JADE Review: Rising Martial Arts Star Shaina West Brings Her Sharpest A-Game In A Wearisome Crime Actioner
JADE stars Shaina West in her debut lead role following appearances in “The Woman King,” and “Marvel’s Black Widow”.
mark dacascos
JADE Trailer: Martial Arts Thriller Starring Shaina West Arrives On Digital In February From Well Go USA!
Well Go USA is proudly releasing Jade, the new action thriller starring actress and martial artist Shaina West (The Woman King, Marvel’s Black Widow) and Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum). Stunt multi-hyphenate and filmmaker James Bamford (Man With No Past, The CW’s “Arrow”) directs from a script he co-wrote with screenwriters Lynn Colliar and Glenn Ennis. After her brother’s untimely and accidental death at her own hands, Jade swore she’d never pick up another gun. But when she unknowingly comes between powerful businessman “Tork” and her former gang leader in their urgent search for a valuable hard drive that could single-handedly take down Interpol, she may not have a choice. With the guidance of Reese, an old friend at Interpol, Jade must come to terms with all she’s faced in the past and present to safeguard her growing family’s future. This is a pretty big one for […]
WARRIOR – Season 3, Episode 8 – “Weddings are not for Everyone”
Weddings have different customs and traditions. In Chinese traditions, there is the tea ceremony and games are played for the groom to see the bride. These games range from the groom singing in humiliation, paying everyone with money and doing a ridiculous dance. Having your groomsmen beat you up with bo staffs and your best man fight you is something I’ve not heard of. The episode is written by Wang Chao himself: Hoon Lee and features no cold open. The Hop Wei, Ah Toy, and Chao attend Mai Ling and Li Yong’s wedding while Buckley is officially sworn in as mayor. The Long Zii elders speak with Li Yong to keep an eye out on Mai Ling, making him question what actually happened to Long Zii himself. Leary plans to get the Donahues out of jail but cannot avoid being arrested, the person he turns to is O’Hara. O’Hara goes […]
Now Streaming: BLADE OF THE 47 RONIN, Where Martial Arts And Magic Clash In Ron Yuan’s Pulpy Modern-Day Samurai Sequel
It was pretty much anyone’s guess nine years ago whether or not Carl Rinsch’s Lord Of The Rings-esque take on the classic tale of the 47 Ronin was going to get a sequel of any kind, as big as the aspirations (and budget) were for Universal’s 2013 box office flop. Suffice it to say that some jaws dropped when the trades reported such a follow-up to be directed by actor Ron Yuan who had long begun racking up his film credits behind the lens and with direct-to-disc/streaming releases becoming the more suitable business model for studios looking to capitalize on residual film fandom. Thus, we have Universal’s 1440 shingle joined by Netflix in rolling out Blade Of The 47 Ronin, the second chapter which is set 300 years after the events of the first film and is set in none other than Budapest, which is where Rinsch’s installment was partly […]
Ron Yuan’s BLADE OF THE 47 RONIN Slays In A Ten-Minute Preview Of The Upcoming Action Sequel
Actor and director Ron Yuan pulled his latest major feat with a festive screening earlier this month at UTA in California for Blade Of The 47 Ronin. The campaign has already rolled out an official promo and character image gallery which you can view here and here courtesy of leading lady Anna Akana who stars in the modernized futuristic sequel to the Keanu Reeves-led 2013 Universal Pictures release. An evil witch named Yurei, whose ancestor was slain by one of the 47 Ronin, has surfaced in modern-day Budapest determined to have his revenge. Yurei seeks to completely destroy all samurai by uniting both halves of the powerful Tengu Sword. A prophecy claims only a descendant of the original 47 Ronin can wield the blade and defeat this great evil. The samurai are shocked when Lord Shinshiro identifies a streetwise New Yorker named Luna as the one who was prophesied. He […]
WARRIOR: Mark Dacascos And Chelsea Muirhead Join Season Three Of The Hit Martial Arts Action Drama
WarnerMedia is officially announcing the casting additions of actors Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) and Chelsea Muirhead (Spare Parts) as series regulars for HBO Max martial arts action crime drama, Warrior. Both actors join a cast of new and returning actors for the upcoming ten-episode third season, led once more by series star Andrew Koji (Paramount Pictures’ Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Sony Picutures’ upcoming Bullet Train). Set during the violent and bloody Tong Wars of the late 19th century in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Warrior stars Koji as Ah Sahm, a Foshan martial artist whose covert arrival in search of his missing sister forces him to tread carefully between rival gangs, corrupt politicians, and an amenable police force. At the end of season two, shocking twists and stark revelations unfold in the city’s fractured backdrop, upended by racial unrest between the Chinese and the Irish, while Ah […]
