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THE HIT LIST – August 31, 2015

This week’s Hit List was an absolute blast to help put together. We’ve got new action shorts and reels of all kinds to snack on this week in addition to some brief updates on major projects that are forthcoming!

For now though, let’s face it: The only way I’m starting off this Hit List is if I do it with one of the most popular videos online to date, and if you’re a Jason Statham fan, you’ll understand. It’s a supercut of every single punch Statham has ever thrown. Ever. And it needs no further introduction than that.

Beneath that will be the week’s stunt playlist with a slew of action, stunt and training reels by Noah Fleder, Awaken star Natalie Burn, stuntman Djibril Newik Chase, independent filmmaker Shahaub Roudbari, Mirkos Radas, John Renyolds, Uros Certic, Amiee Zannoni, Cornered webseries co-star, actor Bobby Hernandez and action actor Angel Vasquez.

Now we get to brings things here into focus just a bit with the latest installment of actor and Ameritoku mainstay Jason David Frank’s online doc series, My Morphin Life. For this, we venture into a behind-the-scenes look into the spectacular episode featuring Frank and action actors Peter Jang and Alvin Hsing in the epic duel between the Green Ranger and legendary Street Fighter character Ryu. As always, these things come with a few snags and Frank sure had his, but it didn’t stop him from powering through. Check it out!

Up next are a couple of other new director reels featuring a small variety of things, including action. The first comes with great revere for French action director Godefroy Ryckewaert who never ceases to impress, and his latest trailer for the new shortfilm, Hiro, samples that fact quite a bit with Alex Duong starring as a man forced back into the Yakuza underworld in order to save his daughter. Hiro is set to premiere at the Toronto Independent Film Festival and you can purchase your ticket by clicking right here for the screening.

The second video comes from Canadian cascadeur, actor and filmmaker Taz Garcia in the form of First Bust, a story of two odd couple undercover cops well on their way to their first major arrest, as long as they don’t get in each other’s way, and you can imagine the hilarity that ensues. The project was initially going to be a two-minute short story which eventually expanded into something slightly longer when more people got involved, and as it stands, it could very well present a meaty concept for television if things go favorably.

Check out both videos below!

Up next is a bit of a teaser from the folks over at EMC Monkeys who have been very busy working on their own individual projects and other obligations in the past couple of years. Such things tend to get in the way of content creation which is what they’ve largely been known for, and now the team’s teaser is officially circulating online with a number of exciting new projects that are either completed, still being filmed or already in post, including an upcoming collaboration with Corridor Digital, as well as the long-awaited Evolution Of Fight series, Vs. Ninjas series, and the upcoming Nerf Cops tete-a-tete sequel with the first part arriving on Friday, September 4 upon which fans can expect even more content every week thereafter. (If you haven’t seen the first Nerf Cops installment yet, your chance to do so is right here).

Also up for viewing are two other new director reels, including Desciple‘s latest reel full of action and dialogue gems, with snippets from two of his latest hyper-reality action shorts, Hetja and Hetja 2; The latter title is also being groomed for a possible award win at this year’s Action On Film Festival with acting nominations for two of its lead performers, Disavowed webseries star Will Yick, and The Stunt People’s own Bridger Fox.

The second reel comes from Darren Holmquist of Dardrex Productions with a new director’s reel full of long-awaited goods that are pending with planned releases before the end of 2015.

Time to pepper thing up a bit with some fighting, and following Holmquist‘s production reel is a fresh new fight featuring himself opposite Leonard Zhang, proceeded by some sweet Karambit/Gun choreo from director Evan Taylor, a quick little scene of action from Rising Tiger Films‘s own Leroy Nguyen and Edmond Shum, and a superb test fight from Jay Kwon with Alex Meglei and Brett Easton.

And lastly, it’s been a long and incredible journey for independent filmmaker and film student Anthony Pellino for his latest labor of love, Mortal Kombat: The Chosen One. Inspired by the popular fighting game of the same name, and featuring fight design by Cinematic Fight Studio’s own Lawrence Yip, this one takes a slightly derivative approach to the source material. Jonathan Lee, David Chen and Craig Zisel are joined by lead actor Kage Yami in the role of former Shaolin monk, Liu Kang who is about to receive the most unexpected visit of his life.

