“Don’t Lie”, Dir. Alex Magana, Short Film Review By Case Wright


So we meet again….Alex … Magana. Now look, I assume that most of my readers are good, kind, and decent, but what if you’re not?! I mean what if you’re not that great or you did one REALLY bad thing that you feel guilty about. I’m not saying putting your neighbor in a woodchipper kind of thing, but let’s just include the lessor felonies. If you just need that self-flagellation, my dear ne’er-do-well compadre, this film and Alex Magana is for you.


Alex Magana assaults the senses and art herself. In fact, from the hackneyed plots to the p*rn quality acting, he is the Ed Wood of the digital age! If you don’t believe me, check out the “Smiling Woman”… SERIES…yes, it’s a series! I refuse to call it a franchise! I won’t do it! Luckily, your misery is brief because as terrible as Alex Magana’s films are – he can’t write stories longer than 4 minutes.

“Don’t Lie” shows an influencer, who I think seems a little old for the gig; however, we must let all things slide with Alex. Typically, Alex just films out of his apartment and the hall in his apartment building. The lead actress could be homeless or just live near the building; so, she could be young, but life on the street is hard. In fact, all of the actors could be homeless and this brief filming was their only exposure to …. home. *Sheds Tear*

The story continues where her boyfriend stages her murder to gain additional subscribers, which doesn’t make sense because why subscribe to the deceased? But, Whatever. A psycho then teaches her and her boyfriend a lesson about … honesty… with a knife. Apparently, neither she nor her boyfriend understand how their legs can make them move around and even away from things or people.

If we look at “Don’t Lie” like an industrial film, like “The Importance of Good Manners”, “Why you should drive safely”, and “Don’t ever put that in your Bu..” anyway. My point is that maybe “Don’t Lie” is salvageable as a lesson film. The lesson is this: Don’t let Alex Magana have any recording devices! EVER! He’s got to be stopped! He’s really prolific! How is paying for all this very very low budget dreck?!

Brad’s “Scene of the Day” – from CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006)


As I continue to celebrate Chow Yun-Fat, as he gets ready to turn 70 on May 18th, 2025, I thought I’d highlight his performance as the evil Emperor Ping in CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER. Chow doesn’t often play a bad guy, but he can do it extremely well, and he’s still the ultimate badass. Enjoy this scene between Chow Yun-Fat and Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou as Prince Jai. 

Brad’s “Trailer of the Day” – A BETTER TOMORROW II (starring Chow Yun-Fat)!


After the runaway success of A BETTER TOMORROW, John Woo quickly released a sequel. A BETTER TOMORROW II isn’t as good as the original, but the emotions and action are ramped up dramatically. Check out this trailer from the Hong Kong Legends DVD release!

Brad’s “Scene of the Day” – The Restaurant Shootout – from A BETTER TOMORROW (1986)!


One of the most influential scenes in action movie history, the restaurant shootout from A BETTER TOMORROW still packs a punch. I watched HAVOC (2025) from director Gareth Evans recently and he used the music from this scene in his movie. It felt like a love note to fans of Hong Kong cinema like me, and it made me want to revisit this movie again immediately. Chow Yun-Fat is amazingly badass, and John Woo himself even shows up at the end.

Enjoy, my friends! 

Brad’s “Scene of the Day” – Secretariat wins The Kentucky Derby!


Since every horse in this weekend’s Kentucky Derby is a descendant of legendary racehorse Secretariat, I thought I would share the scene from the 2010 movie where the super horse wins the first leg of the Triple Crown. It’s good stuff! 

Brad’s “Interview of the Day” – Chow Yun-Fat on the set of PRISON ON FIRE II!


In my review of the Chow Yun-Fat film PRISON ON FIRE, I made the remark that Chow starred in 11 films in 1987 alone. In this interview from the set of PRISON ON FIRE II in 1991, Chow is asked to describe what it’s like working in an industry where the stars make so many films. It’s also interesting to hear his take on his favorite kinds of roles. This interview is conducted in English, which is pretty cool since he would be coming to America by the end of the decade to make films in Hollywood. As a note, for some reason the camera is on Chow’s legs for about the first 40 seconds, but luckily they pan up to his face for the rest of the interview. Enjoy!

Brad’s “scene of the day” – Glenn Ford, Charles Bronson, Rod Steiger & Ernest Borgnine!


JUBAL (1956) is one of my favorite westerns. It’s set in the Grand Tetons and it stars some of my all time favorite actors, namely Bronson, Ford and Steiger. On what would have been his 109th birthday, I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate Glenn Ford. I visited the Tetons a couple of summers ago and I thought of these great actors often! Enjoy this scene from these icons of cinema!

Brad’s “Scene of the Day” – Jill Clayburgh as Jill Ireland and Lance Henriksen as Charles Bronson 


Jill Clayburgh would have been 81 years old today. She was quite an actress, receiving 2 Academy Award nominations during her career for her performances in the films AN UNMARRIED WOMAN (1978) and STARTING OVER (1979). She will always be special to me based on her performance as Jill Ireland in the 1991 Made-for-TV film REASON FOR LIVING: THE JILL IRELAND story. Clayburgh passed away in 2010 after a long struggle with leukemia.

Brad’s Scene of the Day – Jet Li in LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1998)!


Happy 62nd Birthday, Jet Li!!

I had never heard of Jet Li until I saw a trailer for LETHAL WEAPON 4 that mentioned him. Now, as a rabid fan of Hong Kong cinema, I consider him a legend. And the scene that started it all for me is this badass scene where he dismantles Riggs, Murtaugh, their guns and their family members. Enjoy, my friends!

Teaser Trailer for HIM (2025) – directed by Justin Tipping; produced by Jordan Peele! 


The other day I was heading to the movies to see SINNERS when I got a text from my son, “Have you seen the trailer for Jordan Peele’s new movie?” I hadn’t, and upon further review, he was talking about the movie HIM, which is produced by Jordan Peele. And then the trailer for HIM played before SINNERS. It’s definitely an interesting looking movie. Every year for my birthday I go to the theater to watch a movie, and it just so happens that HIM is scheduled to open on my birthday this year. I just may go watch it after I’m finished with my ribeye at the Texas Roadhouse! Check out the teaser trailer below!