BLADE OF THE 47 RONIN Unsheathes A Dystopian Female Samurai Thriller
A new Friday report by Variety‘s Patrick Frater confirms the completion Blade Of The 47 Ronin, the sequel to the original Keanu Reeves-led 2013 Universal Pictures release. Actor and filmmaker Ron Yuan (Step Up China) directs for a second venture with Tim Kwok producing, and a script by John Swetnam, Lucifer actress Aimee Garcia, and A.J. Mendez. The film, which wrapped in Hungary this week, hails from Universal’s 1440 Productions shingle. Actress Anna Akana (Jupiter’s Legacy) stars alongside U.S. martial artist Teresa Ting and Mike Moh (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), and Warrior actor Dustin Nguyen, along with Chris Pang, Japanese actor and model Fukuyama Chikako, action star Mark Dacascos, Luna Fujimoto, Akira Koieyama and Nino Furuhata. As Frater notes, Blade Of The 47 Ronin is set in Budapest, 300 years following the events of the first film. It takes a more subversive turn as it brings a more […]
ASSAULT ON VA-33: Sean Patrick Flanery Puts A Chokehold On Terrorism In The Official Trailer
Hopefully by now you’ve seen Sean Patrick Flanery’s latest fight drama, Born A Champion, or at least plan to in the coming weeks. My review of that film spawns lists of reasons why that film was such fun, and ought to put Flanery on the map for even more spectacular film fun going forward. That said, if you love MMA-themed action or if you simply enjoyed Born A Champion so much that you want more of it, look no further than the official trailer now online for Christopher Ray’s new action thriller, Assault On VA-33. Ray directs from a script by Scott T. Reynolds for a cast led by Flanery who is clearly ready to dish out more proper BJJ-stylized thrills for a suitable action narrative with the likes of Rob Van Dam and Mark Dacascos also on hand. Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints) stars as decorated army veteran Jason […]
Steve Wang’s Long-Heralded DRIVE: DIRECTOR’S CUT Gets The MVD Rewind Treatment In May!
This week is a week of celebrating bygone action movie glory if you’re a collector of physical media from the good folks over at MVD Entertainment. More than twenty years since HKL/Medusa Communications advanced the home release efforts of Steve Wang’s own cut of the 1996 film, Drive, the company’s own Rewind Collection shingle are now offering their own spruced up edition of the director’s cut on Blu-Ray. The special features are listed below and if some of them read familiar to you any, chances are you’ve owned a copy of the HKL/Medusa print from 2000, and so there’s a very, VERY good chance that you know your friends and fellow film fans have reasons aplenty to be excited. Drive is a cult classic that pays dear homage to action movies in a multitude of ways, and was a festival darling for a time or two, and the unfortunate part […]
[UPDATED] ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Takes A Ride Through Neo-Noir Retribution In The Official Trailer
Long since his heyday at the Warner lot with Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever, there’s no question that director Wych Kaosayananda has been keeping as busy as possible in various aspects of his field. His latest prospects have been with Lionsgate, host to a pair of thrillers with actor and action star Mark Dacascos, firstly for last year’s Thailand set for zombie survival road thriller, The Driver. Back together once more and taking a page or two from the John Wick playbook is the first official trailer for One Night In Bangkok, which sees Mark as a stoic assassin on a secret mission, armed with a handgun, a kill list, and a purpose. For this, I should note that I’ve altered Lionsgate’s following synopsis in my piece here, so as to correct the name/credit for one other actor: A hit man named Kai (Mark Dacascos) flies into Bangkok, gets a gun, […]
ASSAULT ON VA-33: ‘Mercenaries’ Director Tackles PTSD Siege Thriller Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Michael Jai White, Mark Dacascos And More
