Eighties Hong Kong cinematic action at its peak can be best summed up by one title as good as almost any for its time: Corey Yuen’s 1986 film, Righting Wrongs, centering on screen legend Yuen Biao in the role of a prosecutor whose maverick search for justice outside the law puts him in the throes of a duty-bound Hong Kong cop, played by cinematic action starlet Cynthia Rothrock.
Well Go USA’s niche martial arts streamer, Hi-YAH!, is doling out another round of weekly titles this August with premiere dates also available.
Welp, I made good use of my weekend with some great anime on top of work and a pair of reviews. Not much else really. Putting together the hit list was a bit weary since I couldn’t find anything in trailers or things of that nature.
L to R (top): Jade Xu, Brian Le, Cynthia Rothrock, Andy Le, Dana Rasmussen
L to R (bottom): Stefan Brysha, Sarah Purdum, Greg Poljacik, Lynn Jung, Jon Alagoa
However…there is still plenty to share in terms if content this week and thus, we have a fresh batch of stunt and demo reels to kick it all off courtesy of World Wushu Champion, actress and martial artist Jade Xu, followed by 3run’s Adam Brashaw, and stunt players Dana Rasmussen, Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Lee Huang, and Storm Freerun’s Lynn Jung with Greg Poljacik, Lana Katz, Matt Kennedy, Mallory Thompson, Stefan Brysha, Sarah Purdum, Jacob Hotovy, Sadiqua Bynum, John Jeffrey Arias and Heather Woods comprising the week’s stunt playlist.
Enjoy!
A lack of promotional bits can be a bit crippling. Here thankfully I have a little something to fill in the gap some, particularly for Cynthia Rothrock fans who might be keen on following her exploits on her official YouTube channel. She’s recently shared a small, albeit lengthy montage of classic action scenes from her career in Hong Kong action cinema with footage from Magic Crystal, Prince Of The Son, The Inspector Wears Skirts and more!
Fight scenery is where it’s at this week and we start with a small batch of CQC concepts led by Jay Kwon over at the Sloyerstunts channel, and German action wunderkind Mike Moeller doling out some sword practice gems while Rachel Star Withers trades blows with Jarvis Garvin in Seneca Jared Robinson’s The Pursuit and Daredrex Productions pits footwork and fightfare with Darren Holmquist and Spidey Turner. Soners Films’s Yakuza: Kiwami delivers the second of a twofer inspired by the popular Yakuza game from director and actor Jon Alagoa, Joseph Roark graces the screen with Chloe Gingold and dancer Johanna Seidel in The Ballerina and The Swordsman, Mickey Arce helms a tale of doomed romance in Pam from Lunar Stunts Action Cinema and Martial Club’s Le Brothers kick it old school in Dance Of The Drunken Mantis.
Last and far, FAR from least is a fantastic little jewel from stuntman and filmmaker Famisa Yusuf Elfajri with Ghaza Akbar as an ex-con out to get even against the men who framed him in Residivis. It’s subtitled as well so there will be plenty to comprehend per the narrative along with the impressive fight action to boot.
Once more, enjoy!
L to R (top): Mallory Thompson, Khai Thach, Lana Katz, Jacob Hotovy, Sadiqua Bynum
The Hit List will be back next week so if you have an equally awesome project or demo reel to share, link us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com, and don’t miss last week’s entries either!
It is an unmistakable truth that making these kinds of films can be VERY hard, and it is reasonable to believe that Showdown In Manila had its fare share of hurdles in trying to be better than what it has become. That said, it is unclear as of this review just when Dacascos will be directing again if he so chooses to, and hopefully his second outing will see him acquiesce to the standards long-lived and preset by some of today’s strongest, young and hungry cinema creatives. Until then, Showdown In Manila should serve as a lesson on what not to do when it comes to making an action movie. Nevsky’s own career vision is a meaningful one for setting a new, creative precedent with better filmmaking prospects in mind, but that vision is still one that needs to be met with concurrence, even in the name of fandom.
Crowdfunding officially kicked off on Monday with a new Indiegogo campaign for The Martial Arts Kid 2: Payback. Action stars Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock are back and co-producing, as well as rejoining a cast of returning and new faces led by title star, actor Jansen Panettiere, and once more with writer/director Michael Baumgarten who helmed the first film as well as last year’s Paying Mr. McGetty.
Plot details are unknown for the sequel following the first installment centered on an embattled teenager struggling to face the odds in a new neighborhood with help of his martial arts expert sibs, Uncle Glen and Auntie Cindy. Returning are Brandon Tyler Russell, Matthew Ziff and martial artist TJ Storm to reprise their roles with Chuck Zito emerging for the sequel next to actor Sasha Mitchell and with award-winning stunt coordinator James Lew back to direct the action.
