johnny balazs
RAGE: Johnny Balazs’s Revenge Drama Rages On In The First Official Trailer
The Coronavirus pandemic around the world took a grave toll on a number of film-related prospects this year, but for some folks like director Johnny Balazs, it’s a blessing in disguise. With word of post production on his solo freshman feature, Rage, he’s running its first official trailer with works, and even more intense and engaging storied footage from the dramatic new thriller.
NIGHT SHIFT: Adele Elasmar Pulls No Punches In The Official Teaser For The New Action Crime Thriller Shortfilm
A guilt ridden police officer is forced to tackle her inner demons and rely on her training to survive and fight her way through 5 floors of a drug lab.
TAKING ACTION IN THE OUTBACK: Award-Winning Director Johnny Balazs On NIGHT SHIFT, Filmmaking, Fandom And Fortitude
Balazs’s story is far from unique pertaining to others who have faced adversity and/or continue to do so. He’s not over the hump yet, though the past four years have shown tremendous, visible results in his strive for betterment at Prima Lux, and Australia’s film environment in whole, overseeing the strain of facing down hardship with persistence and resolve.
THE HIT LIST: April 16, 2018
I’m pondering taking next weekend off for the Hit List. As it stands I have a few screeners that need screening and reviewing and I haven’t at all had the time for them. Plus, a little extra time for myself would be spiffy.
L to R (top): Adele Elasmar, Marrese Crump, Amber Lamarca, Troy Butler, Amy Johnston
L to R (bottom): Noel Schefflin, Monique Ganderton, John Wood, Niahlah Hope, Timothy Eulich
Of course, all that could change depending on the content of the coming week and if it’s too good to hold back, you can expect another entry online stunts and hits. For now, its the 16th of April and back hand-springing in her element is stuntwoman Niahlah Hope for the inaugural reel of this week’s stunt playlist.
Rounding it all out are reels by Max Laferriere, Thaddeus McQueen, John Wood, Amber Lamarca, Ivan Kasnyov, Nakamura Koji, Bryan Dodds, Beni Alexander, Attilla Kiss, Sarah Laidler, Joseph Roark and StormFreerun with a cinematic display of parkour feats featuring athlete Charlie Havill. Last and far from least is a share from Vimeo with a cool fight reel by Timothy Eulich.
Timothy Eulich Fight Coordinator from Timothy Eulich on Vimeo.
Off to promote some stuff!
Beneath is a playlist with two promos and the first hails from actor and martial artist Marrese Crump of The Protector 2 fame now back and stirring the hype a little more with Cash, and upcoming webseries from Diallo Frazier. Following that is a humble update from action cinema favorite, Accident Man actress Amy Johnston following up with a number of updates coinciding with her channel and in conjunction with her latest series, Hero Training, in which she brings aboard fellow entertainment performance artists and stunt players to highlight health, wellness and training methods.
Lastly and greatly is Johnny Balazs, now ramping up at Indiegogo to crowdfund tactical revenge thriller, Night Shift. Several gems have alreasy emerged online courtesy of Balazs at Prima Lux Films, hinting at the style action that will entail with actress Adele Elasmar training hard for the role as production nears.
Balazs is best known for gaining notoriety at multiple festivals in the past year for his stylish, hard-hitting hitman thriller, Dancer, and now looks toward bringing Night Shift centerstage with a worthwhile heroine front and center, and furthermore, with your help suited to equal perks available for you here.
Vimeo played a major role this week in nabbing some accidental finds for the Fights and Films section. Bangkok Dangerous star Daniel O’Neill’s starring role in Matt Routledge’s 2016 thriller, Fixer, was a winning center of attention at producer Soo Cole’s inaugural Fighting Spirit Film Festival and last year’s HBO Urban Action Showcase. It’s an anomaly as to why I’ve only just spotted it this weekend but…better late than never.
The same goes for The Compass Rose from sibling film duo, the Dell Sisters – Producer Elizabeth and writer/director Emily. The two won Best Action at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival in 2014 with stunt talent, actresses Tara Macken and Monique Ganderton; The two also front their own stunt and fight sequencing central to the ministory about one fugitive’s connection to missing letters, and an organization rooted in an enigmatic tattoo.
Both of these amazing projects kick off this week’s Fights and Films section in fitting fashion!
Daniel O’Neill – FIXER (Official Movie) from Daniel O’Neill on Vimeo.
THE COMPASS ROSE from Emily Dell on Vimeo.
Bookending this week’s Hit List is a playlist full of practice fight and thrilling shortform content. Ukraine-based XGST has a pair of vids now up and running, followed by Jefferson Lewis III trading blows in a few new entries this week – one opposite Troy Butler, and in a seperate spy-themed gem with Katie Kramer, and two comedy shorts from Lucia Ordaz’s channel, The Bodyguard and Roomie’s Rules and Regulations.
