Editorials

ECHOES FROM DOWN UNDER: Swords, Swings And New Beginnings With Maria Tran And Takashi Hara

I’m having a bit of a slow day here, so there isn’t a whole lot coming through in my inbox. All that aside, I thought I’d share this little tidbit from a rare night out I had on Wednesday evening here in New York City when filmmakers Takashi Hara and production partner Maria Tran of Australia-based Phoenix Eye Film Productions came to visit. The two had just wrapped up a journey with the Vingroup Elite Tour and had a gig shortly after at the New York International Auto Show this week, and so their schedule was certainly something to factor in our planning. We were supposed to link up on Tuesday evening and sadly, those plans got derailed that morning when a Brooklyn subway was terrorized by a lone gunman causing multiple injuries, several of which were critical and thankfully, none of them were fatal… You’d think a pandemic that’s […]

You Like Martial Club After EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE? Better Believe There’s More Where That Came From!

Lee B. Golden III

Just a quick Google search online about actress Michelle Yeoh’s new movie, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and you needn’t wait too long before stumbling upon the names of Andy Le, Brian Le and Daniel Mah, the pointmen of stunt, film and fight choreography troupe, Martial Club. I have yet to see the film as I prefer at this stage to catch it on Blu-Ray or via Digital or streaming when I have the time, and so I yet can’t speak for the Daniels’ latest effort, save for the bursts of online praise the film has received for its execution, SFX ingenuity and quality, and overall delivery from Yeoh and the cast, and the action design by the aforementioned team. Their success comes nearly a year since the long-awaited release of filmmaker Bao Tran’s hit martial arts comedy, The Paper Tigers, from Well Go USA last year, following and proceeding […]

Happy Birthday, Jackie Chan!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s worth noting that director Sheng Ding’s 2012 production of Police Story: Lockdown – which I first caught at Screen Anarchy when readers first knew of it as Twitchfilm – that inspired me to get a leg in the blogging business with the launch of Film Combat Syndicate, roughly eight years after I first experimented with the hobby on a free hosting site that existed at the time. Alas, I partially credit Chan with much gratitude to being the inspiration he was to me at the time, as he continues his footing in the film business. While his fame in Hong Kong SAR has waned over the years, he remains a legend to fans around the world, especially here in the states long after leaving his footprint with titles like Battle Creek Brawl and The Protector, and ultimately channeling his Golden Harvest roots to pave the way for his signature […]

THE RAID: A Look Back On The Trendsetting Hit Action Thriller Ten Years Later

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a while since I’ve written a proper article about The Raid films. I’ve posted, yeah, but it’s interesting that the film is gaining traction again, and not for nothing either. The Gareth Huw Evans-directed martial arts-driven crime saga was released ten years ago this week with a sequel that opened a little over two years later, furthering the advancement of Southeast Asian film fandom in the wake of his inaugural thriller, Merantau, and placing actor Iko Uwais squarely on the map for today’s generation of moviegoers and genre junkies alike. The film also paved the way for a style of cinematic action that was never really fully-fleshed out for Western audiences before – its essence inspired of course for prior films, and it wasn’t long until the subject matter of all filmmaker chatter on “The Raid style” of action was soon co-opted by talk of the “John Wick […]

Year Nine…

Lee B. Golden III

I gotta say… this year-end piece has been pretty hard to ponder what with all the overthinking I’ve done. Keeping it simple was just as difficult for an approach to this thing, further elongating the lack of inspiration that I’ve increasingly felt in the last four months or so. That’s writers’ bloc for you. It’s a real bitch, and indeed, many things have factored into it, and it’s all still a challenge to take in. After coping with the passing of my sister back in April, I now find myself at a point where my own health and wellness are priority, in addition to my peace of mind. That meant a great deal of convalescence, both equally internal and external. It’s also meant recurring doctor visits in the past two months and more going forward. The good news is it’s not Covid-related, in case any of you are reading this […]

