the gate

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STILL FOLLOWING THE PATH: Amy Johnston Talks ‘Accident Man’, Epic Rival And The Providence Of Independent Film

Actress and martial arts star Amy Johnston is currently celebrating the release of her latest big milestone, the Jesse Johnson-directed Accident Man. The film marks another in a tasty handful of prominent movie roles for the actress who began training since the age of six with a love of her own for cinema before officially taking off several years ago in stunts and action acting, and gladly landing in our sites for a first interview in 2013. Accident Man entails her portrayal of Jane The Ripper in the new adaptation of the British comic from Pat Mills. Having filmed only a handful of scenes, the film unquestionably makes sure to take the actress’s talents to the business end of the lens along with her acting caliber, and Johnston herself couldn’t have been happier upon joining the film in 2016 when Johnson approached her. “After reading the script of Accident Man, […]

TRIPLE THREAT: Producer Mike Selby Talks Buddies, Monsters, Machines And The Pursuit Of Perfection

Lee B. Golden III

Photo: Mike Selby If all goes as expeditious as planned, stunt multi-hyphenate Jesse V. Johnson’s latest contribution with all-star Asian headliner, Triple Threat, should see a release midway this year. Post-production still remains pending completion for the new action thriller written by Joey O’Bryan and Paul Staheli, and filmed early last year and with fans pining for Johnson’s latest exciting follow-up to this week’s release of Accident Man, I managed to touch base with Mike Selby, manager to one of the film’s leads – action star Tony Jaa. It was Selby, who served as one of the producers as he did on Skin Trade, Jaa’s 2015 two-hander with action heavy-hitter Dolph Lundgren opposite Ron Perlman and Michael Jai White, who aided us in getting in touch with his client for an in-depth interview several years ago. At the time, he and I chatted and I made a passing mention about […]

FIVE-A-DAY ROUND-UP VIII: Blood Hunters, The Gate, Black Site, Insight, Vengeance

Lee B. Golden III

It took a while to get good grip on what was happening with director, actor and martial artist Vincent Soberano with Blood Hunters: Rise Of The Hybrids. At long last however, Soberano has affirmed his stake in cinema with at least one other project along the way while in the meantime, the aforementioned new action horror already has a first teaser trailer sampling a bit of the narrative inspired by Filipino folklore. Soberano is joined by Sarah Chang, Monsour Del Rosario and Mayling Ng for the story of a tactical unit set to hunt down the Queen of the Aswang. That’s all we have for now while this years first teaser should be enough of a reminder until further notice I want to believe that The Gate is still a thing that exists. Talk of a feature film still sits on the back of my mind following a rousing directing […]

THE HIT LIST – May 16, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

It’s time to showcase some more stunt action this week with the return of The Hit List! First and foremost, it’s worth pointing out that the latest installation of the Taurus World Stunt Awards were held on Saturday night at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood, and so we at Film Combat Syndicate would like to offer our congratulations to the winners of this year’s ceremomy, including – not limited to – Mad Max: Fury Road (Specialty Stunt, Best Stunt Rigging, Best Stunt Coordinator/2nd Unit), Kingsman: The Secret Service (Best Fight) and Lifetime Achievement Award winner, stunt veteran Andy Armstrong. All winners among those nominated can be seen as listed by CLICKING HERE. On that note, it’s time to get down to business with the latest in stunt and fight reels with Kyle Murillo kicking off the new playlist – Not bad for a beginner! Janelle Beaudry, Simon Li, Monica Lopez, […]

Amy Johnston Gets A Rude Welcome In Kellie Madison’s Fantasy Action Pitch, THE GATE!

Lee B. Golden III

Recent sudies and headlines have revealed a major spike in demand for a stronger female presence behind the camera in today’s film industry. In that case, today would mark the perfect opportunity to welcome filmmaker Kellie Madison to the fray in the wake of the latest online release of her eight-minute martial arts feature pitch video, The Gate, following a hardcore crowdfunding campaign last summer…and boy does this pitch or what??! Chalk it all up to Madison’s own affinity for director Gareth Huw Evans’s Indonesian crime film saga, The Raid, essentially laying the groundwork firmly with upcoming Lady Bloodfight star, actress Amy Johnston in the role of a gifted MMA boxer and silat fighter who wages a one-woman vigilante war against Indoesian gangsters and evil forces on different planes. The addition of The Raid franchise co-stars Yayan Ruhian, and then Cecep Arif Rahman shortly thereafter when Ruhian couldn’t make it to the […]

F*ck The Rules! Watch The Explosive New Teaser For Kellie Madison’s THE GATE!