Pellino’s goal was originally to create something more than a fan film, which is why it took so long to finish, aside from school, two crowdfunders, reshoots and other hurdles. Fan film or not, a project like this is just what we need to help keep the pulse beating among fans as a new webseries season is still pending, in addition to further details regarding the revived hopes for a film as recently as the top of last month. It’s a great case for more similar content with dozens of characters to experiment and play with, and I hope this isn’t the last we see from the creative field we have today in that regard.

Mortal Kombat: The Chosen One can now be viewed on YouTube in the player below, as well as on Vimeo!

Further worth mentioning is the current completion post-production of independent action director Eric Nguyen with the new short, Of Martial Arts And Men, with a September airing planned, and it just so happens that his Spring actioner, El Guerrero, has been nominated with a mention among a slew of other shortfilms for this year’s Action On Film Festival which kicks off on September 18 through 26.

Other news includes the upcoming comic-book fan film sequel, Black Panther And Deadpool: The Gauntlet, which just finished filming over the weekend, and a trailer can be viewed here as well in case you missed it. In addition, further pending are updates for Robot Underdog’s forthcoming episodes for the Dragon Ball Z: Light Of Hope webseries with actor Tim Neff (Flowers Of The Night) set to play Trunks. Major creative differences have currently invoked restructuring of the original script, while Dragon Ball Z enthusiast and former series writer Derek Padula has since made his case in a recent blog post after announcing his departure from the project; As pot-stirring as these things tend to be, the least we can do is hope for a great sequel after this year’s stellar offering, which you can check out here.

Indeed, this week is another loaded one with more to come, and hopefully you’ve been able to keep up with all the craziness as last week’s Hit List is just as awesome. Beyond that, subscribe to the channels above and by all means, if you or someone you know creates exciting, QUALITY content, just hit us with an e-mail filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com.

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THE BIRD…Because If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Flip ‘Em!

THE BIRD…Because If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Flip ‘Em!

I have to say, stuntman and filmmaker Trevor Addie‘s latest mini test fight short, The Bird, a was a fun little gem to catch onto this week. The project, shot not too long ago shows actresses and stuntwomen Cassandra Ebner and Irma Evangelista in a brilliant little action video that manages to accomplish a LOT in just a minute.

The trio are also behind last year’s Christmas Day online shortfilm release project, Croft, a fan film short loosely based on the title character from hit video game, Tomb Raider. The shortfilm became a surprise hit throughout the festival circuit between last year and earlier this year, marking a significant milestone for Ebner who hosts her own channel featuring various vlogs as she journeys her way through a brewing career in film and stunts. “My motivation for stunts came from wanting to work in the film industry but not knowing which department.” she said. “Growing up I wanted to be a superhero, but found out I couldn’t do that. Then I found out actors and actresses could be superheroes so it got be excited about acting since I was eight. I started making my own fun skits and shorts growing up. Then I didn’t know if I wanted to be in front of the camera or behind it. Then I found out about stunts in high school when I was playing rugby. And thought that is exactly what I want to do! I get to be that superhero I’ve always wanted to be! So it was a child dream come true!”

The project was also co-written by industry stuntwoman Irma Evangelista who co-wrote and co-produced that very same project as the two have known each other for about three years now. Best known among gamers for her performance in a popular fantasy fight for the START Channel opposite actress/stuntwoman Samantha Jo, Evangelista has been a working stuntwoman for five years now, and she also shared her perspective with Film Combat Syndicate in our first-ever mini chat about her career.

“Stunt work is great because you are physically active, being creative, and solving solutions. It’s fun being part of the team and making new friends.” she writes. “I’m always grateful when the opportunity to show my skills come around. I’m always training and meeting new people that enjoy action on films. Theres so many things I love about my job like learning and maintaining new skills and creating fights or cool stunts, but the most thing I love about stunts is working with my friends and being part of the collaborating team. It’s rewarding when you see the end product and knowing you did it with the people you admire and trust.”

I know what some of you are probably thinking…all this for a one-minute video? Yes, for me it’s totally worth it. I love sharing some insight directly from stunt professionals whenever I have the time, even if I can’t always do full-on exclusive interviews. Moreover, with the amount of male stunt performers I usually see, I absolutely love watching women design and perform test fights like this, and even larger-scale sequences.

Check it out The Bird in the embed below where you can also subscribe to Ebner‘s channel.

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EMC Monkeys Presents: DEVIN WHITE V. TONY SRE

One day, all Devin White wanted to do was take some selfies and post them online. Leave it to photo creeper Tony Sre to ruin all the fun. And exactly how did he get in that last shot?

