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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UPGRADE: Leigh Whannell’s Explosive Sci-Fi Action Horror Lands A TV Sequel Series

Lee B. Golden III

Leigh Whannell’s 2018 Blumhouse-produced hit sci-fi action thriller, Upgrade, is officially headed for television. Whannell directed the SXSW Audience Award-winner, which centers on a tetraplegic imbued with STEM, an advanced A.I. tech that enables him to physically carry out his own campaign against the four supersoldiers that injured him and killed his wife, only to put him face to face with an even more nefarious conspirator. As Deadline‘s own Nellie Andreeva exclusively reports, Whannell, fresh off directing a reboot of The Invisible Man for Universal Pictures, is returning to direct the series, on which he will serve as co-creator and executive producer with Tim Walsh (Treadstone). Per the report, Upgrade, in its series form “picks up a few years after the events of the film and broadens the universe with an evolved version of STEM and a new host – imagining a world in which the government repurposes STEM to […]

Review: THE DEBT COLLECTOR Pays In Full With Another Solid Adkins/Johnson Package [Reprint/Revisal]

Review: THE DEBT COLLECTOR Pays In Full With Another Solid Adkins/Johnson Package [Reprint/Revisal]

Lee B. Golden III

The following review for Jesse Johnson’s The Debt Collector was originally published on May 28, 2018. Click here to read my review for the sequel, Debt Collectors, out in the U.S. on May 29 from Samuel Goldwyn Films. The past several years have seen quite a bit from stunt multi-hyphenate and filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson. Notable efforts like the classy and cool noir, The Beautiful Ones, and down and dirty action thrillers like Savage Dog and Accident Man have all come to pass as some of the best the genre has put out by far, and not without the measured efforts of our director in his current stride with actor Scott Adkins – a dauntless screen talent with twenty years in film and television – who is a continual quest to break more ground as a prospective mainstream entertainer. It’s a period that’s lasted since before Johnson’s third film, Pit […]

DELIVER US FROM EVIL Trailer Sees Hwang Jung-Min On The Run From Assassins

Lee B. Golden III

The Yellow Sea? The Chaser? Office? Hopefully one of these among writer and director Hong Won-chan’s filmography has gotten your attention in the past decade or so, and if you know your trivia, you know Indonesian action star Iko Uwais is a fan of the man’s work. This, of course, brings us to CJ Entertainment’s newest prospective thriller, Deliver Us From Evil, which has Hwang Jung-min (Veteran, A Violent Prosecutor) and Lee Jung-jae (Svaha: The Sixth Finger, Along With The Gods franchise), leading the tale of a man about to sacrifice everything to survive a contract killing. The film also stars Time To Hunt and Tazza: One Eyed Jack actor Park Jung-min, and Anarchist From Colony actress Choi Hee-seo. There’s no exact date, but the trailer sells, and I’m excited to catch this one in full after its July release.

SyFy’s VAGRANT QUEEN Rules In The UK This July From Dazzler

Lee B. Golden III

Dazzler Media is ready to divy out pre-orders the interstellar action adventure and hijinks in the UK for season one of SyFy’s space opera series, Vagrant Queen. Actress Adriyan Rae leads the single-season series for ten episodss on a three-disc set which will hit Digital, DVD and Blu-Ray shelves beginning July 13. She’s a royal gone rogue! Based on the comic of the same name, this colourful, trend-setting “space opera” adventure series follows Elida, child queen turned orphan who scavenges the galaxy, attempting to stay hidden from the Republic government. She must embark on a dangerous quest across the galaxy with an old friend, facing cannibalistic aliens, dangerous planets, shootouts and karaoke. Get ready for your new favourite sci-fi show!

#ALIVE Trailer: Yoo Ah-In And Park Shin-Hye Fight For Their Lives

Lee B. Golden III

Not to be confused for stuntman-cum-director Johnny Martin’s latest horror, Alone, Jo In-hyeong’s own feature debut, #Alive, couldn’t have come in a more timely fashion in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The film is penned by Jo along with co-writer Matt Naylor who shares credits on both titles. Similar in nature, Jo’s film is aptly stylized in its title for its upcoming June release from Lotte Cultureworks in Korea. It stars Yoo Ah-in (Burning) and actress Park Shin-hye (Heart Blackened) who find themselves as two quarantined sole survivors of a deadly pandemic in which the masses have all turned into zombies. There’s no word on any dates outside the region, but this looks to be another solid edition for those in the market for thrilling Korean zombie epics.

