The Hitman And The Assassin - A Singapore-UK Action Short Film Premiering Internationally 19 Jan 2025

Forget about Bridgerton and Downton Abbey. It is time to watch something different by leaping right into an action-packed SG-UK short film collaboration entitled “The Hitman And The Assassin”. The action film which was directed by William Axtell, stars UK action actor Colin Squire and Red Dot Island’s own action actor and film-maker, Jonathan Cheong.

Colin Squire, also the producer of the film, fell in love with action movies when he was a young child. From then on, Colin learned and tried different kinds of martial arts, including karate, kickboxing and taekwondo. His foray into acting came by when he took a workshop by British action star Mark Strange during the pandemic lockdown. When the lockdown was lifted, Colin was given the chance to star in a couple of Mark Strange's short action films, including “Combat Zone”. “Combat Zone” went on to win a string of awards at film festivals.  

8 years ago, local actor Jonathan Cheong started out Raging Fire Productions, with a vision to uplift genre films in Red Dot Island. Inspired by his idol and role model Donnie Yen, Jonathan strives to produce realistic fight sequences coupled with engaging story-telling. To date, Jonathan has worked on several movies, short films, TV shows, promotional gigs, web series and more. Some of these titles include the celebrated “Star Wars fan film Legend Of Hope: A Star Wars Fan Film” (2020), awrd-winning “Bullet For Vengeance” (2023) and a memorable role as Bearded Man in Kuman Films' viral dystopian movie “Pendatang”. For most of these own productions, Jonathan provides the choreography for the action sequences .

After meeting at the Fighting Spirit Film Festival last year, Colin and Jonathan bonded over their passion about action movies and discussed about doing a short film together. The result is a fun (and also, funny) action short film where a Singaporean Assassin bids for the same victim as a Brit Hitman. Will they end up eliminating each other? Or will they become deadly frenemies?

“The Hitman And The Assassin marks the first time I'm part of a project in the West,” says Jonathan Cheong. “What's fun and unique is that I'm not playing an English but rather a Singaporean Hitman that happens to somehow be on the soil of England. And it just so happens that another local Assassin is there to do his job!

The film may seem to be really simple and direct, but it sets up alot of potentials for the future sequels to come! What's another interesting aspect is in the title itself. The Hitman and the Assassin! The film literally plays the stereotype we think of in movies of which the Hitman being better dressed than an Assassin! There is alot of humor but really intense action scenes coupled with!”

Colin Squire added, “The Hitman And The Assassin gave me a huge opportunity to learn and work with the talented Jonathan Cheong, and brilliant Will Axtell. Jonathan approached me with a great first concept which was a bit more serious but it soon evolved naturally in to a shorter action comedy with I believe turned out for the best.

The story has been done many times, but I think our fun, short film has some great action sequences and has laid the foundations for all of the three characters to evolve. Ben created a fun character spontaneously because in the original version he was not even meant to talk, if the opportunity allows us it will be interesting to see how the Hitman and the Assassin's relationship grow.”

“The Hitman And The Assassin” premiered at Bristol’s Forbidden Worlds Film Festival. Even though the film did not win an award in that festival, it garnered several awards in other notable film festivals in 2024. These awards include Best Action and Best Poster at No Country For Old Film Festival, Best Action Short at Paris Film Awards, and Best Poster and Best Comedy Action at International Film Festival.

Look out for the film as it is set to premiere internationally on director Will Axtell’s Youtube channel on 19 January 2025.


Colin Squire and Jonathan Cheong will also be appearing as special guests of the next Live With Red Dot Diva happening this Sunday (15 December 2024), at 11 PM SGT (3 PM GMT) on Red Dot Diva’s Facebook Page and Youtube channel. Join in to catch clips from the movie, chat with the actors and you get the chance ask them questions about the action film industry.

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Top Gun: Maverick – A Light, Water & Pyrotechnic Extravaganza At Marina Bay Sands - What A Blast!

After 36 years, the long awaited sequel TOP GUN: MAVERICK starring Tom Cruise, is now showing at theatres all over the world. The follow-up movie is set 30 years after the original action blockbuster film TOP GUN, and sees the return of Tom Cruise' character Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Val Kilmer as Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.

In tune with the TOP GUN movies stories about US Navy fighter pilots, TOP GUN: MAVERICK had a world premiere on board the aircraft carrier USS Midway, where Tom Cruise made a heckuva entrance by flying and landing a helicopter on the ship deck. To add on to the spectacle, there were also jet flyovers and the presence of uniformed servicemen accompanying the cast members on the red carpet.

