Lee B. Golden III

About Lee B. Golden III

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

Posts by Lee Golden:

THE BAKER: Action Drama Headlines Ron Perlman For Cayman Islands Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

Jonathan Sobol (The Padre, The Art of the Steal, A Beginners Guide to Endings) will direct The Baker, an action drama written by duo Paolo Mancini and Thomas Michael (Hank and Mike). Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Monster Hunter) will headline the cast along with Academy-Award nominee Harvey Keitel (The Irishman, Pulp Fiction), Elias Koteas (The Thin Red Line, Crash), Joel David Moore (Avatar) and 10 year old newcomer Emma Ho (Code 8, Disney’ Jr’s “Pikwik Pack”). Filming is set to commence in the Cayman Islands as part of a sweeping multi-film production deal with the Islands’ Film Commission, the Cayman’s Ministry of International Trade, Investment, Aviation and Maritime Affairs, and Dart Enterprises. The film rejoins producers William G. Santor, CEO of Productivity Media, and Nicholas Tabarrok, President of Darius Films, for their second project together in their three-pic deal for the Islands, the first being Bob Saget/Iggy Pop crime dramedy, Blue […]

MANDY: Nicolas Cage Goes Huntin’ For Crazy Evil On Limited Edition Blu-Ray From Dazzler In May

Lee B. Golden III

Pensive, vibrant arthouse revenge horror gets about as intrinsic, weird and brutally violent and fun with Mandy, the 2018 festival hit that continued to preserve starring actor Nicolas Cage’s palatable touch on the big screen and in pretty much any meme rivaling Keanu Reeves at this juncture. Produced in part with Elijah Wood and fan-inclusive label, Legion M, Panos Cosmatos directed the hypnotic horror thriller featuring Cage opposite actress Andrea Riseborough and actors Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy and Bill Duke, and topped with a visceral, haunting music score by the late Johann Johannsson in one of his final film compostions. Dazzler Media is proudly unleashing this puppy in the UK on Limited Edition Blu-ray from May 24, with pre-order links currently up-and-running. While it’s certainly not the last we’ll be hearing of Cage in his adventures on celluloid, it’s a damn good thing Dazzler is on top of this easy […]

MORTAL KOMBAT Review: Mildly Flawed, But Retkonned Victoriously

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a strain waiting so many years to see another live-action iteration of hit fighting game franchise, Mortal Kombat, on the big screen. To add, it’s possible that the varying expectations from fans would’ve added some considerable pressure unto anyone trying to do right by the brand, though you have to give it to the powers that be for attempting something different – a move often haplessly applied with other filmic attempts on the genre that usually draws ire from the masses. And rightfully so, in some ways. Look at all pre-existing examples from Steven de Souza’s Street Fighter (1994) and Andrzej Bartkowiak’s Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li (2009) to Gordon Chan’s ill-conceived take on King Of Fighters (2009), and even Tekken (2010) and its hackeneyed direct-to-DVD sequel. The bright spots within many of these films, and areas of massive potential to world-build in ways that could […]

Kung Lao Sings!: Max Huang Debuts “Flawless Victory” To Celebrate The Release Of MORTAL KOMBAT

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a helluva ride waiting out the last fifty-thousand seven-hundred and thirty eight years for another Mortal Kombat movie to arise, and for that, it’s as surreal as it is sobering that many of us fans around the world will get to close this chapter with the hope of prospective sequels stemming from this latest effort by debut filmmaker Simon McQuoid. Alas, I hope everyone checking the film out this weekend does so safely, whether in a limited theater or at home. For all this and more, I now bring you to the latest what-in-hell-is-going-on-ness that is the latest independent music video premiere of Mortal Kombat co-star headlining as “Kung Lao”, actor/martial artist and JC Stunt Team cohort Max Huang, performing “Flawless Victory” to ring in the opening weekend. And… yeah. This is a pretty solid jam. Be cool if Watertower Music considers this a fair addition to the […]

BLOWBACK: New Teaser Art Now Online For Action Heist Thriller Starring Cam Gigandet And Randy Couture

