books it during a roof run that ends with the jump that broke his foot. Epic. – 01:34:20
16. Jerry Maguire – Airport running. – 02:06:05
15. Mission: Impossible II – He runs in slow motion so he can jump out of a building – Wonderful – 01:25:58 – He also runs while holding two guns (and shooting them at the same time). Awesome hair work
14. Risky Business – He takes a drunk guy out of a train and runs back into it. – 01:20:45
13. Days of Thunder – He races Robert Duvall – It’s a good time. 01:42:54
12. War of the Worlds – Cruise runs away from the aliens. Amazing scene. – The aliens are silly for thinking they can blow Cruise up. Dude has ash all over his face. – 00:26:29
11. Collateral – Runs out of a hospital and across an overpass. When he starts running I don’t think he’ll ever look faster on screen. – 00:52:25
The Top 10!
10. Edge of Tomorrow – “Arrest this man.” – In an all-timer Cruise moment, he tries to escape arrest and It ends badly – 00:07:58
Moments before Brendan Gleeson’s character yells “Arrest this man,” Tom Cruise delivers an all-timer Cruise moment in which this dialogue is delivered:
“I just inspired millions of people to join your army. And when the body bags come home and they’re looking for someone to blame, how hard do you think it would be for me to convince people to blame you? I’d imagine the general would prefer to avoid that.”
Cruise enters Gleeson’s office with total confidence and he quickly becomes a slimy rat whose escape attempt ends quickly. It’s perfect and it makes his heroic transformation more interesting. Director Doug Liman did a great job weaponizing Cruise’s charm in this scene, and It’s fun watching a guy who can’t escape an office building becoming a world-saving soldier.
9. The Firm – The final chase scene. He runs, jumps, goes up steps and this is when we get to see his true breakaway speed AND he’s holding a briefcase. 02:12:23
The Firm is Cruise’s first film to fully showcase his soon-to-be-famous running form (elbows and knees). We get a glimpse of it at the 68-minute mark when he’s chasing down Jeannie Tripplehorn. But, it’s not until the climactic chase that we see his breakaway speed for several minutes as he’s running away from Tobin “Jigsaw” Bell.
8. Far and Away – In a neat transition, Cruise starts running so fast that the next shot is of an explosion. Talk about explosive running. 01:40:13
I love how Ron Howard cuts from a sprinting Tom Cruise to an explosion. It’s silly and it always puts a smile on my face. I also love that the movie ends with the Land Run of 1893.
7. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Cruise wipes out while trying to jump over a car. It is very funny and the MI score helps make it better – 01:12:58
“This is Mission: Impossible, I can’t just cross a street and get in a car.” – McQuarrie talking about a conversation he had with Cruise on the Rogue Nation commentary.
When putting together the top 10 I always knew that this three-second moment would be included. It’s a silly moment punctuated by cheeky musical accompaniment and it proves that Cruise doesn’t take himself seriously. It’s made even better by the knowledge that Cruise came up with this bit on the day and he surprised the crew with his ill-fated car jump. Also, the ensuing dialogue (What are you talking about?) is delightful. At this point in his career, Cruise was on a hot streak and it’s fun knowing that he was still totally down to make himself look like a dork.
6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – Iconic run across the building punctuated by a beautiful tracking shot – Dude looks amazing and he almost catches Cavill – 01:36:25 –
“I loved doing this, but it hurt.” – Tom Cruise – Fallout Blu-ray commentary.
Watching Cruise run across The Blackfriars Railway bridge is an all-timer Cruise moment for multiple reasons.
- It looks great and is a perfect trailer moment
- “I’m jumping out of a window.” – Great line – I love the reaction he gets from the people in the office. They
- Tom was still recovering from the ankle break he suffered during a jump gone awry
- Director Christopher McQuarrie said – “He was going for it.”
- The score rules
- It’s a bit gratuitous but the running makes sense in regards to the story.
5. Mission: Impossible – Cruise runs from an exploding restaurant and does his first “I look awesome while running in an action film” work. – 31:59 – Lots of fish die…..
