bueno

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KUNG FU DELUSION: DINO MISSION Gets Prehistoric In The Latest Collab With Bueno And @akikojerryt

Lee B. Golden III

It was back in May when Garage Hero founder, action director and filmmaker Bueno (Gun Caliber, Strega) teamed up with indie action purveyor Akiko Jerry Takahashi (@akikojerryt) for a project of their own which eventually became a crowdfunded venture via their Camp Fire fundraising line. Fast forward to this month and after winning second place at the Japan Action Guild, Takahashi’s latest online release, Kung Fu Delusion: Dino Mission, is here to stay featuring the members of burgeoning martial arts stunt and action troupe Kung Fu Is Fun. With action sequences by Bueno, we get a wacky, cool kung fu romp about an ambitious museum curator and a briefcase containing mysterious fossil, which becomes the McGuffin for all-out kung fu warfare. It’s about thirteen minutes and changes, including credits along with an outtake reel to wind things down, and if this is your first exposure to @kungfuisfun, or that of […]

STREGA Blasts Its Way To All-Region DVD On March 12

Lee B. Golden III

https://youtu.be/rsnuyqahRpM Actor and filmmaker Bueno is proudly taking the reigns and self-distributing his latest Tokusatsu action hit, Strega on DVD. Orders will go live next month on his website with a release date slated for March 12, and with plans also in the works for digital releases. Strega marks Bueno’s latest foray in independent Tokusatsu filmmaking, building his brand via Garage Hero with the inaugural hit, Gun Caliber (available in the U.S. from SRS Cinema), boasting a whimsical hodgepodge of gratuitous, envelope-pushing action and tongue-in-cheek humor the likes of which Deadpool fans would take a liking to. He follows suit in Strega as well, which sees Bueno starring once more and donning a slick new suit, and brandishing an arsenal as big as the NSFW warnings this film surely comes with. Japan’s government has enacted federal restrictions on superhero activity through special ID cards developed by tech conglomerate, Vector, for […]

GUN CALIBER: SRS Cinema To Launch North American Pre-Orders This Friday!

Survive The Weekend With Twelve Hours Of Garage Hero Action With GUN CALIBER, YAKUZAMBIE And More!

Lee B. Golden III

Select independent filmmakers like our friends at Art School Dropouts are more than happy to help the self-quarantined around the world bide their time with entertaining content. Looking to contribute on his own end is Gun Caliber and Strega star and director Bueno who now offers a twelve-hour marathon of content courtesy of his Garage Hero YouTube portal. The selections partly include Yakuzambie, both parts of Ayakashi Zombie, the full version of his 2014 Tokusatsu hit, Gun Caliber, and Strega Gaiden, a four-part mini-series based on his most recent feature film that was shot during production on Strega. Just so we’re clear, I actually haven’t the faintest idea which version of Gun Caliber will be streamed in the livestream; The film has two versions available in the U.S. through both SRS Cinema, and ad-supported streamer, Tubi, the latter which contains a cleaner version of the film, and you can check […]

IN GOOD COMPANY: A Word With Maverick Tokusatsu Filmmaker, STREGA Star/Director, Bueno

Lee B. Golden III

As you can see, director, Bueno, is no stranger to the release of finishing a daunting task like shoestring indie filmmaking. His efforts in 2014 with Gun Caliber and his latest sequel, Strega, are no exception as they’ve both proven significantly for Bueno in his hard-earned efforts to turn a new page for the suit-action genre. The latter, in which he stars alongside AV idol and actress Mai Miori, is coming soon this year, and I even had the opportunity to review Strega, as well as share photos from the Yubari screening. Bueno talks about the screening, the movie, his goals and much more in our first ever interview, and you are more than welcome to check out a review by clicking here for further reading. Greetings Bueno and thanks for taking the time to talk to us. As often as I follow independent films I can’t begin to imagine […]

Bueno’s STREGA Conquers Yubari XXVII

Lee B. Golden III

Bueno’s latest Tokusatsu romp, Strega, had its day at the 27th Yubari International Film Festival throughout last weekend. Actor and filmmaker Bueno was on hand for the festivities along with surprise guests that included Yuki Kuroda (Glaive of Kamen Rider Blade) and Miho Wakabayashi (Momoyo of Gun Caliber), with splatter movie maestro Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Kodoku: Meatball Machine) providing the introductory. “Viewers these days always bitch and whine about compliance this, compliance that…it’s bullshit.” said Nishimura, in part. “As creators, we’ve been waiting for someone to bring tokusatsu back to what it was. Back to the time of Kamen Rider Amazon and Showa Ultraman where all the badguys and monsters would get their heads torn off and ripped to shreds by the stars of the show.” He adds: “…And someone FINALLY decided to answer the call for something like that, but the thing is…he ain’t even Japanese.” which […]

