alexander nevsky

CINEMATIC ACTION DIPLOMAT: A Conversation With Alexander Nevsky

ITN Distribution In a perfect world, a man like Alexander Nevsky would need no introduction. Often referred to as the “Russian Schwarzenegger”, the 6′ 6” bodybuilder and fitness author has been a cinematic force to be reckoned with since writing, producing and starring in the 2004 actioner Moscow Heat. Since then, he’s grown exponentially as a filmmaker and cinematic diplomat with a series of action extravaganzas; all possessing strong themes of international cooperation and understanding (along with a healthy dose of action and explosions). Coming off of his directorial debut in the 2014 thriller Black Rose, he’s back as the producer and star of Showdown in Manila; a throwback action film from first-time director Mark Dacascos. Film Combat Syndicate: Hello Alexander! It’s good to finally talk to you! Alexander Nevsky: Hello James. Let me tell you something… Film Combat Syndicate was supporting me and my films long before I started […]

SHOWDOWN IN MANILA: Mark Dacascos’s Directorial Debut Releases In North America In January!

Lee B. Golden III

Action fans in the U.S. can finally look forward to catching Black Rose star and director Alexander Nevsky in co-star, action star Mark Dacascos’s directorial debut, Showdown In Manila starting early next year. ITN Distribution has announced its acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to the ensemble cast action thriller which will open on January 19 in select theaters followed by a Digital and VoD rollout on January 26. The film centers on a pair of Manila detectives Nick (Alexander Nevsky) and Charlie (Casper Van Dien) who assemble a heavily equipped team to take matters into their own hands when a murder investigation leads them to the jungle camp of an international terrorist called The Wrath. Nevsky and Van Dien lead the cast which also includes Tia Carrere (True Lies, Wayne’s World) and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, Memoirs of a Geisha) from a script by Craig Hamann (Boogie Boy). […]

SAVAGE ATTACK: Photo Reveal For New Alexander Nevsky Heavily-Armed Action Thriller Filming In Asia This Fall

Lee B. Golden III

EXCLUSIVE: International action star Alexander Nevsky hit a personal career milestone this past Spring with the U.S. release of his murder mystery directorial debut, Black Rose. Onward, he still has at least two completed films coming down the pipeline, one of which includes Andrzej Bartkowiak’s upcoming action comedy, Maximum Impact, the latter which also has Mark Dacascos starring. The other, Showdown In Manila, which stars the two with Dacascos debuting as director, became a hit overseas in Russia with a script by Craig Hamann who last directed Dacascos’s 1998 direct-to-video action thriller, Boogie Boy. As things stand, Nevsky and Hamann are now poised to reunite once more for a new project that will set up in Asia with Savage Attack as principal photography readies for the Fall. We have included a first look photo of Nevsky from the film’s current development stage in his forthcoming return to the set. Hamann’s […]

THE MAJOR SALUTES: Catching Up With Actor And Filmmaker Alexander Nevsky

Lee B. Golden III

In case you’re just tuning in, I’ve kind of been on a roll in the past week or more with interviews and largely due to the cast of the upcoming crime thriller, Black Rose. With the film less than a week away from its release, I’ve interviewed co-stars Matthias Hues and Kristanna Loken, and as of today, a new interview with its star and director, Alexander Nevsky in this following our interview last year in January. He’s got more films lined up and he discusses them accordingly as well in the text beneath, in addition to plans for a new book now well on the way to publication for health and fitness aficionados. Interestingly, he also hints at some possible prospects for the character he plays and that of others in the murder mystery millieu within Black Rose; you can read our latest review by clicking here while I humbly invite you to […]

KILLER PROFILE: A Word With Actress Kristanna Loken

Lee B. Golden III

Kristanna Loken in Black Rose The past year or so have lended an ample opportunity to familiarize myself with the work of actor and producer Alexander Nevsky in lieu of his upcoming April 28 U.S. release, Black Rose. The film marks his directorial debut wherein he also stars in a formula slightly different from his usually known action star persona from his film career in Russia, and joined by none other than actress Kristanna Loken. With the film a little over a week away from its limited theatrical release courtesy of ITN, we’ve already had the pleasure of sharing questions with one of the film’s guest stars, actor Matthias Hues in which he delves deeply into his career history, progression and plans for the future. The same goes for Loken who now takes center stage in this week’s interview following Hues which also briefly highlights something interesting about the new […]

