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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THE DIVISION: ‘Jailbreak’ Stars Jean-Paul Ly And Laurent Plancel Strike Back In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Nick Gibbons Close to a decade in and having found worthwhile partnership in martial arts and film, more lucrative prospects are officially in the works for cohorts, Jailbreak fighting duo Jean-Paul Ly and Laurent Plancel. As such, Colin Emerson’s 2015 short, Dead End, would be but the beginning of a worthwhile agenda by our performers to push diversity and further the betterment of independent action film production on London’s front, and with seamless progress and artistic gravitas akin to the proliferation of elite stuntmen-turned-directors in today’s industry. Fast forward into the past year or so with the two putting things in motion behind a deep veil whilst working between their schedules on other film and TV works. Alas, here comes The Division starring both Plancel and Ly and signaling the entry of Law Gravity Ltd. and JLP Films. The two are definitely in their element for the action design while […]

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Zhang Yimou’s SHADOW: Politics, Intrigue And Danger Shrouded In Darkness In Mystifying First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Far from anymore watching and waiting to see what auteur Zhang Yimou has accomplished since earlier feats on The Great Wall, the first official trailer for Shadow is here and fully immersed in its own dark hues and contemplative drama. You can’t see much in terms of action but the imminent violence and gore only fitting for a film of this kind is hinted at plentily with Zhang typically crafting beautiful shots and high-speed lensing to amp up the brooding and allure overall. Director Zhang Yimou’s reimagining of a classic Three Kingdoms epic, the action/drama SHADOW tells the story of a great King and his people who have been displaced from their homeland and long to win it back. The King is wild and ambitious, but his motives and methods are mysterious. His great general is a visionary who fervently desires to win the ultimate battle, but needs to lay […]

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Sato Shinshuke’s I AM A HERO Lands A U.S. Blu-Ray Combo Pack In July From Funimation

Lee B. Golden III

This summer will be a fantastic one for fans of director Sato Shinsuke. The director of Inuyashiki and upcoming Bleach will have some stateside traction with the Blu-Ray package release of I Am A Hero, based on Hanazawa Kengo’s 2009 serial manga and which earned wide acclaim since premiering at Sitges in 2015 before its Japan release the following year. Based on the celebrated horror manga I Am a Hero comes a live-action film adaptation that’s bound to get your blood flowing! Thirty-five-year-old assistant manga artist Hideo Suzuki leads an unsatisfying, tedious life. But when a virus outbreak hits Japan turning the infected into mindless cannibals, it’s his chance to become the hero he’s always daydreamed he could be, even if it kills him. Oizumi Yo (Tokyo Ghoul) stars along with Arimura Kasumi (Sekigahara) and Nagasawa Masami (Gintama, Gintama 2). FYI, it’s a SUB-ONLY deal, so if you’re like me […]

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PEPPERMINT: Evil Hangs In The Name Of Justice In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Five years of doing action on television well over a decade ago haven’t waned on actress Jennifer Garner. She’s back this Fall for upcoming STX Entertainment release, Peppermint, from none other than Pierre Morel back the helm and much to our delight judging by the official trailer now online. Peppermint is an action thriller which tells the story of young mother Riley North (Garner) who awakens from a coma after her husband and daughter are killed in a brutal attack on the family. When the system frustratingly shields the murderers from justice, Riley sets out to transform herself from citizen to urban guerilla. Channeling her frustration into personal motivation, she spends years in hiding honing her mind, body and spirit to become an unstoppable force – eluding the underworld, the LAPD and the FBI- as she methodically delivers her personal brand of justice. Garner is joined by John Ortiz, John […]

TOP GUN: MAVERICK Commences Principal Photography

Lee B. Golden III

One of the late Tony Scott’s biggest, most memorable film successes to date lives on 32 years later with production officially announced for Top Gun: Maverick. Actor Tom Cruise is back in the saddle reprising the lead role as elite Navy pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, reuniting with none other than Oblivion director Joseph Kosinski at the helm for a story that sees our protagonists cope with the advancement of drone warfare over manned piloting. Official cast announcements from here on remain pending while fans can look forward to the film’s tonal similarity to the first as a “competition film”. Jerry Bruckheimer is back and producing from the 1986 original as will Cruise and David Ellison for Skydance. Top Gun composer, Harold Faltermeyer, is also returning to score. Cruise and his official PR shared a photo of the first day of filming which you can check out below and hold in […]

