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Say Hello To The Bat-Man In A New Photo From THE RAID 2: BERANDAL!

Meet Baseball Bat Man played by the amazingly talented @mpe_very – follow him & say nice things 🙂 #TheRaid2Berandal http://t.co/b3XPxJlZ3D — Gareth Evans (@ghuwevans) September 23, 2013 Director Gareth Huw Evans has taken to twitter to finally unveil the actor who would play the brother to actress Julie Estelle‘s “Hammer Girl”. Actor Very Tri Yulisman can now be seen available via twitter donning his deadly weapon of choice in the upcoming blockbuster action-packed sequel thriller, tentatively titled The Raid 2: Berandal. The photo also comes with news bearing pending poster art from graphic designer and Twitchfilm.com writer Omar Hauksson, in addition to Evans’ shameless tease about the final fight to take place, telling followers “Sorry I never normally do this, but fuck me the final fight is pretty fucking awesome! Great work by @iko_uwais and… no spoilers here :)”. A fan poster was released several months ago before wrapping in […]

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THE BIG LEAP: My Interview With Martial Arts Action Cinema Superstar TONY JAA

Tony Jaa Short Reel Demo August 2013 Check out Tony’s new Official Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/officialtonyjaa from Michael Selby on Vimeo. In 2003, the world was blown away with excitement as martial arts action cinema leveled up its game with a seemingly new player on the field. Straight from the Surin province of Isan in Thailand, Tony Jaa trained hard to be an athlete as well as an entertainer, taking big hits to make even bigger hits on the big screen, performing amazing feats of some of the most death-defying martial arts action sequences and stunts ever seen on screen. I remember the first time I saw the trailer for Ong Bak, and I’m pretty sure the world shifted a few inches with the amount of jaws that dropped. It was beautiful and I, among many, couldn’t wait to flood the theater to see it. And with his success, Tony was […]

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Eric Lim Does Tokusatsu In SECONDARY EDUCATION

Following up his previous masterpiece, The Forge, is independent film actor Eric Lim in the role of an original Tokusatsu action comedy titled Secondary Education. Filmed between five days in July of last year while on location in at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhes, New Jersey, the short film sees independent filmmaker Jon Truei directing behind the camera with Lim in the role of Eugene Yamamoto, a high school science teacher forced to live two-lives in a single day between dealing with three kids stuck in detention, and battling actor Jae Greene (Maximum Impact) as the villainous Clawster. Secondary Education, now available through YOMYOMF’s YouTube portal, shows tons of spectacle and inventiveness and is well worthy of a look or two from a filmmaker who continuing to make great strides in 2013. Action director Joey Min created the spectacle for oft film partner, Truei who also co-wrote with Max […]

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Watch Two Bulgarians In Suits Beat Each Other Up In MANTIS

Currently available online for viewing couple of YouTube vids as part of a mini-project by a small group of independent filmmaking stunt performers from Bulgaria. Thematically speaking, it is a “Kung Fu vs. Karate” mini-series that doesn’t explore either martial arts style, but points to an underlying joke that carries over at the end of each episode. The first, Crane, one was released back in July with K.K. Kostadinov and Hristan Hristov, joined by fellow martial arts performer Dacio Caballero, of which you can view two different versions HERE and HERE. The newest episode, Mantis, was filmed a month later in August and is available in the embed below where you can also subscribe for more content.

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Ninja 2 Cinematographer Ross Clarkson Re-Launches Campaign For HAMMER-ON

ACS and HKSC certified cinematographer Ross Clarkson has some powerful backing for his credentials as an astute professional at shooting action. His latest feature-length work under director Isaac Florentine, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear is earning some top notch reviews after its premiere on Friday night at Fantastic Fest, in front of a select audience representing but a mere portion of a much larger fanbase awaiting the film’s release. That said, back in April, Clarkson launched a brand new, ambitious effort to get his own feature-length action thriller off the ground titled Hammer-On, joined by actor Byron Gibson, and several select stunt professionals familiar with the production of Ninja 2, including up-and-coming actor and professional stunt coordinator, Brahim Achabbakhe. Since then, Clarkson had to put those plans on the backburner to work in Bulgaria for director Renny Harlin’s latest 3D epic action adventure, Hercules: The Legend Begins. And over time, […]