WORKING IN ACTION, LIVING IN PEACE: An Interview With Actor Matthias Hues

Lee B. Golden III

One of the biggest aspects of operating my site has been earning the opportunity to trade some Q&A jabs with actors I never once in a million years would have thought I would be in touch with. Looking at actor Matthias Hues, really he has to be one of the few people in my purview whose career dates back to a tine when movies arrived on VHS and had to be rewound, which really makes sharing conversational space in this capacity quite the honor. I’ve grown up watching Hues as part of my thriving childhood with film, my first experience being watching him go toe-to-toe with Dolph Lundgren in Craig Baxley’s 1990 sci-fi action thriller, I Come In Peace (a.k.a. Dark Angel) It’s one of the most thrilling and memorable moments of the halcyon days of American action filmlore and I never really thought about the prospects of a sequel […]

Review: BLACK ROSE Flourishes With Murder Mystery Thrills And Stateside Filmic Appeal

Lee B. Golden III

The last several years have been tremendous brain food for me in learning about various filmmakers from around the world and even getting acquainted with some of them in the process. They’ve all been delightful surprises in some degree or another, much like multifaceted Russian bodybuilding exponent, actor and producer Alexander Nevsky who has kept himself weighing in frequently as the latest in action stardom in his own making for close to two decades. His latest brings us to his directorial inaugration, Black Rose, for a familiar, albeit doable murder mystery narrative that largely functions as you would hope. The film doesn’t waste time identifying itself as you are instantly immersed into a world where a presumably Russian serial killer is on the loose in Hollywood, stalking women, torturing and murdering them, and then leaving cryptic notes and black roses with their corpses. Lead detective Matt (Adrian Paul) is running […]

Alexander Nevsky Thriller, BLACK ROSE, Gets An April Outing In The U.S.

Lee B. Golden III

Don’t fall asleep on multifaceted action star/producer/director Alexander Nevsky. His latest U.S. release with the long-awaited thriller, Black Rose, is finally poised for a North American release with word of ITN Distribution’s acquisition of the film hailing from Nevsky’s Hollywood Storm banner. The film, which opens in the U.S. on April 28, is a mix of what our own James Couche described in his review as, among other things, “a gutsy move for a first-time director” in his debut following a spate of locally produced action thrillers in his native Russia, and here with a more cerebral formula in the vein of Red Heat. Nevsky is joined by Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines), and actors Adrian Paul, Robert Davi and Matthias Hues for the story of a Russian police major who sets out to bolster the LAPD’s investigation into a series of gruesome murders of young women […]

BLACK ROSE (2016): Alexander Nevsky Charms With Bygone Action Hero Gravitas

CINEMATIC ACTION DIPLOMAT: A Conversation With Alexander Nevsky

The name Alexander Nevsky first pinged my radar in the mid 2000’s. I came across a DVD of Moscow Heat in a Hollywood Video (remember those?) and decided to take a chance on its unsubtle box art and eclectic cast (Michael York in a modern action movie, sign me up!). What I got was an 80s throwback actioner in the vein of early Schwarzenegger starring writer/producer/Russian Schwarzenegger, Alexander Nevsky. The film was a good pre-Isaac Florentine DTV actioner that wore its 80s influences on its sleeve. What really struck me about it was the infectious enthusiasm that Nevsky brought to the film; he was an action movie fanatic making movies for other action movie fanatics. A few years later I stumbled across Nevsky’s next opus, Treasure Raiders; a wild (if uneven) mix of National Treasure, the Fast and The Furious, the DaVinci Code with a heavy dose of 80s action. […]

EXCLUSIVE: Alexander Nevsky Gets The Last Word In The New International Trailer For SHOWDOWN IN MANILA

Lee B. Golden III

It’s Cannes time this week and Russian action star, actor and producer Alexander Nevsky is continuing the campaign for his newest ensemble actioner, Showdown In Manila with the international sales representatives at Lightining Entertainment hitting the trail. The film, marking the directorial debut of action star Mark Dacascos, has since become a hit following its theatrical CIS release in Russia in February and subseqent home and digital releases. Now with the film pressing onward through the markets this year, Film Combat Syndicate has the distinct honor of presenting the exclusive and explosive new trailer which you can view below. SYNOPSIS: Private detectives Nick (Alexander Nevsky) and Charlie (Casper Van Dien) live and work in Manila. A murder investigation leads them to the jungle camp of an international terrorist called The Wrath. Not trusting the police, Nick and Charlie assembly a team of daredevils to walk straight into the Wrath’s lair […]

