THE HIT LIST – January 12, 2015
When I started preparing this list, I honestly didn’t think I would come across as many videos time around. Sure, there would be a few gems worth sharing, but it’s safe to say I pretty much out-did myself. Yes, let’s get to it…
Upon competing nationally in Karate while in his native France, stuntman Thomas Lorber decided just a few years ago to apply his skill set to another craft attributed to his love for acting which he originally began in Canada. Thus, with two years of practicing and performing stuntwork at Parc Asterix in France and after earning his master’s degree in Business, he eventually started his own venue for stunt training with fellow stuntman, Vincent Khai. On that note, with plans to return to Canada and possibly explore the stunt community in the United States, he’s welcoming his options with a new stunt reel which he shot last year which is full of action. Take a look!
Here, we get to meet multifaceted filmmaker, actor and martial artist Taz Garcia, whose motivation has largely been geared toward setting an example for young film students who otherwise thought filmmaking was impossible without a budget. As a result, after six years and despite the painstaking hurdles he’s faced, he now has several titles to his name dating back to 2009. His latest assassin thriller, Dead End is currently awaiting festival entries which should arrive some time soon. In the meantime, his new demo reel is up and ready. Drama AND action are highlit here with footage from his directorial work and that of others.
I often share freerunning videos and the like, becausd they’re some of the most dynamic videos online with respect to what they offer in the world of entertainment. Hell, you can even say that a lot of these videos are shot WAY better than what you see in most big budget action films that often try and fail to showcase traceur videos so cleanly and crisp. With that said, I’ll leave you with seven recent videos I came across this week, the first featuring a trailer from last year for Off The Edge, a short docu webseries which highlights the global exploits of Tempest freerunners Jesse LaFlair and Cory DeMeyers in their efforts to showcase their sport around the world. I’m on the fifth episode myself and I’m having na blast. See the trailer below.
The next five each include fellow Tempest member Lucy Romberg, Slovenian freerunner Dominik Starašinič, parkour film production group Ampisound’s contribution to WB Interactive’s upcoming release of the zombie survival game, Dying Light, Italian freerunning association Krap‘s New Year Krappannone Winter Jam, and an inspirational gem you may have seen online in some version or another with 12-year old amputee, Spanish traceur, Rubén Roldán.
The fifth one, well, I’m a little ashamed this didn’t arrive sooner, but I’m glad I caught it now nonetheless. Shot in only one day, director Sheldon Schwartz latest sci-fi action shortfilm Open Your Eyes, centered on a heroine’s last-ditch efforts to free a walled-off dystopian future society.
The equipment involved here all comes from DJI, and best serves as an example of how advancements in camera-operating technology can better meet the needs of today’s generation of filmmakers. I would imagine this is also a cinematographer’s dream that these devices become more practical as tools that are helpful in the creative process, as well as affordable, time-saving and cost-effective, and if this isn’t the case just yet, hopefully it will be, as this latest online gem so demonstrates.
Action acress and stuntwoman Natascha Hopkins (Divergent, Mad Max: Fury Road) singlehandedly leads the rebellion with exciting stunt direction by Lin Oeding (Olympus Has Fallen, The Equalizer). [H/T: No Film School]
The land down under has its own brewing community of aspiring martial artists, and there to accompany inspired kickers, men, women and children alike are the teachers and leaders behind Australia’s own Invincible Athlete’s Academy. The school recently released their latest inspirational ad you can now check out below, and if you’re interested, they even have a website which you can check out RIGHT HERE.
Last time we checked, the folks over at online comedy platform, Just Kidding Films were about a month into developing their first-ever feature film as of their announcement late last year. Again, details are scant as things are still early, but the team is back with a new progress update from their latest return to training with fight coordinator and stuntman, Noah Fleder who shares his continued insight with segments featuring JKF’s own Bart Kwan, Joe Jo and Geo Antoinette.
Filmmakers Arya Lee and Jay Samuelz have been on my radar from time to time, although they’re still new to me. Thankfully they’re still around though, because it seems the two have been doing something together for the past few months, and whatever it is with details still under the rug, it has a teaser. Considering the nature of what you’ve been reading about now on my site or on this page for that matter, it’s pretty obvious we may very well be in for somethin delightful…AND violent!
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Feeling a little sick this year? Try a little Doğadan! The Turkish tea company filmed a new commecial last month for their campiagn with principle performances by actress Zara Phythian, and actor Arın Kuşaksaızoğlu, featuring choreography by Can Aydin and Cha-Lee Yoon of Reel Deal Action.
Come to think of it, I could actually use some tea myself. This cold of mine sucks. Save me Zara!
A Dango-eating wandering samurai who battles his way through other swordsmen between bites? That’s pretty much the gist of what you can expect from directing duo, actor and producer Kosaka Mosami and cinematographer Shiraishi Takahisa‘s latest webseries, Dango Samurai. Only two webisodes are up as of late last year with more to come, in addition to a shortfilm that pits our heroic sword-wielding foodie against his greatest opponent yet in Dango Samurai VS. Dango Master. You can watch its most recent teaser beneath the series playlist just below.
Dragonwolf and Raging Phoenix co-star Kazu Patrick Tang has been itching to get things going in directing following his years as a stuntman, actor, martial artist and choreographer. He made a splash pitting Ninja 2 alums Ron Smoorenburg and Brahim Achabbakhe against one another in his 2013 debut short, Marksmen and he’s been slowly building his online resume of projects ever since. Nowadays however, he’s much busier in the world of film with a couple of new feature projects in two – his latest being Twin Monkeys, and whatever that means, I’m sure we’re bound to find out what that means soon enough. In the meantime, Tang has a new fight short out and it may possibly be his last as he ventures further into the deep end of feature-length territory. This one is titled The Watchdog Project, featuring two other Ninja 2 alums, Charlie Ruedpoknanon and Yuhkoh Matsuguchi.
