interviews

‘BEYOND’ THE CALL: An Interview With Stuntman JASON BELL

Director Justin Lin’s Star Trek: Beyond is having a terrific run at the box office and with all the hope for a fourth judging by some of the news making the rounds last month. Amid the hype, we were contacted by Ashley Buck of M Public Relations to get a few words in with former military serviceman-turned-stuntman Jason Bell who appears in the film, and has quite a few bits to share about his life upscaling in the stunt industry, as well as a few great updates you might be keen on. Enjoy, and don’t forget to see the film in theaters this summer and lookout for Jason on screen! Photo: Dan Rizzuto Film Combat Syndicate: Greetings Jason and thanks for agreeing to share your story with my readership! How has the year been for you so far up until now? Jason Bell: I should be thanking you! This year […]

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 […]

APOCALYPSE THEN AND NOW: An Interview With Alex Chung

Lee B. Golden III

Nope, I didn’t see it coming, but it happened nonetheless. Stuntman and independent filmmaker Alex Chung’s latest foray into action and comedy finally saw my own shortfilm debut in Hit Me: Apocalypse. It’s no biggie really, but it left me hugely thankful and buzzed to be included in something I follow regularly, and if you read Film Combat Syndicate frequently, then you obviously know what it is. While I won’t hammer on and on about my small contribution to indie action and comedy, the project did finally give me the opportunity to talk to Chung and share a little about himself in an interview. Having followed his adventures in collusion with his own team, Eclipse Stunts for up to three years now, he’s proven himself to be another fine talent whose boldness behind the camera has led to some wild, wacky and entertaining results – one including his most recent […]

THE MAN FROM DEATH LIVES: An Interview With Actor Eric R. Lim

Lee B. Golden III

No matter what, I almost always seem to surprise myself what with the workload I’ve been piling onto myself for Film Combat Syndicate and thankfully I’ve been getting a little bit of much-needed help. January saw an opportunity to tackle a few interviews and I actually thought things would slow down going into February after failing to get Donnie Yen in the wake of Well Go USA’s release of Ip Man 3, but that also left me a window open enough to work on reaching out to several up-and-comers as well. That said, it was back in 2013 that netizens caught wind of actor Eric R. Lim‘s performance in The Forge, a work of spiritual magnitude in the essence of epic good vs. evil storytelling with a message. The shortfilm was a very personal one for Lim and its director Stephen Reedy who I have actually been trying to follow […]

TO ANNWN AND BACK: A Word With GARM WARS: THE LAST DRUID Star Melanie St. Pierre

Lee B. Golden III

I’ll be frank: I’m only familiar with a handful of anime in my lifetime thusfar with just a few streches into the work of Headgear’s own Oshii Mamoru. I’ve been covering him for a few years now of all three I’ve been writing this blog and I’m fully aware I have a lot to catch up on, including the live-action renditions of The Next Generation: Patlabor. Alas, having seen a few Ghost In The Shell films and the 2001 movie Avalon aren’t enough. Suffice it to say though, he’s a proven filmmaker and highly versatile at his craft. Moreover, it’s not everyday I get to interview a star of one of his films, and so to have the distinct pleasure of being able to communicate with actress Melanie St. Pierre and to share her perspective on her new role in Oshii’s newest CGI-hybrid sci-fi epic, Garm Wars: The Last Druid, […]

THE MAN BEHIND THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK – A Word With Actor And Stuntman Chris Brewster

Lee B. Golden III

When actor, stuntman and oft-contributor Eric Shamm Watson isn’t at work on set, he’s lending a hand to Film Combat Syndicate, and it was last year that gave us the pleasure of introducing us to fellow action star Mike Moh of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist fame. This time he’s brought himself toward comic book fandom in the wake of the success that is showrunner Steven DeKnight’s hit first season of Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix with a word from one of its key performers, stuntman and coordinator Christopher Brewster. The two have a bit of a shared history rooted in Los Angeles and Watson is a major fan of the show, so you can imagine his excitement in finally sharing some space in an interview here on our dear platform. Have a look below and enjoy! Eric Shamm Watson: As many of you know by now, when it comes to watching […]

Catching Up With ‘Skin Trade’ Co-Star MICHAEL JAI WHITE!

Lee B. Golden III

Lately I’m taking on a lot more things between writing for the site and obligations outside of my enthusiasm for film, so unfortunately I haven’t been able to feature as many interviews as I have and found myself trying to compensate by talking directly to filmmakers and stunt professionals to gain personal insight, and particularly for possible quotes as well. Fortunately however, that trend is changing a bit, with special thanks in part to having some really cool long distance acquaintances help grant me a chance to discuss movies with some amazing people. In this case, I have Taressa Dominguez from Baumgarten Management & Production, and CEO of SC Films International, Mike Selby to thank for helping me get in touch with the ever-busy martial artist, actor and filmmaker Michael Jai White, star of such series and films as Metal Hurlant Chronicles, Spawn, Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing and Mortal […]

