On the precipice of my second film festival coverage-loaded summer, The Hit List will be taking a brief hiatus until further notice. Alas, I’m happy to be able to put together this tentatively last hoorah while I get things in order on the writing end.
I’m going through a little sleep deprivation while I write this so I hope you all enjoy this latest installment of The Hit List until then. My weekend was definitely at least half-good and you can visit my weekend posts over at my Instagram to see what’s up.
As for here, we kick off the Hit List with the necessary appetizer of stunt and training reels from some of today’s top and up-and-coming in stunt performance. Ramping things up is a cool new highlight reel from this year’s events at Oia for the seven year-strong Red Bull Art Of Motion competiton.
Following that is a barrage of badass new stunt reels courtesy of Talyn Edelson, Darin Hicks, Krystle Martin, Ross Kohnstam, Gabriela Kostadinova, Cameron Brown, Angela Lynn, John Ternavis, Rissa Kilar, Cheech Vitale, Andi Norris and stunt coordinator Jae Greene.
I don’t have anything to promote in terms of teasers and trailers but I do have this amazing shortfilm by Shaun Charney. It’s the most serious action short you will ever see in all its indie action glory with Nicole Mae Martin, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez and Sayaka Pereira front in center as three of the most serious screenfighters you will ever see in all your action movie fandom.
This action short is so seriously done by the ever-so seriously serious Charney that by just over three minutes in, you’ll be so caught up in the seriousness of it all that you will simply quit everything just as these people did, ensuing from a three-minute FMA battle royale into a six-minute blooper reel with three amazing girls being amazing. And girly. With sticks. Seriously. Watch.
Winding down the Hit List is a mix of some quick short action gems from around the web with stunt players Jesper Bergstroem and Livia Wistmar roughing it up for viewers followed by ScrewAttack’s newest Death Battle offering with iconic antagonists Vegeta and General Zod. Filmmaker Eskindir Tesfay strikes a chord for self-defense with former champion Jörg Gantert in Black Belt for Movie-Do. Jon Alagoa pays his tribute to live-action fandom with Yakuza Kiwami, inspired by PS4 remake of Sega IP, Ryū ga Gotoku (Like A Dragon) while Art School Dropouts sets forth their latest First-Episode push to attain the crowdfunding they need to finalize inspired webseries The Forgotten Kingdom: A Kung Fu LARP Story, and Ballistic Blade Entertainment wields its own fandom with their latest fantasy action short, New Shannara Chronicles.
Last and far from least is a quality pick from sibling directing duo Rajeev and Elan Dassani titled Seam, currently hosted on the CGBros YouTube channel. The setting itself is an immensely beautiful choice for a story host to the lives of a fugitive couple on the run for the run for their lives in a future where tenuous peace between man and machine all but tilts dangerously to its end.
Khaled al Ghwari and actress Rakeen Saad star with The Mummy and The Mummy Returns co-star Oded Fehr in this stunning little project that bodes with as much compelling, emotive fervor as it does with its ambitious offering to sci-fi action and romance.
Enjoy the hits!
If you want some more action, last week’s entries are still pretty feasible so feel free to check it out if you fancy it. Follow the channels and support these creatives and SHARE the Hit List with friends if you wish to see more genuine action and storytelling from hungry artists and entertainers. More importantly, if you or someone you know has a quality project or stunt reel that needs extra eyes, send it to filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com and we’ll be glad to take a look at it ourselves!
Well, as much as I wanted my weekend to be an eventful one, I can’t say it was or I’d have more to discuss this week and share with you all. Hopefully the rest of the year will pan out much better, but it is still bustling in the world of stunts, action and independent content, and if you don’t believe me, well…
…you needn’t look further than this week’s installment of The Hit List for some of the latest action-packed demo reels, trailers and short-form action jewels to keep you in good company! For this, the latest round of stunt and training reels starts off with the newest action reel from former UFC prospect Cung Le whose longstanding career in film continues onward going into the new year, and you can learn a little more about it here. In the meantime, Le has an action reel now available on his YouTube channel with highlights including The Grandmaster, Bodyguards And Assassins, Dragon Eyes, and many more.
