joey ansah
STREET FIGHTER: RESURRECTION Kicks Into 2016 With A New Poster
If there was ever a series to look forward to in the months to come, then you can thank hit director Joey Ansah for any sentiments you may share in that vicinty for the upcoming go90 March premiere of spin-off program, Street Fighter: Resurrection. The new miniseries now has an official poster continuing the first of several impressive images showcasing our characters, principally with actor and martial artist Alain Moussi debuting in the role of Charlie Nash, back from the dead and taking down numerous competitors one by one. Check it out!
Mike Moh and Christian Howard are back to reprise their roles as Ryu and Ken in a story period that sets them ten years after the dramatic conclusion in the 2014 saga starter, Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, with the second season, Street Fighter: World Warrior, currently on order. Watch out for more news ahead into 2016!
Joey Ansah Updates Fans On STREET FIGHTER: WORLD WARRIOR
Dear SFAF fans. Street Fighter: Resurrection is a highly ambitious, action packed, live-action mini series which serves as a narrative prologue to the events of SFV. With the new game coming out and interest from both Machinima and Capcom for me to make a tie in, I couldn’t pass up such an exciting prospect to leap forward a decade after the events of Assassin’s Fist and write and direct a very contemporary part of the SF mythos. Featuring old faithful characters and brand new ones. The same level of detail and authenticity has gone into SFR as it has SFAF. I want to also address the subject of STREET FIGHTER: WORLD WARRIOR. Your passion and demand for seeing the direct narrative follow up to SFAF is understandable and heart warming. I spent most of this year completing detailed story development and structure for World Warrior. To pull together a production of that huge scale takes time. So rest assured SFWW is still coming! and to fill the gap until it is ready, you have SFR to look forward to. Trust me it will Shun Goku Satsu your senses. ~ Joey Ansah
A Case For Better Action Movies: GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS: UNDERGROUND (2013)
To date, I haven’t seen either Lexi Alexander’s or Jesse V. Johnson’s previous installations of the Green Street franchise, and in that regard, it might service you to see those films before moving onto director James Nunn‘s 2014 offering, Green Street Hooligans: Underground. Granted, it’s only an option and not hugely necessary, and opinions might differ depending on how geared you are toward the first film, but this particular movie does plenty more for the kind of film it’s meant to be, apart from whatever expectations there may have been.
In the film, the Green Street Elite firm is one in many football-emboldened cliques in a sub-culture of English society that has since been outlawed with its resolve now quartered to sectioned-off areas away from public eyes. Bets are placed, faces are smashed and bloodied, teeth are chipped, egos are bruised and many a drink are drunk – such was once the instance for former GSE Governor-turned-gym owner, Danny (Scott Adkins), who has since strayed away from life in West Ham in search of a healthier path, and much to the chagrin of his younger brother, Joey (Billy Cook), who meets his unfortunate end when a post-game underground brawl takes his life. Alas, long after his departure Danny heads back to West Ham where the Green Street Elite are now the underdog group in the hooligan fighting circuit as he’s now forced to come to terms with his rediscovered obligation to see GSE and that of his newfound love interest, tough-as-nails pub runner Molly (Kacey Barnfield), all while doing what he can with former Hooligan-turned-cop Victor (Joey Ansah) to find Joey’s killer. Amidst it all, loyalty is tested and alliances are questioned, and when the final bell rings, the lines of justice will be drawn once and for all.
With all the titles there are in Adkins’s resumé right now, a lot has been said by many a fan of his movies, and much of it with great praise and acclaim. I have to say though, Green Street Hooligans: Underground is definitely one that offers much more to the table for Adkins in a leading role, and in the millieu of English society at that. It is quite comforting to not have to see Adkins force his way into sounding “American” as he’s had to in several films (there’s at least one exception there), and it allows you to observe him in a more convincing portrayal with other characters on screen. Adkins shares different traits to his persona, and not just that of a one-note tough guy too moody to crack a smile while still delivering the usual stellar screenfighting athleticism he’s known for.
Embodying the story of Danny’s search for vengenace are a small, nifty group of key characters, and none of whom are excess; Actress Kacey Barnfield does wonders as Molly, balancing things out just nicely in a role that doesn’t underhand itself amid a cast that mostly consists of an all-male roster. Actor Jack Doolan carries the film greatly between its first and second act as Gilly, Joey’s close friend and the remnants of GSE leadership in its downtrodden state, while actor Mark Wingett serves as the grizzled backbone of this story with more innovative uses of the word ‘fuck’ than one might expect.