EXCLUSIVE: New SKIN TRADE Set Pics + A Talk With Producer Mike Selby

Lee B. Golden III

(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 Tony Jaa Official. Action hero Tony Jaa took to Facebook on Friday to share brand new photo from the set of his upcoming international action thriller, Skin Trade, featuring the martial arts star next to a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4. Producer Mike Selby also shared a second, and exclusive photo of the actor with the aforementioned car with Film Combat Syndicate, which you can check out below. According to Selby, who confirmed that Jaa will be driving the car for a small portion of the film, Jaa enjoyed being with the car so much that he had to “pry” the away from it. Our discussion continued thereafter, where you will learn a little more about the film, and what fans can expect […]

GOING UNDERGROUND: An Interview With GREEN STREET 3: NEVER BACK DOWN Director JAMES NUNN

Lee B. Golden III

Going just a few weeks into October, New York Comic Con attendees and fans of martial arts action superstar Scott Adkins could not wait to meet him and the cast of his forthcoming film, Hercules: The Legend Begins; I had to miss out that weekend for work purposes. That event led to the straightforward promotional push in London for Adkins‘s latest role as a vengeful underground brawler in director James Nunn‘s newly released clandestine sports and MMA action revenge thriller, Green Street 3: Never Back Down. I was contacted by event organizer Kerry Porter who invited me to the exclusive cast and crew screening of the film in London. Unfortunately, not living in London dimmed those hopes a bit, but I was fortunate to have Kerry’s help in being able to share my platform with the director, and essentially promote the film on Film Combat Syndicate. Green Street 3: Never […]

Amy Johnston Interview

Amy Johnston Interview I recently had the opportunity to sit down and interview the lovely Amy Johnston. You probably know her from the ‘Thousand Pounds Action Company’. She is a wonderfully fun human being and I wish her all the best with every future project, she is genuinely a laugh and I hope she won’t stay a stranger to us here at FCS and I loved every second of her time. Android 18 – Dragonball Z Click here if you prefer it on SoundCloud Clandestine I apologise for the abrupt ending but Amy had to dash quick, she was laughing so much she lost track of time. I would love to share with you guys everything we recorded but this interview was long enough as it was. We will be hearing from her again soon though so stay tuned, more laughs on the way! Click here for Zombie Killers Check her out […]

DOUBLE FIST: My Interview With PAUL MORMANDO

Lee B. Golden III

About a week ago I came across an intriguing poster for what looked like a piece of cinema in the works. I ultimately contacted the man featured on it, actor, martial artist, instructor and innovator, avid Bruce Lee and Van Damme fan and native New Yorker, Paul Mormando who is currently working on the production for his upcoming webseries, Double Fist, in which he will also use as a plarform to further showcase his own martial arts system, Cha Ki Do. It also turns out he has his own wikipedia page, which intrigued me even further. So I traded emails with him last week to learn more about him. In the following brief interview, not only will get to not only learn about the webseries, but his roots as a martial artist and what makes him tick. Film Combat Syndicate: How did you get started in martial arts? Paul Mormando: […]

Jessie Luck: My Interview With Stuntwoman And Producer, JESSIE GRAFF

Lee B. Golden III

My journey here as a writer has been quite fruitful, as seeing and watching, and just observing the online action community has allowed me to talk to, and share insight a lot of talented and gorgeous stuntwomen who can do incredible things. Jessie Graff is one of them. A competitive athlete multifaceted in such sports as track and field, coupled with years of martial arts training, trapeze artistry, and a drive to become an entertainer, Graff has gone well on her way, becoming a full-fledged professional stuntwoman for TV and film, and recently, the first female contestant in the history of television’s American Ninja Warrior to win the qualifying round. Moreover, although her strengths mainly lie in professional stuntwork, Graff is also leaving little gems for online action fans, most recently bringing filmmaker Leo Kei Angelos on board for her latest, highly acclaimed, live-action Family Guy spin off shortfilm, Epic Chicken Fight, […]

A PASSION FOR THE ART: My Interview With Rising Action Hero ERIC ST. JOHN

Lee B. Golden III

It’s always a treat to interview actors who have something original and passionate that they want to share with the rest of the world. And Los Angeles-based actor Eric St. John is precisely one of those people, aiming to pursue a personal project he is still working on called Out For Blood. As an accomplished martial artist, it appears St. John taking nothing for granted when it comes to the quality and style of action he is aiming for, which can currently be seen in the promotional trailer pitch for the film that aired last year. And since the trailer pitch aired, things have only continued looking up for St. John, who has taken the time to answer a list of email questions I sent him a while back. As it stands, Eric St. John was also one of the people who invested interest in my Facebook page when it […]

DEFYING GRAVITY: An Interview With Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez

Lee B. Golden III

I have to thank stunt coodinator and filmmaker Robert Griffith (a.k.a. Scott Rhodes) who introduced his webseries to me, The Adventures Of Super7even. By this time, I already had actress and stunt performer Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez in my friend list, as I was adding more and more people in her line of work to stay in touch with the community. So when I got around to watching all of the episodes of this series, I noticed she was kind of a regular–her first role in it was short but hilarious. You have to see it. One day in recent months, Robert messaged me and asked if I would like to interview one of the actresses from the show, and I was optimistic about it right away since Michelle and I have exchanged messages before. So, on that note, it is my pleasure to introduce Michelle to you all in this […]