Fight Scene Faves: A Short List Of Memorable Fight Scene Moments In Film

Lee B. Golden III

Years ago, I became obsessed with listing my “top-tens” or “fives” in final fight scenes. There was a UK website that produced such lists and for their final fight scene list, it bothered me for the longest time that it never had the one featured in Drive between Mark Dacascos and Masaya Kato, so you can imagine how fulfilled I felt when the page loaded and I finally saw it listed. That website has long since disappeared, but the practice of listing fight faves stands strong among the action genre fandom to this day. Thus, I felt compelled to just list my own top ten in final fight scenes just to feel it out some and see what folks think. For this, I applied several factors into this analysis; While choreography and cinematography are both important elements, I made other deductions as well which include the scene’s connection to the […]

COACH VS CLIENT: On The Topic of WAR MOVIES

Vance Ang

The premise behind Coach vs Client is predicated on one key element of the training sessions that I myself have with Coach Justin Perillo (aka Coach JP) as the topic of film are a mainstay of the conversations in between sets and for the heavier ones we’d often evoke a film that resonates in that very moment. With each new recommendation, is the obvious exchange in ideas and the very pursuit of new material based on the discussion. In the first iteration for FILM COMBAT SYNDICATE, The Coach (Justin) has selected the topic of War movies and below are his Top 5 followed by that of The Client (myself) COACH – TOP 5 WAR MOVIES 5. THE DEER HUNTER (1978) – 1970’s Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep. Wow. I really loved this film. For a war film, it has a unique quality of being less about the […]

F9: Han’s Death, His Return, And What It Means For A Franchise That Now Tinkers With Its Own Meta-Silliness

Lee B. Golden III

For years we’ve grown accustomed to the rank silliness and sheer bluster and spectacle of the Fast And Furious movies. All twenty years of them. The latest installment of the saga, F9 is no different, though with several exceptions that pertain to any reverence, sympathy or engagement into the drama and the characters, story and twists that occur. Skipping the plot details and just short of devoting my time to a full review, and while there is a LOT to pick apart from the new film, my biggest gripe has plenty to do with its identity as a franchise, especially with the year-old spoilery reveal of Sung Kang’s character, Han, whose hinted survival in last year’s trailer now precludes a twist in the newly-released film that shows how his death was staged as a precursor to the larger role he plays in the events that unfold. The problem here is […]

‘John Cena’s FAVOURITE ANIMATED MOVIE (…and 7 other reasons that you should watch FIST OF THE NORTH STAR)’

Vance Ang

The title isn’t bluster and instead evokes WWE star Kurt Angle’s line: ‘It’s true, it’s true’ Yes, John Cena, the famed WWE sports entertainer and Hollywood actor, and co-star of Justin Lin’s newest theatrical release out of Universal Pictures, F9, has openly admitted his fandom for the exciting Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. And yet it is merely one of several reasons, that will prompt you to consider watching (or even reading) the legendary FIST OF THE NORTH STAR (FOTNS) The reasons are summarized below: 8. FORMUALIC BUT FAVOURABLE ‘FIST OF THE NORTH STAR’ (‘FOTNS’) doesn’t possess a complex story or narrative, in fact one could argue that the premise is very simplistic in that it is simply the story of a stoic martial artist seeking to locate his beloved fiancée, Yuria. Yet forgoing any complexity, enables the viewer to invest in the emotional […]

ACTION CINEMA BOOKENDS: 90s Schwarzenegger

James Couche

The rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1980s is a thing of legend. After a highly successful bodybuilding career (and a not so successful film career) in the 70s, “Aunold” would break out onto the scene in a big way with 1982’s Conan the Barbarian. His ascension through the ranks of Hollywood was driven by the equally meteoric rise of action cinema in general. More than any other action star, Arnold was a brand unto himself; and with the 90’s fast approaching, he and the genre he now dominated were poised to take over the cinema landscape. WHERE IT STARTED June 1, 1990. Summer movie season is in full swing and Arnold is about to unleash his biggest movie to date: Total Recall. Based on the Philip K. Dick novel “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” and directed by master of violent satire, Paul Verhoeven, Total Recall is about […]