Happy Holidays From The Yule Cobra!
So, three things:
So, three things:
“The future of action animation is here.” says filmmaker Eric Jacobus, which is pretty much just the endorsement any independent filmmaker with an action project could hope for, and it’s definitely greener grass for creator Dillon Gu with his latest short, CyberKatsu: Recoded.
There’s a reason why I spent a good six years prioritizing stunt performers, as many of them spend a great deal themselves on perpetuating and evolving their craft into other areas of film.
Take the moment right now to etch Daniel Boocock’s name in your memory banks. Three years and one shortfilm credit in with The Desolate One, the Norwegian filmmaker is on a mission to leave an indelible mark as an emerging film talent from his Claret & Blue banner, which may just be the result he gets if his newest short, The Neolith, is any hint.
Long since making headway as Puerto Rico’s premiere martial arts star in El Testigo, Jose Manuel has worked his way up from YouTube talent to working in feature films. Thus, his debut lead role in Pema Dhondup’s martial arts action drama, The Man From Kathmandu, just dropped in the United States and you can now find it for rent via YouTube, as well as Apple TV, Amazon and Google Play from High Octane.
If there’s anything good that might come from the lockdown, it’s the emerging releases of stifled film projects only recently completed as Covid-19 gripped the world. Such was the case for filmmaker Glen Harris whose long-awaited ninja-thriller, Honour, is finally out and about with an online audience starring actor Mike Carr.
It’s taken more than a year until its release, but it was just last week that Martial Club launched its newest kung fu fan film, Fist Of Fury, popularly attributed to cinematic hero Chen Zhen, ironically potrayed by the likes of Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Donnie Yen among others.The project is headed by Andy Le who directs and stars opposite fellow actor and Martial Club founder Brian Le, in yet another phenomenal team effort with Daniel Mah, and assistant director Joseph Le who is best known of late for his own fan contributions via Team Red, like Afro Samurai Champloo, and a Mulan musical action short starring Jackie Kim.The team have also released two behind the scenes featurettes on the project, which are both now online following yesterday’s Part Two release. Make no mistake though: The team is on a mission with current efforts that span television, as well as several feature films, including Andy Long’s own indie debut, Luc Van Tien: Kungfu Hustle, and Bao Tran’s The Paper Tigers, which isn’t far off from an upcoming premiere date to be officially announced in just a few days as of this article.Also, the team is still stirring up their own in-house feature film project, currently in its embryonic state but nonetheless bodes as a promising service to genre fans alike. Fist Of Fury is but one example out of nearly ten years of online shorts made with the objective of drawing the team closer to their goals as filmmakers, all of which are but a taste of things to come.Enjoy!
I was today years old when I realized actor and martial artist Lewis Tan did an amazing shortfilm that’s been making the festival rounds for a while. Ji is the name, and it’s directed by Ben Griffin, and while I normally save these for The Hit List, I have the bug at the moment, so I didn’t wanna let up.
Joey Min at Art School Dropouts released a new video essay at his official YouTube channel on how to make a feature film with no money. It’s about fifteen minutes long, and I have to say, it especially goes beyond the listed “steps”, one which includes, as Min himself elucidates: “Be nice. Be-Fucking-Nice.”
Saturday officially marked the launch of the June 2020 edition of the In-House Grindhouse from Art School Dropouts. Fifty entries from filmmakers around the world spanning different genres are hosted in the six film blocks embedded below with livestreams that will include some Q&A segments between the channel and the filmmakers themselves.
If you’ve followed the work of Adrian Castro and actress Maria Tran at all in the last ten years, then you’re probably familiar with their usual style and aesthetic as it instantly clicks for fans of throwback Hong Kong action cinema.
Got sometime to kill?
All around, things are changing. Stores are limiting their hours, places like restaurants and gyms have closed. Some people have been laid off from their jobs. So how are you spending your time if you’re not working or are quarantined at home? How about watching a good film (or more than one)?
When I hear the phrase “based on true events,” I have two completely different yet equally strong reactions. I cringe, thinking of how I might have to suffer through what has become a too commonly used technique of “found footage” which really just means a bunch of shaky camera work that will more than likely make me feel like I need to throw up. The other reaction is a tiny squee of delight as I get to watch a true crime story come to life on the big screen (or my TV screen, whichever the case may be).
“This is a story about a monster.”
Just the latest in a process of long term independent and low-budget production, Josh Blank is pushing the needle along with Two Gunned Saint, presently with a crowdfunder to help carry the film’s vision until wrap. For now, he’s setting the preamble to the feature with Stervyatnitsa, featuring Mika Hockman in a short assassin tale set six months prior to the events of the the movie.
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