Matt Philiben gets his game on with a little help from Lo Lieh in Code Of The Dim Mak, and actress and martial artist Chintya Candranaya makes her return to the Hit List this for a second week in a row courtesy of Chevrolet with Silat Assassin 2. Following that is Project 7, a gritty throwback that looks as spectacular as I recently found it, hailing from 2010 as an Action On Film Festival favorite from director Vincent Gatinaud the talented creatives at Cascade Demo Team.
Next on the roster is Fury Fingers, having stepped up to the plate for a roaring fan film inspired by Ubisoft’s latest Far Cry installment with Far Cry: Baptism Of Fire. The Ubisoft Australia-backed fan thriller is directed by Nicholas Cleary who stars along with Hjalmar Marteinsson, Diane Dee Kalei and Eliott Howard.
Last and far from least is actor Noel Schefflin, front and center for Robot Underdog’s most recent rollout of the new unauthorized DC Comics/Stephen King hybrid fan film, Red Hoot: IT. The short is shepherded by film duo Hisonni Johnson and Alberto Triana, and with Jeremy Boone starring and voicing and the prolific balloon-teasing killer clown among a few surprise appearances in this latest fan-driven labor of gruesome joy.
L to R (top): Matt Philliben, Lucia Ordaz, Nicholas Cleary, Tara Macken, Max Laferrier
L to R (bottom): Katie Kramer, Bryan Dodds, Beni Alexander, Thaddeus McQueen, Sarah Laidler
Last week’s entries are a fun gathering as well. Endulge and don’t forget to sub to the channels and share The Hit List with friends! Also, if you have an amazing demo reel or a project that needs promoting or sharing, send it to us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to vet it!
THE HIT LIST: April 9, 2018
Honestly, if it were up to me, I would have stayed in bed, Netflixing and sleeping this past weekend. (Sigh…) If only, right?…
L to R (top): Glenn Somera, Geoffrey Boggs, Alex Marshall-Brown, Zak Self, Branden Arnold
L to R (bottom): Megan Le, Darin Hemmer, Darin Hicks, Temujin Shirzada, Leandro Mayor Martinez
At any rate, another week is upon us and once more, we’re back to highlighting some of today’s top and rising talent in stunts and action with another installment of the Hit List. Battle B-Boy co-star Megan Le tops this week’s playlist with a fitting track from Frankie Valli and the Four Season that had me dancing in my seat. Following that are reels from Eric C. Sun, Zak Self, Kai Fung Rieck, Eddie JY Lee, Andrew Long, Sarah Schulte, Andrew Nadanyi, Anna Yosin, Jim Ellason, Miyashiki Akio, Jonathan Yurco, Kellie Victoria Scarangello, Narayan Cabral, Sher Juraev, and Creative Rising’s Glenn Somera with an action director’s reel to finish off on a tasty high note.
Just a couple of items outline this week’s promotional gems and we begin with another sweet new pre-viz sampler from director Johnny Balasz in lieu of the coming production of Night Shift with actress Adele Elasmar front and center. You can peep a little more action in addition to current updates by clicking here.
Another quick look at some of the fight previz that we are doing for our new film Night Shift. Just to think 8 weeks ago our lead actress @adeleelasmar had no experience whatsoever in screen fighting or combat in general. This is a testament not only to her but the amazing team we have. This is only a small section of the fight so we’re saving the best for the film. This scene will take place on a rooftop in the Melbourne CBD. #nightshift #nightshiftfilm #womeninfilm #girlfight #martialarts #mixedmartialarts #actionfilm #aussieaction
A post shared by Prima Lux Films (@primaluxfilms) on Apr 7, 2018 at 5:39pm PDT
Last is a trailer that sees the return of actress Alex Marshall-Brown (Brix And The Bitch) to the Hit List in Rand Behr’s new shortfilm, No Trace. Marshall-Brown and actor James Kyson (Heroes, Preacher) headline the pic for its upcoming Artemis Film Festival premiere, centered on a bank robber in cahoots with the mob and on the run from her former detective partners following a successful heist.
The Artemis Film Festival kicks off on April 26. Until then, the trailer itself has some domain restrictions so peep the poster below, then then click here and take a look.
LUMIX
This week presents a sweet reprisal as well as something different in the fights and films section, and you’ll know it from the artwork below.
The playlist kicks off with Darin Hemmer taking Geoffrey Boggs to the mat before Action Movie Makers makes way to the Hit List with Philippe Deseck lensing some pre-viz action of his own with Darko Tsukan coordinating, and Branden Arnold front and center for some bo-staff and stunt practice from Marques Zaror over at Bridgette Michelle’s channel.