EXCLUSIVE: Lightining Entertainment Will Take SHOWDOWN IN MANILA To Cannes

Lee B. Golden III

Russian action star, actor and producer Alexander Nevsky kicked the year off to a big start over in Russia having attended the premiere and subsequent release of his new ensemble action movie, Showdown In Manila. The film will eventually release through other territories but those updates will arrive throughout the year with further market and festival activity pending. For this, we look to Nevsky’s next stop at Cannes next month where this year’s festival titles have already lined up. Of course, we also have the sales end where Lightning Entertainment will represent the film in a deal between Nevsky and Lightning’s own, co-president Joe Dickstein. The news comes following the film’s star-studded premiere at the Oktober Cinema Theater on February 9 before its Russia/CIS release the following week and earning 45 million rubles at the box office, with earnings further accrued in VoD, DVD, Blu-Ray and other home services. Debut […]

LIGHTS… CAMERA… SHOWDOWN!: An Interview With Alexander Nevsky

Lee B. Golden III

January had a few setbacks, but still kept me busy in the thick of a few things currently trending in the world of action cinema. Russian action star and award-winning bodybuilder Alexander Nevsky has proven relevant in that regard, having come under my radar in the last few years with the long-awaited release of his latest murder mystery thriller, Black Rose with actress Kristanna Loken. More to the point, it just so happens that Nevsky has become pretty big at home in Russia, and perhaps big enough that it has earned him the clout needed to grow as a film professional in acting, producing and even journalizing having become a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Bearing this in mind and still with Nevsky in his element working in action movies and mingling with the right people, I’d say Nevsky’s prospects are looking quite good at this juncture. Operating […]

Check Out Eight Exclusive Stills From Mark Dacascos's New Movie, SHOWDOWN IN MANILA!

Lee B. Golden III

2016 is readying to kick things off quite explosively for Russian action star Alexander Nevsky in the wake of several recently-completed films. One of them is currently ramping up a rather exceptional international promotional campaign having spawned two trailers and a first poster for the new film, Showdown In Manila, and with a fortuitous line-up of action movie well-knowns no less. SYNOPSIS: Private detectives Nick and Charlie live and work in Manila. A murder investigation leads them to the jungle camp of an international terrorist called The Wrath. Not trusting the police, Nick and Charlie assembly a team of daredevils to walk straight into the Wrath’s lair and fight an army of his goons. Action star Mark Dacascos co-stars and is making his directorial debut in the good company of Nevsky in his own push to continue breaking boundaries for Russian and American audiences. Nevsky is joined by actresses Tia Carerre […]

Nevsky Gets A Homecoming For Dacascos's SHOWDOWN IN MANILA In February 2016!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a good year for rising action star, actor Alexander Nevsky whose local Russian debut last year with Black Rose became a box office hit. With 2016 right around the corner, he’s got at least two films that are forthcoming with actor and martial arts star Mark Dacascos, one of which includes Dacascos‘s feature-length directorial debut, Showdown In Manila. As of this week, further wide release details are still pending, but Luxor Entertainment is finally opening the film in Russia and throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States on February 18. We currently have a few teasers now online – one in both English and Russian, but we now get a new international poster for good measure which you can view below. Nevsky and Dacascos are slated to appear thereafter in the upcoming action adventure, Maximum Impact, from the director of Dacascos‘s 2002 Jet Li headliner, Cradle 2 The Grave, […]

Alexander Nevsky's BLACK ROSE Buds With Exclusive New Photos!

Lee B. Golden III

With debut director and rising action star Alexander Nevsky (Moscow Heat, Treasure Raiders) fresh from the successful market sales of his 2014 overseas hit, Black Rose, release dates remain pending for 17 countries around the world. The film represents the next stage of Nevsky‘s career ascension stemming from his successes in Russia as a three-time Mr. Universe winner before establishing himself as a notable film producer, and with particular adherance to a certain goal. The film stars Nevsky along with actress Kristanna Loken, actors Adrian Paul, Matthias Hues and Robert Davi from a script and story Nevsky wrote which centers on a cop from Moscow as he travels to Los Angeles to aid the apprehension of a brutal serial killer. Along with producer and action movie veteran Sheldon Lettich (Double Impact, The Order and Rambo 3) Black Rose is just one of several films in which he aims at shedding […]

