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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HYDRA Review: A World Roughly Built With A Welcome, Action-Packed Redemption Tale

Lee B. Golden III

It’s already a greatly deserved point of pride for screenfighting and stunt professional, Kensuke Sonomura, that his feature directorial debut, Hydra, is playing a role in proliferating veritable action cinema talent out of Japan within the festival circuit. A byproduct of the Kurata Action Club once upon a time, and the auspices of Re:Born director Yuji Shimomura’s U’den Flame Works, Sonomura comes into his own with a familiar assassin tale that introduces its own new world – one perhaps ripe with potential in many areas if not just one. Screenwriter Jiro Kaneko invites audiences to gaze at the taciturn, stoic, unassuming-yet-imposing veneer of one Takashi (Masanori Mimoto), a restaurant cook with an eye for photographic memory and hands made for much more than his intuitive culinary skillset. In the eyes of his employer, Rina (Miu), and co-worker Kenta (Tasuku Nagase), his culinary precision in memorizing ingredients and food preparation are […]

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BLOODY MARIE Review: A Brutally Reflective Dramatic Thriller That Doesn’t Kill The Buzz

Lee B. Golden III

Lennert Hillege and Guido van Driel‘s slow-burn character study in this year’s release, Bloody Marie, is undoubtedly carried by a mesmeric performance from actress Susanne Wolff. That her portrayal takes you away from the film’s underlying m.o. is worth noting to its credit, gazing as she follows a path of unraveling and often uncouth, cyclical descent into drunken stupor. It’s been six years since the success of her debut novel and her life in Amsterdam’s red-light district has now become an empty void, filled with various brands of alcohol and wine coolers in place of where her creativity used to be. And that’s pretty much the way it’s been and still is, going forward, whilst living hermitically in the confines of her drab, hushed and darkly lit apartment. Her own solitude notwithstanding, the only things that keep her company next to her dog, Lietze, is the quiet, nightmaring regret stemming […]

THE DIVINE FURY: Win A Copy Of The New Supernatural Thriller From Well Go USA

Lee B. Golden III

One of the best experiences this summer was getting to see director Jason Kim’s supernatural action thriller, The Divine Fury, as part of this year’s 23rd Fantasia line-up. The film is now gearing up for a homeward bound release on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital beginning November 19, and we are proudly giving away a three copies to fans. The action-packed mystery stars The Chornicles Of Evil and Midnight Runners actor Park Seo-jun with Arahan actor Ahn Sung-ki and Master co-star Woo Do-hwan for the story of an MMA champion fighter whose acclimation to demonic afflictions draws him into the throes of a priest fighting an all-out exorcism war with one of Satan’s minions. Also featured are special appearances by Choi Woo-shik (Train to Busan) and Kim Si-eun (The Beauty Inside), and with stunt and fight sequences by Park Young-Sik Park and Lim Wang-Sup. My own review can be read here […]

DANGER CLOSE Review: An Historic Look Into Battling The Odds On All Sides

Lee B. Golden III

You look at the world’s history and at some point you think that all the stories that need to be told about war and the soldiers who’ve fought them have been. History says differently, and certainly from the perspective of director Kriv Stenders who returns with Danger Close, an eye-opening and dramatic tale about a company of soldiers on the edge of death amidst heavy firefighting, aiding the South Vietnamese against the Northern military in 1966. Written by Stuart Beattie, Danger Close opens with a soaring view of the battlefield heavily fogged down as soliders tread a vast field for the film’s opening. The story sees Major Harry Smith (Travis Fimmel) and Sergeant Bob Buick (Luke Bracey) setting out with their men into the jungles of Long Tan in search of where a mortar attack was launched on their basecamp the evening prior. Having split into teams of three, Smith’s […]

SAVAGE: Blizzard Warning In Effect For Well Go USA’s December Crime Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA is proudly slating a December 3 release on Blu-Ray and VoD for Savage. My review from April is online for reference with writer/director Cui Siwei (The Island) making his debut at the helm, and with award-winning acclaim to his credit. Chang Chen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) leads the cast with a story centered on a dogged detective as he squares off against a trio of violent crooks amidst harrowing weather conditions alongside Mt. Baekdu in Northeastern China. Also starring are Ni Ni (The Thousand Faces of Dunjia), Liao Fan (Let the Bullets Fly), Huang Jue (Long Day’s Journey Into Night), Liu Hua (The Monkey King), newcomer Zhang Yicong and Li Guangjie (Drug War).