Martial artist and actor Spencer Wilding takes on as Derek, the brooding and venomous leader of the Millwall club, and he’s one who no one really needs to doubt in terms of the antagonizing danger he poses in both size and stamina. Needless to say, he’s a big guy who can fight, and delivers a proper villain well suited as an opposite for Adkins. We also meet actor and martial artist Joey Ansah in the role of Victor, a troubled cop desperate for the truth and forced to work with very little, which, and bearing the latter in mind with a smidget of irony to boot, is something to bear in mind as Ansah wore several hats on this particular project, including as the principle fight choreographer.
The overall vision of this particular non-sequitur of the Green Street franchise is one that deserves a curve. Aside from noting the choice of Adkins in the lead role, the film provides martial arts as an individual backdrop for the remainder of the story to build on, apart from an unconnected trilogy more drama-infused with a fighting theme focused on basic knuckle brawling in massive numbers. As per the story based on Ronnie Thompson’s script, we see our title characters in training for the film’s thematic action relative to underground fighting in preparation to take on other rival gangs with members trained in various fighting methods, which is useful for a film of this nature despite what some critics might have claimed.
This, on top of the film’s limited budget of £250,000 (close to $380,000 USD) with an enlistment of MANY extras who worked for free under Ansah‘s watch, two weeks of action rehearsal and a grueling final fight filmed in minus-five degree weather at night also says a lot about the work ethic executed here when it comes to a cast and crew as dedicated as this one. The massive action sequences, designed and edited by Ansah in conjunction with the cinematography and editing are all top-notch and never interferes with what the film tries to achieve in character delivery and storytelling. In addition, the choreography displays conducive mix of hooligan brawling and stylish and gritty martial arts performance that aims to appease both fans of the Green Street franchise and relative fans of cinematic fight action, with rewarding results.
Of course, everyone is an entitled to an opinion, although perspective is key for the sake of discernment when it comes to what fans look for in an action film. With that in mind, and with regard to whatever sentiments there may be by critics who may have expected more or thought this film went in an entirely wrong direction, I must respectfully disagree.
Tower Block helmer Nunn presents a tale urban Euro sports culture peppered with a mix of drama, sprinkles of drunken levity, poignance and sex appeal, and a layout of murder mystery and intrigue that allows space and time for an amalgam of actors to give action cinephiles a quality product. And that is exactly what Green Street Hooligans: Underground is.
As a noteworthy mention, my 2013 interview with Nunn will hopefully add some perspective, as well as some exclusive video footage I got to share myself in 2014 during Ansah‘s New York City visit. Otherwise, Green Street Hooligans: Underground, is now availbale wherever movies are sold. Buy it or rent it now, you wankers!
YEAR TWO: A Word From Yours Truly
But more imporantly, and again, I want to thank you, the reader, for being why Film Combat Syndicate even lasted as long as I have. Make no mistake though, my obligations away from the keypad do pull me away from time to time and I will never always be able to cover everything. However, for as long as I live, I will continue to do my very best. I am proud to have you guys there knowing and acknowledging my voice among many others with larger readerships than mine. To all the fans, superfans, stunt professional and actors, filmmakers and even close friends who support Film Combat Syndicate, you fine people never go unnoticed. I applaud you.
Scott Adkins Stars In The US Release Of GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS: UNDERGROUND! Watch The Trailer!
The film is currently getting a scant theatrical run in the AMC theaters circuit before its VoD/DVD release on January 27, 2015, which should be an easy sell by then!
SDCC 2014: Capcom Announces STREET FIGHTER: WORLD WARRIOR
For starters, to simply address the overwhelming support drawn for creative duo, actors Joey Ansah and Christian Howard‘s new online webseries release of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist would be nothing short of an understatement. The phenomenon has captured the hearts of any growing number of thousands of fans this year and in the years since the journey began to reclaim the rightful cinematic vision for Capcom’s highly popular video game franchise, and it’s finally heading to television, DVD, Blu-Ray and VoD platforms soon. And as much support as there has been for the series, it was only a matter of time before sequel-hungry fans got the update they were waiting for.
That update finally came on Friday night as Ansah attended San Diego Comic-Con to promote the current series in accordance with publicity for the forthcoming production booklet. Fans have also been generating further publicity for the series’ official Facebook platform offering questions for the page’s weekly episodic Q and A forum for fans as the summer progresses, while Ansah and select cast and crew, namely series actors Mike Moh and Gaku Space join him on the road.
