Pete Volk

PV Guide • 8th July 2026

Ken Liu talks process and research, AI anxieties, and what’s next for the Julia Z series

A former programmer and lawyer, Ken Liu first became well known in literary circles as a short story writer, winning awards and acclaim for his 2011 collection The Paper Menagerie, the first work of fiction to win the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Awards. In 2015, his translation of Cixin Liu’s sci-fi epic The Three-Body Problem earned another Hugo.

Liu first got onto my radar with his silkpunk epic fantasy series, The Dandelion Dynasty. I’m not usually a fantasy reader, but the combination o...

PV Guide • 1st July 2026

Back in Action: June 1991

A look at the major new action movie releases (and trends) of June 1991 and June 2026

This year, I’m taking a month-by-month look at the action movies released globally in 1991, talking about the trends and individual titles that made the year in the genre and comparing them to the releases in 2026. You can read the previous monthly entries here.

Let’s take a look at the state of action in June 1991 and June 2026, with expanded thoughts on specific movies at the bottom for paid subscribers.

I...

PV Guide • 17th June 2026

The Furious is a stunning showcase of martial arts excellence

Essentially the martial arts movie version of a musical supergroup, The Furious had mighty expectations to live up to. Previous efforts at an international all-star martial arts movie have fallen short, but The Furious shatters the ceiling, delivering an exhilarating, non-stop thrill ride with the best fight scenes I’ve seen in years. Other great action films this decade might be more complete, but The Furious delivers the martial arts action you would hope for from this unbelievable lineup of t...

PV Guide • 10th June 2026

Rodrigo Valdes charted his own path to breakout Mexican action hit Vengeance

The director talks about intentionally making a Mexican action movie without cartels, real life getting in the way of his vision, and what he hopes is next for Mexico’s burgeoning action movie scene

For a nation with a rich cinema history and a constant presence as a setting for Hollywood action movies, Mexico has had surprisingly few notable action films over the years. But in back-to-back years, we’ve seen breakout action hits from Mexico, potentially signaling a new era for the genre in the...

PV Guide • 3rd June 2026

Back in Action: May 1991

A look at the major new action movie releases (and trends) of May 1991 and May 2026

This year, I’m taking a month-by-month look at the action movies released globally in 1991, talking about the trends and individual titles that made the year in the genre and comparing them to the releases in 2026. You can read the previous monthly entries here.

Let’s take a look at the state of action in May 1991 and May 2026, with expanded thoughts on specific movies at the bottom for paid subscribers.

I fou...

PV Guide • 20th May 2026

Jason Trost talks charting his own path with DIY genre movies

“I think that’s success as an artist, knowing that every time I’m on set, or just in my apartment, I’m creating something no one’s done before.”

In 2011, Jason Trost and his brother Brandon burst onto the indie genre filmmaking scene with their gleefully wacky genre mash-up The FP, about gangs who settle disputes through a Dance Dance Revolution-style music game. The movie got a great reception at South by Southwest, and then became a sleeper hit on Netflix for emerging genre enthusiasts like m...

PV Guide • 4th May 2026

Back in Action: April 1991

This year, I’m taking a month-by-month look at the action movies released globally in 1991, talking about the trends and individual titles that made the year in the genre and comparing them to the releases in 2026. You can read the previous monthly entries here.

Let’s take a look at the state of action in April 1991 and April 2026, with expanded thoughts on specific movies at the bottom for paid subscribers.

I found 28 action movies released in April 1991 from nine filmmaking nations. (Here’s...

PV Guide • 1st April 2026

Back in Action: 1991 March

This year, I’m taking a month-by-month look at the action movies released globally in 1991, talking about the trends and individual titles that made the year in the genre and comparing them to the releases in 2026. You can read the previous monthly entries here.

Let’s take a look at the state of action in March 1991 and March 2026, with expanded thoughts at the bottom for paid subscribers.

I found 32 action movies released in March 1991 from six filmmaking nations. (Here’s a Letterboxd list.)...

PV Guide • 4th March 2026

Back in Action: February 1991

A look at the major action releases (and trends) of February 1991 and February 2026

This year, I’m taking a month-by-month look at the action movies released globally in 1991, talking about the trends and individual titles that made the year in the genre. Take a look at January’s if you haven’t seen it yet.

