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:

Bliss

NORTH BEND II: The Incredible Shrinking Wknd, The Gasoline Thieves, Bliss, Feral, Koko-Di Koko-Da, VR And More Kick Off Next Month!

Lee B. Golden III

The second annual North Bend Film Festival is gearing up for its four-day run beginning August 15 and the festival is making public its full announcement. The festival will kick off with Jon Mikel Caballero’s The Incredible Shriking Wknd, and also lists Narrative Centerpiece entry, Knives And Skin, billed by Fantasia’s Mitch Davis as “…A work of unbridled creativity with trace elements of Lynch, high school dramedies, and Giallo cinema woven into a wholly singular, personal fabric…” The line-up enlists 12 feature titles next to boasting an immersive VR shortfilm showcases and focus on multi-reality storytelling and local tours of the North Bend area – best known for its locations seen in the hit show, Twin Peaks for which the official debut teaser upcoming documentary, I Know Catherine, The Log Lady, will also have an exclusive audience. Live shows and podcasts are included in the roster as well, but feel […]

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AFFD XVIII: Inuyashiki, Miss Baek, Fly By Night, Samurai Marathon, Zombie Parties And SO Much More Fun Starting Tonight!

Lee B. Golden III

The 18th annual Asian Film Festival of Dallas kicks off as of today through July 25 with a tasty raft of titles. Lee Min-Jae’s undead rural comedy, The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale, is poised to launch this year’s events, screening at the Angelika Film Center (Mockingbird Station) at 7pm, followed by a zombie-themed party at AKAI, a speakeasy inside Musume, located in the Arts District. This festival is ripe with other titles that have already drawn acclaim and movie fans are gonna want to sink their teeth into, including Zahir Omar’s seething Malaysian crime thriller Fly By Night starring Sunny Pang, and director Lee Ji-Won’s evocative and captivating Han Ji-Min drama, Miss Baek – both delighful feats for their screenings earlier this year at the NYAFF Winter Showcase and you can read my reviews and coverage here and here. Other titles attendees might take interest in include Well Go […]

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FANTASIA 2019: Well Go USA’s THE DIVINE FURY Gets A Late Addition, Don Lee’s THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL Gets An Encore

Lee B. Golden III

Kim Joo-hwan’s supernatural MMA thriller, The Divine Fury, is officially screening as a late addition to this year’s 23rd edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival. A day after its South Korean release, the film will screen on August 1 immediately following Hiroyuki Imaishi’s animated powerhouse feature debut out of Studio Trigger, Promare. Well Go USA has slated an August 16 U.S. select theatrical release. The Divine Fury is written and directed by Kim and boasts a dazzling mix of horror and mixed martial arts starring Park Seo-jun (Parasite), Woo Do-hwan (Tempted) and Ahn Sung-ki (The Divine Weapon). Park plays a champion fighter who, as a child, abandoned his Christian faith, only to become afflicted with stigmata as an adult. When he realizes that he may at the center of a demonic plot to take over the Earth, he uses his martial arts prowess to take out the ghouls sent […]

MICKEY KELLEY: Actor/BJJ Blackbelt Sean Patrick Flanery To Lead MMA Drama For Forrest Films

Lee B. Golden III

Forrest Films is currently on deck for a Fantasia premiere of Shaun Piccinino’s new underground fight drama, American Fighter. That premiere stars George Kosturos and kicks off later this month and I have a review in store for that one coming very soon after its premiere. That film co-stars actor and martial artist Sean Patrick Flanery (Sinners & Saints, Eye See You, The Boondock Saints) who will soon star in the title role for Forrest Films’s next endevaor, Mickey Kelley, according to Deadline‘s Andreas Wiseman. The film is reportedly in pre-production and will be directed by Alex Ranarivelo who helmed Kosturos’s predecessor, American Wrestler: The Wizard, and penned Mickey Kelley with Flanery. Set in 1990, the film follows Mickey Kelley (Flanery), one of the first American black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, who gets pulled away from everything he loves and into an unsanctioned MMA tournament, where his dreams of providing […]

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FARMING Trailer: Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Got A Story To Tell

