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:

AVENGEMENT: Samuel Goldwyn Picks Up Scott Adkins Action Thriller For May Theatrical/VOD Release

As of Wednesday, 2019 is officially set to be a banner year for director Jesse V. Johnson whose next film, Avengement, will now open in select theaters and VOD on May 24 in the U.S. from Samuel Goldwyn Films. The film marks the latest reunion for Johnson with martial arts star Scott Adkins in their sixth shared credit together following recent successes like Savage Dog, Accident Man, The Debt Collector and the upcoming release of Triple Threat from Well Go USA. While released on furlough from prison, a lowly criminal evades his guards and returns to his old haunts to take revenge on the people that made him a cold-hearted killer. It’s an epic, bloody battle to search for the soul he lost years ago on the streets of an unforgiving city. Johnson is keeping properly busy these days promoting Triple Threat as it approaches its one-night theatrical rollout on […]

WIRA: ‘Paskal’ Director Lines Up Next Production

Lee B. Golden III

Malaysian director Adrian Teh is revving up his next military action adventure, Wira, according to an announcement from GSC Movies. Teh will be joined by actor and martial arts star Yayan Ruhian, in addition to reuniting with Hairul Azreen and Henley Hii since starring in Teh’s recent military action thriller, Paskal. As Mumtaj Begum’s coverage this week at Star2 Online reports, Wira centers on a pacifistic military man forced to cast diplomacy aside and apply his skillset once more to save his family. Ruhian is best known for raking up a decade of memorable killer roles in a raft of cult hits since Merantau, The Raid 1 & 2 and Beyond Skykine. The Indonesian actor and action director will next be seen opposite Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 on May 17. He is also set to appear later this year in director Syamsul Yusof’s Malay warrior biopic, Mat […]

KINGDOM: Take A Look At An Extended SXSW Trailer For Shinsuke Sato’s New Epic

Lee B. Golden III

Call it wishful thinking, but I’m still holding out hope for a Bleach sequel, and anyone familiar with director Shinsuke Sato’s work can, in some capacity, understand why. Granted that this includes folks attending this year’s SXSW where cinephiles can catch the latest glimpse of his new Warring States Period epic, Kingdom, as big a deal in Japan as it is, Sato might make some much-deserved headway here. Kingdom is based on mangaka Yasuhisa Hara’s highly successful and long-running 2006 Weekly Young Jump publication from Shueisha, and subsequent anime series from Pierrot. A live-action adaptation was announced last Spring following a rousing video promo celebrating the manga’s 10th anniversary in 2016. Toho’s new trailer footage further introduces Kento Yamazaki (Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.) in the role of Shin, and the tragic quandary that prefaces his ill-fated meeting with Eisei (Gintama co-star Ryo […]

Watch The All-New Official Trailer For IWANE: SWORD OF SERENITY

Lee B. Golden III

Shochiku proudly unveiled its newest official trailer this week for Iwane: Sword of Serenity (a.k.a. Inemuri Iwane), which hits Japan screens on May 17, and of course, the continuing theme as with prior promo footage is the dramatic shift in tone. It feels comedic at first but things get pretty morose and serious by the end. I reckon anyone familiar with Saeki Yasuhide’s Futaba Bunko novel series and its three-volume NHK TV series follow-up might know what that’s about but, …oh well. Iwane Sakazaki has two childhood friends: Kinpei Kobayashi and Shinnosuke Kawade. They received training at the same dojo. Kinpei Kobayashi’s younger sister Mai is married to Shinnosuke Kawade. Also Iwane will marry Nao who is the younger sister of Kinpei Kobayashi and Mai. The three friends are like brothers. Shinnosuke then hears a rumor that his wife Mai is having an affair and he kills her. Kinpei becomes […]

303 SQUADRON: Denis Delic’s WWII Drama Arrives On DVD, Blu-Ray And Digital Next Month

Lee B. Golden III

Yugloslavian actor/director Denis Delic’s second feature outing has arrived with Dazzler Media’s latest acquisition, 303 Squadron. Billed as a critically acclaimed true story of courage during World War II, the UK distro outlet has enlisted an April 29 release on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download. Pre-orders are now up on Amazon as well. The incredible and historically accurate story of how the Polish pilots of 303 Squadron, forgotten legends of World War II, turned the tide during one of the most seminal battles of the war and helped pave the road to victory. Overcoming odds at every turn, these heroes performed extreme airborne manoeuvres to hit enemy targets, becoming the highest scoring Hurricane squadron during the Battle of Britain. No one flew quite like them and their extraordinary skills and courage are revered to this day. Showcasing exhilarating aerial action and uncovering one of the lesser known stories of WWII, […]

THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY: WB To Screen Christopher Nolan’s Batman Saga in IMAX 70mm For A Five City Engagement This Spring

Lee B. Golden III

Batman fans actively engaging this year’s year-long Long Live The Bat celebration are welcome to take in some IMAX moviegoing this Spring with a limited re-release in five cities for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, according to announcement on Tuesday. All three films – Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – earned up to $2.5 billion dollars at the box office, chronicle Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and his epic struggle to come to terms with the death of his parents. Tested by villains like Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), Joker (the late Heath Ledger) and Talia al Ghul (Marion Cotillard), Nolan’s story unfolds as Wayne finds the resolve to become a symbol for the people of Gotham City against notorious and powerful criminals at large. Bale was fifth in line among now six actors to don the cape-and-cowl, the […]

Bueno’s STREGA Conquers Yubari XXVII

Lee B. Golden III

Bueno’s latest Tokusatsu romp, Strega, had its day at the 27th Yubari International Film Festival throughout last weekend. Actor and filmmaker Bueno was on hand for the festivities along with surprise guests that included Yuki Kuroda (Glaive of Kamen Rider Blade) and Miho Wakabayashi (Momoyo of Gun Caliber), with splatter movie maestro Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Kodoku: Meatball Machine) providing the introductory. “Viewers these days always bitch and whine about compliance this, compliance that…it’s bullshit.” said Nishimura, in part. “As creators, we’ve been waiting for someone to bring tokusatsu back to what it was. Back to the time of Kamen Rider Amazon and Showa Ultraman where all the badguys and monsters would get their heads torn off and ripped to shreds by the stars of the show.” He adds: “…And someone FINALLY decided to answer the call for something like that, but the thing is…he ain’t even Japanese.” which […]

BACKDRAFT 2: Ron Howard’s Hit Firefighter Thriller Gets A Fiery Sequel On DVD, Blu-Ray And Digital This Summer

Lee B. Golden III

If you were to tell me at some point last year that a sequel to Ron Howards’s explosive suspense thriller, Backdraft, was gonna get a sequel nearly three decades later, I would have probably looked at you like you needed an intervention. That being said, low key productions that habitually don’t catch on seem to be the case, particularly for Gonzalo López-Gallego (Apollo 18, The Hollow Point) who now sits at the helm for Backdraft 2 heading to Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. Universal 1440 is doling out the sequel thriller for anyone with access to the Movies Anywhere app for its May 14 release, so read on and peep the trailer above and artwork below. Prepare to reignite the legacy of one of the most groundbreaking films of all time in the all-new action-drama, Backdraft 2 arriving on Blu-rayTM, DVD and Digital via the digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on […]

Cocked, Locked And Ready To Rock, STREGA Does Not Need Your Permission To Be Awesome

Lee B. Golden III

While A-list Tokusatsu programming reigns supreme in its conventions, the last eight years have proven to be slightly more watershed in challenging the norm. Thus, with actor and independent filmmaker Bueno signaling a new beacon for fans keen on something different, the release of Gun Caliber in 2014 proved pivotal for the niche in doing just that – ultimately heeding the call for a new brand of suit-action heroics. The film itself definitely skewers aside the family-friendly formula, essentially delivering the maverick equivalent of a Deadpool movie that cranks-up the R-rated appeal several notches further and louder with no apologies. Since then, any hint to the matter that this may change would otherwise be ill-advised as Bueno, long far from the restrictions of the mainstream with the company of his own Tokyo-based creative collective, Garage Hero, has surfaced once again with Gun Caliber sequel, Strega. Newly suited and with a […]

THE HIT LIST: March 11, 2019

Lee B. Golden III

I can’t even sum up my weekend, save for the fact that like most of my weekends, it wasn’t a weekend, really. It never really is, to be honest… oh well. Kicking off this week’s installment of the Hit List is another round of stunt performance and training reels featuring an extended look at Brigette Paroissien, followed by Abel Djilali, Domonique Goff, Justin Carney, Vaia Zaganas, Gene Freeman, Faye McQueen, Vinny O’Brien, Orlando Naveo, Claire Hoogenboom, Gabriel Rodriguez, Mami S. Ito, Hector Melgoza, Sabreena Candreva, Jonathan Goosen, actress and filmmaker Betty Kaplan and stunt coordinator Buster Reeves! It feels like forever but the official trailer is finally here for Trent Dickens’s latest outing, Panda. Crowdfunded, produced and debut directed by Dickens, Panda hails from Dapper Fox Productions with the psychedelic story of a wandering vagrant whose racousing night out after a fight with his girlfriend turns into a soul-searching, introspective […]

