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ECHO 8: Asian-Australian Psych Action Thriller Launches Official Trailer And Indiegogo

Lee B. Golden III

An ambitious and exciting new feature production began over two years ago from film duo Maria Tran and Takashi Hara with psychological action thriller, Echo 8. Backed by a crew comprised of mostly women (including a prominent Asian-Australian cast), as well as volunteers from the local Western Sydney community, the film was shot in fourteen non-consecutive days following the start of principal photography a month before COVID-19 restrictions set in. Filming wrapped nearly a year ago followed by a lengthy post-production process, and a fresh new campaign that recently saw an exclusive live trailer broadcast last week which directors/stars/producers Tran and Hara are now sharing to the world as of Sunday. A highly trained assassin flashes between a nightmarish dream and her reality at a secret underground organization. When her latest mission involves killing a grieving mother, she realizes her target is closer to home than she realizes—much closer. If […]

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ECHO 8: Catch The Brand New Poster Before The Official Trailer Launch On Friday

Lee B. Golden III

Aussie film duo Maria Tran and Takashi Hara are now days away from premiering the official trailer for their feature debut, Echo 8. The two jointly direct the pic as well as star in the film, which could arrive to audiences commercially as early as 2023. A highly trained assassin flashes between a nightmarish dream and her reality at a secret underground organization. When her latest mission involves killing a grieving mother, she realizes her target is closer to home than she realizes—much closer. It’s actually been almost three years since the start of production on Echo 8, hampered by some of the typical challenges of independent film – augmented by the severity of the Covid-19 no less. Production completed last February while Tran and Hara moved onto other work while plotting post production, with Tran herself having since taken up casting for upcoming Paramount+ Australia crime series, The Last […]

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LAST KING OF THE CROSS Adds Cast For Paramount+ Australia Crime Series

Lee B. Golden III

Paramount+ Australia is getting gears rolling for new ten-episode hourlong crime drama, Last King Of The Cross with actor Ian McShane (John Wick franchise) announced as the lead antagonist back in March alongside Lincoln Younes (Little Monsters). Casting this week is also announcing Callan Mulvey (Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice), Tess Haubrich (Spiderhead, Alien: Covenant), Claude Jabbour (Eden, Stateless), Maria Tran (Truy Sat, Echo 8), Matt Nable (Riddick, Bikie Wars: Brothers In Arms) and Damian Walshe-Howling (Underbelly, Janet King) according to Deadline‘s Max Goldbart. Deadline broke news of the show in March introducing McShane as Ezra Shipman, the most feared and venerable crime boss in Sydney’s Kings Cross. Well up in age however and forced to confront his own mortality with no one to hand his legacy to, he crosses paths with John Ibrahim (Younes), a poverty-stricken immigrant who otherwise reflects much of Shipman’s own similar traits: young, brash, ambitious, and intelligent. With […]

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ECHOES FROM DOWN UNDER: Swords, Swings And New Beginnings With Maria Tran And Takashi Hara

Lee B. Golden III

I’m having a bit of a slow day here, so there isn’t a whole lot coming through in my inbox. All that aside, I thought I’d share this little tidbit from a rare night out I had on Wednesday evening here in New York City when filmmakers Takashi Hara and production partner Maria Tran of Australia-based Phoenix Eye Film Productions came to visit. The two had just wrapped up a journey with the Vingroup Elite Tour and had a gig shortly after at the New York International Auto Show this week, and so their schedule was certainly something to factor in our planning. We were supposed to link up on Tuesday evening and sadly, those plans got derailed that morning when a Brooklyn subway was terrorized by a lone gunman causing multiple injuries, several of which were critical and thankfully, none of them were fatal… You’d think a pandemic that’s […]

ECHO 8 Gets A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The New Aussie Indie Action Thriller Two Years In The Making

Lee B. Golden III

Believe it or not, twenty months have passed since Maria Tran and Takashi Hara turned on the ignition for their latest first narrative feature project, Echo 8, two Decembers ago. Obviously with a deadly and sweeping pandemic making the rounds in 2020, getting anything even remotely done involving numbers of people was going to be a challenge, and thus, Tran and Hara have since faced their hurdles head on leading up to the film’s final shots back in February. All that’s left now is post-production and the long haul that is the film market sales points as Echo 8 inches closer to a trailer launch and the possibility of acquisition news to come. Both Tran and Hara will also be relocating from Australia to their new home in Las Vegas, Nevada sometime in the not-too-distant future, which means film locals in the state should be in luck if they need […]

