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 XXIV Review: In Stéphan Beaudoin’s YANKEE, When Fighting To Survive Is All That Matters, Win Or Lose

Say what you will about stunt performers with respect to acting. The fact remains is the two go equally hand in hand, and for this, whatever amount of formal training Canadian stunt performer Devon Slack has had prior to shooting her first feature lead role in Stéphan Beaudoin’s new drama, Yankee, rest assured, she’s pulled off quiet a compelling feat. Slack throws herself head-first into the role of Skylar, an Albany resident whose cousin, Kev (Jean-Phliippe Perras) pulls her from the dreary dwellings of her upstate N.Y. residency and takes her into his Drummondville home where they start arranging a way for her to help bring some money in through underground fighting. Skylar’s got the moves, but she’s way rough around the edges and it’s up to Kev to help get Skylar trained and prepped to take on fighters. Besides, Kev isn’t exactly doing it for the love of the […]

In Memoriam: Benny Chan (1961-2020)

Lee B. Golden III

Reports are coming in that filmmaker Benny Chan has passed away due to nasopharyngeal cancer at the age of 58. According to details at Dimsum Daily, Chan was diagnosed during production on his latest film, Raging Fire, starring Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse. Principal photography wrapped last year, with post-production handed to Kenji Tanigaki who comes off his own directorial debut with Yen in Enter The Fat Dragon as of earlier this year. Tanigaki took to Twitter to confirm the news, along with a summer release in 2021. 好難接受R.I.P. 陳導演??? https://t.co/4ySHSt4ibg — 谷垣健治 (@KenjiTanigaki) August 23, 2020 Chan was fluent in English, as well as Cantonese and Mandarin. On top of scoring “Best Director” at the 24th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards for his 2005 Jackie Chan/Nicholas Tse actioner, New Police Story, the filmmaker was also known for shepherding many of the Hong Kong action hits fans know and love […]

DC FanDome Streams THE BATMAN Teaser, And It Completely Owns

Lee B. Golden III

Set to resume production in the U.K. next month following a six-month hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Matt Reeves’s efforts to reawaken the fandom in The Batman look nothing short of pleasing in the first teaser. You get Robert Pattinson in full view as the caped crusader himself, you get Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, you get Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, you get the Batmobile, and you get Jeffrey Wright leading the VO narration as Gotham City Police’s own James Gordon. You also get a helluva look at the atmosphere set in the film, topped off with a redux of a Nirvana classic to underscore the action and fight scene spectacle, and a decent shot of our dark knight beating the living pulp out of a perp. By the way, for everyone who’s had jokes about “the guy from Twilight” ever playing this character, this teaser is also a […]

ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE: DC FanDome Streams The Official Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Brimming with four hours of movie than anyone’s ever seen at the time of it’s release, Zack Snyder’s Justice League arrived at Saturday’s DC FanDome to premiere an exclusive teaser. The film is expected to arrive next year on HBO Max while plans are being devised to release Snyder’s director’s cut to countries where HBO Max is not available. Starring Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Henry Cavill (Superman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Ezra Miller (The Flash), the film will reintroduce the cast in a newer, revised and more fan-curious version of Snyder’s film following the 2017 original, co-helmed by none other than Joss Whedon. Aptly known as #TheSnyderCut, the film will ultimately weave together even more story that will connect the threads of Warner Bros.’s DCEU as the studio looks toward the release of Wonder Woman 1984 as well as the development on a third […]

THE SUICIDE SQUAD: DC FanDome Signals The Squad’s Return In A New ‘Roll Call’ And Sneak Peek!

Lee B. Golden III

Among all the things comic book film fans can be proud of, it’s being in director James Gunn’s corner. Having pulled himself from the throes of a career-ending smear campaign and back into moviemaking relevancy, what better way to mark the occasion than with a fresh look at the new and returning characters in The Suicide Squad? And you can guess as much that Gunn’s own vision is going for something much more different than Ayer’s 2016 installment. Alas, no plot or synopsis, and not really that much teaser footage. Nope, today is all about the hype, and that comes by way of a new roll-call teaser giving viewers of Saturday’s DC FanDome a first look above at the cast of characters, as well as a behind-the-scenes sneak peek below. A 2021 theatrical release is also in tow and with that, official promo assets to help carry the hype until […]

