WOW! It’s good to be back, I have to say. I needed the break last weekend following a roaring get together with some friends prior to only about 3 or 4 hours of sleep. To be honest though, I almost didn’t get too much into this week’s Hit List whilst trying to balance my job and covering everything that’s happened at Comic-Con this past weekend.
Thankfully, I got a bit of a headstart in the last few weeks and so it wasn’t too difficult to put together – starting with the usual list of terrific stunt reels by some of today’s professionals in the industry, veterans as well as up-and-coming. Nilo Ghajar-Williams kicks things off in energetic form followed by new reels from Jamie Northrup, Marie Mouroum, Jesse Haus, Nikki Stanley, Andrew Long, Simon Potter, Filip Ciprian Florian, Danny Etkin and Karl Van Moorsel.
As far as promotional goods go, a trailer for the pilot of a planned series can now be seen making the rounds for Boss Uzi from directing duo Peter Jang and Damon Jamal. Hailing Simplicity Pictures, In Yo Face Filmworks and Infamous Media Entertainment, the story sees actress Kanema Kingston in the role of a young Jamaican crime heiress, haunted by her family’s legacy as her first test in leadership forces her into a balancing act between avoiding an all-out gang war with the Russian mafia, and the desire for a legitimate life.
This is just one project out of many I’ve learned of in the last three years with actors and stunt performers venturing into other areas of film, and all of which have brought some terrific concepts. It has a great package with Eric Linden (Marvel’s Daredevil) 2nd unit directing and fight coordinator Alvin Hsing who has collaboated on several occasions with the folks over at Bat In The Sun, and an extraordinary premise I think would work as a solid program if nurtured the right way after this. Thankfully, a Kickstarter package may already be well on the way, so I will definitely have more for you as soon as it goes live.
Power/Rangers short film co-star Gichi Gamba and Hollywood stuntman and actor Dennis Keiffer also star.
Now, off to some wicked fight action with a high-caliber finish as fight director Lawrence Yip begins this evening’s playlist with two cool gems hailing from Cinematic fight studio with Andrew Hsu and Nhan Du, and Victor Plajas and Wang Pai-Sen, and a new fight practice piece by Bryan Sloyer with Anthony Oh and Nick Krawiec performing.
The final piece is a three-minute proof-of-concept short by Latefox Pictures’s own Gabriel Carrer who made waves last year at film festivals with his recent vigilante thriller, The Demolisher. This time, he’s taking you center-ring with his latest prospect, Ventablvck, the story of a mysterious pizza delivery boy who dabbles in the world of underground fighting.
The project was recently shown courtesy of Raven Banner at the Frontières Market at Fantasia and has since made its way online, featuring actress Breanne teBoekhorst, and action actors Thomas Lorber and Vincent Nam Khai. Enjoy the playlist!
Last and far from least is the latest online release of actress and martial artist Jennifer Linch’s latest award-winning proof-of-concept short, Flowers Of The Night, which embraces the tale of Lily, a young woman raised in captivity with her peers to become a deadly fighting machine and skilled assassin. Having once escaped, the three set out to take down the organization that ruined their lives, and the traitor who turned on them.
The project is one of several that Linch is moving forward on with her focus now on financing another prospect, Violet, which is currently in development and has a fan page which you can follow. In the meantime, you can read more about her in my interview with her earlier this year. Otherwise, Flowers Of The Night is finally here, black-and-white with plenty of killer splashes of red! Donna de Muerte, Morgan Macedo and Tim Neff also star.
As always, you can check out the previous installation of the Hit List to help catch up. Otherwise, feel free to follow these channels and stay abreast for more exciting content. And, if you or someone you know has an amazing new concept, trailer, or a high-caliber fight practice video or a kickass shortfilm you think is worthy of a spot in our weekly hit list, hit us up at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com!