Red Dot Island has seen her share of flashy red carpet premieres in recent years before the pandemic struck. Ever since a series of lockdowns and limited social restrictions in 2019, big scale events such as these have yet to return to our shores. In a way, Red Dot Diva misses these grand affairs, even though the messy and sweaty hours of standing in the public fans' area does suck the energy of from her for a couple of days or so. She has also suffered a few minor bruises and scrapes from being right in the fray of things. Still, the possibility of getting close to your favourite celebrity was real, and if you managed to get that rare selfie with the actor, well... then you are probably set for your entire geek life.

Hopefully, movie premieres will return in a big way in Red Dot Island again soon. Meanwhile, less flashy movie premieres at cinemas are still held by the local distributors. UIP Singapore's premiere event for TOP GUN: MAVERICK held at Shaw Theatres Lido saw some well-known celebrities in attendance, as well as a few US Navy aviators based here.

Punch In For Kung Fu Season 2 on Warner TV (Premieres 10 March 2022)

Mention the “Kung Fu" series to Gen X-ers, and they will immediately remember the 1970's show which starred David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, a half-Chinese Shaolin monk who was framed for murder, and came to America to search for his family. It is well known that martial arts legend Bruce Lee was passed over for the main role, and it has been argued that this was due to his accent, which the audience may find difficulty understanding. It just goes to show the level of discrimination Asian and Asian-American actors face, trying to get visibility in tinseltown. The original series has also been criticized for its prominent white-washing and propagating of Asian stereotypes.

With the rebooted, reimagining of the series that premiered in 2021, the creators Christina M. Kim, Martin Gero, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Robert Berens and Warner Bros TV hope to right some of the wrongs regarding Hollywood's ‘bamboo ceiling’. In this new gender-bent version set in modern times, Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen, a young Chinese American woman who ran away from her university studies and ended up learning Shaolin kungfu at a monastery in China.

The first season of KUNG FU follows Nicky's homecoming in San Francisco, to find that her parents owes the mob money due to the family's failing restaurant business. A dangerous Triad has now taken hold of her home district, and is overrun with crime and corruption. While trying to solve the mystery of her sifu's death, Nicky also makes it her mission to disentangle her family from the mobsters and use her kung fu skills to fight for justice.

Season 2 of KUNG FU premieres today (10 March 2022) on Warner TV. There is more battles ahead for Nicky, as the family reunites with a long-lost cousin named Mia (Vanessa Yao). What has Mia got to do with the Russell Tan (Kee Chan), the current season's Big Bad?

If you have yet to get on board with the show, it is still not too late to start. Red Dot Diva gives you the five reasons why you should watch KUNG FU:

The Marksman Is Standard Liam Neeson Fare, But Slower

Veteran star Liam Neeson has done a Hayao Miyakazi, that is, publicly announce that they plan to "retire", and then come back doing the thing they do best. Now in his late 60s, Neeson is back starring as a lead in an action-thriller called “THE MARKSMAN”. The movie opened at local theatres a few days ago on 25 February.

Living in his ranch at the Arizona-Mexico border, Vietnam war veteran Jim Hanson (Liam Neeson) is leading a lonely life together with his trusty pet dog. He has just lost his wife to cancer, and he is about to lose his property to the bank too. He passes by his days with melancholy, downing a regular bottle of whisky, and saving his livestock from coyotes - thanks to his skills as a marksman. From time to time, Hanson would notify the border patrol whenever he spots illegal immigrants pass by his land.

Concept Trailer Launched for Singapore Superhero Series, Sacred Guardian Singa!

Soon, Red Dot Island will have another superhero to call our own! And, he is even more awesome than VR Man. His name is Sacred Guardian Singa, and he possesses great power from an ancient source of local and South-East Asian origins.

Sacred Guardian Singa is a passion project by Basil Yeo, Gan Meng Yeow and Aydeel Djoeharie, the founders of tokuAsia. tokuAsia first started out as a community built to foster the appreciation tokusatsu entertainment, which includes the likes of Godzilla and Kamen Rider. Their love for tokusatsu movies has inspired them to do a fan movie for many years, and finally, they worked together with other equally dedicated team members and partners, to bring a Red Dot Island version of a tokusatsu superhero to life via a recently formed company tokuAsia Pictures LLP.