WONDER WOMAN 1984: Cheetah Strikes In The Official Main Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Saturday is all about comic book movies for anyone who’s been tuned into DC Fandome for all things coming soon in the genre, and for fans of Patty Jenkins’s prosperity with 2017’s Wonder Woman, the upcoming sequel couldn’t come sooner. Gal Gadot returns to the iconic DC heroine in Wonder Woman 1984 in glistening and festive fashion with an official main trailer, and a full-fledged story waiting to be told with Chris Pine back in the role of Steve Trevor, and the villainous additions Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah and Pedro Pascal as Max Lord. Also starring are Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta. The good news is the film is getting a theatrical 2D/3D/IMAX release on October 2. The bad news, if you’ve been keeping up, is that not all the theaters will be open in time. Such are first-world Coronavirus problems. Alas, hopefully you’re near […]

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THE CHOSEN ONES: Sunny Pang To Star In Survival Thriller From Ranjeet S. Marwa [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker Ranjeet S. Marwa is officially set to move forward on The Chosen Ones, a sprawling new survival thriller set to shoot in the U.K. starting in the first week of October through November. With Covid-19 safety protocols in place, Marwa will be directing from his own script and producing for his Rocket Sky High Motion Pictures Ltd. banner alongside Djonny Chen of Silent D Films, and with Sunny Pang (Headshot, The Night Comes For Us) attached to star. The project is one of several feature films that Marwa kept in the works since launching crowdfunding in January for action thriller, Blood Rush (which would have filmed this summer), prior to setting forth plans to direct again with Traced by this time in 2020 after pitching the two projects to this year virtual Cannes market. The pandemic, among other factors, has since affected progress on both Traced and Blood Rush, […]

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THE LEGEND AMONG GODS: Stick Figures Battle For Immortal Glory In New Animated Feature On Kickstarter

Lee B. Golden III

If you’ve kept up at all with viral video internet gems like fighting stick figure flash animations over the last ten years, then you can appreciate what the good folks behind The Legend Among Gods is up to this season on Kickstarter. The team behind animated stick figure action shorts Combat Gods 1 and 2 are working to finance up to $15,000 for post production to complete an animated feature which they describe as “a high-octane stick figure anime filled to the brink with insane action scenes” that also serves as “a meta-narrative about the emergence of a new breed of hero”. ‘The Legend’ sees himself as a mortal among Gods; a fable of potential only to be trampled by impenetrable god-like forces looking to preserve the status quo: No new Gods or powers capable of usurping the natural order of the realm. Anime has ensnared the hearts of millions […]

Arrow Video Channel Slays With GRAVEYARD OF HONOR (’75/’02), CRYSTAL EYES, THE HOLY RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES And More In September

Lee B. Golden III

Subscribers of the Arrow Video Channel can expect to make an absolute killing this September with its forthcoming arrivals. The subscription-based network launched its newest press release this week announcing the additions of such titles as horror classic Return Of The Killer Tomatoes, teen thriller Heathers and Argentinian giallo homage Crystal Eyes, as well as Kinji Fukasaku’s Graveyard of Honor, and Takashi Miike’s 2002 remake, and many more listed in the ‘seasons’ section. Crystal Eyes, Fukasaku’s Graveyard of Honor (1975), and Graveyard of Honor (2002) will be available September 1st on the Arrow Video Channel in the US and the UK. Read on below, and subscribe to the Arrow Video Channel through Apple TV in the U.S. or U.K., or on Amazon U.K.. September Additions: Crystal Eyes (UK/US) Exclusive Ivansxtc (UK/US) Exclusive Graveyard of Honor (1975) (UK/US) Graveyard of Honor (2002) (UK/US) The Holy Mountain (UK) Exclusive Fando Y Lis […]

Z-Team Films Extends THE HUNT: SAVAGE WITHIN Indiegogo Deadline Through Mid-September

Lee B. Golden III

The team behind the current Indiegogo campaign for female-fronted sci-fi action thriller, The Hunt: Savage Within, is announcing a thirty-day extension as of Wednesday. Initial crowdfunding for the project launched on July 21 before hitting a $4,000 milestone – less than half of the current goal which is $10,000, but still stipulates a considerable threshold for the project according to writer/director Fabien Garcia. “As we’ve stated in our earlier messaging, every dollar counts, as does every share of our campaign to each of your circles and networks of friends and acquiantances.” he says. “This is progress, especially considering it has only been only a month, and so we invite you to take this amazing opportunity and share in the momentum, and help keep spreading the word until we reach our finish line.” Garcia marks his hopeful sophomore debut at the helm with The Hunt: Savage Within, in an effort to […]