Lee B. Golden III

Years in the making since making headway with his 2004 short of the same name, actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Faster, Suicide Squad), is ready to leave an impression with his latest feature debut, Farming. The subject matter is pretty damn brutal itself here going by the official trailer, dealing primarily with racism and bigotry, and the ugly consequences and fallout of self-hate, echoing a lot of what the world still deaks with to this very day. The project has already seen life on the festival circuit and will soon gather moviegoers for a release in the UK beginning October 11. Based on his own life story, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s FARMING charts the extraordinary journey of a young fostered Nigerian boy who, struggling to find an identity, falls in with a skinhead gang in 1980’s England. Farming stars Damson Idris, Kate Beckinsale, John Dagleish, Jaime Winstone, Genevieve Nnaji and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

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Win MASTER Z And Mojin On Blu-Ray From Well Go USA!

Lee B. Golden III

I had to wait a little while to help make this happen, but thanks to the good and kind hearts at Well Go USA, I can with a fresh new giveaway of FIVE copies of Yuen Woo-Ping’s Master Z: Ip Man Legacy. The film opens on Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD beginning July 23 but you can now own yours absolutely free. ALSO, three lucky winners will also get an added bonus with a copy of Fei Xing’s Mojin: The Worm Valley which is now available as of July 9. Of course, there’s gonna be some trivia as with usual for these giveaways and since the primer here is Master Z: Ip Man Legacy, take note: The Ip Man franchise character, Cheung Tin-Chi is based on a real life martial arts master. True? Or False? My reviews of both Master Z and Mojin are available here and here. As for […]

SANGKAR: The Fight For Redemption Begins In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

As long as I’ve chased the film markets in Asia, I long for the days when Malaysian cinema like Kabir Bhatia’s new movie, Sangkar, can get a wider audience. At long last though, we finally have the official trailer now live and running ahead of the MMA action drama’s August 29 release with Remy Ishak, Zul Ariffin, Niezam Zaidi, Mira Filzah and Nik Adam Mika starring. MMA fighters Adam and Johan take on each other and this results in Johan being seriously injured. Distressed by this, Adam tries to atone for his mistakes by helping out Johan’s family. At the same time, Johan struggles with his own life for his family’s sake. To earn more money to give to Johan’s family, Adam decides to fight an international MMA fighter.

DON’T LET GO: Jacob Aaron Estes’ Supernatural Murder Mystery Gets An Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

A week since Jacob Aaron Estes’ Sundance entry landed a release base from Blumhouse, OTL Releasing and Briarcliff, suspense thriller Don’t Let Go unveiled its official trailer on Tuesday. After Detective Jack Radcliff’s (David Oyelowo) family appears to be victim of a mysterious murder, he receives a startling phone call from his niece (Storm Reid), seemingly from the past. Now Jack must race to unravel a mystery to prevent a death that has already happened. I gotta say…that summary had me doing a double-take, twice! Also starring are Mykelti Williamson and Brian Tyree Henry. opens in theaters August 30!

NYAFF Review: Jo Min-Ho’s A RESISTANCE, A Captivating Paean About A Heroine And Her Truest Faith

Lee B. Golden III

The first time I was exposed to actress Ko Ah-sung was with her role in Bong Joon-Ho’s hit film, Snowpiercer. She was an instant charmer on screen and was especially a thrill to see in Hong Won-Chan’s 2015 psychological murder thriller, Office. Ko’s newest role to date is one of the most viscerally-charged to date with A Resistance, writer and director Jo Min-Ho’s fourth film. The film is based on the life and times of protestor Yu Guan-Sun who was incarcerated among more than 47,000 others throughout for protesting against Japanese annexation. Our film takes us behind the drab, murky walls of Seodaemun Prison where our first sight of our protagonist, once her headcover is removed, is that of a beaten and battered Guan-Sun. At this point, her initial sentence was five years and then cut down to three, during which she’s visibly no stranger to the rough ends of […]

THE KING’S MAN Commits To His True Duty In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

It’s high time the next chapter of the Kingsman franchise commences with director Matthew Vaughn’s latest entry, The King’s Man. Trading balls-to-the-wall spy gadgetry and spectacle for a more grittier, grounded wartime take, the prequel lines up an ensemble cast that brings Ralph Fiennes to the forefront of the saga with a new hero. As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King’s Man. Fiennes is joined by actress Gemma Arterton, and actors Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson and Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance. The King’s Man opens in theaters on February 14.

