Gary Daniels Takes Center Ring In The New Teaser For BULLPEN FIGHT CLUB
UPDATE: Synopsis from Ellis via The Action Elite:
UPDATE: Synopsis from Ellis via The Action Elite:
Stovall confirmed this moments later, and if you are not aware of who he is, it’s likely you’ve been living under a rock. He’s done some amazing work as well in the world of film and martial arts stunt coordination with credits like the first and second season of Mortal Kombat Legacy, Bunraku (2010), Never Back Down 2 (2011), Dragon Eyes (2012), Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning (2012) and the current production of Max Steel. His more prolific work can be seen especially in director Isaac Florentine’s electrifying MMA prison actioner, Undisputed 3: Redemption (2010), the upcoming home release of The Raid 2, and in the recently unveiled teaser trailer for the new home invasion thriller, No Good Deed starring Idris Elba, which has a trailer you can check out just below Stovall‘s most recent reel at the bottom of the page.
The martial arts action genre continues to play heavily in India’s highly productive market despite anyone’s notice of these films beyond their borders. So, it still a delightful surprise to see such films come about, and much to the chagrin of some critics, that includes remakes which are pretty typical in Indian cinema as directors sometimes remake their own films or that of other directors, local or abroad.
In this instance, we take the name Gavin O’Connor whose 2011 feature-length mixed martial arts drama, Warrior, was a critical hit, but flopped in the U.S.. This week, that film falls at at the feet of Bollywood writer and director Karan Malhotra for the Hindi remake with lead actor Sidharth Malhotra (pictured above) and potential addition, action hero Akshay Kumar respectively portraying the roles previously played by Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton.
The original film’s distributors at Lionsgate are producing the remake with Endemol India to retell the story that previously featured fight choreography by J.J. Perry (Haywire, The Expendables 3) and centered on Hardy and Edgerton as two brothers, one a former Marine and the other a former UFC fighter-turned-schoolteacher, on opposite ends of a three-way family rift stemmimg from their abusive childhood at the behest of their father, played by Nick Nolte. Driven by their own motives, the two brothers eventually find themselves competing in the same mixed martial arts tournament with the grand prize of 5 million dollars to the winner.
In my opinion, not a lot of people are very familiar with Indian action cinema as it gets overlooked by a lot of other films from Hollywood, Hong Kong and the like. But with Lionsgate helping out the project, we’ll see how much publicity this one gets in the states. Granted it might gain its footing mostly with filmgoers familiar with Bollywood cinema, but it could go as far as the film festival circuit in North America much like Vidyut Jammwal’s 2013 hit, Commando, and grow its audience from there. But, time will tell.
In the meantime, Malhotra is currently expected to dazzle audiences at home with director Mohit Suri’s latest romantic murder thriller, Ek Villain, which releases natively on June 27. Check out the trailer below!
H/T: Bollywood Hungama
As common as it is nowadays to see the birth of an acting career with former fighting athletes, filmmaker Arty Morgan (a.k.a. Atsushi Muroga, helmer of the Gun Crazy film franchise) isn’t afraid to do step in the ring and do just that. In fact, he did so about a few years ago on location in the Philippines with the production of his latest action drama, Death Match (once known as The Death Match: Fighting Fist Of Samurai Joe).
The film appears to be the English-language feature-length screen debut of former welterweight K-1 kickboxer Kozo Takeda who has already done some television work within the past few years. This time, Takeda takes the stage as a former mercenary who partakes in street fights to help a woman pay off her unclaimed debt to a gangster, following a six-year prison sentence for rescuing her from her abusive husband by killing him.
The film had its premiere in the Peace category of the 5th annual Okinawa International Film Festival last year and is finally making its way to a domestic theatrical release on June 21. Takeda is joined by actress Elle Velasco and actor Alvin Anson.
Check out the trailer below and stay tuned for more news when available.
Enjoy the video below, as well as the behind-the-scenes footage at the bottom of the page.
Since the new year started, I’ve written quite a few times on some work recently released online featuring the action performance stylings of stuntman and actor Michael Lehr, a favorite of mine being his most recent test fight for LBP Stunts Chicago with stuntman Alex Hashioka. I’ve personally enjoyed writing about him, and needless to say, he’s got some amazing things in the works this year, particularly for fans of Hong Kong action and MMA, in addition to a few other things I will continue to learn a little more about in further hopeful conversations in due time (even I have to learn certain things in a timely fashion).
