Movies, Films & Flix

Quick Thoughts

1. It’s been lingering in my memory and is very hard to forget (which is a good thing)
2. Director Sepideh Farsi’s decision to film the conversations vertically on cell phones was wise. Cell phone conversations make things much more comfortable and natural than a camera setup
3. I love Kino Lorber-distributed documentaries
4. It features the best doc cat of 2025.
5. Fatima Hassona was a fantastic photographer.

My favorite thing about documentaries is how they’re able to showcase and illuminate the stories of extraordinary people. Whether it’s Steve Wiebe in The King of Kong, or Timothy Treadwell in Grizzly Man, I love learning about people who spend years trying to break video game records or “protecting” grizzly bears in Alaska. In Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, director Sepideh Farsi introduces the world to Fatima Hassona, a 24-year-old photographer who lived in Northern Gaza. Over the course of a year, the two talked over WhatsApp video chats, and Farsi edited their conversations into a compelling documentary. 

Between 2025’s The Alabama Solution and Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk, cell phones have become an important tool for documentary filmmakers who can’t interview their subjects face to face. The cell phones are handy filmmaking tools because in the case of The Alabama Solution, the footage humanizes the subjects who risk solitary confinement in an Alabama prison to make sure viewers can see their faces. The vertical cell phone conversations make things more intimate, which allows the subjects to feel comfortable in their surroundings. The WhatsApp video chats between Farsi and Hassona give Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk a welcome dose of reality and authenticity that make it an excellent watch. Farsi filmed her mobile phone with another mobile phone (interesting idea), and once you’re able to get into the rhythm of the doc, the vertical framing makes you feel like you’ve joined the call, and it also highlights Fatma’s indefatigable smile. 

The conversations are in English because Farsi can’t speak Arabic (but she can understand it), and the two talk about religion, photography, food, dreams, and the pride that comes from living in Gaza. The service and wi-fi in the area were never constant, so the two talked whenever they could. Interspersed throughout the documentary are the photos Hassona took during the bombings, which showcase the humanity of the Gaza residents amidst mass destruction. Whether it’s a child sitting in a chair in front of a leveled building, or an empty street lined with rubble, Hassona’s photography isn’t trying to desensitize people with violent images. 

The saddest aspect of the documentary is watching an optimistic person start drifting away. There are moments in the doc when Fatma admits that she can’t focus anymore and her ever-present smile becomes a shadow of its former self. Throughout the first conversations, she talks about traveling to Rome and Paris, but after a year she just wants a piece of chocolate. The original ending was a long tracking shot through the streets of Gaza that capture widespread destruction, but Farsi chose to include their final conversation in which Hassona learns that the documentary has been accepted into the Cannes Film Festival. It’s a sad moment because the hope created by the film festival quickly dissipates as Hassona died shortly after when a bomb landed on her home.

Final Thoughts – You should watch Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk.

Quick Thoughts:

1. I never expected it to be as pessimistic as the 1982 book, but I wish it leaned more into pessimism. It blends depressing dystopia with broad humor, and it never mixes.
2. I love a good “Y” bit. 
3. Glen Powell is a likable and charismatic actor. It was a mistake to make his character an angry dude. He doesn’t pull it off. 
4. I’m always down for an Edgar Wright film. 
5. There is fun to be had, but the film is too long and lacks momentum. 

When looking through Edgar Wright’s filmography, it is obvious why he chose to tackle The Running Man. Whether it’s a schlub battling zombies (Shaun of the Dead), a big city cop being transferred to a tiny village (Hot Fuzz),  ordinary dudes battling aliens (The World’s End), or a young designer moving to a big city (Last Night in Soho), there’s always been a fish out of water element to his movies. That’s why the story of an ordinary man being hunted by murderous mercenaries made sense for Wright (he also really loves action movies). The problem with The Running Man is that Stephen King’s 1982 book is super pessimistic and leans into nihilism. Wright has never shied away from murder (the word “murder” is mentioned 40+ times in Hot Fuzz), but he’s never tackled something so bleak. The result is a visually alive film that pulls its punches and feels like a “rage against the machine” movie produced by a major studio

Stephen King’s The Running Man is a bleak dystopian novel that features a downer of an ending which doesn’t leave much room for hope. In Wright’s version, Ben (Glen Powell) is selected for the reality show because of his physical attributes (dude is a tank), wild temper, and big personality. The showrunner, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) thinks he could be the first person to win the game, which would save his daughter and provide a better life for his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson), who seemingly never stops working at a seedy nightclub. To survive, he and the other two contestants (Katy O’Brian, Martin Herlihy) need to survive a 30-day hunt. The contestants can travel wherever they’d like, but to prevent them from hiding in a hole for 30 days, they are forced to record a video of themselves and mail it every day (it’s a rigged game). They also need to keep a low profile because their faces are plastered everywhere, and host Bobby Thompson (Colman Domingo) does his best to make sure that  99% of the viewers around the world hate them so much that they wouldn’t think twice about reporting their whereabouts for reward money. During Ben’s cross-country journey, he’s helped by characters played by William H. Macy, Daniel Ezra, Michael Cera, and Emilia Jones – who all get moments to shine despite not getting nearly enough screen time to be memorable (aside from Cera – he’s great). 

