david vuong

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ECHO 8 Review: A Lean, Inspiring DIY Psych Action Drama With A Beating Heart

Echo 8 is currently circulating festivals and will screen this Spring as part of the “Badlands” series at The Art Gallery of New South Wales. Click here for more info, and ollow the movie on Facebook for future updates. I’ve been writing about Maria Tran for about as long as I’ve been… well… writing. Her 2013 action comedy short with Adrian Castro, Hit Girls, was a fine catch at the time and provided ample introduction for me to the kind of artist and performer Tran is, further highlighting her caliber as a film creative with a number of short film projects, and often collaborating with fellow independent film cohort Castro in the process, along with select television projects and a few feature film appearances to top off her resumè nicely in the meantime. Such credits include working with the likes of legendary producer Roger Corman on Antony Szeto’s Fist Of […]

ECHO 8 Scores A Trio Of Character Posters For Maria Tran’s Action Feature Debut

Lee B. Golden III

Three new visuals are online for the production of Maria Tran’s feature debut, Echo 8. Principal photography commences in January in Western Sydney, Australia with Tran directing her first feature, in addition to starring. From Tran’s Phoenix Eye independent company, Echo 8 centers on a highly trained assassin who finds herself in a strange house with no memories of how she got there, in the wake of a specialized mission gone awry; Think: Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown by way of Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. “This will be my first directorial debut of an actioner and a shoe string budget production but with an amazing cast & crew.” said Tran in a Facebook post on Monday. “This production is fueled by the input of the independent artist community of Sydney and with the contributions of our international talents and it feels great to just make films because we can!” Elizabeth […]

ECHO 8: Maria Tran, Phoenix Eye Fast Track Independent Psych Action Thriller For January Production

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Maria Tran took to social media on Sunday to announce pre-production on upcoming psychological action thriller, Echo 8. Tran will star and make her feature directorial debut, as well as head a cast that also includes local actors Takashi Hara and David Vuong. Echo 8 centers on a highly trained assassin who finds herself in a strange house with no memories of how she got there, in the wake of a specialized mission gone awry; Think: Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown by way of Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. Script is currently in the last stages of development with screenwriter Elizabeth H. Vu (Mr. Ghost, The Perception) finalizing the latest draft. The self-funded project hails from Tran’s Phoenix Eye banner where she and cohorts Therese Chen and Nancy Trieu have been working on their film slate with a number of titles, in addition to journeying between locations to share in […]

THE HIT LIST: July 2, 2018

Lee B. Golden III

There are good things on the horizon for Film Combat Syndicate, and I can’t wait to show you. That’s all I can say right now, so I hope you will all follow along. From L to R (top): John Cihangir, Jesse Liskola, Bridgette Bentley, Jon Alagoa, Brian Monk From L to R (bottom): Alex Meglei, C.C. Weske, Yoshi Sudarso, Kayla Radomski, Josh Chavez In the meantime, The Hit List is back with another rousing installment for fans of action films and a deep appreciation for the stunt performers and action actors that make it all possible. We begin with another spectacular weekly playlist of stunt and action performance reels with entries from DeVille Vannik, Dominique Smith, Brian Host, Kate Angus, Talin Chat, Sergi Subito, Mami Speede Ito, Patrick Chan, Geo Corvera and Danny Rowe, and a powerful Emmy 2018 entry for Best Stunt Coordination for AMC’s Into The Badlands, edited […]

THE INNER CIRCLE: A Word With HUNT FOR HIROSHI Director Sam Gosper

Lee B. Golden III

Watching slews of shortfilms continues to put me in the throes of many a filmmaker, and one such individual has since graced me with a fabulous project several years in the making. Enter Circle Of Ninja, a title with franchise potential based on the inner-workings of Resilient Pictures and martial arts stunt and film group, Team 9 Lives over in Australia where aspiring filmmaker Sam Gosper is still laying out the framework for this latest foray into the genre. Thus, first on deck of his Circle Of Ninja franchise is Hunt For Hiroshi, a new shortfilm now making the rounds among private eyes before heading to the Cannes Film Festival in May. I had the opportunity to screen the shortfilm my self last month, and I stand by my review proudly under the distinct notion that it’ll certainly be a feat worth enjoying should this awesome project be granted the necessary […]

Shortfilm Review: HUNT FOR HIROSHI (2016)

Lee B. Golden III

Spend enough time on social media browsing posts about ninjas and movies and you’re bound to come across posts regarding… well, ninja movies. It’s a subgenre that still generates fervor among martial arts fans today, and even enough to garner interest in aspiring film professionals these days. Moreover, it’s a fact that now leaves us with the stylings of filmmaker Sam Gosper representing Australia with his Circle Of Ninja film series beginning with his newest shortfilm debut, Hunt For Hiroshi. Actor Abe Taki kicks off this latest introduction to Gosper’s vision as the title villain – a former ninja himself whose ascention into crime boss status makes him the prime target of former clan and brother-in-arms, Hisashi (David Vuong). With Hiroshi hiding in recluse and Hisashi closing in, all that stands between Hisashi and his target is Dale (Laurent Boiteux), the relentless tactical unit leader in Hiroshi’s employ whose job […]