I will say that I recently had the honor of taking an early look at one fan fight Lehr performed with another stuntman I have written about before, and honest to goodness, I know you will love it too. In the meantime, I highly advise you check out his latest reel, and do have the good sense to subscribe to his channel. It will be worth your time and enjoyment.
Action fans may recall a conceptual featurette that was released pitching what is in the works for actor, martial artist and Floridian native Marrese Crump’s forthcoming production of Formless with actor, RZA. The project has since been in development for a number of years to date, now slightly prolonged further in part due to one of its earlier announced cast members, former Middleweight MMA champion Anderson Silva rebounding from a broken left leg during UFC 168 late last year, while Crump and the cast and crew focus on tentative obligations and potential future projects.
In the meantime, Crump’s electrifying pitch for Formless brings our attention to some of that very footage now seen in the latest cinematography reel from multifaceted action film professional, martial artist and fellow Floridian, Anesti Vega, whose works have landed him the attention of numerous amazing film professionals as of 2005, from the independent scene and getting his name circulated on Craigslist, to working in Thailand alongside action film headliner Panna Rittikrai.
From the age of twelve, Vega‘s history with martial arts becane rooted with a year of Tae Kwon Do classes at the age of twelve. That same passion never left Vega upon a chance meeting with Crump at the Florida high school they attended together as they were printing out fliers for a martial arts tournament. It was a friendship that would later materialize into something much more necessary and beneficial for Vega when it needed to be.
“I asked him about his martial arts training and he told me about ‘Warriors Dojo’, a training group that he just started with one of his teachers, Master Kim Jae…” Vega says. “…I showed up to the address he gave me and it was Master Kim Jae’s house and the training area was in his screened in garage, and I was only the second student in the group, and after one class, I was hooked.”.
Vega continued, “A month later, I became homeless and had no money and no place to live. I approached Marrese and told him about my situation, and he said I could continue training if I could design a website for the Warriors Dojo group and help promote. I continued to train with him until we graduated high school in 2000 and I left to join the Army. We had also trained privately in his backyard in Progress Village where we grew up, and even stayed up in the late hours of the night, having marathons of old Bruce Lee, kung fu and other martial arts movies. I came back to Florida often between deployments and trained with Marrese when I could until 2004 when I left the Army and came back home. By then, Warriors Dojo transitioned into a full academy business called 3R Self Defense Academy where I became an assistant instructor and continued my training with Marrese.”.
From then on, Vega began a pursuit in the field of film where he would ultimately find recognition in his home state of Florida as an up-and-coming, award-winning shortfilm and promo director, fight choreographer and cinematic photographer much to the chagrin of his naysayers at the time. “…It was something so different than what I originally saw myself doing and it was exciting.”, says Vega. “I was in a professional rut at the time; I was pretty fresh out of the U.S. Army and hadn’t really gained any footing with a professional career yet at that point. I had worked on a few projects and was analyzing the production the whole time from start to finish to see what was working and what wasn’t and I was hooked. By 2008, working on projects on and off, I became pretty popular and in demand around Florida and was asked to do a few talks on a number of topics including styles of action and fight choreography and tips on how indie filmmakers can incorporate action elements into their film and how to execute them safely and without needing a huge budget to do so. At one of the panels I was on, I was expressing my disappointment for how many of my previous projects did not come out so well because of poor casting, cinematography and editing of the fight scenes. I stated that just because a cinematographer has been working for ‘x’ amount of years doesn’t mean they know how to shoot action. It’s a different science all to itself. One cinematographer in the audience, who clearly had his feelings hurt, had jumped up and yelled ‘If you know so much about it, then why don’t you start shooting your own fights then?!’. And so I did…”.
Vega‘s current aspirations behind the camera have continued to allow him even more opportunities as time rolls on, with his new base of operations in San Francisco. In addition to organizing and producing the Action Film Challenge and Zombie Film Challenge this late Spring and Summer, Vega is meeting other filmmakers, producers and creators to delve more into feature-length territory, as well as promos and music videos, and even contests for other aspiring purveyors in the world of film. “I love being a director and cinematographer because it aligns with my philosophy of doing great things in this amazing world and capturing and documenting other people doing awesome things as well. When I’m behind the camera shooting a promo video or a film scene, it’s an exciting feeling knowing that I just shot a clip that is going to make the audience go ‘whoooaaaa!!!’.”. He also added, “I do my best to live life to the fullest, to challenge myself with bigger and better adventures and capture as much of it as I can to share and inspire others. So as a filmmaker, I task myself with inspiring the audience with what I capture and there is no better position to do that than as a cinematographer. Whether it’s martial artists or freerunners for a movie, or surfers and skydivers for a promo or commercial, shooting such exciting things is just as rewarding as seeing and hearing the audience reaction when they see the end result!”.
