Indie Film

THE FIGHTING JOURNEYMAN: An Interview With Eric Nguyen

This week I’m actually running several interviews and a few are taking time to develop. In the meantime, it’s been over three years since I started Film Combat Syndicate and having incidentally crossed paths with independent filmmaker, Eric Nguyen, by way of his YouTube channel, Lunar Stunts, I couldn’t think of a better time to spend my time sharing a one-on-one interview. That said, being the fan of the martial arts genre that I am and having grown largely dependant on online content as a means of entertainment and observing where we genuinely stand on the evolution of the genre, I have to say that Nguyen is far from being the exception. There are literally dozens upon dozens of talented stunt performers and filmmakers who work on an independent level with the advantage that sites like YouTube have given them, and Nguyen is one of them, showcasing to the world […]

GRACE UNDER FIRE: An Interview With Actor, Stuntman And Producer, Sonny Sison

Lee B. Golden III

One of the earlier fortunes I had in starting my blog back in 2013 was getting acquainted off and on with actor and stuntman, Sonny Sison. Granted, in months prior to that, I had just seen him in the 2008 action thriller, Broken Path, which is still one of the most fascinating films I had ever seen, and for a number of reasons. Last week, I had the opportunity to share a dialogue with Sison about the film among several others within the span of his career in the past two decades. Having cut his teeth as an actor and stuntman over the years, primarily as a suit actor on the AmeriToku crossover series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and having recently worked with a number of familiar faces fans know and love, I would say there’s plenty of reason to bookmark him as someone worth looking out for in the […]

[UPDATED] Krowdfunding Begins For MORTAL KOMBAT: THE ONE

Lee B. Golden III

UPDATE: This article now includes newly added links to the crowdfunding page that began on Wednesday, following the Tuesday posting of this article. While any promise of screenwriter Oren Uziel’s script for a feature-length live-action Mortal Kombat movie continues to sit in a painful state of limbo, inspired fan film efforts are keep things moving forward with the latest trailer for the unofficial shortfilm production, Mortal Kombat: The One. Set to begin production later this year for a Fall airing, the new project comes from from student filmmaker Anthony Pellino, whose script for the film’s possible 12-to-15 minute duration will center namely on characters, Lin Kuei ninja Sub-Zero and the God of Thunder himself, Raiden, loosely based on the plot from the original games. SYNOPSIS: Set a few years before the 10th tournament in Manhattan, Rayden is desperate. He has very few leads on potential fighters, and he knows this […]

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

Lee B. Golden III

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 […]

It’s Mano-E-Mano In The New Trailer For Sci-Fi Kung Fu Short, THE LAST GIRL

Lee B. Golden III

THE LAST GIRL is the latest upcoming, independently financed short film from Spectacle Pictures, directed by 37 year old filmmaker, Jela Oba Okpara, born and raised in Philidephia, now living in Los Angeles. The film stars Nick Den, Marissa Pistone, Lincoln Centeio and William J. Hill, and is described as a science-fiction kung fu short story set in a barren wasteland on futuristic, post-apocalyptic Earth, where nearly all of mankind is wiped out with more men left than women. Eventually, the fate of mankind rests on the fighting spirit of the character “Man”, who will do anything to protect “Girl” from the dangerous villain called “Trouble” and his side kick, “Littles”. The shortfilm is produced by Keyan Safyari who also served as director of photography, with fight choreography by award-winning martial artist, kung fu instructor, XMA and Cirque veteran, Chibi, and musical score by Sylvain Loiseau, whose individual and collaborative […]

Director James Poirier Brings Us To THE END OF DECEMBER

Lee B. Golden III

Independent film and TV pitch company Zoom Tilt has unveiled a new 27-minute crowdfunded military action spy thriller, The End Of December a collaborative project from Tenth Gate Productions and Milner Brothers Productions. The film tells the story of a rogue operate known only until the end as “The Widow”, whose only chance of getting her son back alive from the heavily armed squad who kidnapped him lies in the hands of a former black ops agent she burned years ago. The film pays homage to that of other films like the “Bourne” movies, “Taken” and “Safe House”, with quality action sequences and camerawork, and an original music soundtrack by Travis Fitzsimmons and Erik Dicksen to illustrate the kind of climatic intensity that would make Michael Mann, Paul Greengrass, Jaume Collet-Serra and the late Tony Scott proud. With interesting plot twists and just a few scenes of intimate dialogue to […]