This one is a bit of a throwback dating back to last year in September. It’s the latest video on the official channel from independent filmmaker Joshua Zacharias and Bronson Cameron over at Wuji Films in Canada, and it’s only about 45 seconds short, but it also goes to show how much action goodness you can enjoy in that same amount of time.
As a noteworthy mention, Wuji Films will be releasing a number of short projects they started on late last year with Avici creator Kyle Wong over at Black Ice 140, so feel free to look them online as well. Shit is about to get real in Canada, and you don’t want to miss out!
Good things are happening over in the Philippines where John Renz Cahilig is now ramping up efforts to crowdfund his newest feature film Operation Double Helix. The project stems from his previous successes earned with a conceptual shortfilm trailer back in 2011 for the 180 Microcinema Film Festival and now it appears he’s ready to take it to the next level, and to accommodate his current campaign on Indiegogo, Cahilig has a brand new promotional shortfilm to entertain your curiosity. Think “military style action” by way of shows like Strike Back and 24, and you’ll get the idea.
Watch the promo short below, then check out the cinematic campaign video where you will also find a link to the Indiegogo page to lend your contribution to the cause. Bear in mind though, the CG is quite gamey and won’t likely at all resemble the final product, so take this with a grain of salt in knowing these guys will probably make a even better movie provided share and support this project.
The campaign remains on-going for director Bryan Williams and writer/producer Lauren Romero for their latest project, Vindictive. Their campaign video has been up since December with the inclusion of a teaser for the film which centers on the story of a man in search of his wife’s killer and brother’s kidnappers.
Attributed toward Florida’s mixed-martial arts community, the production is replete with experts in the field, with martial arts instructors, actors Hoon Park and Tommy Carpenter starring among the cast. The film is over 90% shy of its GoFundMe campaign with the goal of earning $2,000 for its budget as of this write up, so watch the video in the player below and CLICK HERE to check it out and see how you can help make Vindictive a reality.
Panning over to France for just a second, I can’t get enough of how amazing independent filmmaker Godefroy Ryckewaert has been in my continued coverage of his work. Case in point, his most recent collaboration with stuntman Daren Nop in his debut shortfilm role in last year’s Shadows Of 13, a touching story that casts a huge spotlight on humanity and kindness in a cruel world with Nop in the role of a homeless person who risks his life to save an elderly couple from street thugs. To say the least, it was a tearjerker and it left me nearly wanting more, only then I had no idea that we were getting just that. And now, we have a trailer that lays all curiosity to rest.
Ryckewaert and Nop are joined by their team, Cascade, further action design by The Transporter Legacy stunt coordinator Alain Figlarz, accompanied by his own team.
The journey continues with Lunar Stunts’s own Eric Nguyen and his latest foray into his experimental fight choreography series, The Fighting Journey in it’s seventh episode. Korean cinema is to blame for the inspiration this time around, with principle performances by Darren Holmquist and Alex Meiglei.
In lieu of the new year ahead, actor, martial artist and stuntman Dennis Ruel is finally getting his day with the forthcoming release of his directorial debut, Unlucky Stars. Between then and the years since, he’s built himself quite an online resume full of action-packed shortfilms while growing his career as a Hollywood stuntman, now breaking into his latest role on the set Isaac Florentine’s new thriller, Close Range with martial arts action favorite, Scott Adkins. Ruel posted a photo via his Instagram, a much-deserved crowing achievement for an actor who has devoted more than a decade to bringing his caliber of performance to the forefront of the genre. With this, his most recent reel is available as of last September, containing a montage full of old and upcoming goodies, and none of it is something you want to fall asleep on, especially with what comes at the end of this article!
And, finally…
Put Groundhog Day in a blender with everything you know and love about Jackie Chan and Mr. Bean with the Rocky soundtrack on full blast in the background and what do you get? Well, you get The Stunt People’s own, actor, stuntman and filmmaker Eric Jacobus‘s fresh new vaudevillian action comedy sequel shortfilm, Rope-A-Dope 2: Return Of The Martial Arts Mafia.
Co-directed by Pete Lee and also starring Stunt People principle, Dennis Ruel, Jacobus returns once more as The Dope, an everyday klutz caught in a vicious cycle where every sharp blow to the head forces him to relive the same day until he finds a way to break the chain. We met the character last year in the first installment which garnered plenty of praise from its audiences online and in film festivals, ultimately befitting the prospects for a sequel that not only ups the antee even more, but services a lovely treat for anyone who’s been there since these two went toe-to-toe in the 2006 indie action classic, Contour (a.k.a. The Agent). Film Combat Syndicate managed to snag an email interview with Jacobus and co-producer, Hollywood stuntman Clayton J. Barber this past week to talk about the project, and you’re more than welcome to read all about it when I publish that puppy later this week.
Other than that, expect slapstick high-jinx, a pulsating soundtrack and high-impact fight choreography with Zero Gravity’s own Ken Quitugua leading the charge with a plethora of today’s top stunt performers, armed with an arsenal of everything from fists and feet to bats, brooms, pots and pans, bottles, golf clubs, canes, two-by-fours, cue balls, newspapers and then some, and an energizing finale that will blow you away.
Yes, my friends. The Dope is back, and this time, it’s all-out war and the Martial Arts Mafia is taking NO prisoners! Crank those bastard speakers of yours at the highest volume possible and watch Rope-A-Dope 2: Return Of The Martial Arts Mafia in the player below!
CLICK HERE to view last week’s Hit List if you missed it. While you’re at it, subscribe to the channels mentioned above, and if you have a QUALITY action short you would like to host on Film Combat Syndicate, shoot us an email at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com!
Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.
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