THE HIT LIST: November 25, 2019
I had the explicit delight of reviewing a film this weekend called Gold Coast Lounge which opens locally in Ghana in January. That’s really all there was to my weekend except the usual offering of life’s headaches.
kamen ramen
THE HIT LIST: November 11, 2019
I would’ve posted an Instagram teaser on Sunday evening for the Hit List, but I definitely needed time to recuperate from Saturday evening. Needless to say, it was a blast from the Far East.
THE HIT LIST: September 16, 2019
The next installment of the Hit List is here for the week of September 16. I actually have to put my five-a-day together after this at some point so this will be a bit rough going between tasks, but hopefully I’ll manage.
THE HIT LIST: January 14, 2019
I had a busy weekend, frankly. No time really to BS or lounge about but for all good reasons… but that’s for another post.
THE HIT LIST: December 3, 2018
Well how about that. Holiday break is almost here! I’m actually looking forward to some extra time to myself seeing as I’ve missed out on so much in the course of the year – I even had to put some anime on the backburner too…and kinda sucks. ?
MY ASIAN AUNTIE SEASON 2: YES AUNTIE! Star, Director Launches $10 Kickstarter With ‘Thank You’
The last several years have been great in getting to acquaint myself with filmmaker Joey Min and his team at Art School Dropouts. They’ve amassed multiple awards at festivals and continue to garner support from fans and viewers in a field that Min has been hustling in since long before when Team FistyleZ was a thing. Nowadays and with a rousing quintet of talents in collusion with some of the best of the best in the northeast, the team is on deck to finish up and release their first feature film in My Asian Auntie Season 2: Yes Auntie!.
THE HIT LIST: June 4, 2018
My energy level was sputtering all weekend. I had some much needed fun though and got to decompress and meet some new and beautiful people. Happy start to my summer.
L to R (top): Masami Kosaka, J.C. Leuyer, Sadiqua Bynum, Cyrus Leisy, Bobby Nickels
L to R (bottom): Sonalii Castillo, Peter Syckelmoore, Seydina Balde, Frans Steyn, Sarah Chang
I’m also where the independent action and stunts are as we commence with this week’s return of the Hit List after a period of catching up and a little more rest in between. We begin with the familiar name of Judit Szvia and I couldn’t be more proud to start her at the top of this week’s playlist of stunt and athetic reels followed by contributions from Ryan Robertson, Darin Hicks, Cyrus Leisy, Peter Syckelmoore, Sadqiua Bynum, Frans Steyn, Robert Linden, Lexter Santana and J.C. Leuyer.
Promotional items are quite a handful with Kamen Ramen Studios off and promoting their June 7 online Tokusatsu short, Homemade Hero G starring Gee “Lil’ Bomb” Jay, and actor and filmmaker Sam Puefua’s latest offering to neon-lit female-centric revenge thrills with the Oniros Film Fest-selected Mamba starring Sonalii Castillo.
Third in the playlist is a teaser for a television/webseries proof of concept that garnered my interest for a few weeks before I heard back from its star, actor and martial artist Seydina Balde. Protection Fantome is the name with Seydina leading the story of an officer whose elite witness protection agency out for retribution against a powerful criminal organization when he fails for the first time.
Last and WAY FAR from least is the official trailer for The Division, a short-form proof of concept making it’s way to exclusive screenings in London this summer. It’s the latest brainchild of film and fighting duo, actors Jean-Paul Ly and Law Plancel and you are more than welcome to read all about the details by clicking here as well.
Following that are some pictorals straight from Instagram, firstly with a raft of on-set production stills from Bobby Nickels’ latest piece of work, Flux Action. This was a project that Bobby himself launched crowdfunding for last summer and a year later, this little independent feat is nearing the finish line before going into post-production.
Below is at least one still of several you can now catch at Instagram, while the second photo just beneath hails from actress Kerry Lacy who is currently on the way with a second chapter to follow up Stacey Maltin’s thrilling character study, Viola, which brings us to this week’s action treats from around the web and thus, we begin with the aforementioned inaugural shortfilm thriller that got some festival attention in the past year or so before being quietly released online. Stuntman Paul Varrachi who coordinates the calamity in the second half, plays opposite Kerry in a tale that delves into the dark confessionals of a woman who, in a word or more, is, well… pretty sick of everyone’s shit. Paul plays a fugitive rapist on the loose and as narratives like these usually go, it doesn’t end well for one of these two.
Bobby Nickels in FLUX ACTION
Kerry Lacy in VIOLA 2
Viola is currently prohibited from viewing on other sites, so click here to watch it in full. Beyond that, it’s off to the races this week for the playlist in tow and with plenty of fisticuffs to make the rounds courtesy of filmmaker, action actor and stuntman Marques Zaror with performances by Zaror himself along with Branden Arnold, Pat Chu, Rabon Hutcherson II, Darin Hicks, Mark Hudson, Cycerli Ash, Amber Lamarca and many, many more.
