While this movie has a good ending, like a typical Action Movie, it won't leave you feeling "pumped up". Other than that, The Foreigner is an Action Movie in every way. Jackie Chan, is Jackie Chan, meaning nobody else stands a chance. While he's an older version of a Bad Ass, he still he exacts his revenge. He doesn't try to be perfect. He gets beat up an bit, takes a few falls and hits, and is a little worse for wear at the end, but that only adds to the realism and there's absolutely no questioning his skills. There was only one moment I was sure there was a double and it might have been for height reasons (if they really were on a roof).  Even in a knife fight, he's lightning fast.

This is a complex, engaging, and compelling story. We are along for the ride in real time, and while there are not a lot of big surprises, there are enough twists to make it enjoyable. What is most enjoyable is seeing Chan's character get the best of everyone. Pierce Brosnan is good as a flawed and pompous IRA front man cum government official. It's hard to forget it's Brosnan, but he does a good job of 'hiding' behind his character's pile of manipulative and over-confident moves gone wrong. It could be any typical Irish actor, and that's a compliment. In other words, what came through was the character and not Brosnan or Bond.

I highly recommend it and find it enjoyable enough to pay to see it again. In fact, I can't wait to see it again.  I've been disappointed many times of late.  But Jackie Chan always delivers!

In the way that Jackie Chan and Tom Cruise do (most of?) their own stunts, newcomer Taz Garcia does all his own character stunts but does not do stunt work. I would much rather watch a stuntman try to act, than have them cast an actor who has to have someone sit in for them.  It's long overdue that the real reason we love Action Movies—the Action—gives more credit where credit is due.

As a part of a new generation of Action Movie stars, Taz is committed and serious about the work. A true Action Figure, his interests include tennis from his early days wanting to become a professional soccer player (at the age of 13, was scouted to play for the Manchester United 'Red Devils'), to being an ATP junior seeded tennis star, to racing professional go-karts (600cc / working his way to 1000cc) hoping to one day race F1. Taz has also trained in a variety of martial arts including shotokan karate, greco wrestling, kung fu, and capoeira, and as a multilingual, he has traveled the world. Taz can speak, read, and write English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, and Spanish, and also has good command of the Cantonese dialect.

Taz has been nominated for and won awards for directing, fight choreography, acting, and has been recognized for his work in Action Movie Short Films. Here are some of his recent wins:

• At the 13th annual AOFF in Las Vegas, August 17-26, 2017, Taz shared his 20 years of martial arts and stunts experience at a Hollywood Stunt Action techniques seminar, and received the Action on Film International Film Festival (AOF) award for "Best Fan Film Action".

• The hard-working actor was the youngest recipient of the"Icon Award" from the 2016 AOF.

• Garcia has appeared in many TV and Movie projects, including countless international productions. The action/comedy First Bust earned him an AOF 2015 "Male Action Performer of The Year” Award.

• Also in 2015, he was the sole Canadian selected to join the international cast of "Lost in the Pacific", one of the largest Hollywood/China co-productions, alongside Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die), and Vincent Ward (The Walking Dead).

• Taz's first film, the Action short The Briefcase, earned the writer/director/star the "Breakout Action Star- Male - Short" at 2013 AOF.

Next up for Taz are the feature-length "First Bust" (biggest Canadian/Chinese co-production), and "Trigger", where he'll get to showcase his skills. He has worked with and learned from the best, including Ace Stunt Action and the Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Taz's star is on the rise, and we hope to see more of him on the big screen.

Below this action reel is an interview

Tazito Garcia - Action Reel 2k7 from Tazito on Vimeo.

INTERVIEW with Action Star Taz Garcia

Action Movie Freak is thrilled to present an interview with Taz Garcia:

AMF:  What is the first Action Movie that really made an impression on you, and what stayed with you from it?

Taz:  Drunken Master. Action doesn't have to mean VIOLENT.  [[ Awesome movie, and what a great choice! ]]

AMF: Although it is hard to pick just one favorite, who is your favorite Action Movie star?

Taz:  Hands down, Jackie Chan is my all-time favorite.   [[ That is very cool. Everyone usually says Bruce Lee. ]]

AMF:  What is it about being an Action Movie star that appeals to you?

Taz:  Action is our body's way of expressing 'dialogue' that transcends over any language barrier. Also, every action/stunt scene may have its own challenges for us to overcome as the performer.  [[ Listen to the Dead End interview video below for more fun insight into this question.  ]]

AMF:  What Action Movie role do you think you would have been perfect for?

Taz:  A character in Fast & Furious or The Expendables.    [[ LOVE this answer. Taz is, for sure, a team player! ]]

AMF: Do you have a favorite Action Movie subgenre?

Taz:  Action Comedy  [[ After watching his Action reel, it's clear Taz has a gift for Action Comedy! ]]

AMF:  You have successfully tried on a lot of film roles (acting, directing, writing, etc.). Is acting your first love, or do you see yourself more as a director, or, do you want to continue to do all of the big 3: writing, directing, and acting?

Taz:  Acting will always be my passion, but it's a gift to have a choice on either side of the camera.

AMF:  As you have cross trained and are so multi-talented, if you had to pick just one skill and focus only on that, what would that be and why?

Taz:  Acting in general. When age kicks in and limits the action scenes you can do, acting is timeless.   [[ This tells me Acting is a lifelong career choice for Taz. Great commitment! ]]

 AMF:  Lastly, this website was created to promote the Action Movie genre, and to promote more Women in Action Movies as opportunities grow. Is there an upcoming female Action Star you would like to recognize for her work in Action Movies?

Taz:  That's a very tough question because I had to think about that very same question when I directed and wrote my female assassin film "Dead End". There's many up-and-coming young female action stars with superb talent. A big congrats to them all, and of course a BIG congrats goes out to Gal Gadot for her milestone in being the first stand-alone female Superhero in a movie. 

Here's Taz talking about how he made Dead End:

What a trailer! Re-Born boasts:
 "Epic Amounts of Brilliantly Executed Action"
September 29, 2017

Don't even blink . . .

Terminator 2: Judgment Day reboots in theaters in 3D
August 26, 2017

Was excited for weeks since I first heard Terminator 2: Judgment Day would be back in theaters in 3D!  I didn't think seeing it in 3D could bring much to an already "10" movie, but I really noticed the 3D during the chase with the motorcycles and the rig.  It brought the 'course' to life, and made it more intense because the environment seemed more confined, the speed and obstacles more real. That alone was worth the price of admission.

The movie also brought back that terrifying concept of a post-nuclear-war earth where human survivors are being eliminated by robotic weapons. Although I think they are unlikely to be the cold, cool, chrome look of Terminators, the things being invented and conceived of today are nonetheless terrifying. I found this photo in a gold mine of concept robotic weapons.

Before the T2 credits they set up the premise of which Terminator—the 'good one' sent to protect John Connor, or the 'bad one' sent to kill him—would reach John Connor first. Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course, gets the only above-the-line credit.  How exciting watching an ILM + Stan Winston creation . . . I was thinking:  "Pinch me, I'm watching T2 in a theater, again, in 3D!" 

It was cool to see Jennette Goldstein. How different she looks than as her role as "Vasquez" in Aliens. From "muscle" to Mom . . . That John Connor ended up in Foster Care is disheartening, but the ordinariness of his suburban life makes a great backdrop for futuristic terror. The Gnarly Kill, later, by the T-1000 as the Foster Mom shows the wicked way the T-1000's metal can made into a sword/other formations, and how he transforms from one person to another.  We see it, then they explain it: “Anything it samples by physical contact.”  They get really creative with that.

Way back when, the first place to have video arcades was California. Since that was also where they made movies, by the '80s and '90s it seemed like this impossibly cool place.  So many movies from this era had scenes in malls.  In T2, we're at the Sherman Oaks Galleria mall (featured in Fast Times at Ridgement High '82, Valley Girl '83, Night of the Comet '84, Commando '85, Back to the Future Part II '89, and a half dozen more movies).  As Wikipedia puts it: "The mall became famous in the early 1980s as being the center of the teenage-mall culture and a well-known teenage hangout." At this point (T2 was '91), we'd seen this mall in so many movies, it was a truly frightening thing seeing two Terminators in a familiar setting (it felt the same as if it was in our local mall).

Looking back now, Arnold seems young, but he's 43 here. With the face off of the two Terminators in the Mall's back hallway, until Arnold says “Get Down”, you think he's the bad robot there to kill the kid. You wonder, too, if the two terminators are a match for each other. Relentless v. Relentless: Yes, I want a front-row ticket for that!  It was indescribably cool to see that liquid metal can heal itself. Then we saw how crazy fast this new Terminator can run [Robert Patrick trained in a rigorous running regime in order to be able to appear to run at high speeds without showing fatigue on film.]!  I mean, what's in a number? We were, of course, wondering how much better could the "T-1000" Model be? Love this aspect of  movies, where they can take something that's already so wicked cool like a "terminator" and come up with something better that makes it look outdated.

And they're off . . .  Here begins one of the greatest-ever chase scenes. [I wondered who was the stuntman who got pulled out of the rig and thrown to the street, to begin the T-1000's crazy all-out hunt. Turns out to be this guy:]

The T-1000 (and the fact that he's chasing a kid) makes this first chase scene intense—his expressionless face is frightening, and then, he drives the rig off an overpass! That relentless aspect was hitting pretty hard right about then. Arnold as the Model 101 is following on a motorcycle but runs out of road. [Again, I wondered, who the stuntman was who did that jump? I found him on IMDb Trivia: Peter Kent. He's 6' 5" (Arnold is 6' 2"). He doubled Arnold in The Terminator and worked with him in a total of 14 films. "The motorbike was supported by one-inch cables, so that when they hit the ground, the bike and rider only weighed 180 pounds. The cables were later digitally erased."  Flawless! You can see this on the "Making of . . . " documentary.]

As the scene ends, I remembered how BAD ASS it was to see the T-1000 walk out of the flames of the wreck of the rig. I remember being in the theater back in 1991 and someone yelling out in wonder: "Unscathed!" LOL Nothing has been that impressive since. What a huge moment that was. This movie rocked!! That scene is the biggest part of the mythology of this movie. Driving home the unkillable aspect of Terminators, we were thinking: If he survived that, it seems like there is no stopping him. 

One of the most fun elements of this movie was John Connor's childish delight in treating Arnold as a toy: “Cool! My own Terminator.”  So funny when he makes the Terminator promise not to kill anyone after what a monster killing machine was in the last movie. At least Arnold doesn't have to hold back when it comes to the T-1000. When he shoots it in the head, and it splits open, that was one of the coolest effects we'd ever seen in a movie.  It then become: How much damage can it survive? What's it gonna take to bring it down? 

When I first saw the movie, I was so invested in Sarah Connor's being stuck in that mental institution. We knew what she was saying was real (Terminators do exist), so all the things she did that made her seem crazy, we knew was just an act.  After seeing what she'd been through in this awful place, when Arnold comes out of the elevator, her sense of terror was crushing. Even though we knew he was good, we could imagine how she felt. We knew just how much she had dreaded the inevitable.  After nobody believed her, it was kind of great that everyone takes a huge crap. The second big chase out of the mental institution was also intense, but then we're dealing with Armageddon, so the stakes are the highest.

And how did we get to Armageddon? By putting machines in charge. “It's in your nature to destroy yourselves” Arnold explains casually. In T2, "Skynet" takes control on August 4, 1997, as human decisions are removed from our defense system. How far away are we from that in real life? With a hotheads like Donald Trump in charge of the US, and North Korea's Kim Jong-un threatening to launch nuclear missiles almost daily, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea to remove human decisions. However, scientists, researchers, and academics like Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have warned us of the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in weapons. Musk has said "I think by the time we are reactive in AI regulation, it [will be] too late.  [Check out this cool coverage of the forms of AI produced by The Bookmark by Verizon.]

A big variety of robotic weapons have already been invented, and have been in use since WWII:  Meet Northrup Grumann's "Mobile Armed Dismount Support System" or MADSS for short (on the left).  From guns.com: "The MADSS is somewhat modular and can be fit with a wide array of weaponry from M240s and M249s to Mk 19 40mm automatic grenade launchers and Ma Deuces. Northrop Grumman has also alluded to 25 and 30mm weapon systems, which likely means autocannons—this may be one of the most terrifying land robots outside of science fiction." There are many variations. The one on the right is fairly small. They are all remote-controlled.

Here's a compilation photo from 2012: 

There are also armed, remote-controlled, aquatic vehicles:

And there's a host of larger, armed robotic vehicles they've used/are currently using on sentry duty.  War is big business . . .

From "Dawn of Killer Robots" NationalGeographic.com, August 21, 2017:  "116 founders of robotics and artificial Intelligence companies from over 26 countries including Elon Musk and Mustafa Suleyman from Google AI, penned a letter urging the United Nations to intercede and address the use of lethal autonomous weapons or ‘killer robots'. The group is calling for a global ban of killer robots."  Here's a scary quote from Wikipedia: " The autonomy of current systems as of 2016 is restricted in the sense that a human gives the final command to attack—though there are exceptions with certain 'defensive' systems." Sounds like Skynet to me.

Speaking of weapons: The idea of hiding stuff somewhere in case you ever need it is awesome, and speaking of awesome: Sarah Connor. She has a huge arsenal. WAY too much stuff!! LOL I only wish she wore a bra, and didn't smoke. Women don't have to be braless to be tough, and smoking sucks. Really glad Hollywood seems to have moved away from taking Big Tobacco money. Now if we could just get properly attired women . . .

When John Connor consoles his mother, it breaks my heart. On the one hand, she's an ultra-protective mother, on the other hand, neglect's a little like abuse. She's so focused on protecting him, she doesn't give him much love, or even attention. Kids consoling parents is the essence of bad parenting. This Sarah Connor is so different than the way she was when we first met her.  She gets her moment to complain:  “Fucking men like you built the hydrogen bomb. Men like you thought it up. You think you're so creative—You don't know what it's like to really create something, to create a life, to feel it growing inside you. All you know how to create is death and destruction.”  What is Cameron saying here?  Is this a post-Ripley-in-Aliens-(1986)-mom aspect? How emotional she is can be explained by the danger, or by the fact she was locked up for a while, but on the heels of the bad-ass warrior version of her, I just kind of hated it (I hated it in '91 too) when she gets all emotional, and later freaks out more.  She tries to kill a man in front of his family! It just stood out in a bad way to me and made me lose respect for the character. She 'lost it' for about a half an hour. Really don't like when female leads cry in Action Movies.