It’s a bit of a challenge these days to see which productions will stick and won’t given the recent pandemic news. That’s not stopping the movie news though, and there is some casting news out with Deadline giving the goods now on Assault On VA-33 from director Christopher Ray (Mercenaries, FraXtur). Ray directs from a script by Scott Thomas Reynolds which sees actor and martial artist Sean Patrick Flanery (Lasso, The Outsider, Amazon’s The Bay) in the role of Jason Hill, a decorated veteran and PTSD sufferer who must save his wife the U.S. military Chief Of Staff, and the entire hospital from a band of armed terrorists who descend unto the VA hospital where she works. Flanery won’t be alone in the headlining cast of heavy hitters with a cast that further lists Michael Jai White (Triple Threat, The Hard Way), Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, […]
THE DRIVER Review: Wych Kaosayananda’s Latest Is An Empowered, Redemptive, Zombie Killing Family Affair
It’s been several years since director Wych Kaosayanada overcame arduously weaving together a more marketable narrative of his 2012 Thai murder drama, Angels with the Dustin Nguyen/Scott Adkins starrer, Zero Tolerance. The director even takes a handle of his own cinematography of his work for the most part, which, in turn, contributes to one of my own guilty pleasures, Dustin Nguyen’s Once Upon A Time In Vietnam. Honing in his craft once more with The Driver, Kaosayananda births a nascent franchise of his own with one of a series of films featuring interconnecting story arcs between characters in a world long since overrun by zombies. To the delight of viewers’ martial arts star and actor Mark Dacascos takes the wheel in the title character, carving one of his more finer presentations of late after earning his way back into the spotlight with favorable roles in John Wick: Chapter 3 – […]
ALL-IN: Catching Up With Filmmaker Wych Kaosayananda
It’s been seventeen years since director Wych Kaosayananda’s Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever put him on the radar for many a filmgoer for several reasons. For someone pennamed Kaos for the film’s marketing, I totally expected Wych to stick around and blow minds. Of course, that was how my fanboy brain worked at the time. Wych and I spoke of this and more back in 2014 for our first interview, and he certainly gave an in-depth perspective about his career to keep in mind. Around this time, he had just finished a seething murder mystery thriller called Angels along with serving as director of photography for a few projects from directors like Daniel Zirilli and actor Dustin Nguyen. I don’t plan on re-editing it like recent reprints given the time-sensitivity, but I welcome anyone willing to check it out if it provides any current and needed context. For this, the director […]
ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Reveals Mark Dacascos’ Killer New Look In These Four New Stills [EXCLUSIVE]
Film Combat Syndicate can proudly share a quartet of exclusive stills from upcoming thriller, One Night In Bangkok. Production was announced in June signaling the reunion of star/director duo, Mark Dacascos and Wych Kaosayananda in lieu of their latest pending November release, The Driver, from Lionsgate. Kaosayananda penned the new thriller which wrapped principal photography back in July and is currently on deck for a release sometime in the first quarter of 2020. Plot details remain underwraps, although according to the director in our own inquiry, the film is described as a crime noir in the vein of Collateral with its own twist. The wrap party back in July also saw the presentation of a tentative reel highlighting key moments from the new film. The film is aimed particularly to be more drama centric, though there will certainly be some morsels of the screenfighting kind as Dacascos won’t be the […]
THE DRIVER: The Dacascos Family Takes The Wheel In The Official Trailer For Wych Kaosayananda’s New Action Horror
Long since his heyday with DTV fare, I Am Omega, actor Mark Dacascos is returning to the zombie genre with action horror, The Driver. Its arrival is a timely and welcome one for the action star whose latest fame of late brought appearances in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, and hit Netflix series, Wu Assassins. The film is directed by Wych Kaosayananda, best known for directing Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, before rebooting his career in Southeast Asia. He directed photography on Daniel Zirilli’s upcoming Marko Zaror/Johnny Strong thriller, Invincible and collaborated twice with Dustin Nguyen lensing Once Upon A Time In Vietnam, and directing the actor on cerebral crime procedural, Angels (that film was later recut with scenes added featuring Scott Adkins and Kane Kosugi for its stateside release as 2 Guns: Zero Tolerance). Kaosayanada shot the film last year as one of two films at the time in hopes […]
New JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM Trailer: BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!!!!!
