choice skinner

AMERICAN RONIN: Who Is Casting That Ominous Shadow? [EXCLUSIVE]

In April, we first broke the news of a new proof-of-concept in the works for James Moten Black’s American Ronin, described as “a contemporary martial arts piece cosigning his love for classic jidaigeki cinema and anime”. Production ultimately had to take a back seat as the United States landed right into a lockdown with California, where Black and his production is based, under curfew for a time due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The state is currently staggering in its efforts to ween itself into a new “normal”, with various independent creatives working around the pandemic to meet safety guidelines in order to carry out their own projects. Such is the case for Black and his team as they forge ahead with production on American Ronin, with plans for a feature film that will hopefully rejoin him with select cast members of actor, filmmaker and cinematographer Choice Skinner’s multi-awarded 2017 Black […]

HENRY’S COURAGE: Choice Skinner To Charge Into Battle With Proof-Of-Concept Harlem Hellfighters Shortfilm Next Year [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Independent filmmaker Choice Skinner is ramping up efforts to direct upcoming short film, Henry’s Courage, which he intends to shoot as a potential feature film pitch. Aiming to crowdfund a February 2020 shoot, Henry’s Courage takes its cues from the historic, heroic tale of the Harlem Hellfighters, prolifically known as the first African American unit of the U.S. Army to engage in combat during World War I. Actor Akono Dixon will tackle the key role of Henry Johnson, a black U.S. soldier who fought off a German raid in hand-to-hand combat while suffering numerous wounds. Johnson was recognized and awarded with a Croix De Guerre with star and bronze palm by the French and was the first U.S. soldier in World War I to receive that honor. Dixon will be joined by actor Dalon J. Holland who will portray fellow U.S. soldier, Needham Roberts. Henry’s Courage marks Skinner’s return to […]

THE HIT LIST: December 24, 2018

Lee B. Golden III

Well… this is it. It’s been another incredible year for The Hit List and being able to explore some filmmakers beyond what they shoot. There’s still plenty exploring left to be done as I hope to do something a bit more ceremonial by next year and maybe with a little help and some luck, I’ll be able to accomplish it. Alas, we’ve reached the final Hit List for 2018 and we’re gonna cut to the chase here starting with a raft of stunt and action demos from some of today’s talented members and up-and-comers of the stunt industry, and relative althletes therein. We begin with a kinetic extensive overture from Quan Minh Le, followed by the latest stunt and training reels from Matt Esof, Angela Jordan, Mykola Galagan, Vikrant Kumar Kalania, Jared Kirby, Marian Sing, Bobby Hernandez, Jimmy Davidson, Javi Cornelio, Bridgette Bentley, Olivia Fowler-Courtney, and choreography reels by Anthony […]

CALM IN THE EYE OF THE STORM: Actor And Filmmaker Choice Skinner On Life And Living, Fandom And Film

Lee B. Golden III

Making a film of any kind takes some seriously hard work, especially one that pushes boundaries. I’ve never been in an editing booth, although I can imagine the tediousness that comes with putting together a project that can be physically and mentally demanding on its face. Throw in the bread and butter of special visual effects and although your time is your own, you’re ultimately on a whole other battlefield. It’s an emotion that’s understandable for want of being a creative and to be able to share it with audiences. After all you’ve been through in life until now and investing a heavy portion of your time and energy on a project like Black Lightning: Tobias’s Revenge, actor and filmmaker Choice Skinner is more than qualified on the matter after winning Best Fan Film at the Urban Action Showcase and Expo last November. “The team and I were honored to […]

THE HIT LIST: November 20, 2017

Lee B. Golden III

I was a little more keen on taking this week off given the forthcoming holiday, but I was already on par for another installment of the Hit List so I figured “why not?”… Alas, we’ve arrived to another spiffy new around of demo reels and action gems to help warm you up. Cameron Bostanabad kicks off this week’s round of stunt and training reels followed by Wes Cochran, Braelyn Smallwood, Megan Dorn (https://www.megandorn.com), Andrew Mihalko, Jason Linere White, Barrett Coates, Al Dupont, Ryan Rasberry, Bryan Dodds, Joshua Zacharias and the daring feats of Kimberly Shannon Murphy (www.kimberlyshannon.net). Enjoy! This week is an especially ceremonial time for folks freshly off of this month’s Urban Action Showcase & Expo fallout. Angel Vasquez hails as yet another fledgling talent from Puerto Rico with plenty of time spent collaborating under fellow rising star Jose Manuel’s North Compass banner. Thus, Vasquez is poised to present […]