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MADE IN CHINATOWN: Puerto Rican Martial Arts Action Sensation Jose Manuel Joins The Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Photo: Carlos Alfonso One of the biggest and best things happening right now in the upper East coast is just weeks away from cameras rolling for upcoming martial arts mob comedy, Made In Chinatown. Breakout martial arts star, actor Jose Manuel has joined the cast that has martial arts cinema mainstays Art Camacho and Robert Samuels (H.K.S.A.) pairing up to direct. The details of Manuel’s role are unknown. He’ll otherwise be among a raft of actors and action talent led by world class Wushu stylist and stuntman Alfred Hsing (Ready Player One, Ip Man 3) debuting a lead acting role. Executive producer Mark Wiley is penning the script that sees Hsing playing Vinny, an underdog Asian American who, with the help of a ragtag group of friends and his Sifu, fights to work his way up the ranks in the Italian mob to win over the girl of his dreams. […]

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PUNK SAMURAI SLASH DOWN Trailer: Ishii Gakuryu’s Latest Runs High And Wild On Epicness

Lee B. Golden III

Big scale spectacle and irreverence seem to run high these days in terms of certain movie trends and aiming for it no less is director Gojoe and Bitter Sweet helmer Ishii Gakuryu as he returns to the fray with upcoming period action romp, Punk Samurai Slash Down. As opportune a collaboration it is and with punk music culture preceding the director as well as author Machida Ko who penned the 2004 novel, this one looks like quite the aspiring feat for today’s audience at and with a June 30 release from Toei and an official trailer now online, I wouldn’t be surprised if this started getting festival press in the coming days. Furthermore, the premise here is just fascinating! The movie that Japan’s best performers fought to be in. A movie that entertains audiences in the most imaginative and unimaginable way. Providing enough fun for the universe to burst into […]

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DOGTOWN: Dave Bautista To Star In Bold Films’ ‘Body Bags’ Adapation

Lee B. Golden III

Mike Fleming Jr. at Deadline is bringing the latest on comic adaptation, Dogtown, set up at Bold Films for Dave Bautista to star. Kyle Ward (John Wick: Chapter Two) is penning the film derived from Body Bags, Jason Pearson’s Dark Horse imprint publication which also shared space with Image Comics during its run from 1996 through 2008. Packed with quite a bit of R-rated potential, Dogtown aims to perpetuate the original comic book’s style and irreverence with Bautista playing Mack Delgado, a professional bounty hunter notoriously known as a “body bagger”. Things take an awry turn for Mack when the daughter he never knew makes a surprise entry into his life in hopes of reconnecting with him. Gary Michael Walters is producing at Bold Films, adding the film measures right in its potential next to hits like Baby Driver, John Wick and Atomic Blonde, saying: “We see a market for […]

Jack Johnson Biopic To Serve As Launchpad For New Stallone Film And TV Banner

Lee B. Golden III

The life and legend of late boxer Jack Johnson is heading to the big screen according to the trades this week. The project is being set up at MGM with the launch of Balboa Productions with actor Sylvester Stallone shepherding the project with Hell Or High Water and Wind River executive producer Braden Aftergood. The legendary boxer’s story became synonymous with racial injustice in America at the height of the Jim Crow era, wherein 1910, he was arrested, convicted of violating the Mann Act and served ten months in prison for transporting a white woman, with whom he was in a relationship, across state lines. Led by Stallone and campaigned as well by Senators John McCain and Ken Burns, Johnson, a heavyweight boxing champion from 1908 to 1915, was long the center of a push toward a hopeful presidential pardon that came last week. Johnson passed away in 1946. […]

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Cyber Spills And Action Thrills In The First REBORN Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Not to be confused with Shimomura Yuji’s stellar CQC action-packed brawlfest, director Li Hai Long’s own directorial debut is an entirely different beast titled Reborn for its own appeal. A release date is yet to be exact but the first official teaser is out for the film’s local release with headlining cast members Han Geng, Rhydian Vaughan, Li Yuan and Japanese pop and TV star Tomohisa Yamashita front and center. Contemporary police cyber security team go under cover in Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur to capture cybercriminal gang and thwart their attempt to hack computer control system. Moviegoers outside China can expect a rollout at some point following Hong Kong-based Bravos Pictures’ own worldwide rights acquisition, sans China, earlier this month. Check out the teaser below!

