independent films

ACTIONFLIX.COM: Roel Reine Announces Launch Of Independent Action Cinema And Genre Film Hub

Director Roel Reine has been doing a little more than making movies, it appears. The Redbad director now has a new global broadcasting platform ready to accommodate creatives around the world with the launch of ActionFlix, and judging by the name alone we already know just who this platform is targeting. The launch will occur in two phases while Reine will surely be including his own films as the announcement details below. And this isn’t just for the top-tier crowd of filmmakers as up-and-comers can even submit their own projects as well. In an age where Hollywood action movies take the reigns over the struggling independent scene, burgeoning creatives will finally get to share in the momentum as well. Read on below the graphic! ACTIONFLIX.COM – FOR GENRE FILMMAKERS AROUND THE WORLD. Los Angeles – May 16, 2018 Dear Filmmaker, ACTIONFLIX.COM will be a Global Streaming Broad-caster specializing in independent […]

DEVIANT PERSPECTIVES: If Looks Could Kill…

DEVIANT PERSPECTIVES: If Looks Could Kill...

“Well, pumpkins, looks like it’s the age-old dilemma. Style… or substance.” – VIDA BOHEME Peter Lawton In my time, I’ve watched quite few indie action projects, hundreds if not thousands by now and there is always something that sticks out about most of them, something that just didn’t sit well with me. It’s only in the last year that I finally was able to pinpoint this flaw as it were, as I continued to expand my own skillset as a filmmaker. That flaw is a lack of Visual Theme. As an Indie filmmaker, having a visual style, a particular way of creating a film, is really important because style is visual information and we as artists work in a visual medium. This is known as “Mise En Scene” or “Visual Theme” in traditional filmmaking and it’s something I wish more indie action filmmakers took seriously. Too often, indie action films […]

THE BLACKER THE ‘BETTY’, THE SWEETER THE ‘HONEY’: A Word With Filmmaker Nicholas Ortiz And Dance Wunderkind, Actress Krystal “Honey” Pizarro

Lee B. Golden III

L to R: Luis Candelario, Krystal “Honey” Pizarro, Nicholas Ortiz, Christopher Montague, Grace Rivera, Hector Soria Deep in the deluge of all the online action shortfilms you can find, there’s a ample number of beginners who are either just starting or have quite a ways to go. At the end of the day though, its desired effect upon delivery rests on a handful of key factors – most prolifically being a director who knows and understands the genre, as well as the mechanics that entail. Nicholas Ortiz, born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, comes from that very comprehensive DNA, instilled long before Blockbuster outlets became a thing, and engrained with an inherent interest in household movie favorites – bookended by an action horror comedy classic. “My cousin Jeppy walked into her living room with a tape in her hand and said ‘You guys need to see […]

It's Mario's World In Corridor Digital's Latest, POWERED UP!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s always good to see fresh and new stuff from Corridor Digital’s Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer. Heavily action oriented, the two filmmakers have a great knack for blending their visual style and creativity with overall knowledge of popular entertaining culture, translating it all into a series of gems that continue to grant them their growing audience. And this week, the trend continues with their latest independent piece of cinematic shortfilm awesomeness, Powered UP! featuring Nintendo mainstay Mario fighting for his most treasured power-ups against your favorite game character: Assassin Kenway, Lara Croft and Master Chief… and a giant hungry piranha plant. Benji Dolly stars as your favorite plumber along with performers Shane Daniels, Joanna Sotomura, Jake Watson, respectively. Subscribe to the channel below, and as always, follow them HERE and HERE.

The Battle For Survival Begins In The New Trailer For LAST GIRL STANDING

Lee B. Golden III

I waited a while to hear back from award-winning filmmaker Kentaro Yamagishi about an independent short film he recently made called Last Girl Standing (a.k.a. End Girl), based on a screenplay by Kubota Ayat and produced by Kazunori Maeda. Some Google Translate work helped me understand a little bit about this film, which looks very compelling. Unfortunately, he and I did talk much, but I am in touch with him, so hopefully I can learn more from him about this particular film as it is looking toward its next one-week theatrical run at the Shibuya Auditorium in Tokyo from July 6, 2013 through July 12. Based on what I have been able to interpret (and for anyone who can understand Japanese better than I can, click HERE if you want to learn more), the film is one of two movies that are making the rounds in Japan’s film festival circuit […]

