We are very honored to be an official selection at the Phantasmagoria Film Festival in England. When we were developing Dogs Of Chinatown we wanted to make a film that could be accessible to an international audience. Being a part of this film fest makes us feel like we’ve accomplished part of our goals for Dogs.

Dogs Of Chinatown will be screening at 11:00AM on Sunday, August 16th at the festival. For more info check out their site here.

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that Dogs Of Chinatown is an official selection of the Action On Film Festival. Not only that but we’ve been nominated for awards in four different categories:

Best Sound Design – Feature
Breakout Action Star – Male – Feature (Eric Jacobus)
Best Fight Choreography – Feature
Action Film of the Year – Feature

We were honored just to be an official selection but this really blows us away. I’m really happy for our friends Rick Burnett and Andy Coon that went the extra mile with our sound. Hopefully this makes up for all the headaches Micah and myself caused them. They worked so hard for us and nobody deserves this nomination more than the two of them.

Breakout Action Star – Eric Jacobus? Tell us something we don’t know. Eric is a very humble guy and would never toot his own horn so I’ll do it for him. We were so fortunate that Eric was willing to come to NC and be a part of this project. I can’t tell you how great it was to work with him. He is very deserving of this award. I’m one of his biggest fans and I feel like he not only deserves the nomination but also deserves to win. He is simply one of the most talented people in the country working in action films. With luck, we’ll be able to get him back here soon.

I definitely feel like we hired the best when Eric Jacobus and Ray Carbonel agreed to come out and not only play roles in the film but also do all the fight choreography. I think the fight scenes in the film speak for themselves. They did an amazing job and really deserve this nomination. I felt like Ray deserved a best supporting actor nomination but I’m sure he’s happy with this as well. Eric and Ray are amazing and I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about them in the future.

It is truly an honor to be nominated for Action Film Of The Year. Micah and myself were so fortunate to have so many great people working on this film with us. This nomination is really for everyone that worked on the film. We really couldn’t have done it without the help of so many good friends.

Hopefully more good things to come for Dogs Of Chinatown but this definitely makes us very happy and proud to have worked with so many great people on this project.

A huge thanks goes out to Crimson Wolf Productions and Fantastic Films International for believing that our very modest little film could go on to be this successful.

For those interested, Dogs of Chinatown will be playing at the Action On Film Festival. Here’s the info: Friday, July 24, 8 pm Block, Academy 3.

Thanks again for all the support,

Blake Faucette
Micah Moore
Andy Coon

Also, what goes better with a movie than BEER? Nothing! BEER, BEER, BEER! The Carousel is going to be selling $1.25 beers every night that Dogs Of Chinatown is screening. So come get your drink on!

Here’s the link to buy tickets:
http://www.carouselbattleground.com/movies/dogs-of-chinatown/
(Click on the 7:30PM to get your tickets)

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know about our screening of Dogs Of Chinatown that is coming up. The screening will be Tuesday, May 19th @ 9:00pm at The Garage in Winston-Salem. Admission is free but small donations are encouraged. Buying Andy, Blake and Micah drinks is also heavily encouraged. All donations will be put toward future festival entry fees.

For those of you that have never been to The Garage, it’s a great little bar that routinely has film screenings, music acts and other events. Very cool place to have a drink and watch a film. We’d like to thank Richard and the staff at The Garage for letting us screen the film there. So please come out to support the film and also to support a great local business that has been very supportive of the art community.

Dogs Of Chinatown Screening (FREE)
May 19th @ 9:00pm
The Garage
110 West 7th Street
Winston-Salem NC 27101
(336) 777-1127
http://www.the-garage.ws

Directions here:
http://www.the-garage.ws/directions.html

The film is not rated but does contain scenes of violence, adult language, nudity and other fun stuff. You’ve been warned, haha.

Thanks so much for the continued support.

Blake Faucette
Micah Moore
Andy Coon
myspace.com/dogsofchinatown
allacesmedia.com

Seating is limited to 200 per screening, so don’t wait, buy your tickets TODAY! Screenings will be followed by a Q&A session hosted by the film’s stars, Eric Jacobus and Ray Carbonel.

Admission Price: $8
Running Time: 93 Minutes

Location:
Four Star Theatre
2200 Clement St.
(Cross street is 23rd Ave.)
San Francisco, CA 94121

Date/Time:
Friday, March 20 @ 9:00pm
Friday, April 3 @ 9:00pm

Parking is limited so come early!