Florida’s Cocoa Beach will again serve as the backdrop from a script by Baumgarten with Cheryl Wheeler Sanders and James Wilson producing. Executive producing are martial arts masters Maurice Elmalem and Guiness multi-world record holder Dr. Bob Goldman with Wing Chun master Alan Goldburg and actor/co-star Jody Nolan serving as associate producers.
Visit the official Indiegogo campaign page for more information on how to donate and the perks involved in this latest project.
Director Toby Russell‘s long-awaited action thriller, White Tiger, is ever so close to a release now planned for next month. The film has already undergone a few exclusive screenigs so with any luck we’ll be hearing some constructive feedback on the film’s delivery aside from its explosive trailer.
For now, we finally have some gritty new poster art which you can check out below:
Produced by Tri-M Entertainment President, Karen Kaing, White Tiger stars Matt Mullins (The Wrath Of Vajra) and Don “The Dragon” Wilson (The Martial Arts Kid) in a story of a cop out to avenge his partner’s death with the reluctant help of an angry ex-military drunk with nothing to live for. They are joined by fellow martial arts legends Cynthia Rothrock (Bitchfight) and late martial arts legend Joe Lewis (Kill Em All). Actress Yui Chiranan Manochem and actors Gigi Velicitat, Jawed El Berni and Yuhkoh Matsuguchi round out the cast with action sequences by Kazu Patrick Tang.
Stay tunedfor more info!
The martial arts genre can be a thrilling one when it comes to movies. However, spectacle aside, every now and then it helps to get grounded a little more in what the overall practice of it really means, and we’ve seen that narrative several times in the past through different tones. This time, we get martial arts stars Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock as they spearhead this newest effort in director Michael Baumgarten’s new movie, The Martial Arts Kid.
Actor Jansen Panetierre stars in the title role of Robbie, a new face in a small Florida town where he goes to live with his Uncle Glen and Aunt Cindy, played respectively by Wilson and Rothrock. Robbie’s prior stints with the law have forced his grandmother’s hand, leaving his fate in the hands of his extended family while he struggles to balance teenage life and his own inner turmmoil. He meets Rina (Kathryn Newtown) however, and that effort soon turns on its head when he incidentally crosses paths with her muscle-bound boyfriend, Bo (Matthew Ziff).
Robbie takes it one day at a time while Bo sets the standard from time to time with the usual semantics. Beyond that, things eventually start to get a little easier for him when he acquaints himself with Glen’s martial arts school, all while getting a new job, a bike and the sustenance of Rina’s friendship. Unfortunately, when things start to bloom between the two, all hell breaks loose in an instant as Bo’s actions soon trigger Robbie to let loose on his crowd, ultimately catching the attention of his siblings, as well as Bo’s own school led by Kane (T.J. Storm), and ensuing an all-or-nothing confrontation.
Getting things started a bit in the first act, the story moves a little too fast but still lends ample time and depth through dialogue to help introduce our characters. We eventually meet Robbie’s cousin, Katie (Kayley Stallings) who contributes plenty to the film’s charm and chuckles upon their unceremonial reunion at the top of the film and in scenes thereafter. The film wastes little time before we meet Rothrock and Wilson and it’s from there that several key moments between Wilson and Panetierre further set the tone for Robbie’s own growth. Panetierre plays the part staunchly well in the title role of this films through his training, his relationships with the sibs, and the film’s central subplot focusing on his blooming friendship and romance with Rina.
Ziff doesn’t get a lot of screentime while he tends to appear in the background in the second act, but he plays the Bo character right to a T in the scenes that matter the most. This, coupled with our entry into Storm’s role as Kane where we learn plenty about his motivations as Bo’s antagonistic martial arts teacher and Glen’s polar opposite, makes for a great formula in establishing the dichotomy that sits on both sides of the ideological martial arts coin.
Make no mistake about the action here either as the film leaves plenty of room for the genre to shine for fans. Between the fights and the training, these scenes are peppered with delightful moments of watching Wilson and Rothrock at work, especially Rothrock as she effortlessly split-streches her leg up a pole with nothing short of ease.
The martial arts underdog genre is a great way to present a number of teachable moments and lessons for a family forum. Such is The Martial Arts Kid, a film foundated on its primary anti-bullying message and it’s the kind of tool that makes this particular subgenre timeless and ageless, and with special regard to the final fight between Wilson and Storm, and the overall subtext behind the film’s title.