Zhanna Sattseva and PeiPei Alana Yuan keep the monentum going with a short interlude of their own followed by K Dynamique’s OTT proof of concept, G1NMAN KILL with music by Tom Konidas, Hymson Chan shepherds the action and comedy in Where’s A Cop When You Need One?, the almighty Bryan Sloyer contains his kill zone in Night Watch, Joseph Roark reaps what he sows in revenge short, Unforgiven with the aforementioned Branden Arnold, Tolga Degirmen with a small band of players led by Kai Fung Rieck for action concept, Slice And Shoot and Anton Simpson-Tidy kills ’em all in Ashley Beck’s anime-inspired Afro Samurai: Vexed.
Second to last is the amazing jidaigeki shortfilm opus, Sword Of The Dead whose director, Stephen Vitale was recently the subject of an interview you can also now catch here. Last and far from least is the inaugural outing of Jeremy Weiss’ thrilling new short, The Teacher, filmed at the vast and newly-opened Wanda Film Studios in China and starring Sarah Chang forced to whip out her syllabus of fists and fury to lay the past to rest one last time.
This is a really fun playlist if you ask me. Enjoy it all!
L to R (top): Zhanna Sattsaeva, Kai Fung Rieck, Cycerli Ash, Anton Simpson-Tidy, PeiPei Alena Yuan
L to R (bottom) Gee “Lil’ Bomb” Jay, Robert Linden, Amber Lamarca, Bryan Sloyer, Branden Arnold
If you missed the Hit List from two weeks ago, catch it here. Also, subscribe to these creators and their pages online and SHARE the Hit List with friends and, as always, if you or someone you know performs or creates splendid action and stunts on film and you think it deserves a place in our Hit List, hit us up at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com and we’ll be pleased to vet your goods accordingly!
THE HIT LIST: January 22, 2018
Putting this particular Hit List together became a little more fruitful than expect. Thus, expect this one to finish off deliciously with an explosive finale that will garner much of your respect and fandom.
Top: Dan Carter, Caitlin Hutson, Nik Pelekai, Katie O’Donovan, Felix King
Bottom (L to R): Nicole Marines, Pip Anderson, Mike Carr, Kai Young, Shai DeBroux
To start, as always, we have stunt reels to share to kick off this week’s entries and with none other than Caitlin Hutson straight blasting away followed by the stellar feats of German action actor Felix Fukuyoshi, Coulton Jackson, Katie O’Donovan, Kamen Casey, Nik Pelekai, Jen Bennett, Craig Putnam, Tully Bertorelli, Nicole Marines, Jim Sinclair, Shinji Ishigaki, Judit Szvia, Dallas Hille, Yannick Ghanty, Rochelle Okoye, Reon Van Der Watt, Blake Lindsell, Laura Sutton and Pip Anderson, and Ramazan Bulut’s latest work reel from Bullet Action Design out of Germany!
As far as promotional bits go, all I can tell you so far is that next to working on The Paper Tigers, Mark Poletti has been a busy fellow going into the new year and one project called Jack & Jill caught my attention via Instagram. Any and all nitty gritties are under wraps about this project but several posts on his page and that of actress Julie Zhan reveal quite the beating both characters appear to take in the footage being shot. Check out the stills just beneath this week’s latest look into Headhacker shortfilm helmer Glen Harris’s latest bid in ninja action with revenge thriller, Honour, with Mike Carr starring in footage you can now exclusively view below!