Rounding out the playlist stunt demo reels by PeiPei Alena Yuan, Keil Zepernick, Alesha Forche, Nik Pelekai, Kate Angus, Collin Hynes, Helen Steinway Bailey, and montage servings of epic parkour highlights by Alexandr Zhurkov and Ann Grjukach.
Making the promotional rounds this week are two teasers and the first comes courtesy of maverick martial arts action filmmaker Eric Nguyen who has made a killing for himself and fans online over at his indie banner, Lunar Stunts Action Cinema. He’s since taken a hiatus due to working responsibilities as of late, though it appears now that good fortune has taken a turn with Nguyen getting back into the director’s chair very soon for some more Lunar Stunts Action cinema content, further signified by a newly cut teaser for his long-running action experiment series, The Fighting Journey.
Following that is actress, stuntwoman, fight coordinator and filmmaker Cassie Lee Minick who has been a proud mention of the Hit List for a time or several in the last few years. Click here and watch her in a recent epic sci-fi action experiment from CristinaGianinni Films and you’ll see what I mean, while at any rate you would be wise to spot the latest trailer for Marvel Warfare from Fighting Liger Productions and Vagrant Films. Behind the lens is fellow stuntman Jawed El Berni, with Minnick joining a raft of stunt talent (a good portion of whom have been Hit List mentions as well) that includes Max Bojorquez, Lee Chesley, Joel Coryell, Brooks Crouse, Sergei Dmitriev, Yarett Harper, Justice Hedenberg, Duffy McManus, Tim Neff, Josh Rasile and Scott Rosen for what looks to be yet another spectacular shortfilm you can expect to be featured within the next few months or so.
Watch the trailers and subscribe!
Now it’s off to some amazing online fight action, and for this, we get things started with a quick “Firestorm” fight practice interlude from Lunar Stunts, followed b Reel Deal Action’s Tanay Genco Ulgen -currently playing the field in Canada with the local talent, including Keanu Lam and Dimitri Tsoy. Up thereafter are K Dynamique and their poolside antics with Brandon Joseph and Andy Le, Art School Dropouts with their latest nostalgia gaming nod in Punched Out with Joey Min and Gee “Lil Bomb” Jay, Rustic B.’s latest Tekken-themed episode of Cheat Code with action actor Mason Sharrow, Deviant Child Production‘s latest martial arts epic short, Horangi starring Orlando Cruz and director/choreographer Hector Soria, Force Storm Entertainment‘s own Noah Fleder with a rambunctious grouping of children cosplaying another epic battle over influence of The Force in Return Of The Kids, and Dragon Phoenix Entertainment returning once again with the nimble performances of Shaun Charney opposite the ever-talented and graceful PeiPei Alena Yuan once more.
Click the play button and let the hits roll!
Time to wrap this up with a small grouping of some great cinematic shortform content, starting with multi-faceted actress and director Kristine Gerolaga in one of several entries from competing artists of YOMYOMF Interpretations 2.0. The project in question, Hit Or Miss, lands Gerolaga in the role of a female boxer whose training session immerses her deep into an internal battle of wills while mourning the death of her mother.
Voting expires on October 6, 2016 at 11:59pm PST following its open three weeks ago, so enjoy the shortfilm and be sure to head to the page and make your choice among those selected for the top 15 semi-finals.
Next up is a project that took me by delightful surprise from director Derek Pueblo for his latest short, Queens Part IV: Girls Just Wanna Have Fight. Social Media personality IISuperwomanII (a.k.a. Lily Singh) stars alongside the screenfighting prowess of actress and stuntfighter Jade Chynoweth for a little comedic action endeavor about a day in the life of two girls doing girl stuff…including fighting off a small army of sinister men in black.