So, they make peace with Cyberdyne's Miles Dyson and they all go off to recover the robotic arm and the CPU so the inevitable won't happen. And they plan to blow up Cyberdyne Sysytems.  Then in rides CHiPS.  The T-1000 is so psycho it drives a motorcycle out of a window to grab onto a helicopter.  Then he pours himself in through the windshield.  Remember how tense that was and shocking when he says “Get out!” and the pilot just jumps out in mid air. They don't show what happens to him. [In real life, the pilot is Charles Tamburro. Seems like he's worked on every great Action Movie ever. From Wikipedia's T2 Trivia: "Tamburro actually flew the helicopter under the overpass in the final chase scene. The camera crew refused to film the shot, because of the high risk involved. James Cameron did the filming with the help of the camera car driver."]

It looks a little like Die Hard's Nakatomi Plaza (1988) as Arnold reigns down hellfire on all the police cars, but killing no one.  In the ensuing chase scene, Sarah Connor's one hell of a warrior. Always ready for something, watching. Seemingly capable til you notice she closes her eyes when she shoots LOL.  Arnold slams brakes on and the helicopter crashes into the back of the van, but then Arnold loses control of the van and it flips.  Am I crazy, is there a glitch in the matrix here. I could swear they kill the same extra twice.

What liquid nitrogen does to the T-1000 is so cool. How did they film that breaking and walking thing?! Hats off to CGI.  Fast firward to a Mano a mano fight at last. the T-1000 face first against the wall, and, instead of turning around he just re-forms the other way 'round, face out. It was just freaky at this point.  He beats Arnold SO bad, it makes you wonder about pain for the Model 101, although there is this punch . . . 

Arnold 'dies' and reboots.  That's cool. The ending, especially the setting, reminds me of Cobra (1986).  The T-1000 gets diluted to death.  You just know that the Model 101 has to go too but it doesn't make it any easier.  At first, I thought if Sarah and John cared for him, they shouldn't wouldn't be able to watch the Model 101 die, but it's like a tribute, like they can't let go. Like they want to see him for every moment they can.  Mother figures and father figures are always powerful in movies.  Shaboo, the fatherless boy gets the coolest Dad, and then has to lose him.  As he's lowered, Arnold gives a cheesy thumbs up. Always hated that. 

So we are left with this closing thought: 

“If a machine, a terminator, can learn the value of human life—maybe we can too.” 

In light of recent events, apparently not.  #BlackLivesMatter 

Boyka: Undisputed #sogood
August 12, 2017

This is a great introduction, leading into a flying shot of him punching at the camera, and we get right into the fighting (we Action Movie Freaks are an impatient lot).

In this first fight, get to see his signature move. As he celebrates the win, you can't help but shake your head in appreciation of Scott Adkins' physique! And we cut to a jail . . . Another arena.

[Just a side note:  As a graphic designer, I loved everything about this movie except the titles. They could have elevated the quality/look of the production, but here they look too amateurish. I am sure there are PLENTY of career graphic design people who would fight to do the titles for a Boyka movie for free!]

What I saw reminded me of a project I contributed to (don't get excited, it wasn't much, I'm a 9-to-5-er) called Fight of the Century: A muzzled, growling, restrained behemoth (Martyn Ford as "Koshmar") enters the ring to fight against against a much smaller opponent—a complete mismatch—whom he dispatches in record time, pulverizing the man's face.

[Here's Martyn Ford from Redcon-1. He looks very Gears to me!  Support Redcon-1 if you can.]

We see Boyka next going into a church, bringing a box of new bibles. Apparently, he's been using his winnings to support a church. This movie is very 'Rambo comes full circle'.

Only eight minutes into the movie,  and we get another fight.  The choreography and the skill level is so good, I yelled out: “Oh ho ho Holy Crap!” They are selling it (there's an amazing acrobatic turnaround) and they move so fast, and seem to hit so hard. The fight is intense/on another skill level. Even though his opponent is awesome, Boyka is “the most complete fighter in the world”. When Boyka tells you stay down, stay the fuck down! You know what's coming . . . Boyka ends up killing his opponent. Not on the spot, but he dies later. This sends Boyka into a crisis. He decides to go find the dead fighter's wife. He asks his manager to get him a fake passport.  The manager is reluctant, of course, and tells him

And he's off to find the fighter's wife for absolution . . . 

Boyka is so bad ass. I don't want to give everything away, but don't mess with him. He's not to be touched. When a guy in the gym tells Boyka he can't use his punching bag, Boyka walks away. The guy—BIG mistake—puts his hand on him as he walks away. Seriously, NEVER put your hand on a fighter. Epic sound effect there!

The movie's main fight is against a guy that they did a great job of making him seem like a prick. You can't wait for Boyka to dispatch him. Turns out . . . well, you should watch it and see for yourself.

This movie delivers everything you want in a Boyka movie and I really look forward to another one (please?!) . . .

As if Boyka isn't scary enough, here's Boyka with a gun.  Yeah, there's a gun somewhere in that photo. Kinda hard to see anything but male cleavage though. Uh-huh, uh-huh.

For an in-depth look at this movie, check out FunnyActionMovies.com's awesome writeup:
"Boyka: Undisputed On Blu-Ray—Read This Before Purchasing"

Atomic Blonde: another Femme Fatale, hated it!
August 7, 2017

I've been avoiding writing about this movie like I was avoiding going to see it. In the end, I went to see it because I wanted to find out if it was any different than the way it was portrayed in the trailer, and I wanted to give 87eleven some of my money. The theater audience was all old men (over 60). Yeah, that's not creepy!  As the only female in the audience, I wasn't looking forward to participating in their ogling Charlize and waiting for the 'girl-on-girl' action. 

Let's get this out of the way right up front:  I'm a radical feminist. If you think you know what that means and don't want to read any further, then "You're welcome" for me saving your time, and "Buh-bye."

If you'd like to know more, let me start by explaining what a feminist is and what a radical feminist is.

A feminist is anyone who stands up for the rights of women. In a world that enslaves, tortures, mutilates, rapes, beats, and kills females in such alarming numbers that ex-President Jimmy Carter (in his book A Call To Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power) called it "the Human Rights Crisis of the Century", if you think females are safe, you are wrong. So, get your head out of the sand.

A radical feminist is someone who thinks women are people first. What does that mean? A human being. Not a thing. A person, just like a man. I believe I can do anything I think I can, and I don't think I should be treated differently because I'm female. The radical part:  I want to be a person, first, someone who doesn't have to accept gender roles and limitations.

Wikipedia puts it this way, but the writing is slanted to be 'scary' like we want to destroy the world, so let me dissect it for you: 

"[Radical Feminism] calls for a radical reordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts. Radical feminists seek to abolish patriarchy (where 'males hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property') by challenging existing social norms and institutions, rather than through a purely political process. This includes challenging the notion of traditional gender roles, opposing the sexual objectification of women, and raising public awareness about such issues as rape and violence against women."

1) "A radical reordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts"
First of all, our goal is not to bring "society" crashing down around us. We're not trying to "eliminate male supremacy" in that males can't have anything, which is the way it sounds. A better way to say this is that Radical Feminism believes women should hold equal social and economic presence and power in society. If giving us equality means males are no longer dominant, then yes, we want to eliminate male superiority but, really, we're willing to share, we just want to make sure we get 'ours'. I don't believe males should be at the top socially and economically just because they are male. Look at Oprah. If we earn our money and our social position through our careers, we should reign as 'supreme' as any male. Or, you could say we believe money and power should not be just for males.

2) "Radical feminists seek to abolish patriarchy (where 'males hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property')" I can't even believe I have to justify this. Women just got the vote in 1920! Give us some time to accomplish this LOL. Given the current political state of white maleness in the U.S. and the "leadership" that is lacking, the lack of morals (government corruption), and the imbalanced perks of wealth sanctioned by an unfair tax system, I'd say it needs abolishing. And as for control of property . . . how about the fact that women in some countries still can't own land they've worked their whole lives on, that has been in their family for generations, and have the deed be in their name! Yes, we want to abolish the idea that power is male-only, leadership is male-only, that males have the final say in morality, that males, only, retain the upper layer of social privilege, and that males, only, have the power to control [our] property.

3) "By challenging existing social norms and institutions, rather than through a purely political process."
What does that even mean?! LOL It sounds like we have to challenge things via politics, like that's the only way, the 'right' way. There's no set way to challenge social norms and institutions. It's as varied as individuals. Maybe you want to wear pants in a society that looks down on that. Maybe you want a career that isn't currently open to women. Challenge whatever you want to, and you should be free to do so, and do it in whatever way you feel is right. We're not looking to necessarily re-write all laws via politics. This is a much too absolute way to say something simple: Radical feminists seek to challenge social norms and institutions that restrict women.

4) "This includes [a] challenging the notion of traditional gender roles, [b] opposing the sexual objectification of women, and [c] raising public awareness about such issues as rape and violence against women."  
[a] The notion of traditional gender roles is being challenged by many more people than radical feminists. Look at the LBGTQ community.  I just stumbled on an article that said that all the Native American Indian societies had names for 5 genders. In this current backpedaling atmosphere of intolerance and hatred in American history, if you are uncomfortable with anyone who is not able to be labeled "male" or "female", you should consider opening your heart and eyes to the fact that gay people, and lots of others, including radical feminists are not going away. Radical Feminists are challenging 'the notion' (makes it sound so minimal!) of traditional gender roles because women are being kept down, objectified, and treated horrifically in ever greater numbers.  Check: The Global Slavery Index or a host of other sites . . .  Skipping over [b] to [c] "raising public awareness about issues like rape and violence against women", there's nothing wrong with that!  Which brings us back to [b] "opposing the sexual objectification of women" which gets to the heart of this movie, and in my opinion is the heart of all women's troubles!

So why does a radical feminist hate this movie?  The answer is part and parcel of the reaction of a male friend when I said I hated it.  He praised her "femininity". This is strictly a man's view:

"Nothing like a gorgeous 40+ woman wearing mini skirts, garter belts, and absolutely kicking butt. Finally a character with great femininity, intelligence, and brawn [sic] that is actually believable. What is not to love about this film?"

So, today, on Charlize Theron's 42nd birthday, let me say in her defense, she really gave the action her all—much more than I even hoped for (well, it is 87eleven—as good as it gets), but that having someone like her just sets the wrong tone. What does Charlize have to say?  I found this some time ago and put it in the long-overdue (next) 4th issue of Payback: action movie magazine . . .

You can't have it both ways. What this movie did was take practically the most girl-in-the-back-of-the-frame-in-a-push-up-bra type girl, and feature her in the movie. It's such a man's idea of a woman it's like Sucker Punch all over again! (BAM! Ow!)When I first saw the Atomic Blonde trailer in the theater, my heart sank in horror (not exaggerating). The pit of my stomach churned and I thought "How could they get it all so wrong?! This is everything I don't want to see in the lead character of a female-driven action movie!"  

SIZE MATTERS
For starters, don't hire a tall skinny supermodel. Charlize Theron is unarguably a fine actress, and arguably the most beautiful woman in the world—unattainable standards—hardly a role model for the 'every woman'.  "Believable?" Ha! "Brawn?!"

Like Gal Gadot as Woman Wonder—she's too thin. All I could think about Wonder Woman is what a HUGE missed opportunity it was to feature a truly physically strong woman. After waiting 30 years (and ranting about it since 2010), I wanted a real powerhouse like Gina Carano or Ronda Rousey. Instead, we get Gal Gadot and Charlize Theron. More of the male-fantasy, non-threatening wraith types. The message? Oh, it's fine for her to be physical as long as it's fake, as long as it's a man's idea of "feminine". A woman who can go toe to toe with men in a fight is going to be 'cut', buff, bulging with muscles! Charlize doesn't even have an ass. What's her kick going to deliver in real life? Broken toes. Her arms are twigs. But, hey, this is just a movie, and apparently this movie was for men, because it sure as hell wasn't for real women. No woman who does these things in real life is going to look like that, nor dress like that, which brings me to. . . 

IF YOU'RE NOT FISHING, DON'T  BAIT YOUR HOOK
So, we'll play "The Blame Game". I am so unendingly tired of seeing women scantily clad in a movie (and in real life ! ) when the men are not. There must be two kinds of women in the world, I conclude. Those with their heads in the sand, that nothing bad has ever happened to, who mouth the 'party line' that "women should be able to wear whatever they want" and not be 'blamed' for any harm (direct or indirect) that comes of it, and those who know what's wrong with that.

No, you can't wear anything you want.

If that weren't true, women soldiers in combat could be in high heels, or leather thigh-boots and fishnets stockings with a garter belt—like Charlize in the yellow-power-cord scene.  How ridiculous would that be?! Well, to me, just as ridiculous as a "40+ woman [kicking ass] wearing a mini skirt [and] garter belt". Women in real combat dress like soldiers. You pull your hair back so it won't get in your eyes at a crucial moment, and you wear fatigues just like everyone else.  Yes, in a perfectly safe world, men and women should be free to dress how they wish, but you're still not going to wear a 'naked gown' to work, or a clown costume to an interview.

Do I want to change what women wear in general? Yes, yes I do:  I wrote about it in Payback back in June of 2014, starting on p. 24 (26-27 on the menu bar) if you want to know more.

So what I saw of Charlize's character's wardrobe was hardly late '80s. Having lived through it, I can say there weren't any bustier-style pinstripe (is that a vest?) garments, and we didn't have that type of super high heel. That being said, the point is more that she's wearing thigh-high boots with fishnet stockings and a garter belt. Come on. Who dresses like that?! She's also wearing a coat and a turtleneck because it's freezing outside. The reason she's dressed that way is it's a male fantasy of what is 'sexy'. Don't give me sexy. I don't want sexy-for-men. I don't want to watch a supermodel dick accessory go through the motions. [Again, she gave it her all, and it looked great most of the time. The choreography showed somewhat like it did in Haywire, in reverse, when all the men couldn't keep up with Gina!]

This character is textbook Femme Fatale: (excerpted from Wikipedia) "a stock character of a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. Having a power akin to an enchantress, seductress, vampire, witch, or demon, having power over men. A femme fatale tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, and sexual allure. One of the most common traits of the femme fatale includes promiscuity. Femmes fatale are typically villainous, or at least morally ambiguous, and always associated with a sense of mystification, and unease. Something that turns men on." Sometimes I think the only thing men like more than sex is the possibility of being killed while having sex. (Where does that thought come from? A million movies!) (And speaking of a million movies, was this really about a "NOC list"?!) 

VICE
So she smokes, she drinks, she's bisexual, she's promiscuous, yadda yadda.  All that, so that you can fuck her without entanglement. So you can hate her without guilt. All men want to label women a certain way (slut) so it's their 'out'. The good girl/bad girl crap. They send mixed messages about sex.  They want you to be a bad girl, to be good in bed, but they don't want to marry or even date the 'bad girl' (dating as we knew it is dead anyway), they just want the sex. They tell you "Be this, be this, be this, then—I don't want that!" Yeah, all that confusing shit is because they aren't going to marry the bad girl. You can be, and do, and wear whatever, but you're going to be labeled. So what's it all mean? You won't be seen as a person if you bring your sexuality into the equation. Even the term "slut shaming" has the word slut in it. Why not "sex shaming"?  It's an absolution wrapped in an indictment.