Alexander Nevsky's Action Debut, BLACK ROSE, Gets A New International Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Following its 2013 trailer and subsequent release in Russia early last year, a new trailer has surfaced for actor Alexander Nevsky‘s directorial debut, Black Rose. The film arrives in the wake of a fantastic career in bodybuilding for Nevsky who has since self-founded his own studio, Hollywood Storm, with the added benefit of being dubbed as the Russian Schwarzenegger for action fans today, and rightly so. Actress Kristanna Loken joins Nevsky with a story that centers on a Russian police major recruited by the LAPD to catch a sadistic serial killer. You might not have gotten that from the first trailer which focuses on a much more action-oriented narrative, but the new footage now online as of last week fleshes out more of a concentrated and cerebral tone in its formula to accomodate the action that ensues. However, for the sake of discretion, let’s put it this way: two kickass […]

Watch The New English Teaser For SHOWDOWN IN MANILA

Lee B. Golden III

Action star Mark Dacascos has hit a pivotal point in his career that will hopefully add him to the list of names of prominent filmmakers for the future of the action genre. In that regard, his latest, Showdown In Manila, in which is also co-stars, enlists a cast seasoned and well known enough among fans that it should garner plenty of attention for Dacascos ahead of future plans, and in the good company of Russian action star and producer Alexander Nevsky, who himself has become a bit buzzworthy himself in recent memory. Alas, it was earlier this month that an international teaser for the film surfaced, and gladly, an English version of the teaser is now circulating. For all intents and purposes, its definitely a film made for the B-movie crowd admirable of a cast that still continues to kick ass for its fans, so the notable appearances of stars […]

Alexander Nevsky Kicks Ass With Don "The Dragon" Wilson And More In The New International Teaser For SHOWDOWN IN MANILA!

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and action star Mark Dacascos‘s is kicking off future prospects next year in great fashion with his directorial debut, Showdown In Manila. Dacascos joins Russian action star and producer, actor Alexander Nevsky with plans to release the film in 2016, and with a stellar cast action fans won’t fail to recognize in what appears to be another meaty foray geared toward audiences nostalgic of memorable 80’s and 90’s action cinema fanfare. Set in Manila and the province of Palawan in the Philippines, Craig Hamman wrote the script with a story putting Nevsky‘s character back into action following a local murder that forces him to confront the dark past he once tried to bury. Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, Olivier Gruner, Casper Van Dien, Matthias Hues, Tia Carerre and Cary Tagawa round out the cast with action design by Grandmaster Al Dacascos, whose implementation of Filipino martial arts was […]

Mark Dacascos To Direct And Star In SHOWDOWN IN MANILA In 2015

Lee B. Golden III

From L to R: Casper Van Dien, Alexander Nevsky and Mark Dacascos Rising action star Alexander Nevsky has been well on his way with his post-bodybuilding career with starring and producing films in the last several years, including Black Rose last year with fellow action legend Matthias Hues. Nowadays he’s resurging and it appears he’s got some great company for the forthcoming February production of the new film, Showdown In Manila. Word from Kung Fu Cinema’s forum indicates the film will be the directorial debut of its lead actor and action star, Mark Dacascos. There’s no word on what the plot will entail, although activity from Nevsky’s Twitter account comfirms the appearance of many of the film’s noteworthy cast including Nevsky and Hues, along with Casper Van Dien, Cynthia Rothrock, Oliver Gruner, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Monsour del Rosario, and Don “The Dragon” Wilson. The film also makes for a potentially stellar great return for […]

Alexander Nevsky Is A Russian One-Man Army In The New Trailer For BLACK ROSE

Lee B. Golden III

Action star Matthias Hues (I Come In Peace) returns to the screen as a masked killer in former bodybuilder-turned rising cinematic action hero and lead actor, Alexander Nevsky‘s newest international feature from his self-founded studio, Hollywood Storms titled Black Rose. Nevsky produced and directed this latest throwback to the explosive classic 1988 Walter Hill film, Red Heat, joined by executive producer Sheldon Lettich, and was filmed earlier this summer through July, followed by a screening for the closing events at the Nevsky-hosted Action Hero 2013 Film Festival in Tula back in September. Black Rose also stars Adrian Paul (Highlander: Endgame), Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines) and Robert Davi (License To Kill, The Expendables 3), along with Robert Madrid and Oksana Sidorenko. The bilingual action thriller is set for release in Russia on January 25, 2014 courtesy of Luxor, with other territories set to be announced later this […]