Lee B. Golden III

About Lee B. Golden III

https://mediumblue-gerbil-491410.hostingersite.com

Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!

Posts by Lee Golden:

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Fantasia XXV Review: Travis Taute’s INDEMNITY, A Pulsating Political Action Thriller With A Healing Touch

Lee B. Golden III

Barring the Bourne comparison I made when I posted the most recent trailer for Indemnity, I can earnestly say that the new espionage thriller from writer and director Travis Taute offers something much more authentic in its execution. There’s poetry even – the kind that can only be tapped into with solid writing and acting to boot, which is certainly what Taute aims to deliver for a film that might have been handled a lot less desireably if it were anyone else at the helm, to say the least. The film opens as we meet Theo Abrams (Geduld), still suffering from psychological tramua as he’s been since forced into a leave of absence from his Cape Town fire brigade after losing two members of his squad months earlier. The residual affects of Theo’s condition frequently test the ever-shaky ground of his marriage with the loving Angela (Nicole Fortuin) and their […]

PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND: Cage, Boutella, Sakaguchi, Guns Ablaze And Sword-Slashing Thrills In The Official Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

Get an armfull of your favorite snacks and check your brain at the door, because cult genre cinema fave Sion Sono (Love Exposure, Why Don’t You Play In Hell?, The Red Post On Escher St.) is making his international debut at the helm with none other than Nicolas Cage at the wheel, in an explosive black leather suit no less for action thriller, Prisoners Of The Ghostland. In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber (Nicolas Cage) is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor (Bill Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Sofia Boutella) has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman—and his own path to redemption. Also make way for the likes of Hotel […]

LAST MAN DOWN Trailer: Saban Sets October Release For Daniel Stisen’s Meaty, Explosive Revenge Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

If you followed us long enough or your ear is close to the goings-on of the bodybuilding world, you’ve likely gotten acquainted with Daniel Stisen at some point or another and learned of his longstanding plans toward film production and acting for the foreseeable future. Enter UK/Swedish action thriller, Last Man Down, which now has an official trailer and poster for its Digital and On Demand release beginning October 19, following its acquisition by Saban Films this year. After civilization succumbs to a deadly pandemic and his wife is murdered, John Wood – a special forces soldier – abandons his duty and becomes a hermit in the Nordic wilderness. Years later, a wounded woman appears on his doorstep. Maria Johnson is an escaped lab rat, and her pursuers believe her blood is the key to a worldwide cure. Though John is hesitant to get involved, all doubts are cast aside […]

THE CROW: NIGHTWATCH Trailer Launches Ahead Of Fan Film Short Premiere This Weekend

Lee B. Golden III

We may never get to feast eyes on any incarnation there may be planned for The Crow, but you can always count on independent creatives to nail their own signature takes on the property. Perhaps Kyle Wong’s The Crow: Nightwatch will hopefully carry on and help reignite the interest. Based on the hit comic book series “The Crow”, a new incarnation where Sergeant Mark Leung and his wife are murdered and their daughter Isabelle taken by a Triad run human trafficking ring. Mark’s partner Caitlin races to locate them before the trail runs cold and her chance at rescuing Isabelle disappears into the criminal underworld with them. Wong is setting up a Sunday launch date through Vimeo which you can bookmark here. The Crow: Nightwatch also stars Lauren Marshall, Alexandra Wittering, Aaron Fung, Raymond Ayson and Alexis Erickson-Sliboda.

NYAFF XX Review: Ricky Ko’s TIME, A Quaint, Ebullient Killers’ Fable

Lee B. Golden III

Playing like a vingette out of the 1970s, the intro to Ricky Ko’s directorial debut, Time, dives right into the 60s as we meet younger versions of our killer-for-hire trio, Chau, Fung and driver, Chung. A robust music score accompanies and enlivening opening action scene that falls short of mimicking classic 70s cinema, but still does its own thing in invoking a proper flashback to help pave the way for our characters, including Chau as he whips out his legendary karambit, corners an underworld boss and has his way with him. Fast forward to present day and the young, spritely killers Chau and Fung once were, are very much far from their heyday glory: Chau (Patrick Tse) is forced to contend with modern technology when he’s fired from the restaurant he worked as a noodle chef for not being expedient enough; Fung is now a grandmother working as a cabaret […]

OVERRUN: Catch The Trailer For Stuntman/Filmmaker Josh Tessier’s Action-Packed Feature Debut

Lee B. Golden III

With more than a decade of stunt experience, stunt performer Josh Tessier has also invested a bit into directing for a time or several, with shorts and television projects. He’s now on the way with a hard-hitting feature debut with Turbo Panda’s latest offering, Overrun, which now has an official trailer running online ahead of an August 17 DVD and Digital release following its acquisition by Strike Back Studios, from Bleiberg’s Compound B. Marcus Lombardi, an ex-military extraction specialist, is trying to get out of his life of crime after his sister is revealed as an informant on underworld kingpin Ray Barren. When presented with a chance of an out for himself and his family, Marcus agrees to one last job. Unfortunately, this last job puts him on a collision course with the Russian mob, dirty cops, and plenty of assassins all in pursuit of a mysterious briefcase. Leading the […]

HUDSON & REX Hit The Crime Beat On UK DVD And Download This Week!