Femme fatales as the lead in Action Movies? No thank you!

UN-BELIEVEABLE
So, what did I want to see?  Someone big, strong, impressively so, properly attired. Come on, don't you think Wonder Woman should have been at least this strong (on the left)?  She should have been ripped!  Even if they cast a twig, she's a fricking Superhero, she should at least be cut like this girl on the right . . .

I want a character who is equal in force, with more self respect and better values than her male counterparts, smarter, not "female" first, AGENT first. Someone so NOT trying to be "sexy" but trying to just do her job. Someone I can respect. Not a "stick insect" smoldering her way through costume changes and nude scenes to get men off.

And I don't want to see Charlize Theron naked, or any women naked, in Action Movies. I don't want to watch two girls together. I thought we left that soft-porn aspect behind in the '80s. If that's your idea of an Action Movie, this is not the site for you. You can keep your supermodels. 

I've been Googling "strong girls" since Googling was a thing, and thank God, finally, there are more non-slutty images than ever before. Give me these types of girls:

Bring on She-Hulk already . . . (but talk about a hard-to-find, non-sexualized image!)

Or maybe the first Gears of War movie can be about Anya . . .

Just give me someone properly attired . . .

Make it more like real life . . .

Fully clothed is Bad Ass . . .

"Feminine" isn't just about skinny . . .

Vulture crowned King of Spider-Man: Homecoming
July 22, 2017

Oh to be young again. This movie really captured the fun side of being a freak LOL. Peter Parker's high school experience and his growth into the role of Superhero was an enjoyable journey. It set up his joining The Avengers, officially, and yet sent the message to stay in school and don't rush growing up. It was more like an after school special, but, boy oh boy, was it special! It's not the trash talking, R-rated ass-kicking fest, I'm looking for in a Action Movie, but as Superhero movies go, it was really fun. Tom Holland was great, but so was everyone else!

Michael Keaton's character "Vulture" was the best thing about it, and the whole alien weapons side business was really cool. Keaton's character walked a fine line between good and evil. He thought he was more good than he was, but he redeemed himself in the end. I'd love to see more. It was on par with Ant-Man (which I loved). The Vulture's suit was incredible! 

After watching this, I'm gonna have to go see it again. How bad ass was the new Spider-Man suit?!  My 9-year-old nephew was way impressed as well! Can't wait to see Spider-Man wear it.

Proud Mary Trailer
July 20, 2017

"An assassin meets a young boy that sparks her maternal instinct." Sounds like Gloria, that means it's gotta be good!

Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars . . . Dizzy's back!
July 18, 2017

This animated action movie is in select theaters for ONE NIGHT ONLY 8/21.

RobCop Documentary "RoboDoc" announced
July 17, 2017

On the 30th anniversary of RoboCop (17 July 1987), a feature-length documentary from the makers of "Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II" and "You're so cool, Brewster! The Story of Fight Night" was announced:  RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop. "Supported by dozens of the RoboCop cast and crew, this documentary sets out to give the definitive view on the film's 30-year legacy, as well as the impact it has had on fans, and on the action movie genre itself."

*Sadly, Miguel Ferrer passed away this year in January.

Miguel Ferrer's breakthrough role was the OCP Vice-President Bob Morton in RoboCop (1987). Before that, he played a helm officer in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.  After that, he appeared in movies like Deepstar Six, Point of No Return, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Anothe Stakeout, Traffic, The Manchurian Candidate, Iron Man 3, and so many more movies. He also appeard on lots of TV shows like NCIS, Magnum P.I., CHiPs, Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, T.J. Hooker, Miami Vice, Twin Peaks (1990-91 and 2017), ER, 3rd Rock from the Sun, 8 episodes of Jack Chan Adventure—His voice was very cool—He had voice parts in many animated series as well, including Robot Chicken, American Dad . . .  too many to list.

Ferrer was born in Santa Monica. He was the sone of José Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney (George Clooney and he are cousins). He is survived by his wife Lori, and sons Lukas and Rafi. He died at age 61 from throat cancer.

Action Movies vs. Movies with Action
July 9, 2017

I've been seeing movies lately without writing about them. Why? Because they are "movies with Action" and not Action Movies.  I've given up hoping for a real Action Movie. I'm thinking that Action Movies as we knew them, are dead. We waited to see who would emerge after Arnold and Sylvester Stallone began to age. Arnold 'passed the torch' to The Rock, but he's doing his own "most electrifying man in show business" thing and too many kiddie movies. He squandered to chance to be the new King of Action Movies. Jason Statham is just too unassuming. He's INCREDIBLE—don't get me wrong—but has his own downplayed version of trashtalking. He's less in-your-face and more fluid grace. Where are the men with attitude?! I'm thinking, if we want attitude, we need females!

I predict what we will see next is Action Movies with female leads. Yes, I hope for a time when that same beefy action hero is a woman who talks trash and plow her ways through everything just like Action Figures of the past did. I'm ready for a real show of strength anyway. After 'Wonder Woman Light' (that's what I've taken to calling it) squandered the opportunity to showcase a 'big girl', the time has come for She-Hulk. Bring her on! This would make a great TV show like the 1977-82 series with Bill Bixby, The Incredible Hulk, or The Fugitive (1963-67).  How funny would it be to see what pisses her off each week?! There are SO MANY issues women are pissed about. What a teaching tool.  Anyway . . .

So, apologies (as if anyone cares LOL) for not writing much this past year.  I've been disappointed a lot, or maybe I should say dissatisfied. And I don't have really high standards. I like most "movies with Action" as long as there's some shit talking.  What I've been seeing is a lot of Drama. Like Baby Driver:  Genre: Drama about Crime. Super Fantastic Driving and some shooting and fights but it's not an Action Movie.

Help support the Fight of the Century Comic Kickstarter . . .
June 13, 2017

Fight of the Century (FOTC) is a graphic novel story about MMA (mixed-martial arts) and the sports world. In a futuristic Brazil, performance-enhancing drugs have gone from behind-the-scenes, banned substances, to front-and-center game changers, and the sports world as we know it has been revolutionized. In Brazil's new Mega-City "Neo-Rio", the Fighters Ultimate Exhibition League (FUEL) is pumping men up to become monsters in minutes, putting their lives on the line in the octagon.

The story follows Rex Punga, a down-on-his-luck MMA fighter battling opponents both inside and outside the octagon. With everything on the line, Rex will have to make a choice: Go Big or Go Home!

Consider yourself a FOTC fan if you love . . .

Thought-provoking sci-fi like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, Action-packed fight dramas like Rocky IV, Daredevil, and Bloodsport, and foreign-fantasy settings like in Akira and Fist of the North Star.

FOTC will be full-color graphic novel. It's a fist-flying, blood-soaked, cyberpunk, Action Sci-Fi Fantasy.

This project looks cool.  Co-creaters (and Writers and Producers) are Nick Allen and Troy-Jeffrey Allen. There are a lot more talented people involved: Check it out on their kickstarter page and please show your support. Their goal is $5,000 and they have 59 days to go.  Every little bit helps, so back them if you can. There are many levels of support, starting at just $1 and lots of cool perks. With successful funding, the book will be released quarterly starting in October 2018.

Follow Troy-Jeffrey Allen @TJAComics on twitter.

Headshot by "The Mo Brothers"
June 10, 2017

Thank you, Netflix for bringing me "Headshot" starring Iko Uwais, Sonny Pang, with . An ACTION MOVIE. One hell of an intro, too. The violence is not for the faint hearted, in other words, awesome. A movie that made me say "Oh, my God" out loud, twice, back to back. Then, "Sick", followed by "What?!" And that was all in one scene. Besides the epic violence, there were some stunning visuals. It goes without saying but . . . Iko Uwais is THE MAN!

The Stunt Coordinator is Udeh Nans (he appeared in The Raid: Redemption, The Raid 2, and Beyond Skyline). Very Tri Yulisman is listed as Action & Stunt Coordinator, and the "Uwais Team" as Action & Stunt Choreographer.

Writer/Co-Director Timo Tjahjanto and Co-Director Kimo Stamboel go by "The Mo Brothers". Here are a few very impressive shots:

Love this from IMDb:  "Uwais plays a young man who washes ashore, an amnesiac with a serious head injury whose past comes back to haunt him shortly after being nursed back to health by a young doctor. Violence ensues. Sweet, sweet violence."

LOL. Don't watch the trailer. Just watch the movie!

Wonder Woman . . . at last!
June 3, 2017

The movie Wonder Woman's best feature is the Action. It was thrilling to see Diana do her goddess thing. Overall, it was a great movie, but all I kept thinking was I wish she was not so skinny—that, had she been a powerhouse, how much cooler it would have been. We waited SO LONG for this.   Gal Gadot's waify-ness is such an impossible standard to uphold, like Lynda Carter's waistline, like a supermodel, like Barbie. And, it's not 'heroic', it's more fantasy, and that makes what she does less believable.  So, I'll have to wait until the first movie with a 'big' girl to get some satisfaction. It doesn't seem like Wonder Woman to me in that dark, metallic outfit (like on the right).  Give me the campy, colorful, more comic-booky version with real muscles and the red, white, and blue, please.

Hats off the the stunt people who made Diana look so good.  At least Gal lifted some weights so her arms and legs weren't quite as thin as they were in Fast Five. It so should have been the powerhouse Gina Carano!  I really would like to see Wonder Woman wield Mjolnir, but I can't see the waify version of her doing that. 

What was . . . .                                 What is . . .                               What should have been

Maybe this is just me, but I hated that the script was written by a man. There were a couple of jokes no woman would have put in there. As thrilled as I was to hear her say "What I do is not up to you" in the trailer, when it was in place in the movie, it was rushed and not the feminist moment I was hoping for. The messages were good, maybe too good:

"If you see something wrong in the world, you can either do nothing, or you can do something."

"I'm willing to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves." 

"Who will I be if I stay?" was the most impactful thing she said. Indeed. There is no more important question than who we are. And . . .

"Only love can truly save the world."  One can only hope this positive image of a woman in action will inspire a generation the way Lynda Carter's TV show did.  We LOVE Wonder Woman. She wants to bring peace to the earth. I wish that sounded less like a Beauty Contestant answer. Come on, Hollywood, give us some muscle!

Speaking of wielding Mjolnir, something that seemed epicly bad ass was the way the women were portrayed in the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok. Cate Blanchett and Tess Thompson were both powerfully frightening.  Not the unsure, demure, Daisy Do Good that was Diana.

The Running Man is showing at OCinema Wynwood
Thursday 5/25/2017 @ 9:00 PM
May 20, 2017

OCinema Wynwood is showing The Running Man for the 30th anniversary for one night only, one showing only. Get your ticket(s) now. See you there!

You gotta love OCinema for this: "Important Note: Buzzsaws, flamethrowers, or any harmful items will not be permitted into the theater."

Fans of Stephen King all know that "the Bachman Books" were written by Stephen King. I didn't read them until the news came out. Four of the stories were published as a collection.  The one I liked best was "Roadwork" but they are all good. Here is the story behind the release of the news that King was Bachman, but, as it says, everyone was already talking about it.

Steve Brown is the man who discovered that it was King that had written the Bachman books. Here he tells the story of how it happened.

When I read an advance copy of Thinner, I was no more than two pages into it when I said, "This is either Stephen King or the world's best imitator." I began to ponder that maybe this *was* King. More or less as a kind of game, not real seriously, I took the subway over to the Library of Congress to look up the copyright documents. All but the oldest were copyrighted in Kirby McCauley's name—a big clue, as KM was King's agent, but not conclusive. McCauley had many clients. I almost gave up at this point, as the oldest book was copyrighted before the LC changed to an easy computer system. But, just to be anal about it, I insisted the clerk go off and manually hunt up the document. She came back and handed it to me. There it was: Stephen King, Bangor, Maine. I xeroxed all documents and went home.

I admire and respect King and had no desire to do something that might hurt him. So I made copies of everything and wrote out a letter explaining my research. I told him I'd love to write some little article about this, but that if there was some sort of problem involved, to let me know and I would promise to keep quiet. I mailed the package to King c/o Kirby Mccauley. I expected at most some little note in return.

Two weeks went by. Then I heard a page over the intercom at the big bookstore I worked in. "Steve Brown. Call for Steve Brown on line 5." I picked it up and a voice said, "Steve Brown? This is Steve King. All right. You know I'm Bachman. I know I'm Bachman. What are we going to do about it? Let's talk."

It hadn't occurred to me he'd call, so I hadn't bother to give him my number or even the name of the bookstore. He had spent a whole afternoon calling every bookstore in DC trying to find me!

Anyway, we chatted for a while and he gave me his unlisted home phone and told me to call him in the evening. I ran out and got a tape recorder with a telephone attachment and interviewed him for three nights straight over the phone. He was very relaxed and very funny throughout. He didn't seem at all upset that I had found him out. He was extremely gracious and said that he wouldn't talk to anyone else but me (outside of simply admitting it), that mine would be the only lengthy interview on the subject.

It took a while for me to get it in shape and find a publisher. During this time King kept in contact and told me that more and more people had read Thinner and were coming after him. Finally I published it in the Washington Post. From there, it went everywhere.

My interview (with all the dirty words the Post made me take out) has been reprinted in the Underwood/Miller collection of essays on King, "Kingdom of Fear," for those interested.

I stress that there was never any hint of blackmail, that King talked to me of his own free will and gave me a lengthy interview at his suggestion, not mine. I think he knew that the truth was going to come out anyway, and he liked the idea of this nobody book clerk in Washington getting the story instead of the New York Times or something.

I should also stress that I did all this out of simple respect for the man and because, to me, it was a wild weird and kind of cool game. I did not "cash in" at all. King mentioned me by name in the intro to the original edition of the Bachman Books, but this has vanished in the current edition.


SOURCE: Lilja's Library  

Love the vibe of Spider-Man: Homecoming 7/7/2017
May 14, 2017

The trailers for this are delightful, combining high-school teenager angst with incredible action! I really liked Tom Holland in Captain America: Civil War and am looking forward to this. Just when you think they can't make another great movie about Spider-Man, something like this makes you realize, it just never gets old!  Love Spider-Man, love Peter Parker. Check out their cool, custom IMDb page.

 Here's Trailer # 1

and Trailer #2

The Fifth Element in theatres on 5/14 & 17/2017
May 14, 2017

It's the 20th Anniversary of The Fifth Element [Action Adventure Sci-Fi (9 May 1997) Director/co-Writer Luc Besson with Mark Kamen], and AMC Theatres Sunset Place 24 is showing it on 5/14 and 5/17 at 2:00 and at 7:00 PM. It's also showing at South Beach 18 and the Falls 12. Run time 2 hours and 6 minutes | Rated PG-13.

