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:

HIGH & LOW: THE WORST: Manga Gangsters Pile On In The Official Trailer For LDH’s New Crossover

I’ve been as curious as ever to ascertain just what the hell High & Low (styled as HiGH&LOW) is all about with a proper viewing of its shows and films. Sadly the franchise still remains without a legitmate stateside release component, though the fact remains that it exhibits one of the most spectacular franchises ever seen in the far east – brained and bred by LDH Pictures with talents spanning its in-house artists of Exile Tribe and the like. The company now revs up its next chapter of the High & Low saga with a new film opening October 4 titled High & Low: The Worst, directed once more by Shigeaki Kubo and from a script by Norihisa Hiranuma, Shoichiro Masumoto and Kei Watanabe. What’s more? The film is its own triple threat crossing over between characters of the High & Low franchises with those from creator Hiroshi Takahashi’s Worst, […]

Explosive Action Horror Sequel TOKYO GHOUL -S- Gets An Official U.S. Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Fresh from its festive reception at Fantsia and at AX prior, the dually-directed Tokyo Ghoul -S- now looks to sink its teeth in North America with dates now set for September 16, 18 and 20. Kazuhiko Hiramaki and Takuya Kawasaki both directed the sequel which Funimation snagged earlier this year as it revved up for event screenings at AX and this summer at Fantasia. Now a member of Anteiku, Ken Kaneki grows closer to the ghouls around him. Determined to protect his new home against anti-ghoul forces, he trains his powers in secret. But when the infamous gourmet, Shu Tsukiyama, wishes to savor some half-ghoul flavor, Kaneki’s training is put to the test of a lifetime. Head over to Funimation Films for details on exhibitor locations and more, and by all means, look up Kingdom while you’re at it!

Koichi Sakamoto’s BLACKFOX: AGE OF THE NINJA Teaser Revealed

Lee B. Golden III

World-renowned martial arts champion, actress Chihiro Yamamoto, makes her lead debut in Blackfox: Age Of The Ninja. Hailing from Nihon Eiga Broadcasting for in-house paid TV service, Samurai Drama Channel, the first teaser is already making the rounds – billed as a live-action prequel feature to the pending October 5 release of sci-fi anime, Blackfox. Yamamoto will play a girl named Miya whose special ability makes her the target of mercenaries. In wake of her father’s murder at the hands of the killers, Miya not only salvation in a chance meeting with Hyoe and his granddaughter Rikka Isurugi, who comes from a long line of ninja in her family, but also a potential ally in avenging her father. Legendary action director and filmmaker Koichi Sakamoto, who has worked on numerous costume television franchises like Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Power Rangers among other film and TV credits, directs from […]

Well Go USA Adds TOP KNOT DETECTIVE And More To The Hi-YAH Network!

Lee B. Golden III

Directors Aaron McCann and Dominic Pearce have done richly in making names for themselves having assembled a delightful little mockumentary from down under with the Des Mangan-narrated Top Knot Detective. For good measure, my review is available here. In the early 90s a little known Japanese Samurai/Detective series hit Australia where it quickly became a cult hit. In Japan it was called ‘Ronin Suiri Tentai (Deductive Reasoning Ronin) but in Australia it is know only as ‘Top Knot Detective’! The good folks at Well Go USA are looking onward and upward this year with a raft of Hi-YAH! releases between now and 2020, adding Top Knot Detective to its library launching on HI-YAH! beginning August 1, 2019. Below, Well Go USA also unveiled an online Hi-YAH! spot to highlight future titles now pending for the martial arts-spruced-up network, including Donnie Yen actioners Big Brother and upcoming Ip Man 4, The […]

FANTASTIC FEST XV: Prepare Yourselves With The First Wave!

Lee B. Golden III

The film festival season is far from over if you’re living in or near Austin right about now with the fifteenth installment of Fantastic Fest set to kick off September 19 through 26. The festival is launching its first wave as of Wednesday to get things stirring and with a list already making its appeal to the masses as one of the largest genre festivals in North America – from the intense new nailbiter 4×4 and Taika Watiti’s satirical shenanigans in JoJo Rabbit, to Takashi Miike’s highly-anticipated Well Go USA release, First Love, and AGFA co-presented titles like She Mob and Tammy And The T-Rex. Read on and stay tuned for the full line-up! AUSTIN, TX — 30th July, 2019 — Reaching the milestone of fifteen years, Fantastic Fest continues to champion groundbreaking international genre films, bringing a diverse array of global filmmakers to Austin in a highly-controlled explosion of […]

