reel time
Reel Time: DON THAI THEERATHADA (2014)
Stuntman, fight coordinator and choreographer Don Thai Theerathada has been at it professionally for the last twenty-one years, having recently completed work for the upcoming releases of the Leitch/Stahelski co-directorial debut, John Wick, the August 8 release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and this weekend’s release of Transformers: Age Of Extinction. Some of his career highlights can now be seen in a newly cut reel on the official YouTube channel for California-based stunt training studio, 87Eleven, with several cool highlights of his work in recent years, including The Expendables 2 (2012), and alongside award-winning premiere stunt coordinator J.J. Perry for Bullet To The Head (2013) and Haywire (2012).
There are other goodies in between, and needless to say, I can’t wait to see what else he adds to his resume. Surprises are aboud! Take a look!
ENSO Productions Presents: CRUEL WORLD
It’s been a while since we’ve last heard from the official YouTube channel for ENSO Productions as their members have likely been busy growing their respective careers, including independent filmmaker, industry stuntman and fight choreographer Walter Garcia whose work has been written about quite a few times on my site, as well as a handful of others in the last several years. He’s one of the most prolific action designers I know of and his online resume of shortfilms are proof of just how good he is behind the camera, as well as in front of it.
You can now check out some of his latest work behind the camera right now in the new online test fight short, Cruel World, with Ryan Robertson and featuring fellow ENSO members Travis Gomez and Isaac Hughes. It’s only a few minutes long, but still makes for another artful presentation of solid fight choreography incorporated with a touch of drama to level up some of the intensity.
These guys aren’t just stuntmen. In my opinion, they’re actors in their own right, as it takes such a talent to also make stunt work convincing, on top of the physical requirements needed.
Hughes is also the subject of a new stunt reel which you can also check out below the new short test fight. Feel free to share this article or head over to the channel to subscribe and share the videos directly with friends!
Reel Time: KENNY WONG (2014)
Having first landed my sights on the West coast for all things related to action films and stunts, it’s still pretty cool to know that there are some folks who share my interests here on the upper East, including actor and stuntman, Kenny Wong. And this week, Wong has taken to the internet to showcase his latest reel. So, I spoke to him for a little bit this week, and I asked him what he enjoys most about performing stunts on camera.
“I never stop training and learning new things in life,” he says. “I am much more aware about myself and being more assertive to improving myself as a person. And I don’t mean it in just the physical way. I’ve learned so much through the martial way, acrobatics, and stunts that it reflects back to my every day life that it grounds me. Sure it’s fun and I cross paths and end up welcoming such incredible people that open up new worlds of wisdom and encourage you. The life experiences I walk away with and the bonds I make are the most rewarding and humbling parts about doing stunts for me.”
Fifteen years into his profession, Wong has worked with quite an array of action veterans from various areas of film and stunt training, including mentor, actor and stuntman Roberto Lopez (Once Upon A Time In China And America) and director and Shaw veteran Robert Tai, to currently training with stunt coordinator and actor Chuck Jeffreys, and working with bonafide action star Gary Daniels. And if you have a good eye, you might recognize in a few of these shots now featured in the new reel which you can check out in the embed below.
You can catch Wong in a few more credits later this summer in Scott Derrickson’s upcoming paranormal thriller, Deliver Us From Evil on July 2, followed by actor Taylor Lautner’s new PG-13 parkour thriller, Tracers later this year.
2014 Stunt Reel from Kenny Wong on Vimeo.
Photo: Mitchel Gray
Reel Time: HEIDI MONEYMAKER (2014)
This week, Film Combat Syndicate has a big treat lined-up for our readers that will feature an exclusive interview with two of the stunt performers involved in one of this Spring’s biggest comic book movie success stories, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was a film I thoroughly enjoyed and one that our fellow contributor Darren Bailey loved as well, as indicated by his most recent review.
Also lending her talents to the big action sequences in the film as one of the key stunt doubles for actress Scarlett Johansson’s character, Black Widow, is Taurus award recipient and stuntwoman Heidi Moneymaker whose latest reel can currently be viewed online, highlighting credits from the film, along with Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Sucker Punch, Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li and plenty more you might be able to recognize if you’re an action fan. And if you’re also a fan of the Fast And Furious franchise, you can expect to see her in action along with Michelle Rodriguez and Ronda Rousey when Fast And Furious 7 is released next year.
Watch the reel below now available on the 87 Eleven Action Design YouTube station, and as always, be excited.
Reel Time: MICHAEL LEHR (2014)
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.
Reel Time: TARA MACKEN (2014)
Photo Credit: James Lew, editing by @adoubleleye
Back in 2012, long before I began acclimating myself in the stunt community via social networking and not yet learning who actress and stuntwoman Tara Macken was at the time, I got the chance to see director Gary Ross’s theatrical adaptation of the YA novel, The Hunger Games. It was a film that I thoroughly enjoyed and one I am glad to have seen as that particular franchise progresses its next three films, with Macken also credited in its latest sequel, Catching Fire. It is also a film I was happy to experience as an unforeseen precursor to starting my site and ultimately meeting Macken online, whose growing body of work can now be seen in her latest action reel now available on her YouTube channel in the embed below.