Where to Purchase:
Tickets may be purchased at The Stunt People Store here or at the Four Star Theatre box office on the nights of the screenings (subject to availability).

DOGS OF CHINATOWN (2008)

Written & Directed by: Micah Moore
Stunt/Fight Choreography: Eric Jacobus & Ray Carbonel
Starring: Eric Jacobus, Huyen Thi & Ray Carbonel

American independent action cinema seems to be going from strength to strength. With the likes of Contour, Broken Path and pretty much anything Isaac Florentine does (Undisputed 2), the scene shows that a little money and a lot of heart and talent can make a small movie big. Dogs of Chinatown can be added to this elite group as it not only delivers top notch action but takes the independent action film to new and successful stylistic heights. Micah Moore’s flick is one part Sin City styling, one part gangster drama and one part full blooded martial arts that all adds up to a striking and entertaining whole.

Contour’s Eric Jacobus stars as Jack, a down on his luck dude who thinking of ending his own life one night, steps into a mob hit and saves the life of a young woman, Jin (Thi). She turns out to be the mistress of a local Chinese kingpin who is impressed with Jack’s nerve and people killing skills. He offers Jack a position in his ‘family’ sending him to train in the arts of martial, war and murder. Adapting to his new lifestyle with vigour, Jack becomes an elite killing machine but cannot stop his growing feelings for Jin. Soon the two are lovers and torn between his loyalty to his new ‘family’ and that of his woman, Jack sets out on a deadly course of action which will see the city’s gangs turning violently against one another and Jack and Jin fighting for their freedom and lives.

Dogs of Chinatown is first and foremost bursting with style and creativity. The often colourful, comic book vibrancy sets the tone from the get go, letting you know this is no run-of-the-mill action flick. Colours, backgrounds and even actors are often bursting with colour with the surroundings often heightened to make them standout. Blue rain, black and white scenes, light reflecting of characters all fuse into a vibrant palette that help to heighten the comic book and ultra violent nature of the film. Moore and his crew take a risky step using this technique but it works wonderfully giving the film a feel all of its own. The film is also violent in nature keeping in with the tone of warring gangsters meaning blood is spilt, there is a fair bit of nudity and you really feel it when characters are killed. Mercifully, there is a sense of humour, proceedings never taking themselves too seriously. Most of the comic relief comes from Jack’s trainer, Wei (Brian Lee) who, often drunk, has some great one liners especially when it comes to picking up women.

The cast are universally good, the leads really carrying the picture. Jacobus has proved with Contour he can cut it as a leading man, hitting comedy and action beats in equal measure, but gets the chance to act serious here. He pulls it off, never going too intense but showing he can act in between kicking people’s asses. His chemistry with Huyen Thi works well, the two making a believable couple. There is also fine support from Rudy Chu as the Chinese mob boss and Brian Lee as Jack’s trainer, who manages to switch from drunken comedy clown to kick ass fighter with ease. Ray Carbonel, another alumnus from Contour, also gets the chance to cut loose in the acting department as a seriously nasty character called The General. Good to see him getting more lines this time.

But with the cool styling and violent tone, does the action still deliver? It does, in a series of brutal one-on-one fights and several scenes of hard hitting gunplay. Choreographed by Jacobus and Carbonel (The Stunt People) the action is fluid, fast and focused. Shot wide, we get to see the moves, the hits and the takedowns with Jacobus and Carbonel going toe-to-toe in one fantastic scene. The fights aren’t as big and as intricate as say, Contour, but fit in with the tone of the film, an early fight in a restaurant setting the brutal nature of the fights. The only (minor) complaint is, there could have been just a few more but otherwise Dogs of Chinatown delivers great western styled, Hong Kong influenced action.

Dogs of Chinatown may not be an action film for everyone as its tone and style are quite different from most action films. But this is also to its benefit as it sets itself apart from the crowd successfully with its unique take on an old story all the while delivering blistering fights and action. Another success for The Stunt People and a great first feature for Moore and his crew. Unique, stylish and action soaked, Dogs of Chinatown proves that the right people with the right mindset can create something great when the passion and determination is there. If you are disappointed at all with recent efforts from the big budget Hollywood machine then check out Dogs of Chinatown. Let’s hope it gets an official release soon.

The Impact Magazine article was written by Andrew Skeates who also runs the Cool Target blog that reviews action films (new and old). You can check that out here.

Impact Magazine is one of the biggest and best magazines in the world that cover action films. You can visit their site here.