"Four elements, gathered around a fifth . . . "

Predator is showing at OCinema Wynwood 5/12/2017 @11:30 PM
May 11, 2017

OCinema Wynwood is showing Predator on the 30th anniversary. One night only, one showing only. Get your ticket now! See you there.

For a look back at how incredible this movie is:  https://actionmoviefreak.com/predator.php

The Fate of the Furious is fricking fabulous!
May 7, 2017

Opening with a race in Havana, Cuba, the 8th installment of this hugely popular series delivers epic Action from start to finish. All the expected Fast & Furious elements are there. Right away we get a cheesy one liner as good as "I live my life a quarter mile at a time" when Vin Diesel says "The only thing that matters is who's behind the wheel," and then puts up to shut up his competition. The movie takes off from here and plows its way through scene after scene of even-better-than-hoped-for Action.

As far-fetched as the opening race is, it's over-the-top exciting and fun as hell to watch. The recurring themes of family, respect, trust, and ego, give us what we paid to see: All the chemistry of the team plus some new faces. Scott Eastwood is good as a suit. He and Kurt Russell bounce off each other well. They throw in some rules:  "Rule number one: Know your audience." When baby Eastwood's character "Little Nobody" pisses off The Rock as "Hobbs", Kurt "Mr. Nobody" says "I gave you your shot.  You shit the bed." LOL Loved how Hobbs breaks his restraints like they were just for show.

Without getting too much into the plot, when The Rock and Jason Statham face off in jail, it's as good as you can get for the Action Movie Essential: Camaraderie and Dominance. The Action in the prison riot scene is just top notch. These two bounce around like locomotive cars launched off a high-speed train in a tunnel.  The Rock (or his stunt double) even does a little parkour (that's right!). He's an unstoppable force. The slide under the banister where he (one of his two stunt doubles) bounces off a chain link fence to land on the floor below is crushingly cool. And Jason Statham's leaps from one floor to another are just as fluid as you expect Action to be from him. In fact, the whole riot scene is one long action sequence that culminates in their face off. From a still photo you'd this was the start of the fight, but it's actually the end of the riot and they're stopped before they come to blows with each other.

The stunt work is amazing!  And so are their choice of Weapons (another Action Movie Essential), and lots of other cool things . . .

• Concussion Grenadess have been, historically, problematic, but they work well here.

• They open up "The Toy Shop" with so many cars in 'boxes' it looks like a real-life Matchbox store.

• The Rip Saw Tank is the real deal:   "750 hp with an M153 CROWS remotely-operated weapon station on top." Want to see more about the tank? . . .

• Even a "Guard-Class" Limousine, which is even a match for an attack of "zombie cars" vertically evacuating a nearby parking garage in a scene that pulls out-loud "Oh my God"s from the audience. Hacking cars, as it turns out, it still a much-too-easy thing to do (read more on hacking cars here).

Overall, the movie is the usual 'wild ride' with jokes and impossible situations that come off without a hitch. But who needs reality—we're in it for the escapism. No, cars may not be able to outrun an Akula Class submarine over ice, but, it's really cool someone thought of it to make a chase scene like no other. For the filmmakers to think of things we haven't already seen must be a huge challenge, and this series never fails to take the action to another level. So they borrowed a bit: The scene with the cables was a little like The Wolverine but still very cool. The "Knock Knock" was very Arnold, very Expendables with Big Toys, and I loved when Vin looked like Bane and bashed the driver's door off from inside. Come on . . . Still, super cool. But then there's the shootout with the baby, the audience was not happy about that. For all the far-fetched action, there was the tech angle that took it to another level of cool, throwing in some BIG DATA. Not going to talk about plot holes and EMPs. They had 2 girl hackers 'fighting', Lety fought some men, and they had jetpacks that slingshotted themselves into the back of a plane. All that and the emphasis was still on love and family. "You never turn your back on family," Vin says. They pulled it all together with the introduction of the baby "Brian" (sniffle), and saying grace over a shared meal. The movie makes sure it's really relatable, so that at the end of it all, you feel like they could be one of you. 

And, look: there's Don Omar and Tego!

Back from the Artemis Film Festival Year 3
May 4, 2017

It was a blast. Here's their red-carpet compilation video from twitter:

2, 1 . . . Artemis Film Festival 4/20-23, Los Angeles,CA
April 19, 2017

On my way . . . see you there!

    

3 more days to Artemis Film Festival . . . I am hoping
Jessie Graff will be there as well #womanoftheyear
April 16, 2017

It's cute to see "Sammo Hog", Jessie's pig on her workout videos. Sometimes he 'helps', sometimes he's an extra obstacle challenge. He's VERY cute!

Here he is running his own ninja course . . . You can follow @sammohog on instagram.

6, 5, 4 more days to Artemis Film Festival . . .
April 16, 2017

I discovered none of the videos on my site were loading so I'm working furiously to fix that. I've haven't had time to see Chips, Power Rangers, or The Fate of the Furious (yet). I hope to see all 3 after the Festival. You're going to Artemis, right?

Melissa McCarthy and Luci Romberg

7 Days to Artemis Film Festival—Calling for Volunteers!
April 13, 2017

It's Thursday morning, April 13, and the Artemis Film Festival starts next Thursday!  I am thrilled to be able to attenda nd to participate as a volunteer. To be a part of something that promotes strong women is a dream come true for me. If you are attending and can volunteer, please let @IndusAlelia know.

8 Days to Artemis Film Festival honoring
Action Powerhouse Melissa McCarthy
April 12, 2017

In an exclusive from Variety, it was announced today that Melissa MCarthy will be honored with the Action Powerhouse Award by the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival. "Melissa has epitomized female action heroes in countless films,” the festival said. “She has always embraced characters who are physically empowered — even when they make us laugh.”  Love her so much in, well, everything, but The Heat (laughed so hard it hurt at the machine-gunning oneliners in the bar scene), and Spy, especially those two . . .  The Action in Spy was really so hilarious yet so good! She is a powerhouse talent!

9 Days to Artemis:  Meet the Artemis Team
April 11, 2017

	Melanie Wise Founder @IAmMelanieWise   @ArtemisPics   @Artemis_FF
	Sean Newcombe co-Founder @therealnewk
	Zac Baldwin co-Founder
	Megan Hubbell marketing & media development manager  @MeganHubbell
	Indus Alelia public relations & outreach manager  @IndusAlelia
	Sheena Metal board of directors  @SheenaMetal

10 Days to Artemis: Meet their Media Partners
April 10, 2017

This year's Artemis Womenin Action Film Festival media partners are :

• FilmFreeway.com  Film Freeway is a Canadian-born, completely digital, film-festival-submission platform.  Film Freeway is always 100% free for filmmakers, writers, photographers, and submitters. You always retain 100% of all rights to your intellectual property. (Membership $36/year)  @FilmFreeway
  
  
  

• FilmInquiry.com  Film Inquiry is a progressive, independent, film magazine that aims to redefine film journalism. They publish in-depth, high-quality articles written by a diverse group of people; without falsely baiting your attention, they offer genuine, passionate insight into the world of film.  @FilmInquiry
  
  

• InkTip.com  "Where everyone goes for scripts and writers.™" InkTip helps writers sell their scripts and get representation. Producers have made more than 300 films from scripts and writers they found through InkTip. (Los Angeles, CA)  @Official_InkTip
  
  
  

• PrettyTough.com  Pretty Tough™ is a popular media property and lifestyle brand that is creating empowering girl-centric content, products, and events, and shining a spotlight on strong, active females. @PrettyTough
  
  
  

• SportsAndSocialChange.org  Sports and Social Change facilitates social change programs, and encourages charitable giving, and volunteer participation, from sports fans around the world. @sportsandchange
  
  
  

• TheSlaughteredBird.com  The Slaughtered Bird, one of the leading promoters, reviewers, and producers of worldwide independent horror, promotes horror projects—no matter how low budget—from any corner of the globe, so get in touch! @SlaughteredBird
  
  
  

• ActionMovieFreak.com  So thrilled to be a part of this Festival! 
  Hope I see you there . . .
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

11 Days to Artemis at 2 Laemmle locations: Day 1 Ahrya Fine Arts Theater, Beverly Hills & Days 2-4 Monica Film Center, Santa Monica
April 9, 2017

SOURCE: Michael Nordine at L.A. Weekly, Feb. 8, 2016
Nearly two years after closing for renovations, Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex has returned . . . with a face lift and a new name. Now the Laemmle Monica Film Center, the art-house chain's [1332 Second Street, Santa Monica location has become a] six-screen theater.

Monica Film Center's reopening comes just a few months after that of the long-dormant [Beverly Hills location] Ahrya Fine Arts [Theater], another of Laemmle's eight locations. [Monica is] also the first to feature a beer-and-wine menu, with a ground-floor restaurant opening later this year and another on the rooftop deck to follow.

Upstairs, theater 5 features a midsize screen and some 30 seats (as does the auditorium next to it). Also on the upstairs level is a lounge area with luxe couches and chairs. Sitting in the Monica Film Center (or any Laemmle theater, really) feels like embedding yourself in the cultural fabric of L.A. film culture. The company is now in its 78th year of operation ([operating] a theater on Second Street for 44 of those years) and the fact that it's renovating and reopening theaters, when so many others are closing, is something to be celebrated.

Parking
They recommend parking in City Parking Structure #4, directly across the street from the theatre. If this lot is full, you can park at the next structure one block north on 2nd Street. The rates were as follows back on that date—they may have gone up:

• First 90 minutes free

• $1.25 for the next hour

• $1.85 each additional 30 minutes

• $17.50 maximum daily

12 Days to Artemis and "Mission NinetyTwo"
April 8, 2017

Sat. Apr. 22, 11:55 AM  | Get Tickets

Just based on the poster (can't help it: Graphic Designer), I am intrigued by Mission NinetyTwo (showing with another movie The Dawning under the heading "Deadly Skills"). The Japanese poster title is Assassin Hunter—love the diagonal!
 
"A scientist, Sonia becomes a kick-ass avenger who fights her way back from Europe to North America to find the last piece of the missing puzzle of a global conspiracy (adult themes, violence)."

Director/Co-Writer Guido Tölke  |  Co-Writer/Star Julia Dordel . . . (IMDb bio) @jdordel

As an actress, writer, producer and forest scientist (PhD) at The University of British Colombia, fluent in German, English, and Spanish, as well as a former semi-professional Modern Pentathlete (pistol-shooting, fencing, swimming, running, and horseback-riding), who trained with the former Canadian Olympic Team until 2008, Julia Dordel is a very versatile talent.

Born and raised in Germany, she demonstrated her love of film as well as of science and nature early on. During her school years she played the leading roles in school theatre plays and musicals, and produced her own documentary films for science classes. Encouraged by her parents to pursue a career in business or science, Julia completed an apprenticeship in a bank, studied a couple of terms of economics, and, finished an undergraduate degree, two Masters, and a PhD in Forest Sciences, while modeling, working at a radio station, and studying theatre and film acting at the same time.

Frustrated by the fact that the word about innovative green science discoveries—with the potential to change the world for the better— rarely gets out to the public, as well as motivated by her love for film, Julia founded [together with a fellow actress (Anita Reimer, appearing in this movie)] the film production company Libelle Productions.

In 2013 she also founded the film production company Dorcon Film in Hannover, Germany.

13 Days to Artemis and "Tip Your Waitress"
April 7, 2017

Fri. Apr. 21, 7:15 PM  |  Get Tickets

This short movie looks entertaining (part of a "Punch Lines" grouping of shorts). I hope it's as satisfying as the premise makes it seem. "While working the graveyard shift, waiting on a table of rude and rowdy thugs who stiff her, one waitress will exact the revenge so many of us dream about (featuring fight action violence)."  Always wanted to make a movie called "Asshole Eliminator" with a specially designed vehicle that cruises around punishing bad driving behavior by crushing and smashing them into oblivion, satisfying the road rage in aggressive drivers (guilty).

Writer/Director: Kelly Riot  IMDb bio: Kelly Riot (Brewer) is a native Texan photographer who started her career in production in hair and makeup for the fashion industry, which brought her, very quickly, to Los Angeles. She immediately began working in hair/makeup, special effects, and costuming for TV and film. Kelly is also an accomplished guitarist, having learned to play by watching country music videos on TV, and by writing music herself. In between working on set, Kelly was picked up by the all-girl, punk-rock-sensation "Rocket", and she toured for the next 4 1/2 years. After leaving Rocket, she hired herself out to other bands while filming her own small web series, and returning to photography. After moving to Austin, Texas, Kelly made the shift to directing, and writing her own films alongside Trevor Seits, under the company Electric Sneakers Productions.

Stars:  Aaron D. Alexander, Donald Brooks, Leslie Fender, Justin Fisher, Elizabeth Maxwell, Arlo Neill, Mark Rector, Trevor Seits (Co-Producer)

14 Days to the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival
reaching new goals with your help!
April 6, 2017

It's not too late to be a part of the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival. You can still make a donation toward their larger goals of making the Festival even cooler, bigger, and better, at any time. They met their original goal (122%!), but have a larger vision that you can help bring to life (plus there's always next year to pull off).  It feels empowering to be a part of this positive event that promotes strong women. Click here to contribute (scroll down a little) and via PayPal to Artemis Motion Pictures (one of the forces behind the festival). 

See you there, April 20-23!

15 Days to the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival
honoring Action Rebel Tom Cruise !
April 5, 2017

Tom Cruise has been featuring some strong women in his Action Movies, and strong women have taken notice.  This year's Artemis Women in Action Film Festival's Action Rebel honoree is arguably the biggest star on the planet, and I have already sang his praises here . . . but why stop there LOL. #imatomcruisegirl

As I re-watch Oblivion, I appreciate just how much Tom has pushed the boundaries of visionary Action filmmaking. The pilot in this movie "JackHarper: Tech 49" is not that far removed (being cool and capable) from Top Gun's "Lt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell"—Tom's made a career of being 'top gun' much to our movie-watching delight—and yet it's worlds apart. Always the lead in the coolest movies, Tom has been sharing the lead spotlight with some kick-ass female characters, like: Army Major "Susan Turner" in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Secret Agent "Ilsa Faust" in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Rita 'Full-Metal Bitch' Vratski" in Edge of Tomorrow, Henchwoman"Sabine Moreau" and IMF Agent "Jane Carter" in in Mission: Impossbile - Ghost Protocol.  It's truly gratifying to see him bring a female character along on these adventures. No longer just eye candy, these women not only hold their own, but usually help out, save, and/or exceed the male lead(s) at times. For this reason, in keeping with the Artemis Mission Statement, they are honoring him for honoring us! 