Johnny Yang Emits Demonic Kung Fu Kicks In New EMC Short, BRIEFCASE

Lee B. Golden III

It seems like whenever the EMC Monkeys put out a new shortfilm, they always step it up. All you have to do is subscribe to their YouTube channel and see for yourself. Everything from paying ohmage to video games and beloved Japanese manga/film titles to Nerf guns and super slow-mo surrealism, the EMC Monkeys don’t just perform choreography. They bring a sense of visual spectacle and stimulation that make your eyes pop out when you least expect it. I mean, seriously, how many kung fu professionals do you know emit badass black dust clouds from their technique like that? Tell me. If you can, then congratulations, you have just won the internet. 🙂 Either way, the creativity we are seeing from the monkeys seems virtually boundless, as can be seen in their latest shortfilm, Briefcase, with EMC members Johnny Yang, Malay Kim and Tony Sre, with Paolo Ongkeko behind the […]

Four-Part Webseries “SLUG STREET SCRAPPERS” Ends Its First Season With Episode Three

Lee B. Golden III

The official Facebook page for Whirlwind Action has just made its latest announcement regarding the first season of Slug Street Scrappers: Bittersweet news:Due to repeat scheduling issues with multiple performers, Slug Street Scrappers 3 will be the final episode of the first series. There might be a new Scrappers series in the future, but for now, we plan to go out with a bang with Slug Street Scrappers 3. The trailer will be released within the next couple of days, and the full film should be ready sometime in March.However, Whirlwind Action is excited to announce it’s next web series, “Maces & Mages”. It’s a fantasy/comedy series based on the old “Golden Axe” and “Might & Magic” video game series. Casting has already begun, and production should begin in late Summer. Slug Street Scrappers originally spawned as a four-part webseries in a collaboration between two independent action film groups, Whirlwind […]

FILM OF THE WEEK: DEATH GRIP (2012)

Lee B. Golden III

DEATH GRIP, a 2011 co-production of The Stunt People and Action Pact Entertainment and finally released on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2012, is by far one of the best independent martial arts action movies you will ever see. It has elements of comedy, love, tragedy, and classic fight sequences in a story written, edited, choreographed and directed by Eric Jacobus. The film also stars Nathan Hoskins, LaChe Milo, Rebecca Ahn, Caitlyn Corson and martial arts action star and EYESHINE frontman Johnny Yong Bosch, along with SP veteran stunt performers such as Cheslea Steffensen, Ray Carbonel, Alvin Hsing, Shaun Finney, Lucas Okuma and Edward Kahana Jr. Trust and believe when I say that this film took more than everything that Eric had, along with the generous contributions of others to help make this film happen. Furthermore, having previously seen various shortfilms by SP, and their very first feature film, Contour, after […]

ENSO Productions Presents New Indie Action Shortfilm “DE OPPRESSO LIBRE”

Lee B. Golden III

Walter Garcia has trained in several styles of martial arts and self-defense sports since the age of 4. Now 24, he currently holds a fourth-dan blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do and has spent the last several years earning his stripes and applying his training on film as, among other things, an actor, producer, production designer, writer, stuntman and fight choreographer, as well as an independent filmmaker. His Florida-based indie film company, ENSO Productions has unveiled a new martial arts action shortfilm to kick off 2013 titled, “De Oppresso Libre”. Directed, choreographed, shot and edited by Garcia, the shortfilm is an urban crime drama starring original ENSO members Travis Gomez and Jenn Harris, about a Green Beret who falls into a bout of drunken depression and chooses to seek vengeance against the criminals who got away with attacking him and murdering his girlfriend. The film is straightforward with almost no […]

FREERUNNER ALEXANDR GISYCH IN “ZLATOUST”

Lee B. Golden III

(Originally posted 2/8/13) Alexandr Gisych, (a.k.a. Shade) recently uploaded a new 17-minute short film titled, Zlatoust, based on the name of his home town in Russia. In the following film, he takes us on a journey, narrating his story while touring his beloved town with his younger brother, Alexey. Together, they film the vast and unique structures that set up an epic stage for Alexandr’s amazing stuntwork and parkour performance, running leaps and bounds between parks, graveyards, staircases, rocks, building rooftops, gaps, narrow platforms, and even living rooms. Through it all, Alexandr’s skills as a freerunner serve a much deeper narrative, illustrating how Zlatoust plays major role in defining the relationship between the city’s architectural and cultural past, and individual freedom.Through the film’s music and Alexandr’s athleticism, this short film is a beauty to see and listen to on his YouTube channel below, ShadeZlat. *Be advised, while the film is […]

NEWS ABOUT "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR"

Lee B. Golden III

(Originally posted 2/4/13) Martial artist, tricker and stuntman Daniel Graham (@DanielGraham5) recently posted a few photos of a new shortfilm currently in production called “Death Before Dishonor”, which has now wrapped filming. The new photos include a new teaser banner and a set photo with the cast, a literal who’s-who in the martial arts/stunt/film community, with fellow performers Jeremy Marinas, Jonathan Eusebio, Kyle McLean and Daniel Bernhardt.The upcoming action short film will feature both hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting, and will hopefully see a release before the end of the month. For more info, feel free to subscribe to Graham’s Facebook page HERE.