For this, it is with great pleasure to have been able to share an auspicious chat with Adam Brashaw, someone whose work thusfar in stunts, film and television have been all but impressive. He’s only appeared in The Hit List a few times having done three shortfilms (two of which I have seen), and you need only to see the results for yourself apart from his exceptional work reel just above.
The show is laden with all the necessary parts to make Black an authentic and rich military action and espionage drama with all of the trimmings, including a cast of which many are still either serving or retired. John T. Woods and Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa also star for the show’s limited progressive online roll out, so if you wish to see the episodes, now would be a good time. And feel free to subscribe to the accompanying Facebook page as well.
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 who often risks his own life for the good of his neighborhood. Both shorts released between last year and this year and were tentatively removed as per requirements for their run at Cannes this year. They’re going back up soon, and so we have a compilation trailer now running.
Other trailers include a fight concept from actor and stuntman Alfred Hsing inspired by the Death Note manga and movie franchise, T.C. De Witt’s long-awaited Halo fan film, Fallen and the latest promo from Nathyn Masters for Crashing Darkness.
Trailer SHADOW OF 13 from Madjinn Films on Vimeo.
It’s been a while since I shared any real freerunning and parkour videos, so I thought I’d snag a few for another brief playlist full of snazzy urban tumblers, firstly with a trailer for Omar Zaki‘s channel, along with an update from Jesse LaFlair, a cool gathering of trickers by way of the Ronnie Street Stunts channel, a montage of stunts in Lepzig from the [IF] Crew, and footage from the summer from the Hurgan debut gathering in Mongolia!
And now it’s time to get fighting, and kicking this segment is a nifty little playlist of short test fights. Mykola Galagan starts things off with a robust little samurai bit followed by Joey Min’s latest spectacular testament to epic pillow fighting and Dylan Hintz in a challenge of water bottle etiquette courtesy of DC Stunt Coalition. Rounding out the playlist are fights also featuring Alex Au‘s latest exchange between Kaitlin Hiller and choreographer Joseph Le, a newly edited and isolated CQC scene from a 2011 short courtesy of Dardrex Productions, a stellar piece of high-flying “Evil Kung Fu” fight work by Airon Armstrong, and Cinematic Fight Studio’s newest piece, Roomies.
Now we move on to the longer-form material and first to the list here is the latest from Saudi Arabia-based Stunt Guys titled The Escape, directed by Helal Mohamad. It’s a little loosely produced and it’s entirely in Arabic with no subs, but it serves up a nice little action and comedy experiment with a few noteworthy set pieces and gags, including a woman on a cell phone and a jar of Vaseline (no, this is not that kind of video.). Watch!
Up next is the latest induction from EMC Monkeys in their newest short story centered on a boxer who makes a comeback against a few neighborhood bullies led by Robert Dill.. what a meanie!
Check it out below and don’t forget to support them on Patreon in the description!
The next short hails straight from filmmaker, actor and stuntman Michael Lehr whose career progression remains in training and helping out with various productions. Otherwise, he’s working on his own gems to share with action fans, including his current webseries in conjunction with Fight Factory Stunt Team, VerseS, which marinates our anti-hero, Finn, in a world of poetic violence, justified or not. You be the judge and catch the latest webisode below!
On our way out, Rising Tiger Films has been on a roll this year with the film festivals as they’ve been ramping up their channel on YouTube. As such, we now have their latest short, These Dog Days, making the rounds ahead of its Urban Action Showcase and Expo this November; a short and brutal tale of vengeance with Leroy Nguyen and Daniel Sim in the ring, and Buddy The Dog spectating!
And last but far from least, who knew that a good drink and a pair of sneakers would be the answer to life’s problems? Brian Parker directs Fists of Absinthe アブサンの拳 in association with YouTube Space Tokyo and Quiet Flame Stunts, and starring Chuck Johnson, Kawahata Masahito and Hayakawa Tomoko. Have a brew and enjoy this drunken and feudal tumble through time with ninjas, samurais, and bad teeth!
Wicked. And you know what? The same could absolutely be said for last week’s Hit List, so take it all in if you have time. As for beyond here, link to the channels and show your love and support. And also, if you make kickass action movies and/or have a superb stunt reel that are up to par, share it and send it to us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com!
