Written and directed by David Van Tassel as a student at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, Legacy of Dog is a movie I had the pleasure to star in as the lead villain. The ruthless gang leader, Osiris Munich.
Henry, a young man who grew up in a small village discovers that someone has killed his Master, the man who raised him. Now he is set on a journey of revenge where he must travel to a different world of the big city to exact vengeance.
Creating the fight choreography for the final climactic battle between myself and Henry was a tough task, and one I did not take lightly. Working with rising star Nick McCourt, who had never taken a martial art in his life, I had to instruct him in some Kung Fu basics (the Shaolin styles I have learned under Fundi John Weeks at Self Mastery Systems) including footwork, waist movement, and stances. Nick learned super-quick, and by the time we had to film the showdown, he was a force to be reckoned with.
Before you see the final fight in the finished version of the film, I have a treat for you all to check out: some exclusive behind-the-scenes recordings of the training sessions, edited to Eminem’s “Cinderella Man”. I figured the music was appropriate, because it applies to Nick’s character Henry, who must defy the odds and defeat the evil Kung Fu master, Osiris Munich, so that he can avenge his grandfather and save the town of Bellicus City.
You can also watch the original prequel minisode in which Munich appears for the first time, “Two Brothers”, a role I personally felt was a source of major growth in my acting skills. Instead of playing Munich as a super-angry psycho gangster, I tried a different approach. Let me know what you think! Mad props to David Van Tassel for getting this project off the ground!
I got an unexpected call from Rob Moroney last night, telling me he had an extra ticket to the Red State Tour in DC. I had no idea it was happening. Red State wasn’t a movie I was sure I had much interest in, but I knew Kevin Smith– a hero from my teenage years– would be there. And I also knew that Rob Moroney and I had a track record for hunting down famous people and getting pictures with them. Among other things…
Before the show began, Kevin came up on stage to give us in the audience some intel and backstory on the project. While I had heard Kevin Smith was making a horror movie, I had never really read much into it, figuring that, like most of his last few movies, I’d end up seeing it on DVD at some point in the comfort of my own home. Not in this case- I was amidst a sea of maybe two thousand or so Kevin Smith fans, hungry for his second to last project, and certainly his most diverse and unique film in his collection.
So I didn’t know a lot going in. I didn’t know that the badguys were essentially a cartoonized version of the Phelps clan of Everybody Haters, turned into Yosemite Sammites, out to purge the world of everything that used its genitals for non-procreation. Based on Smith’s opening words to the audience, and the final result of the film, it felt like he created this family of yahoos by imagining what it would be like if the Phelps family played too much Grand Theft Auto 3. But more about that when I get to my short review.
As you know, Paul R. Sieber has already been cast in the local hit man drama, Bite the Hand. Joining him are two other amazing actors, John C. Bailey and Daniel Lee Mascarello.
Be sure to check out the official site for Bite the Hand to see the update!
We are still looking for our main character, RED. Red is described as:
early to mid 20s, unkempt and desperate, with only a little pride left. Former military, dishonorably discharged. Up and coming hitman who is about to learn a lesson in manners. We are looking for any ethnicity, just must be able to convey a lot of emotions with body language and facial expressions. Military experience not required but might be helpful if you have it. Physicality and firearms training also a plus. Does NOT have red hair.
Send in your headshot and resume to bitethehandmovie@gmail.com to audition for this part! You’ll get to work with three of the BEST actors in the local industry!
I’d like to proudly announce that the next feature from Strike a Pose!!! Films short film will be BITE THE HAND, a gritty, dramatic hitman thriller, directed by Dylan Hintz, written by Tom Murphy, shot by Habib Awan, and starring Paul R. Sieber. Find us on Facebook HERE! Visit the new subdomain website HERE!
Here’s the official synopsis:
A job comes along that Jack doesn’t like- whacking the wife and kids of his “client.” When he refuses, Jack knows someone will be coming to retire him, courtesy of his boss, Mr. Callahan. What he doesn’t know is Red is a new recruit with nothing to lose- a hungry dog looking to eat. Jack decides to try and educate the young killer that some orders are best refused, and some lifestyles aren’t worth living.
This project has been in development for almost a year now, primarily going through draft after draft of an excellent original script written by Tom Murphy. The story, conceived by Murphy and myself, started as a humble “two guys in a room trying to shoot each other” hardboiled semi-action flick, and evolved into the dramatic tale it is today- a darkly humorous mediation on the themes of loyalty, betrayal, and killing to live.
Already locked is actor Paul Sieber as Jack– a recently retired hitman who quit his job and has decided the life no longer suits him. You may remember Paul from such films as Ninjas vs. Vampires, Garden of Hedon, and Jebediah.
Remember the good ol’ days where you’d get your functioning dysfunctional family together to go down to the local Country Western bar to listen to your dad sing about shooting himself in the head? Yeah, me neither. Till now! Last week I teamed up with fellow film maker Habib Awan, a rising local DC industry talent, to produce a performance video for another rising talent from Florida- my dad, David Hintz.
Visiting up here in Maryland, David arranged to play at an open mic night at the Outta the Way Cafe in Derwood. He performed five songs, including two of his own original tracks, “Bullet in my Brain” and “Restless Winter Days”. He also did a couple of John Prine covers, similar to his last performance I posted about a few months ago. Click the link above to see the event for yourself! (Photos Courtesy of Habib Awan).
SYNOPSIS (Taken from the Official Facebook Group):
David Hintz- Honest Heart