Amazing.

Check out all the kung fu comedy and craziness that ensue in the latest test fight gem hosted by the official YouTube channel for EMC Monkeys in the embed below, and by all means, subscribe!

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87 Eleven Action Design Presents: MATT EMIG vs. DANIEL GRAHAM

One of these guys are about to get knocked the f*k out!

I can’t remember the last time I’d seen an unwired hurricane kick between so many well connected moves in a test fight like this. But then again, for A-list tricking impressarios and action actors Matt Emig and Daniel Graham, this sort of thing is nothing new as it looks so effortless to the naked eye. And Graham’s fight choreography here is equally superb as well!

All in a day’s work for the stunt community at 87Eleven Action Design, which hosts this little gem by way of Emig’s official YouTube channel which you can subscribe to in the embed below.

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LBP Stunts Chicago Presents: KERAMBIT KNIFE FIGHT

It’s been a busy, busy Spring for movies, including fans and filmgoers who have seen (or in some instances may be still waiting to see) director Gareth Evans’ latest film, The Raid 2, which opened the floodgates nationwide in early April. And with the film’s popularity among fans of Evans’ work, there’s a clear fascination with Indonesian action cinema, particularly with the weaponized choreography involving the use of the Kerambit knife, an ancient weapon which was once, like other ancient weapons, used as a farming tool.

Gh jyyThe knife can be seen in both aforementioned films along with others, including briefly in actor Dean Alexandrou’s next film, Reflex. This week however, we now get to see more of that hardwork pay off on the latest test fight short by Emmanuel Manzanares, and featuring Alexander Hashioka and Bryan Sloyer. It’s about a minute and a half, but still worth taking a peek as part of the embodyment of inspired action design courtesy of LBP Stunts Chicago.

Take a look and follow the channel for more content. Also, if you haven’t subscribe to Sloyer‘s channel and wish to explore his work, CLICK HERE and subscribe as well.

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Only One Is Left Standing In The New Action Short, LIFT

Independent filmmaker Kevin Barile has been keeping himself pretty busy since 2008 when he relocated from the East coast to Los Angeles to go to film school. Nowadays, anyone who is an action fan will be likely to find him on YouTube showcasing his creativity as an up-and-coming actor, stuntman and fight choreographer, and his latest test fight short, Lift, is a nice little sampler of his growing skillset.

As an actor, he enjoys getting his hands dirty from time to time, although he prefers to be behind the camera creating action sequences, where his passion lies most in filmmaking. “There is something about making action movies that is different from all other genres of film.” he says. “Only when making action movies (martial arts fight scenes in particular) do you actually FEEL the hard work you are putting into it. You finish the day exhausted, sweaty and dirty, and you come back the next day bruised and sore. Action is unique in this way. I enjoy that pain. That pain verifies that I left it all out there and that I gave it my all.”

The test fight also contains some pretty hilarious bloopers near the end to show viewers a lot of the lighter moments of making little online gems such as this. And I have to say, as a motivating tool for what I do on my site, it is really great to see such chemistry and comradery between folks on the screen, especially here between Barile and fellow performer, stuntman and actor Jon Miguel. “…I’ve known Jon for years.” says. “We met on the east coast and have participated in wushu tournaments and martial arts shows together. He learned and remembered the choreography right away It was great finally fighting Jon one on one in this scene.”

Between now and next year, Barile hopes to officially begin principal photography for his Connecticut hometown directorial debut, Kidnapped, for which he is also writing the screenplay. And while the project is still in its early stages of pre-production, with any luck, the right script and the right budget will accomodate the talent Barile may wish to add to the production. So, obviously, details are still pending.

In the meantime, check out Lift in the embed below where you can also subscribe to Kevin Barile‘s channel. And for more on his projects and plans for the future, visit his official website.

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Bryan Sloyer Airs His Newest Test Fight!

Lance K. Jemison and Amy Sturdivant trade fists and feet, directed by Bryan Sloyer

Upon sharing his previous independent screenfighting endeavors with stuntwoman and actress Michelle Martins for LBP Stunts indie action lensman Emmanuel Manzanares back in February, it was then during my discussions with fellow stuntman Bryan Sloyer that he briefly mentioned taking interest in dabbling behind the camera for his own experimentation in the field of action direction. On Monday this week, netizens and action fans alike got a small glimpse of those newfound, early efforts in a brand new one-minute test fight featuring performances by Lance K. Jemison and Amy Sturdivant.