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LOBSTER COP Cooks Up The Laughs In North America On June 22

Lee B. Golden III

Thanks to the good graces of China Lion, Li Xinyun’s new action comedy, Lobster Cop, is headed for a same-day U.S./China release on June 22. There’s no available English premise but its trailer makes it entertainingly clear with a deep cover unit that sets up its latest drug bust at a seafood eatery. Nom-noms and slapstick are abound and actor Wang Qianyuan completely owns his role here and the hilarity he pours out with on screen. He stars along with Teng Shen, Yuan Shanshan, Liu Hua and Zhou You and of course, the U.S. rollout will likely be limited, so check available locations and get your tickets then.

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MUSINGS OF A RONIN: A Word With SWORD OF THE DEAD Director Stephen Vitale

Lee B. Golden III

Back row: David Bowlen, Masami Kosaka/Front row: Stephen Vitale As important as it is to know how to make a film to begin with, what also matters is your vision, and how well you package it. Such is the case for the lot of independent content that I’ve covered in the last five years, and surprisingly, of which only a handful I notice are given the festival treatment. And I’ve seen my fair share of short films to be fascinated and amazed, as well as even befuddled that they would go straight online. It’s a tough road though, and so opportunities like that, I reckon, need to be planned and timed in such a way that at least the initial steps can be covered toward garnering the attention of investors. And today’s film market is one that is vastly full of ideas ranging from some of the most top-notch and […]

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After Five Years Of Rumors, Jamie Foxx Will Reboot Todd McFarlane’s SPAWN For Blumhouse

Lee B. Golden III

You might have come across notes in the rumor mill in the last several years over the hype of potentially casting actor Jamie Foxx for the title role of a hopeful Spawn remake. That came before creator Todd McFarlane’s announcement last summer partnering with Blumhouse for a much darker adaptation at a modest budget of about ten or twelve million dollars. Those latter developments didn’t arise until last summer and onward when McFarlane clarified the details and inspiration of his vision at New York City Comic-Con the following Fall, and it just so happens that Foxx was reported to be circling the role about four weeks ago according to buzz over at That Hashtag Show. This week, McFarlane has all but confirmed the news showcasing talks with the actor and Jason Blum who is producing through his Blumhouse banner, thus having provided Deadline with the exclusive on Tuesday. Foxx will […]

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THE BLIZZARD Chills On Line With An Action-Packed Teaser For Jang Kaiyang's Long-Awaited Crime Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

It was last summer during the Busan International Film Festival that Beijing-based online platform, IQIYI, launched international sales on three in-house productions. Writer and director Jang Kaiyang’s The Blizzard sat as one of all three prospects and at one point was slated for a 2017 release, although nowadays that seems to be changing with a 2018 rollout in tow instead, at least judging by the latest local trailer online. Liu Haiyang witnessed his best fellow at Police College, Song Chao, escaping away while his father is dying in the blood. Considered as the murderer, Song absconded from Harbin to Hainan. Three years later, Liu and Song come across with gun and bullets. Taking revenge on Song for his father’s murder, Liu also discovers a confidential affair between his wife and Song… but none of Liu and Song realizes they have been shrouded in a mist of conspiracy from the very […]

Review: THE DEBT COLLECTOR Pays In Full With Another Solid Adkins/Johnson Package

Review: THE DEBT COLLECTOR Pays In Full With Another Solid Adkins/Johnson Package