LET IT SNOW: Arclight Takes New Snowboarding Thriller To AFM

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Ivanna Sakhno (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Pacific Rim: Uprising) is readyimg to star in the new thriller, Let It Snow. World sales agent Arclight Films has boarded the flick for the American Film Market this week with Alex Hafner (Submergence, The Councellor), and Tinatin Dalakishvili (Abigail) also starring. Stanislav Kapralov makes his feature film directorial debut from a script he wrote with Omri Rose. Let It Snow centers on Mia, a free-riding snowboarder who is separated from her fiancé after sneaking onto a restricted slope. She must not only survive against nature, but also a masked snowmobile rider in black who’s out for her blood. Solar Media’s Serge Lavrenyuk is producing, with FishCorb Film’s Yan Fisher and Roger Corbi (Papillon) exec producing. “Stanislav has created a standout thriller that is beautifully shot, with superb performances, and edge-of-your-seat suspense that will captivate audiences,” said Arclight chairman and CEO, Gary […]

5 GALAXIES: Check Out The Trailer For The Upcoming Sci-Fi Anthology From Uncork’d

Lee B. Golden III

Uncork’d has a new sci-fi anthology now forthcoming with 5 Galaxies making way to DVD and Digital beginning December 10. It’s boasting a bit of starpower here but also be sure to expect a nary known cast at the forefront of this new homebound piece of genre entertainment. An assemblage of futuristic, high concept stories about artificial intelligence, 5 Galaxies features Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, “Suits”) and Neil Jackson (“Sleepy Hollow”) in in a powerful profusion of science-fiction, featuring segments from such visionary filmmakers as Nelson Lee, Kristen Hilkert, Amir Reichart, Vitaly Verlov and Marc-Henri Boulier. Whether its love found in time of over-population or exploration of the unknown and space-travel, 5 Galaxies has a bit of something for every fan of the genre.

TADFF XIV: CONTRACTS, MUTANT BLAST, THE ODD FAMILY Among Winners Of The 14th Festival

Lee B. Golden III

Toronto After Dark Film Festival made its announcement this weekend after the closure of its 14th annual installment. Among the winning recipients from the 5000+ votes from attendees and fans are Lee Min-jae’s zombie comedy, The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale, in addition to Alex Chung’s tenaciously-produced independent action endeavor, Contracts, crowdfunded sci-fi oddysey, Blood Machines, and Fernando Alle’s Bucheon fave, Mutant Blast. Check out the roster below and stay tuned for more updates! THE MORTUARY COLLECTION, the creepy new horror anthology directed Ryan Spindell took Top Prize, the Audience Choice Award for BEST FEATURE FILM GOLD plus three other Specialty Awards including BEST HORROR FILM. BEST FEATURE FILM SILVER went to THE ODD FAMILY: ZOMBIE ON SALE, Lee Min-jae’s zombie comedy which also took home BEST ENSEMBLE CAST. Time travel comedy JAMES VS HIS FUTURE SELF, directed by Jeremy LaLonde took home BEST FEATURE FILM BRONZE as well as […]

Dwayne Johnson To Hit The Octagon For New MMA Biopic

Lee B. Golden III

News broke on Friday for Dwayne Johnson‘s latest role in an upcoming dramatic biopic inspired by MMA fighter and UFC champ, Mark Kerr. Johnson gave the announcement at a surprise press conference on Friday to discuss the project which comes out of Johnson’s own production label, Seven Bucks, whose Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia will also produce next to Beau Flynn. The project follows up director John Hyams’ 2002 documentary based on Kerr’s life titled The Smashing Machine which aired on HBO. Johnson is still tapped for a raft of action adventures going forward with Jake Kasdan’s Jumanji: The Next Level this December, Jaume Collet-Serra’s Jungle Cruise and Rawson Marshall Thurber’s Netflix-bound all-starrer, Red Notice. (VARIETY)

HYPNOTIC: Robert Rodriguez Gears Up New Action Thriller For Early 2020 Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