OBSIDIAN: Don’t Miss The Trailer For The New Psych Action Sci-Fi Short Thriller From Takashi Hara

Lee B. Golden III

Phoenix Eye’s Maria Tran and Takashi Hara are back with another shortform thriller coming soon in Obsidian. It’s one of several projects from their repetoire that will be slowly rolling out in the weeks and months ahead, and it’s got an enticing trailer you can view above. A young couple’s dangerous run-in with loan sharks is thwarted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger. “Obsidian” is a contemporary drama with sci-fi elements written in the same vein as “Looper” and “Predestination”. With a gripping storyline, dynamic characters and a twist ending, “Obsidian” will captivate the audience, leaving them hopeful for the future. If you’re not subscribed to Phoenix Eye anywhere on social media just yet, consider this your heads-up, especially if you follow burgeoning creators and filmmakers alike. Hara directs as well as stars with Tran from a script by Elizabeth H. Vu, and with action sequences by Tran, and […]

ECHO 8: Maria Tran’s Aussie Feature Debut Thriller Spawns Premiere Key Art

Lee B. Golden III

A little over a year and a half since our last update, director Maria Tran’s feature debut, Echo 8, is finally breathing signs of life once more with an official poster as of last week Friday. Written by Elizabeth H. Vu (Mr. Ghost, The Perception) Echo 8 centers on a highly trained assassin who finds herself in a strange house with no memories of how she got there, in the wake of a specialized mission gone awry; Think: Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown by way of Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. The self-funded project, with filming completed safely in-part during the 2020 pandemic, hails from Tran’s Phoenix Eye banner where she and production cohorts Therese Chen and Nancy Trieu have been working on their film slate with a number of titles. Echo 8 also stars Tran along with Takashi Hara and David Vuong. Peep the art below and stand by for more […]

OPERATION KUNG FLU Trailer: Maria Tran Takes Racism To Task In The New Action Comedy Short From Phoenix Eye

Lee B. Golden III

Taking a page from her own Tiger Cop fanfare, 80s Hong Kong nostalgia reigns supreme once more for filmmaker and actress Maria Tran in the official trailer for action comedy, Operation Kung Flu. The short is headed for an online release this month, marking the latest step for Tran and her devoted independent film crew who are more than steadfast and ready to place their stake in fighting back against the kinds of violent and racist reprisals against Asian communites around the world in the past year. Operation Kung Flu hails from Tran’s independent film production banner, Phoenix Eye Entertainment, in association with Diversity Arts Australia’s program “I Am Not A Virus”. The project was shot on a shoestring budget over two days involving sixty cast and crew members, marking a sheer collaborative volunteer effort of Western Sydney filmmakers and creatives to speak out on this topical issue during this […]

Maria Tran’s Hong Kong Lady Inspector Battles The Toilet Paper Bandit In TIGER COP: TOILET PAPER HERO

Lee B. Golden III

If you’ve followed the work of Adrian Castro and actress Maria Tran at all in the last ten years, then you’re probably familiar with their usual style and aesthetic as it instantly clicks for fans of throwback Hong Kong action cinema. Such is the continual jump off point for Tiger Cop, built from a spate of proof of concept trailers and even an ABC i-view series back in 2017. They’re back now Tiger Cop: Toilet Paper Hero, the latest installment of the independent IP from Castro’s Five Minute Cinema, showcasing local Australian action and martial arts talent, coupled with a fitting public service nod in the wake of news updates over hoarding as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world. “When we saw the toilet paper crisis unfold in the media, and people literally fighting over toilet paper, this was seen as the perfect platform to make commentary on the current […]

ECHO 8 Scores A Trio Of Character Posters For Maria Tran’s Action Feature Debut

Lee B. Golden III

Three new visuals are online for the production of Maria Tran’s feature debut, Echo 8. Principal photography commences in January in Western Sydney, Australia with Tran directing her first feature, in addition to starring. From Tran’s Phoenix Eye independent company, Echo 8 centers on a highly trained assassin who finds herself in a strange house with no memories of how she got there, in the wake of a specialized mission gone awry; Think: Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown by way of Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. “This will be my first directorial debut of an actioner and a shoe string budget production but with an amazing cast & crew.” said Tran in a Facebook post on Monday. “This production is fueled by the input of the independent artist community of Sydney and with the contributions of our international talents and it feels great to just make films because we can!” Elizabeth […]