The Artemis MISSION STATEMENT

Artemis Motion Pictures brings you the first ever film festival dedicated to honoring female action and empowerment.  We celebrate powerful women taking action on the silver screen. From female action heroes to female activists, we will shine a spotlight on females in narrative and documentary films who are fearless, fierce, and revolutionary.

Artemis Women in Action Film Festival celebrates action and empowerment films and the women who kick ass and change culture in them! We not only wish to celebrate, we wish to elevate. We believe that film has both the power to entertain and to awaken. With this festival, we'd also like to awaken people's awareness of the dynamic and powerful roles of women in our society and throughout the world. Our festival mission is to both kick ass and open minds.

Whether suffragettes or stuntwomen, female superheroes or female leaders, if your film features a woman as a lead or co-lead who is in action or takes action, we want to see it! We are interested in all narrative, animated, and documentary films as well as screenplays that showcase powerful women.

 

"Toe to toe, and hand in hand."  -Tom Cruise

Army Major Susan Turner

Love this video as it seems to balance femininity and being kick ass.

Secret Agent Ilsa Faust

"This the 'deep end' of Action".  -Tom Cruise

Rita "Full Metal Bitch" Vrataski

 

Not one but 2 Bad Ass Chicks (first time I've ever used the word "henchwoman'!):

IMF Agent Jane Carter v Henchwoman Sabine Moreau

 

 

 

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16 Days to Artemis Film Festival and they have announced
their full Screening Schedule
April 4, 2017

4 days of non-stop Action!!

 

Thursday 4/20/17
 Ahrya Fine Arts Theater
 8556 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211

8:00 PM  RED CARPET HONOREE CEREMONY
9:45 PM  Screenings of Rocket and Quarries

 

 

Friday 4/21/17
 Laemmle Monica Film Center
 1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

10:00 AM  Queen of Everything You See and In Plain Sight: Stories of Hope & Freedom
11:45 AM  The Longest Race and Full Moon
1:45 PM  It Ain't Pretty
3:15 PM  Duende: The Red Shoes and Coco Cabasa
4:40 PM  Shorts: Defendant 5, Stripped, Five Awake, Lucy Falls, Shackles of Fury,  and Divine Shadow

5:00 – 6:30 pm Open THE HA! 360 VR LOUNGE with a ribbon-cutting celebration ceremony with the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. Hyperator Virtual Reality Innovation Labs and Artemis Motion Pictures brings you a state of the art VR lounge. They'll cut the ribbon, toast, and have some fanfare!!

7:15 PM Shorts:  Yoga Pant Brawl, Girl Trip, Schooled, Tip Your Waitress,  and Hard Way Girl
8:35 PM Shorts: La Folia, Toys, Hoods, Iron Dream, Pintu,  and Ordinary Days
10:25 PM Shorts:  Iris, Skinner, Boxer, Sleep Temple, Waystation,  and Soldier Bee

 

 

Saturday 4/22/17
 Laemmle Monica Film Center
 1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

10:00 AM  Between
11:55 AM  The Dawning and Mission  NinetyTwo
2:00 PM  Documentary Shorts:  Kickass Katie Lee, Margaret Lambert Story, I Shot Einstein, Inez Milholland: Foward Into Light,  and We Can Do It: Stories of Rosie The Riveter

4:00 PM WARRIOR WOMEN PANEL  Femininity has never been about passivity. Women have been warriors since the dawn of time. Explore the history and current reality of warrior women with archaeologists, historians, female martial artists and MMA fighters. Featuring:

• Archaeologist Jeannine Davis-Kimball

• Historian Walter Penrose

• Mythology Professor Kimberly Ball

• Gender Studies Professor Kimberly Clair

• Aikdo Master Michele Benzamin-Miki

• Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt "Goddess Severa" (pictured at right)

5:15 PM  Shorts: Moonshot and Go Against The Flow

7:00 PM WOMEN IN VR PANEL Virtual Reality is the future and the future is female. Join us for a one-hour discussion of the recently leaps taken in 360 VR filmmaking and the pioneering role women play in it. Sponsored by Hyperator VR and featuring some of the leading women in VR today.

8:15 PM  Shorts:  Her Blue Eyes, Olga, Blackwell, Summers Mysterties, Lydia's Last One, Fight Room, Interrogation, Relapse,  and Stealth & Silence
10:30 PM  Sci-Fi:  The Comet Chronicles and Teleios

 

 

Sunday 4/23/17
  Laemmle Monica Film Center
 1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

10:00 AM  Documentary Shorts:  Black Hmong & A Differen Way of Life, Climbing Thailand, Pursuit of Beauty, The Line: Courage To Get There,  and Slam
11:40 AM  The Monkey . . . And Her Drive and Racing InRed
2:00 PM  Mind | Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw followed by :30 minute Q&A with the Producer
4:15 PM  Second Chance on the Caprock and Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer
6:20 PM  FILM FINANCE PANEL (sponsored by Bond-It & Buffalo 8):  The panel every independent filmmaker should attend. Successful film financiers and producers discuss the keys to financing and producing your independent film before you take that first step. Great information on the latest trends for funding your film.
Panelists:

• Producer, Brent Emery

• Producer, Matthew Helderman

• Producer, Michael Roban

• Attorney, Eric Harbert

• Film Finance and Analytics Consultant, Barbara Chiodo

• Moderator, Elizabeth Dell

7:35 PM  Crazy Happy and The Empowerment Project
10:00 PM  AWARDS CEREMONY - COMPETITION FILMMAKERS AND SCREENWRITERS:  Artemis Women in Action Film Festival will recognize the best of the festival with awards for:

• Best Film

• Best Documentary

• Best Short Film

• Best Short Documentary

• Best Foreign Film

• Best Director

• Best Short Director

• Best Historical Documentary

• Best Actress

• Best Fight Action

• Best Musical Short

• Best Original Screenplay
  

For tickets and more details, please visit the Artemis website: http://www.artemisfilmfestival.com/2017-schedule/

 

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17 Days to Artemis Film Festival celebrating
Tammie Baird Artemis Stunt Icon Award
April 3, 2017

Tammie's IMDb bio is short and sweet:  "Many women dream of being swept off their feet, but it's a rare breed, indeed, who would like it to involve the front fender of a moving car. Tammie's journey to become a top-level professional stuntwoman began in the acting world, but no sooner had she taken her first squib hit on the film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, she knew her true calling. You may have seen her work in shows like, Sons of Anarchy, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, American Horror Story, Modern Family, NCIS Los Angeles, and Fear of the Walking Dead just to name a few. Tammie is very proud of her multi ethnic heritage that has allowed her to double actresses of almost every race."

THIS is a kick-ass woman and a kick-ass photo:

The photo is from Tammie's IMDb Photo Gallery and is captioned: "Stuntwoman Tammie Baird taking a car hit for actress Shannon Elizabeth on Chris Brown's 'Next 2 You' video featuring Justin Bieber." ( collison at 3:52)

 

Tammie appeared on the Today Show, and her love of stunt work shines through:

Here is Tammie's Stunt Reel:

From the first Artemis Film Festival (2015) red carpet, Tammie shares her favorite type of stunt work.

 

Looking at her resume Tammie's done an incredible amount of movies and shows!  Here is some high praise from her Artemis 2017 Honoree profile:

Tammie is being honored for "persistently creating breathtaking art in her stuntwork. You become an icon when you both embody and represent the best of your craft and Tammie Baird is that.

It was said Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels. Well, the same can be said of Tammie Baird. Known for her intrepid car stunts, wire work, acrobatics and badass martial arts fights, Tammie can do all that decked out in an evening dress and stilettos.

From Mr. & Mrs. Smith to Iron Man, Halo 4, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, Taken 3, and NCIS: Los Angeles, Tammie has made the daring commonplace and won the admiration of her peers and the inspiration of those stunt performers who follow her.

This amazing performer is now a paragon in the stunt industry, and our recipient of The Artemis Stunt Icon award."

Stunt Icon—hell yes!

Check her out on TammiBaird.com and follow her on twitter @TammieBaird.

 

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18 Days to Artemis Film Festival starring
Gina Carano Artemis Action Warrior Award
April 2, 2017

When you see her, wish her a late Happy Birthday (it's April 16th).  I loved Gina Carano in Blood and Bone \nnn/ "Call me.") Then she eclipsed all the men in Haywire. I thought when they put her as The Rock's partner in Fast & Furious 6, they looked like a great match (strength and strength) but he/the character seemed to treat her with disregard. . . calling her "Woman" (I hated that). She/the character looked a little sheepish like The Rock was gonna stomp on her any minute. BUT, when it came time to thrown down, she made the ticket price so worth it!

She's tough alright. If you didn't see her in In the Blood, you should have. She's the real deal! No need to make it look convincing. She's the embodiment of every dream of strength we have. Delivering 'hard-hitting' action as well as anyone. Would love to see her in a an all-female Predators-type movie.

In the Blood "Plot Keywords" . . . #thatswhatimtalkingbout

• woman fights a man

• woman kills a man

• hand-to-hand combat

• mixed martial arts

• martial arts

• kicked in the crotch

• tough girl

• one-woman army

• action heroine

Then came Heist (first called Bus 657) which was only disappointing because of how little she was in it. She had roles in Kickboxer: Vengeance, Deadpool, and Extraction. (I really hated how they treated her character in Deadpool and the whole boob slippage thing—it was like they were making a joke of strong women. No surprise since the whole movie was very 'anti-vag', but I enjoyed the action anyway and paid to see it twice.) I haven't seen Extraction yet (also stars Bruce Willis and Kellan Lutz), but I see she's sexualized. I hope she makes a movie where she's just a fighter, not a 'sexy' fighter. Know what I mean?!

Gina is so cool. Her fighting history is fascinating. From her IMDb bio: "At the age of 21, Gina began training in Muay Thai, a form of Kickboxing, with Master Toddy. Initially, because of her pretty face, spectators refused to take her seriously as a fighter. [Gina was] openly laughed at, insulted, and ridiculed in front of crowds before fights [but she let] her fists do the talking. Her Muay Thai career is comprised of an impressive 12 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw and she becomes the first American woman to win a title in Thailand. The 2005 cult film Ring Girls (2005) follows Gina and her trainer, Master Toddy during her early Muay Thai career."

I just love that she was an American Gladiator: Gina "Crush" Carano. That's cool, too, and a great role model of strength for girls. Yes, we can!

I enjoy watching her fight because she never looks afraid. She can take a punch, and boy can she throw one. Sometimes, she just launches it and is airborne. There's a lot of power in her shoulders, and watching her you feel the phrase "packs a punch", especially in the MMA video tribute below.

 

YOU KNOW she should have been Wonder Woman!

 

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19 Days to Artemis Film Festival recognizing
Ingrid Bolsø Berdal Artemis Action Next Wave Award
April 1, 2017

Starring as "Atalanta" in Brett Ratner's Hercules alongside The Rock is an impressive Action Movie notch in your belt, but Norwegian actress Ingrid Bolsø Berdal was already impressively fiece as "Dagmar" in Escape:

 

And if you watched the Westworld TV series (which I didn't get to) she was some kind of bad ass naked robot cowgirl . . .

She was also in Chernobyl Diaries (looks like fun—don't watch it in the dark!).

IMDb Photo Gallery

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20 Days to Artemis Film Festival . . . For The Love of Action
March 31, 2017

Researching for "30 Days 'til Artemis" has been great fun. Everyone involved is so impressive. As I flipped through Andy Armstrong's photo gallery on IMDb, I wondered why it began with this shot (other than it's from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which he worked on), and now I know.  Of course, this is a really cool Action Movie moment, and your mind naturally goes to effects and wires, etc., but . . .

This video from the Armstrong Action website reveals the 'magic', and that magic is Andy's love of Action. You can hear him explain it. If you think it's as cool as I did, yes, you're an Action Movie Freak. [[The site is now private and requires a password.]]

Here is (one of) his Current Reels of Work:

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21 Days to Artemis Film Festival honoring
legendary Stunt Rebel Andy Armstrong
March 30, 2017

Beginning in 1972 as a vehicle stunt performer, Andy Armstrong (@AndyRArmstrong) decided (in 1973) to become an Assistant Film Director "specializing in very large international productions that involved complex, dangerous, and logistically difficult stunts and action sequences. [Between 1973 and 1987] Andy worked as an Assistant Director on more than 70 International Movies—including the three of the largest James Bond films: The Man With The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker.";

"[In] 1987, Andy once again decided to concentrate on Action, [which led him to] design, coordinate, and/or direct some of the largest action sequences ever achieved on many international productions. These are typified by the huge (1,200 people) Teamster battle in Hoffa, the charge and battles in Stargate (1,400 people), the action on Galaxy Quest, the World War I battle scenes for Oscar-Winner Frank Pearson's TV Movie Truman starring Gary Sinese, the huge battles in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, the car stunt sequences of Highwaymen, and the action sequences on Scooby Doo 2, Cat Woman, I Robot, and Eragon (2nd Unit Director)." SOURCE: IMDb

(At left, Andy with Tom Skerritt , Rémy Julienne, John Philbin, and Director Jeannot Szwarc on "Honor Bound" in Croatia.)

In 1989, Andy moved permanently from England to set up base in California. Andy and his Brother, Vic, run Armstrong Action, the largest privately owned and most comprehensive family-operated stunt and action facilities company in the world.

As Second Unit Director or Assistant Director, Andy has worked on Rambo III, Highlander (uncredited), Rough Cut, Force 10 from Navarone, A Bridge Too Far, and many more.

As Stunt Coordinator, he worked on Bang Bang, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (uncredited), The Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, The Green Hornet, Season of the Witchh (US battle scenes), Fun With Dick and Jane, Charlie's Angels, and again, too many more to name (those are just some of my favorites).

He has a Stunts credit for Universal Soldier, Total Recall (he also appeared as one of Richter's Henchmen (uncredited), and 53 more. He was Associate Producer and Stunt Coordinator for the David Mamet movie Homicide. And, he had an acting part in the Jean-Claude Van Damme twin role movie Double Impact.

 

TAURUS WORLD STUNT AWARDS
Andy is a Founding Member of the Taurus World Stunt Awards The Taurus World Stunt Awards is a yearly award ceremony held in Los Angeles. The first awards were given out in 2001. The awards were created by Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder of Red Bull. "To join the Academy, stunt professionals must belong to a recognized stunt organization or meet a 'Body of Work' requirement that is determined by the Academy's Blue Ribbon Committee. All members are listed on the official Taurus World Stunt Awards website, are able to cast a vote, and if selected, receive a Taurus™ Award. Membership is free.

TAURUS WORLD STUNT AWARDS FOUNDATION
He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Taurus World Stunt Awards Foundation.  "It provides support for the international stunt community and financial assistance to members of the Taurus World Stunt Awards Academy, who experience a debilitating stunt-related injury. Financial grants are considered on merit in the event of a stunt related temporary, partial or permanent disability. The Foundation [is] perpetuated by annual Taurus World Stunt Awards programming and by ongoing fundraising activities.