Lee B. Golden III

The first official teaser art is now online for action thriller, Blowback, starring Cam Gigandet (Black Site Delta), Randy Couture (The Expendables, Final Kill), and Louis Mandylor (The Brave, Avengement). Tibor Takács (The Gate, Lies & Illusions) is directing the heist revenge thriller which has since wrapped post-production and should have some teaser footage making the rounds in time for Cannes along with any acquisition updates pending by then. Written by Kevin Yarris and Robert Edward Thomas, Blowback sees Gigandet in the role of Nick, a bank robber ready to score big after planning the perfect bank heist…only he’s got one problem: His girl, as well as his crew – led by Jack – have other ideas. Double-crossed by his own people in a hail of bullets and left for dead, Nick survives, and is thrust into a race for his life, seeking revenge one target at a time. Peep the poster below! Blowback is the […]

EDGE OF THE WORLD: Samuel Goldwyn Reveals Official Trailer Ahead Of June Release

Lee B. Golden III

Michael Haussman’s newest period adventure, Edge Of The World, is looking toward a June 4 release on VOD from Samuel Goldwyn Films. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Dominic Monaghan lead a cast that also includes Josie Ho, and the impressive Bront Palarae who is one of Southeast Asia’s biggest stars to date. In 1839, Brooke flees Victorian England to explore Borneo. After a pirate attack, Brooke allies with rival princes to seize a rebel fort. To save prisoners from beheading, Brooke agrees to be crowned Rajah. James begs the Royal Navy for a steamship to fight pirates, but the British want his kingdom as a colony. Makota’s pirates massacre Brooke’s capital, leaving James half-dead. To save his people, he must shed Englishness and embrace the jungle: “All of it, the beauty and the blood.”Also starring are Atiqah Hasiholan, Ralph Ineson, Otto Farant and Samo Rafael, along with Shaheizy Sam, Hannah New, […]

THE SWORDSMAN Swings For The UK This May

Lee B. Golden III

Anyone within reach of Trincity CineAsia’s distribution map these days can certainly expect something fun to watch in May with the release of Choi Jae-hoon’s period actioner, The Swordsman. Jang Hyuk leads the based-on-a-true-story sword thriller which centers on Tae-yul, a 17th century sword progeny rendered reclusive following the residual effects of an injury he sustained in a failed effort to prevent the downfall of the 15th king Gwanghae. After years of living in the mountains with daughter Tae-ok, Tae-yul soon finds himself thrust into the upheaval of the Ming-Qing transition, and back into battle when Tae-ok, after vying for a position in a noble family to help pay for Tae-yul’s eye treatment, is taken by Qing slave traders, led by the vicious Lord Gurutai (Joe Taslim). The film also stars Kim Hyun-soo and Jeong Man-sik, and will release in the UK on DVD & Digital from May 17, and […]

UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN Trailer: Philip Ng And Andy On Unload Their Action Arsenal On Hi-YAH Next Month, Digital And Disc This Summer!

Lee B. Golden III

If a little more Phillip Ng is what you’ve been wanting these days, then pull up a chair and get a whiff of Well Go USA’s latest Hi-YAH! induction, Undercover Punch & Gun, from directors Lui Koon Nam and Frankie Tam. While an elite cop is working undercover to infiltrate a notorious drug ring, his plan is compromised when a rival agency with a grudge attacks during a trade, killing the gang’s leader. Their cover blown, both teams are forced to unite and take to the high seas in an attempt to overthrow the ruthless smuggler behind it all. This one’s taken quite a while to circulate, and for North American genre filmgoers, Hi-YAH! is a perfect landing spot for a title of this kind. The film arrives exclusively on Hi-YAH! from May 7, so you’re not a subscriber yet, I recommend changing that. The film also arrives on Digital, […]

FANTASIA XXV: Québécois Thriller BRAIN FREEZE To Open This Year’s Virtual Festival In August

Lee B. Golden III

Julien Knafo’s Frontières prospect, Brain Freeze, will be the opening presentation for the virtual 25th installment of the Fantasia International Film Festival this summer. The chiller, produced by Barbara Shrier (The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom, Mémoires Affectives), and starring leading Québécois Roy Dupuis (La Femme Nikita, The Rocket) – in his 50th feature with this role – alongside Iani Bédard (Mon Ami Walid), will have its world premiere on August 5 ahead of a Canadian release on August 13 from Filmoption International. The film’s announcement a few weeks ago also brought in tow the latest look at the festival’s official 2021 poster, illustrated by Donald Caron. Fantasia is celebrating Caron’s work as a mark of inspiration from the likes of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s beloved Lone Wolf And Cub – a symbolic homage to the role Japanese culture has played in the festival’s history, as well as […]

MORTAL KOMBAT Warns A Bloody Reckoning In The First Seven Minutes From Warner Bros.