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ECHO 8: Maria Tran, Phoenix Eye Fast Track Independent Psych Action Thriller For January Production

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Maria Tran took to social media on Sunday to announce pre-production on upcoming psychological action thriller, Echo 8. Tran will star and make her feature directorial debut, as well as head a cast that also includes local actors Takashi Hara and David Vuong. Echo 8 centers on a highly trained assassin who finds herself in a strange house with no memories of how she got there, in the wake of a specialized mission gone awry; Think: Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown by way of Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. Script is currently in the last stages of development with screenwriter Elizabeth H. Vu (Mr. Ghost, The Perception) finalizing the latest draft. The self-funded project hails from Tran’s Phoenix Eye banner where she and cohorts Therese Chen and Nancy Trieu have been working on their film slate with a number of titles, in addition to journeying between locations to share in […]

HIT GIRLS: Maria Tran’s Award-Winning Aussie Action Short Now In Feature Film Development

Lee B. Golden III

Still in the midst of completing her latest documentary, actress, martial artist and filmmaker Maria Tran (Enter The Dojo, Gaffa, Hong Kong Shogun) is also tacking on a feature-film adaptation of her decorated 2013 action short, Hit Girls, penning the script with screenwriter Elizabeth H. Vu (Mr. Ghost, The Perception). The announcement comes five years since Tran headlined the award-winning short with actress and martial arts star JuJu Chan, which she also directed with film partner and co-helmer Adrian Castro. Tran took to social media on Monday to break the news posting the following along with a photo: “| HIT GIRLS | The joy! When you are in the office and your writers are all collaborating on the same project (in other spaces) and you are just so impatient to see how the story pans out! It’s been so much fun fleshing this one out. More than 5 years ago […]

FEMME FATALES: SEEN & UNHEARD: Photos From The Front Lines For Maria Tran’s New Female-Fronted Action Cimema Doc

Lee B. Golden III

Production is already underway with the first few photos now online for Australian actress and filmmaker Maria Tran‘s new self-funded documentary, Femme Fatales: Seen & Unheard. Tran and her crew at Phoenix Eye Film Production Company have already begun their first travels into Hong Kong and just recently in Vietnam with further journeying throughout South East Asia to bring a broad spotlight to embolden women climbing the action entertainment ladder. The following photos below include Hong Kong pics with Tran interviewing Girls Vs. Gangsters director Barbara Wong, and Vietnam with female traceur athletes of the country’s largest stunt team, Cascadeur Thien Quoc Nguyen Team. Tran’s next stop will soon be the Philippines, home to some of the latest genre film favorites to circulate abroad including Pedring Lopez’s Nilalang and Erik Matti’s sprawling crime opus, BuyBust starring Anne Curtis. Take a look:

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THE HIT LIST: November 27, 2017

Lee B. Golden III

Believe it or not, we’re coming down the wire with the Hit Lists of 2017! December 4 will be the last entry before I recommence things in January. Until then, I am also preparing content for the next several weeks in which I discuss upcoming films to look out for in 2018, so stick around for those as well. For now though, it’s business as usual for The Hit List assembling the week’s stunt and demo reels and projects. Stuntman, actor and filmmaker Diego Ramiro gives us an impressive showing this week with an spirited action comedy reel showcasing just what a versatile talent he is. He kicks off this week’s playlist with more reels by Kimberly Root, Andrew Nadanyi, Valisa Tate, Adam Carson, Marina Volkova, Geoffrey Boggs, Molly Thomas, Felix Cortes, Jeffrey Mayfield, Trevor de Groot and Chad Riley. It’s time for some trailer gems and thus, the past […]

THE HIT LIST: March 13, 2017

Lee B. Golden III

My weekend needed more hours seeing as how the lack of sleep tends to wane on a person. Thankfully I got through it enough to finish this week’s Hit List, though I’ll be keeping some of these passages a bit more abbreviated. Kicking off this week’s stunt reel playlist is Stephon Reynolds, followed by reels featuring Courtney Chen, K Dynamique’s own Siamak Samie, Gina Marinella, Michael Carey, Ronin Skai, Sadiqua Bynum, Justin Krall, Martin Martejcik, Ellette Craddock, Kyle Thomas, Stephané Giroudeaud, Justin Craigen and the hard-hitting musings of stunt coordinator and stuntman, Simon Rhee! Onward, we have some more trailer goods to share and we begin with word that Vietnamese Australian actress Maria Tran’s latest efforts with filmmaker Adrian Castro for old school Asian action homage series, Tiger Cop, have officially been met with funding as of last week. The concept itself has stewed for several years as concept trailers […]