That one was particularly very crazy – Talking about the scene on The Graham Norton Show
Tom Cruise was already a big star in 1996, but this moment made him a gigantic “action movie” star. He had been in Top Gun (sitting in a plane), Legend (lots of rolling and crouch running), Days of Thunder (more sitting), Far and Away (boxing), and The Outsiders (fisticuffs), but Mission: Impossible saw him entering a new phase of his career. This moment was everywhere in 1996 and it’s one of the most iconic images of the Mission: Impossible franchise. It gets added points because the stunt looks legitimately dangerous and features some solid arm work from Tom.
4. Risky Business – A cigarette-smoking Cruise (wearing sunglasses at night) runs up to some teenagers while the song “Mannish Boy” plays on the soundtrack This is the moment when Cruise became Tom Cruise – 01:07:26 – YouTube Clip (starts at 53 seconds)
Wearing a suit coat, black shirt, black sunglasses and puffing on a cigarette, Cruise is strutting down the street and runs up to a group of classmates. The moment lasts only seven seconds, but it’s a turning point for Cruise. Also, the song selection is perfect.
3. Vanilla Sky – Cruise runs through an empty Times Square – 00:03:37
The groundwork for the Times Square running in Vanilla Sky was set up in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire. In the Cameron Crowe-directed movie, Cruise dramatically runs through an airport – and it looks great. Years later, while filming Vanilla Sky, Crowe and Cruise pulled some strings with the city of New York and were able to close down Times Square for three hours on a Sunday morning in November. The idea was that Cruise’s character hates being alone, and he dreams that he’s alone in one of the busiest places in the world. It’s total vanity, but I love that Cruise has a running scene in an empty Times Square.
2. Collateral – He throws a chair through a glass window, then WIPES out on the chair and just keeps running. It’s his most aggressive running ever. – 01:44:50 – YouTube Clip (starts at 2:37)
Collateral not only features the best sitting performance of Tom Cruise’s career, it also features his most aggressive running. Tom’s character Vincent is a straight-up killer and it’s fun watching Cruise as he fully commits to being a coyote who chases down his prey with lightning-fast footwork. There’s a moment towards the end when Vincent is chasing down Max and Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith – running in heels), and he takes a chair to smash a window so he can run through it. However, Cruise mistimed/misjudged the chair’s trajectory and he WIPED out on the chair and fell to the ground. The neat thing is that he springs up immediately and keeps running. It’s a perfect showcase for Cruise’s tenacity and toughness and I love that the unplanned moment made its way into the film – and so does Mann who felt like it added to the realism of Collateral. It’s a seconds-long moment, but I love that nothing can stop Cruise from running.
1. Mission: Impossible III – Cruise runs across some rooftops and then he SPRINTS through a Shanghai fishing village – 01:44:10
In 2006, Cruise had been running in movies for 20+ years and had some memorable sprints in War of the Worlds, The Firm, Minority Report, Collateral, and Far and Away. However, his sprinting in M:I 3 (which took 6-7 takes to get perfect) made people sit up and realize they were witnessing cinematic running history. It’s the fastest Cruise has ever looked, and the spidercam rig that was built for the scene works perfectly as it tracks alongside Cruise as he damn near goes plaid on the Shanghai sidewalks. During the Blu-ray commentary, director J.J. Abrams says “I loved watching you run” to Cruise, and I totally agree. It’s apex Tom Cruise running
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The Legend of Ochi (2025) – Review
Quick Thoughts
- Grade – B
- Three years of post-production, months of scouting Romanian mountains, and 200 matte paintings. The Legend of Ochi is a lovingly-crafted A24 family adventure film. I wish more work would’ve been put into the script and characters, but it’s hard to dislike this hand-crafted throwback.
- The Romanian shooting locations are beautiful
- Between The Legend of Ochi, News of the World and System Crasher, Helena Zengel has proven herself to be a powerhouse actor
- The puppetry and practical effects put a big smile on my face
Shot in eight weeks, and fine-tuned over three years of post-production, The Legend of Ochi is stuffed with 200 matte paintings, painted frames and enough practical effects to make you feel like you’re back in the 1980s watching The Dark Crystal or The Neverending Story. Director/writer Isaiah Saxon (check out the music videos he directed for Grizzly Bear and Björk), started working on the film full-time in 2018 and his artistic expertise has stretched the $10 million budget to create a neat spectacle. On top of the beautiful practical effects, the Romanian landscapes are equally as impressive. Saxon and his wife scouted the Carpathian Mountains of Romania for close to two months and they found themselves in every small village and backyard they could find. The scouting trips were a success because I was tempted to pull out my phone during the movie to learn where the film was shot (I didn’t). The mountainous terrains, windswept valleys and dense forests look incredible and add to the dreamlike vibe of The Legend of Ochi.
