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:

FANTASIA XXV: THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS Tops Out The Third Wave As The Festival’s Closing Premiere!

Lee B. Golden III

The 25th Fantasia International Film Festival is in full-throttle with its final wave of titles now available for viewing. This completes the full list among which the first and second waves are now available for sifting, but don’t sift too long… You’ll definitely wanna get a handle on those tickets first as they go on sale this Friday at 1:00pm ET. So read on below and head over to the website to learn more about partaking in this extraordinary hybridized 25th event! FANTASIA 2021 TO CLOSE WITH TAKASHI MIIKE’S THE GREAT YOKAI WAR – GUARDIANS AND PRESENT CAREER AWARDS TO SHUNJI IWAI AND PHIL TIPPETT FOR UPCOMING 25TH EDITION Lee Won-tae’s THE DEVIL’S DEAL, Paul Andrew Williams’ BULL, Vincent Grashaw’s WHAT JOSIAH SAW, Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji’s THE DEER KING, Rob Jabbaz’s THE SADNESS, and Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury’s THE DEEP HOUSE are among the wealth of […]

Courtney Chen Hammers Out Her Latest Fan Fight In ‘HAMMER GIRLS’

Lee B. Golden III

It’s as daunting as it is rewarding to know the great deal of victory done for Indonesia’s film market by way of its decades-old successes with Gareth Evans’s The Raid films. The amalgam of villains there are some of the most memorable in history, and you don’t need to look too far seeing as most of the actors involved have remained prospective in their career’s to this day. The same especially goes for Julie Estelle’s celebrared portrayal of Hammer Girl in The Raid 2, which even generated its own fan service with a short directed by action favorite Vlad Rimburg long prior to that film’s release. This week’s contribution comes courtesy of David Hoang and actress/stunt performer Courtney Chen who’s been on a roll a time or two for re-enacting fight scene faves, initially starting with this little gem inspired by Atomic Blonde. Chen picks up the dual hammers this […]

THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS

JAPAN CUTS XV: The Great Yokai War: Guardians, Kiba: The Fangs Of Fiction, Docs, Narrative Shorts And More In The Full 2021 Line-Up

Lee B. Golden III

2021 has been riddled with its share of strife, personally, but that hasn’t slighted or stunted the progress of festival coverage on this site. Gladly, this includes this year’s hybrid virtual/in-person installment of Japan Society’s Japan Cuts, launching one month from today as of this article. Illustrious docs and shorts and some major headliners are in-bound, including a couple of encore such as Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth Of Cinema to which our own Mike Garcia took a liking for last year’s festival, as well as premieres for The Great Yokai War: Guardians, Kiba: The Fangs Of Fiction and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Wife Of A Spy to name a select few. There’s a whole raft of titles to start choosing from with tickets going on sale beginning August 16. Do yourself one of the biggest favors you can if you love Asian film and world cinema in general, and put this festival on […]

Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen in "Ip Man 2"

Celebrate Sammo Hung With A Hip-Hop-Flavored Fistful Of Well Go USA’s IP MAN 2 This Friday!

Lee B. Golden III

Netizens are invited this Friday to partake in this month’s livestream celebration of actor and Asian action legend Sammo Hung for Shaolin Jazz’s latest livestream installment of Can I Kick It?. Presented in association with the National Museum Of Asian Art for the Made In Hong Kong Film Festival, Shaolin Jazz will premiere Wilson Yip’s 2010 franchise sequel hit, Well Go USA’s Ip Man 2: Legend Of The Grandmaster, bolstered by a live soundtrack performance by DJ 2-Tone Jones. The film bookends its three-title slate following this month’s screenings of Huang Feng’s The Final Plot, and Corey Yuen’s Yes, Madam. Since kicking off in 2013, Can I Kick It? is best known for rolling out the festivities with immense gala for in-person attendance as it has for the last six years – something that’s obviously become a factor due to the pandemic and the new rise of cases as of […]

THE LAST DUEL Official Trailer Rages Online

Lee B. Golden III

Barring any dispositions you might have about Hollywood’s latest stab at English-language period epics set in, say, France, the latest trailer for Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel has a little meat on its medieval bones as seen in the first official trailer out of 21st Century Studios. Swordplay drama with a dash of crime and controversy and jabs of patriarchy and theocratic rule certainly set the pace here some. An adaptation of Eric Jager’s own 2004 novel, The Last Duel takes place in 14th century France and centers its dark and violent tale on Norman knight Jean de Carrouges, who returns from war and learns his wife, Marguerite de Carrouges, has been raped by former friend, squire Jacques Le Gris, who denies the allegations. No one believes de Carrouges wife for whom the paternity of her pregnancy is now in question. Following an appeal to King Charles VI in wake […]