PENINSULA Review: Starring Gang Dong-Won, Yeon Sang-Ho’s Zombie Franchise Reassures With A Pulsating Sequel

Lee B. Golden III

2020 seems to be the year for optimism when it comes to sequels (see Bad Boys For Life and The Debt Collectors). Not all movie fans have a flexible take on a particular kind of story, and directors like Yeon Sang-ho have invariably made note of this fact, and so went the sounds of many a mind blown when news of a sequel to his 2016 film, Train To Busan, was well under way. Enter Peninsula, the latest chapter in Yeon’s sprawling zombie saga that dives right into the ensuing collapse of Korea, introducing Marine Captain Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), whose own life is about to take a truly dark turn as he attempts to join the exile with his family via naval ship. Chaos suddenly erupts on the ship, forcing a detour from Japan to Hong Kong, where for the next four years, Jung-seok and brother-in-law Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) are […]

Fantasia XXIV Review: Andrew Fung’s A WITNESS OUT OF THE BLUE Sees Stolen Jewels, Murder, Louis Koo On The Brink, And A Bird With All The Answers

Lee B. Golden III

It takes a certain ingenuity to tell a story on film, and while the idea of a plot point in the form of a talking parrot may sound absurd on its face, you have to give filmmaker Andrew Fung (Fung Chih Chiang) credit for starting somewhere. Deep in the thick of his fourth film, A Witness Out Of The Blue, we meet a maladroit detective named Lam (Louis Cheung) who runs a cat shelter when he’s not on the job. He’s also indebted to a gangster which doesn’t do much for his image, in addition to his feeble deportment and the fact that he wears a Fung Shui bracelet to protect himself from serious harm. When a member of a notorious jewelry gang is murdered, Lam’s first instinct is to talk to the only witness who was on the scene: a halfwit talking red parrot, much to the dismay of […]

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Happy 25th Anniversary, MORTAL KOMBAT

Lee B. Golden III

If you feel at like the first official teaser for Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat is taking way, WAY longer than it should to arrive, you’re not alone. It’s been eight months since the film wrapped shooting in Australia, and you can’t help but imagine if we might have gotten one sooner had this terrible, horrible, no good, very VERY bad pandemic settled in. I’m thinking we would’ve. Frankly though, this takes nothing away from the conversation starter that was Paul W.S. Anderson’s 1995 endeavor from New Line Cinema, etching in the likes of Robin Shou (Liu Kang), Cary Tagawa (Shang Tsung), Christopher Lambert (Raiden), Bridgette Wilson (Sonya Blade), Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage), Chris Cassamassa (Scorpion), Talisa Soto (Kitana), François Petit (Sub-Zero), Trevor Goddard (Kano) and Keith Cooke (Reptile) into cinema history. That a feature adaptation was in the works was a total surprise for me, firstly seeing Ashby in a […]

HUNT: ‘City Of The Rising Sun’ Stars To Reunite For Lee Jung-Jae’s Directorial Debut

Lee B. Golden III

Next year, actor Lee Jung-jae will make his feature directing debut, starring in tentatively-titled thriller, Hunt. According to Pierce Conran at KOFIC, Hunt is four years in the making with a script by Lee, and centers on a pair of NIS agents in pursuit of a spy ring. What’s more is it’ll be a prized reunion for fans of Lee, and those of long time friend and fellow actor Jung Woo-sung who is also circling a key role next to Lee. If confirmed, the film would reunite the two on screen for the first time since starring together in City Of The Rising Sun, Jung’s second film with Beat director Kim Sung-su; like Lee, Jung has also reportedly upscaled in his career pursuits recently directing/starring in The Protector with Kim Nam-gil and Park Sung-woong. Lee, who is partnering with Megabox Plus M to distribute in Korea, is currently chiseling at […]

ARCANA: ‘Predators’ Writers Set ‘Gritty Urban Fantasy’ At Lionsgate, Chad Stahelski To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

Chad Stahelski has a great thing going with Lionsgate following the success of the John Wick franchise thusfar. He’s got television AND feature spin-off in the works, on top of two more back-to-back movies to culminate the hitman pentalogy, in addition to a new incarnation of Highlander, AND he’s producing a new take on CJ’s The Man From Nowhere for New Line. His prospects continue to grow this week and Mike Fleming Jr. at Deadline reveals one such property in Arcana, described as “a gritty urban fantasy set in the hidden world of magical clans”. Predators writing duo Michael Finch and Alex Litvak wrote the spec script which is now in the hands of the studio, and will exec produce; Stahelski will produce out of 87Eleven Entertainment with Jason Spitz and Alex Young will produce. More at Deadline. Photo: Anna Hanks/Wikimedia Commons

