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:

Fantasia XXVIII Review: In BRAVE CITIZEN, Shin Hae-Sun Takes Bullies To School!

6 min. read It’s been a while since I had my eyes on films like Only The Strong, any of The Substitute films, or 80s romps like 3 O’Clock High and Lean On Me. Those are precisely the kinds of films you watch if you’re into stories of protagonists tackling insurmountable circumstances on school campus involving students, teen bullies and other criminal elements, and even films like Donnie Yen’s Big Brother and Ryoo Seung-wan’s Veteran measure up here. Suffice it to say, this is where director Park Jin-pyo gets to test the waters with Brave Citizen, adapted for the screen and based on Kim Jung-hyun’s 2014 webtoon. The setting is at Moonyung High, billed as “an exemplary anti-bullying school” where the environment is as positive and forthright as the student body… well, at least to the unknowing public and foolhearty staff. Deep in the trenches is a version of the […]

noeRH3zvaNQm1lcHeg_k7m_oiGskHFvsNlfQZvt-OuI

NYAFF XXIII Review: In WOLF HIDING, Nick Cheung And Co. Show Their Teeth With Unflinching Ferocity

Lee B. Golden III

4.5 min. read Actor Marc Ma’s screen filmography has popped up a few times on our radar over the years. As of late, he’s a standout on both sides of the lens with his feature debut, Wolf Hiding, open to IQIYI subscribers as of late last year and now testing international waters with a North American Premiere before audiences of the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival. It’s an action pic too, so you know I was keen on catching this one. Best of all is that it has Nick Cheung brimming with energy in this film as the discernible lead, and with actors like Taiwanese talents Ethan Juan, and Darren Wang, and also Danny Chan who sheds the more prolific Bruce Lee persona of some of his hit roles for a more entrenched role that allows him to maintain his substance. The movie also brings on board screen veteran […]

FXNvLYZV1wNBQzV8wh-d5JHi7YM7KBnaZkI1_NTW22A

NYAFF XXIII Review: In 12.12: THE DAY, A Fated, Cautionary Tale Of The Painfully Obvious

Lee B. Golden III

4.5 min. read Korean cinema is wild AF. 1997 coming-of-age crime thriller, Beat, is one of my prouder viewing experiences of the last twenty years. It was a blind buy from a Korean bookstore near Herald Square at the time, and it would inevitably put director Kim Sung-su, and actor Jung Woo-sung squarely on my radar for years to come. The two have worked together several more times since then, a pattern that continued earnestly with 12.12: The Day, which opened for South Korean audiences last Fall. The film is also available on digital in the U.S. from 815 Pictures, and also served as a Prime Pick presentation for its audience at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival. Kicking things off is an emergency bunker meeting with top officials following the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee, who served 18 years in office before his death. With Choi […]

Film Movement Plus Launches Classic Trio Celebrating Hideo Gosha

Lee B. Golden III

Friday saw the launch of a trio of Hideo Gosha classics over at Film Movement+ with Samurai Wolf, Samurai Wolf 2: Hell Cut, and yakuza thriller Violent Streets. All three titles were restored in 2K and previously screened for select theatrical audiences, and are now available for streaming. One of the best-kept secrets of Japanese genre filmmaking in the 1960s and ’70s, Gosha began his studio career in 1964 and quickly emerged as a peerless specialist in chambara (samurai) films. A few years later, a contemporary twist on the chambara formula appeared in the form of the yakuza film, and Gosha proved equally adept with modern dress action. Whether the weapons of choice were swords or snub-nose revolvers, few could match Gosha at his best for economic storytelling and sheer velocity—and these are three of his very best. Film Movement is taking the mantle on the films’ launches as of […]

DUNE: PROPHECY Second Teaser Revealed Expanding On The Hit Sci-Fi Franchise For Max

Lee B. Golden III

Denis Villeneuve has been a godsend with his revival of Frank Herbert’s Dune for the big screen. I’m eagerly awaiting his third entry which was announced back in April, while fans of the reboot can now take a gander at another offering in the cinematic universe now heading to streaming platform Max with six-part drama, Dune: Prophecy, based on the 2012 follow-up novel to Herbert’s literary IP. From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, DUNE: PROPHECY follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. DUNE: PROPHECY is inspired by the novel SISTERHOOD OF DUNE, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The full cast includes Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie […]

Will Nicholas Tse Direct The Next NEW POLICE STORY?