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Cocked, Locked And Ready To Rock, STREGA Does Not Need Your Permission To Be Awesome

Lee B. Golden III

While A-list Tokusatsu programming reigns supreme in its conventions, the last eight years have proven to be slightly more watershed in challenging the norm. Thus, with actor and independent filmmaker Bueno signaling a new beacon for fans keen on something different, the release of Gun Caliber in 2014 proved pivotal for the niche in doing just that – ultimately heeding the call for a new brand of suit-action heroics. The film itself definitely skewers aside the family-friendly formula, essentially delivering the maverick equivalent of a Deadpool movie that cranks-up the R-rated appeal several notches further and louder with no apologies. Since then, any hint to the matter that this may change would otherwise be ill-advised as Bueno, long far from the restrictions of the mainstream with the company of his own Tokyo-based creative collective, Garage Hero, has surfaced once again with Gun Caliber sequel, Strega. Newly suited and with a […]

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These Facial Expressions In STREGA Are Everything

Lee B. Golden III

Director Bueno is poised to present his latest sequel, Strega, to the masses beginning this summer. Building on the success of his 2014 indie toku actioner, Gun Caliber, without fail, fans can expect a newer, sleeker costume with more weaponry and signature tokusatsu action to boot, and to that effect, the added mature subject matter akin to Bueno’s filmic touch. More to the point, I got to screen an early work-in-progress copy of the film ahead of its release and rest assured it’s definitely one of the most jarring, gonzo films you’ll ever see in terms of dialogue on matters of comedy aside from action. I initally intended to express my feelings at the moment in social media post, but Bueno decided to hand me a spate of some appealing exclusive images to choose from. The one you’re seeing in the lead photo is that of actress Sakurako Fujiwara who […]

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STREGA: Old Habits And Humpy Villains Die Hard In The Official Red-Band Trailer For Bueno’s Latest

Lee B. Golden III

Just shy of a decade since beginning his journey into history-making indie Tokusatsu with cult feature favorite, Gun Caliber, the tide is finally turning for actor, producer and filmmaker Bueno whose long-awaited follow-up, Strega, is now setting the pace with an official trailer as of last week. There’s no question though if you’re only just now learning about this film, its predecessor or the creative collective housed at Bueno’s YouTube indie banner, Garage Hero, be advised: Bueno’s style and vision goes straight for the OTT goods in mature and raunchy comedy, and hyper-violent action and gore – all in the way WAY less-commercial vein of programming permissible by the Toei crowd. Rest assured, Bueno has earned the approval of fans, as well as the ire of haters to boot, which is all well and fine with him. Japan’s government has enacted federal restrictions on superhero activity through special ID cards […]

STREGA: Bueno’s ‘Gun Caliber’ Sequel Wraps Principal Photography

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been nearly a decade into the filmmaking journey that brought fans the release of tokusatsu cult hit, Gun Caliber. Since then, maverick director Bueno has been hard at work maintaining content for the toku crowd through his independent film portal on YouTube, Garage Hero, while also developing, and just shy of three years ago, rolling cameras for the Gun Caliber sequel, Strega, which, for all intents and purposes will hopefully spur a 2019 release. Bueno stirred the pot quite a bit in 2014 with Gun Caliber, introducing the world of suit hero fandom to a noticeably more R-rated protagonist akin to the likes of Deadpool compared to other mainstream Japanese suit action heroes. The actor and film-multihyphenate starred in the title role as well, portraying Soma Kusanagi, a miserable Smartball Parlor employee who transforms into the titular gun-toting, dick-shooting, sex-crazed, alcoholic and often derilect superhero who “loves his bullets […]

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STREGA: Bueno’s Sexy Purple Partner Packs A Punch In The Newest Teaser Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Garage Hero Filmmaker and tokusatsu maverick, Bueno, now brings us slightly closer to the halfway mark before the theatrical cut release of Strega, the sequel to his most recent feature suit action adventure, Gun Caliber. Production is on going with final action sequences gearing up for next month following strategic cutbacks to earlier intended wire stunts due to production constraints while Bueno currently aims to manifest a splashy, action-packed saga fitting for an era that even now seems to graciously welcomes R-rated Marvel film fandom. Strega is a direct sequel to our first film, Gun Caliber, and is set a few years after the events of that film. The Japanese government decides to even further regulate superheroes AND the overall populace using the Vector Card, a new ID system. Vector also happens to be a corporation that has been gradually extending its power behind the scenes. Our hero, Soma Kusanagi, is a foul-mouthed […]

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STREGA: Garage Hero’s Indie Toku Action Sequel Needs Your Help!