THE OAK ROOM: Cameras Now Rolling For New 2020 Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Andrew Mack over at Screen Anarchy broke some news last week on the production launch of dark new thriller, The Oak Room, reportedly filming in Burlington, Ontario near Toronto. The film is based on a Canadian stage play by Peter Genoway and hails from Black Fawn Films and Breakthrough Entertainment. Genoway penned the script with director Cody Calahan, and with a cast that lists RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Peter Outerbridge (Suicide Squad, V-Wars) and Ari Millen (Orphan Black, I’ll Take Your Dead). The film takes place during “a raging snowstorm when a drifter returns home to the blue-collar bar located in the remote Canadian town where he was born. When he offers to settle an old debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story, the night’s events quickly spin into a dark tale of mistaken identities, double crosses and shocking violence.” As the rest of the synopsis elucidates: […]

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DAISY SCARLETT: Screenwriter Ben Trebilcook’s British Spy Thriller In Developlent With ‘Foxtrot Six’ Executive Producer [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Screenwriter Ben Trebilcook has been relatively known of late for his efforts toward scripting a new installment of the Die Hard franchise. His longest struggle, however, lies with his latest prospective original novel IP, Daisy Scarlett, which has seen an evolution that dates back as far as 1994. “Though it has a couple of big set pieces, it’s a lot more raw than Bond.” says Trebilcook who also describes the project as once in the vein of a female Indiana Jones, later taking on several names before landing on the more preferred female James Bond-type. That progression, he tells me, led to a few legal wranglings and pub conversations while maintaining at least one other Daisy concept for which his agent once sought after the likes of actresses Sharon Stone and Sarah Michelle Gellar. The aspiring film scribe and South London educator had been pursuant of a screenwriting for as […]

petals. by Bryan Sloyer: A View To Remember In A Violent World

Lee B. Golden III

Next week will see a new installment of The Hit List, jam-packed as always with a continued stream of inspired action shortfilm from some of the best and most exciting creatives and stunt performers around the net. Stunt performer, choreographer and filmmaker Bryan Sloyer has been nothing short of fitting in those aspects in the years since I began covering him in 2014, growing his craft into something I can wholly deem as indicative that he’s ready to take on a bigger arena. His latest, styled as petals., builds up even more on this notion, delivering an emotively-driven story that mingles violent action as a co-star with the kind of poignance and heart he emits in his writing and imagery. Sloyer also appears with a primary cast of performers listing Caitlin Hutson, Justin Chang and Andrew Franklin with cinematography by Kyle Potter. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it […]

Siddharth Anand’s WAR: Hrithik VS. Tiger VS. Gun Battles VS. Fast Cars VS. Motorcycles VS. Martial Arts VS. All-Around Explosive Action In The Official Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

It was in 2015 when I first caught wind of actor Hrithik Roshan in what would ultimately be my first exposure to Bollywood cinema with Bang Bang. I’ve since been a Hrithik fan after five of his films in total, while additionally keeping track of Jackie Shroff’s martial arts wunderkind offspring, Tiger Shroff who broke out in 2016 with romantic action comedy, Heropanti. Both have planted their feet firmly with their fanbases to date and now they’re readying to etch themselves in further this Fall with action thriller War. The film also stars Vanni Kapoor and reteams Roshan with Bang Bang director Siddharth Anand, and is produced by Yash Raj Films’s Aditya Chopra whose credits partly include the Dhoom trilogy and Vijay Krishna Acharya’s Thugs Of Hindostan. The story itself is a mystery but regardless of what the plot is, for now, the teaser goes pretty damn big and bold […]

Now On Seed & Spark: Daren Taylor’s THE SPRING Revealed

Lee B. Golden III

An action-packed new series is birthing right as we speak with a proof-of-concept now running for The Spring. Director Daren Taylor and co-creator/choreographer Sean “Fresh” Redding took to Seed & Spark last week to launch their campaign to crowdfund as many as a hopeful raft of six action-packed shortfilms to encompass their ambitious vision. Kaiden is one of the last remaining Vessels, individuals that can tap into the magic of The Spring. Struggling to survive in a world that would rather see him dead, Kaiden uncovers a dark secret about The Spring that could save his people from extinction, or destroy civilization as we know it. The proof was shot close to a year ago, the next step in a process that lasted three years and now looks to evolve into a full-fledged original action series centered on superpowered characters whose abilities are activated through movement. They’ve since enlisted Film […]

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NYAFF Review: In Jacen Tan’s ZOMBIEPURA, Always Be Prepared!