The Taurus Foundation Committee is made up of an advisory board of Blue Ribbon Committee members who supervise all of the Foundation's activities, including awarding of grants.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Andy Armstrong

• Jeannie Epper

• Debbie Evans

• Randy Hall

• Terry Leonard

• Ronnie Rondell Jr.

Donate online or contact (323) 468-4011.

At right, Andy and Jennifer #StandUpForStunts. 
You can too: 
Sign the online petition!

 

PHOTO GALLERY

Here he is with Will Smith on the set of I, Robot.

 

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22 Days to Artemis honoring Jennifer Caputo for
Artemis Stunt Lifetime Achievement Award
March 29, 2017

One of the things I would love to see change about Action Movies it the lack of recognition. I imagine those of us not 'in the business', the fans, unless we research when we see stunts we like, would never know who does them.  The credits run really fast at the end of a movie and the descriptions (except for stunt doubles—of which there are sometimes multiple) are quite generic.  This wonder woman, Jennifer Caputo has only this for a bio on IMDb:
"Jennifer Caputo is known for her work on The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Thor (2011) and Next (2007). " 

Under Trivia: "Sister of Jay Caputo (Stunts | Actor | Producer)", and "Graduated from Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, Florida (1989)."  I'm from Florida and I'm going to have to look that up (it's north of Orlando, population was 13,000+ in 2013, so a 'small-town girl'. 

Her resume is anything but trivial . . .

PERFORMANCE SKILLS Stunts, Motorcyclist, Stunt Driving, Precision Driving, All-Around Athlete (istunt profile)

AWARDS
2015 Taurus World Stunt Awards
Nominee: Best Overall Stunt by A Stuntwoman (for Bang Bang with Artemis Stunt Rebel Award honoree Andy Armstrong as Stunt Consultant)

 

Nominee: Best Work with a Vehicle ( for The Amazing Spider-man 2)

 

2015 Action Icon Awards
Nominee: Jewel Award

2014 Action Icon Awards
Winner: Stuntwoman of the Year

2013 Taurus World Stunt Awards
Nominee: Best Stunt Rigging (The Amazing Spider-man 2)
Nominee: Best Stunt by A Stuntwoman (The Amazing Spider-man 2)

2007 Taurus World Stunt Awards
Nominee: Best Overall Stunt by A Stuntwoman (Ultraviolet), 2007
"The lead character crashes her motorcycle through a window and breaks a wall" Jennifer Caputo, Alicia Vela-Bailey
That description leaves out the excitement of the character jumping her motorcycle off a high-rise and shooting while passing through a hovering helicopter bay, then crashlanding through a wall of glass, only to break through the approaching wall, then dismounting while the bike crashes through a second wall. The real part of the Action more than makes up for any CGI. Check out REAL FOOTAGE in her stunt reel, below!

Photo Gallery of Jennifer Caputo in costume for many of her films. 

Here's an interview from "Helmet Hair" magazine, and another from Hot Rod Newsletter (2005).

 

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23 Days to Artemis Film Festival but only 6 hours left
to DONATE to the Women Kick Ass Project 3
March 28, 2017

You gotta go!  The Artemis Women in Action Film Festival will be the place to be April 20-23, 2017.  It's going to be great but will feel even better knowing you helped, so get in there and give whatever you can!  And see you there . . .

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-women-kick-ass-project-3-action#/

 

The Women Kick Ass Project 3 Mission: Artemis Year 3 from Artemis on Vimeo

What a photo:  L-R Vanessa Robyn,  Zöe Bell, Jessie Graff, Dayna Grant, Yancy Butler, and Heidi Moneymaker!

 

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24 Days to Artemis Film Festival honoring Freerunner
& Stuntwoman Extraordinaire Luci "Steel" Romberg
March 27, 2017

Meet Luci Romberg (luciromberg.com), she is a 'force of one'! She is this year's Stunt Next Wave Award Winner.

Luci is a woman who inspires in many ways.  Luci ("Steel" is her nickname) is a champion gymnast, an all-conference soccer player, a practitioner of freerunning (Tempest Freerunning Academy's only Female Pro Freerunner), and an award-winning stuntwoman. [Pictured below are: Alyma Dorsey, Jessi Fisher, Meredith Richardson and Luci Romberg, stunt doubles for Leslie Jones, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and  Melissa McCarthy, respectively. Photos from: "What it takes to be a 'Ghostbustters' stuntwoman" via espn.com.]

In 2014, she was nominated for the Taurus World Stunt Awards "Best Overall Stunt for a Stunt Woman" for her fall down basement stairs in The Conjuring, and she won "Best Overall Stunt for a Stunt Woman" for being hit by a car in Identity Thief (she was also nominated in the category "The Hardest Hit" for this stunt).

 

In addition, Luci is a 10-time Red Bull Art of Motion Best Female Champion, and was a Sasuke [Japan's "Ninja Warrior TV show (Luci was the first woman to make it through the jumping spider)] and American Ninja Challenge competitor.

Luci has appeared on TV (Crossing Jordan, Monk, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Scream Queens, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Unit, True Blood, and so many more), and in movies (Divergent, Green Lantern, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ted, The Conjuring, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Zombieland, Jason Bourne, and more).  She doubled Mireille Enos in Sabotage, and has doubled Melissa McCarthy in Identity Thief, Spy, The Boss, and Ghostbusters.

She release a moving and inspiring short film entitled "Tru Beauty: A Luci Romberg Story" where she talked about her struggle with Bulimia, and how she found the discipline to challenge her fears through freerunning. It's truly wonderful that she took the time to make this film, and bravely admitted her weaknesses and fears in a way that will help others who might be struggling with self doubt, a negative self image, and a lack of confidence.  Thanks for sharing and inspiring others, Luci!

 

 

 

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25 Days to Artemis Film Festival featuring
featuring taut Action Thriller Quarries
March 26, 2017

QUARRIES is one of the films that will be featured at the Artemis Film Festival. It's about a group of women on a wilderness hiking "experience"/escape, who stumble into danger when forest fires reroute them. The main character is "Kat" (producer and co-writer Nicole Marie Johnson), who is escaping from an abusive boyfriend. Part way along, the women are forced to fight for survival as they are being chased by a 'pack 'of predators.

They start out with a group of 7. Rebecca McFadizen is enjoyable as the very 'blonde' "Brit", and Carrie Finklea is a standout as a drug addict with attitude, "Wren". All the acting is excellent. "Jean", the tour guide, played by Sara Mornell, anchors the movie until . . .

Another star of the movie is the landscape. The beautifully shot, and well paced, and just when you wonder when things will go south, it suddenly goes from a 'walk in the park' to a drop-all-your-shit-and-run-for-your life pace. Kudos to the men for the physicality of their roles as well.  Without spoiling anything, Quarries will give you a 'run for your money'.

The film is now available for purchase and rental on iTunes, Amazon, and Vudu, and is also available on both DVD and Blu-Ray through Amazon.com and the QUARRIES website.

 If you like the movie, follow them on  instagram, twitter, and like them on facebook.

 

 

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26 Days to Artemis Film Festival Year 3 honoring
Action Trailblazer Nichelle Nichols
March 25, 2017

If you've never watched the original Star Trek series, maybe you don't know who Nichelle Nichols is, but I'll bet you've heard of Lieutenant Uhura (played in the recent Star Trek movies by Zoe Saldana). A ground-breaking role, Nichelle was one of the first African American female characters on American television not portrayed as a servant (Star Trek aired on NBC from September 8, 1966 to June 3, 1969). Her character was even eventually promoted in Starfleet to the rank of Commander.

During the first year of the series, Nichols said she was tempted to leave the show to pursue a Broadway career, however, a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed her mind. She has said that King personally encouraged her to stay on the show, telling her that he was a big fan of Star Trek. He said she was playing a vital role model for black children and young women across the country, as well as for other children who would see blacks appearing as equals.  Dr. King told her: "You can't [leave]. You're part of history."

After the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969, Nichols volunteered her time in a special project with NASA to recruit minority and female personnel for the space agency. Former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison has cited Nichols' role of Lieutenant Uhura as her inspiration for wanting to become an astronaut. Nichelle began this project by making an affiliation between NASA and a company which she helped to run, Women in Motion (From nasaspaceflight.com: Nichelle explains:  "In the seven months before Women in Motion, Inc. began, NASA had received only 1,600 applications, including fewer than 100 from women and 35 from minority candidates. Of these, NASA told me, none of the women or minority applicants qualified. By the end of June 1977, just four months after we assumed our task, 8,400 applications were in, including 1,649 from women ( a fifteen-fold increase), and an astounding 1,000 from minorities. Without an active outreach effort, fewer than 5% of those might have applied."

The project was a success. Among those recruited were Dr. Sally Ride, America's female astronaut (white), and US Air Force Colonel Guion Bluford, the first male African-American astronaut, as well as Dr. Judith Resnik and Dr. Ronald McNair, who both flew successful missions during the Space Shuttle program before their deaths in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. Recruits also included Charles Bolden, the current NASA administrator and veteran of four shuttle missions, Frederick D. Gregory, former deputy administrator and a veteran of three shuttle missions and Lori Garver, former deputy administrator.

An enthusiastic advocate of space exploration, Nichols has served since the mid-1980s on the board of governors of the National Space Society, a nonprofit, educational space advocacy organization founded by Dr. Wernher von Braun. She also Nichols flew aboard NASA's C-141 Astronomy Observatory, which analyzed the atmospheres of Mars and Saturn on an eight-hour, high-altitude mission. She was also a special guest at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on July 17, 1976, to view the Viking 1 soft landing on Mars. Along with the other cast members from the original Star Trek series, she attended the christening of the first space shuttle, Enterprise, at the North American Rockwell assembly facility in Palmdale, California.

On July 14, 2010, she toured the space shuttle simulator and Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The Artemis Women in Action Film Festival Year 3 will honor Nichelle Nichols with the "Artemis Action Trailblazer Award". A resident of Woodland Hills, California, Ms. Nichols is 84 years old. Check out her website:  uhura.com.

SOURCE: Wikipedia

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Artemis Film Festival 4 PANELS 
(27 more days . . . )
March 23, 2017  

The Artemis Women in Action Film Festival is planning 4 PANELS this year: 

• Film Finance

• Stuntwomen 

• Warrior Women

• "VR" Virtual Reality  
From Wikipedia:  "Typically refers to computer technologies that use virtual reality headsets to generate the realistic images, sounds, and other sensations that replicate a real environment, or, create an imaginary setting. VR also simulates a user's physical presence in this environment. 'A realistic and immersive simulation of a 3D 360-degree environment, created using interactive software and hardware, and experienced or controlled by movement of the body'."  By 2016 there were at least 230 companies developing VR-related products. Facebook had 400 employees focused on VR development; Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Sony and Samsung all had dedicated AR and VR groups.  

On April 5, 2016, HTC shipped its first units of the HTC VIVE SteamVR headset. This marked the first major commercial release of sensor-based tracking, allowing for free movement of users within a defined space.  In early 2017, a patent filed by Sony showed they were developing a similar location tracking technology to the VIVE for PlayStation VR, with the potential for the development of a wireless headset."

Seems like we're not ready for the full-length VR movie experience but IMAX is offering a sampling of shorter VR thrills at their L.A. Flagship location: 157 South Fairfax, Los Angeles

VR uses HMDs (head mounted displays).  Here is a list of brands:

	Starbreeze Studios StarVR The firm announced a partnership with IMAX which will see the StarVR headset used in IMAX theatres this year beginning in Los Angeles. There will be six worldwide with IMAX planning to include China and maybe London.
	Facebook "Oculus Rift" Need: Windows  PC $500-600   Google  "Google Cardboard" Need: your phone $10
	"Google Daydream" Need: your phone $60-70
	HTC & Valve  "HTC Vive" (rhymes with hive) Need: Lots . . . $800
	Microsoft  "Microsoft HoloLens" Like a computer on your head $3,000-5,000
	Razer  OSVR Hacker Dev Kit OSVR HDK2 Need:  your PC $300-400
	Samsung  Samsung Gear VR Need: Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, S6 or S6 Edge Plus $35-50
	Sony  PlayStation VR Need:  Sony PlayStation, PlayStation camera, TV, game controllers $400

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28 Days til Artemis Women in Action Film Festival
But Just 7 Days Left to Contribute!
March 22, 2017  

If you think you're a Bad Ass, you should be a part of the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival. It feels great! They are all about empowering women with positive images of physical strong women, and they honor those who contribute to portraying women with strength, including men. The Festival features female Action Movies, and movies showcasing powerful women of all kinds. This is the 3rd year for the Festival and this year's Honorees are listed here. Please click through and learn more about this kick-ass event, and help them achieve all their goals.  And, if you're going, I'll see you there.

 

 

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29 Days to the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival  
MISSION: ARTEMIS
March 21, 2017  

Have you been participating in their #womenkickass twitter parties on Wednesday nights? (7:00-8:00 PT)
In Miami: 10:00-11:00 ET  Tonight's topic is Celebrating Badass Female Superheroes! Speaking of Superheroes, here are lots of mine, including Festival Co-Founder Melanie Wise.  If you want to be a Badass be a part of the fun at Artemis!

April 20-23, 2017 | Ahrya Fine Arts Theater, Beverly Hills, CA

 

The Women Kick Ass Project 3 Mission: Artemis Yr. 3 from Artemis on Vimeo.

 

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Starting a 30-Day Countdown to Year 3 of the
Artemis Women in Action Film Festival 4/20-23/2017
March 20, 2017  

Woo Hoo!  Please contribute and/or support them via social media if you can.

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Female-led Action Movies . . . Hmmmm?
March 14, 2017  

If you love film, you'll love @anti_cgi on instagram. Especially if you're a TIFF Midnight Madness fan. The man behind the vision is Aramis Gutierrez II. "Anti_cgi is . . . dedicated to 'gore, practical effects, atmosphere and anything that involves offbeat sexual innuendo'." Today, the curator of that remarkable feed posed a question (through my baby brother—they work together) on movies told from a female villain's POV. This led me to my "Hit List" where I immediately thought:  Male, male, male, male, male . . .  And wondered what it would like color coded.

So, blue for male-dominated movies, and pink for female-led movies.