Needless to say, many of the any questions pertained to when Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist would move its initial story forward with a second season. On Friday night, Capcom gave fans the annoncement they needed, with reports from Variety confirming season two development. Set to release sometime in late 2015 or early 2016, Street Fighter: World Warrior will re-introduce Moh and Howard respectively as Ryu and Ken, the iconic purveyors of Ansatsuken – the style passed on to them in the previous season by master Goken, played by actor Akira Koieyama.
Following the events of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, Ansah is returning to write and direct the new season which will expand the story which Ansah explained during a panel at SDCC on Friday. “The scale of ‘World Warrior’ is much larger, picking up where ‘Assassin’s Fist’ left off as we follow Ryu and Ken on their ‘Musha Shugyo’ (warrior’s pilgrimage),” said Ansah, who also starred as Akuma in the first season. “The Shadaloo criminal cartel will be introduced, led by the extremely dangerous M.Bison, which will naturally lead into the World Warrior tournament,”.
Accordingly, the new series will expand to the stories will characters from the classic game franchise, namely prominent Muay Thai fighter, Sagat, U.S. Air Force Major Guile, and expert martial artist and vengeful interpol agent Chun-Li. Further developments are needed on how the new season will achieve its goal, but producer Jacqueline Quella and co-producer Mark Wooding offered a few statements of their own at the SDCC panel. “We demonstrated with ‘Assassin’s Fist’ that an authentic, live-action version of videogames, with a compelling and dramatic storyline, can be made,” said Quella. “We’ll be taking the same approach with the new series.”. Wooding added “There are some big and primal themes which we’ll be exploring in the sequel, …It will be thrilling and naturally, as befits the game, the fights will be epic, but it will be driven by the characters, their stories, faults and problems. It will be a dark tale.”.
The first season took relatively around three years to take off after Ansah and fellow filmmaker Owen Trevor broke ground with the 2010 release of the conceptual shortfilm hit, Street Fighter Legacy. The project took a big step forward with further Comic-Con announcements in 2012 through a crowdsourcing effort in early 2013 before earning the blessing of outside investors, essentially setting the first season in stone.
Sixteen months, a full first season with over sixteen million YouTube views on Machinima and over five-hundred thousand Facebook fans later, the franchise that became a household name for generations of gaming culture is well on its way to coming full circle. More notably, if earlier hype proves positive, martial arts action fans could very well see the reunion of Ansah and Howard with action star and Green Street 3 lead actor, Scott Adkins as a potential casting choice for Guile. And considering the formula by which the casting, design and creative process has been executed, Adkins’ possible addition to the series would be a remarkable sign of the extra serious talent fans will see when the team behind Street Fighter: World Warrior commenses filming. And Capcom’s blessing only enhances the awesome here much further.
“We are delighted to be working again with the team that did such an excellent job with ‘Street Fighter: Assassins Fist,” said Matt Dahlgren, associate director of brand marketing at Capcom. “The response to it has been amazing, and working with filmmakers who are so passionate about the game is an extremely rewarding process.”
The big question now is will the production be able to confirm Adkins, granted he will be available between his other film and martial arts instructional obligations? Or will another worthy actor be summoned to channel the Major’s sonic boom? Also, which actors and actress do you believe will best suit the appearances of Chun-Li, Sagat and the arbiter of the Psycho Crusher himself, M. Bison?
Decisions, decisions!
City On Fire reports that Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist arrives on North American DVD and Blu-Ray from FUNimation on October 24, 2014.
Stay tuned for more info!
Epic Japanese Poster For STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN'S FIST Is Epic
Fine Films holds the rights in Japan.
STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN'S FIST Lands At FUNimatiom For U.S. & Canada Home Release
If you noticed any glitches while surfing the internet for cat videos on YouTube about a week and a half ago, that may have likely been martial artist, actor, writer and director Joey Ansah initiating his plans for world domination with his new hit online webseries, Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, which has earned up to well around 10 million views in total since its debut on the Machinima YouTube. And not for nothing either, as the series, long in development since its early days as the 2010 proof-of-concept shortfilm, Street Fighter Legacy, has solidified itself as a cult phenomenon around the world, earning nothing short of upworthy praise from critics and hardcore fans of the original Capcom video game franchise from which it is based.
STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN'S FIST – A Case For Better Action Movies
I remember when 1993 or ’94 came when Jean-Claude Van Damme was entering the peak of his career with Capcom’s first live-action theatrical interpretation of the Street Fighter universe that saw military character Guile as the lead. To some, including myself, it was good for its time despite not even coming close to owning up to the source material, and mainly because it was a kids’ film, geared toward young teens who liked Van Damme movies and appealed to watching actors in Street Fighter costumes imitating characters from the game.
Watch STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN'S FIST Right Now!
The action starts with Episode zero in the video below!