McAllisterAction pair Braxton & Michaela McAllister (Riot, You May Now Kill The Bride) are the minds behind the brutal and dynamic arsenal that Chynoweth whips out on full display. More epsiodes may come through support of the channel while this Part IV installment marks possibly the first of a series as Michaela informed me last week, so we’ll see, and I’ll definitely be one to keep an eye out until then.
Last and far from least is a project that has long been kept off radar in the years since its 2013 Action On Film Festival. For this, we turn to director Robert Yahnke, hopefully not too far from his own feature debut while we pan over to Sport Karate Hall of Famer, martial artist, actor and stuntman Jessen Noviello in the new action comedy, Blowback, which follows a spy whose relationship woes expose him to an illegal arms dealer who wants him dead.
Also starring are Megan Brotherton and Alexandra Bromstad with action sequences by Steve Lambert (Revenge Of The Ninja, Ninja III: The Domination, Blind Fury).
Press play and enjoy the hits!
The Hit List is a weekly periodical we at Film Combat Syndicate host every Monday evening. You’ll find more like it in the subsequent links like here and therein and discover all you may have missed in the world of stellar independent action and martial arts on film. Check it all out and support the creators on their channels, and for all intents and purposes, if you or someone you know is a creator and performer equally as skilled or better, and has content you think deserves a spot in The Hit List, hit us up at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com!
The second is a solo weapons/form video featuring Charney following his previous video which you can check out by CLICKING HERE.
I enjoyed previewing this interview for myself beforehand and learning of all of the names of the ladies involved in this massive project, and I am very glad to have had Wiley on board for the time I did as this is his final piece for the site before he moves on to other projects and responsibilities. And now, it is my pleasure to now share that very discussion with you, and help expand and grant the audience that Kung Fu Femmes deserves.
Mari Saito gets her kicks while Sharon Berezin flips into position in ‘B-Girl Beatdown’!
Dragon Phoenix Entertainment continues to stay on the map this month with independent filmmaker Shaun “Seishiro Kazama” Charney as he continues getting into more girl trouble, this time with performers Mari Saito and Sharon Berezin. Their new test fight is one of several experimental pieces for the ladies as of the last several years, including Saito whose specialties in dance, acrobatics, Chinese martial arts and working professionally as a cirque peformance artist have been major tools in shaping her craft to work with folks like Charney with whom she recently appeared in the second and third installments of Micah Brock’s fantasy action miniseries, Slug Street Scrappers, in addition to independent filmmaker and photographer, Jeff Centauri.
Berezin, hailing from the great state of New York, began cutting her teeth earlier on in Goju Ryu Karate before stepping into breakdancing scene in Boston, and ultimately moving to Los Angeles to pursue greener pastures as an aspiring actress and screenfighter, having also shared the set with indie filmmaker Leo Kei Angelos just last year. In her praise for Saito, citing her notable flexibility as her inspiration, Berezin also had some positive choice words on working with Charney. “He’s great,” she says. “I was a beginner as far as being in front of a camera and he is very patient.”.
With the unknown road ahead, Berezin remains optimistic and open-minded about the opportunities she looks forward to in the new year, so fans may want to keep their eyes peeled. In the meantime, check out the new video in the embed below where you can also subscribe for more info on Dragon Phoenix Entertainment.
Marques Archie and Mark Hudson of Dragon Spirit Productions
Film Combat Syndicate readers who have been with the site within the past year may recall the initial piece I did back in April of 2013 in a talk I had with Georgia-based independent filmmaker Ja-Mel Antoine Booth of Dragon Spirit Productions upon the release of the previous installment of The Chase. It was a pretty noteworthy piece that put Dragon Spirit on my radar as I continued my pursuit of covering the independent scene a little more, and this year, my coverage continues as Dragon Spirit Productions kicks off a new year with new goals and new creations along the way, including their latest test fight project between two of the team’s performers, Mark Hudson and Marques Archie.