THE IRISHMAN: Icons Reunite For More Transformative Mobster Cinema In The Official Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Earlier this week, Film at Lincoln Center announced its opening attraction for its September 27 launch of the 57th New York Film Festival l with Martin Scorsese’s new crime epic, The Irishman. On Wednesday, Netflix, who is rolling out the new star-studded work later this year by the acclaimed director next to a partial theatrical release, unveiled the first official teaser which you can view just above. Based on Charles Brandt’s “I Heard You Paint Houses” and from a script by Steve Zaillian, The Irishman is described as “a richly textured epic of American crime, a dense, complex story told with astonishing fluidity.” Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures […]

SHADOW: Win A Copy Of Zhang Yimou’s Latest Masterful Wuxia Epic

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA is just a few weeks out from the upcoming home release of Zhang Yimou’s latest, Shadow. The film is set to arrive on DVD, Blu-ray Combo, 4K Ultra Blu-ray Combo and digital August 13 while we can now defer to our latest giveaway of three pristine new copies of the celebrated wuxia epic. In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a “shadow”, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want. There’s been a great deal of press for the film and the challenges it endured, especially for the film’s star who takes on the dual role of both the actual military commander and his more youthful, soldiering […]

EXCELSIS: ‘Blood, Sweat And Tears’ In Two New Production Stills

Lee B. Golden III

Director Jaze Bordeaux’s latest effort with WMMA sports drama, Excelsis, is out with two new stills which you can view in the gallery above. Production wrapped back in February hailing from Universe Pictures Group and Mr. Bravo Entertainment, and starring actress Karlee Rose. Rose plays Cassady Jones, an amateur fighter whose big break lands before her following her involvement in a melee that shocks the sports world. The EFC (Excelsis Fighting Championship) is currently in the most tumultuous period of its history as Jones and and seven other female competitors are given an opportunity to fight in a tournament to crown a new champion. Understanding that her big break is at hand, Cassady comes to the realization that it’s not just in another fight, it’s the fight for everything. Rose leads a cast that includes Gemini award winner Richard Zeppierri, actresses Andrea Drepaul, Kathry Aboya, Avaah Blackwell and actor Alex […]

THE HUNT Is On In The Official Trailer For Craig Zobel’s Survival Thriller From Blumhouse And Universal

Lee B. Golden III

Netflix series GLOW actress Betty Gilpin isn’t sticking around too long to look for help from strangers in her current predicament. Nope. She’s on a mission of complete and total survival and reprisal with her latest stake in Craig Zobel’s new social thriller, The Hunt, coming to theaters September 27. Par for the course with its usual nightmare world building creations is Blumhouse whose Jason Blum (The Purge franchise, Get Out) and Damon Lindelof produced the film with the latter producing with Nick Cuse. Gilpin is joined by Ike Barinholtz Emma Roberts and Hilary Swank among the cast. Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen… for a very specific purpose… The Hunt. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of elites gathers for the very first time at a […]

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM Triple Taps And Blasts Its Way Home In August And September

Lee B. Golden III

We’re a ways from the upcoming fourth chapter for Lionsgate’s highly-cheered assassin saga about the hitman who can’t retire, John Wick. Meanwhile, we still have a prequel series to look forward to along with a few spin-offs en route, and all while moviegoers are now invited to bring the action home with John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum hitting VOD on August 23, and 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, and DVD on September 10. Chad Stahelski directs the third entry for the franchise which grossed up to $320 million globally at the box office, making it the highest grossing film in the franchise thusfar. Reeves returns as John Wick, fugitive assassin formely received at The Continental after killing a member of the High Table, and now forced on the run, globetrotting as far and wide as needed to carefully tread the politics of getting his life back […]

SWEET GIRL: Jason Momoa Rejoins ‘Braven’, ‘Frontier’ Producer For Netflix Revenge Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Jason Momoa‘s got a little bit of time before dipping into an Aquaman sequel. Indeed he’ll be using some of it reuniting with Frontier series exec producer and Braven producer Brian Andrew Mendoza for Sweet Girl at Netflix. Mendoza will debut in the chair this time helming a revenge thriller that sees Momoa as a widower out to avenge his wife’s death whilst protecting the only family he has left — his daughter. Gregg Hurwitz and Philip Eisner penned the script prior to its latest draft from Will Staples. Momoa and Mendoza are producing next to Brad Peyton (San Andreas) and will be rejoined by Frontier producers ASAP Entertainment’s Jeff Fierson. Martin Kistler (On the Roam) will exec produce. “I’m excited to partner with Netflix once again. I’m putting a dream team together from Brad and Jeff to my best friend, Brian, who has been my partner for over ten […]