February was a banner month for global action in 1991, with big hits in Hong Kong, India, France, and the Philippines. Let’s take a look at the state of action in February 1991 and February...

PV Guide • 11th February 2026

Back in action: January 1991

This year, I’m taking a month-by-month look at the action movies released globally in 1991 and comparing them to those released in 2026, talking about the trends and individual titles that made the year in the genre. I’ve always been interested in projects that take a look at a year in film – taking a snapshot of a particular year, looking for patterns, what still remains today, what’s gone. There are many great similar projects out there, but this one is specifically inspired by the film critic...

PV Guide • 15th January 2026

Vic Michaelis talks spy stories, birds, the weather, and the process behind VIP

It’s been a very busy start to 2026 for Vic Michaelis. Their deliriously funny improv interview show, Dropout’s Very Important People, is midway through its third season. They just made their debut in the Dimension 20 Dome, playing Hugi in the new season, Gladlands. And their highest-profile project yet – a role on the spy comedy Ponies, alongside Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson – premieres this Thursday on Peacock.

I talked with Michaelis about their impressive lineup of projects, their...

PV Guide • 13th January 2026

Michael Jai White on his busy 2025 and the challenges of making action movies today

“Nowadays, you have to do the same movie folks would have expected 10 years ago with half the budget”

Few people had a busier 2025 than Michael Jai White. In January, his action comedy Don’t Mess With Grandma, about a drunk Army ranger protecting his unaware grandma from home invaders, premiered on Tubi. In August, his throwback action comedy Trouble Man (which he also directed), where he plays a private investigator looking for a missing R&B star, premiered in theaters. So did action comedy Ho...

PV Guide • 18th December 2025

Sono Lino director Jacob Patrick on getting 'spoiled' by 'working with the Michael Jordan of glass'

After a warm reception on the festival circuit last fall, Jacob Patrick’s documentary Sono Lino, about legendary glassblower Lino Tagliapietra, is finally getting a wider release. Amalgamation Pictures will be releasing the film on Sonolino.com on December 19, with a 20 minute never-before-seen bonus chapter.

Sono Lino studies a fascinating artist who changed the art of glassblowing globally. Tagliapietra started blowing glass at the age of 11 after dropping out of school to work at a factory,...

PV Guide • 11th December 2025

Maisie Adam on her time on Taskmaster: 'Chaotic, competitive, and with varying degrees of success'

After chatting with Ania Magliano last week, I'm continuing interviews with contestants from series 20 of Taskmaster (which you can watch on the Taskmaster YouTube channel) with Maisie Adam. Maisie is an award-winning stand-up comedian and panel show contestant who hosts the award-winning women’s football podcast Big Kick Energy. As the dramatic winner of series 20, that’s another award for her already-busy trophy cabinet.

Maisie made an immediate impression on Taskmaster audiences with her com...

PV Guide • 2nd December 2025

Ania Magliano on Taskmaster: 'It puts you back into this childlike mindset'

Series 20 of Taskmaster was another high point in a show full of high points, with a charming cast of contestants spread across the doesn’t-give-a-shit to highly-motivated spectrum  – crucial to any great series of the show. Some (Sanjeev Bhaskar) very openly didn’t care how they performed, while others tried very hard to win it all, resulting in the closest final standings yet. You can watch all of series 20 on the Taskmaster YouTube channel.

Some of the series’ excellent contestants are shari...

PV Guide • 20th October 2025

Fortnite Talk Show host thelukeman on creating an interview show that isn't about celebrities

“People don’t get a lot of chances to talk about themselves because it’s considered rude or improper. I think of Fortnite Talk Show as a place where it’s like 'No, I want you to tell me what your life is like.'”

One of my favorite recurring series right now is Twitch streamer thelukeman’s Fortnite Talk Show. He queues up alone in a random Fortnite game and, after innocently asking if anyone has a mic, blares talk show intro music and attempts to get one of his teammates to answer questions abou...

PV Guide • 10th October 2025

Tron: Ares writer Jesse Wigutow talks sci-fi, Daredevil, and the scriptwriting process

The screenwriter shares some of his influences for Tron: Ares and what to expect from the next season of Daredevil

Veteran screenwriter Jesse Wigutow has worked with almost every major studio in Hollywood, but until recently, most of it has been uncredited. That all changed after Wigutow served as a consulting producer on season one of Daredevil: Born Again, writing two episodes, and then penned the screenplay for the upcoming Tron: Ares, which is now in theaters.