MORTAL KOMBAT Warns Of A Bloody Reckoning In The First Seven Minutes From Warner Bros.

Lee B. Golden III

This is about as spoilery as I’m going to get in terms of watching any legitimately-released footage from Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat. I’m already sold and plan on seeing it in May, or as soon as I can get it on screener for a review this week as long as I’m getting my writing nerve back. Yes, it’s as red-bandy as you’d expect. The film opens in theaters, IMAX and HBO Max on Friday!

QUANTUM SPY: Lewis Tan To Star In New Espionage Spy Thriller TV Adaptation

Lee B. Golden III

Just days away from making his appeal to North Americans everywhere through the release of Mortal Kombat from Warner Bros. Pictures this Friday, actor Lewis Tan is now placing his feet firmly in a new pilot for Quantum Spy, based on award-winning journalist and author David Ignatius’s 2017 W. W. Norton & Company publication. Variety‘s exclusive on Monday reports that Tan will star from a script by Dave Kalstein (USA series Treadstone, NCIS: LA, Quantico), as well as co-executive produce on the pilot from Boies/Schiller Entertainment, Anonymous Content, Flame Ventures and Tony Krantz (24). Anonymous Content’s Alex Goldstone will oversee the project alongside Zack Schiller on behalf Boies/Schiller, the latter which acquired the rights back from NBC where it was previously developing. Tan will play newly-assigned Chinese-American CIA officer Harris Chang, tasked to hunt down the traitor. Soon, he’s caught in an ever-expanding maze of spymasters, assassins and temptations turning […]

ROCK ‘EM SOCK ‘EM ROBOTS: Vin Diesel To Star, Produce With Mattel Films For Universal

Lee B. Golden III

I had an eye on actor Vin Diesel to possibly headline a Street Sharks movie based on a promo he did many years ago in the nascency of his TV career. Alas, that never came to pass, though given his penchant for gargantuan blockbuster productions that aim really high on concept, you can imagine he would attach himself to the guy who invested in The Rock befriending an oversized Silverback gorilla as they battled monsters in between city streets and buildings for movie of their own… and that’s what he’s gone and did. And that’s why we now get to talk about Universal Pictures and its latest stake in a film adaptation of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, based on the classic 1966 tabletop boxing game which pitted Red Rocker against Blue Bomber in a fight to knock his rival’s block off; A staple in pop culture since its debut, […]

Marvel’s SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS: Simu Liu Shows Us The Way Of The Fist In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Having conquered a global pandemic, the long-awaited production of Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings – since completed in December – now looks toward conquering the box office on September 3. And with that, we now have an official trailer and poster to help get the wheels spinning for the next phase of Marvel’s cinematic tapestry, and with none other than actor Simu Liu tentatively rebranding himself from buzzworthy sitcom talent into boundless superhero martial arts movie stardom. Marvel’s Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay by Dave Callaham, and presents Liu with an origin starting point as seen in the teaser that introduces a bit of his backstory pertaining to our hero’s past in connection with the Ten Rings organization. The teaser also puts a heavy-handed spotlight on the film’s action sequences, assembled by an amazing […]

This Has Not Been Easy…

Lee B. Golden III

Since I started writing (or at least trying to write) this article in an effort to get my nerve back with posting and reporting again, my family and I were close to a week since the death of my sister, Dr. Isis Lee-Marie Golden. She was an inspiration to many people in her life who were fortunate to know her – of course, none more fortunate than myself, my mother and father, for whom she was the absolute pride and joy. My sister, who died at her residency on the morning of April 7 in Lansing, Michigan, has to be the darkest chapter we’ve ever faced, and we’ve had some pretty damn dark ones. While her death wasn’t the only personal tragedy I’ve had to live with, because until last week, we were four. And now, we are three. My emotions were in a constant state of flux, and because […]

THE TOMORROW WAR: Chris Pratt’s Sci-Fi Thriller Lands A Summer Release Date On Amazon Prime

Lee B. Golden III

After a contentious bid back in January before acquiring Chris McKay’s The Tomorrow War, Amazon Studios has officially closed its deal for the Chris Pratt-led sci-fi and launch exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories on July 2, 2021. In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of […]