FIGHTING SPIRIT FILM FESTIVAL IV: ‘Triple Threat’ Quintuples With A Raft Of Four Winning FSFF Martial Arts Faves

Lee B. Golden III

We’re in the final week of the campaign ahead of the U.S. rollout for Jesse V. Johnson’s Triple Threat. The wait will be a little over a month though for folks in the UK as the Fighting Spirit Film Festival readies its April 28 event at the Mockingbird Cinema & Kitchen at Birmingham, and folks looking to attend can now take a gander at the line-up comprised of shortfilms from previous FSFF installments next to the premiere of Johnson’s new ensemble thriller. The line-up is pretty cool too as it apart from Triple Threat, it also includes Les Aventures de Tranh et Nowak (a.k.a. Tranh And Nowak), featuring Geneviève Doang and Quentin d’Hainaut in an astutely-made martial arts comedy short about two highly-skilled agents on a mission to retrieve pieces of government artwork from a Neo-Nazi, played by Simon Dubreucq. Godefroy Ryckewaert directs this gem to which I’ve ardently supported […]

[UPDATED] TEDDY BOY: Andrew Lau, Pulse To Adapt Triad Comic Book Series For Live-Action Treatment

Lee B. Golden III

UPDATE – March 12, 2019 (7:21pm EST): Following Andreas Wiseman’s exclusive at Deadline on Monday, Hong Kong media outlet Apple Daily is reporting that Andrew Lau knew nothing about this project. Will follow up here or in a seperate report as more updates arise. Stay tuned… EARLIER: Legend Of The Fist: The Return Of Chen Zhen helmer Andrew Lau’s newest stake now lies with Pulse films in a conjoined effort to adapt author Man Kai-Ming and artist Lun Yu-Kwok’s weekly 1992 comic book series, Teddy Boy. The goal is either to make it a series or a feature film with Chinese publisher Concord publishing overseeing the deal. Teddy Boy follows protagonist Ho-Nam Chan’s dizzying ascent through the ranks of the Hong Kong triad hierarchy. The celebrated series explores loyalty, brotherhood, politics and corruption as well as the intergenerational conflicts and power struggles within the underground organized crime group. Thomas Benski, […]

ACCIDENT MAN 2 Is Officially In The Works

Lee B. Golden III

On Monday, action fans needn’t look any further than the latest blurb over at The Action Elite for the latest update on Accident Man. Director Jesse V. Johnson confirmed that Sony has given the team the go to advance the story that would return Adkins to the big screen. “Stu is writing the script at the moment.” says Johnson. “I haven’t seen it but I’ve seen all the drafts. Sony gave us a thumbs up and the greenlight so it’s definitely in progress. It’ll be very exciting.” Small penned the script for the first installment based on the original comic from Pat Mills and Tony Skinner which launched in the U.K. through formerly existing publisher, Toxic!. Adkins, who also took on the role of exec producer, stars in the title role of Mike Fallon, a professional assassin and clean-up expert whose cavalier attitude changes when he learns his beloved girlfriend, […]

TRIPLE TIME – Part IV: A Word With TRIPLE THREAT Star, Actress Jeeja Yanin

Lee B. Golden III

Martial arts star, actress Jeeja Yanin will be the forth and final entry into our interview series leading into next week’s sequential March 19/22 rollout of Jesse V. Johnson’s new ensemble action thriller, Triple Threat. It’s been five years since she and I traded Q’s and A’s and there was at least one area that I felt needed covering, so I’m especially pleased to have heard back from her as I did. It’s also worth noting that folks in the UK looking forward to seeing Jeeja in action among the heavy-hitting cast can watch the film at the Mockingbird Cinema Birmingham on April 28, courtesy of the Fighting Spirit Film Festival organization. Whether or not any cast attendance remains to be seen but for what it’s worth, the film will assuredly get its time on the big screen as Johnson wishes, and fans are more than welcome. Click the names […]

BULLETS OF JUSTICE: Don’t Miss The Official Teaser For The New Sci-Fi Action Horror That’s Bound To Turn Heads