From a technical aspect, the only things that really stands out are plot holes that occur in just a few parts of the film. Other than that, the film was fun, funny, poignant and very enjoyable with a lot of heart and resolve, with exception to the cliffhanger ending, and that’s all I’ll leave there in that respect.
The Martial Arts Kid is a truly fitting family drama as much as it is a love letter to the martial arts genre, and even martial arts as a whole. Wilson and Rothrock, who come from an era of 80’s and 90’s action films that remain popular among the niche, don’t miss a beat in this one alongside a great cast and a lead actor who could very well be an action star in the making if he so chooses, and at the center of it all, a message that benefits anyone and everyone and never gets old.
Be sure to stay tuned to the official Facebook fanpage with links to the official website for The Martial Arts Kid, and keep your eyes open for more information in lieu of its forthcoming wide release.
That’s right you only have 30 days to get your hands on the BITCHFIGHT – ULTIMATE GRINDHOUSE EDITION featuring approx 25 minutes of additional footage that will never be on sale anywhere else, in stores or online!
Rising singer/songwriter, Debbi James, daughter of the ‘American Ninja’ legend joins the cast of ‘Bitchfight’ in what can only be described as a poignant tribute to her father, playing a character named ‘Jackson’. Cannon movie fans will of course remember that ‘Jackson’ was indeed the name of Steve James’ character in the classic ‘Ninja’ franchise.
Finally on par for release following a successful Kickstarter campaign last year and several promotional appearances since then is director Michael Baumgarten’s new anti-bullying action drama, The Martial Arts Kid from Traditionz Entertainment. The film’s release will be aimed at establishing Traditionz as a staple of martial arts film production and distribution, here and now piloting with a cast and crew brimming with well-known names like Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock, and T.J. Storm with actor Jansen Panetierre in the title role opposite Matthew Ziff.
Director Mark Steven Grove‘s love for independent, low-budget filmlore and all things action and sci-fi has since led him to his latest labor, Star Raiders: The Adventures Of Saber Raine. It boasts a main cast consisting of actor Casper Van Dien and action legends Cynthia Rothrock and James Lew, with actress Sara Salazar also serving as unit production manager and Adam Lispus producing and many of the people on set wore multiple hats throughout its principal photography prior to its completion. That said, Grove‘s new film needs your help now that it’s in post production and a Kickstarter campaign is already underway to help accomplish just that.
SYNOPSIS:
Rocket ships, Rayguns, and Robots abound in this heart-pounding tale where the stellar adventurer Saber Raine is hired to guide three elite soldiers on a rescue mission to recover a prince and princess who have been abducted from their home world.
The trail leads Saber and his allies to a planet deep within uncharted space inhabited by strange mutated creatures, leech-like desert marauders, renegade mercenaries, alien outcasts, and cybernetically enhanced soldiers that guard mysterious ruins of a long forgotten empire.
Deep within the ruins, Sinjin, a sinister overlord freed from a cryogenic chamber that has been his prison for many centuries, is now in league with the Quintari, a malevolent insectoid race known throughout the galaxy as the scourge.
In possession of a powerful new energy source, Sinjin plots his revenge on the descendants of those who betrayed him in the past.
Can our heroes complete their rescue mission and stop Sinjin from unleashing his fury on the universe? Find out in Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine!
The campaign video at the Kickstarter page is up and running with speaking segments from Grove and Van Dien, in addition to a slew of footage from the film to help lend an idea on what Grove has in store for this latest intergalactic swashbuckler. He’s got quite a diverse resumé with one particular shortfilm I had the opportunity to recently sample called Blue Hope in which he coordinated stunts for actress Marina Voruz’s action and directing debut, and there’s even a small clip for it available online as of this write-up which offers a somewhat promising testament to the kind of work Grove loves doing for filmgoers.
So if you want to see something on a slightly bigger scale with greater star power, Star Raiders: The Adventures Of Saber Raine appears to be that film, although it can’t be done without your help, and as per its crowdfunding status, there are perks indeed!
Watch the campaign video and learn all you need about what you can give and get back in return.
The trailer is pretty impressive and refreshing seeing Wilson with Rothrock in action, but more importantly, there’s an action star waiting to happen in Panetierre, and he shows it quite a bit through somw of his athleticism. I wouldn’t pass this up as a hopeful introduction to a career as a rising action star if he so chooses. This could be good!
Photo: Max Thayer & Cynthia Rothrock in “No Retreat, No Surrender 2” (1987)