Lee B. Golden III

Strange things happen when The Raid 2 co-star Cecep Arif Rahman gets angry. But does actress and martial artist Amy Johnston care? Nope, she just goes all in with kicks to the face of anyone who gets in her way! Yes, it’s the new teaser for director Kellie Madison‘s upcoming nine-minute proof pitch, The Gate. The project is still in post production and as promised on Tuesday, Madison has brought the goddamn thunder this week in an explosive teaser that literally shatters the rules and gives a hardcore ass-kicking, just the way we want it. And yes, you doubters out there can OFFICIALLY eat your words! CASSIE WESTON (played by Amy Johnston) is a world champion fighter and master of the ancient Indonesian martial art form- PENCAK SILAT. When possessed by an angelic force, Cassie gains extraordinary abilities that she uses to fight crime in New Orleans as a super […]

Amy Johnston Conquers The Devil In A New Banner Image For THE GATE

Lee B. Golden III

Post production is well underway and so fans are much closer to a teaser for director Kellie Madison’s latest crowdfunding success, The Gate. On that note, we now turn to a new image below of actress and martial artist Amy Johnston who stars in Madison’s upcoming nine-minute proof pitch for the networks ahead of 2016. Johnston plays Cassie Weston, an MMA champion whose celestial supernatural abilities and acts of vigilantism make her the target of a deadly Indonesian crime syndicate. Joining in the action are the EMC Monkeys and The Raid 2 co-star Cecep Arif Rahman, with fellow Indonesian martial arts stalwart, Yayan Ruhian joining in on the series to come. The current plan is to introduce 50 seconds of footage from the proof pitch to help advance another 15-day crowdfunding campaign to help finish the process. It launches a few days from now, so don’t forget to subscribe to […]

THE GATE Opens With New Stills And BTS Pics!

Lee B. Golden III

With at least one lead role already in the can with a few more on the way, it’s fair to suggest that martial artist and stuntwoman Amy Johnston is well on her way to becoming a bonafide multi-faceted actress. Watch her shorts online and you’ll instantly see a woman with the gravitas and range of a performer who also happens to be very much capable of doing her own stunts. This is also going to be the case with director Kellie Madison‘s The Gate, a proof pitch which just wrapped last month with Johnston in the role of a gifted champion fighter who uses her angelic powers to preserve her own brand of vigilante justice. And as of Saturday, we can now get a glimpse of just what that looks like with stills and behind the scenes photos now surfacing with Madison herself along with Johnston, young actress Chalet Lizette […]

EXCLUSIVE: Cecep Arif Rahman Joins Kellie Madison's THE GATE

Lee B. Golden III

Things are finally underway for the now fully-funded production of The Tank helmer Kellie Madison‘s latest proof-of-concept, The Gate. Fight rehearsals are happening with cameras set to roll later this year with the project stemming from Madison‘s own affinity for action-packed storytelling and prolific appreciation for Indonesian martial arts and film lore. Actress Amy Johnston leads the project in a starring role as an enchanted MMA fighter skilled in Pencak Silat whose tragic past forges her into vigilantism, an act that puts her in the throes of a deadly Indonesian crime organization that wants her dead. The project, with Johnston in the company of actor Yayan Ruhian and martial arts stunt team, EMC Monkeys, was announced at the top of last month, and though unfortunately Ruhian had some issues making it into the U.S. in time for the project. Alas, that hasn’t hindered the project in the very least with […]

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Kellie Madison's THE GATE Successfully Reaches Crowdfunding Goals

Lee B. Golden III

Less than a month after crowdfunding commenced for The Tank helmer Kellie Madison‘s latest endeavor, The Gate, the Kickstarter campaign successfully reached its goals on Monday with just a few days left. The project began slowly picking up steam in the last several weeks with various press sites picking up the story and featuring several interviews and further perks adding to the hype. The project currently stands as a six-minute proof-of-concept pitch that will feature actress Amy Johnston as Cassie Weston, a world champion MMA fighter and Pencak Silat expert whose vengeful crimefighting ways put her in the throes of a dangerous Indonesian crime lord, played by the one and only Yayan Ruhian. Chalet Lizzette Brannan also stars with a cast comprised of martial arts stunt team, EMC Monkeys, with stunt coordination by Chris Carnel (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Tank, Mercenaries). Madison praises Johnston‘s natural screenfighting talent which gained […]

THE GATE: Help Crowdfund The New Amy Johnston And Yayan Ruhian Action Series Pitch!

Lee B. Golden III

Concept art via Kickstarter Surf the internet long enough with a craving for quality martial arts action and you’re bound to come across some of the best and brightest ever to hit the business end of a camera, and most of the content you see is free and viral for all netizens to enjoy. Take this in comparison to the multitude of action shows on television which normally cast actors who are trained long enough to look convincing on screen, and while the formula often proves viabale for the networks, it still leaves a lot wondering for those minding how genuine screen-friendly athletes could achieve the same successes they continue to exemplify through online independent mediums. It’s certainly something that filmmaker Kellie Madison has been wondering in the wake of momentum drawn to actress and stuntwoman Amy Johnston, followed by Madison’s own fondness for Pencak Silat as portrayed in the […]

Amy Johnston And Yayan Ruhian To Star In Kellie Madison's THE GATE

Lee B. Golden III

The age of martial arts in television continues with word from City On Fire of a new teaser pitch for the planned series, The Gate. The Tank and The Caul helmer Kellie Madison is directing the teaser pitch with actress and stuntwoman Amy Johnson set to lead with Indonesian import, The Raid franchise co-star Yayan Ruhian. The series’ theme will reportedly focus on the story of an angel who embraces her power to battle forces of darkness. Johnston has been slowly blooming as a stand out actress with a natural knack for screenfighting and stunt performance talent with accumulative credits in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 3, and the upcoming Marvel adaptation at Fox, Deadpool, in addition to her lead role in Epic Rival’s pilot pitch, Clandestine. The Gate, while definitely befitting for film material, definitely fits the mold for television and serves as an excellent platform for […]