Lee B. Golden III

Japanese Tokusatsu maverick, Bueno, has been loyal to his Garage Hero brand since launching it in 2011, and has shown his committment to bringing indie acclaim with his edgy feature debut, Gun Caliber. Fans in the U.S. and elsewhere can find the film now available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and even VHS from SRS Cinema, while it has more than a year since lending lip-service to the massea with an announcement teaser for the proposed sequel, Strega. That sequel is now in production and aiming to no less keep the bold, brash, hyperviolent and gonzo tone of its predecessor with no apologies made. What’s more? Fans now have a chance to throw their hats – and wallets – in the arena by contributing to their newly launched Indiegogo to help feed the cast and crew, as well as furbish the production accordingly, and for a project that stands to gain fruitfully […]

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GUN CALIBER: SRS Cinema To Launch North American Pre-Orders This Friday!

Lee B. Golden III

Niche distributor SRS Cinema proudly acquired maverick tokusatsu filmmaker Bueno’s lo-fi, gonzo action comedy adventure, Gun Caliber back in December. The company is now out to festivals with the film in addition to a few of its other titles and as of this week, they are also advancing consumers with pre-order options through their official website. As such, they’ve presented exclusive artwork to topline the release of the film in all its unmitigated, lo-fi, unsafe-for-work-glory. A release date is still pending but I couldn’t be happier to share in the excitement with the opinions of those who’ve screened the film in either its exclusive webserial or feature-length format, presenting a vision of Tokusatsu that literally nukes expectations. “Get ready to shoot evil in the dick and steal its wallet! It is the year, 20XX AD. The evil organization known as “Skulldier” is hell-bent on taking over Japan – well, right […]

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THE HIT LIST: January 9, 2017

Lee B. Golden III

I don’t know about some of you but my new year already had a few stumbles in its first week. Granted we still have about 355 days left of the year as we are now fifty-one weeks in, and the internet is ripe with action-packed content ready to share, thus commencing the return of The Hit List – our weekly column in which we boost some of the best and impressive videos showcasing stunts, demos, test fights, trailers and complete, independently-produced shortfilms that live up to the task of delivering great storytelling and action. If you’ve been with us at all in the last two years since this column of Film Combat Syndicate began, you know how this script goes. However, if this is your first rodeo, hopefully you’ve got some time to kill. As always, our first playlist comes jam-packed with terrific stunt and demo reels from today’s talented […]

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THE HIT LIST: December 5, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Alrighty! In anticipation of an exceptionally busy Christmas, this will be the first of three final installments of The Hit List in 2016. Personally, I look forward to the forthcoming break and on that note I might round up some of my favorite entries of stunt reels and shortfilms in a New Year edition to whet the appetite some. We’ll just have to wait and see! In the meantime, let’s get this party rolling with some wicked videos from around the web, and first up are a pair of terrific new Tekken-inspired kicking reels by Eric Jacobus and Jailbreak star, actor and martial artist Jean-Paul Ly. Rounding out the playlist are stunt and action reels by Ben Rezendes, Jamel Blissat, Melissa Mars, Kent S. Leung, John Palmeri, Stephen Murdoch, Hannah Spreitzenbarth and Jared Losano. You know what they say….just push play! Next up in trailer news are a few projects […]

Bueno’s GUN CALIBER To Shoot Evil In The Dick Worldwide In 2017

Lee B. Golden III

Five years in following his lo-fi Tokusatsu action comedy debut feature, Gun Caliber, actor, writer and filmmaker Bueno has been out and about continuing down his own creative path after launching his own indie banner, Garage Hero. He’s put out quite a few goods as well while sharing the tools over at YouTube Space Japan and has even moved onward with a sequel that nearly completely revamps the former with a slick new costume for the forthcoming Strega to release hopefully in the next year or so depending on his progress. For now though, word from indie distributor SRS Cinema is now making it official this week with their latest acquisition of Gun Caliber with plans for a limited special release in the Spring or Summer of next year. It’s also the latest feature film entry for actor and martial artist, Art School Dropouts’s own Joey Min who both serves […]