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George Johnston Takes Out Two Armed Cops In New Mini-Fight Short, HYBRID

35 years martial arts veteran, 14-year instructor and aspiring actor and fight choreographer George Johnston took to the web on Saturday to share a small gem he worked on with a fellow instructor and student from his Glasgow school, Hybrid Academy. Shot a few weeks ago, his latest mini project, Hybrid showcases a small taste of what he teaches at his school, on par with his own vision for action direction and stunt fighting. The project is his third stint at screenfighting and choreography since last year, having previously coordinated the stuntwork in the 2012 shortfilm release, Rough House starring actress, martial artist, stunt performer, fellow Hybrid Academy instructor and avid Bruce Lee fan, Mandy Bhari. The clip is very short at about a minute and a half, shot just a few weeks ago well under an hour, but remains nothing short of convincing that with the right crew, budget […]

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Ninja 2 Producer Frank DeMartini Confirms UNDISPUTED 4 At Fantastic Fest

According to an update from Fantastic Fest via Twitch, film producer Frank DeMartini responded to a fan question on Friday night regarding the currently developing fourth installment of the Undisputed franchise, by saying the following (click the link for the full context): “The Undisputed 4 script is being written right now by David White and it should shoot in the spring. Unless Scott wants too much money.” The answer came from a Q&A panel that acconpanied the festival premiere of director Isaac Florentine’s latest action thriller, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, starring Scott Adkins and actress Mika Hiji, all of whom appeared for the Friday night panel, in front of an attending crowd. Also sitting in attendance among the audience members was actor and Undisputed 3: Redemption co-star Marko Zaror, to whom Adkins and Florentine expressed their hopes to work with him again in the near future. Zaror currently stars in the […]

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YEAR ONE: A Word From Yours Truly

I kinda have to thank Jackie Chan for sorta being the root of this. It’s kinda his fault, lol. Back in 2007, I took interest in starting a blog that would put me in direct touch with a branch of the industry that garnered my interest in action movies, the independent scene. This interest was ultimately driven by my enjoyment of films from groups like Zero Gravity, The Stunt People, VJ Films, Montanick Puctures, Persistence Of Vision, Whirlwind Action and Jabronie Pictures, etc. and I knew that by contacting indie filmmakers I felt I could lean into something I felt wasn’t getting a lot of attention. So I went to this site called freehostia.com and started a free-trial offer that would allow me to build up content until I decided to purchase that particular domain, provided that I would have the money. And by then, I had already interviewed a […]

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It's Sly VS Arnold In A New Clip For THE ESCAPE PLAN

It's Sly VS Arnold In A New Clip For THE ESCAPE PLAN

JoBlo has a new clip on its channel featuring blockbuster Hollywood action heroes Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in director Mikael Håfström‘s upcoming prison break thriller, The Escape Plan. The clip pretty much speaks for itself, with Stallone playing a prison architect framed and thrown into a maximum security facility of his own design, opposite Schwarzenegger‘s character as the prison’s most respected inmate, devising an intricate plan to escape the world’s most inescapable prison under control by a ruthless warden. Stallone is currently filming The Expendables 3 in Bulgaria, and with Schwarzenegger also set to appear, action fans are guaranteed to get their fair share of the two highly favored stars on the big screen between now and next year. In the meantime, catch them below, and click HERE for two new TV spots available at IAmRogue. And go see the film when it is released in North America on October […]

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It's A One-Handed, Face-Breaking, Knuckle-Bleeding Bashfest In The New Brutal Action Short, RIGHT-HANDED

Coming off of a busy summer of online action hits like the explosive miniseries, The Hunt, this week’s latest gem comes courtesy of independent filmmaker and action director Vlad Rimburg‘s new online miniseries, Right-Handed. Based on an original concept by actor and professional screenfighter Gui DaSilva, the project was a year in the making, taking Rimburg into a vision that is quite different than most of us have seen over the years, briefly bringing indie action performer Tyler Williams on board with DaSilva and actor and fellow veteran indie action star Tony Chu.  As always, Rimburg single-handedly (see what I did there?) gets the job done delivering innovative fight choreography with DaSilva and Chu, shown in the blisteringly powerhouse performances by the two actors. Today’s release also grants the gift of seeing Chu back in action, being a member of the premiere action team that started the worldwide culture of […]

