daren nop

THE HIT LIST – October 26, 2015

This weekend was another rough one… safe to say I need two of me. Nevertheless, I’m committed to the Hit List this week and have delivered the goods, the high falls, the hard-hitters and all! Right now, we kick things off like we always do, and that’s with the stunt players and demo reels of their own. Watch the latest from Alexandre Gay, Jennifer Li, Sam Slater, Pablo Verdejo, Kadia Saraf, Jesse Haus, Alessandro Romeo, Felix Quinton, Moe Alafrangy and Taz Garcia, as well as an illustrious Darth Maul-inspired lightsaber demo conjured by actor and martial artist Aaron Gassor. Up next, as always, we have a small list of test fights that I found worth sharing. The first comes courtesy of filmmaker Bryan Sloyer who dazzled us earlier this year with an amazing action short called The Keeper. He’s got a new BTS video for that project you can view […]

THE HIT LIST: September 21, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

Off the heels of my most recent three year anniversary piece, I sit here writing this at the wonder of seeing so much content floating online. I feel proud to share it all in my weekly Hit List and I sincerely hope it further benefits everyone I share… …and that includes those currently comprising this week’s entries, starting off with a meaty playlist full of stunt and tricking montages. First up is a drone-shot view of a recent Battle Of Fury 2015 tricking gathering thanks to lensman Nick Marino, with a slate of reels hosted by Trevor Logan, and a finshing round of female talent with Haley Wright, Cheri Haight, Amy Lynn Tuttle, Deanna Graci and PeiPei Alena Yuan all showing out their best. As for trailers, quite a few are circulating right now including Daren Nop’s latest short film twofer, Shadow Of 13, the story of a homeless man […]

Paris’s Unsung Hero Returns! Watch SHADOWS OF 13: PART II Starring Daren Nop!

Lee B. Golden III

Director Godefroy Ryckewaert‘s 2014 action-packed shortfilm, Shadows Of 13 proved to be one of the most exhilarating and poignant pieces of work I have ever seen, if I may say so myself. It certainly drew some happy tears for me by the end and if you have seen it, you might get an idea as to what I mean. That said, hopefully you HAVE seen it already, because Ryckewaert is back this month with Shadows Of 13: Part II, and while it plays slightly more thinly on the narrative of its predecessor as more characters are added, we also get more ground covered with a story that promises a lovely share of compelling drama with tons of impressive action by the cast. French/Cambodian actor, martial artist and stuntman Daren Nop returns to the lead role in a tale of stoic, self-sacrificial heroism which pits a young homeless man with unique […]

Godefroy Ryckewaert Presents: SHADOWS OF 13

Lee B. Golden III

Independent filmmaker, martial artist and stuntman Godefroy Ryckewaert is starting to have an affect on me. I first wrote about him late last year and he’s beginning to stand out more and more with each project. This time around, he’s collaborated with select members of France-based Casade Demo Team for their newest shortfilm, Shadows Of 13. Martial artist and actor Daren Nop stars in his first ever shortfilm role on top of writing the story and script, as well as designing the action sequences and stunts. However, there is more here than just watching an amazing display of martial arts action, and it comes with a damn good story setup. Shadows Of 13 is a terrific character study on heroism, and the importance of never taking an act of kindness for granted. It’s one of the best online action pieces I have ever seen and I never thought it would […]