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INDIANA JONES 5 Confirms James Mangold For The Director’s Chair

Lee B. Golden III

2019 would’ve been the year that Disney franchise staple Indiana Jones returned to theaters per the stifled development of a fifth entry into the franchise. A 2022 date is likely inbound following an exclusive at Variety back in February, pre-empting at what now confirms James Mangold as the director of the new installment. Producer Frank Marshall offered the following to Collider via IGN: “I think [James Mangold] also has a relationship with Harrison [Ford]. It was all of the right pieces coming together, at the right time,” the famed producer explained, adding that, “Steven [Spielberg] is staying on as a producer, so we’ve got the best of everything.” Ford has headlined the franchise as the titular famed archaeologist and explorer since 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, inducted as one of AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films of All Time. With Spielberg at the helm for follow-ups in Indiana Jones and […]

UNLEASHED: Vengeance, Redemption, And ‘Guyver Kicks’ In The Latest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

With an IQIYI stream launch back an April, Sun Entertainment Culture seems to be on approach to a more theatrical outing on June 4 with underground fight thriller, Unleashed. The edit here on the final trailer now running online definitely pulls out all the stops thusfar on teasing the action, with the last shot being the obvious attention grabber for the Boyka crowd – a nod no less by actor and fight choreographer Chris Collins (SPL: Paradox) to his Wolf Warrior co-star Scott Adkins a la Steve Wang’s 1994 Guyver adaptation. For the thick of it, Unleashed stars Sun Feng Zhen, Ken Low, Zheng Zi Peng and Sam Lee, and is directed by first-timers Kwok Ka Hei and Ambrose Kwok. It tells of an underground boxer who is out to settle the score with his master’s rival, a former champion fresh out of prison and looking for retribution. Unleashed also […]

DON’T TELL A SOUL: Rainn Wilson Thriller Heads To Saban

Lee B. Golden III

Alex McAulay’s feature directing debut, Don’t Tell A Soul, was recently acquired by Saban Films. McAulay penned the film, shot in Kentucky, and sees a security guard (Emmy-nominated Rainn Wilson), fighting for survival after falling into a forgotten well when two brothers set out to rob a home to pay for their sick mother’s medical bills. Also starring are Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk) and Jack Dylan Grazer (Shazam!) and Mena Suvari (American Pie franchise). Mangano Movies & Media’s Chris Mangano, and Unbridled Films’s Merry-Kay Poe, produced with Steve Poe, with Matt Bronson and John Neace exec producing, and Brian Tanke, Max Neace and McAulay co-producing. Don’t Tell A Soul was an official Tribeca Film Festival selection this past Spring for Mangano prior to the festival’s cancellation earlier this year. “During these trying times, we at Saban thrive to continue bringing entertainment to our audiences and provide a platform for indie films.” […]

THE FANATIC Review: A Twisted, Nihilistic Profile Of Fringe Fandom And Fantasia

Lee B. Golden III

If there was ever a film that dove deep into the nebulous trenches of uberfandom, Fred Durst’s third feature film, The Fanatic, certainly achieves its goal. From the outset, the film challenges viewers on what it means to gauge the subject matter, through the perspective of the often overlooked, downtrodden and mentally ill, principally in the city of Los Angeles, or as Leah (Ana Golja) calls it, “the city of bullshitters” where “everything breaks down eventually”. It’s Leah’s voice narration that introduces the role of Moose (John Travolta), an unyielding, socially-awkward street performer who lives alone, rides a moped, and is the latest target for bullying by pickpocketing street performer Todd (Jacob Grodnik). For his hobby of collecting autographs and rare memorabilia, Moose routinely relies on favors from Leah, a paparazzi photographer who does her best to help keep Moose on the straight and narrow whilst helping nuture his fandom, […]

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Shinichiro Ueda’s SPECIAL ACTORS To Head Virtual Kick Off For Japan Cuts 2020 In July