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Watch A New Trailer And Behind The Scenes Featurette For THE WRATH OF VAJRA

This week, fans got to see a brand new trailer featurette to help promote the upcoming September 24, 2013 3D premiere of The Wrath Of Vajra. There aren’t any subtitles available for the featurette, but according to several translational efforts from people on my end, it shows the following with director Law Wing Cheong discussing the three opponents lead actor Xing Yu faces in the film, played by Jiang Baocheng, Nam “Poppin” Hyun-Joon and Steve Yoo Seung-Joon. Yoo goes on to describe his character saying “My character has very strong beliefs and will do anything for them.” with Law adding “Yoo’s character is very interesting. He wants Iron Curtain and Crazy Ape to beat Vajra but at the same time he’d rather them lose so he can fight Vajra himself.” Yu shares his interpretation of the rivalry discussing how both his and Yoo’s character are, in a way, “princes and […]

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ROBOCOP Goes IMAX In 2014!

Thursday’s press release for director José Padilha‘s latest reboot for RoboCop mark the first time the character will be introduced through the modern advancements fortified in IMAX technology since the cybernetic law enforcer was first introduced to its R-rated movie-loving audience in 1987. A lot of people still have their doubts about this one, seeing as how the latest trailer likely invokes the film’s highly criticized PG-13 look, although it is also earning some early optimism, especially since the footage was first revealed for onlookers at the San Diego Comic Con which likely grants the film’s new approach to the story a little more exciting and worth the price of a ticket than some may choose to believe. Not to mention, being number one on YouTube for a second-straight week in a row doesn’t sounds so bad either, although hopefully, the promotional efforts won’t fall short on this one, lest […]

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A Cast In Black Highlights The New Photo From FAST AND FURIOUS 7

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Post by Vin Diesel. Actor Vin Diesel has unveiled a new set photo from the current production for Universal Pictures’ July 11, 2014 release of Fast And Furious 7. The photo is the first of a few to be released via the actor’s Facebook page since the film began principal photography in Atlanta, Georgia roughly a week ago as per its storyline, which sees our main cast of heroes on wheels back in Los Angeles following the climatic events in the blockbuster Furious 6. Diesel will be joined by Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Tony Jaa, Djimon Hounsou and Lucas Black, with Bollywood swapping actress Deepika Padukone with actor Ali Fazal in […]

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Updates On Thomas Eikrem's Epic Noir Action Thriller, LE ACCELERATOR!

If you’ve been with Film Combat Syndicate long enough, you might recall back in May when Denmark-native actor, martial artist and screenfighter David Sakurai shared a one-take action project with 360 Stunts and director Phillip Pedersen to help illustrate his shift away from dramatic roles and back into working with action and screenfighting projects. Since then, Sakurai‘s efforts have paid off, with at least two films on the way, including the gritty crime thriller, Le Accelerator. Interest came a few years ago when Norwegian filmmaker Thomas Eikrem met Sakurai and discussed doing a something creative for a “timeless” martial arts movie. Fast forward to October of 2012 and Eikrem is joined by a Sakurai and cast and crew shooting in black and white in Super 8mm film on location in Copenhagen, London and Marrakech. Judging by some of the pictures on the official website, the film already looks quite appealing, and with […]

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HERCULES: THE LEGEND BEGINS Reigns Next Month At NEW YORK COMIC-CON 2013

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Post by Hercules – The Legend Begins. The official Facebook page for Hercules: The Legend Begins has announced new footage to be hosted by a special panel New York Comic-Con. Fomerly titled Hercules 3D, the film will see actor Kellan Lutz breaking further away from his Twilight role and into total mainstream action stardom, made continual from his appearance in films such as Arena, Java Heat and the upcoming August 2014 release of helmer Patrick Hughes’ The Expendables 3. Hercules: The Legend Begins is a Millenium Films production and also stars Scott Adkins, Spartacus star Liam McIntyre, and Ray Donovan co-star Johnathon Schaech. Gaia Weiss, Roxanne McKee, Liam Garrigan, Rade Serbedzijan and Luke Newberry round out the cast from a script written by Daniel Giat, Giulio Steve […]

