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

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 […]

UNDERGODS: Catch The Trailer For Chino Moya’s Dark Fantasy Playing For Fantasia This Month

Lee B. Golden III

Chino Moya’s cerebral dark fantasy, Undergods, has an official trailer running online. The film is billed as “an otherworldly journey through a Europe in decline,” host to “a collection of darkly humorous fantasy tales about a series of men whose worlds fall apart through a visit from an unexpected stranger.” Set to an original, synth score featuring ‘80s electronica, UNDERGODS journeys through disparate eras and realities fusing failed 20th Century utopias and 21st Century Ikea nightmares. An unsettlingly entertaining, singular visual feast, UNDERGODS features a stand out, pan European cast that includes Kate Dickie (THE WITCH), Ned Dennehy (MANDY), Geza Rohrig (SON OF SAUL), Adrian Rawlins (CHERNOBYL), and an especially crazed Jan Bijvoet (BORGMAN). Made with the support of the BFI, (using funds from the National Lottery), the Wallonia Brussels Fund for Audiovisual and Cinema, the Estonian Cultural Fund, the Estonian Film Institute and Sweden’s Film I Vast, UNDERGODS is […]

Netflix’s YOUNG WALLANDER: Don’t Miss The Explosive Trailer For The New British/Swedish Crime Series

Lee B. Golden III

Directors Ole Endresen and Jens Jonsson, and producer Berna Levin, have taken a liking to late author Henning Mankell’s celebrated Wallander novels for the new six-part police procedural, Young Wallander. Netflix is streaming the official trailer for the series described as “young, edgy, and modern” take on the beloved franchise that sees the budding nascent detective, played by Adam Pålsson, investigating his gripping first case. As the plot reads: “The story focuses on the formative experiences – professional and personal – faced by Kurt as a recently graduated police officer in his early twenties.” The show will premiere September 3, and serves as the latest incarnation of the character to hit the screen since the numerous films and television programs that emerged since 1994. Also starring are Richard Dillane, Leanne Best, Ellise Chappell, Yasen Atour, Charles Mnene, Jacob Collins-Levy, Alan Emrys and Kiza Deen, from a script by Benjamin Harris, […]

Fantasia XXIV Review: Ryan Kruger’s FRIED BARRY Is What Happens When Aliens Get To Know Us

Lee B. Golden III

Once upon a time, budding actor Ryan Kruger took it upon himself to take the helm and become a film director. After numerous shortform movies, his trajectory landed him on prospective ground with 2017 shortfilm thriller, Fried Barry, which currently serves as the basis for his rousing feature debut, which has already garnered favor at select festivals, including three Bests at Rapid Lion in South Africa. One wonders how far the mind goes to tell the kind of story Kruger delves into for Fried Barry, and it certainly feels like he went above and beyond the call of duty to not only blow minds, but molest the senses in places we never knew possible. Lord knows the unengaged who aren’t usually keen on the kinds of extravagant, eccentric and whimsical imagery fitting for festival crowds may come away from this one with a certain mindset. Fried Barry immediately hits the […]

Trailer: Will Wernick’s NO ESCAPE Ups The Ante For Online Fame

Lee B. Golden III

Vertical Entertainment is proudly unveiling the official trailer for Will Wernick’s intense new thriller, No Escape. The film stars Keegan Allen, Holland Roden and Ronen Rubinstein, and will release On-Demand and Digital starting September 18. A social media star travels with his friends to Moscow to capture new content for his successful VLOG. Always pushing the limits and catering to a growing audience, he and his friends enter a cold world of mystery, excess and danger. As the line between real life and social media is blurred, the group must fight to escape, and survive.