Lee B. Golden III

Director Shinichiro Ueda’s hit zombie romp, One Cut Of The Dead, has seen scores of upward reviews and buzz quotes since becoming a landmark low budget hit last year. That film gets a Steelbook release from Image Entertainment/Shudder on June 2, and so with the 14th annual installment of Japan Cuts making headway this summer, Ueda is bringing his latest Rotterdam selection, Special Actors, to the festival’s inaugural day as the official opening selection for 2020. Taking a turn to VOD for its presentation, the festival’s organizers at Japan Society will partner with Festival Scope and Shift72 for its restructuring in light of the ongoing situation with Covid-19. The move marks the first time the festival will be made available to audiences around the country, including and beyond New York City, and with limited number of tickets will soon be made available for online festival attendees as the event stamps […]

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Takashi Miike’s SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO: COLLECTOR’S EDITION Arrives This June From FilmRise

Lee B. Golden III

I’m personally not holding my breath since recent announcements in the last three years with anything Django-related until some more news surfaces. Until then, it’s nice to know that some jewels remain celebrated, and Sony Pictures’s 2007 soba Western from Takashi Miike, Sukiyaki Western Django, is inarguably one of the most notable. FilmRise took notice as well at some point, and is now proudly touting a Collector’s Edition on Blu-Ray, releasing on June 16, along with some key art folks can expect to catch on shelves by then. The film will be presented in 5.1 DTS-HD MA, 2.0 DTS-HD MA and 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo, and jam packed with an extended version of the film, as well as optional English, Spanish and Japanese subtitles, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes and much more. Pre-order the film now at Diabolik DVD. Famed Japanese auteur Takashi Miike, best known for cult classics Audition, […]

TENET: John David Washington Reverse-Engineers Saving The World In The New Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Director Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception) has had every intention of releasing his latest theatrical endeavor, Tenet, on July 17, even now in the wake of an industry left atrophied by a pandemic with a reported $160 billion dollars in the hole. With some exhibitors around the world slowly coming back to life, time will tell if Nolan and Warner Bros. Pictures get their way and get moviegoers to come and undertake the full-on theatrical experience the film offers. Judging by the grand-scale feats of storied imagination through action and spectacle in the latest trailer – all shot with a mix of IMAX and 70mm film, it looks positively worth it. John David Washington is the new Protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s original sci-fi action spectacle “Tenet.” Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage […]

MY ACE DAD Sees Andy On To The Rescue In The First Teaser For This Military-Themed Actioner

Lee B. Golden III and 1 more

Director Liu Baoxian brings something this year in the form of a new action thriller that stars some major names, namely Andy On (Undercover Punch And Gun) and Ray Lui (Flash Point). Its mainland title translates to My Ace Dad, a military style actioner in the vein of Wolf Warrior, that sees On in the role of an operative who takes on a criminal organization responsible for producing a counterfeit vaccine that affects his daughter. The film has a 2020 release date, though stifled by the Coronavirus as with most of the film industry nowadays, so as always, we’ll see how this plays out. Also starring are Liang Siwen and Wang Yilin, and while On and Lui may be the biggest billers here, be sure to make note of upcoming titles like Assassins And The Missing Gold, The Guardian, and Roy Chow’s Dynasty Warriors to name a few. Hat tip […]

THE CLEARING Trailer: Liam McIntyre And Sydelle Noel Battle Family Woes And The Ferocious Undead

Lee B. Golden III

It’s almost surprising that it’s been three years since the production of David Matalon’s new horror thriller, The Clearing. The wait is over though, and now Crackle viewers can take a gander at the official trailer from Bloody Disgusting. Set at the dawn of a zombie apocalypse, The Clearing unfolds amid tensions between Tom (McIntyre) and his wife (Sydelle Noel) over his parental responsibilities and the time he spends with his young daughter Mira (Aundrea Smith). Tom takes Mira on a camping trip, only to discover the impending disaster that leaves the pair trapped in a clearing in the woods, fighting to make it out alive. The Clearing streams only on Crackle beginning June 4.

THE OLD GUARD Trailer: Charlize Theron Leads A Band Of Heroes That Never Die

Lee B. Golden III

Once the director of a recent previous Sony/Marvel propsect, director Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Secret Life Of Bees, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger) was evidently primed to direct a comic adaptation at some point, and that officially leads us to the first official trailer for her new film, The Old Guard. Charlize Theron stands front and center alongside actress Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk, Captive State) who is the film’s storied centerpiece. The film also has Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Harry Melling, Luca Marinelli, Joey Ansah, Anamaria Marinca, and of Bright, Furie and Da 5 Bloods fame, co-star Veronica Ngo Led by a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, […]

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JUSTICE LEAGUE Gets A Director’s Cut Debut On HBO Max In 2021