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Fast Action And Zany Comedy In The New Project21 Indie Short, MAXIMUM IMPACT

Independent filmmaker Jason Heffner is readying to premiere his latest shortfilm, Maximum Impact, at the International House Philadelphia on September 29, 2013. The film is a short action comedy produced under Heffner’s film company, Drop The Hat Productions for the Project 21 film contest in Philidelphia, and illustrates a wacky action comedy about an ex-Navy Seal living a typical boring life until he finds himself “activated” when two bumbling would-be assassins try to kill him. I spoke to Heffner this week who described a little more about what drew him to the shortfilm, telling Film Combat Syndicate, “My goal with Maximum Impact was to make an in-your-face explosive FUN movie.” He also expanded on the requirements for the Project 21 Film Festival in accordance with the conceptualization of the shortfilm, which also happens to be his 7th entry for this year’s events, saying “Each team signs up and makes a […]

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Ron Smoorenburg Touts New Set Pic From SKIN TRAFFIK

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Post by Ron Smoorenburg. Actor and martial arts impressario Ron Smoorenburg has shared a set photo on his Facebook page for the upcoming 2014 release of the upcoming assassin’s redemption thriller, Skin Traffik. The film, written and directed by Ara Paiaya, made headlines in August announcing its official epic cast list set to include the names mentioned in Smoorenburg’s photo, along with actors Jeff Fahey and Eric Roberts, and other cast members.Since the film is now moving forward with promotion as Smoorenburg states, I only suspect there may be some poster art and a teaser in the coming months. So stay tuned for more information as it arrives. In the meantime, you can follow the film on Twitter.Smoorenburg recently appeared in a new shortfilm […]

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Watch The Final Trailer For TOM YUM GOONG 2

Sahamongkol Film International has unveiled the final trailer on Wednesday for Prachya Pinkaew‘s latest epic action thriller, Tom Yum Goong 2. Several banners and character posters promoting the film were released over the past month in keeping with the anticipation from fans who have been following the film as of its announcement a few years ago. And despite the time it took to complete production, the film is still poised to bring even more large scale action and spectacle to audiences faithful to international action star Tony Jaa, and the dynamic cast joining him, including returning actor Petchai Wongkamlao, actor RZA, actress Ratha Phongarm, acclaimed action Thai action stars Jija Yanin and Dan Chupong, and rising martial arts actor Maresse Crump. And to top it all off, Pinkaew is delivering it all on a silver platter in pure 3D tastiness come October 23, 2013. Without question, I sincerly hope that […]

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Check Out The New Trailer For Russian Fantasy Epic, DARK WORLD: EQUILIBRIUM

Russian film production studio Central Partnetship unveiled its newest trailer for Oleg Asadulin‘s upcoming fantasy adventure, Dark World: Equilibrium. The film is a sequelization of the 2010 feature, Dark World, previously helmed by Anton Megerdichev, which is reportedly noted as Russia’s first-ever 3D feature film. Based on a story and script by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko, Dark World: Equilibrium is described as a story about one woman’s role in the ultimate battle to sustain universal balance between Earth and the evil forces of the dark world threatening to destroy it. In comparison, co-star Pavel Priluchny describes it as “a fantasy for those who love riddles”. Mmmkay. After several months of production, the film wrapped in October of last year and saw its first teaser back in January with a first English-subbed trailer back in August that followed. Twitch recently featured this month’s new trailer on its site, making the rounds, […]

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Watch A New Bloody Red-Band Trailer For MACHETE KILLS

IGN posted the new trailer for Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming October 11, 2013 release of Machete Kills. By far, it’s the sickest, most relentless trailer available for the film, promising loads of action, spectacle, wit, and gritty grindhouse gore to cater to fans of the iconic character that first popped up in trailer-only footage several years ago. Machete Kills stars Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba reprising their roles from the first film, along with Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Carlos Estevez, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Demián Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr., William Sadler, Mario Zaror and The Expendables 3 co-star Mel Gibson. The film is expected to hit Fantastic Fest later this month. SYNOPSIS: In MACHETE KILLS, Danny Trejo returns as ex-Federale agent MACHETE, who is recruited by the President of the United States for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man – he […]

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