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Trailer: Antonio Campos’s THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME Deals In Brooding, Hellish Fervor

Lee B. Golden III

If ever you’re up for another immersive, drama-hearty flick that leaves you with chills, the first trailer for Antonio Campos’s The Devil All The Time may just have what you’re looking for. Featuring Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Mia Wasikowska, Riley Keough, Haley Bennett, Robert Pattinson, Eliza Scanlen and Bill Skarsgard, the film is based on Donald Ray Pollock’s 2011 novel of the same name, and Netflix is streaming the film on September 16! In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters — an unholy preacher (Robert Pattinson), twisted couple (Jason Clarke and Riley Keough), and crooked sheriff (Sebastian Stan) — converge around young Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family. Spanning the time between World War II and the Vietnam war, director Antonio Campos’ THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME renders a seductive and horrific landscape that pits the just against […]

Fantasia XXIV Review: Justin McConnell’s CLAPBOARD JUNGLE Defies Conventions With Exemplary Lessons In Survival

Lee B. Golden III

If you love genre cinema and filmmaking so much so that at some point you decide to take that definitive plunge – be it acting, writing, filmmaking, or even journalizing or vlogging, then there’s ten times more you need to understand about the industry, and tons more to comprehend about the process. From an observational perspective, the weight of that comprehension comes undoubtedly with talking to multiple industry film professionals who’ve been around the block and have developed thick-enough skins to have stood the test of time amidst the constant hustle and bustle of pursuing their craft. Independent filmmaker Justin McConnell dives into more than plenty of that time in his new documentary, Clapboard Jungle, dating back to his early teens, all leading up to the near-twenty year period in his professional career, from his heyday as a curious up-and-comer with bare bones equipment and a skeleton crew, to a […]

Fantasia XXIV: Ten Titles Fans Will Definitely Want To See At This Year’s Virtual Festival

Lee B. Golden III

The third and final wave for the 24th and virtual edition of the Fantasia Festival is already up and running, and for this, I’m ready to dive into some serious shit this month with some great looking picks. Here’s a list of ten, including several of which I’ve already reviewed and saved in drafts to publish at a later time. You can expand the gallery images below by tapping the photos, or simply scroll down and read on, and follow this tag for forthcoming reviews on some of these and other titles ahead. Tickets are on sale as well and you can find out more at the official website. FRIED BARRY: This one makes zero apologies to you and your moviegoing sensibilities. Ryan Kruger makes his feature directing debut which has already garnered festival favor with actor Gary Green formidably playing a Cape Town junkie and deadbeat father whose conciousness […]

MONSTER FORCE ZERO: Ragtag Cosplayers Fight To Save The World In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

After taking a few notable film festival stops, Nathan Leteer’s second feature film exploded online with an official trailer earlier this month for indie cosplay superhero thriller, Monster Force Zero. The trailer above first appeared at Comicbook.com. Featuring genre favorite Garret Wang (‘’Star Trek: Voyager’’), WWE and WCW wrestling legend Pat Tanaka, and sci-fi staple Heath C. Heine (Jurassic Thunder, Dragon Soldiers), the action-packed sci-fi jaunt will be available On Demand this October from Wild Eye Releasing. After their comic book dreams are crushed, a group of sci-fi cosplayers are granted superpowers and are transported into the multiverse to do real battle with evil alien forces bent on earth’s destruction.

47 RONIN Sequel Lands At Universal 1440, Ron Yuan To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Ron Yuan will direct a sequel to the Carl Rinsch-directed 2013 period samurai thriller, 47 Ronin, according to Dino-Ray Ramos at Deadline. The film will be Yuan’s latest feature foray at the helm since shepherding Lionsgate’s 2019 dance comp drama, Step Up China. Keanu Reeves led Rinsch’s film which, apart from its real-life historical roots, is delivered with an epic fantasy twist for the story of a band of masterless 18th-century swordsmen who set out to avenge their lord at the hands of his rival. The film also starred Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Ko Shibasaki, Rinko Kikuchi and Cary Tagawa. Production took place in 2011 with reshoots in 2012 along with extended shoots, prior to post-production issues that reportedly resulted in Rinsch’s removal from the editing room while the studio finished up. The film received mixed to mostly negative critical reviews and bombed at the box office. Universal 1440 […]