JJ Sneak Peak pt.1 – Just a liiiiiiitle sneak peak of what we’ve been up to for the past month! @dancejujudance ?: @mellylee_ ?: @bowmanmakeup New #Action #Shortfilm #comingsoon ! . . . . . . . #actor #director #actress #martialartist #actionfilm #lensflare #sfxmakeup #johnwick #jackiechan #kungfu #wushu #bjj #kickboxing #framez #Cinematography #Photography #setlife #setphotography #womenwhokickass #sneakpeak #drama #gh5 #djironin #hollywood #indiefilm #actorartistnerd #markpoletti
A post shared by Mark Alexander Poletti (@mark_poletti) on Jan 9, 2018 at 4:52pm PST
JJ Sneak Peak pt2. – This short is my directing debut. I honestly thought the process was going to leave me feeling like this photo… But the truth is – I really #dig it hahahaha ?: @mellylee_ ?: @bowmanmakeup ?: @luke_dejoras . . . . . . #actor #director #writer #framez #lighting #cinematography #mua #sfxmakeup #photography #setphotographer #shortfilm #indiefilm #actionfilm #martialarts #kungfu #boxing #jiujitsu #dowork #stunts #trusttheprocess #storytelling #a7r2 #a7rii #sony #makeup #createcontent #teaser #actorartistnerd #markpoletti
A post shared by Mark Alexander Poletti (@mark_poletti) on Jan 16, 2018 at 3:25am PST
JJ Sneak Peak pt.3 – @dancejujudance stepped up her action game and definitely leveled up since Cactus and #theblockfilm ! #badasswoman And I can’t not give enough kind words to Doug, and can’t wait to show you guys his take as our Villain ? ?: @mellylee_ ?: @luke_dejoras ?: @bowmanmakeup . . . . . . #actor #actionfilm #shortfilm #framez #photography #setphotography #bts #womenwhokickass #womenempowerment #breakingstereotypes #atomicblonde #martialarts #kungfu #bjj #taekwondo #karate #kickboxing #stunts #drama #director #producer #contentcreation #mountainbarproductions #sfxmakeup #colors #Cinematography #actorartistnerd #MarkPoletti
A post shared by Mark Alexander Poletti (@mark_poletti) on Jan 16, 2018 at 1:07pm PST
You should see the other guy. Look out for a new action project coming soon 🙂 Directed by @mark_poletti ?: @mellylee_ ?: @bowmanmakeup ?: @luke_dejoras #jackandjill #action #asskicking #jackiechan #ismydad
A post shared by Julie Zhan (@dancejujudance) on Jan 18, 2018 at 5:09pm PST
It’s time to throwdown something fierce this week and we begin with a plethora of test action demos firstly from Moon Ameen, followed by Daniel Nelson crossing blows with Ebony De La Haye, Dan Carter and James Newman fight for the title role of The Better Swordsman, Matthew D’Aoust and Mathieu St-Pierre tossing up the white stuff in Fight Or Flight, Hannes Pastor sharpening up his craft with a prop knife and stuntfighters Johann Foul and Jan Krauter and Samsul Ibrahim‘s Youtube channel now host to trio of performers amid a delightful Silat display heavily influenced from The Raid.
The playlist continues onward with Gee Lil’ Bomb Jay manning up as Rey for Kamen Ramen‘s most recent ode to Star Wars with Jourdan Barnett, Alex Dell’Aquila and Eric Fuchs, Ruben Maldonado smokin’ it up with Joseph Roark and Felix King, Priscilla Fontanez behind the lens with editor Kai Young throwing his weight in for a group practice action piece, and award-winning Rising Tiger Films in hard-hitting sequel form with Baddest 2.
The RackaRacka‘s Danny and Micahel Philippou square off with Orcs in a brutal pit fight club sponsored by WB Games for Middle Earth: Shadow Of War, actress and cosplayer Erin Haus batters-up in a Harley Quinn-inspired fan piece, Fernando Jay Huerto’s Better Homes And Villains invokes dark comedy about a failing superhero seeking self-improvement, and Bryan Sloyer wreaking absolute havoc on the sense with an action-packed and spiritually momentous tale of deep connection and thought in Capture with Jay Kwon, Kiera O’Connor and Shai DeBroux.
Last and WAY far from least is a John Wick-inspired damn straight kick-ass fan flick from AERI Productions out of Florida. Starring and directed by Steven Quach, Ebullition reads like the first of a series based on its thumbnail art with Chapter 1 as its subtitle, and with Quach starring as an underworld hitman whose life is turned upside down in a single tragic evening, forcing his hand. Bloody and ballistic retribution ensues with Quach also coordinating the action in a highly-energetic uplifting spate of kills and a twist at the end that will leave you curious. I loved this project and I hope Chapter 2 arises in due time.
Enjoy the hits!
Top (L to R): Rochelle Okoye, Leroy Nguyen, Kiera O’Connor, Steven Quach, Laura Sutton
Bottom (L to R): Daniel Nelson, Ruben Maldonado, Shinji Ishigaki, Felix Fukuyoshi, Joseph Roark
Don’t miss last week’s hits! They’re as much a must-see as any of these pieces and you’d be an awesome human being for sharing the Hit List with friends and subscribing to the wonderful and talented creators for your show of support. Also, by all means, if you’ve got a project as cool as these and it needs promoting or sharing, e-mail it straight to us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com!
THE HIT LIST: October 9, 2017
As we speak, I am completely overwhelmed and ecstatic with what I just saw over the past week and this weekend. Sadly none of it includes what happened at New York Comic Con since I couldn’t go but I had plenty to keep busy with.
THE HIT LIST: July 24, 2017
The story is very entertaining as is the overall look and feel, and Suljic brings a very edgy mien to the lens. The action can be jarring at times in the editing but you still get something out of it next to the solid drama with a commanding performance by Loredan Krug who plays the villain.
THE HIT LIST: March 27, 2017
Last week’s Hit List is a fully loaded one in case you’re new to this site, so feel free to endulge, as well as subscribe to the channels for own enjoyment. As always, if you or someone you know works in the stunt or screenfighting profession, has a fanatstic new reel or film project worthy of support or presentation online, talk to us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to weigh in!
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