TAKE BACK: Shout! Debuts The Official U.S. Trailer For Gillian White’s Debut Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Dallas Jackson’s Welcome To Sudden Death lived just short of its potential, although it’s worth noting that one of its higher marks stands with actress Gillian White making her first entry into the screen fighting and action arena to add to her current drama credits. That she now gets to make her full-fledged debut in a lead role for action fans in Shout! Studios’ Take Back is worth singing some praises about at this stage, rejoining husband and action star Michael Jai White who steps up this time in a supporting capacity for the new thriller from Pay Dirt and Vigilante Diaries helmer Christian Sesma. Zara (Gillian White) and Brian (Michael Jai White) are living the perfect small-town life when Zara heroically foils a robbery and becomes headline news. This unwanted notoriety draws elements of Zara’s mysterious past back into her life, putting the lives of her family in danger. […]

WITHOUT REMORSE: Catch The Explosive Final Trailer For The New Michael B. Jordan Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

If you thought the first trailer for Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse hit the spot, I think the final trailer which debuted on Tuesday just about smashes it. The film, spinning off a character favorite from the late author’s famed espionage universe and featuring Michael B. Jordan in the title role, is set to release beginning April 30, 2021 on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories. An elite Navy SEAL uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, the explosive origin story of action hero John Clark – one of the most popular characters in author Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe. When a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation for his role in a top-secret op, Sr. Chief John Kelly (Michael B. Jordan) pursues the assassins at all costs. Joining forces with a fellow SEAL […]

THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD: The Heat Is On In The Official Trailer For Taylor Sheridan’s Searing New Crime Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

If there’s anything you can take away from the last five years or so when it comes to Taylor Sheridan, it’s that there’s a reason he’s gotten to work with directors like David Mackenzie and Denis Villeneuve. Sheridan’s potential bodes with nothing short of kept promise that can only be sampled in his work, including Sheridan’s own 2017 debut, Wind River, a compelling and brutal view into the reservation which saw an FBI agent and a wildlife officer on the hunt for an elusive killer. That film purely thrusts you into an intense and thrilling neo-noir on the western frontier with chilling and violent results, and serves as a high mark for a first time director who’s also just as good on-screen as he is off, in addition to his recent television credits on Yellowstone. His momentum continues this year following suit with screenwriting credits for upcoming Amazon release, Tom […]

AMERICAN FIGHTER Knuckles Up A May Release From Lionsgate

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker Shaun Paul Piccinino (The Lackey) was one of the earlier prospects I’d become familiar with since the dawn of this website over at Blogger, and so it feels absolutely rewarding to be discussing his latest feature film at Lionsgate, American Fighter. The film had its debut at Fantasia International Film Festival in 2019 when I was able to acquire a virtual screening of it to review. Needless to say, I dug it, and having since made headway with its releases, including via Signature in the UK, it’s now in Lionsgate’s hands this week with plans to roll the film out in select theaters and wherever movies can be rented beginning May 21, before releasing on Blu-ray and DVD May 25. The move here on Lionsgate’s part also signals the studio’s favor with actor Sean Patrick Flanery whose empassioned mixed-martial arts sport drama, Born A Champion, also released under the […]

DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Well Go USA Delivers Hong Won-Chan’s Hit Korean Action Thriller On Blu-Ray, DVD And Digital In May

Lee B. Golden III

The latest round of Asian-centric action and crime thrills coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on May 25 from Well Go USA now hands us the official trailer for Deliver Us From Evil. The film reunites New World actors Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing; The Spy Gone North) and Lee Jung-jae (Tazza: One-Eyed Jack; The Face Reader; Along With the Gods franchise), and also stars Park Jeong-min (Svaha: The Sixth Finger), Park Soi a.k.a. Park Myung-hoon (Parasite) and Choi Moon a.k.a. Choi Hee-seo (Anarchist from Colony; Okja). After the shocking kidnapping of a little girl in Thailand, a mercenary with a murky past as a government black ops agent (Hwang) is forced to re-emerge from the shadows when he learns the incident is closely connected to him. With the help of expat Yui (Park), he flies to Thailand and begins tracking the girl’s whereabouts, moving ever closer to the notorious child trafficking ring responsible for her […]