MULAN: Final Trailer Streams Ahead Of September 4 Launch On Disney+

Lee B. Golden III

Like it or not, Niki Caro’s Mulan is coming exclusively to Disney+ subscribers, and if you’re one of them, you’ll need to pay an additional $29.99 to buy the film and watch it. The good news though is that by buying the film, you’ll own it, and get to see it as many times as you want, which, for what it’s worth is.. well, a deal. BUT, you be the judge. Best of all, really, is that people will finally get to see the film after months of having its release shelved due to the closure of theaters in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The film was supposed to open in March, and then was scheduled a few times this summer until ultimately its rollout on Disney+ became the final solution, and I wouldn’t be surprised if future Disney titles got the same treatment. For now, the official, and probably […]

ABACUS: Justin Lin To Helm Sung Family 2008 Financial Crisis Drama, Participant And Perfect Storm To Produce

Lee B. Golden III

Justin Lin is set to direct Abacus, a new drama set during the 2008 financial crisis. The film is based on the true story of the Sung family, whose family-run bank was the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges during this time period, forcing them to defend themselves and their business’ legacy in the Chinatown community. Kenneth Lin (Star Trek: Discovery, House of Cards), who has been attached to the project since 2016, is penning the script with James Schamus (Indignation, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), with the helmer producing via his Perfect Storm banner, which snagged the life rights to the Sung family following the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. “Now more than ever it feels essential to see people standing up for what’s right in the face of social injustice.” says Lin. “I was very moved when I heard about the Sungs and their courageous journey, and having […]

COME TRUE: Don’t Miss The Trailer For The New Nightmarish Sci-Fi Showing At Fantasia This Month

Lee B. Golden III

Anthony Scott Burns (Our House, Holidays – Father’s Day segment) is officially set for a premiere on August 30 for this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival with psychedelic sci-fi thriller, Come True. After releasing several stills and official key poster art designed by Sara Deck, an official trailer is now running online which you can check out above, with Julia Sarah Stone (Honey Bee, The Killing) and Landon Liboiron (Blumhouse’s Truth Or Dare) starring. High school student Sarah (Stone) is at her lowest point yet when she runs away from home and finds herself with no one to rely on and struggling with recurring nightmares. She chances upon a university sleep study that offers the promise of safety and money and brings her an unexpected friend and confidant in the overseeing scientist Jeremy (Liboiron). But there’s something curious about proceedings, and being under observation seems to make Sarah’s disturbing dreams […]

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THE EIGHT HUNDRED Makes One Last Stand In The Official Trailer For Its August 21 China Release

Lee B. Golden III

While filmmaker Guan Hu’s latest, The Eight Hundred, wasn’t the only film that suffered sociopolitically-driven obscurity at the hands of Chinese censors last year, it definitely endured more than its fair share of obscurity. With the suprise cancellation of both its Shanghai International Film Fest premiere and a summer screening window, all was up in the air with no one the wiser as to the fate of its release, and the emergence of Covid-19 definitely didn’t ease things any. Thankfully, Hu’s ambitious Sino-Japanese blockbuster war epic was finally granted an August 21 release as of a week ago. Thus, a final trailer is now online which you can view above, featuring a cast that lists Ou Hao, Jiang Wu, Zhang Yi, Wang Qianyuan, Du Chun and Li Chen among others. At the end of the 1937, during Battle of Songhu, the 524th Regiment of the 88th Division of the KMT […]

A SHOT THROUGH THE WALL: Don’t Miss The Official Trailer For Aimee Long’s Feature Crime Drama Debut, Now Screening For Bentonville This Week

