Redemption Day Unleashes January 8th, 2021 On Saban Films! (C) 2020 Dan's Movie Report - Danny Templegod

 

Above Photo: Poster for Redemption Day (C) 2020 Saban Films All rights reserved.

Above Photo: Gary Dourdan as Brad Paxton in Redemption Day (C) 2020 Saban Films all rights reserved.

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report readers. Across my desk today comes a new action film called 'Redemption Day'. The film releases on Saban Films in January in theaters and on home video. January 8 for Theatrical and January 12 for DTV.

 

Above Image: Martin Donovan as Tom Fitzgerald and Hayet Belhalloufi as Rita in Redemption Day (C) 2020 Saban Films all rights reserved
 

Above Image: Serinda Swan as Kate Paxton in Redemption. (C) 2020 Saban Films all rights reserved

Synopsis: Having just returned home, decorated U.S. Marine Captain Brad Paxton's (Gary Dourdan) wife, Kate, is kidnapped by a terrorist group while working in Morocco. He is forced back into action for a daring and deadly operation to save the woman he loves.

'Redemption Day' stars: Gary Dourdan, Serinda Swan, Martin Donovan, Ernie Hudson, Samy Naceri, Andy Garcia and is directed by Hicham Hajji and written by Sam Chouia, &Hicham Hajji

Trailer:

https://youtu.be/JIVpJDUgODk

Saban Films: http://www.sabanfilms.com/

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4439620/

Watch for more on Dan's Movie Report soon!

Actor Ron Smoorenburg Interview © 2020 Dan's Movie Report – Danny Templegod

 

All images of Ron Smoorenburg (C) 2020, are from English Dogs in Bangkok. Film is available now on Verizon, Directv and Amazon. (Green Apple Entertainment)

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report and Action-Flix.com readers. Ron Smoorenburg stops by to chat about his recent work in Haphazard, English Dogs in Bangkok, and the upcoming Bet Dead Casino. Ron shares his extensive knowledge on teaching other in action, and how to remain humble while building your dreams. Ron the floor is yours.

Above: Poster for Haphazard (C) 2020 Green Apple Entertainment, All rights reserved. Film is available on Amazon.

Danny Templegod: Chat about your character haphazard, kind of a sarcastic playboy.

Ron Smoorenburg: I am a kind of playboy in this movie always looking at girls, trying to find something cheap, you know prostitutes, you know those kinds of things, we are semi mafia but we are not the real deal. My brother is Sergei, I try to prove myself to my family to get things done. The funny thing is that the character turned out more comical then it was supposed to be. The original script was quite serious. While shooting Haphazard we had so many funny circumstances that we just could not escape it. It was just happening, we have some crazy stuff going on. The character turned out almost a little bit gay haha. Watch Haphazard, we have some great fight scenes, with Selina Lo, Dean is always great. We always try to come up with new stuff.

DT: Chat about fighting and filming on the streets of Thailand how do you adjust your fighting style for close quarter fighting.

RS: It can go various ways, sometimes we make fights very rough and realistic. Other times we base fights in real martial arts. I like both to be honest. I do not like to go close combat only. I like to bring the martial arts back, like what we saw in the 80s. I still want to keep this art, there is an example with Mark Stas, Wing Flow, I like a clash of styles. I do not like the basic movie fighting style, like punch, punch, kick. Fighting with Mark we keep elements of the realistic action. I ask Mark what would you do in this moment. Like an improvise in acting. We work out how the reaction will be. The realistic fight, we go rough, I like to be hit, and even be hit in the face, to fall into something or to be hit with something. My first love is martial arts in styles, I watch video games, we try to make combos in our movies, but I never want to lose the art.

 

DT: I know that you are involved in Bet Dead Casino chat about your character.

RS: I am a fighter, who has to fight as I am under a lot of pressure. I follow this game show to win. If I lose there will be trouble. My girlfriend from the other side of the gambling world, we are connected, so I need to win those fights, or I cannot escape. We are having fights all over the world. The movie will be very surprising, my character is very mysterious though. I cannot reveal too much yet, but there are some great characters in 'Bet Dead Casino'. We tried to make some epic fights, some 'rewinders' I cannot reveal too much yet but some people will have gimmicks, one guy will have crazy things he does during the fight. This element adds a bit of depth to the people in the film.

 

DT: With regards to lock down, chat about adjustments you have made to your career and auditions.