THE BELLHOP: Iko Uwais Actioner In-Development At Balboa Productions

Lee B. Golden III

Variety has had some major Sylvester Stallone coverage in the past week with respect to the actor, producer and filmmaker’s endeavors, past and forthcoming. To date, the actor is currently building up his slate at Balboa Productions as he looks to build his banner up as “the go-to place for action films”, in the vein of Blumhouse. One such title joins the roster with The Bellhop according to that report which mentions the title among a raft of projects, and which is said to star actor Iko Uwais. Mention of the project, for which no details have yet been revealed, comes just weeks after the star of hit films like The Raid franchise, The Night Comes For Us with Joe Taslim and Michael Dowse’s Stuber, was announced in Shanghai for the lead in Hollywood Gang’s Chinatown Express, being written by Yalun Tu and Zach Hines. Uwais, who is repped by […]

Fantasia Review: In Jovanka Vukovic’s RIOT GIRLS, A Love Story With A Body Count

Lee B. Golden III

It’s a “bittersweet cocktail” indeed as the official Fantasia Festival summary for director Jovanka Vuckovic’s new road thriller, Riot Girls, elucidates. Darkly comedic, wry and plentifully violent with a lively pulse thanks to its soundtrack, the film is fully loaded with adventure and exceptional performances from its young cast, and a cute pug. Set in an alternative 90s period where a mysterious anomaly has eradicated the world of adults, Vuckovic’s dystopian suburban tale introduces Nat (Madison Iseman) and Scratch (Paloma Kwiatkowski), two girlfriends on the road scavenging for items. Their domain lies within the East side of Potter’s Bluff, a rural township divided opposite its authoritatian West side, annexed by the Titans, a self-styled regime of toxic teenage jocks who rule any, every and all, coming and going. They all reside at the same camp with Nat’s brother, Jack (Alexandre Bourgeois) who helps their camp survive off what he can […]

Review: Joseph M’Bah’s EXPO Tries To Thrill While Stumbling At The Basics

Lee B. Golden III

Joseph M’bah’s new action thriller, Expo, details what looks to be a straight forward fugutive/rescue action thriller on its face. Largely, what you get is a flawed, low-budget offering that’s better acted at times than it deserves, and even with a few good action scenes to make it worth your while. Derek Davenport is Richard, a down-but-not-out ex-soldier newly on his first day working as a driver. That afternoon he’s forced to pick up his little sister, Sarah (Amelia Haberman) to rehearsal at the expense of a pick up job for another customer (Hayley Vrana) who gets taken in a van and kidnapped. Detective Moro (Michael C. Alvarez) suspects Richard’s involvement due to his own criminal past, and is soon arrested. Eventually freed thanks to his lawyer, Richard has no choice but to take matters into his own hands with the help of a performance enhancing drug, his old skillset, […]

Fantasia Review: Shaun Piccinino’s AMERICAN FIGHTER Flies A Flag Of No Holds-Barred Underdog Heroism

Lee B. Golden III

Following their exploits with Alex Ranarivelo’s American Wrestler: The Wizard, producer Ali Afshar and actor George Kosturos brace for more fictional territory under the stewardship of filmmaker Shaun Piccinino. Their latest effort, American Fighter, returns Afshar’s on-screen persona, Ali Jahani, back on camera for a more martial arts-tinged, revved up sequel that welcomes Tom Flanagan into the fray, and actor and BJJ blackbelt, Sean Patrick Flanery. It’s 1981 and George Lucas’ Star Wars has long since become a burgeoning franchise hit. On the other side of the world, the deadly Iran Revolution is underway, and at the behest of his father, Ali has long since relocated to California to live with his Uncle. One day, the two head to the airport where Ali is expected to finally reunite with his family until things take a dark turn. With his mother trapped in Tehran and held against her will, and no […]

JAPAN CUTS Review: Makoto Sasaki’s NIGHT CRUISING Envisions A Whole New Ball Game In Cinema For All