Lee B. Golden III

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 Fighter, on which Adkins appeared in a brief role; three years after the burgeoning action star laid claim in a breakout capacity on Isaac Florentine’s 2003 direct-to-video hit, Special Forces. Since then, the U.K. actor has been fortunate […]

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INRANG: Kim Jee-Woon’s ‘Jin Roh’ Remake Howls Online With Two New Teaser Posters

Lee B. Golden III

I’m almost instantly fascinated by any piece of film put out from I Saw The Devil helmer Kim Jee-Woon. His recent release, The Age Of Shadows, further showcased his strength in harnessing the full breadth and scope of a period war epic which pretty much holds firm enough in describing Okiura Hiroyuki’s 1999 animated thriller, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. The relevancy here, though, is that Kim has taken the mantle for a live-action adaptation of Oshii Mamoru’s beloved Kerberbos saga-based sci-fi anime classic. Inrang is the name and from a script by none other than the venerable Oshii who does away with the alt-1950’s German-conquered Japan setting for a dystopian futuristic Korea where the North and South are seven years in their negotiations become a united country. At the crux of the tale is the beleagured member of a troubled special counterterrorism unit following a deadly incident with a suicide […]

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Review: Asif Akbar’s ASTRO Alienates With Campy, Drab Sci-Fi

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker Asif Akbar’s debut arrives as a franchise hopeful in which we reunite once again with action star and actor Gary Daniels in the sci-fi thriller, Astro. It’s not Akbar’s first stab at the genre and so some of what he contributes here holds up in terms of select moments of visual allure and character design. It’s respite, though, and so what remains to be seen is if he can build on what he’s constructed with this film and improve the many flawed aspects that occur in his delivery. Many of the key CG shots are outright laughable in Akbar’s attempt to bring a vast, big scale science fiction film to serve as the backdrop of a Daniels-led vehicle, which bodes as only bodes as one of the more frustrating aspects offered in this hour-and-forty-five minute endeavor. The film takes right off from a quote by Plato and echoing headlines […]

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LAYER OF LIES: Ramin Sohrab Suits Up Behind The Scenes In New Stills And Videos

Lee B. Golden III

In the hours since the unveiling of a new still from director Ramin Sohrab’s new thriller, Layer Of Lies, we now have another few stills as well as a few BTS videos to share from the set. Production is only just starting in Tehran following the film’s Helsinki shoot and the arduous process of getting pre-approved to film in the middle Eastern capital. An ex-fireman returns to his home country Iran after a decade-long absence, only to have his old enemy resurface and steal away what he treasures most – and now he’ll stop at nothing to exact revenge. Production is expected to roll through the top of July. Sadly the photos don’t bode much for folks curious on the action front but those are yet to come nonetheless. Moreover the photos are from Friday’s shoot, so consider these gems real time!

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CRY NO FEAR: Sibling Rivalry Puts Family To The Test In The Latest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Director Richard Somes is heading for some screentime on June 20 in the Philippines with home invasion thriller, Cry No Fear. The trailer starts pretty predictably in that the drama feels like something out of a novela which speaks to the simplicity of the plot while the crux of it offers something plentiful to look forward to. A suspense-thriller film about two half-sisters who totally hate each other. Kaycee (Donnalyn Bartolome) and Wendy (Ella Cruz) are always at each other’s throat. But when they were left alone in their house amidst a storm, with intruders trying to kill them, they have no choice but become partners and try to escape. Actresses Ella Cruz and Donnalyn Bartolome are at the center of the narrative which you can sample from in the player below!

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L STORM: David Lam’s Corruption Watchdog Trilogy Thriller Lands A First Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Settling for a release on August 24, L Storm is the name now three films in for director David Lam’s anti-corruption thriller franchise. The latest teaser bodes with as much action to whet the appetites for fans of Louis Koo who makes his return in one of several Koo headliners to come following a robust HK FilMart this year. Z Storm director David Lam and leading man Louis Koo and Julian Cheung return for the sequel L Storm, an exciting crime thriller again centered around the workings of the ICAC, Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog law enforcement agency. Also starring are Julian Cheung Kevin Cheng, Stephy Tang and Michael Tse among the cast. Check out the trailer!