Wright cast Glen Powell because of his “everyman” appeal and ability to channel the vibes of Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford. However, there’s nothing “everyman” about Powell, who trained to become a tank for the role so he could endure months of stunts and running. Muscular characters are a staple of action cinema, so it wasn’t surprising that Powell has a 10-minute shirtless action scene. The good news is that his muscles are explained (he’s a construction worker), and he’s not one of the inexplicably jacked alcoholics featured in The Meg (Jason Statham) and Moonfall (Patrick Wilson). That being said, the movie would work better if Gary King (Simon Pegg) or Andy Knightley (Nick Frost) from The World’s End were being hunted. 

Since it’s an Edgar Wright film, the visuals are legitimate and the performances are solid. The guy knows how to film an action scene (the finale of Hot Fuzz is beautiful), and it’s fun watching him attempt to capture a more realistic style of action. His adherence to capturing everything in camera is admirable, and it leads to a few solid action scenes, with the most notable involving Michael Cera, a dune buggy, and several Home Alone-esque traps. 

The biggest problem with Ben’s cross-country trip is that with each new person he meets, the movie loses momentum. In book form, the new characters work because you can spend time with them through several chapters. However, in the film, they come and go quickly and never register as complete characters. Between Baby Driver, The World’s End, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Wright has proven that he can handle ensemble casts, but what sets The Running Man apart from them is that several of the characters Ben meets aren’t needed for the plot. Sure, they were featured in the book, but they aren’t necessary (like the Evil Exes in Scott Pilgrim) or memorable (like the criminals in Baby Driver).

Final Thoughts – Watch it if you’re an Edgar Wright completist.

Quick thoughts:

1. Grade – 4 out of 5 Scott Adkins Spin Kicks
2. I love watching Scott Adkins kick people.
3. Between The Debt Collector (2018), Debt Collectors (2020), and Prisoner of War, Scott Adkins and Louis Mandylor make fun films together.
4. Did I mention that I love watching Scott Adkins kick people?
5. The idea to drop  Scott Adkins in a Japanese internment camp and then have him fight in underground fighting matches is pretty great (and very random).
6. People need to stop messing with Scott Adkins.
7. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone! I love it when MMA fighters appear in action movies.

The Scott Adkins starter guide – Watch his movies!

1. Diablo (2025) – Adkins vs. Marko Zarar!
2. Avengement (2019) – Scott Adkins delivers his best performance
3. Triple Threat (2019) – Insane cast
4. Accident Man (2018) – Good times
5. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012) – It’s a gnarly masterpiece
6. Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006) – Boyka!
7. For big-budget thrills – John Wick: Chapter Four (2023), Day Shift (2022), The Expendables 2 (2012)

10 Longer Thoughts about Prisoner of War. I initially planned on writing a review, but

1. After acting together in The Debt Collector franchise, director Louis Mandylor and  Scott Adkins (who came up with the story) are clearly comfortable together. They both wanted to create a visually interesting experience, and their shorthand made it possible. Prisoner of War does a fine job of stretching its budget
2. I was initially worried about the plot because a character played by Scott Adkins would never have his airplane shot down. However, after a quick think, I realized that the plane can’t kick people, thus it makes sense that his plane would crash. 
3. If Scott Adkins shows up at your dojo. Don’t fight him. This applies to everything else, too. Leave the guy alone.
4. Whether it’s Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (Prisoner of War), Michael Bisping (Triple Threat), or Andrei Arlovski (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning), I like it when Adkins brawls with mixed martial arts stars. 
5. When Adkins first arrives on the island, he keeps killing the soldiers who attempt to kill him (it’s great). At one point, when his head is about to be sliced off, he listens for the soldier’s foot to pivot so he can get out of the way of the slash. He then kills multiple people with ease. Don’t mess with Adkins.
6. It makes me happy that Adkins plays “an upper-class Brit,” who knows martial arts because his father was a businessman who moved his family to Hong Kong. Listening to Adkins’ posh accent is a nice change of pace from the cockney accent, which he used in Avengement and Green Street Hooligans 3. 
7. Adkins pulled his hamstring on the first day of the four-week shoot. Dude is a beast. 
8. The idea of a posh Brit (who knows karate) becoming a prisoner of war in a camp where everyone is trained in martial arts is very silly. That being said, it explains why he wouldn’t be killed immediately (after killing several Japanese soldiers), because he would be recruited to fight. 
9. The final fight between Adkins and Peter Shinkoda is wonderful. I love a good sword fight.
10. The on-location work in the Philippines adds a lot to the production. Mandylor had to deal with storms and typhoons, but the end result is a low-budget film that looks excellent. Credit goes to Mandylor and cinematographer Niccolò de la Fère (Diablo, Affinity) for incorporating cranes, steadicams, and specific lenses to make Adkins look like a” f**king movie star, bro!”