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Review: In ATTACK OF THE UNKNOWN, Alien Bloodsuckers Are The Virus And Richard Grieco Is The Cure

Lee B. Golden III

Douglas Tait, Jolene Andersen and Richard Grieco headline the story of a Los Angeles SWAT team thrown head-first into a fight for survival against the backdrop of an alien invasion in Attack Of The Unknown, the latest directorial work of Crossbreed and Escape From Ensenada helmer Brandon Slagle. An undercover bust explodes into a major gun battle as Maddox (Tait) and Vernon (Grieco) lead the incursion to catch elusive crime boss Hades (Robert LaSardo). Despite losing one of their own and wrangling with the FBI, the bust is a success, though as the story unfolds, the Feds receive tips regarding threats on Hades’s life and Tait and his team are assigned to transport him to County jail for heavier supervision. The job is a less-than smooth one as Tait, Vernon and the rest of the team are left stranded with their vehicle disabled and the arrival of a mothership looming […]

WILD SWORDS Deals In Wildnerness And Weaponry In A Pensive Short Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Li Yunbo’s new film, Wild Swords, had a 2019 date stamped to it months earlier, but is now currently set for a September 25 release. For this, we have a short teaser to help get a convo going, with a story set during the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty. There’s not much to find online in the way of legible plot details, but thankfully one of our contributors was able to construct a translation I was able to iron out as follows: When a thief named Guo (Zhang Xiaochen) is arrested and escorted by the hired Wang Yidao (Jian Zhao) to face justice, their journey brings about the mysterious arrival of masters, years long since the bloody fallout from an incident between two warring clans years earlier. Aside from a cast that also lists Sui Yongliang and actress Liu Yongxi, Li’s independently crowdfunded sword drama is […]

MONSTERS OF MAN: Beware The Deadly Robot Army In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

David Toia’s feature debut looks nothing short of impressive with the first trailer running for Monsters Of Man. The sci-fi action thriller, starring Neal McDonough, is entirely self-funded, completed and slated for a Digital/On-Demand release, and is currently running an Indiegogo page with just a few months left to fund the film’s promotion. In a terrifying vision of AI gone wrong, sci-fi thriller Monsters of Man reveals the consequences of unchecked power and robots who have advanced beyond human control. When a corrupt CIA agent (McDonough) teams up with a robotics company to deploy an illegal, unsanctioned military operation, the plan is to drop four prototype robots into a suspected drug manufacturing camp in the Golden Triangle that no one will miss. The mission is to prove the robotics company is worthy of winning a lucrative military contract but all goes horribly awry when six American volunteer doctors witness the […]

Fantasia XXIV Review: Yuji Shimomura’s CRAZY SAMURAI MUSASHI Is An Audacious Jidaigeki Experiment That Stands The Test Of Time

Lee B. Golden III

Just over ten years ago, fan favorite Tak Sakaguchi made headlines with director Sion Sono for an ambitious “super genre” action project which, for some reason or another, took on an entirely different identity than intially intended. Much of that project was shot in the space of seventy-five minutes in a single afternoon, only to be shelved for the next several years until it fell into the prospective hands of longtime friend and film cohort, Yuji Shimomura, back in 2018. Together with executive producer Takayuki Ota, the race to finish what would become ultimately known as Crazy Samurai Musashi, is one that definitely required a strong blitz. The addition of actor Kento Yamazaki, one of the biggest film actor in Japan today, and the lead actor of one of Sakaguchi’s most recent credits, Shinsuke Sato’s Kingdom, is exactly what the doctor ordered to help get this film back on radar. […]

NIGHTSTREAM: Five Horror Festivals Unite To Thrill Fans Virtually This October

Lee B. Golden III

Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of film festivals ended up shuttering plans for their events around North America this year. The Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook, and Popcorn Frights film festivals all fell victim this year, and fortunately, that’s not stopping the festivities one bit. The quintet is now forming a united front to bring fans a massive online film festival with Nightstream, and programmers from all five festivals are collaborating for the line-up which arrives in late September, ahead of the festival which will run from October 8 through 11. The films will be recognized as an official selection of each festival entity, while short film programs will be individually curated by each fest, along with a full slate of live events and panels taking place over that weekend. As announced by Nightstream: “Proceeds from the event will be shared with all participating filmmakers and […]