A comic book called SACRED GUARDIANS about the origin of Sacred Guardian Singa and his past lives will be launched this year through Asiapac Books. It will be written by Aydeel Djoeharie with illustrations by Alan Bay. And of course, a Sacred Guardian Singa live action series is expected to be developed by end-2020.

For now, the co-founders of tokuAsia are excited to share the Sacred Guardian Singa concept trailer to fans out there:
 
“We are thrilled to finally be able to present the concept trailer for Sacred Guardian Singa to the entire world. It was always our vision to develop a superhero story that resonates with who we are and our place in this world, yet contains enough universal themes that will appeal to someone living on the other side of the globe,” said Basil Yeo, CEO of tokuAsia Pte. Ltd.

“The concept trailer gives our audience an idea of the flavour of the Sacred Guardians brand, and the quality that they can expect as we continue to develop the pilot episode, with a view of making a full series by year end. With the incredible level of talent we have on-board the project, and the amazing support that we have received from our partners and the community, we are very confident that we can take the brand to the next level,” said Aydeel Djoeharie, COO of tokuAsia Pte. Ltd.

Red Dot Diva watched the Sacred Guardian Singa trailer when it premiered at Singapore Comic Con last December. She appreciated how the trailer managed to show a Red Dot Island heart at its core, with relatable South-East Asian faces, recognisable accents, well choreographed fight scenes, and an appealing superhero costume (love the white and gold aesthetic and that lion headgear design!).

**For the non-locals, Singa means lion in Sanskrit. It is where the name Singapore comes from, which means Lion City.

CHECK OUT THE SACRED GUARDIAN SINGA TRAILER HERE:

Triple Frontier Biceps Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund at Red Carpet Event, Singapore

WOWZA!

Not only was the weather scorching hot yesterday, the area at Marina Bay Sands' Digital Light Canvas rose to a few hundred degrees Celsius in the evening as well.

Why, you ask? Because three-fifths of the Special Ops Boyband aka as Netflix's action thriller-heist-drug cartel war movie called “Triple Frontier” - Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedland plus producer Chuck Roven - were in town for a red carpet event.

Red Dot Diva was there to check out those hunky biceps and here are some of the details of what went down during those couple of hours.

The fan area opened at about 4 PM for those who had tickets for the event. Unlike other red carpet events, this one seemed pretty chill. The layout was neatly designed with clearly marked out areas for fans to stand in. Security and crew also seemed clear with their instructions given, and there was a generous space for the media folks right in front of the stage.

There was only a handful of fans who were very early. Up till 6 PM or so, there was a still lots of space available for more people to get onto the fan pit. Before the Netflix PR folks arrived, Red Dot Diva was still unsure if she wanted to stand with the fans (better chance of selfies and autographs), or get into the media pit. In the end, she decided to sacrifice the chance for possible (sometimes blurry) selfies, for the opportunity to take clearer pics up close for social media and the RDD blog. You can thank her much much by following her blog and social media accounts. ;)

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Check out the striking red carpet, all ready for the stars to walk on. While everyone was waiting, Class 95 DJs The Muttons got everyone warmed up, gave out some swag, and introduced the fans to the “Triple Frontier” trailer.

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HBO Asia's "Grisse" - Feisty Gun-slinging Western set in the Rojakness of South-East Asia

As a child from a primarily English-speaking home, Red Dot Diva has always fantasized of being able to watch South-East Asian tales on TV or in the movies which were spoken in English. Local TV dramas and sitcoms in the 1990's helped to bring Red Dot Island stories to the forefront, but international exposure was very limited.

It has been a long time coming, but in recent years, HBO Asia has been passionate about showcasing stories from this region to the world, and Red Dot Diva is always delighted to see and support the shows that they invest in.

Tonight, 4 November (Sunday), "Grisse", another new English language original series by the cable channel will be premiering at 9 PM. Set in 1800’s Indonesia, during the time when the Dutch East Indies were busy colonizing this region, the period drama has a unique look - a South-Asian story with an Old Western aesthetic, complete with all that dirt, dust, feisty heroines, and gun battles. The series is created by Mike Wiluan, and has eight 1-hour long episodes.

Step into the town of Grisse, and you will be greeted by people from different creeds and agendas. The Indonesian rebels have taken a stand in the gritty town, leading the way to eradicate colonialism and tyranny. Occasionally fighting alongside them are the factions consisting of the Chinese, and the "Half-breeds".