The equipment involved here all comes from DJI, and best serves as an example of how advancements in camera-operating technology can better meet the needs of today’s generation of filmmakers. I would imagine this is also a cinematographer’s dream that these devices become more practical as tools that are helpful in the creative process, as well as affordable, time-saving and cost-effective, and if this isn’t the case just yet, hopefully it will be, as this latest online gem so demonstrates.
I’m not a part of the gaming culture so video games are a bit alien to me these days. But I do take notice when fans of certain franchises come out of the woodwork to put together some of the most amazing and inspired fan-attributed projects ever to hit the internet. One such case is Ubisoft’s new action adventure game, Watch Dogs, and independent filmmaker Devin Graham has delivered his own inspired take on the popular upcoming product with a brand new parkour-enfused shortfilm now available on his YouTube channel in the embed below.
Featuring freerunners Chris Romrell and Robert Bennett of CBR Stunt Team with comedic actor and YouTube personality Craig Benzine, the new shortfilm was shot on location in Chicago where the actual game takes place. The cinematography is excellent and smooth, and presents a great look at some incredible parkour work done by the performers, especially when it came to the bigger stunts; No CGI or wires involved. These guys put their lives on the line for the love of their craft, and it deserves to be viewed and shared. After all, you know what they say: Sharing is caring.
Check it out below, and don’t forget to watch the ten-minute behind-the-scenes featurette linked at the end (you can also find all the information you need in the description.
UPDATE: You can now watch two trailers for the film, including an international version of the trailer at the very bottom.
The aftermath of late actor Paul Walker continues to draw a bittersweet level of anticipation fans still have a few films to look forward to, one of which includes director Camille Delamarre‘s upcoming action thriller, Brick Mansions, which is getting a theatrical release in Belgium and France on April 23, 2014. Deadline has reported the film’s newly announced North American release date set for April 25, 2014, with freerunning trendsetter and action hero David Belle and actor RZA co-starring.
The film is an English-language revival of Pierre Morrel’s 2004 French freerunning action thriller, Banlieue 13, written by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri for an American audience, and sees Walker reliving one of two lead roles previous played by action star Cyril Raffaelli, as a cop who infiltrates a walled-in ghetto to put an end to a crimelord’s reign of terror with the help of a streetwise insider, played by Belle reprising his old character.
While the good news was that Walker had already finished post-production for his scenes three days before the tragic crash that killed him and friend Roger Rodas, Walker‘s death crippled any chances of the film’s screening and trailer release while the folks at Relativity regrouped to figure out just how to promote the film while honoring Walker’s memory. It appears that those efforts have brought the film one step closer as April draws near, so keep tuned in for more updates on Brick Mansions in the days and weeks ahead.
Meanwhile, Walker is expected to make his final big screen appearance with the April 10, 2015 release of Fast And Furious 7 which is currently filming in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates under helmer James Wan for Universal Pictures.
Looking to kickoff your weekend with a little action and adventure? Well, if you’re a regular subscriber to the official YouTube channel for Flow, you’re pretty much in the right place where you can now catch independent filmmaker, producer, stunt coordinator and USA Parkour founder, Robbie Corbett‘s latest 14-minute crowdfunded action shortfilm, JumpStart.
I don’t get to cover a lot of Parkour and tricking on my site, as much as I should. The kind of things that freerunners are capable of never fail to blow minds, particularly in the case of Flow’s latest video featuring UK freerunner and filmmaker, Toby Segar, who’s been running leaps and bounds since the age of eleven.
Now, at nineteen, it’s safe to say that Segar has become quite exceptional at his craft, something that has turned out to be beneficial for the folks at Parkour clothing apparel company, Take Flight. And with Eminem as the backdrop of this energizing music video, you’ll be sure to grant your Saturday morning a proper start.
Watch the video below, and if you haven’t subscribed to Flow’s YouTube channel yet, waste no further time and subscribe away.
In case the world still hasn’t taken notice, there is an area of the athletic world that aspires to share its community through film and finally make the transition to much bigger feature-length vehicles unlike much of what is seen in Hollywood. For five year freerunning veteran and independent filmmaker, co-writer/producer Robbie Corbett, similar sentiments could not be more clearer for his latest crowdfunded directorial shortfilm debut, JumpStart.