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Nicholas Tse took to Screendaily’s Michael Rosser in an interview published on Thursday to discuss some of his upcoming projects. One core topic was a sequel to New Police Story, which was announced last Spring with screen legend Jackie Chan rejoining Tse to reprise their roles, as well as produce. Tse was also tapped at the time to possibly make his move to the director’s chair. Rosser was on hand ay this year’s 23rd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival to question the actor, who is also this year’s recipient of the festival’s Screen International Star Asia Award. Tse stars alongside Jacky Cheung in Herman Yau’s latest explosive action thriller, Customs Frontline, in which the award-winner also serves as action director for the film’s North American Premiere. “Supposedly, but we’re still in a very early stages of development,” said Tse in response to Rosser’s question regarding directing […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In Herman Yau’s CUSTOMS FRONTLINE, Tse And Cheung (Mostly) Get The Job Done

Lee B. Golden III

TW: This review discusses self-harm, mental illness and suicide. 6.5 min. read Hong Kong filmmaker Herman Yau’s stride continues in 2024. He has a couple of titles already circulating screens in the U.S.. One of those titles is Customs Frontline which opened in Hong Kong earlier this month and is now poised to screen for audiences of the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival in time for its North American release from Well Go USA Entertainment on Friday. Set against the background of two warring East African countries, Yau’s thriller starts to bringinto focus the lead General of one of those countries whose latest deal with a weapons marketeer trading out of Thailand suddenly makes landfall in Hong Kong territory when the feeder boat carrying its engine shuts down. When the Hong Kong Customs agents set out to investigate, it leads to an additionally gruesome discovery, on top of a […]

Japan Cuts XVII Review: Shinya Tsukamoto’s SHADOW OF FIRE, Just Like A Prayer

Lee B. Golden III

4 min. read The tainted, bleak interior shots of a small pub diner are just an incremental hint of the larger setting of Fires On The Plain and Killing director Shinya Tsukamoto’s newest drama, Shadow Of Fire. When the woman who runs it (Shuri) isn’t sleeping, she’s at the beckoncall of men who pay their way for room and board, as well as her conjugal services. The work is far from pleasant – albeit an extension of the far deteriorating condition the surrounding village is in, suffering in the aftermath of World War II as people are hungry and desperate. One such person comes in the form of a young war orphan (Oga Tsukao) often dismissed as a thief by other neighbors, and a wayward soldier (Hiroki Kono) looking for a place to rest and drink. The woman and the soldier eventually strike an unwritten agreement to live together as […]

MISSION: CROSS Trailer Promises Explosive Matrimony This August

Lee B. Golden III

Director Lee Myung-hoon’s new action comedy thriller, Mission: Cross, was something that I had my eye on earlier this year and wondered about. Of course Netflix would be the ones to quietly snap it up and now we have an August 9 worldwide launch date set for the streamer. In the ultimate test of marriage, an agent-turned-househusband gets tangled in a perilous mission with his detective wife, who’s clueless about his past. Yum Jung-ah and Hwang Jung-min star along with Jeon Hye-jin, Jung Man-shik, and Kim Chan-hyung. Check out the trailer!

Japan Cuts XVII Review: In Takeshi Kitano’s KUBI, A Feral Feature Of Feudal Follies

Lee B. Golden III

6 min. read I’ve only seen a little over a handful of Takeshi Kitano’s films in my lifetime. That includes a palpable mix of roles in a career that’s lasted more than half a century; If you told me that that guy I saw in Johnny Mnemonic when I was thirteen would have an impact on my interest in film over the years, I would’ve looked at you peculiarly. At any rate, the films I have seen have been ample at helping me gauge Kitano’s approach to violence, drama, and black comedy, even when at the service of other directors. His latest directing effort, adding to a career at the helm that has lasted more than thirty years, now comes in the form of Kubi, an adaptation of his own novel published by Kadokawa, and with decades of development dating back as far as 1993. Beginning in 1579, Kitano’s Kubi […]