Going into AFM next week, Solstice Studios and Studio 8 will be revving up action thriller Hypnotic with reports that Robert Rodriguez will helm early 2020. Rodriguez will produce from a script he wrote with Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), centered on “a detective who becomes entangled in a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program, while investigating a string of impossible high-end heists.” The film marks a partnership first for Solstice and Studio 8 with a budget tapping $60-$80 million dollars. Both will produce with the former handling U.S. distribution and world sales, and the latter possibly co-financing; Hailing from Studio 8 are Jeff Robinov, Guy Danella and John Graham. Solstice has been slowly brewing since launching a little over a year ago, and with projects that now include Split Second, Shield Of Straw remake Manhunt, and Russell Crowe thriller Unhinged. Rodriguez is on deck for […]

NECROMANCER 2020: Don’t Miss The Newest, Spectacular Trailers For The Upcoming Thai Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

There will be plenty to take a gander at with the forthcoming AFM presentation of Necromancer 2020 from director Piyapan Choopetch and Sahamongkol. This one actually comes with a November 14 release date stamped to it though I suspect its 2020 suffix on screen and in the key art below is just there to signal its market appeal. The film stars actress Chicha Amatayakul, and actors Prin Supharat and Chatchai Plengpanich, and centers on a boxer out to avenge his father’s death and retrieve his father’s amulet, pulling the veil back on a world of black magic and a duplicitous motivational speaker and his cult-like organization. The trailer above is subtitled and much longer than the latest minute-long spot just beneath. Enjoy!

THE WITCHER: Henry Cavill Slays In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

The official trailer is now out for The Witcher, making its first season television run on Netflix based on the hit novel saga. Henry Cavill leads the way for the show’s eight-episode December 20 premiere. Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.

THE DEVIL’S LAIR: ‘Cannibals And Carpet Fitters’ Director To Helm Gritty Action Horror Next Spring [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

James Bushe will write and direct his next feature, The Devil’s Lair, which is slated to start production in Q2 of 2020. His sophmore production to date began brewing in August, and Bushe tells me he will now ramp up the process with script development and financing for the next few months. The logline so far outlines a gritty, contained war epic with an air of the supernatural to it. “Think ‘Zero Dark Thirty’-meets-‘The Descent’, by way of World War Z and Aliens. That’s The Devil’s Lair.” says Bushe. The film centers on a SWAT team tipped off to the whereabouts possible religious terrorist cell. Their incursion into a seemingly desolate warehouse leads them to a hidden door to a catacomb of creepy, dark and endless tunnels, and they soon find themselves chased and hunted by an underground cult that will do anything to keep their secret hidden. Bushe is […]

KIKYO: THE RETURN: Shigemichi Sugita’s 8K Trailblazer Announces November 4 Tokyo Screening

Lee B. Golden III

Director Shigemichi Sugita’s latest costume drama, Kikyo: The Return, is reportedly off to an amazing start since screening for MIPCOM at the French resort at Cannes earlier this month. Nihon Eiga Broadcasting Corporation’s Samurai Drama Channel is now on deck to screen the project for audiences on Monday, November 4 for the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival. Screening at MIPCOM is but one achievement out of several for the new samurai drama which was also shot using 8K technology. Sugita directs from a script he wrote alongside Masahiro Kobayashi, and stars actor Tatsuya Nakadai in the role of a man who falls ill at the end of his thirty year journey and returns to his hometown where he decides to save a girl in dire straits. Kikyo: The Return, which opens in Japan, is based on the novel “Kikyo” by Shuhei Fujisawa, which sits among a collection of his short […]

LINE OF DESCENT: Delhi-Set Pic Heads Features Among Dozens Of Long And Short Form Screenings For First NYC South Asian Film Festival

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Rohit Karn Batra’s new thriller, Line Of Descent, is getting its U.S. theatrical and VoD premiere from GravitasVentures beginning December 13. Before then, the new crime pic starring Abhay Deol and Brendan Fraser will get its opening night premiere when the three-day inaugural NYC South Asian Film Festival kicks off Friday, November 15. The festival’s totaling line-up of 24 shorts, documentaries and trio of feature films were announced earlier this week with the announcement signaling the festival’s choices would explore timely and relevant themes: immigration, surrogacy, police brutality and the aftermath of HIV/AIDS, as well as under-represented communities such as transgenders, deaf and hard-of-hearing and outcasts. “Our programming team has worked incredibly hard to strike the right balance and showcase the most current, ground-breaking, topical independent cinema from various parts of South Asia at our inaugural festival,” said Jitin Hingorani, Founder and Festival Director. “We have focused […]