Quick Thoughts:

1. Jennifer Lawrence must’ve trusted Lynne Ramsay with her life, because she throws herself into the performance (and several glass doors)

2. I always look forward to a Lynne Ramsay film

3. Between Causeway and Die My love Lawrence has had good luck with swimming pools

4. Ramsay calls it a “bonkers, crazy love story,” and I agree. 

5.. The 1.33:1 aspect ratio used by McGarvey succeeds in making the wide open expanses of Montana (or Calgary, Alberta) seem claustrophobic. 

6. It’s not surprising, but the sound design by Tim Burns and Paul Davis is excellent. It incorporates barking dogs, crying babies, and random songs that would drive any new parent crazy. 

7. It makes me happy that Martin Scorsese read Ariana Harwicz’s  2012 book Die, My Love, and sent it to Jennifer Lawrence. 

When it comes to films directed by Lynne Ramsay, you don’t just watch them – you feel them. Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here, and Die, My Love, are sensory-blasting experiences that test your eyes and ears. I still remember feeling the weight of Joaquin Phoenix’s hammer in You Were Never Really Here, and the usage of negative space in We Need to Talk About Kevin has lingered in my memory for years. I have a feeling that I’ll be thinking about Jennifer Lawrence’s kamikaze performance for a long time. 

Ramsay only had four weeks of prep before shooting, so she had writers/playwrights Alice Birch and Enda Walsh work on the adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s 2012 novel. What’s interesting is that Ramsay admitted to being not totally “sure of the book,” which tells its story from a first-person perspective. Her solution was to create a boatload of moodboards and pitch decks, and then allow Pattinson and Lawrence to throw themselves into their roles with reckless abandon.

You never learn much about the central couple or what they do. Jackson (Pattinson) has a job that requires him to travel, and we’re told that Grace (Lawrence) is/was/wants to be a novelist. They’ve moved back to Montana from New York City (it’s mentioned briefly) to live in a family home that’s near Jackson’s mom and dad (Sissy Spacek and Nick Nolte). Grace is an unpredictable force of nature whose flirting resembles what happens in a mosh pit during a dive bar punk show. She’s aggressive, cat-like, and occasionally leaves large knives near her infant child. Jackson is a bit of an egg who loves his wife (and cheap beer), but has no idea how to handle or help her. Together, they’ve formed a couple who love each other and their kid, but are on different wavelengths, which makes communication impossible. 

Ramsay has said that both actors had to “trust” her, and they definitely did. The roles are very physical, impromptu and require copious amounts of nudity. Which isn’t a problem for either actor as they’ve gone all-in before in movies like mother!, No Hard Feelings, The Lighthouse, and Good Time. The main draw of Die My Love is watching two A-list talents crawl through grass, throw themselves through glass windows, and dance like maniacs. 

Lawrence’s performance in particular is pure physicality – and it must’ve been exhausting because she was four months pregnant during the production. She made the film because she believed in Ramsay (who wouldn’t?), so she pushed through the discomfort to deliver another excellent performance. One of the best things about Lawrence is that she’s one of the most versatile working actors, as she can pull off beach fights (No Hard Feelings), dance competitions (The Silver Linings Playbook), quiet poolside conversations (Causeway) or wrestling with CGI sewer monsters (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2). Lawrence rolls deep, and Ramsay is a perfect dance partner.

Since it’s a Lynne Ramsay film, it was shot on 35mm film stock with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Director of photography Seamus McGarvery chose to shoot day for night to create a blue-tinted look that doesn’t feel out of place in the film. The end result is a visually interesting film that looks like Terrence Malick teamed up with Harmony Korine and Lynn Ramsay to make a darkly comedic romance.

Final Thoughts – Jennifer Lawrence is great, and you should watch Die My Love because she goes for it.