Japan Cuts XVII Review: In ALL THE LONG NIGHTS, Sho Miyake Looks To The Stars

Lee B. Golden III

3.5 min. read Based on Maiko Seo’s 2020 novel, director Sho Miyake invites moviegoers into an insightful and poignant drama in his latest feature, All The Long Nights. The film features actress Mone Kamishiraishi, best known for voicing the lead role in Makoto Shinkai’s winning 2016 animated hit, Your name, as well as roles in the live-action Chihayafuru trilogy. It also marks her third leading live action role since Masayuki Suo’s Lady Mariko in 2012, and Yasuhiro Kawamura’s 2019 sequel, L-DK: Two Loves, Under One Roof. The story centers on Kamishiraishi’s character, Misa, a corporate office worker whose symptoms of premenstrual syndrome have begun gravely affecting her work. She gets irritable and tends to lash out over trivial issues, and the side affects of her recent medications have her falling asleep on the job. Point in fact, these and a number of things cause her situation to snowball so much […]

THE KILLER Trailer: John Woo Tests The Waters With A Western Revamp Of His Hit Hong Kong Classic!

Lee B. Golden III

John Woo is back again. I enjoyed his most recent entry with Silent Night, and while I’m certain opinions will stir today as the official trailer for Woo’s The Killer makes the rounds, I’m optimistic. From the Oscar® winning producer of Oppenheimer, the kinetic action thriller stars Emmy nominee Nathalie Emmanuel (The Fast Saga, Game of Thrones) as Zee, a mysterious and infamous assassin known, and feared, in the Parisian underworld as the Queen of the Dead. But when, during an assignment from her shadowy mentor and handler (Avatar’s Sam Worthington), Zee refuses to kill a blinded young woman (Diana Silvers; Ma, Booksmart) in a Paris nightclub, the decision will disintegrate Zee’s alliances, attract the attention of a savvy police investigator (Golden Globe nominee Omar Sy; Jurassic World franchise, Lupin), and plunge her into a sinister criminal conspiracy that will set her on a collision course with her own past. […]

Japan Cuts XVII Review: In REI, What Only So Many Words Can Express

Lee B. Golden III

4.5 min. read Toshihiko Tanaka’s feature film debut gives you a full plate to digest for its three-hour-and-change runtime. To say the least though, a film like Rei will give you a good emotional workout thanks to its compelling drama and script, and hypnotic visuals. Hikari (Takara Suzuki) is a loner in Tokyo. Her life is prominently carefree as she spends her days working or going to see plays. It’s the kind of freedom that her best friend Asami (Maeko Oyama) admires of her and even aspires to have, her devoted life to marriage and motherhood notwithstanding. The two go see a play of Hikari’s choosing, inspired by the cover photo used on one of her Playbills. The move is actually in an effort to contact the photographer behind the image, Masato (Toshihiko Tanaka), so that he can possibly take her photo in natural, non-artificial settings. It’s a paid gig, […]

tBoRospYfngQSxW5hf-PnnREKDrmdiIaJP_1whdp8CY

NYAFF XXIII Review: In Nelicia Low’s PIERCE, Dueling Sides Come To A Head With Intense Results

Lee B. Golden III

4.5 min. read Getting the Best Director win over at Karlovy Vary this month, burgeoning director Nelicia Low’s latest drama, Pierce, now makes its case before audiences at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival for its North American Premiere. Zijie (Liu Hsiu-Fu) is a young fencing prospect who lives with his mother (Ding Ning). They share a pretty dark and tragic past, one outlined by the death of his father, and even more prominently, the jailing of his older brother, Zihan (Tsao Yu-Ning), who himself was once a three time fencing champion on their club’s team. As the film tells it, Zihan was jailed seven years earlier for presumably killing his opponent during a match, and its within the first act of the film when Zijie suprisingly learns that Zihan is finally getting out of jail. This isn’t something the mother wanted Zijie to find out either. Until now, […]

NYAFF XXIII Review: In PATTAYA HEAT, A Crackling Thai Crime Thriller That Mostly Cooks