Lee B. Golden III

Ten years into a burgeoning filmmaking career with several shorts under her belt, Aimee Long emerged just three years ago to helm her latest independent feature debut, A Shot Through The Wall, which explores the all too concurrent and painful discussion of police brutality in America. The film stars Kenny Leu whose credits partly include Midway, NCIS: Los Angeles and Vicente Amorim’s upcoming Brazilian actioner, Yakuza Princess. Leu tackles a debut lead role from a script by Long who reteams with Daniel Langa who produced Long’s 2014 short, Distance. After shooting an innocent African-American man in Brooklyn, Mike Tan, a Chinese-American cop, wades through his guilt as he attempts to navigate the intricate and complicated worlds of media, justice, and racial politics in modern day New York. After an extensive wait, the film is finally screening this week for Geena Davis’s 6th Bentonville Film Festival which runs through August 16. […]

The Official Line-Up For The 19th New York Asian Film Festival Is HERE!

Lee B. Golden III

Last year’s New York Asian Film Festival was a pure blast with tons of hits, including awarded festivities with some famous faces on hand as well. I didn’t get to attend, but I did make some friends and worthwhile connections along the way, and while most in New York City won’t get to galvanize at this year’s 19th edition, the line-up looks just as robust and lively as ever. The festival postponed its July festivities months ago in response to the Coronavirus pandemic that has swept the North American continent and the world over earlier this year. Specifically with regard to the U.S., efforts to keep operations going for many festivals have chosen to go the online/digital route, and as such, NYAFF will be doing the same through its partnership with downloadable app, Smart Cinema USA. “Since the very first day of our launch, our goal is to always promote […]

THE MAN FROM KATHMANDU: Jose Manuel’s Epic Martial Arts Action Drama Now Available In The U.S.!

Lee B. Golden III

Long since making headway as Puerto Rico’s premiere martial arts star in El Testigo, Jose Manuel has worked his way up from YouTube talent to working in feature films. Thus, his debut lead role in Pema Dhondup’s martial arts action drama, The Man From Kathmandu, just dropped in the United States and you can now find it for rent via YouTube, as well as Apple TV, Amazon and Google Play from High Octane. A young man morally torn between his cultural identity and his newfound vendetta, must reconnect with the traditions of his roots and find the true meaning of justice. The Man From Kathmandu has been on my radar for a really long time having undergone its evolution over the years in cast and story. It’s a milestone success for Manuel, and with a story that takes quite a cerebral turn and should definitely be seen with a nuanced […]

Trailer: Li Weiran’s THE YIN YANG MASTER Mitigates Conflict Between Two Worlds

Lee B. Golden III

Between two films that bare the same title, director Li Weiran’s incarnation of The Yin Yang Master takes its cues from the popular mobile game. The new dark fantasy epic stars Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, William Chan and Wang Likun, and tells of an “Onmyoji” – a magic specialist – whose human hybrid identity may be the key when confronted by a Demon Emperor following a contract officiated with a group of monsters. A 2020 release in tow, and for this, we have a first poster and trailer. (H/T: Far East Films)

HONOUR: Mike Carr’s Violent, NSFW Action Cinema Send-Off Launches With Glen Harris’s New Ninja Shortfilm Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

If there’s anything good that might come from the lockdown, it’s the emerging releases of stifled film projects only recently completed as Covid-19 gripped the world. Such was the case for filmmaker Glen Harris whose long-awaited ninja-thriller, Honour, is finally out and about with an online audience starring actor Mike Carr. Filmed in 2017, the project follows Harris’s previous endeavor, Headhackers. Carr himself tipped me off with a few promotional images for Honour prior to shooting, and as filming finished, so began an unfortunate post-editing process with VFX issues, post-production assistants bailing at the last minute and Harris’s own hectic work and moving schedules all hampering its release… that is, until now. Carr has long since disengaged social media and embarked on what I’ve been told is a career change from his earlier exploits in film. In the meantime, Headhackers and Honour are two projects this site has been glad […]