Bueno’s New Webseires Edit Of Tokusatsu Indie, GUN CALIBER, Is Still Locked And Loaded With NSFW Glory

Lee B. Golden III

If there’s any inclination in your mind that maverick tokusatsu filmmaker Bueno is watering down his craft, then congratulations! You’re wrong. No, no… have no allusions here about what he’s up to with his currently developing effort, Strega, and you can read more about that by clicking here. For now, you can still check out a handful of some of his shortfilm and other YouTube space work on his Garage Hero channel where he also stakes his cult fanfare with Strega‘s predecessor, the 2014 all-out red-band suit action comedy affair, Gun Caliber. Featuring fight choreography by Joey Min, Bueno stars and directs a story telling of a dilapidated, lecherous superhero forced to clean his act up and save Tokyo from a rogue’s gallery of monsters led by the evil Skulldier. You can read my review of the film by clicking here, otherwise you might be keen on his latest edit […]

THE HIT LIST: October 3, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Another week has begun, and thus, a new installation of the Hit List has arrived. I think we’re hitting sort of a dry spell at this point…it wouldn’t be the first time though, and yes, I came prepared. Kicking off the Hit List is another round of demo reel jewels from around the web by way of stunt players such as Natalie Diaz, Chris Romrell, Bryan Cartago, Tally Rodin, Elizabeth Carpenter, Nate Mitchell, Tyler Street, Delyan Dimitrov, Chris Schmidt Jr., Niahlah Hope, Nik Pelekai, Justin Craigen, Adair Moran, Eric Cullet, Travis Statton-Marrero, James S. Gonzalez, David Cheung, and King Of Kung Fu‘s latest tribute reel to the legendary and death-defying feats of one of old school Hong Kong action cinema’s finest, actress and icon Moon Lee. Onward now to the latest trailers going viral, and first up with actor and indie toku purveyor, filmmaker Bueno whose latest effort, Strega, remains pending. In the […]

THE HIT LIST – August 8, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Well, I don’t know about you guys, but my weekend was another laid back one this summer. I haven’t been to the movies in a while and mostly due to work, but I have plenty of anime and film at home to keep me company, and that courtesy also extends to any number of the usual action shorts and stunt talents I find on the web. Thus, we now engage another installation of The Hit List, and the first of the bunch brings us the usual playlist ripe with stunt reels to enjoy beginning with Jesse Liskola who has caught my attention in a few good projects over the past year or so, including Mikko Lopponen’s 2015 winter revenge thriller, Eliza. His demo reel is just below and followed by a slate of stunt and training reels from Christopher Troy, Anthony Hoang, Lon Gowan, Katie Kramer, Skylar Mowatt, Martin Wan […]

Toku Filmmaker Bueno Sets Sights On 'Gun Caliber' Sequel, STREGA

Lee B. Golden III

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Strega – Junction Teaser 01 Coming soon from Garage Hero!TWITTER: @garagepro7YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/garageprotv#Strega #GunCaliber2 Posted by Garage Hero on Friday, April 8, 2016 If there were ever an example to be made for R-rated tokusatsu, it would be the 2014 film, Gun Caliber, which sparked a significant following for independent filmmaker Bueno since screening among online audiences in the last few years. The film isn’t widely released as of yet, although its been allowed its fair share of availability from Bueno’s YouTube portal over at Garage Hero from time to time, and not without some discretion to boot as the film is NOT your average superhero movie. Nope, it’s got blood and gore, foul language, debauchery, bizzare villains and BEWBS, all laden with an adherance to […]

THE HIT LIST – March 28, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

I’m currently getting over a cold, but hopefully you’ve rested well from your Easter weekend as the past two days have been brimming with all things Batsy and Super. Otherwise, here and now and once more, we attribute our day of the week to an article filled with things that make up a lot of the entertainment you see on the big screen, thanks to none other than the stunt community. It’s a little shorter than preferred but I think you’ll still get your fill, in my opinion. Getting things off to an excellent start this week is actor and stuntman Eric Jacobus with his latest movelist performance attributed to Tekken game villain, Heihaichi Mishima, followed by reels from filmmaker and action director Bueno, stunt performers Ryan Robertson, tricker Vellu Saarela, Aviel Ayoung, Curt Wheeler, Nick Stanner, and Steve Bravler, and a fan reel knitted with scenes attributed to celebrated […]