Lee B. Golden III

For as long as I can remember about buying DVDs, one of the best things I’ve enjoyed is getting to immers myself in the extensive behind-the-scenes featurettes. This especially attrributes to my love for action films since I enjoy seeing the creative process unfold, watching how the director, cast and crew work together between meetings and bustling on-set schedules. This is particularly what made watching Makoto Sasaki’s latest documentary, Night Cruising, such a feat – one as transformative and palpable in nature highlighting the efforts of a congenitally blind musician and editor named Hideyuki Kato dare to go boldly where blind people rarely tread: filmmaking. Save for its budget, he’s not playing it safe either – this a bold, experimental sci-fi action short that does a number of things to challenge conventional filmmaking methods. Indeed, what we get for the two-hours and twenty-four minutes of Sasaki’s Night Cruising is a […]

Review: DEAD END II: A JUSTIFIED KILL Is A Sequel, Justified

Lee B. Golden III

Last year’s festivities with hitman thriller short, Dead End, saw some genuine praise and celebration for film duo Carter Ferguson and actor Bryan Larkin. The two have since sought to continue their endeavors for the action-packed vehicle as par for the course toward a short film trilogy with Dead End II: A Justified Kill, now wrapped and waiting proper audience reception. The Contractor and Young Gun are back in action in this rousing second chapter, played respectively by Larkin and actor Julian Gaertner from the first installment. The two are on yet another mission to further their discriminate craft of making people disappear, targeting seedy, dirty underworld types… or as the Contractor himself narrates – those “who deserve to die”. Treading Hong Kong’s subterranean human trafficking circuit, they infiltrate a vast apartment complex to reach their next target, Cheung (Sam Gor), a gangster extorting residents under threat of selling them […]

Fantasia Review: In Rob Grant’s HARPOON, A Boatload Of Long-Begotten Baggage And Bloodthirsty Betrayal

Lee B. Golden III

While most small-scale high-seas thrillers I’ve watched in recent years turned out to be a little too pedestrian for my tastes, Rob Grant’s own Harpoon proves itself a cut above others. Turbo Kid and Knuckleball star Munro Chambers has become one of the most upstanding performers in film today and he’s joined by an equally livening cast with Christopher Gray and Emily Tyra. Actor Brett Gelman paints a vivid overture that coalesces with a sheer burst of violence as Richard (Gray) suddenly attacks Jonah (Chambers) in his own home with Richard’s girlfriend Sasha (Tyra) stepping into mitigate. Upon being gifted a harpoon for his birthday, fallout over the incident ensues with Jonah and Sasha downplaying Richard’s notions of infidelity between them, and Richard looking to make amends in part with all three spending the day on his family’s yacht. The three eventually, seemingly settle the score with Richard letting Jonah […]

Fantasia Review: Shinsuke Sato’s KINGDOM Is A Soaring, Sweeping Epic That Dares You To Dream

Lee B. Golden III

Following the success of Bleach, I least expected Shinsuke Sato to have directed his latest rags-to-renown action adventure epic, Kingdom – a title in what would be a series of thrilling back-to-back films from a director who first landed on my radar around 2004 with a DVD copy of The Princess Blade from A.D. Vision. Actress Yumiko Shaku starred in that one and showcased key action direction by Donnie Yen, and it aptly invoked Sato in his early growth as a filmmaker who knows action. I still have yet to see all his films, but to date, he’s never let me down; I toiled through the Bleach anime before the film and save for what you can read for yourself, I can easily say it is one of the best films I’ve ever seen, and I’m proud to say I’m not alone in that opinion. Instantaneously, upon seeing the teasers […]

KUNG FURY 2: Now Filming, ‘X-Men’ Actress Joins Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Production is reportedly underway in Bulgaria for Kung Fury 2 according to Amanda N’Duka’s scoop at Deadline. Cameras are also expected to roll in Germany while word also brings that Alexandra Shipp is joining the cast of the feature-length sequel to the crowdfunded hit 2015 short from star/writer/director/producer David Sandberg. N’Duka’s report confirms the former X-Men franchise actress will replace Baby Driver co-star Eiza Gonzalez for the role of Rey Porter, a news anchor who will do anything to get the best story. That story ultimately culminates in the city of Miami in 1985 where our hero as he leads the Thundercops, the ultimate police force assembled from across history to defeat Adolf Hitler. The plot thickens when one of their own is killed and as the team disbands, a mysterious villain surfaces to aid the Führer’s quest to attain the ultimate weapon. Now, the greatest damn cop of all […]