Lee B. Golden III

Currently available in the UK to own is the first season of Canadian canine crime procedural, Hudson & Rex, starring John Reardon. Check out the trailer above and get yours today from Dazzler Media. Own the action-packed, hit television series Hudson & Rex, and meet this loveable crime-fighting duo in their very first season… Detective Charlie Hudson (John Reardon, Van Helsing, Continuum), a cunning Major Crimes detective for the St. John’s Police Department, teams up with an unusual partner, Rex, a former-K9 German Shepherd whose heightened senses keep Charlie hot on the trail of his suspects. Together, they investigate puzzling crimes, from a kidnapping which reveals a much larger conspiracy at play, to an art theft murder which runs deep into the world of high society. With Charlie’s deft detective work and Rex’s keen canine senses, this crime-fighting pair is unstoppable. Providing plenty of action and excitement for the whole family, Hudson & […]

Japan Cuts XV Review: KIBA: THE FANGS OF FICTION, The Politics Of Pageturner Pursuits

Lee B. Golden III

Author Takeshi Shiota’s titular 2016 novel is brought to life on the big screen in director Daihachi Yoshida’s new film, Kiba: The Fangs Of Fiction, entailing a story of internal scheming and struggle for a major print publishing giant in the wake of economic struggle in the digital era, and a corporate power vacuum ensued by sudden tragedy. It’s 2019, and the death of long-heralded golden age publisher Kunpu’s patriarch, Kinosuke Iba, is the latest addition to the pressure the company now faces in its efforts to get out of the red. Just then, savvy and smooth-talking magazine executive, Teruya Hayami (Yo Oizumi), makes his entrance to take the wheel of Kunpu’s culture imprint, Trinity, though his welcome is not without provocation by Kunpu’s newly installed CEO, Tomatsu (Koichi Sato), who decides to reintroduce Kunpu’s monthly output as a quarterly instead. Furthermore, it appears Tomatsu has other plans of his […]

DAFT STATE Adds Four As Cameras Roll For Chad Bishoff’s New Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Principal photography is underway in Omaha, Nebraska for Chad Bishoff’s psychological thriller, Daft State. With two names already announced, another four were added and confirmed this week with Two-time Teen Choice Award nominee-Jake T. Austin (Disney’s “The Wizards of Waverly Place”, New Year’s Eve), Paulo Costanzo (CBS’ “The Good Fight,” Netflix’s “Designated Survivor”), Ka’ramuu Kush (Five Deep Breaths, Salvation Road) and Iman Karram (Netflix’s Glow) also set to join the pic. The four stars join previously announced leads Christopher Backus (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”, Netflix’s “Mindhunter,” Apple TV+’s “Truth be Told”) and Skye P. Marshall (Netflix’s “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” NBC’s “This is Us”). Billed as a “relentlessly gripping thriller, molded in the vein of classic Hitchcockian suspense masterworks”, Daft State charts the mysterious psychological destruction of central character Easton (Backus), who is driven to the edge of sanity, and possible self-harm, by those that love him most – […]

THE FABLE (NYAFF)

NYAFF XX Review: Kan Eguchi’s THE FABLE: THE KILLER WHO DOESN’T KILL, A Taut, Tactful Killer Comedy Sequel

Lee B. Golden III

Kan Eguchi’s award-winning 2019 hitman comedy, The Fable, proved to be every bit as enjoyable as one could hope, and from the looks of things as of late, I would say this is turning more and more into an upstanding action franchise that it deserves to be. The latest sequel treatment from Eguchi’s resumè now arrives as The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill, which is now making the festival rounds after finally releasing in Japan in June following multiple theatrical release delays, and it sees the return of actor Junichi Okada (Sekigahara, Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai), fittingly back in the title role and wearing more than one hat on set this time around. The opening setup kicks off our new story four years earlier, when our titular anti-hero was busy laying waste to a whole hit-list of unsavory types. Bodies basically dropping like flies with no one the wiser as […]