Lee B. Golden III

In all of Singapore’s history, leave it to director Jacen Tan to blaze a trail introspective enough to pitch the Southeast Asian city-state’s first-ever zombie film. That effort leaves moviegoers with Zombiepura, partly inspired by Tan’s own conception in his heyday as a National Service reservist. This particular story focuses on Kayu (Alaric), a lazy reservist whose only focus at any given point is to take the path of least resistance despite constantly getting chewed out by his commanding officer, Siao On. At best, medical leave is his best and only option, and that’s only if he can fake it properly. Kayu and friend Tazan (Haresh Tilani) eventually make it inside doctor’s office after applying mosquito repellant to make it look like Kayu has early symptoms of conjunctivitis. Just as he’s being diagnosed, a soldiers bring in a dead body, only for it to reanimate and bite its first victim. […]

RED SNOW: Catch The Official Japan Cuts Trailer For Sayaka Kai’s U.S. Premiere

Lee B. Golden III

After screening at Marrakech late last year and releasing in February, Japan Cuts is proudly premiering newcome director Sayaka Kai’s searing mystery crime tale, Red Snow, which premieres on July 23 at Japan Society. Actors Masatoshi Nagase and Arata Iura, and actresses Nahana and Yui Natsukawa lead the cast along with Koichi Sato for a chilling story set in a wintery coastal village in Japan where a 30 year-old kidnapping case foments once more with new evidence. Sales outfit Kadowkawa Corporation is handling the film internationally during its festival run. Click here to learn more abou the programme, and feel free to get tickets here.

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RAGE Teaser Hails A Ballad Of Retribution

Lee B. Golden III

Six years in and with dozens of short film awards and nominations under his belt with hit entries like Dancer and the action-packed Night Shift, John Balazs and his Melbourne based Prima Lux banner are readying to roll out the red carpet for upcoming crime drama, Rage. After a violent home invasion leaves him in a coma and his wife deeply traumatised, a mild-mannered husband awakens to find out that one of the attackers is still on the loose. As they try to move on with their lives, one day his nearly-despondent wife spots the attacker, opening up a twisted tale of brutal revenge where all isn’t as it seems. Matthew Theodoru stars along with Hayley Beveridge for the once crowdfunder-pitched endeavor before Balazs and producer Marlane Ghmed took the wheel. The result? 21 days of filming shepherded by a crew of over 50 and with well over fifteen-to-twenty different […]

MARIA 2: Yayan Ruhian And Cecep Arif Rahman Circling Cristine Reyes Action Sequel [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Director Pedring Lopez is setting up to return to the helm for Maria 2 with a spritely roster of Indonesian talent with Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. The sequel brings lead actress Christine Reyes and director Pedring Lopez back into the fold once more for a late 2019 production start. Reyes penned a new chapter in her sixteen-year screen career with Maria from Viva Films, making her action-packed genre debut for local moviegoers back in March. The inaugural female-fronted thriller was written by Yz Carbonell and Rex Lopez, and stars Reyes as a former Black Rose cartel hitwoman forced back into the underworld to avenge her family with the help of her mentor, Sir Greg, played by Ronnie Lazaro. Character and plot details are otherwise pending for the sequel which currently stands midway of what Lopez cited, in a February interview with The Fanboy SEO, as a trilogy for […]

DEMOLITION GIRL: Aya Kitai Stomps Her Way To Japan Cuts This Summer

Lee B. Golden III

The thirteenth installment of Japan Cuts kicks off in New York City on July 19 and local folks will be more than pleased with this year’s illustrious and artful line-up, including debut director Genta Matsugami’s Demolition Girl. Actress Aya Kitai leads the way as a stoic high school girl whose renewed hope in a college career and growth in the real world finds itself hampered by a series of obstacles – all ranging from poverty and family secrets, to her secret occupation as a foot fetish snuff video star. The film, which took home a Japan Cuts Award win at this year’s Osaka Asian Film Festival in March, will have its North American premiere on July 22. Click here for more info.