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STILL EVOLVING, STILL FLUNG: An Interview With Malay Kim

Lee B. Golden III

Welp, here we are again! My journey into the lives and aspirations of folks within the online action and independent film community continues, and in somewhat of a timely fashion with the latest release of director Kellie Madison’s newest shortfilm, The Gate. The project is the latest move for its helmer toward a feature film well on the way, and, incidentally, it’s also the latest notch on the belt of success for one of the hardest working people I’ve ever seen perform in independent, often zero-budgeted filmmaking. That person, multifaceted martial artist and filmmaker Malay Kim, comes from one of America’s most prominent and active film and stunt fighting companies to date, the EMC Monkeys. Many may know them from their roots on MySpace (when that was a thing), as well as various stage performances, comic-con events, and even YouTube where they have since been prospering with a steadily growing […]

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THE HIT LIST – April 11, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Greetings everyone, and welcome back to another installation of the Hit List. Lately I’m getting the feeling that the workload here is lightening up a bit – it feels like a bit of a sign that I may be running out of awesome shorts to share and I hope I’m wrong. At any rate, it’s a new week and we’re jamming with some great stuff now online, and we’re kicking things off as usual with a slightly smaller, but fantastic playlist of great stunt reels. First up is a video from a couple of guys behind the martial arts film fighting group, SG Action. Together, they’ve now moved on to something quite special for their own over in Leeds in the UK with the new multifunctional training facility, Level Up, and their latest minisampler highlighting Open Day from a few weeks ago is up and running. Note their official website […]

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THE HIT LIST – March 21, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

I think at some point I may have to give myself an actual weekend to rest and relax. That may mean having to sacrifice a Hit List sometime one of these weeks, but considering all the material that arose in the past week, I couldn’t let this one slide. Alas, welcome back to another installation of The Hit List featuring some of the latest and best in action performance from today’s inspired film actionistas. The first round is always the most fun, and that pertains to some meaty stunt reels now available this week with the first reel via Vimeo with an exhilarating stunt and fight choreography reel by Manu Lanzi. The playlist beneath continues things onward starting with Daryl Prachett with one of four new reels this month on his channel, along with reels from Laurie Singer, Paul Hampshire, Nikki Brower, Darin Hicks and Tyler Buckingham, followed by a new reel […]

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THE HIT LIST – February 15, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Much of my weekend was spent trying to keep up with what’s been happening in Berlin with EFM. Luckily I managed to sequeze in sometime to put together The Hit List as it’s the biggest task I perform every week for you guys, and I hope you enjoy them each and everytime. Let’s get on with it… The first up is a slick new reel from last month and I’m happy to share it here courtesy of Chris Schmidt Jr., followed by Steven Clarke, Fernando Campos, Hans Marrero, KDynamique’s own MaliKick Bouabid, Narayana Cabral, Mami Speéde and D.L. MacDonald. The last reel brings a montage of some of the best and most awesome fight choreography work you will ever see online, courtesy of Vlad Rimburg (Unlucky Stars, Flow Series: The Hunt). Up next in promotional bits, there’s just a few things to mention and first up is a poster for […]

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THE HIT LIST – January 25, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

My weekend started off as a bust on Saturday with that hugely ridic blizzard. The snow here was treacherous and almost impossible and with work in between, I’ve found myself putting this Hit List together late in the evening. Gladly, it’s here now and all is well and normal. As such, we begin this week’s latest entree of stunt and tricking reels with stellar demonstrations by Matt Emig and his latest quartet for a sync tricking session, followed by Sam Parham, Lee Huang, Steffen Jung, Judd Wild, Krista Jasper and Joe Chacon. The last reel in the list comes from fight coordinator Kazu Patrick Tang with scenes cut from his work on the 2013 action thriller, Dragonwolf – The film itself is no hit, but the action itself is worth every second. Push play and enjoy! Next up is an exciting new playlist full of fantastic fight experiments. The first […]

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THE HIT LIST – January 11, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

