Who cares how a claymore is supposed to work?

Action movies may call for the greatest suspension of disbelief. How can anyone end up in a situation where a particular set of skills may come in handy? When will they run out of bullets? The fall could not have been that painful if they are back on their feet ready for round two. These are the films where you are seated to cheer on the impossible and the art makes you believe it is plausible. And then you try it at home.

Superhero Cinema
Martial Arts Masters
Dystopian Sports

Action Cinema: Bang for Your Buck

  • Prime Video promotional image for "12 Rounds 3"

    12 Rounds 3: Lockdown (2015)

    A low-budget “Die Hard” knock off starring Jon Moxley, f.k.a. WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose. As long as you are not expecting a foreign villain or explosions, the film is a lot of fun.

  • 2020 Texas Gladiators (1983) poster - Image from IMDb

    2020 Texas Gladiators (1983)

    Italian “Mad Max” exploitation. It was a door prize at the first B-Fest that CatBusRuss. If you like what Mike and the Bots watched from the Mediterranean, this will be fun.

  • DVD artwork (I hope) for "4 Got 10" - Image from IMDb

    4 Got 10 (The Good, the Bad and the Dead) (20215)

    An amnesiac story about a drug deal gone horribly wrong. The real crime is wasting the talents of Danny Trejo, Michael Pare, and Dolph Lundgren.

  • Prime Video promo image for Zoe Bell in "Angel of Death"

    Angel of Death (2009)

    It amazes CatBusRuss that he can only come up with one feature that focused on making Zoe Bell the lead star. This picture does not have the budget she deserves, but she gets to display what she does best.

  • Spanish promotional art for "Armed Response" - Image from IMDb

    Armed Response (2017)

    Per IMDb: A remote facility, built as a prison with a secret super lie detector, is compromised and the five guarding it are possibly dead. An armed team of six investigates what's wrong.

  • Prime Video promo image for Ballerina 2024

    Ballerina (2024)

    “The World of John Wick” is expanded with the tale of Eve, a fellow Rusko Roma (Ana de Armas), seeks vengeance against the cult that murdered her father for trying to keep her away from the world of assassins. With the New York Continental on her side, she may stand a chance.

  • Eva the Queen Kitty takes the best while Eric Roberts the background.

    'Best of the Best' with Atlanta Film Chat's Chuck Thomas

    CatBusRuss lets Chuck Thomas from “Atlanta Film Chat” try and sell him on the Eighties craziness of Eric Robert’s answer to “Bloodsport” and “The Karate Kid”, 1989’s “Best of the Best.”

  • Eva the Queen Kitty: Stronger than the Three Storms

    Celebrating 'Big Trouble in Little China'. Mentioning 'KPop Demon Hunters'

    CatBusRuss is joined by Andrew “Couchman Bakes” Tiede & Jorge Marrero from not a “Not a Strong Start” to discuss John Carpenter’s action masterpiece. This is a film that may have led to the thought that “KPop Demon Hunters” might work.

  • Civil War poster. Image from IMDb

    Civil War (2024) & The Dogs of War (1980)

    During a break from his conversation about C2E2 2025 with ThePoeticCritic, CatBusRuss reviews the excellent (and sadly relevant) Alex Garland feature. He also gets a chance to talk Christopher Walken’s British mercenary classic.

  • Promotional image for ATL Comic Convention's "30 Years of 'The Crow' panel"

    Devil's Night Special: 30 Years of 'The Crow' with James O'Barr, Bai Ling, Rochelle Davis, and Laurence Mason

    CatBusRuss and Faydra Black are given the honor to host a Q&A with the creator of “The Crow”, James O’Barr, and stars Bai Ling, Laurence Mason, and Rochelle Davis.

  • Eva the Queen Kitty is Death Proof

    A 100% "Death Proof" Podcast with Gregory Carl

    Gregory Carl and CatBusRuss discuss the under-appreciated Quentin Tarantino feature, “Death Proof” to warm up for “Ninety For Chill: The Panel” at Indiana Comic Convention.

  • Poster for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness". - Image from IMDb

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

    Stephen Strange must contend with Scarlett Witch who wants to have the family that she lost from “WandaVision”. She will chase down the universe-hopping America Chavez to find them and destroy anyone who stands in her way.

  • Eva the Queen Kitty is the most dangerous game

    Pik'n Away at "Hard Target" with CouchManBakes

    Andrew "CouchManBakes" Tiede⁠⁠ must have been sure that ⁠⁠CatBusRuss⁠⁠ was going to get his panel approved for ⁠Fan Expo New Orleans 2025⁠⁠. Why else would he have requested to cover perhaps the best narrative ⁠⁠Jean-Claude Van Damme⁠⁠had ever starred in, ⁠⁠John Woo⁠⁠'s "⁠⁠Hard Target⁠⁠"?

  • Eva the Queen Kitty has the glow

    The Last Dragon (1985) & Death Wish 3 (1985)

    CatBusRuss looks at 1985 cinema to prepare for an Indiana Comic Convention. This includes action classics along side coming of age tales.

  • Eva the Queen Kitty eats Green Berets for breakfast.

    Mark L Lester Christmas: Commando (with Scattered Sharknados)

    CatBusRuss’s first conversation with Michael Dubois. They discuss the first solely Schwarzenegger movie, “Commando”

  • The heroes from "Resident Evil: Extinction" - Image from IMDb

    Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

    It is not CatBusRuss’s favorite RE movie, but it maybe the best directed of the series. Russell Mulcahy shows that he still had it, 20 years removed from “Highlander”.

  • Prime Video promo image for "Thor: Love and Thunder".

    Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

    CatBusRuss efforts to catch up with the MCU led him to the fourth “Thor” movie. It is a fun comedy, maybe too much so, and an interesting experiment with StageCraft’s Volume sets.

  • Eva is the Queen of the Regulators

    Young Guns: Truly, Truly Outrageous History with CouchManBakes

    CatBusRuss and Andrew Tiede discuss the historical accuracy of the Billy the Kid story and if the over-the-top violence made sense.