Lee B. Golden III

The concept of chimeric creation as a means of scientific advancement is a pretty understandable basis for some pretty batshit sci-fi. And even batshit, for such a term, may be undercutting the effect now seen sampled in the Indiegogo pitch trailer for Wrong Turn 6 and Re-Kill helmer Valeri Milev’s latest, Bullets Of Justice. The Indiegogo fell short of its goal but with time and effort, the film is now finally in post-production and the word is that Auckland-based Black Mandala (Johnny Z) has come aboard in a producer capacity to help complete things. Hence the new official teaser above. Milev directs from a script written with Timur Turisbekov who stars in the action horror revenge thriller about a bounty hunter with a score to settle amidst a dystopian future in which a monstrous species of humanoid/pig hybrids spawned by the government decades earlier have now oppressed mankind. The early […]

KILL-FIST: James Lee’s New Martial Arts Thriller Is A Lesson In Pain And Punishment

Lee B. Golden III

I haven’t seen too much of what filmmaker James Lee has done to have a consumate opinion about his work. However, of what I have seen, I can earnestly speak on with praise. Long before he came on my radar with a webseries proof titled Second Life, he did more than his fair share of cinema over the years along with his 2012 hit action comedy, The Collector. Sunny Pang stars in the film – his second pairing with Lee after 2009’s Call Me If You Need Me, and both have seen their respective career trajectories take different paths since then with Lee eventually launching his own independent film banner in his native Malaysia, Doghouse 73 Pictures; Lee tends to numerous shorts and proofs under the banner, the first of which I took note being Second Life in 2014. Over in Singapore, Pang’s kept himself amply busy as a married […]

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Bruno Gascon’s CARGO Is An Artful, Unforgiving, Consequential Tale Of Survival

Lee B. Golden III

Amid directing a spate of shortfilms, writer and director Bruno Gascon’s interest took to years of exploring the criminal underbelly of international human trafficking, in accordance with a personal story about meeting a disinterested truck driver compelled to drive to Portugal based on a promise. The result is Carga, his feature debut at the helm, penned and directed with a story set at the Fall of the Soviet Union and the economic collapse that followed. What ensues is a tale of two lives – António (Victor Norte) and Viktoriya (break out actress Michalina Olszanska), and the harrowing nature of how their they converge. That being said, and put a pin on this little mental note, make no mistake about the encompassing narrative here. António is a truck driver forced to work against his will by Viktor (Dmitry Bogomolov) a gangster who networks young women to other countries, including children and […]

MORTAL KOMBAT: Joel Edgerton Reportedly Circling Key Kombatant Role In Simon McQuoid’s Adaptation

Lee B. Golden III

Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat film is reportedly circling actor Joel Edgerton for the role of Kano according to an exclusive at That Hashtag Show. The news comes following word that screenwriter Greg Russo completed his latest script for the upcoming production which the report also states is being slated to shoot in the summer. The road to a new Mortal Kombat movie has been a long one from its heyday in the late 90s with Paul W.S. Anderson and John R. Leonetti respectively helming the first two films based on the then-Midway fighting game franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. A third remained in limbo that supposedly would have filmed in Louisiana were in not for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As the game franchise took shape under the Netherealm banner, Kevin Tancharoen sparked hope for a feature film with his own leaked proof of concept in 2010 featuring […]

THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE Trailer: Jesse Eisenberg Needs Karate To Help Him Become What He Fears

Lee B. Golden III

Jesse Eisenberg’s acting nods to his kind of signature wry appeal seen in films like Zombieland, The Social Network and even American Ultra. More can be seen in the official trailer for Riley Stearns’ new film, The Art Of Self-Defense, which I can safely say bodes as more black in its comedy than I thought. Evan Saathoff at BirthMoviesDeath brought the exclusive footage from Bleecker Street Media ahead of the film’s forthcoming premiere at this month’s SXSW. It has a festival poster to accommodate its screening as well which you can take a gander at just beneath, and it was done quite brilliantly at that. A dark comedy set in the world of karate. The film centers on Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), who is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), in an effort to learn how […]

THE BOUNCER: UK’s Dazzler Media Stands Guard To Release JCVD Action Drama Next Month

Lee B. Golden III

One of the biggest successes in the action genre today still stands with Jean-Claude Van Damme having revived his career greatly in the past decade adapting to grittier roles and projects with a certain appeal. Starring in Julien Leclercq’s The Bouncer certainly leaves one for the books in that regard and the action star’s fans in the UK will soon be able to gaze at his performance with a VoD, DVD and Blu-Ray release on April 8 from Dazzler Media. In The Bouncer, Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Lukas, a tough nightclub bouncer struggling to raise his 8-year-old daughter. One day, Lukas loses control during an altercation with a client and ends up in jail, while his daughter is taken away from him. Things take an unexpected turn when Interpol recruits Lukas to bring down a Dutch ringleader operating from Belgium in exchange for his daughter’s custody. Directed by Julien […]