 

2 Fast 2 Furious 2 Guns 3 Days to Kill 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 16 Blocks 21 Jump Street 22 Jump Street 48 Hours 300 3,000 Miles to Graceland Above The Law Action Jackson Act of Valor A Force of One Alex Cross Alien (1979 horror/sci-fi not "Action" Ridley Scott) Aliens  (Dir. James Cameron)  Alien Resurrection  (Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) Avengers: Age of Ultron A View to a Kill Bad Boys Bad Boys II Batman Batman Returns Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Battleship Beverly Hills Cop Big Trouble in Little China Black Belt Jones Black Dog Black Hawk Down Black Samurai Blade Blade II Blade:Trinity Blade Runner (not "Action") Black Samurai Blood and Bone Bloodsport Blue Steel (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow) Born To Fight Braddock: Missing in Action III Braveheart Broken Arrow Bullet to the Head Captain America: Civil War (2016) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Captain Marvel (2019) Casino Royale Centurion Charity Hurts Charlie's Angels Chinese Zodiac (aka CZ 12) Chocolate (2008) City of Industry Clash of the Titans Clear and Present Danger Cliffhanger Cobra Code of Silence Collateral Collateral Damage COLOMBiANA (Dir. Olivier Megaton) Commando Con Air Conan the Barbarian (1982) Conan the Barbarian (2011) Cop Out Criminal Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Dir. Ang Lee) Cyborg Dark Angel Deadpool Death Race 2000 Death Warrant Demolition Man Diamonds Are Forever Dick Tracy Die Another Day Die Hard Die Hard 2 Die Hard With a Vengeance Dirty Harry District B13 Domino  (Dir. Tony Scott) Dragon Eyes Dr. No Edge of Tomorrow El Gringo End of Days Enter The Dragon Escape From New York Escape From L.A. Every Which Way But Loose Excalibur (not "Action") Face/Off Fantastic Four (2005) Fast & Furious Fast Five Fast 6 Faster Fight Club (Drama not "Action") Final Destination 2 First Blood For Your Eyes Only From Russia with Love Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra G.I. Joe: Retaliation Gladiator GoldenEye Goldfinger Gone in 60 Seconds Good Guys Wear Black Guardians of the Galaxy Hard To Kill Hardcore Henry Heat (1986) Heat (1995) Hellboy Hellboy II: The Golden Army Hercules Hero Hobo With A Shotgun Hollywood Homicide Homefront Hot Fuzz Hulk (2003 Eric Bana) I'm Gonna Get You Sucka Inception Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Inside Out (2011) I, Robot Iron Man Iron Man 2 Iron Man 3 Jackie Chan's First Strike Jack Reacher Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Jason and The Argonauts John Carter John Wick John Wick: Chapter 2 Judge Dredd Jupiter Ascending Jurassic Park The Lost World: Jurassic Park (II) Jurassic Park III Jurassic World Kalifornia (crime/drama/thriller not "Action") Kill Bill Vol. 1 Killtro King Kong (1976) King Kong (2005) Kingsman: The Secret Service Kiss of the Dragon Knight & Day Kung Fu Hustle Lethal Weapon Lethal Weapon 2 Lethal Weapon 3 Lethal Weapon 4 Let the Bullets Fly Licence to Kill Lionheart Live and Let Die Live Free or Die Hard Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Logan London Has Fallen Lone Survivor Lucy Machete Mad Max Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Mad Max: Fury Road Mandrill Man On Fire Man of Steel Marked For Death Men In Black Men in Black II Men In Black 3 Merantau Midnight Run Minority Report Mirageman Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible II Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Money Train

Montana Moonraker Mr. & Mrs. Smith Natural Born Killers (crime/drama not "Action") Need for Speed Never Back Down Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown Ninja (2009) Ninja Assassin Non-Stop Octopussy Olympus Has Fallen On Deadly Ground Ong-bak Ong bak 2 Ong Bak 3 On Her Majesty's Secret Service Out For Justice Pain & Gain Parker Patriot Games Passenger 57 Pitch Black Point Blank Point Break (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow) Point of No Return Predator Predators Quantum of Solace Raging Phoenix Raiders of the Lost Ark Rambo: First Blood Part II Rambo III Rambo Resident Evil Return of the Dragon Ride Along Robocop Rocky (1976 Drama/Sport not "Action") Rocky II (1979 Drama/Sport not "Action") Rocky III (1982 Drama/Sport not "Action") Rocky IV (1985 Drama/Sport not "Action") Rocky V  (1990 Drama/Sport not "Action") Rocky Balboa (2006 Drama/Sport not "Action") Rogue One Romancing The Stone Romeo Must Die Rumble in The Bronx Runaway Rush Hour Rush Hour 2 Rush Hour 3 Sinners and Saints Sharky's Machine Skyfall Smokey and the Bandit Snitch Snowpiercer Soldier Solomon Kane Spawn Spider-Man Speed Stander Starship Troopers Star Trek Star Trek Beyond Star Trek Into Darkness Star Trek: The Motion Picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Star Trek: The Voyage Home Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of The Jedi Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Star Wars: The Force Awakens Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) Star Wars: Episode IX (2019) Stick Superman Superman Returns Takers Tango & Cash Taxi Taxi 2 Taxi 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Terminator 2: Judgment Day Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Terminator Salvation The 6th Day The A-Team The Amazing Spider-Man The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Avengers The Bourne Identity The Bourne Supremacy The Bourne Ultimatum The Chronicles of Riddick The Dark Knight Rises The Count of Monte Cristo The Equalizer The Expendables The Expendables 2 The Expendables 3 The Fast and The Furious The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift The French Connection The Fugutive The Gauntlet The Great Wall The Heat (Dir. Paul Feig) The Hurt Locker (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow) The Incredible Hulk (2008 Edward Norton) The Italian Job The Karate Kid (1984) The Karate [Kung Fu] Kid (2010) The Last Boy Scout The Last Stand The Legend of Drunken Master The Living Daylights The Long Kiss Goodnight (Dir. Renny Harlin) The Man with the Iron Fists The Man with the Golden Gun The Matrix The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Revolutions The Mummy (2017) The Mummy The Mummy Returns The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor The Octagon The Other Guys The Peacemaker (Dir. Mimi Leder) The Professional The Punisher (1989 Dolph Lundgren) The Punisher (2004 Thomas Jane) The Punisher (2017 Jon Bernthal) The Rock The Rundown The Running Man The Scorpion King The Spy Who Loved Me The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 The Tattoo Connection aka Black Belt Jones 2 The Terminator The Transporter The Warrior's Way The Wolverine The World Is Not Enough They Live Thor Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Thor: The Dark World Three Kings Three The Hard Way Thunderball Time Cop To Live and Die in L.A. Tomorrow Never Dies Total Recall (1990) Transformers Transformers: Age of Extinction Transformers: Dark of the Moon Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) Transporter 2 Transporter 3 Triple 9 Tron True Lies True Romance Ultraviolet Under Siege Under Siege 2: Dark Territory Undisputed Undisputed II: Last Man Standing Undisputed III: Redemption Universal Soldier Universal Soldier: The Return Universal Soldier: Regeneration Walking Tall Wanted Warcraft Warrior White House Down World War Z Wu Xia X-Men X-Men 2: X-Men United X-Men: Days of Future Past X-Men: First Class X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men Origins: Wolverine You Only Live Twice Zero Dark Thirty  (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow)

 

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Logan is outRAGEously good
March 4, 2017

{{SPOILERS}}

Rage is the name of the game in this movie. Gnarly Kills abound, not only from Wolverine (Logan), but also from baby Wolverine (Laura aka X-23).  If I didn't see the trailer and know there was a little girl in this movie, it would have been such an epic surprise (why I mainly hate trailers—they steal the best bits from the movie-watching experience).  It's not that surprising that she is his daughter, what surprises is the level of her killing skills. When the main bad guy, Pierce (played well as a mega douche by Boyd Holbrook), gives the command "Go get her!" it sends a chill through you to hear that phrase used against a (you think defenseless) child when spoken to a large pack of men with large guns. Strong, big-bearded, man-bunned men: kinda like hipsters meet hardcore mercenaries (it seemed a little incongruous, but the Reavers also came off like douchebags, which was good).

Then UFC fighter Krzysztof Soszynski (@KSOSufc) materializes (he's so frightening I almost pooped a little LOL), there are off-camera screams and gunshots, and out Laura comes, unharmed.  It's one of many epic moments in this movie. 

This first 'shootout at the OK corral' is one hell of a Action scene. After Logan finds out what Laura is, he doesn't tread lightly. She can heal and he knows it. There are times when you can tell it's a stunt woman, but those moments are really brief.  Dafne Keen is completely convincing and intense, and she says nothing for the largest part of the movie. That's quite a large part to carry with only physicality and personality in such a small package.

The first all-out Action chase scene begins an armada of Vehicles—("The police have themselves an R/V" came to mind from Die Hard) yes, please pull out all the stops to capture a child, an old man in a wheel chair, and a has-been reluctant comic-book hero—and  ends with a train-track crossing. For all the sophisticated weaponry, fight choreography, and stunt work, using a roaring wall of steel as a barrier is a great, realistic, but not-so-easy escape that drives home the 'superhero' nature of Wolverine's reflexes, timing, and decision-making powers. Against seemingly impossible odds, they get away.

"You got religion?"
Yes, and rage. Patrick Stewart gives a stellar performance in this movie, and manages to get through to Logan. Although Logan acts on Charles' advice too late for Charles, at least he does have a moment to feel "[what life looks like when people love each other]" with Laura.  Kudos to Writer/Director James Mangold for using a black family to drive home what love and decency mean, and as a means to highlight racism through the scene where Wolverine gets to say "Go play Okie-Dickead someplace else." What else Mangold does is let a black man pull a gun in self-defense. Given the state of things in this country right now, it was a much-needed scene that illustrates so much of why the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag was created. A moment of what's right, is right. Sadly, it was not to end happily.

When the Reaver armada catches up to Logan, Laura, and Charles trying to spend a peaceful, restful night, we are introduced to X-24 (a noticeably younger Wolverine clone), who attacks and kills the whole host family, and we get a Wolverine-on-Wolverine fight that is so savage, I felt sorry for any non-Action-Movie-Freaks in the audience. Also cool, to me, was that the family father wasn't dead and came to rescue Logan, but, realizing what he was and probably also pissed that Logan got his family killed, tries to shoot him, but has no more bullets, and then drops dead. Just more ammunition for Logan's downward-spiraling death wish. 

As Charles is not dead yet (24 stabbed him in the chest), Logan puts him in the back of the pick-up, presumably to get him to a hospital. But Charles knows it's too late, touches the side of the truck bed, and calls it "our boat". A gesture of pure love to relieve Logan of the guilt of never having bought the boat they talked about sailing away on. Absolution is an invaluably beautiful gift at such a moment.  It's all just too sad to lose the whole innocent family, and Charles. Logan buries Charles near a lake so he is by the water (sniffle).

Logan's health deteriorates and Laura is forced to be more adult than seems fitting for her age. Logan is reluctant to take her to "Eden" and she punches him full in the face. Best moment in the movie!

We love Logan's long-suffering character and want him to snap out of it. We still see Wolverine even though he's older and we still love him for who he is. I really love it when Action Movies are so surprisingly emotional because the stakes are so high, and when powerful lessons are learned at great cost. 

Before the movie ends, we get a brief bit of a younger Wolverine who snarls and roars. So satisfying if you love the character as much as I do. It was really EVERYTHING a Wolverine fan could hope for, except a happy ending, but, it was a really great ending. Laura quotes "Shane"—more Western theme moments—as a eulogy, and turns the cross grave marker sideways. Hits you right in the heart just how much you love the "X-Men", the proverbial misunderstood outsiders. Also it's a real leaving-a-kid-behind, kick-in-the-teeth moment.

"There's no living with the killing. There's no going back from one.
Right or wrong, it's a 'brand'—a brand sticks. There's no going back.
Now you run on home to your mother, and you tell her: Everything's all right.
There are no more guns in the valley."

Again, in the current political climate of intolerance, it just drove home how much we need to be accepting of 'the other'.  For an Action Movie, this was incredibly emotionally powerful.  I'd give it 12 out of 10 stars. Go see it in IMAX.  You'll want to see it again. Many moving moments and top-notch Action Sequences and Fight Choreography.

• • •

[Dafne Keen's stunt doubles were Rissa Kilar and Marissa "Mighty" Labog, both 95 lbs. and 4' 11" and 4' 10". Just goes to show you shouldn't underestimate the physicality of women!]

From IMDb:

"Rissa Kilar began martial arts at the age of 5. With her being a military child, she has constantly moved around every few years with her family until finally settling in Los Angeles, California. In Los Angeles, she further pursued her martial arts career as an instructor and World Champion competitor and performer. After a couple years in LA, acting and stunts sparked her interest and with her connections through the martial arts industry, she has been set on the path towards exciting opportunities of the entertainment industry."

Marissa Labog is "an actor, dancer, and stunt woman. Marissa [won] the Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Performer, the Solo Award, and an Ovation Award Nomination. Unable to sit still, she explored multiple avenues of movement from dance, gymnastics, and martial arts to running, jumping, and climbing trees. Dancing nationally and internationally with PCB Ballet and Inland Pacific Ballet, Marissa was urged by her loving mother to take up martial arts to learn to defend herself while traveling abroad. Enrolling in Karate, Marissa excelled and furthered her study with capoeira, and Tae Kwon Do." She came to stunts through working with David Belle.

There were many incredible take downs and so many fast moves made by these ladies that the movie really must be seen again just so you can fully appreciate the great work by the Second Unit! 

 

There was also a lot of car stunts that seemed Mad-Maxish at moments . . .

Second Unit Director & Stunt Coordinator  Garrett Warren (what a career!)
Stunt Coordinator: Second Unit  Gary Hymes (Great story in his bio.)
Fight Coordinator Steve Brown (he's doing stunts in Wonder Woman and the next Transformers movie)
Car Stunt Coordinator & Stunt Rigging Coordinator  Kurt D. Lott (207 credits!)
Car Stunt Coordinator  Richard Burden (worked on lots of Tom Cruise movies :-D)

 

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John Wick: Chapter 2 Kills!
February 12, 2017

As I sat there in the audience on February 9th (who could wait?!), I thought "Are my ridiculously high expectations going to ruin this for me?" But it was beyond what I could imagine! (I'm sitting here typing this and wondering how soon I can go see it again.)

In particular, there was one thing Keanu did with a gun about three-quarters of the way through the movie that I have never seen before; something I didn't even think was possible; something that I'm still not sure of what I saw. I'm not going to spoil it but, I really have to go back to see it again. And I have to ask a gun expert if I saw what I think I saw. Not since Linda Hamilton did the one-handed shotgun cock, has something been this cool. But enough about the mystery thing. The whole rest of the movie was fantastic. Keanu Reeves is completely convincing as the ultimate Bad Ass assassin!  (The fact that he's a smoker killed my crush :-/ but it was great to see these two together again.)

 

The rumbling American Muscle opening chase scene pulled off being new and different and also totally cool, and then we go right into a fight scene that was a little Frank Martin in its tone. The whole fighting-in-a-suit thing is bad ass, and I love that John Wick fist fights anyway, even though he has guns. He's pissed off, and you're gonna feel that.