In an interview with The Film Stage, Saxon said that he worked himself to near death to make The Legend of Ochi “feel like the movies we like feel, which are [Carroll Ballard]’s The Black Stallion –– and Quest for Fire.” He’s mostly successful in his mission as the film blasts the senses, but it would’ve been nice to see him put more interest into the overall story. When making a sensory-blasting experience the visuals often take precedence over the plot due to their difficulty and importance. This is the case with The Legend of Ochi, and it’s a bit of a shame because the high-concept and familiar storyline leave room for an interesting and fully fleshed out world and story.
The film opens with a nighttime hunting scene led by a ochi killer named Maxim (Willem Dafoe), and a group of local children whom he’s trained to murder the primate-like creatures. The ochi, who have blue facial features and reddish fur eat local wildlife and their presence is so dangerous that a curfew is in place to ensure they don’t attack villagers after the sun sets. During the hunt, an adorable baby ochi is separated from its mom and later in the night the critter gets its leg stuck in one of Maxim’s traps. The next day Maxim’s daughter Yuri (Helena Zengel), finds the injured ochi while checking the traps. Instead of killing the baby ochi, she decides to return it to its home deep within the Carpathian Mountains. What follows is an adventure that includes infected ochi bites, makeshift rafts, and Yuri meeting her mom Dasha (Emily Watson).
The highlight of the film takes place in a supermarket where a hungry Yuri stops to grab some food after a long night of trekking through the woods. The usage of primary colors (yellow, red, blue) inside the store and in the parking lot works wonders, and it’s the type of scene I wanted more of. What makes the moment work are the small details like the vampire teeth that Yuri wears into the store which adds a fun edge to her dirty yellow jacket, matted hair, and a backpack that seems to have something inside it. The scene ends with a shotgun-yielding store attendant noticing the ochi and the ensuing shopping cart chase and stolen car make the film come alive.
At a brisk 95 minutes, the film moves along at a breakneck pace which leaves little time for character dynamics and backstory. It’s easy to understand why Saxon didn’t want to make a two-hour film because the extra minutes would’ve added years of post-production. However, the narrative never quite clicks as most of the humans feel superfluous to the story. Finn Wolfhard’s character Petro gets lost in the story and Maxim leading a pre-teen group of ochi killers isn’t necessary. That being said, The Legend of Ochi is still worth watching on the big screen because of the insane amount of work and love that went into it. Saxon went all out for his film and he even hired primate motion choreographer Peter Eilliot, a living legend who has stuffed himself inside ape suits for Congo, Quest for Fire, Greystoke, Gorillas in the Mist, Tarzan, King Kong Lives and even The Omen – to make the ochi creatures come to life.
Final Thoughts – The Legend of Ochi is a sight to behold, but the intense amount of work spent on the visuals cost the story.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 618: The 2015 Action Movie Moments Draft
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, Aaron and Brandon draft their favorite 2015 action movie moments. In this episode, you’ll hear them talk about the cool action scenes in Kill Zone 2, Veteran, Mad Max: Fury Road, Bone Tomahawk, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Baahubali: The Beginning, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Creed, Spy, and many more 2015 action movies.
Make sure to listen to “THE SUMMER OF 2015 AT 10” when it premieres April 28 (4/28/2025) on The Brandon Peters Show. Also, make sure to listen to Out Now With Aaron and Abe and 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla wherever you listen to podcasts.
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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Sinners (2025) – Review
Quick Thoughts:
- Grade – A-
- Ryan Coogler has crafted a crowd-pleasing bloodbath that is big, bold and fun.
- Like Starship Troopers and Robocop (all-time movies), Sinners can be watched on multiple levels. Viewers can simply enjoy the vampire carnage, or they can consider the themes that Coogler is exploring.
- Watch it on the biggest screen possible.
- The costume design by Ruth E. Carter is perfect.