RS: We keep productive. I like to be productive, we create fight scenes, we test various angles, and to be honest it is hard times for me and my family, but these circumstances, we have to reinvent ourselves. If people use this time well, they can grow a lot. It is like going back to the lab and come back even harder. If you make so many movies back to back we do not have enough time to learn and grow, as we are so focused on the particular film. I am using this time to evolve and grow my skills. I have a fantastic wife and son, who always support me and I will always support them, we believe in ourselves and in the future.

 

 

DT: For 'English Dogs in Bangkok' you have a solid character and larger speaking role chat about working on the film and perhaps share some things you learn as you gain more and more experience .

RS: 'English Dogs' was an amazing project, also it was the movie I had the most lines. I play with my best friend in Byron Gibson, so we felt very comfortable. That is what you have to be when you act. We did have a lot of rehearsal. There is one scene where I show him the lab where we make the drugs, I explain to him how it works and why it is good to join my business. We took about five or six times to rehearse for that, to get it right. There was so many lines of dialogue, I really got my confidence and more comfortable in acting. I have always been an action guy, but to be honest, I love acting and dialogue. It seems like people put you in a corner saying like you are the action guy you cannot act. So you have to prove double that you can act. In 'English Dogs in Bangkok', I think I can show my acting skills, in a different way, more screen time acting, and dialogue, not just fighting and action. I hope people enjoy the film. I did it as real as I can, it felt real and natural. I had to slap Byron, a few times. We know some people in the Mafia business, and not always you have to be so tough. Some are more laid back, guys can be cool as well. We actually filmed over a few years, it was low budget, and out of the Hollywood Template of filmsWatch English Dogs, it is based partially on a true story. The seedy side of the illegal steroid business.

DT: Wrapping up, are you adding anything to your training sessions learning new skills and are you taking on the task of teaching younger screen fighters the ropes like in a mentorship role?

RS: I am always learning. I am teaching. I teach a few actors here in Thailand. Ting is one of them. I like to give people the proper information to learn and grow. The worst thing one can do is hold back information. I had one guy helping me in Hong Kong back in the day and I never forget that in my life. We should be confident enough in our skills and ability to help others, look at the big stars like Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan, they are not scared to teach anyone. We do share, we are not holding back on anyone with anything. If people have dreams I respect that as I also had a dream. The worst thing is to cut down people's dreams I know some guys who do that, and it is just terrible they have to look at themselves in the mirror and be honest with themselves. If people have questions, it is good to be honest, and try to make them look good. There are no short cuts, it is important to know this. We share the love of the art, and we cannot lose the creative and sharing with others. Always be confidence and share with others the love of the arts. Life is action, greetings and respect from Thailand!

Connect with Ron on his official social media outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actionmovielife/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronsmoor/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59dRBtiMgixXo_ZipWJpRA

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810653/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ronsmoor?lang=en

Action Actor Ron Smoorenburg Seminar in Bangkok, Thailand Sunday November 22, 2020!! © 2020 Dan's Movie Report - Danny Templegod

 

 

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report and Action-Flix.com readers. Actor and stunt professional Ron Smoorenburg is a special guest at the Live Lounge in Bangkok, Thailand. The event takes place Sunday November 22^nd, 2020 at 2pm and runs until 5pm. Ron will be discussing the de-mystifying of the film business. Ron will share his knowledge on how to be an effective actor and learn all aspects of the business side of film. Ron Brings his over two decades of experience to the table, and is looking to save new prospect actors some of the pitfalls and challenges that can arise.

“Everything an actor should know, but is rarely ever told.” “Ron Smoorenburg” Ron will be honest and forthcoming about his own navigation through the film industry and how one can avoid some of the pitfalls.

For registration please go to fluidactor@gmail.com the price is 1,200 baht.

Instructor is Kaprice Kea. 

Event location: https://www.facebook.com/liveloungebkk Please follow this link for information and directions. The location is Bangkok, Thailand

Ron Smoorenburg Official Facebook Page @ https://www.facebook.com/actionmovielife/

 

For all of Ron's videos, acting, and stunt work, please visit his official YouTube Channel @  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59dRBtiMgixXo_ZipWJpRA

Watch for brand new interview with Ron, coming in December!!

IMDB page @ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810653/

Jiu Jitsu (2020) Movie Review © 2020 Dan's Movie Report – Danny Templegod

 

Above: Movie Poster for Jiu Jitsu (C) 2020 Paramount, all rights reserved not monetized.

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report readers, across my desk today comes my action pick of the year! I have always loved the original 'Predator', many have tried to replicate this fantastic film from the 80s

Filmed in beautiful Cyprus, Jiu Jitsu, tells a tail of an alien, who is never specified from which planet, comes every six years to fight. Not entirely like the predator,because it hunts warriors, but oddly warriors who it is specifically pre-determined to fight.