Lee B. Golden III

#ReleaseTheSnyderCut has been the social media driving force from fans in the wake of director Zack Snyder’s hampered mixed bag of untapped potential that was superhero ensemble, Justice League. All you need really at this point is to check out Screen Junkies’s “honest trailer” from a few years ago (and maybe this one too just for shits and gigs) to get the gist of what’s what, but with rumors forever shrouding the conversation with suspicion over the existence of an unreleased director’s cut, it wasn’t until last December when Snyder made it official in a not-so-cryptic Vero post. That, and everything else the director has posted in the months since then now brings us to the timely announcement of Snyder’s director’s cut of Justice League, which will now have its exclusive world premiere in 2021 on streaming platform, HBO Max, which officially launches on May 27. The Warner Bros. Pictures/DC […]

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LEGACY OF LIES: Scott Adkins Dishes The Action In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Believe it or not, writer/director Adrian Bol’s own venture into Scott Adkins action fandom with espionage thriller, Legacy Of Lies, took on a unique seven year journey of its own. The juicy deets can be read at MAAC, while Lionsgate is proudly dishing out the campaign assets, including the official trailer which first dropped at Polygon on Tuesday. Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2) stars in this pulse-pounding global spy-thriller. A decade ago, agent Martin Baxter quit MI6 after his wife’s tragic murder in an operation gone wrong. But when Sacha, a beautiful journalist, asks for help solving an old case, Martin finds himself in the crosshairs of both UK and Russian intelligence. Now, with his daughter held captive by the KGB, Martin has just 24 hours to deliver the secret case files — which means risking both Sacha’s life and his own. Legacy Of Lies will arrive in the U.S. […]

Trailer: GUNDALA Lights Up The Bumilangit Cinematic Universe For North America In July!

Lee B. Golden III

The Bumilangit Cinematic Universe is officially setting sail to North America with the official trailer for Joko Anwar’s comic book adaptation, Gundala. There’s lots of action thrown in for this particular asset seeing as the domestic trailer was a straight tease of things to come, and so I can see the necessary push to appeal to the West. We like when things fly, fight and go boom, so, this is nice. Based on the classic 1969 comic from creator Harya “Hasmi” Suraminata, Gundala is described as “a poignant portrayal of the notion that heroes—whether everyday or superhuman—can be found anywhere (though a superpower never hurts). Indonesian orphan Sancaka spent his life on the streets trying to attract as little attention as possible, but when greed and violence reach a fever pitch in Jakarta, it soon becomes clear that he is the people’s only hope for peace.” Gundala won’t be the […]

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THE BLACKSMITH Casts Up With Fishburne And Jonas For The New Graphic Novel Adaptation

Lee B. Golden III

District B13, Taken and Peppermint director Pierre Morel’s The Blacksmith has an official cast as of Tuesday with Lawrence Fishburne and Nick Jonas set to star. The article at Variety also touts a “soon be announcing an equally outstanding young female actor to play across from Nick” which should further give way to franchise potential. Ben Ripley is adapting the script from the 2011 Kickstart Comics publication that was written by Richard Sparkman and Malik Evans, and illustrated by Alberto Muriel. The AGC Studios-produced and financed feature slightly retools its incarnation of the comic, renaming our protagonist on Wes Loomis (Jonas), a high-tech weapons expert for the spy community who is rendered fugitive and on the run when his secret lab is decimated and his colleagues are murdered. As Variety’s report on Tuesday elucidates: “Resorting to his unique skills set to keep him alive, and the aid of a brilliant, […]

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Trailer: Ross Boyask’s I AM VENGEANCE: RETALIATION Evens The Score This June From Saban Films

Lee B. Golden III

It’s high time for cult action genre favorite Ross Boyask‘s rise to the occasion with I Am Vengeance: Retaliation. Saban Films is proudly releasing the new action thriller on Digital and On Demand on Friday, June 19, and the official trailer is now up for grabs courtesy of IGN. Former special-forces soldier John Gold is given the opportunity to bring Sean Teague, the man who betrayed his team on their final mission in Eastern Europe several years ago to justice. Stu Bennett (former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett) and Vinnie Jones star in this sequel to the 2018 film I Am Vengeance. Also starring are Phoebe Robinson-Galvin and Bentley Kalu, with Jessica Jane Stafford and Mark Griffin and more.