THE HIT LIST: September 25, 2017

I had some great downtime this weekend despite working. It definitely gave me something to do apart from relaxing a little bit more, which reminds me…

It’s time to get back to the biznazz of helping great stunt professionals and creatives become a little more famous and this week’s installment of The Hit List is here to do just that. Aaron “The Ginger Ninja” Gassor starts it up in the new stunt reel playlist followed by the talents of Braxton McAllister, John Nania, Cameron Okubo, Ilana Collins, William Greenburg, Kyle Glenn Thomas and Jason Triplett.

Wrapping it up is a stellar sell by Marcus Shakesheff (Wonder Woman, Kamikaze) for his YouTube channel followed by stunt coordinator and choreography reels from Andrew Carlisi and Jessica Erin Bennett, and a YouTuber’s new fan reel featuring Fabien Garcia (Die Fighting) which I’m sharing because…well, I miss the guy and I hope he comes back with something even more badass in the months and years to come.

Enjoy the playlist!

Onward and forward, our next stop brings us several things to promote and first up is Keith Eng’s most recent filmmaking endeavor, Escape From North Korea. A pulpy, nostalgic vision sets the tone for the budding actor whose ten years of post-production experience and a love for cult cinema has since brought him full-tilt into the project with a successful second Kickstarter campaign that relaunched over the summer.

The project currently aims for a 30-minute spectacle as it centers on America’s last ninja whose mission to save the President’s daughter finds the two pitted in the ultimate battle with a hyper-advanced North Korean military and its supreme leader. The kickstarter campaign is presumably finished although I don’t know if contributions are still being accepted, and you’re more than welcome to visit the page yourself for more info on what looks to be an awesome ride when it finishes.

The second item hails from filmmaker and stuntman Rustic B.‘s channel where you can catch the latest promotional pitch for a new Halloween-themed film fighting challenge. Rustic has capitalized greatly on his content presenting insightful commentary on fight choreography and performance and the videos on his channel are all good points of reference, so you’re more than welcome to see how you can participate before entries close on October 18. Watch the video, because there ARE details you don’t want to miss.

Third in this segment pivots us a little more into narrative territory as we venture onto Dustin Robison’s latest directorial outing, Get Up Joe. With a feature film in mind and a presentation readying for the Urban Action Showcase & Expo in New York City this November, I had the opportunity to view an extended proof of concept that sees actor and stunt coordinator Jason Sterling who hails the title role – a stoic, underground boxer faced with a striking chance at redemption against a string of personal failures, a struggling marriage, and a young and hungry contender with no remorse about finishing him off for his own glory.

Get Up Joe is produced by Gabriel Corbin in addition to Owen Ratliff, the creator of Ben Ramsey’s winning UASE 2015 shortfilm entry, Black Salt, which starred Kinyumba Mutakkabir, Michelle Lee, Anthony Nanakornpanaom and Ron Yuan. There’s no knowing when the shortfilm pitch will go public but Get Up Joe does itself some justice with a trailer that aired earlier this summer featuring Sterling opposite boxer Bowe Van Damme.

Also up for grabs is what lies ahead for the good folks at Insane Genius Productions with Fight To Live. Written, produced, directed by Leon Pierce Jr., the project has actors Joe Chacon and Javier Lezama leading a cast which tells of two former friends bound to compete in a winner-takes-all underground MMA match-up. Also starring Marcus Hamm, LaShada Jackson, Tracey Wilson, Drew Macias, Stephan Small Jr., Cynthia Aguilar and Sandra Villa; an online premiere date is unknown as it might be another likely film festival prospect but we do have a trailer in the playlist included.

Rounding out the playlist is the most recent trailer for Benny The Bruiser. Actor Edmond Shum leads the story here of a brutish hoodlum who tries to run away with his boss’s girl, an attempt that predictably leads to what normally happens when the antagonists find out before the fists and feet start flying, and that, they do.

Shum’s new turn at the spotlight comes shepherded by the kind folks over at Rising Tiger Films (Black Scar Blues) with a screening in tow at this year’s Urban Action Showcase and Expo this November. An online release will follow suit shortly thereafter, so…expect more Hit List jewels to come by then.

Alrighty…we’re definitely going light this week in the final playlist but there’s plenty to fawn over. Stunt player Alvin Hsing plays with a little action choreography at his channel with Jim and Jason Ng in the first video followed by a noteworthy fight practice contribution courtesy of the aforementioned Mr. Greenburg and fellow stunt fighter Trevor Logan. The gentlemanly Gun Cho arms up to his finger tips in blaze of glory for Kingsman-style action short, Hand.Gun from Art School Dropouts just before Daniel Barland throwsdown in Narayana Cabral’s brutal action short, Protocol 110, and Stuart Williamson and Brownin October go toe-to-toe in their own Western style action comedy jewel, Wanted.

Finishing off the playlist nice and painful is yet another offering from Online Action Project and its in-house creatives in Brazil. Three installments in, their Cook Or Kill series now brings us ringside once again with Renan Da Silva Medeiros and Bruno Prilip Do Carmo as hired assassins fighting over who gets to eliminate their target. But is that all he is?…

Enjoy!

Feast your eyes here over at last week’s Hit List goods if you have some time to spare. Sub to the channels for your support and SHARE the Hit List with friends and fellow action fans, and as always, if you or someone you know has a demo or a project of ample and equal quality that deserves promoting or even sharing, e-mail us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to screen it!

Lee B. Golden III

filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com | Web

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.