Bear with me, the story is clever. Essentially the filmmakers have created a martial arts version of the Predator. The title of Jiu Jitsu, is a bit odd as there is very little actual Jiu Jitsu in the film, but there are hints of it, when lead Nicholas Cage mentions 'leverage'. Actually this did not deter from the story one bit, there are comic page fill ins, presumably if this becomes a series of a sequel happening. The story has a nice set up in a secret military base, in fact the first twenty minutes was a solid groundwork for what was to come.

I refuse to reveal what happens in this review, nor spoil a thing. Honestly, this belongs in a theater. The Sound, even on my headphones was phenomenal. Musical scoring was theatrical quality. The camera work for the most part was creative, innovative, and enjoyable. There are some very dark scenes, but only minor quips about them. The locations used and sets were very good, I am not entirely sure of the total budget, perhaps in the 10-25 million dollar range. Again this is not a 200 million dollar Marvel film, but creating an R rated universe.

What we are here for as action fans, is the action! There is a HUGE amount, but what I loved is it is interspersed with the story. Tony Jaa is absolutely amazing, gravity defying. His initial scenes are filmed super clear in the day and it is damn epic. His fight is long and enjoyable. I enjoyed all of the stunt work in the entire film for that matter. In the credits the scaffolding company was credited and thanked!

Logistically, a huge amount of behind the scenes work is involved in shooting action. In Jiu Jitsu there is a great attention to detail! Director Dimitri Logothetis does some great work here with the actors and they have the intensity to convey the action.

Nicholas Cage, brings his sardonic humor and impressive acting to the film. In addition to that is a translator, who adds humor and some intellect to the proceedings.

Actress JuJu Chan provides the cunning and guile. Creative use of her extensive martial arts background is used to great effect. Actually, she gets to do a bit of narration. I really like how clear the audio was for the speech, for all of the characters!

The key here is a correct amount of everything in a 102 minute movie. Actually they packed much in, and I can see this being expanded to a series, or a second film, though it can be a fine stand alone film as well. Kudos to all involved more to follow.

Jiu Jitsu ranks an amazing 9.5 out of 10, my action pick of the year, and a must own! The film is available November 20th on various outlets.

 Watch for a JuJu Chan autographed Jiu Jitsu Contest later in 2020!!!

 Trailer: (C) 2020 Paramount  Movies

 

Director Luke Sparke Interview (Occupation: Rainfall) © 2020 Dan's Movie Report – Danny Templegod

 

Greetings valued Dan's Movie Report and Action-Flix.com readers. Blasting on the scene a couple of years ago 'Occupation' is an amazing indie SciFi film from Australia. Director Luke Sparke and his team came up with an innovative and creative tale about the human spirit during an alien invasion. While many films focus on the invasion itself, 'Occupation' focuses on on the people who's lives and world is turned upside down. Occupation is a character driven film in the SciFi genre. Fast forward to 2020, Luke is back with the second film in the series entitled Occupation: Rainfall. The film expands upon the original concept and with a bigger budget and promises more action and intrigue. Luke takes time out of his busy schedule to chat and share his thoughts on the 'Occupation' films. It is time to make it rain!

Danny Templegod: Were you surprised how the reception of the first 'Occupation' film got outside of Australia? If so, chat about some responses that surprised and flattered you and the team.

Luke Sparke: I think as a film maker, you are always going to be surprised by any reception. Good or bad. You make something that you are passionate about and spend every day with, then it gets released to the public and you have no idea what to expect. But yes, getting it on netflix USA was a blessing in that we were suddenly accessible to millions of people a normal indie film like Occupation maybe wouldn't have been.

.

And the majority of responses were amazing, people 'got' what i was going for, and that's maybe the most satisfactory thing when making a film like that. I think the best reactions were ones that didn't expect a film like this out of Australia. Whether its the cliché 'Croc Dundee' or the Aussie dramas, a lot of people hadn't seen an Australia action film since maybe 'Mad Max'.

       

DT: Chat about the evolution of the Amelia character as in the first film she was  a more regular lady turned into a reluctant fighter, now she is a seasoned fighter, I am curious what made you decide to use Jet Tranter for the Amelia character, Jet is great I am just thinking it is a natural evolution? Stephany did great in the first one. Had you watched Jet in 'Lady Bloodfight' and 'Tidelands'?

LS: In Occupation, Amelia was a extremely important character. Everyone in that film started from someplace that could be considered quite 'low' and rose into warriors and heroes. So for Amelia going from a waitress in a small town, to someone that could see something more from the Alien invasion was one of the great themes in that show that I wanted to bring along into Rainfall. 