You can now observe some of that end result he mentions in the following embed for his YouTube channel where you may also subscribe.
With Crump’s ventures into film continuing onward, Vega also shared some important details as to the status Formless in its current stage. “There are a number of factors involved,” he says “…such as Marrese and RZA’s schedule being filled up with shooting The Man With The Iron Fists 2 in Thailand right now and Anderson Silva’s recuperation from the major injury he sustained in his last fight. The first draft of the story was written by me and the fights were written by Marrese and we combined it into a script in 2008. It is now in the hands of a well-known industry ‘script polisher’ who is way more talented at writing than I am. As martial artists, we understand the importance of timing so we are just waiting for the right time and all the right resources to come together for it to happen, but we don’t have all our eggs in one basket. Formless has been promoted as Marrese’s solo debut in the past, but there are a number of other projects in development that could happen first. We’ve planted a number of seeds in the industry for a number of projects and we are just looking to see which one produces fruit first.”.
Crump stars alongside international action sensation Tony Jaa in the forthcoming U.S. release of The Protector 2, heading to iTunes and VoD on March 27 before hitting theaters on May 2. Silva is also set to appear in Allan Ungar’s latest MMA action drama, Tapped, starring Cody Hackman with Martin Kove, Lyoto Machida and Michael Biehn, releasing in North America on May 27, 2014 courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment and Grindstone.
Feel free to visit Anesti Vega’s offcial website where you can sign up for his newsletter on Facebook, as well as updates on Tumblr and Instagram. And for more on Formless, Tapped, The Man With The Iron Fists 2 and all things Crump and Silva, stay tuned to Film Combat Syndicate.
Michael Lehr and Alexander Hashioka-Oatfield trade shots in the LBP short, THROWDOWN
Independent filmmaker Emmanuel Manzanares continues to entertain the masses this month with a brand new pound-for-pound action short titled Throwdown. Filmed just this past Sunday, the project is one in a continual series of the usual experimental pieces representing the body of work by LBP Stunts Chicago as Manzanares expands his craft with other stunt performing actors in front of the camera, this time with LBP member Alexander Hashioka-Oakfield and West coast-based Fight Factory’s own Michael Lehr.
I spoke to the two performers this week leading the way with Lehr, who recently appeared opposite actor and director John Wusah in their latest collaboration titled Valiant just last week. And it just so happens that while Lehr has been familiar with LBP’s work for a long period of time, Throwdown is his first pairing with Manzanares and anyone from his team, which he describes best as an “eye-opening” experience. “Everytime I think I’m good at stunts and fighting, I work with aces like these guys and I get a good reminder of how much I can improve.” he says. “…They were very friendly, very accommodating and patient.” With several more projects Lehr will be involved in between now and this summer, Lehr expressed his humilty and hopes his next adventure with LBP won’t be too far off, adding “I learned a lot from them, and for such a short shoot, they managed to make me look credible. I’m always trying to surround myself with people I think are better than myself, so hopefully they’ll let me work with them again ASAP.”.
Hashioka-Oatfield, a member of the team since its conception between 2007 and 2008 who has appeared in several pieces I have written about in the past year, can certainly side with Lehr in vouching for the amount of impact that entails in combining similar goals with like-minded folks such as Manzanares. “Any amount of committed training produces results, and working with good people always forces you to raise your game.” says Hashioka-Oatfield. “And since we train hard and regular, it’s fairly easy to grow and make moves. And obviously, in any group, diversity is important, so I’ve tried to branch out and do more than just our stunt training with our guys.”. On that note, he also spoke highly of Lehr on their first time performing together, saying “It was a fun time! Mike has plenty of legit fight training to draw on, and it’s just a matter of channeling that ability towards performance. Honestly, it’s always a little nerve wracking fighting someone new, especially with lots of in ring training. However, Mike has great control and ability. I think he can go as far as he wants with the fight specialty.”.