Welcome back everyone! I hope your weekends were good to all of you. Mine was pretty loaded so I wasn’t bored much, and that included preparing this week’s latest Hit List for you to enjoy with fresh new reels, fights and other stunt gems you’ll hopefully like. By the way, if this is you’re first time here at Film Combat Syndicate, then greetings! I hope you enjoy what you see. Starting things off here is a fresh new playlist of stunt and fighting reels, and I’m starting this one off with an excellent fan video attributed to action star Marko Zaror. Rounding out the playlist are demo reels from stuntwoman Michaela McAllister, Jose “Vertical” Jimenez, Kefi Abrikh, Morgan Benoit, Anna Grjukach, Airon Armstrong, Erin Clyne, Lawrence Nicklin, a fresh new company reel by Lunar Stunts Action Cinema, and seasoned stunt coordinator Alain Figlarz. Up next is a slate of behind […]

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THE HIT LIST – December 14, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

My weekend started off as a really loaded one. But, again, I was determined to squeeze in this week’s round up of amazing experimental fight action and cinematic stuntwork by some of today’s inspired performers… That said, it’s been more than a year since I started conceptualizing these articles as Hit Lists and if you’ve been following us long enough, you already know how this goes: Stunt reels! Alas, you get two Vimeo exclusives from stuntwoman Thekla Hutyrova and fight coordinator Matt Berberi, followed by a YouTube-friendly playlist of fellow stunt performers in the form of an extended reel from martial artist and filmmaker Shaun Charney, and stunt reels by Brandyn T. Williams, famed Batman (1989) double Dave Lea, martial artist Nikki Stanley new reels from filmmakers Tony Diaz and actor Dennis Ruel, and a new 2016 reel by the award-winning martial arts performance troupe, Team Sideswipe. Thekla Hutyrova Action Reel 2015 from Thekla Hutyrova on Vimeo. […]

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F*ck The Rules! Watch The Explosive New Teaser For Kellie Madison’s THE GATE!

Lee B. Golden III

Strange things happen when The Raid 2 co-star Cecep Arif Rahman gets angry. But does actress and martial artist Amy Johnston care? Nope, she just goes all in with kicks to the face of anyone who gets in her way! Yes, it’s the new teaser for director Kellie Madison‘s upcoming nine-minute proof pitch, The Gate. The project is still in post production and as promised on Tuesday, Madison has brought the goddamn thunder this week in an explosive teaser that literally shatters the rules and gives a hardcore ass-kicking, just the way we want it. And yes, you doubters out there can OFFICIALLY eat your words! CASSIE WESTON (played by Amy Johnston) is a world champion fighter and master of the ancient Indonesian martial art form- PENCAK SILAT. When possessed by an angelic force, Cassie gains extraordinary abilities that she uses to fight crime in New Orleans as a super […]

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THE HIT LIST – November 16, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a rather sobering weekend for some around the globe. I’ve personally kept busy with a few things myself to keep my spirits up though, and that included putting this week’s Hit List together, chock-filled with exciting, wacky and dazzling imagery to share, and I sincerely hope this week’s entries do something for you. So, as always to start with the first of the Hit List presents a slew of spectacular stunt reels, but I’m starting this bad boy off in the only way I could this week, and that comes from Hong Kong Cinema superfan Tony Coates with an extensive and well knit montage of career highlights centered on action legend Sammo Hung Kam-Bo. He’s called Big Brother for a reason and you need only look at his work of over fifty-four years and still counting to see why with more from him in store, including choreography on […]

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THE GATE Opens With New Stills And BTS Pics!