"John Wick is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will."

Chapter 2 more than abounds with Action Movie Essentials, like the Trash Talking quote above. We get a Big Dog Entrance as Keanu's face moves from dark to (half) light. This movie, like the first, is beautifully lit and stylized, and the Action is mesmerizing. We finally get to see John Wick pull off the infamous pencil death: they give us more than one Gnarly Kill! It's got weapons galore. In a twist on the much-loved The Terminator scene where Arnold selects a slew of weapons, we get a weapons sommelier:  "I'd like a tasting."

Every aspect of the movie is first-rate (Chad Stahelski and 87eleven!), and the fight coordination is especially enjoyable. We get a lot of hand-to-hand, but also some duking it out, a fight with knives, and a knife fight, an epic gun battle, and John Wick's signature head-shot barrage! The movie's Fight Coordinator was Jonathan Eusebio, and there were four Stunt Coordinators: Marc Désourdy, J.J. Perry, Darrin Prescott, and the Italian Stunt Coordinator was Claudio Pacifico.

 

FIGHT SCENES
So many cool fights scenes in John Wick: Chapter 2!

Listed as Fight Coordinator is Jonathan Eusebio whose IMDb bio is short and sweet: "Jonathan Eusebio is known for his work on 300 (2006), The Avengers (2012) and The Expendables (2010)."  But there's a whole lot more to his career than that.

I'm just picking the movies I loved:  He did stuntwork on Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, Blade II, Windtalkers, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Daredevil, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Bourne Supremacy, Collateral, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,  and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

He was an assistant Fight Coordinator for The Bourne Ultimatum, Fight and Stunt Coordinator for Never Back Down, Co-Fight Choreographer for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, and he did double duty as a stunt performer and Co-Fight Choreographer for Ninja Assassin! How's that for qualifications?!  It doesn't stop there.

[Speaking of double duty, Heidi Moneymaker is the double for Ruby Rose and plays one of the many hitmen out to get John Wick.]

 He was also a Fight Coordination for Iron Man 2, Conan the Barbarian (2011), Haywire, The Bourne Legacy, The Wolverine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, John Wick, Doctor Strange, and the upcoming The Fate of the Furious.

He was a Stunt Coordinator for Dragonball: Evolution, Colombiana, Escape Plan, Hitman: Agent 47, The Last Witch Hunter (badass), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and the upcoming Power Rangers.

This movie showed a big range and creativity in execution. Hats off to Keanu a bit in that it was really hard to tell how much of it was really him in action owing to the amount of practice he put in with fighting and gun use. The flip side of that is, of course, that the credit goes to the stuntmen who remained 'invisible'!  Here is Keanu putting in the hours to be convincing:

 

 

 

DRIVING
I am assuming the driving scenes were done by Darrin Prescott (teamprescott.net). Darrin is known for his stylized and visceral Action in Action Movies such as Baby Driver (due out August 11, 2017), Captain America: Civil War, John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), Drive, 2 Guns, and his Screen Actors Guild award-winning car-chase work in The Bourne Ultimatum*. (SOURCE: IMDb)

 

He has also been a stunt double for Arnold Schwarzenegger [Batman & Robin (1997 George Clooney)], Hugo Weaving (The Matrix Reloaded & The Matrix Revolutions), and for Jonathan Breck "The Creeper" in Jeepers Creepers II (how f-ing cool is that! and BTW Jeepers Creepers III—2017). 

The list of cool Action Movies he's done stunt work in is too long to list (100+), but includes Barb Wire (1996 his 2nd movie), G.I. Jane, Blade, Fight Club, Bedazzled, Monkeybone (!), Adaptation., Cradle 2 the Grave, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Beerfest, Crank, Jackass Number Two, Red Dawn (2012), and he will be the Supervising Stunt Coordinator for Deadpool 2 (2018).  Overall, Darrin has been a Stunt Coordinator on 40+ movies.

Darren has spent his life training in martial arts, snowboarding, surfing, driving, motorcycles, and he competed in the 2001 X-Games. I think it's safe to say he feels the need for speed.

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* Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, 2007

Look: It's Keanu driving with no door!

 

 

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Keanu Reeves & Chad Stahelski talk John Wick 2
February 2, 2017

Just a few more days until John Wick: Chapter 2 . . .The movie opens February 10th. 

BUILD Series interviews Keanu Reeves and 87eleven's Chad Stahelski, and teases that the movie has a High Killcount—an Action Movie Essential—"upwards of 80" (80 was the first movie's Killcount). Chad discusses the movie's influences and how they were shooting for an "unapologetic, artsy Action Film" flavor. I LOVE that he said unapologetic.  Action Movie Freaks love the "ridiculous" side of Action Movies (like the Cheesy One-Liners).  He says it's "A little on the ridiculous side, but everybody kind of plays it straight."

So, they get it. They REALLY get it. Is there anyone on the planet cooler than these two?! We'd have to include David Leitch, the other 87eleven force behind John Wick, who—great news—will be directing Deadpool 2!  While they (Chad Stahelski and David Leitch) have incredible backgrounds in Action Movies as stuntmen, stunt coordinators, fight coordinators, action coordinators and consultants, the first feature they Directed was John Wick. How's that for a win right out of the gate?! With their background, John Wick had to be as good as it was. I'm hoping John Wick: Chapter 2 will change minds in Hollywood about Action Movies. It's WAY past time!  There has never been such a cool looking, stylish Action Movie (and I say that based on the impressively cool trailer).  It will be a magical 2 hours and 2 minutes for Action Movie Freaks and Keanu fans.    

 

 

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THE GREAT WALL
roars into theaters 2/16
January 28, 2017

From the AMC Theatres' (now owned by a Chinese company The Wanda Group) website: 

"Starring global superstar Matt Damon and directed by one of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), Legendary/Universal's, The Great Wall tells the story of an elite force making a valiant stand for humanity on the world's most iconic structure. The first English-language production for Yimou is the largest film ever shot entirely in China."

The Great Wall is listed on IMDb as Action/Adventure/ Fantasy. At 1 hour and 43 minutes, it will be offered in IMAX 3D. I already want more. AMC Theatres is running a promotion for bonus Stubs points if you see it between February 17 and 19. I can't wait until then so I bought tickets for the first IMAX 3D show on the 16th. Guess I'll just have to see it twice. #ohyeah

The summary is: "European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures."

The "Action Unit Director" is George Marshall Ruge, a  Stunt Coordinator who made the jump from TV with the Lord of the Rings movies, and also worked on the National Treasure and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, so he knows something about spectacles.

He was also a stuntman himself from 2002 going back  to early '80s classics Police Academy and Bachelor Party, and in the '90s he is listed on  Hard Justice (see AllOuttaBubbleGum.com's KillCount) and Above Suspicion, which sound like Steven Seagal movies, but aren't. Above Suspicion (1995) starred Christopher Reeve, Joe Mantegna, Kim Cattrall, and William H. Macy (who also has a writing credit).  Other Action Movies: Set It Off, Conspiracy Theory, Lethal Weapon 4, The Mask of Zorro, Ocean's Eleven, and many more. Quite an interesting career!

Here's a quote from Variety: "I think in terms of a mosaic in the design of shots. I'm painting a picture and layering these images, action, emotion and nuances so it connects with the human experience."

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xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
January 20, 2017

I forgot about 2005's xXx: State of the Union until I saw this movie.  Probably because it starred Ice Cube. I love Ice Cube but he's not an Action Figure to me.  I don't think I ever saw it.  In any case, Vin Diesel decided to take it back and make it over in the image of Fast & Furious and 'it's all about family'.  If you can stand Vin's grandstanding—some of us even love him for it—and some implausible scenarios (I said did say it was a la Fast & Furious), there's enough star power and awesome Action to satisfy any movie goer. At the end of this movie, they establish a new group and it's all set up to be a franchise. Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa are wasted (I mean under utilized) here but, really, are you gonna complain about them being in a movie? I don't think so. The girls have their 'moment' but, well, watch it for yourself.  It's not the kind of equal footing you'd hope to see (as a girl). Deepika Padukone is somewhat of a force to be reckoned with here, but I'd prefer she tone down the sexuality. It canceled out all the other positives for me.  I was really impressed with her Action skills otherwise, and she certainly stole the show!

 

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"Concrete and Crashpads: Stunts in New York"
  offers a glimpse into the talented NYC stunt community
January 15, 2017

"Concrete and Crashpads: Stunts in New York" premiered as an Official Selection at the 2016 Urban Action Showcase and Expo.  This :30 minute documentary shows us the world of New York City's booming stunt community. "Stunt professionals are invisible" but Action Movie Freaks would like to know more about them! Here's your chance.

We get to meet, and find out a little background on (how they got into stunt work), the players listed below (pictured L-R in the order that they are introduced). The film shows us: how to stage a series of fight scenes, what a stunt training camp looks like, what stunt men carry in their equipment bags, and we get the good news on the women's take on the business. 

• Federico Berte ("Fight Coordinator, Berte Productions" | Stunts, Actors, Producer) "I'm a huge fan of the Hong Kong movies. I would always watch and try to imitate those movies, and they're always really wide angles and really beautiful scenes. At the same time, it means that whoever is performing has to be a real a martial artist—so there's no cheating—and that's why it looks so great."

• Hannah D. Scott ("Stunt Performer" | Actress, Stunts) "There's a lot of work here, and if you work hard, you will work."

• Frank Perrin ("Rookie Stunt Performer" | Stunts, Actor)  "Everyone [in the stunt community in New York] is so supportive of each other. They are always giving you advice. Always pushing you to do better."

• Anthony Hoang ("Stunt Performer" | Stunts, Actor, Casting Department )  "To create a successful Action Scene, [the thing that makes it work is] a fight is actually a dance—there's a rhythm to it. It should be so well choreographed and rehearsed, that by the time you get to set, it's just plug-and-play, and (finger snap) production's just like that." 

• Anthony Mecca ("Stunt Performer" | Stunts, Actor)  "On the day, the [Stunt] Coordinator is your boss. If the Director comes over and tells you to do something, you turn and look at the Coordinator and say 'Is that cool, man? Is that good with you?' "

• Mack Kuhr ("Stunt Performer" | Actor, Stunts, Producer)  "The Stunt Coordinator is the mastermind. The Stunt Coordinator makes it happen, and he's the Action designer."

• Ben Rezendes ("Stunt Performer" | Actor, Stunts, Camera Department) "To break it down into 3 primary catergories . . . there's Performers, Technical, and Coordination."

• Jeremy Sample ("Stunt Coordinator" | Stunts, Actor, Producer) "The most difficult thing you ask someone to do is sacrifice their body to hit the ground to sell the shot. You don't naturally throw your body on concrete with no pads except the pads that's on your body or down a metal flight of steps . . . for fun."

• Tim Lajcik ("Stunt Performer" | Stunts, Actor, Miscellaneous Crew) "You either can do it, or you can't. You're gonna have a first time on everything. Hopefully you can get those first times in training—The consequences of failure can be dire."

• Tina McKissick ("Stunt Performer" | Stunts, Miscellaneous Crew) "The true professional . . . knows never to say you can do something that you can't."

• Chazz Menendez ("Stunt Coordinator, Quiet Storm Training Group" | Stunts, Actor Producer)  "Until recently, here on the East Coast, there were not a lot of places to [train]."

• Alanna Blair ("Stunt Performer" | Actress, Writer, Music Department)

"There's bad-ass women out there, and we can fight . . . as good as the guys."

Concrete and Crashpads is an interesting and enjoyable ride along with a team that has wide experience and a celebratory outlook. They love what they do and it shows. They packed a lot into this documentary and I hope it works for them. The film is just starting to hit the festival circuit.  Like them on Facebook and visit them on IMDb.

 

Personally, I think stunt performers should be listed as prominently as the actors. They can be invisible during the movie, but why not give credit where credit is due, after?! I'd like to see how the stunts are done at the end of every Action Movie, with the names and faces of those making the magic happen. I think stunt people should be as famous and anyone else making movies. Outtakes at the end of every Action Movie would be awesome as well.  It's way past time we #StandUpForStunts. Awards are great and "The Academy" should stop excluding Stunts, but take it a step further and use the credits to give the stunt crew long-overdue recognition. Like with the John Wick movies, we want to see them because of who is making them: 87eleven. It would be a draw, not a drawback, knowing which stunt people are involved. The Action's what we're there to see anyway . . .

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Sleepless starring Jamie Foxx and T.I.
January 7, 2017

I wanted to see this when it came out but the synopsis seemed like another "Give me back my son!" which Liam Neeson has made into a subgenre:  "An undercover Las Vegas police officer (Jamie Foxx) must race against time to save his kidnapped son from a crew of murderous gangsters." These gangsters are led by a serious f-ing lunatic. So much fighting! They'd rather fight first, talk after. Dermot Mulroney and Scoot McNairy are great!  It's so worth watching. Michelle Monaghan (you know, Ethan's wife from Mission: Impossible III) has a fight with Jamie Foxx that is a police officer vs. police officer fight more than a guy versus girl. And that's awesome! Physically, she's no match for him (this is the movies), but she's "properly attired" and had she been a little beefier, it would have been an epic match! They leave it open for a part 2 . . .

The movie is based on 2011's Nuit blanche (Sleepless Night): "A cop races through a packed nightclub, dodging drug dealers and his own corrupt colleagues, in a mad chase to rescue his son from the crime kingpin he is in debt to."

The two movies are similar, and the violence is over the top in both. it's more protracted in Sleepless, and grittier and more real in Sleepless Night. Watch both.

 

 

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Underworld: Blood Wars 
Directed by Anna Foerster
January 7, 2017

I wanted to support this movie because it's a  female lead, and a woman director, but I can't afford to see every movie I'd like to, and, in the end, I was just tired of this series. 

At some point, I will pay to watch it online, because . . . Anna Foerster: This movie was a jump from TV to the big screen in the Director's chair for Anna, who was previously 2nd Unit Director and Director of Photography on 10,000 BC, AEon Flux, and The Day After Tomorrow. She was Director of Photography on White House Down and Pitch Black. She was also Pytrotecnics Director of Photography on Alien: Resurrection. How cool is that?!

 

 

 

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AllOuttaBubbleGum.com's Kain's Quest looks back at
Cynthia Rothrock & Michelle Yeoh in Yes, Madam
aka "Huang jia shi jie" (1985)  Action Comedy Crime
January 6, 2017

What a way to kick off the new year! This film by @Kain424 of AllOuttaBubbleGum's Kain's Quest series, looks at the origins of female powerhouse Action Stars Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Yeoh (aka Michelle Khan) and Hong Kong Action Comedies starring women.  It would be hard to find many movies with more Action Movie pedigree than this gem, directed by Corey Yuen, and produced by legend Sammo Kam-bo Hung and Dickson Poon.  

 

 

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