Quick Note – If you haven’t watched the trailers, this review contains slight spoilers.
After the success of Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, I love that Warner Brothers gave director Ryan Coogler $90+ million to make an R-rated vampire film that in Coogler’s words “delivers a Michelin Star restaurant experience in a McDonalds.” With the rise of Blumhouse, A24 and the Shudder streaming channel, not many horror films or creature features receive large budgets nowadays, so it’s nice seeing an A-list group of creators make a Michelin Star worthy grilled cheese sandwich.
When writing the film Coogler said that he poured “all of his worst fears into it” and also included his love of The Twilight Zone, The Thing (1982), Stephen King, The Faculty, From Dusk Till Dawn, and the Coen brothers to create a genre-fluid film that’s hard to pin down. Coogler also drew inspiration from his relationship with his uncle James, who grew up in Mississippi and always listened to blues music when Ryan was around. Typically, a film with this many ideas and influences would feel bloated, but since the writer/director is Ryan Coogler, Sinners never gets weighed down and it has a distinct personality.
The film takes place in the Jim Crow South in the 1930s, and the first half of the film is spent getting all of the major players to a soon-to-be besieged juke joint. The characters include former soldiers/gangsters Elijah “Smoke” Moore (Michael B. Jordan) and his brother Eilias “Stack” Moore (Jordan again) who buy an abandoned sawmill from a sweaty guy named Hogwood (David Maldonado) who uses the word “boy” when talking to the twins. They plan to make it a place where the community can come together and listen to the otherworldly music played by their guitar-yielding cousin Sammie (Miles Canton). They also recruit harmonica- playing Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo – wonderful), an alcoholic musician who adds comedic relief, and a big guy named Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) to be their bouncer. They buy food and signage from shop owners Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) Chow, who also agree to help tend the bar and set the place up for the opening night. Rounding out the crew are Stack’s former flame Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), and Smoke’s ex-girlfriend Annie (Wunmi Mosaki), a Hoodoo practitioner and cook.
What’s great about Sinners is that it takes its time introducing characters and setting up its chess pieces. A lot is learned about the Moore brothers as they drive on the Clarksdale, Mississippi dirt roads in their nice convertible. They left Chicago because it was “Mississippi with skyscrapers,” and the Irish beer and Italian wine in their truck was stolen from Chicago gangsters. They also splash cash around their town in generous and unsustainable ways, and when two men attempt to steal their beer, Smoke non-fatally shoots them in broad daylight on a busy street. The brothers have been hardened by war, death, loss, racism and abuse from their alcoholic father – but there is still some sensitivity left in them. When Smoke recruits Annie to cook for the bar, we learn that their child died as an infant and he still wears the mojo bag she made for him. All of these moments humanize the characters, which makes the violence that permeates the second half of the film far more interesting.
As the sun goes down, the juke joint opens and for a few hours, it’s a paradise for the patrons who get to enjoy themselves and not worry about the pressures of living in the 1930s South. The enjoyment is interrupted when an Irish musician/vampire named Remmick (Jack O’Connell) shows up with his acolytes Joan (Lola Kirke) and Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and asks for entrance into the juke joint so they can play some music (they need to be invited in). When they are denied, they wait outside and soon the people who exit the bar start joining their ranks. I don’t want to spoil anything else, just know that vampire’s mouths latch onto necks, jaws explode, and many people die during the ensuing battle.
On a technical level, Sinners looks amazing. The costume design from two-time Academy winner Ruth E. Carter is perfect, and the production design by Oscar winner Hannah Beachler is top-notch. A lot of work went into creating the Mississippi towns, homes and bars (the movie was filmed in Louisiana). The score by Ludwig Göransson works wonders and Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s (I love her The Last Showgirl DP work) cinematography is fluid and expansive. Coogler and Durald Arkapaw’s decision to shoot the film on 65mm film with IMAX and Ultra Panavision 70mm cameras was inspired and it looks great as the aspect ratio changes from 1.43:1 to 2.76:1. It’s the first film to be shot in both ratios and I highly recommend you check out this video where Coogler explains all the aspect ratios.