Lee B. Golden III

With at least one lead role already in the can with a few more on the way, it’s fair to suggest that martial artist and stuntwoman Amy Johnston is well on her way to becoming a bonafide multi-faceted actress. Watch her shorts online and you’ll instantly see a woman with the gravitas and range of a performer who also happens to be very much capable of doing her own stunts. This is also going to be the case with director Kellie Madison‘s The Gate, a proof pitch which just wrapped last month with Johnston in the role of a gifted champion fighter who uses her angelic powers to preserve her own brand of vigilante justice. And as of Saturday, we can now get a glimpse of just what that looks like with stills and behind the scenes photos now surfacing with Madison herself along with Johnston, young actress Chalet Lizette […]

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THE HIT LIST – November 2, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

Welcome to another installment of The Hit List! This week is a lot lighter in content, which is sort of good for me in that I got to kick back a little more and relax over the weekend – to be honest, I kind of needed it too aftet neglecting myself last weekend what with all that’s happening in Indonesia as of late. At any rate, it’s time to get the show going because this has week’s plate is FULL to the hilt! First on our list of priorities are some brand new stunt reels and a video dedicated to a very special someone who passed away last month. The first player below features a list of stunt and action reels by Ed Bossert, Johann Ofner, Kamen Casey, Adair Moran, Hannah Betts, Philippe Vonlanthen, Josh Romeo, Marc David, an intense and dramatic reel from filmmaker Ben Ramsey which also includes alluring […]

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THE HIT LIST – October 19, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

Time to get the ball rolling this week for a brand new Hit List, one with ample music, energy and most importantly, some of the best action ever shot on film. This week is a little light, but a guaranteed crowdpleaser nonetheless… So sit back and relax, and keep the play button handy. As always, we’re kicking things off with a nifty playlist of cool stunt and training reels from some of todays hardworking stuntmen and coordinators. Former adult entertainer Celine Tran sets the tone properly after bursting into 2015 in solid action actress fashion, now with a reel this season courtesy of Vimeo. Following beneath is a playlist host to reels by Yokoyama Kazuhiro, Simu Lim, Kelly Phelan, David Le, Eugene Bonislavsky, Adam Gomez, and Team Bokator – the people behind Jimmy Henderson’s latest Cambodian vigilante actioner, Hanuman, and the latest training and choreography extension of German action auteur, […]

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THE HIT LIST – October 5, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

Last week’s Hit List was crazy-loaded with fight gems. Incidentally, there are a few that I missed in the last few weeks and I’m more than happy to include those as well, and I’ll be throwing in at least one throwback in here that I felt compelled to share. For now though, we’re getting this party started with a playlist of stunt and demo reels courtesy of Tom Yum Goong 2 co-star and actress Wanwan Kittisiriprasert, stunt performers Mykola Galagan, Kate Petersen, Mirkos Radas, Harley Davis, Alan Delabie, Lunar Stunts Action Cinema with a cool new Hapkido choreo reel, Wushu stylist Stephanie Lim and industry stunt and fight coordinator by Byran Forrest. Now that that’s done, it’s time to throw down for a bit, and I have at least one noteworthy mention from a few years ago I’d like to mention. But first, actor and stunt coordinator Geo Corvera put together a […]

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A Killer Strikes In The New Trailer For BOB THUNDER: INTERNET ASSASSIN

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Joe Nation is on a mission to get famous, but what’s he to do when his plan backfires? This is a question he’ll be answering in the latest upcoming release of his online action comedy, Bob Thunder: Internet Assassin! SYNOPSIS: Joe Nation wants to go viral on YouTube and reach Internet fame. But things take a turn for the worse when he mistakenly hires Bob Thunder, a cold-blooded killer, to help him. The film is host to a slew of online YouTube stars including Olga Kay, Chester See, Bootleg Universe’s Adi Shankar and many more with fight choreography by none other than the EMC Monkeys who also co-star. Tickets and pre-orders are now up and running on FilmOn ahead of the film’s release on October 27. Watch the trailer below and embrace the mullet-wearing madness!