Currently, Lehr is set to produce a few projects next month, in addition to a Fight Factor sci-fi short with stunt player and actress Katelyn Brooke, as well as playing the lead in an upcoming Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-oriented webseries, and appearing in NBC’s new medical drama, The Night Shift this fall. Meanwhile, TV viewers can expect to catch Hashioka-Oatfield in a few stunt appearances later this year, including the NBC series Chicago PD, with credits shared with a few more folks from LBP Stunts Chicago in director Neil Burger’s Divergent, in thearers on March 21.
Check out Throwdown in the embed below where you may also subscribe and stay tuned for more info and exciting content.
Continuing his latest string of action features with beautiful women front and center is famed Alpha Stunts founding member, action director and filmmaker Koichi Sakamoto with his newest feature action flick, Red X Pink. In addition to being a martial arts drama, Tokusatsu fans will also be happy to see a few familiar faces among the cast, including veteran Kamen Rider cast member, model and actress Yuria Haga, along with actresses Asami Tada, Ayame Misaki and Rina Koike, which should grant a little something for big boys and girls everywhere who are familiar with some of Sakamoto‘s work as of late. However, if you aren’t, then you’re just in time to check out a brand new full trailer ahead of the film’s February 22, 2014 Japan release. And yes, a NSFW warning is in order.
SYNOPSIS from Sci-Fi Japan:
Kadokawa Pictures presents “the birth of a new erotic × young girl action movie!” with RED X PINK (赤×ピンク, Aka × Pinku), opening at the Kadokawa Cinema Shinjuku and other Japanese cinemas on February 22, 2014. Celebrating the 65th Anniversary of the company’s publishing imprint, Kadokawa Bunko, the film is adapted from the 2003 light novel written by Naoki Prize winner Kazuki Sakuraba and illustrated by Shin Takahashi.
RED X PINK is the story of four young women who participate in “Girls Blood”, an illegal mixed martial arts event held at an abandoned elementary school in Roppongi, Tokyo. Here, members of an underground fight club watch women in revealing cosplay outfits battle in an iron cage, night after night.
One of the fighters, Satsuki, suffers from gender identity disorder. Another, Chinatsu, came to “Girls Blood” after after fleeing from a life of domestic violence. Miko is a S&M queen who wears a blonde wig and bondage gear in combat. And innocent-looking Mayu is into Lolita fashion.
Their lives become increasingly complicated as Satsuki falls in love with a beautiful married woman, and Chinatsu’s abusive husband shows up with a savage hustler friend who has his own plans for the girls. Satsuki and her friends must now fight or face a terrible fate…
We have a new trailer for co-writer, director and co-star Vincci Cheuk Wan Chi‘s upcoming film, Kick Ass Girls. Inspired by the success of Dante Lam’s film festival favorite, Unbeatable, the film aims to be Cheuk‘s first noteworthy big screen effort into quirky female-oriented martial arts comedy produced by Charlie Wong and featuring actresses Hidy Yu and Dada Lo.
Mixed martial arts action, sports and drama are fused into an underdog story of a man fighting for his family and his own redemption in the new trailer for Chavez: Cage Of Glory. The film stars longtime actor, writer and director and award-winning martial arts master, Hector Echavarria, alongside actors Danny Trejo, James Russo and Steven Bauer.
Director Dante Lam‘s newest MMA action drama, Unbeatable, came online with a slightly somber trailer last week. This week, the film is pounding the internet with a new Hong Kong trailer with more action at a faster pace, kicking things off in high flying fashion featuring Nick Cheung, who unanimously won Best Actor during the closing ceremony of the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival on Wednesday, along with child actress and co-star, Crystal Lee.
The new trailer for Dante Lam‘s latest action drama, MMA (a.k.a. Unbeatable), is officially online. The film stars Nick Cheung, Eddie Peng, Mei Ting, Crystal Lee, Philip Keung, Jack Kao, Andy On and Wang Baoqiang.
Before Kang Woo-seok’s latest Mixed Martial Arts action feature, Fists Of Legend, becomes South Korea’s first-ever film to debut both domestically and internationally in the same week, CJ Entertainment America is hosting a public screening and Q & A session to share the film on Monday, April 8, 2013. This event marks director Kang’s two-day visit in America to discuss the film with fans and promote its upcoming South Korea release on Wednesday, with a limited theatrical release in the U.S. this Friday to follow suit.