Stunt players Stuart Williamson amd Craig McCrae keep the momentum going with some pre-viz sword-and-shieldplay making a grand case for viewers to watch Netflix period drama Troy: Fall Of A City, while Slade Lemieux Hallet helms a woeful test of endurance for a small film crew on the brink in Fight No Flight For Film. Temujin Shirzada singles out the key, unrelenting fight sequence with Leandro Mayor Martinez from February shortfilm, Fatal Blades, and the official LUMIX channel brings aboard director Sam K.J. for PvP, an epic, neon-lit tale starring Yoshi Sudarso and choreographer Alvin Hsing at the center of an epic arcade rivalry between two jukebox heroes who are too cool to be in the room!
Following that is the latest vid packed with freerunning feats over at the Urbanamadei fanpage, and UK-based animator Paul Johnson (Star Wars: TIE Fighter) delivers a fresh and spectacular shortfilm inspired by all that 70s and 80s babies know and love about going to an arcade alley in Retro Arcade Anime: R-Type.
Rounding it all out is the full edit of Christian Kohnke’s shortfilm sequel, I’m Out Johnny 2.0. Tanay Genco Ulgen directs with Kohnke joined by Aidan Pringle in the title role as the gangster to beat for one man fighting his way out of the underworld.
Kohnke released the sequel initially in two parts last month following the initial four-minute thriller last May. For those entirely new to it, enjoy yourself in the playlist below with I’m Out Johnny 2.0 bookending this week’s Hit List.
L to R (top): Amadei Weiland, Kellie Victoria Scarangello, Eddie J.Y. Lee, Anna Yosin, Jonathan Yurco
L to R (bottom): Stuart Williamson, Eric C. Sun, James Kyson, Kai Fung Rieck, Andrew Nadanyi
Last week’s entries should do you justice if you need to catch up. Check it out and be sure to SHARE the Hit List with friends. For folks out there who have or know someone who has a kickass stunt or demo reel or an equally badass action project that could use promoting or presenting, send it to filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com!
THE HIT LIST: March 26, 2018
As such, the shortfilm itself which joins Gerhardy with lead actress Victoria Viveiros for a story that centers on a woman dispensing her own brand of justice following the murder of her ex-girlfriend. TakeDown currently has two festival runs to its legacy with splashing results from crowds this month at the Nevada Women’s Film Festival, and last year’s Action On Film Festival with several nominations to its credit including in fight choreography, action sequence and Breakout Action Actress.
Shortfilm Review: Johnny Balazs’s Hitman Thriller, DANCER, Finds Its Rhythm
It’s imaginable that not all directing careers completely undergo smooth sailing. This primarily, among other things, deals with learning who one can gel with and filmmaker John Balazs is certainly on better straits in the last several years via his Prima Lux Films production banner where he’s immersed himself in several projects, one of which now entails the new noir shortfilm thriller, Dancer, now in post-production.
It’s packaged really well in terms of visual style with not much time passing until the action starts to take hold. Currently clocked in at a little over 50 minutes, the story lends an otherwise abbrievated narrative hitman tale that pits weary assassin, Richard (James Conrado) against the seedy criminal underworld in which he’s set his sights on someone special, a club dancer named Dallas (Zoe Thornburgh), in an attempt to free her from her maniacal boss, club owner, Ronnie (Marcus Merkoski).
Dancer explores most ends to a feasible stretch for our key characters here as Balazs immerses you in a neon-lit noir atmosphere that thrills with action when the going gets tough, and compels you on messaging with characters, principal and supporting, yearning for more and better. Conrado’s boyish looks don’t get too much in the way of his veneer on display as Richard, a stoic hitman on his way out following a tragic series of events that made him the killer he is now, albeit taken in and kindly mentored by Mr. Lyndon (John McConnell).
Actress Thornburgh’s Dallas presents a serviceable performance that stands largely sufficient on camera both dramatically, as well as physically with at least one scene playing existentially to invoke some much-needed gravitas to the overall insistence of empathy. Merkoski’s portrayal of Ronnie is appropriately designated throughout as a menacing, tattooed, snuff-addicted crook through and through with a gruff, imposing demeanor that stands formidably until the end.
Conrado is fantastic when it comes down to the fight action. I’m not too familiar with his level of training but with Dancer being my first outing, he doesn’t disappoint. The finale certainly lends something a bit in excess as it’s also the first time we see the Ronnie character throw down, but by then, Dancer has already instilled enough empathy to keep you watching and caring. Accompanied by Justin Cavenagh’s scoring, the execution shows terrific handling of choreography and coordination by Alex Lukacs, along with legendary martial artist and film star Richard Norton, Aldi Godjali who lenses the scenes, and Balazs who also edited the film, further invoking a strive toward excellence.
Having covered the trailer last year, it was certainly a breath of fresh air learning of this particular project. Dancer looks like something I would love to see explored on a feature length basis as a more action-packed and more stimulating version of Dancing At The Blue Lagoon. For now though, I’ll take what I can get and would certainly hope to see more from Balazs in his current career trajectory, and I certainly hope I get to share Dancer with you all in the process.
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