New Seasons of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Lethal Weapon on Warner TV Asia

Warner TV Asia, home of DC Comics' superhero shows like "Arrow", "The Flash", "Supergirl" and "DC Legends of Tomorrow", has a list of other TV series that appeal to geeky folks. Non-Arrowverse shows like "Krypton" and "Gotham" help to expand the DC Universe, and "iZombie" (loosely based on the comic book series of the same name) cater to those who like zombies but prefer something far less intense than AMC's "The Walking Dead".

Three other shows aired by Warner TV are also set to returning on screen this week. They are "The Big Bang Theory", its prequel series "Young Sheldon", and cop show "Lethal Weapon".


THE BIG BANG THEORY

Special Premiere: 25 September 2018, Tuesday, 8:10 PM
Episodes: every Friday from September 28, 8:10 PM

This will be the 12th and last season of the long running comedy series. It is in fact the longest-running multi-camera comedy series in TV history. The sitcom has told stories about eccentric geek Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and his friends, like Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who finally gotten married. Sheldon himself tied the knot with neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) in the finale of Season 11, with surprise guest Mark Hamill officiating the wedding! It will be business as usual in this final season, with Sheldon playing fantasy role-playing games with friends that include fellow scientists Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Howard’s wife, Bernadette (Melissa Rauch).

Are You War Ready for "Pacific Rim Uprising"?

Kaijus going head to head with Jaegers. Or in non-geek speak - Monsters vs Super Machines. That was the main crux of "Pacific Rim", the otaku-pleasing, Guillermo del Toro-directed monster film that became an international hit back in 2013.

The movie had thrilling action sequences, a great chemistry between the two leads Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, a wonderful Asian female character, fun witty repartee, and the guiltiest pleasure of all -- Idris Elba. Since then, fans (including Red Dot Diva) have been clamouring for more Pacific Rim.

In the years that followed, Guillermo del Toro tried his best to get a sequel off the ground. He had a script ready, however due to conflicts between Legendary and distributor Universal Pictures, production was put to halt. Finally, in early 2016, Legendary announced that the sequel called "Pacific Rim Uprising", will go ahead with a new director and script, with Guillermo del Toro staying on as a producer.

The new director is Stephen S. DeKnight, who is best known as the creator and writer of Starz's "Spartacus" series, is also the showrunner for the first season of Marvel's "Daredevil" TV series.

LEGO Ninjago Lands at Plaza Singapura from 28 August to 10 September 2017

Do you love ninjas? Especially Ninjas in LEGO form? Oh, and what about dragons? Yes... That too?
Then, you must already be a fan of the Ninjago line from LEGO!

The  LEGO Ninjago Movie is set to open at theatres in September, and the marketing vehicle is out in full force.

Red Dot Diva's friend, Jas the "adult kid", was at the  LEGO Ninjago Challenge Event at Plaza Singapura yesterday. Here's her report on how much fun she had while she was there.

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Similar to the activity booths that were launched at ION when The LEGO Batman Movie opened in cinemas, the LEGO Ninjago Movie has set up a challenge event held at Plaza Singapura.

There is a pop up store by Bricks World selling various Lego sets across the different brands, but of course LEGO Ninjago sets take up the most prominent display.

The LEGO #NINJAGOCHALLENGE Event Play Area consists of 4 stations, the Briefing Station 1, where a staff will explain to you what the entire event is about. (Note that the staff might dissuade adults if there is a line of little kids already waiting in line. Try to gather your own “team” of 3 adult players to take part in the same time slot!)

Daniel Wu (吳彥祖) Leads New AMC Martial Arts Drama Series "Into The Badlands" - Premieres 16 November 2015

Who loves watching kick-ass martial arts movies?

Red Dot Diva does.

She was brought up on a constant fodder of martial arts movies. Ever since she was a kid, she has been relishing those action movies churned out by Shaw Brothers Studio, with actors Ti Lung, David Chiang, Wang Yu and Brigitte Lin gracing the big screen with their moves. In later years, Red Dot Diva continued to get kicks out of watching Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Donnie Yen, and Jet Li movies. Thanks to her Dad and an uncle who loved kung fu movies. She even has a cousin named after famous wuxia actress Chen Pei-Pei!

Which brings about how excited Red Dot Diva about AMC's new drama series "Into The Badlands", created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar ("Smallville"). The 6-episode show is set in a dystopian world, 500 years from now, where guns have been outlawed. This gives a great excuse for AMC to bring back martial arts to our TV screens.