Inspired DC Fan Film, BLACK LIGHTING: TOBIAS’S REVENGE: Part Two Goes Live On Tuesday

Lee B. Golden III

Next year will soon see the premiere of the CW’s latest superhero serial adaptation, Black Lighting. That hasn’t hindered actor and award-winning filmmaker Choice Skinner from installing his own seal of approval on the popular DC Comics character and as it stands, lending a spotlight to two major superhero IPs in the same universe. For this, Skinner’s own independently-produced and non-profit fan film project, Black Lightining: Tobias’s Revenge, is finally set to air its finale on Tuesday at 9:00am PST/12:00pm Eastern. The news comes following the release of the first part back in April from Darkan Entertainment, LLC., and self-funded with sponsorship by Action VFX, with Skinner directing as well as starring and sharing writing duties with actor James Moten Black. Ex-Mayor and crime Lord Tobias Whale has returned to Suicide Slums to exact revenge against local famed superhero Black Lightning. Tobias gathers gang members from the local gang 100 […]

SWEETER THAN BITTERSWEET: Friday Night Dining With Some Of The UASE’s Best

Lee B. Golden III

Ever hear the one joke about the New Yorker and the Canadian? …Nah, me neither! It’s not easy as I’m writing this on a crisp, chilly Saturday morning while at work again. Granted, it’s neither the cold nor is it the usual next-day recovery period from loss of sleep. Rather, it’s more perfunctory in that I’m lucky if I get to be in a room at least once or twice a year with as many like-minded people as I got to last night at the Times Square Diner And Grill in wake of all happening at this year’s fifth annual Urban Action Showcase & Expo. Indeed, it took a little help whilst planning a gathering of what I expected initially to be a handful of maybe ten people plus a few local friends, and with the help of D.L. MacDonald, a stuntman freshly in from Canada wearing, of all things, […]

THE HIT LIST: May 29, 2017

Lee B. Golden III

My weekend was pretty good. I finally managed to relax a little on Saturday and Sunday with some obligatory movie viewing before commencing putting together tonight’s Hit List. Speaking of which, there is a LOT to cover so, let’s get onto it with the latest updated stunt reel by Jazzy Ellis, and other new stunt and training reels by some of today’s top and up-and-coming stunt performers, including Nik Pelekai (more on him later), Kristina Baskett, Kevin Rogers, Kyla Hymas, Cris Fonseca, Christina Howe, Bryan Vigier, Eric C. Sun, Kent Lloyd, Brandon McClary, Robert Steven Brown (more on him later) and Kefi Abrikh. Two extensive reels round out the stunt reels of the week in the playlist, first of which carries a bit of a story theme to it for stuntman Jordan Scott as he invokes a journey of trial over tribulation through imagery and his contribution to the field. It’s more of a […]

THE HIT LIST – May 1, 2017

Lee B. Golden III

The week turned out quite different for content rollout it seems! It wasn’t as quiet as I thought it would be last week and so this week’s Hit List should be plenty filling, and I thank you, readers, for tuning back in. As always, we begin with a nifty round of stunt reels from some of today’s budding and top stunt performers, starting with Kate Cochran, Tien Hoang, Sam Situmorang, Mustafa Bulut, Stephen Koepfer, Jennifer Badger, Joshua Pereira, Billy Bussey, John Lyke, Joseph Roark, Kemet Black Whitlow and, Sergei Dmitriev, Evan Dane Taylor and Ben Van Huis. There’s currently nothing available in terms of promotion that has caught our eye as of yet, so I say give time. Meanwhile, what we have here is a bit of an experiment for three contributors at Buzzfeed – Kelsey Impicchiche, Michelle Khare and Jordan Shalhoub – who decided to partake in superhero stunt training and […]

THE HIT LIST: November 28, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Particular current events in the news notwithstanding, Thanksgiving weekend was a mild letdown on my end. We still had dinner though, which was awesome as always. A bit indigestive? Yes… But delish nonetheless. I also slowed down a bit so I can enjoy my weekend some, though with my Facebook notifications and messages buzzing with entries for the Hit List, I couldn’t pass it up and indeed there were a few things I wanted to share anyway. And as always, that includes stunt reels to kick things off first and foremost with Heather Bonomo‘s newest reel, followed by those of Nick Dunn, Tiana Webberly, Matt Philliben, Tanna Jo and freerunning extraordinare Josh Yadon. Going slightly longer-form are reels rounding out the playlist by Frederic Jean, a riveting new fight and stunt coordinator montage by Olivier Schneider, and extended stunt reels by Chris Silcox and John Street. Enjoy the playlist here […]