INHERIT THE VIPER: Anthony Jerjen Crime Thriller Intoxicates With The First Official Poster

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a long while since we heard any news of progress on the Anthony Jerjen crime thriller, Inherit The Viper, but we now have a poster to help get the engine running as the film looks toward a January 10, 2020 release in select theaters and on demand from Lionsgate. For siblings Kip (Josh Hartnett) and Josie (Margarita Levieva), dealing opioids isn’t just their family business—it’s their only means of survival. When a deal goes fatally wrong, Kip decides he wants out. But Kip’s attempt to escape his family’s legacy ignites a powder keg of violence and betrayal, imperiling Kip, Josie, and their younger brother, Boots (Owen Teague), in this searing crime-thriller that builds to a shattering conclusion. Jerjen directs from a script by Andrew Crabtree, and with a cast that also includes Valorie Curry, Chandler Riggs, Brad William Henke, Tara Buck, Dash Mihok and Bruce Dern. Check out […]

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: HBO Lines Up New ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel For Its Streaming Service

Lee B. Golden III

Not gonna lie. My work schedule made it difficult to keep up with Game Of Thrones all these years and so the likelihood of avoiding passing spoilerific mentions of it will be about as imminent as my next breath. Gladly enough the show has been immortalized as a global hit and so the fans are definitely in for more medieval fantasy action and adventure though as HBO has finalized ten-episode straight-to-series order, House Of The Dragon. The show is based on Game Of Thrones author and patriarch George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood”, which sets 300 years back before the events of Game of Thrones, and is centered on the story of House Targaryen. The news comes following news of a cancelled seperate prequel that was greenlit last June with Naomi Watts set to star. Post-production seems to be at the center of the difficulty. As announced at WarnerMedia Day […]

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THE SHINOBIS: Ninja Action Comedy Feature Directing Debut In The Works For ‘Jailbreak’ Star [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and martial arts star Jean-Paul Ly is now in the early days of development for his own feature directing debut, The Shinobis. I can presently report several things on this – that Ly himself is also penning and producing the project which he’s billing as an action comedy going forward, and he’s also looking heavily at names relative to both acting and high-caliber stunt talent to fit the profile. Here is the tentative logline as it reads: After years on the run for deserting their clan, a dysfunctional ninja family, who tries to live a quiet ordinary life, is forced back into action to rescue one of their own. Production start date and location aren’t yet known while Ly is continues to push the needle forward on evolving his concept to its utmost full potential. Stay tuned for future reports. Ly is best known as a stunt performer and […]

BETTER DAYS: Don’t Miss The Final Official U.S. Trailer For Derek Tsang’s New Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA just rolled out its official trailer for Derek Tsang’s emotional new coming-of-age drama, Better Days. Zhou Dongyu and TF Boys member Jackson Yee star in the compelling new film which only just announced its new U.S. release date for November 8 after four months of stagnation by China censors ahead of its local release in the mainland last Friday. When it is time for the Chinese gaokao, a two-day national college entrance exam, the entire country comes to a standstill. For nearly ten million high school students, this exam not only determines where and if they get to study but the fates of their entire families as well. Like so many others, Nian has been single-mindedly preparing for the exam, cutting everything else out of her life. When she becomes the target of relentless bullying, fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei and the two form […]

Godzilla: The Showa Era Films, (1954-1975)

Out On Blu-Ray: Criterion’s GODZILLA: THE SHOWA ERA FILMS, 1954–1975

Lee B. Golden III

Criterion lit a match under some asses earlier this year with their announcement of a Blu-Ray stack of Godzilla classic feature films from the Showa Era of the famed Toho franchise. That package is now available coupled with pages of info and exclusive new art compiling all fifteen films from the artists listed in gallery just beneath. Check it out and get yours now! In 1954, an enormous beast clawed its way out of the sea, destroying everything in its path—and changing movies forever. The arresting original Godzilla soon gave rise to an entire monster-movie genre (kaiju eiga), but the King of the Monsters continued to reign supreme: in fourteen fiercely entertaining sequels over the next two decades, Godzilla defended its throne against a host of other formidable creatures, transforming from a terrifying symbol of nuclear annihilation into a benevolent (if still belligerent) Earth protector. Collected here for the first […]