BULL: Signature Rolls Out Official Poster And Stills For New Revenge Horror Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Signature Entertainment is proudly rolling out a raft of stills and an official poster for Bull, the new revenge horror thriller from director Paul Andrew Williams. Neil Maskell stars in the film from a script by Williams, and just had its rounds this past weekend screening for Fantasia Festival, while the aforementioned UK-based firm premiered a trailer which you can view here. Bull is a brutal, subversive and wickedly suspenseful revenge thriller written and directed by Bafta®-winner Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton), and featuring outstanding performances from an electric Neil Maskell (Kill List, Utopia) and a terrifying David Hayman (Taboo, Vertical Limit) plus Tazmin Outhwaite (Eastenders). After a 10-year absence, former gang enforcer Bull returns to his old haunts to find his missing son and seek revenge on those who double crossed him and left him for dead. Painful secrets from the past will soon be revealed and like […]

In Memoriam: Mark Tarlov (1952-2021)

Lee B. Golden III

Mark Tarlov, the highly regarded producer of Copycat and Serial Mom passed away on July 31st, 2021 after a battle with cancer, it was announced by his family. He was 69. Having always been an avid fan of movies throughout his life, Tarlov scored his first entertainment job in Business Affairs at Warner Bros. in 1979. At the studio his interest in films grew and in 1983 produced his first feature, Christine, based on the Stephen King novel and directed by John Carpenter. Next, he produced Sidney Lumet’s Power starring Richard Gere, Gene Hackman and Julie Christie. In the 1990’s he worked with the British novelist William Boyd to transform the Mario Vargas Llosa novel, ‘Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter’ into the offbeat film, Tune in Tomorrow, directed by Jon Amiel and starring Keanu Reeves, Peter Falk, Barbara Hershey, Patricia Clarkson, John Larroquette. Tune in Tomorrow was the closing night selection at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the […]

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HIRUKO THE GOBLIN: Shinya Tsukamoto’s 2K-Restored 1991 Thriller Scores Japan Cuts Premiere This Month!

Lee B. Golden III

Japan Cuts: Festival Of New Japanese Film is gearing up for its hybridized and fifteenth festival installment launching on August 20 through September 2. For this, you’re welcome to hit this tag and check out the 2021 coverage so far, which includes the full line-up, as well as a few reviews already making headway online. This now brings us to the latest addition to this year’s festivities, Hiruko the Goblin, Shinya Tsukamoto’s 1991 sophomore directing move. Just in time for its 30th anniversary, the film was handed a 2K restoration for its recent theatrical outing in Japan last month, and will now follow accordingly with an international premiere as part of the Japan Cuts XV line-up. Read on, and start looking into Japan Cuts for your summer J-moviegoing needs! Brought onboard to adapt two stories from acclaimed manga artist Daijiro Morohoshi (whose widespread influence has been cited by Hayao Miyazaki […]

Japan Cuts XV Review: Takashi Miike’s THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS Takes You To Yokai Church

Lee B. Golden III

My first exposure to Takashi Miike began less than twenty years ago, eyeing Suncoast’s DVD kiosks where I would nab copies of some of their Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock titles. His range of directing proved to me to be as unique as it is versatile, exuding a style that rightfully stirred the pot at times and peppered it beautifully at others. 2005’s The Great Yokai War certainly fit the bill, catapulting viewers into a world where Jim Henson meets Japanese folklore, steampunk and mysticism. I’m not at all sure when Miike decided to make a sequel, though I have to say that last year’s breaking news about the film’s pending release was exciting, particularly since I hadn’t seen the first film until recently. Returning to the genre brings viewers back into the hidden world of the yokai where young Kei (Kokoro Terada) finds himself thrust into an adventure of supernatural creatures […]

EVIL DEAD TRAP Lures You Into The Bowels Of Hell This Month From Unearthed Classics

Lee B. Golden III

Director Toshiharu Ikeda chisled quite the filmography for himself over the years and as of this month, fans will once again get to revisit his 1988 slasher, Evil Dead Trap, on August 24. The film is a nimble hit with fans of giallo-style horror and gore and I take it that our own Vance Ang might jump in on this with some opinions if he has any interest. Unearthed Classics has all the details listed below for its pending U.S. release on Blu-Ray and DVD, and it’s worth noting that filmmaker Kurando Mitsutake (Karate Kill, Gun Woman) will be sharing his own insight as a featured commentator given his own fandom of horror, particularly as we await the upcoming release of his latest and long-awaited slasher, Maniac Driver. “For my audio commentary, I interviewed the star of the film Ms. Miyuki Ono, SFX artist Mr. Shinichi Wakasa and the editor […]