1 OUT OF 100 Trailer: Martial Arts Star Willie ‘BAM!’ Johnson Sets Outreach Campaign With Feature Film Endeavor

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and martial arts champion Willie “Bam” Johnson has a few projects on the way. One is a documentary set to bow in August from independent banner Maverick Entertainment. The other, 1 Out Of 100 is the latest collaborative effort from Johnson and partners Kimber Johnson and filmmaker/co-investor, Grandmaster Robert Parham. Inspired in part by real-life events, 1 Out Of 100 is billed as a coming-of-age indie drama that centers on Elijah (Willie “Bam!” Johnson), an ex-con out on early parole and working at martial arts dojo whose current overseer, a young martial arts student named Jojo (Marshieh Johnson), finds himself confronted with the hardships of supporting his mother and younger brother, all while maintaining his standing as a role model for young children, and preparing for a chance at a local martial arts competition that could change his life. Interestingly, my recent coverage of Johnson and his efforts included […]

HEELS: Stephen Amell And Alexander Ludwig Take It To The Ring In The Official Series Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

STARZ is proudly taking its latest television efforts to Comic-Con@Home 2021 this Friday, July 23 at 10am PT/1pm ET, to reveal more of what’s in store for wrestling drama series, Heels. In the meantime, the network just dropped the official trailer which you can view above. Lionsgate TV produced the series for STARZ in association with Paramount Television Studios. “Heels” is a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to – or hard to leave behind. Stephen Amell (“Arrow”) stars as Jack Spade, with Alexander Ludwig […]

IB 71: Vidyut Jammwal Sets Espionage Thriller As Launchpad For Action Hero Films Label

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and martial artist Vidyut Jammwal (Commando trilogy) is moving forward with IB 71, an espionage thriller that will kick off his Action Hero Films production banner after the label’s announcement earlier this year. Jammwal is producing the film and will be joined by Sankalp Reddy (The Ghazi Attack) who is directing, with the film signaling Action Hero’s firsr collaboration with Reliance Entertainment. Deadline’s Tom Grater has more in his Monday report: Set before the Indo-Pakistani war, Jammwal will play an intelligence officer in a story about how Indian intelligence agencies outwitted the Pakistani establishment and gave the Indian armed forces the required advantage they needed to face a two-front war. The move also comes following Jammwal’s recent signing with Wonder Street Entertainment. Reddy will direct from a screenplay storied by Aditya Shastri and written by Storyhouse Films. Abbas Sayyed is co-producing. Jammwal commented, “Some of the most interesting episodes […]

John Wick Spin-Off Series THE CONTINENTAL Sets Limited Event Series With Three Movie-Sized And Budgeted Episodes, Albert Hughes To Direct Two Episodes

Lee B. Golden III

With the fourth chapter of Lionsgate’s John Wick saga now filming and franchise co-star Ian McShane back on board as of Thursday for the role of Winston, all eyes of Wick fans are now on news that Good Lord Bird helmer and The Book Of Eli co-director Albert Hughes, will direct the first and third episodes of The Continental, a three-night event limited series which Hughes will also executive produce for Lionsgate and Starz. A prequel spinoff, Continental is set 40 years before the events of the Wick series and focuses on a young man named Winston. He will one day grow up to be the character played by Ian McShane in the Wick movies but in the prequel’s story is a young man starting as a hitman hotelier who, along with others, create a haven for unsavory types, all set against a backdrop of 1970s New York. The news comes long […]

ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU - Still Photo

NYAFF XX Debuts 2021 Poster, Announces Kickoff With Well Go USA’s ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU And Much More For Its Second Wave Announcement!