"Dragon Blade" Gala Premiere - Excited Fans at GV Vivocity and A Movie Review by Vernon

The very very very expensive epic historical action movie "Dragon Blade" opens officially in cinemas island-wide today on 19 February, the 1st day of Chinese New Year.

From what Red Dot Diva was told, the movie did very well during the sneak screenings from 13-15 February, grossing about S$147,662 in just 3 days.

RED CARPET
The cast were in visibly good spirits on their first promotional stop in Red Dot Island, even though Adrien did seem jetlagged at the morning's press conference.

Later that day at GV Vivocity for the red carpet gala premiere, they seem to have perked up more. Hundreds of fans (mostly young ones, who seem to be there screaming for Choi SiWon) were lined up along the passageway leading into the multiplex, all eager to catch a glimpse of their favourite idol(s).

Jackie leads the way on the red carpet (pic from Encore)

Win A Pair of Tickets to Watch Action Flick "Dragon Blade"! (Plus Where You Can Meet the Stars!)

ICMYI -- a troupe of popular movie stars and their entourage are set to descend on our little Red Dot Island next week for promotional activities surrounding the premiere of "Dragon Blade"!

They include action superstar Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Choi Siwon, Lin Peng and Wang Ruo Xin. (Check out more details in a previous blog article here.)

The China-produced movie, which will premiere island-wide during the Chinese New Year season on 19 February, is said to have cost a vault-busting, record-breaking USD 65 million to film. This probably doesn't include the costs of the two fancy private jets that will be bringing the group here in time for the press conference on 10 February, a meet and greet at Nex's atrium as well as the Gala Premiere at GV Vivocity.

After the whirlwind of activities, Red Dot Diva was told that the entourage will then zoom off to the next promotional stop on their private jets.

"Dragon Blade" actors Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Adrien Brody in Singapore for Gala Premiere!

Lunar New Year is a time when many Chinese movies like comedies or blockbusters are released. For many Chinese communities around the world, it has become a tradition to gather a bunch of family members or good friends after the reunion dinner, and head to the cinema to catch a film.

For this coming Year of the Ram, the movie to look out for is action period drama "Dragon Blade" (天将雄狮), which stars action superstar, Jackie Chan, Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, A-lister John Cusack, Korean pop-idol Choi Siwon (Super Junior) and Chinese actresses, Lin Peng and Wang Ruo Xin.

The movie is directed by famed HK film maker Daniel Lee (“White Vengeance”, “14 Blades”) and is set in 48BC, during the Han Dynasty, when Lucius (John Cusack), a Roman general accused of treason treks into the Middle Kingdom with his pack of soldiers. While in the Gobi Desert, he befriends and forms an alliance with Huo An (Jackie Chan), a former commander forced into slavery by corrupt officials. Hot on Lucius' heels is Tiberius (Adrien Brody), the ambitious baddie son of Rome's Consul. Tiberius is leading a large troop of 100,000 soldiers toward the Chinese border, intent on capturing the runaway general.

So... What Films Are There at Screen Singapore 2013?

Screen Singapore is returning next week at the Sands Expo, Marina Bay Sands (3rd - 6th December) in Singapore, together with the Asia Television Forum (ATF) - a content marketplace for industry players to network and interact with each other.

During the event, there will be a series of forums and panels for industry professionals to participate in. The topics discussed during the conference will range from financing to marketing to content programming, with a total of about 69 speakers from various countries. A list of these speakers can be found here.

Local Red Dot Islanders who will be sharing their insights include Jack Neo and Anthony Chen - fresh from the Golden Horse wins that he got for his movie "Ilo Ilo". "Ilo Ilo" has won 20 international awards to-date, including Best Feature Film at the Golden Horse Awards and Camera d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival.

So far, Red Dot Diva has been informed of two films premieres during ATF/ Screen Singapore 2013.

A Darker Nikita - Preview Screening at Comic Con

It has always been a tradition for the last few years that there will be a special screening on Comic Con's Preview Night. This year, WB decided to promote CW's "Nikita" - their remake of that popular TV show "La Femme Nikita" from many years back.

After many hours of waiting in line and making our cursory preview round of the exhibit hall, Red Dot Diva and her pal, @eserei27 decided to rest their tired feet and bums at the cavernous Ballroom 20 where the "Nikita" preview screening was held.

After watching the "Nikita" pilot, it felt that Red Dot Diva found that it wasn't so much a remake, but more a sequel to the original series.