I reached out to both performers and was fortunate to get in touch with Sturdivant, a Seattle native now living in Los Angeles. who has been training in stunts for a year with five months of career work also under her belt. “It’s definitely a challenge unlike anything I’ve done.” she says. “I feel like there will always be something new to learn as a performer and I enjoy being a student in that aspect.”.

Having acclimated herself with various stunt coordinators and other professionals, she expressed her appreciation for each individual vision and style that coordinators apply to their craft, as mutually, and significantly beneficial to her own growth as an up-and-comer in her field; Such was the case for her latest collaboration with Sloyer (pictured left) for whom she shared more words of praise. “He really takes the time to look at his performers and understand their strengths and weaknesses and push us beyond our comfort zones just before the point of us breaking so he gets everything he can out of us and we grow beyond our own expectations.” she says. “If we are ever reaching a plateau then he has a way of explaining techniques that will draw it out of us. With that, I really enjoy working with him!”.

Sloyer has some more amazing collaborations coming very soon, so while you’re here, you may want to subscribe to his channel. And by all means, stay tuned to Film Combat Syndicate for more news and information, as well as exciting new videos.

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Mark Hudson And Marques Archie Kick Off 2014 For Dragon Spirit Productions

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.

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Watch Shaun Charney Get His Kicks With A CAPOIERA GIRL!

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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Indie Showcase: David "Dax" Bauer Presents MATT YOUNG Vs. ARMAND RABANAL

Six years into pursuing stuntwork and cinematic action as a career goal, independent action director, actor, stuntman and Missourian native David “Dax” Bauer does some pretty amazing work nowadays to showcase his talents between YouTube platforms Thousand Pounds Action Company and Arnhem Productions. Film Combat Syndicate has also had the pleasure of showcasing some of his previous work, including coordinating the 2013 action comedy short, Reverse Mugging with industry stuntwoman and actress Tamiko Brownlee. “I like to see strategy in motion.”, he tells Film Combat Syndicate. “I like storytelling and character creation, and those things are more difficult when a split second hesitation can get you punched in the face. I love being able to see characters being brought to life through their movements and through their choices, and to see how they change and evolve during the course of a fight. I love watching these things happen in fight scenes, and I want to be involved in any way I can, whether it be in front or behind camera.”.

This week, Bauer continues some of his storytelling methodology exclusively on his own channel to showcase his latest test fight project featuring performances by Matt Young and first-timer Armand Rabanal, which he filmed last year with independent filmmaker Robert Angier. The project comes as a resulting friendship for Bauer that began four years ago with Young who adhered to his skills in tricking and classical martial arts, and also served as a teaching assistant at White Lotus martial arts academy in Reseda, California, prior to its following evolution in 2012 as Joining All Movement (JAM). Following that year, Bauer met Rabanal who also worked at JAM, in addition to composing music for the content now featured on the Arnhem YouTube channel.

The clip also comes as one of a few Arnhem projects Rabanal did last year, including Reverse Mugging, whereupon he impressed Bauer with his own skill set. “I found out that he had Wushu background, and so I started working with him on stunt-related stuff.” Bauer says of Rabanal. “He showed an instantaneous aptitude for taking reactions, so I immediately started putting him in Arnhem stuff.”.

Sadly before Bauer could continue collaborating with Rabanal any further, Rabanal ended up having to temporarily move back to his home in Oregon, which unfortunately also led to the test fight’s truncated ending. Nonetheless, the clip remains a noteworthy effort for Bauer who generously reached out to Film Combat Syndicate over the weekend to share the team’s efforts. “…These two busted their butts to learn the choreography and perform on the shoot.”, he says. “This is Armand’s first actual fight and Matt’s first finished one, so I would hate to have their work swept under the rug, especially after they worked as hard as they did.”.

As for Bauer, fans can look forward to as much as six or seven projects so far which are currently in post-production for the Arnhem channel, including video game homages to Legend of Zelda, Mega Man and Assassin’s Creed, tributes to the superhero genre, and a whole lot more, including a few of which Bauer is keeping strictly tight-lipped about. So if you happen to be an action fan and have an interest in Arnhem has to offer this year, then support the channel by subcribing here. In the meantime, head on over to Bauer’s YouTube channel in the following embed and check out Matt Young and Armand Rabanal in their last hoorah below.

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