I spoke with Wigutow about hi...

PV Guide • 30th September 2025

Marko Zaror on why he wanted to keep the action in his new sci-fi movie grounded

The past few years have been good to Chilean martial arts star Marko Zaror. After a memorable supporting part in John Wick: Chapter 4 and an even more memorable dual role in the excellent Shaw Brothers-style throwback The Fist of the Condor, Zaror has had supporting roles in The Killer’s Game and Fight or Flight, and stole the screen as the Anton Chigurh-meets-the-Terminator villain in Diablo.

His latest movie, Affinity, is his third 2025 release. Set in Thailand, it follows Bruno (Zaror), a de...

PV Guide • 10th September 2025

Izzy Roland on her new movie D(e)ad: 'It felt like we had been working on this family project for my whole life'

Comedian, screenwriter, and Dropout star Izzy Roland’s new movie D(e)ad is a true family affair. Roland wrote the script, produced the movie, and stars as lead Tillie, Roland’s mom Claudia Lonow directed and stars as Tillie’s mother, and Roland’s step-father, grandparents, and husband Brennan Lee Mulligan all play roles in the movie. There are other familiar faces for Dropout fans, too, including Vic Michaelis as Tillie’s sister, and Zac Oyama as a particularly eager doctor. The movie plays in l...

PV Guide • 2nd September 2025

Alice Wu reflects on love and Saving Face with new Criterion release

Alice Wu’s heartfelt 2004 debut Saving Face was added to the Criterion Collection this August, with a new director-approved blu-ray filled with special features. The rom-com follows a young Chinese American surgeon (Michelle Krusiec) navigating falling for her new dancer girlfriend (Lynn Chen), the unexpected pregnancy of her unmarried mother (Joan Chen), and the cultural stigmas around each.

Wu originally wrote the script while working at Microsoft and taking a screenwriting class at the Unive...

Rogue • 2nd September 2025

I’m finally playing most single-player games on easy mode, and I couldn’t be happier about it

My epiphany first happened while playing Metaphor: ReFantazio. I was many hours into the game, completely gripped by the story, art design, characters, and banger soundtrack, when it was time to fight Sogne the Icebound, an ice dragon that appears well-past Metaphor’s halfway mark. Sogne is the single biggest difficulty spike for a mandatory boss in the campaign, and I was struggling – failing repeatedly, and getting frustrated with a game I had, so far, been extremely invested in.

So I gave up...

PV Guide • 26th August 2025

Baby Assassins 3 review: Pure action comedy bliss

My favorite modern movie franchise has returned and upped the ante once again, with another ridiculously fun installment that delivers on the breezy tone, compelling character relationships, and fantastic action design built by the first two movies. Baby Assassins 3 is now out on digital and Blu-ray, and is one of the standout new movies of 2025.

The Baby Assassins movies feel like crime thrillers turned upside-down in the best way possible, as if a pair of fun side characters from an Elmore Le...

PV Guide • 22nd July 2025

Ghost Killer review: A hilarious, electric action comedy with a ghostly gimmick from the team behind Baby Assassins

The all-star team behind the excellent Baby Assassins franchise is back with another banger, the ridiculous and entertaining supernatural action comedy Ghost Killer, from writer Yugo Sakamoto (who wrote and directed the Baby Assassins movies) and director Kensuke Sonomura (who designed the action on those movies). Featuring terrific action choreography, likeable characters, and a lead actress with superb control over every part of her performance, it’s a great time that is now available for digi...

PV Guide • 21st July 2025

Polygon Exit Interview: Christina Gayton, social video producer

Welcome to Polygon Exit Interviews, a series of chats with my excellent former Polygon employees who were laid off (along with me) when Valnet purchased the website from Vox Media May 1. We’re talking about how these talented people got to Polygon, what they did in their time there, and what they hope is next.

Next up: Christina Gayton, who was a social video producer at Polygon. Christina made short-form videos for Polygon’s TikTok and Instagram, in addition to co-hosting streams and appearing...