THE HIT LIST – October 24, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

This week’s Hit List was another down-the-wire bit with a few late entries. On another note I’m currently saving my evening energy for a thing I’m doing in the next few weeks and with any luck I’ll even get to write about it, so keep an eye on my Facebook page for more content. In the meantime, we’re back with another installment of The Hit List and it’s got all the action, stunt work and thrills you crave! Actor and filmmaker Eric Jacobus lends his gameface to viewers once more as a fighting game character, here and now as Bayman from Dead Or Alive in a new movelist performance compilation. The playlist finishes things up from there with an arsenal of thrilling stuntwork by Amy Sturdivant, Lin He Rong, Johan Lindqvist, Jared Losano, Marissa Labog, Jason Mello, Jason Durham, Bayland Kippenkroeger, Chad Crumley, bicycle traceur Tim Knoll courtesy of filmmaker […]

Review: TRUY SAT (2016) Fires On All Cylinders With Slickness And Style

Lee B. Golden III

It was back in late 2014 that I didn’t catch on to then-debut helmer Cuong Ngo’s crime pic, Huong Ga. The trailer itself was great and with justice done even more so if the nominations it received the following year from shows at Golden Apricot and Vietnamese Golden Kite are anything to go by. Ergo, it’s understandable that nods like would earn someone like Ngo a little more attention as he continues his craft in the action genre, thus bringing us in with his latest thriller, Truy Sat which released in Vietnam earlier this year from TNA Films and CJ Entertainment. The film does stumble in just a few areas but it’s a film staunch with action and great pacing, and most of the acting is solid from its cast. Huong Ga star, actress Troung Ngoc Anh reunites with our director to lead the film which doesn’t hesitste to jump […]

THE HIT LIST – September 19, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Follow me on Instagram and you’re more than welcome to join in on my current Gintama binge. Apart from that and my other work obligations, the newest installment of the Hit List is here and ripe with plenty of stunt talent and action to absorb for your Monday evening! Taking the lead is the usual playlist of stunt reels from some of today’s hardcore wreckers and coordinators of epic screen action and stunt work, now featuring Force Storm Entertainment’s own Noah Fleder, the pre-visual wizardry of stunt coordinator Dave Macomber, and action actor Jonny Caines with a reel featuring some spectacular new footage from a feature project currently in post-production (see more on Caines’s latest efforts here). Rounding out the playlist are Ashley Short, Craig Morgan, Aaron Delaney, Julia Maggio, Daniel Locicero, Jake Eavey, Jericho Green, Angelo Poulis, William Greenburg, Malay Kim, Tyler Hall, and the newest amalgam of action practice […]

Jackie Chan Actioner, BLEEDING STEEL Gets Its Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Renny Harlin’s latest, Skiptrace, is off to a good start this past weekend at the box office overseas, which is good news for its lead actor, action star Jackie Chan who is currently scheduled for an In Conversation event at the Syndey Opera House where he will discuss his career in a little over a week. In the meantime, production rolls onward for Chan’s new venture in the area, Bleeding Steel, from sophomore director and writer Leo Zhang as of earlier this month and casting news is finally making the rounds. The film, from Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Heyi Pictures, sees Chan in the role of a special forces agent fighting to protect an important witness to a major case as the two find themselves tangled in a conspiracy. Chan is producing the film from a script by Zhang, and a cast that includes Mermaid co-star Show Luo, Nana […]

Vietnamese Cop Thriller, TRUY SAT, Gets A Full Trailer And New Poster

Lee B. Golden III

Director Cuong Ngo’s latest action thriller, Truy Sat (Tracer) seems ripe for success at the moment upon the launch of its promotional campaign with a second teaser online as of last month. With a big screen date in Vietnam set for April 22, the full trailer is now online and with plenty of optimism that this one will be a sure hit. Actress and producer Troung Ngoc Anh reunites with Ngo since the 2014 gangster thriller, Huong Ga, this time in the role of detective hot on the vengeful trail of a criminal kingpin. Actor and newcomer Thien Nguyen also stars along with Lamou Vissay, Vin Thuy and Maria Tran. Check out the fresh new poster and trailer below!