Lee B. Golden III

The twentieth installation of the New York Asian Film Festival is coming in as hot as the Summer sun. The festival just announced its second wave of titles in addition to the celebration and ceremony of NYAFF honoree, filmmaker and producer Ann Hui, and among other things, has also announced a brand new section for the festival titled Asian American Focus. The biggest update here though is the festival’s opening premiere of South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s new political thriller, Escape From Mogadishu, which also kicks off its North American theatrical release the same day on August 6 from Well Go USA. Over 60 films will be screened for the festival through August 22, with screenings to be held both virtually AND in-person with tickets and passes currently on sale for hopeful attendees at Film At Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, and the SVA Theatre all in Manhattan, NYC. Fore […]

RONNY CHIENG

Ronny Chieng, Sony Developing San Francisco-Set Martial Arts Comedy

Lee B. Golden III

Comedian and actor Ronny Chieng is one of the funniest funnymen ever to hit the airwaves. That he’s also stepping into the martial arts comedy genre now seems pretty damn enticing with word via THR‘s Mia Galuppo. Chieng, whose credits partly include Crazy Rich Asians, Bliss at Amazon, and upcoming Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings starring Simu Liu and Tony Leung, is teaming up with The Daily Show cohort Sebastian DiNatale to pen the untitled comedy for Sony, which the studio’s Jiao Chen is reportedly overseeing. Just as there is no title though, plot details are also being kept under wraps. The idea for the project initially originated at a roundtable hosted by Chieng and run by Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Picture Company, as well as Sony. Reitman is on board to produce via his Montecito banner with Amie Karp.

THE RED POST ON ESCHER ST. - North Bend 2021

North Bend 2021 Review: Sion Sono’s THE RED POST ON ESCHER ST., A Love Letter Written In Pain, Tragedy And Cinematic Jacquerie

Lee B. Golden III

More than thirty years into his career, ceremony remains on-going for acclaimed director Sion Sono’s eclectic approach to cinema. That no less includes the praise and approval among fans witnessing one of his latest film-within-a-film (within-a-film) effort, The Red Post On Escher St., a “graduation project” of sorts comprised of students from his acting workshop, and shot in a way that lends an extra layer of perceptive depth to the overall environment and setting. Dozens of women make way in The Red Post On Escher St. as aspiring screen hopefuls vying for a chance to star in the next big movie directed by Tadashi Kobayashi. Out of fifty audionees, there are about fifteen or more who become become central to the narrative, including – not limited to – a wanton theater actress in a secret affair with one of her troupe member’s exes, a Kobayashi-obssessed fan club with a member […]

CODE NAME: NAGASAKI - North Bend

North Bend 2021 Review: CODENAME: NAGASAKI, An Artist’s Rendering Of Self-Discovery And Forgiveness

Lee B. Golden III

Documentaries, the little slices of life they are… It’s always interesting to see how filmmakers approach a certain genre, and this no less concerns the work of Norwegian filmmaker Frederik S. Hana, having already wrapped up a number of shorts prior to pairing up with best friend, actor Marius K. Lunde for their latest striking endeavor, Codename: Nagasaki. Several parts dark horror fantasy, detective story, period chambara and regional drama, the remainder of Codename: Nagasaki encompasses the journey and discernible affects on Lunde as he and Hana ready themselves for a quest to find Lunde’s mother. Save for the few more personal moments, close to nothing is off the table as Lunde puts himself on the spot to prepare himself for the hopeful day he finally gets reunited with the mother he hasn’t known since she left him at age five. Codename: Nagasaki is told in seven chapters, each accounting […]

NINJABABY - North Bend 2021

North Bend 2021 Review: NINJABABY Strikes With The Stroke Of A Pen, And Hearty Comedy And Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Yngvild Sve Flikke’s sophomore feature, Ninjababy, is not unlike maternity-driven narrative comedies you might’ve seen in your heyday, except you’ve probably never seen one so well decorated with animated interludes and characters in between scenes and segments. This was an interesting story to watch unfold with graphic visual artistry key to the progression of the story with actress Kristine Kujath Thorp leading the cast from a script by Flikke and by Johan Fasting and Inga Sætre. We meet 23-year old Rakel (Thorp), a struggling comic artist with dreams of being more than what and where she is now, whilst spending most of her days either in her cluttered room and mustering what motivation she can to get her concepts off the ground, or getting hella wasted and philandering. She doesn’t sleep around like crazy though, but just enough to possibly recall and recognize from moment to moment who she might […]

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE Review: A Violent Delight With Plenty Of Sweetners, But No Real Flavor

Lee B. Golden III

I haven’t been able to catch Big Bad Wolves, so I don’t have a reference to go by when discussing anything prior to the latest solo-directing work of that film’s co-helmer, Navot Papushado. Going forward, I can only speak instinctively and defer to my natural responses for a film like Gunpowder Milkshake, an assassin thriller that undoubtedly attempts at following a formula to success. The uncertainty here, really, is that the formula isn’t its own which kind of makes things a bit problematic, even for a genre of film that’s about as escapable as breathing or standing. Assassin thrillers are fun to watch. We all love the time-honored tale of the lone killer who for some reason wants out of the life that they’ve otherwise fallen in by some tragic twist of fate, exacerbated by another twist that raises the stakes and compels you root for said protagonist right down […]