Fantasia XXV Review: Junta Yamaguchi’s BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES Is A Humble, Inventive One-Shot Delight

Lee B. Golden III

Shot safely in the confines of a building with a first floor café during the 2020 pandemic, Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes introduces Kato (Kazunori Tosa), a café owner struggling to spread the word and get his band off the ground. After leaving home for the day to his upstairs apartment, he spots himself on his television monitor, effectively communicating with his future-self two minutes from then with a monitor in the café. The ordeal snowballs out of control when Kato’s friends each get curious about what they can learn or benefit from seeing the future, exacerbating an already potentially precarious moment for space-time, and leaving Kato wearily panicked and trying to wait out the situation after initially believing it was just a dream. What happens next presents a cautionary forewarning for Kato and friends as the result of getting too far ahead of themselves after consulting with their future-selves’, […]

NYAFF XX Review: Jéro Yun’s FIGHTER, A Boxing Drama That Delivers A Win Beyond The Ring

Lee B. Golden III

If you’re into films with actors making their debuts, and if you especially enjoy sports dramas, Jéro Yun’s Fighter may just be more your speed. I’m not at all sure what the casting process was here, but it was awesome being introduced to actress Lim Seong-mi in her first lead role and absolutely killing it, and the ceremony she’s been receiving ever since. Starring as a “North Korean Refugee” makes for even more interesting cinema, especially given the ongoing state of the region and its dichotomy. Seeing how Lim absorbs the character with utmost consumption as she embarks on her character’s journey, firstly with a voice over narration about how South Korean would describe her – hence the quotations above. An ex-soldier and refugee settling into her new place just a few months after attending a re-education center, Jina Ree’s main focus, per her broker, is to concentrate on making […]

ASSAULT ON RIO BRAVO Sequel Gets The Greenlight, Cameras To Roll In November

Lee B. Golden III

ETA Films, Hollywood Storm and San Rafael Productions have officially greenlit a sequel to Joe Cornet’s upcoming Western, Assault On Rio Bravo, now aiming for a November start. The announcement over the weekend cites the film’s positive reception by distributors at this year’s Cannes Film Market. Joe Cornet (Promise, Prayer for the Damned) will direct and executive produce with a script by Craig Hamman (Showdown in Manila), and will see the return of lead actor Alexander Nevsky (Black Rose) to both star, as well as produce. Other recurring cast members will be Cornet, along with Matthias Hues (Dark Angel), Natalie Denise Sperl (Mank), and actress/supermodel Anna Oris among others. Eric Brenner (Crazy Heart) will exec produce, with a score by Sean Murray (Call of Duty: Black Ops) will create a musical score, action and stunt sequences once again by Art Camacho (Half Past Dead), and Sam Wilkinson (Paydirt) returning again […]

RAGING FIRE: A Cornered Donnie Yen Flips The Script And Brings The Pain In A New Clip!

Lee B. Golden III

I more or less tend to stave off of clip-sharing, as tedious as it is… At any rate, this might be the only clip I share from late director Benny Chan’s newest and final film, Raging Fire, which is already released overseas ahead of upcoming North American premieres at Fantasia and NYAFF, and nationwide via Well Go USA on August 13. Thus, consider this your reminder to get tickets where and when you plan to catch the film accordingly. The rundown? Donnie Yen plays the leader of a special unit of cops on a mission to investigate a team of mercs responsible for an explosive series of murders and attacks on his own department. The catch? It could be his former mentee from months earlier, played with a sterling performance by Nicholas Tse, and you’re welcome to check out my early NYAFF review to learn more about this amazing curtain […]

ECHO 8: Maria Tran’s Aussie Feature Debut Thriller Spawns Premiere Key Art

Lee B. Golden III

A little over a year and a half since our last update, director Maria Tran’s feature debut, Echo 8, is finally breathing signs of life once more with an official poster as of last week Friday. Written by Elizabeth H. Vu (Mr. Ghost, The Perception) Echo 8 centers on a highly trained assassin who finds herself in a strange house with no memories of how she got there, in the wake of a specialized mission gone awry; Think: Jaume Collet-Serra’s Unknown by way of Renny Harlin’s The Long Kiss Goodnight. The self-funded project, with filming completed safely in-part during the 2020 pandemic, hails from Tran’s Phoenix Eye banner where she and production cohorts Therese Chen and Nancy Trieu have been working on their film slate with a number of titles. Echo 8 also stars Tran along with Takashi Hara and David Vuong. Peep the art below and stand by for more […]