The two have been with the team since roughly 2005, including Hudson who first discovered the world of independent action since 2004 before getting seriously involved in pursuing his passion of creating action and performing stunts for the camera for Dragon Spirit, and ultimately augmenting his experience in 2009 after meeting independent filmmaker Shaun Charney while living in L.A. at the time. “I just love creating and being able to challenge myself as far as entertaining others,” Hudson writes. “…I Iove working with Ja-mel and the team. We are like brothers and we all stick together.”.
Hudson hopes to be able to expand his workscope someday with Charney and fellow independent action veteran, Unlucky Stars fight choreographer and Force Storm Entertainment director, Vlad Rimburg. In the meantime, Hudson and the crew over at Dragon Spirit are ramping up their own efforts hopefully by this summer with more test fights and a few new short films, including the summer production of the upcoming shortfilm, Takeover.
Check out Hudson and Archie latest action video in the embed below where you can also subscribe, and stay tuned for more information on Dragon Spirit Productions.
For the most part, it has been a busy week on my end and work, on top of certain technological impediments have kept me from being able to keep up with a lot of content. So when I decided to kick myself up real quick and head over to independent filmmaker Shaun Charney‘s YouTube platform at Dragon Phoenix Entertainment, I was delighted to see a new little gem he worked on with actress, stuntwoman and friend of Film Combat Syndicate, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez.
In the video, we get to see a minute of some pretty cool Capoiera choreography, accompanied by a few extra minutes of Charney and Gonzalez just having fun like kids, and it’s a must-see for anyone who has ever had a childhood. I spoke to Charney on several subjects regarding the video, including his opinions on Capoiera and other martial arts styles for the screen, and believe me, it’s a subject he’s well suited for, with experience dating back to around 1997 having experimenting with well over 74 styles in the years since.
“The flashiness is the first obvious answer.”, Charney writes on what fascinates him about Capoiera as a screenfighting set piece. “The grace, balance, and control is the next. But I have a desire to try and show the combat side of Capoeira…the one that’s actually used for combat.”. He also added “To date, as far as I know, it hasn’t been seen in films since the flashy dancing aspect has always been the more ‘exciting’ one to film. And sadly, that has many people believing that’s what Capoeira is, and that it does not work in a real fight-I guess that means Capoeira stood true in its deception, having its opponents believe it’s a harmless dance! Haha”.
I’ve always enjoyed watching Charney perform in the past decade I have grown to appreciate online action. And furthermore, to top it all off, having become a fan since first seeing Gonzalez in several episodes of Robert Griffith’s webseries, The Adventures Of Super 7, which led me to my next inquiry about what he enjoys most about their collaborations. “I’ve known her for less than a year, but it has been a beautiful year, knowing her.”, he writes. “She is super fun to work with, and funny…lightening up the mood and atmosphere. She’s very pro, and knows the score, and is open and adaptable to changes, which certainly makes her very good to work with. And she’s HOT! Haha! But for me, the big plus is that she is able to be silly on set. Silly, but a professional at the right time!”.
Throughout his evolving career, Charney is as busy as busy can get-part of the reason why this piece took so long to share with you all. However, action fans can look forward to a lot more from Dragon Phoenix Entertainment as the years rolls on, as he hopes to produce more samurai and ninja-themed videos adhering toward more Eastern philosophical perspectives that reflect the martial spirit. Charney also shared other plans he hopes to initiate regarding his foray into artwork and literature, with compilations of some of his own artwork through the years.
He also hopes to explore all 74 of his favorite styles for the camera, which may boggle your mind as to how he is so familiar with so many systems. On the other hand though, Charney remains grounded about his experience. “I am a master of none,” he says “…but I am a fan and practitioner of each.”.
In my own shared opinion with Charney‘s, Capoiera isn’t something we see all the time in martial arts cinema. And so when we see it in its pure, raw form, it makes for great action cinema eye candy, especially when it is shot well and the performers are having fun. And clearly, particularly in the last two minutes, this was the case.
Thank you for reading this, and watch the video below where you may also subscribe to Charney‘s channel.
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