….I got nothin. This thing sells itself at this point. If you’ve seen the last two films, you know the story, you know the score… May 17? Yeah, I’m sold. Keanu Reeves versus… everyone, basically. Everyone. Asia Kate Dillon, Mark Dacascos, Yayan Ruhian, Cecep Arif Rahman,…. Sold.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM Gets Ten New Character Posters
A brand new trailer for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is coming Thursday, and Lionsgate is heading off with ten character posters which you can view just below. Keanu Reeves, whose Bill & Ted threequel was just announced moments ago for August 2020, gets his day as the Baba Yaga once more on May 17, as well as his own poster among the ten.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM: Keanu Reeves Dreams The Impossible In The Official Trailer
The stage is set and war is coming as Keanu Reeves re-enters the fray once more in the upcoming release of Chad Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. A week of stirring excitement with a trailer tease and poster art on Tuesday is what now sets up the first official trailer bringing fans back into the fold for another round of double taps, gun-jitsu takedowns and fisticuffs orchestrated in part by Stahelski’s alpha pack of stunt professionals at 87Eleven. Also on the roster with the ever-dilligent and fight-ready Reeves are the likes of Halle Berry whose career of late now sees this production as first of what’s to come for the actress who has been pounding the pavement for more action roles. She emerges in the third installment of this action franchise for the role of Sofia to help pepper things a bit along with a raft of action […]
MVD To Unleash DOUBLE DRAGON On Blu-Ray/DVD In January
I’m still sort of pining for the day someone snags the movie rights to classic Technōs Japan video game property, Double Dragon; The 1994 live-action film adaptation wasn’t so hot, save for at least one explosive moment on set that led to hundreds of calls from panicked Northeast Ohioans about the set. For this, the film still remains a cherished relic for a targeted film niche, and niche distributor MVD Entertainment Group is more than willing to oblige with a first time-ever Blu-Ray/DVD Collector’s Edition. MVD made the announcement earlier last month and pre-orders are currently up-and-running at this link ahead of its January 22 release. From director James Yukich (Shawn Mendes: Live at the Greek Theatre), producers Don Murphy (Transformers, Natural Born Killers), Jane Hamsher (From Hell) and Alan Schechter (Showdown), with a screenplay written by Michael Davis (Shoot ‘Em Up) and Emmy® Award Winner Peter Gould (Better Call […]
CORTO MALTESE: Yeoh, Jovovich And Dacascos Hyped In Casting Announcement For Christopher Gans’ New Adventure Epic
Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Group is on hand through next week at the American Film Market where international sales will commences on forthcoming swashbuckler, Corto Maltese, based on the work of novelist and comic book author Hugo Pratt. Christophe Gans (Beauty And The Beast, Silent Hill, Brotherhood Of The Wolf, Crying Freeman) is directing the pic from a script by William Schneider, as announced by producer Samuel Hadida who will produce via his Davis Films banner next to Spain-based TriPictures, currently setting Tom Hughes (Victoria) to star in the title role. The swashbuckling actioner takes place at the dawn of the 20th century. Legendary adventurer Corto Maltese has been hired by a Chinese revolutionary group, The Red Lanterns, to hijack the armored train of the Russian Emperor Tsar Nicolas II that is transporting his gold from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok. Everybody is scheming to capture this priceless treasure: Corto, his partner […]
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