So it's 2 years later and Amelia has become a fighter, but also a voice for the Alien Allies she has discovered. Behind the scenes there's always schedules to worry about and other factors. But I had seen Jet Tranter in 'Tidelands' and thought she would be a great fit into the story going forward and also match some of the other casting that was going on. It works very well. 

DT: Chat about without spoiling the story what makes 'Occupation: Rainfall' a more intense action SciFi film, obviously the budget was higher. Were there some things you could do in the second film that you were unable to in the first film due to budget constraints?

LS: In 'Occupation', I had a very limited budget to get what I wanted done. My early drafts were much bigger in scope to show this full scale ground invasion that I had to trim back to just 'some actors running around the bush'. But even then it grew - Temuera came on board, we expanded some of the ending to show some military and so forth. 

But in 'Rainfall', I went into it saying 'We have to do this right. We have to do this big'. So right from the word go it was a whole new ball game. I wrote the script I wanted and the team set out to make it. It wasn't easy and nearly everyday has been a challenge of some sort. There's been a lot of people come and go until we found the perfect group of people that were the right fit to bring this story to the big screen. The end product is better than I could have hoped for.  

 

 

DT: Chat about the importance of strong female characters in 'Occupation' and 'Rainfall'. In general do you think that the Amelia character is like a warrior or a role model for women?

LS: I would hope Amelia is a role model, not only for woman but for men or humanity as a whole. There is a long line of really important female characters in cinema or pop culture, starting back with Princess Leia, Sarah Conner, Ellen Ripley, and I hope Amelia could one day move in under that list somewhere. 

It's great to see films like Captain Marvel or Wonder Woman continuing to bring characters like this to a new generation. I have a young daughter myself, so it is very important to me.    

DT: Chat about some of your science fiction influences specifically for Rainfall. Did it vary from the first film?

LS: My influences varied a little from the first film. The first one was very much my pitch - 'Red Dawn crossed with Independence Day' - and that is what everyone got. 

Rainfall is very different but the tone and the feel is more in line with a Star Wars-type film with elements of Indiana Jones and still some ID4. That's what I feel, but someone else could have another interpretation.    

DT: Did you feel more pressure on part two, with regards to a more complicated and bigger scope of the project?

LS: I felt massive pressure everyday. And even as i write this, we're still updating shots and sounds to make it the best it can be. 

I've written this one where you probably don't need to see 'Occupation'. It stands on it's own with new characters and a much bigger story line and scope. The first was about a town, this one is about the world.  

DT: Chat about how the premieres went for 'Rainfall' in Australia. I am assuming they were all sold out of very close to it.

LS: It's always amazing and terrifying to sit down in a cinema for the first time with an audience. I love it. And it's great this time because I think people were blown away in the first 10 minutes. It's like a ride that doesn't really let up. 

Selling out multiple screens in a number of different cities in the Covid world is very good and hopefully a glimpse of things to come for this film.   

DT: If you had double the budget for 'Rainfall', what would you add to the movie, to make it even more intense?

LS: I don't know what I could add. I'm pretty happy and confident with the film as it stands. Maybe some extra time on the set to let me have more goes at takes? Maybe another 'A list' actor? Who knows. But I'm happy. 

DT: I know it is very early yet, do you have an idea for a part three of 'Occupation'? Have you ever envisioned a Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu series for 'Occupation'?

LS: You'll have to see the ending to this film, is all I can say. 

But yes, I have so many ideas swirling in my head about this world I have created, it's very exciting. I'm hoping with the release of 'Rainfall' I might be able to get in a room with one of the streamers you have mentioned.  

DT: Wrapping up, do you have any other projects slated for later in 2020 or 2021 you are able to discuss?

LS: I've announced 5 - 6 projects we are developing internally. Ranging from action/comedy to a drama to a large TV series with time travel. We'll see which one gets there first, but it's all very exciting. I'll be working every day to make them become a reality, just very, very hard work!

For further information on Luke check out his Official Facebook Page @

https://www.facebook.com/LukeSparkeOfficial/

Facebook Official Page for Occupation: Rainfall @ https://www.facebook.com/occupationthemovie

IMDB Page for Occupation: Rainfall: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8615822/

My review for the original 'Occupation' film: http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2018/07/occupation-2018-movie-review-2018-danny.html

 

Finally check out the trailer for Occupation: Rainfall!( MovieGasm.com trailer credit.)

© 2020 Dan's Movie Report – Danny Templegod