THE 44TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN: Filming Underway For NY Indie Director’s Kung Fu Comedy Proof Of Concept [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

As prone as we are to including independent action films in our coverage, it was only a matter of time before I’d be back to covering New York-based filmmaker Jon Truei (Gamer’s Generation, Secondary Education), currently in production with kung fu comedy, The 44th Chamber Of Shaolin. Starring is Marshieh Johnson – son of celebrated Wu Shu master, champion and author Willie “The Bam” Johnson (WMAC Masters, Superfights, The Legend Of Kung Funk), along with Mario Marin, and appearances by action actors Angela Jordan and David Lavallee Jr., among others to be named at a later date. Truei has since completed ancillary footage as of last month, shot in collaboration with action director and Art School Dropouts founder Joey Min. Principal photography continues in Brooklyn, N.Y. this week as part of a proof of concept to help draw attention to hopeful feature financing. Inspired by the works of Hong Kong […]

TITANS Brings On Red Hood And More New Villany In The Official Season 3 Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

It’s no stretch to say that after Netflix’s turn with Marvel for its own repetoire of seasonal action dramas, DC Universe’s Titans did some wonders in picking up the slack. Its storied progression with Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) being catapulted into a dark and terrifying mystery journey of fantasy and danger that would eventually compel him to look into his own past proved to be truly advantageous in the course of introducing the titular team and its generational flux of members and the interwoven drama therein. Going forward though, the embattled superhero team will be forced yet again to make the trek into its own self-discovery while fending off newer evils, such can be seen in the newest trailer now running online ahead of its season three launch later this summer on HBO Max. Joining in with Thwaites’ Grayson (Nightwing) are recurring talents Anna Diop as Koriand’r (Starfire), Teagan Croft […]

Ryoo Seung-Wan’s ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU Makes A Run For Well Go USA’s North American Release In August!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a long while since I’ve seen me a Ryoo Seung-wan flick. Well Go USA all but looks to change that now with their newly-announced acquisition of Ryoo’s new political thriller, Escape From Mogadishu. Based on a true story: as civil war rages in Mogadishu, rival North and South Korean diplomats are left trapped. With no aid from either government, their only shot at survival may require uniting with bitter adversaries to escape. Deadline‘s Jill Goldsmith is reporting the film’s July 28 open in South Korea will precede its theatrical releases throughout North America on August 6. Escape From Mogadishu stars Kim Yoon-seok (The Chaser, The Yellow Sea), Huh Joon-ho (Kingdom, Illang: The Wolf Brigade), Zo In-sung (The Classic, The Great Battle), Koo Kyo-hwan (Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, Netflix’s Kingdom: Ashin of the North), Jeong Man-sik (The Swordsman, Rampant) and Kim So-jin (The Spy Gone North, The King). “The film […]

Now Available: Simon McQuoid’s MORTAL KOMBAT, A Review Afterword

Lee B. Golden III

It was less than a quarter of a century since fans of the first Mortal Kombat movie in 1995 who had high hopes that its sequel would fare well a few years later, would see any progress pertaining to a third installment. By this past April and just a little earlier in several countries around the world, fans finally got their wish with the arrival of a new live-action reboot, following weeks of fan-driven hype over the film’s red-band trailer generating millions of views and becoming the most-viewed red band trailer in history. It was a moment I relished and reveled as one of success and shared jubilation, with fans who’ve waited years after a two-season webseries by Machinima fell by the wayside when its third season never aired. I shared in the blanketed, blinding excitement of knowing that action cinema greats Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada were gonna play […]

THE RED POST ON ESCHER ST. - North Bend 2021

North Bend 2021: A Shortlist Of Five Titles To Check Out At The 4th Annual Film Festival

Lee B. Golden III

Fans looking to engage the fourth-annual North Bend Film Festival launching on July 15 are in for a treat this year, with events available for both in-person AND remote viewing from home. Purchasing details are available at the website, and so while you’re sifting through the deets, some of us here at FCSyndicate have already managed to look at a few of the titles so far that have taken to our liking, some with screenings and reviews pending, of course. Peep our shortlist in the gallery below and click the ℹ to read the details and see trailers for each, and get your passes today! The following includes trailers, programming notes and their cited authors.