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 […]

THE HIT LIST – September 7, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

The Hit List is back this week once more with some more new reels and gems, as well as some great new and exclusve insight and imagery with the fall festivals kicking off after this week. For this, I can certainly promise there will be MUCH more to share in the weeks and months ahead. For now, there’s only one way I’m starting off this Hit List: Stunt reels aplenty! Actress Mayling Ng gets this week’s stunt reel playlist started with a weapons showcase, sampling a taste for viewers who will soon see her next year in Chris Nahon’s action thriller, Lady Bloodfight starring Amy Johnston. The playlist rounds it all out with an updated reel by Brett Easton, and new reels by Karine Mauffrey, Cole Petty, Jake Eavey, Nick deKay, Donny Nichols, Jessica Erin Bennett, a two-part showreel completed this week by Taiwanese stuntman Scott Hung, and the latest […]

THE HIT LIST – August 31, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

This week’s Hit List was an absolute blast to help put together. We’ve got new action shorts and reels of all kinds to snack on this week in addition to some brief updates on major projects that are forthcoming! For now though, let’s face it: The only way I’m starting off this Hit List is if I do it with one of the most popular videos online to date, and if you’re a Jason Statham fan, you’ll understand. It’s a supercut of every single punch Statham has ever thrown. Ever. And it needs no further introduction than that. Beneath that will be the week’s stunt playlist with a slew of action, stunt and training reels by Noah Fleder, Awaken star Natalie Burn, stuntman Djibril Newik Chase, independent filmmaker Shahaub Roudbari, Mirkos Radas, John Renyolds, Uros Certic, Amiee Zannoni, Cornered webseries co-star, actor Bobby Hernandez and action actor Angel Vasquez. Now […]

THE HIT LIST – August 3, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

There weren’t a lot of new stunt reels to host this week – I share a lot of them anyway so I wouldn’t really be surprised if I covered every working stunt professional who had a reel. ? Still though, I have a few gems to share in this week’s Hit List which also grants us a look at a small variety of some upcoming independent projects, as well as the usual assortment of exciting independent fight action that goes out in epic fashion, and a little something special end! Toby Fuller, James Mowat, Benjamin Redic II and Jenna Hellmuth outline this week’s playlist of stunt performers with fantastic reels, in addition to an awesome featurette by stuntwoman Cheryl “In Action” Lewis, on location in Jersey City, New Jersey back in June to rappell 480 feet down a building in the name of fighting cancer. Check out the goods! Getting into […]

THE HIT LIST – June 1, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

Another big week has rolled by for some more amazing feats of independent action for domestic and international, with at least a few gems lending a spotlight to longstanding thespians respective to their own bases. These Hit Lists are always so loaded with content so I hope you are all able to keep up, too. That said, let’s get the show going here with some notable fight, stunt and tricking reels in the following embedded playlist, and a few of these are quite the favorites among some fans out there. Jessie Graff‘s most recent reel came out in April and so I’ve finally caught up with it myself, in addition to many more performers, including Katie Kramer, Esther Ballesteros, Michael Lehr, Goran Stjepanovic, Matt Mullins, Peter Jang, Aaron Toney, Jordan Okubo, the EMC Monkeys and the amazingly talented Celine Tran in a beautiful sword performance video from Godefroy Ryckewaert (if you’d like […]

EMC Monkeys Presents: 돌려차기 2 (SPIN KICK 2)

Lee B. Golden III

Michael Lehr and Tim Park in the K-drama-infused action short, Spin Kick 2 In 2004, Cinema Service released writer and director Nam Sang-guk’s coming-of-age martial arts drama, Spin Kick, a story about a high school gang forced to join their school’s martial arts team in preparation for the next National Taekwondo Competition at the behest of their principal to avoid jail time. The film is fan fave for many who enjoy their fair share of Korean cinema, including independent filmmaker, martial artist, action director and EMC Monkeys team member Malay Kim who was inspired to attribute his newest shortfilm to Nam’s movie in the form of Spin Kick 2. As usual for the EMC Monkeys, the project brings a little something different and fresh, with Kim‘s adherence to some of the elements that often make Korean cinema what it is. “I have aspirations of becoming a director, so I wanted […]