Namely drawing her inspiration from characters such as Angelina Jolie’s lead role in the 2001 film, Tomb Raider, and that of actress Zhang Ziyi and action legend Jackie Chan, Macken has risen significantly in the last seven years since beginning her training in stunts for a professional career in film and television. Upon relocating from the Bay Area to Los Angeles within the last decade, her journey in life has largely immersed itself atheltically and competitively, as well as dancing and acting, a dynamic journey that would ultimately earn her the privilege of working on a number of exciting productions with some truly amazing people. “I have a couple of real fond memories from working on set.” she says. “Most of them involve fighting actors that I’ve grown up watching! [laughs] I got to fight Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3 and Justin Timberlake in an Audi commercial. It was great working with actors that are as awesome off camera as they are on camera.” She continued, “I also love the feeling right after you perform a stunt. There is a breath of silence where everyone is waiting for you to give the sign that your okay, after which follows up with an applause. The theatre geek in me loves this, it reminds me of performing on stage, plus it’s great to watch the cast and crew’s reactions to a stunt.”.
In addition to her role in Josh Waller’s latest Zoë Bell headliner, Raze, some of Macken‘s new ventures in action can now be seen in the new trailer for the upcoming fantasy martial arts adventure, Ninja Apocalypse. And while fans wait to learn more about the film upon its expected tentative release this April, Macken solely expressed praise for its director, Lloyd Lee Barnett, as well as the film’s fight choreographer, Matt Berberi, telling Film Combat Syndicate “…Lloyd Barnett was great communicating his creative vision for the film, and he made sure that the project was fun and enjoyable to be apart of. And I’ve worked for and with Matt on many projects. He is very story driven and technique based in his choreography. He has an encyclopedia of knowledge for action and film, so it’s always a pleasure to work with someone so well versed in the medium.”.
With her career in full bloom, like any artist, Macken‘s successes have allowed her to evolve more creatively, in various aspects of her field. Primarily however, she also expressed an emphasis on the importance of photography in adding to one’s own knowledge and understanding of film. “Over the years, I’ve gotten into photography, as a means to learn how to tell a story through still images and to learn how to use a camera.” she says. “Photography also helps you learn how to be a better performer, model, director and it exercises your imagination. Besides stunts and acting I ultimately want to direct. I directed my first project last year, a music video for a folk pop artist. I’ve also directed little fight shorts and dabbled in stunt coordinating and fight choreography.”.
Personally, I can’t wait to see what the future will bring for Macken and action fans like myself. Ninja Apocalypse looks like it will be a fun film to watch, and at rate she continues to grow as a formidable, multifaceted actress, she promises even more action from here on out, with the second season of the Crackle digital webseries, Cleaners. In addition, she will appear in next week’s theatrical release of Divergent, followed by June 27 release of Transformers: Age Of Extinction and next year’s long-awaited premiere of Fast And Furious 7 on April 10, 2015. And of course, you can be sure there are plenty of surprises to come, and I look forward to sharing them with you all in due time.
For now, check out her new action reel and subscribe to her official Facebook page with links to subscribe via Twitter, her official website, and much more!
REEL TIME: LBP Stunts Chicago (2014)
LBP Stunts Chicago has unveiled their latest reel for the new year. The group, which launched back in 2006, has progressively become one of the foremost leading action cinema purveyors of the independent industry, further credited by its often-occuring collaborations with other elite stunt professionals and newcomers over the years, in addition to its further venture into mainstream television, video games and Hollywood movies.
With the team’s upcoming premiere united alongside a vast, prominent cast of performers for the upcoming release of The Stunt People member Dennis Ruel’s directorial debut, Unlucky Stars, rest assured, to simply say of LBP Stunts Chicago that the hits will keep coming would be a severe understatement. Check out their new video in the embed below and stay tuned for more information. You may also visit their official website by clicking HERE.
REEL TIME: Amy Johnston (2014)
The martial arts cinema community rallied when word got out that actress and Hollywood stuntwoman Amy Johnston landed a lead role in director Chris Nahon‘s upcoming international tournament action thriller, Lady Bloodfight. She fought actress Zoë Bell in Josh Waller’s new thriller, Raze, and is also slated to appear in Captain America: The Winter Soldier doubling for actress Scarlett Johansson, to name a few, and with more surprises to come, we now get to see a new reel this week showcasing Johnston’s latest montage of material from over the last several years.
More surprises lurk in the near future action fans between now and this Spring, including Johnston‘s upcoming role in the latest Dragon Ball-inspired project from Robot Underdog, for which a trailer is expected to arrive in the very near future. On that note, check out the ‘Lady’s’ new reel in the following embed below where you may also subscribe.
Stay tuned to Film Combat Syndicate for more information.
REEL TIME: Anthony Giovanni Elias (2014)
Photo: Officer Antonio Morrison
Independent filmmaker and multifaceted action director and actor Anthony Giovanni Elias made 2013 his banner year with the launch of his Florida based film and fight choreography group, Team Genesis. And with 2014 here, Elias has a brand new reel to showcase a sampler of some of the work he has done since then.
Some recent projects bearing his involvement include Warrenton Maxwell’s indie fantasy webseries, Zeus’ End, Gerald J. Godbout III’s urban action thriller, The Trade, actor and director Danny Vega’s directorial debut, A Dance With The Devil, a prequel webseries following the feature length release of Kelly Weaver’s independent thriller, The Awakening, and director Frank Figueroa’s new crime thriller, Room 236, all of which may arrive this year. Of course however, that won’t be all for Elias, whose potential prospects continue to look upward and beyond the independent level.
Wanna know more? Feel free to subscribe to Team Genesis’s official YouTube channel in the embed below where you can view the Elias‘s reel, choreography rehearsal bits, and much more!
REEL TIME: Hans Wikkeling (2014)
Time rolls on with a new reel from fellow rising martial arts stunt impressario San Jose, California native, Hans Wikkeling. A member of the multifaceted athletic sports team and brand, Hyper Martial Arts, Wikkeling established his own fan appreciation in the film genre embracing hit stars like Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme, and has been a pursuant of martial arts since the age of 7 before spearheading his efforts in 2009 to make martial arts and stunts a career goal.