Bao Tran Interview – The Paper Tigers – Fantasia Film Fest

In this interview, Thomas Manning speaks with Bao Tran, the writer and director of the new kung fu comedy and Fantasia Film Festival selection, “The Paper Tigers.” Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their […]

Apollo 13 – 25 Years Later

The Apollo 13 mission is one of the most infamous ventures in the history of space travel. Launching on April 11, 1970, the astronaut trio of Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise set out on a lunar exploration assignment. However, a disastrous oxygen tank malfunction on April 13 forced the three men to forfeit […]

Netflix’s “Extraction” Lays Down the Hammer

Brought to you by Netflix, directed by Sam Hargrave, and in association with Joe and Anthony Russo, “Extraction” is a banger. You do not really come to these types of movies for high-concept, thematically-rich storytelling, but rather for the high-octane action and hard-hitting punches. And man, does this one deliver. The stunt performances and fight […]

Star Wars Prequels – Review and Reflection Supercut

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) I am going to be completely honest, I loved this film growing up. I was a Prequel Era Star Wars kid, and this trilogy will always hold a special place in my heart. That being said, this is an extremely average movie, and quite frankly, a “bad” movie by […]

FACE/OFF Provides Plenty of Thrills and Feels

So John Travolta is playing a version of Nicholas Cage who is playing John Travolta. On the other hand, we have Nicholas Cage playing a version of John Travolta who is playing Nicholas Cage. Yes, it gets pretty trippy. But wow, is this fun to watch! John Woo is a master at directing over-the-top, insane, […]

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – Reflection

The following is an archived social media reaction of mine, from April 2019, directly after I saw the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Never in my life have I had such a reaction to a trailer than I did for Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker. Not for Infinity War, Endgame, […]

War drama “Danger Close” is an astounding testament the power of sacrifice, brotherhood, and dedicated cooperation.

War movies have been around since the days of silent cinema. There is something about this brutally intense human experience that, despite its horrific nature, always produces intriguing stories that can be massively impactful when told in an effective fashion. Some of the greatest films to speak of along this line of thinking include Francis […]

Zombieland: Double Tap – A Satisfying Decade-Later Reunion

Director: Ruben Fleischer Writers: Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick ———————————————————————————————————– While Zombieland: Double Tap does not quite have a narrative as focused and succinct as the original, the cast and characters remain just as wonderful, the humor lands land most of the time, and the action is dialed up a few notches, including […]

Writer/director Jason Cabell draws from personal experience to create crime thriller “Running with the Devil”.

The crime thriller genre has been explored thousands of times, with many different approaches, throughout the history of cinema. Some of the best directors in this category, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma, and Michael Mann, have continued to develop methods of cultivating fresh and original crime features, while still maintaining […]

Angel has Fallen – This Franchise has Fallen as Well

I have a soft spot for dumb action movies, but only when they know what they are supposed to be. Unfortunately, “Angel has Fallen” does not hit the mark. I laughed when I was not supposed to, predicted every plot beat with ease, and found myself impatiently awaiting the film’s conclusion. Sure, a couple of […]