Final Thoughts – Sinners is a great-looking grilled cheese sandwich and it’s worth watching on the biggest screen possible.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 617: Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), James Wan, and Well-Timed Jump Scares
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 David continue their Insidious franchise discussion by talking about Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013). Directed by James Wan, and starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and several well-timed jumpscares, the film pits the Lambert family against another terrible demon. In this episode, they also talk about PG-13 horror films, jump scares, and the excellence of James Wan. 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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Eephus (2024) – Review
Quick Thoughts:
- Grade – A
- Director, editor, producer, and co-writer Caron Lund has crafted a laidback and poignant comedy
- The various vignettes are delightful and I like the way each player gets a moment to shine
- There’s a bit about a meatball pitch that’s more like an“entire Italian dinner” that might be my favorite movie moment of 2025
- I love it.
I taught English in South Korea in the late 2000s and one of the best decisions I ever made was to join the local soccer club made up of a cavalcade of rogues from all over the world. Skill-wise, I was the least experienced person on the team, but I could run up and down the field for 90 minutes which annoyed many of the out-of-shape (but more skilled at playing soccer) people I played against. There’s something about semi-athletic people coming together to play sports that can create lifelong friendships and memories (and broken fingers), and Eephus reminded me of my time on the soccer field.
Directed, written, edited and produced by Carson Lund, Eephus is an immersive and atmospheric “ambient comedy” that is more concerned with mood than the score of the baseball game being played. The film eschews the traditional three-act structure and instead follows the final baseball game being played on a rec-league field that will soon be home to an elementary school. The term “Eephus” is the name for a doozy of a pitch that hangs in the air for so long that it effectively warps the batter’s perception of time, place and reality. There’s nothing mystical about it, it’s just a slow pitch that somehow moves faster than expected. It’s a perfect metaphor for the movie as the 99-minutes fly-by despite it not being in a hurry.
While non-baseball fans will appreciate the experience, the movie plays well for people who are familiar with the charms of baseball and know that it’s punctuated by a lot of downtime and the occasional burst of excitement. During the nine innings, there is plenty of time for people watching, hot dog eating, beer drinking, and soaking up the ambiance of the game. There is something nice about buying outfield tickets and settling in for the long haul. Lund (who plays rec-league baseball) understands this, so he poured a lot of time and energy into creating an authentic home run.
Eephus is justifiably being hailed as a “hangout” masterpiece, but it took a lot of work to make it seem so chill. Carson and his brother Erik (who worked as the art director, production designer and co-creator of the score) scouted over 100 baseball fields in the New England area so they could create the “insular and isolated” atmosphere needed. The field has seen better days (like the players) but the worn grass and battered running lanes showcase the field’s personality and make it a supporting character. Erik Lund also put a lot of work into the costumes as each player’s jersey comes from a different era of the rec-league – so even though their shirts have the same team name, they are all different and unique. Cinematographer Greg Tango didn’t have it easy either as the film is mostly reliant on natural light and takes place over one day, so everyone on set had to pay attention to where the sun was and what scene took place during that time. Also, the sound mix must’ve been insane as sound mixer Joe Fiorillo ran up to 12 independent channels during the production to capture the natural sounds of the field and the quips being let loose by the players. Toss in rain delays, actor’s schedules, and field maintenance and the entire crew went through a lot to create a relaxing experience.
The loose plot revolves around a baseball game between the Riverdogs and Adler’s Paint. The two squads are made up of players between the ages of 25ish and 65ish, who can either crank home runs or need a stool to sit on so they can be the catcher for more than one inning. The men are competitive, but they aren’t raunchy, and when a rude reference is made about a player’s girlfriend, it isn’t taken well. They complain about “meatball” pitches and drink too much Narragansett beer, and the only thing they agree on is that the worst part of the game is the running. Bystanders come and go, a pizza vendor shows up and admits that he’s tired of the pizza business, and another man waxes poetic about hot dogs. There are hecklers, families and a nice guy named Franny (Cliff Blake) who logs the stats for each game. The 1990s setting isn’t too noticeable and it gives it a nice old-school vibe that benefitted movies like the Richard Linklater-directed Dazed and Confused and Everybody Wants Some!!.
If you’re looking for an inventive and endearing movie I recommend you check out Eephus in theaters or when it’s available for rental. You won’t regret it and you’ll find yourself wanting to talk about meatball pitches that feel more like an entire Italian dinner.
Movies, Films & Flix 