It’s been another loaded weekend for me so save for sleep, preferred R&R has been nil – although news out of Cannes and other updates pretty much kept me on my toes… or typing thumbs. Whatever you wanna call them, I suppose!
L to R (top): Matt Emig, Amy Schumacher, Eric Jacobus, Kawui Joa, Cameron Early L to R (bottom): Luis Fernandez, Xavier Luo, Braxton McAllister, Talyn Edelson, Kyle Potter
Time to feast once more on another weekly installment of The Hit List, starting with another stimulating round of stunt reels to get the juices going and as such, Matt Emig does so accordingly with his own reel to kick off the first playlist. Rounding it all out are reels courtesy of Braxton and Michaela McAllister, Cameron Early, Siamak Samie, Jan Znidarsic, John Nania, Joshua Walters, Shawna West, Gabriel Baxter and Jesse Jacobson, and a hard-hitting fight choreography reel by Daniel Locicero!
This first of thid week’s promotional pitches comes from JB Productions with Blindsided: The Game. Yes, I shared the trailer last week and that being said, I had the opporrunity along with several other sites to review this gem early on. It arrives in four days on May 17 and considering how important this is (feel free and click here to read why), I’m not missing a beat here.
The second comes from none other than LittleWorks Productions for upcoming action short, Timecase. Budding director Samuel Delitans Lee unveiled the poster for this latest time travel thriller last week and I’m only just finding it myself as of the last forty eight hours, but Lee is going to reveal more in coming days with stills and a trailer before its release.
The poster features its key cast, including the man holding the titular case himself, Kasimir Poh Cieslak, who has been subject to Hit List showcasing a few times before and so it’s awesome to welcome him back. Check out the art!
Time to get the action going and kicking things off in short form is filmmaker and actress Toy Lei with award-winning shortfilm thriller, How To Get Caught, alsofeaturing Lovel Johnson Jr., Edmund Kwan and Justin “Lucky” McQueede, and a parting performance by the late, great Rain The Grey among the cast.
Going forward, we have Wildchild Gil Sanabria to keep the momentum going in Overdue with performers José Manuel Oslán and Rafael Gonzalez joining in. Via Novo Studios is up next by way of a random find of my own with a pair of fight vids performed by Nick Goehner and Josh Mabie, and seperately with both actors in three-way fisticuffs with Tayln Edelson.
Relentless sees Xavier Luo refereeing at gunpoint between Kawui Joa and Luis Fernandez just before we venture into Jonathen Pantera Wallace and a case of missing….cookies? And Jay Kwon dabbles into an XMA action hero who can’t helm himself featuring “‘forms’ guy” Kyle Potter opposite Andrew Franklin, Joseph V. Oreste and Tony Vittorioso.
Actress Amy Schumacher battles to prove herself in a brutal virtual death loop opposite Jayme Wojciechowski in Steve LaMorte’s sword-clashing fantasy thriller, Trials Of Ember following its premiere at the Artemis fest last month. Following that is a better-late-than-never pick this week is the pilot episode for DC-inspired webseries, Batman: Master Of Fear, which director Matthew Kohler aired last summer and is now looking to crowdfund via Indiegogo for two more episodes to bring the latest grim tale of the Dark Knight full circle.
Last and far from least by way of Vimeo is my birthday tribute to Vlad Rimburg, an independent filmmaker and fight choreography auteur who has been able to expand his horizons over the years assisting a number of industry professionals around the world. His craft, however, lies in the interests that many like myself share dating back to his online roots, notably with the acclaimed 2011 shortfilm, Yo Soy Un Hombre Loco.
It’s almost daunting that I haven’t yet been able to interview him, but I genuinely appreciate his work and as busy as he is, I certainly hope he stays growing. His creative history and the fans he’s earned with well over fifteen years of performing and leading as an inspirational force among other stunt players bode as one collective voice that speaks for itself, and today in particular as we all wish Mr. Rimburg a Happy Birthday with many more to follow!
L to R (top): Roger Yuan, Nick Goehner, Michaela McAllister, Kasimir Poh Cieslak, Wildchild Gil Sanabria L to R (bottom): Josh Mabie, Khalid Ghajji, Shawna West, José Manuel Oslán and Jonathen Pantera Wallace
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.