Lee B. Golden III

7.5 min read Four films in throughout his career, Eastern Bandits and Blood Of Youth helmer Yang Shupeng’s latest effort transplants him to Thailand for the new flick, Pattaya Heat (a.k.a. All Men Are Brothers). Thai cinemas got a taste of it back in February for its theatrical release, and the film now makes way for attendees at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival this month for its North American Premiere. A shot overlooking the seedy, neon-lit streets of Pattaya is seen, joined by the V.O. narration of Chai (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), a beat cop waxing poetic over the street’s history, and how he used to be in charge. The years have since whittled away any clout the now-Sergeant once had as a shotcaller with a badge, toiling away at life as a grieving widower with mentally-ill daughter, and a gambling debt that now threatens to erode any means he […]

CHA-CHA Teases Marika Ito’s Wily World Of Wonderment And Woe In The First Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Screening this Friday as part of the Japan Cuts line-up is Cha-Cha from director Mai Sakai. The film marks the latest contribution to the (not)Heroine Project, which focuses on up-and-coming directors like Sakai who now hails audiences with her fifth feature. Cha-Cha is an illustrator working at a design office. Her free-spirited behavior sometimes draws the ire of those around her, but she lives by the motto, “I don’t let me worry about what others think any more, just live the way I want”. One day, Cha-Cha meets Raku on the rooftop and she becomes interested in him. Although they are opposites in terms of their tastes, she gradually becomes attracted to Raku, thinking that “we two get along perfect”. What will happen to the unpredictable romance of a stray cat-like girl? A fashionable, tasteful and bizarre story. I will say the film is definitely unpredictable at times even for […]

ALIENOID: RETURN TO THE FUTURE: Win A Blu-Ray Copy Of Choi Dong-Hoon’s Fantasy Adventure!

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Choi Dong-hoon’s newest sci-fi adventure is arriving soon to the U.S. on DVD and Blu-Ray with Alienoid: Return To The Future. We’re giving away two copies of the film on Blu-Ray for entries to be made by the evening before its release on July 30, and all you have to is respond to this contest via email at fcsyndicate@outlook.com with your favorite South Korean sci-fi/fantasy title… That’s it. That’s all there’s to it, and the deadline is 11:59 EST on July 29, so enter ASAP! After locating the Divine Blade, a shaman and a modern-day woman race through time to battle a powerful alien commander intent on destroying mankind in ALIENOID: RETURN TO THE FUTURE, Part II of Choi Dong-hoon’s epic sci-fi action franchise. Ryu Jun-Yeol, Kim Tae-ri and Kim Woo-bin star. Click here for my review ICYMI!

Japan Cuts XVII Review: In SAYONARA, GIRLS., Senioritis Is Half The Battle In Shun Nakagawa’s Moving YA Drama

Lee B. Golden III

3 min. read Our teen years are some of the most crucial areas of our lives. Much of that time is spent in a school environment where the evident part of growing up, ultimately, means learning how to let go. This theme sits at the core of Shun Nagakawa’s 2023 release, Sayonara, Girls., based on Asai Ryo’s 2012 novel. The soon-to-be demolished Shimada High School is where it all comes to a head for a quartet of girls – Manami (Yuumi Kawai, Yuki (Rina Ono), Kyoko (Rina Komiyama), and Sakuta (Tomo Nakai) – as the story kicks off at just a little over a day from graduation. Manami’s turmoil is made vaguely clear in the resonant silence in one of her character’s first scenes as the class runs through graduation rehearsal, when she’s called up to the podium. That stoicism extends a little further to Yuki who is currently falling […]

THE WAIT: Spanish Rural Thriller Sets Fall VOD Release From Film Movement

Lee B. Golden III

F. Javier Gutierrez’s latest thriller, The Wait, has announced a Fall cable and digital release date TBA from North American distributor, Film Movement. The film spent the last few years in the festival circuit with stops at Fantastic Fest, Sitges, Shanghai, Vancouver, and Oldenburg among others. The Wait stars Victor Clavijo (Before the Fall), Ruth Diaz, Manuel Moron, and Pedro Casablanc (Strange Way of Life). The film is set deep in the Andalusian countryside where Eladio (Clavijo) works as the groundskeeper of a hunting estate owned by the powerful Don Francisco. After taking a bribe from a veteran hunter, Eladio’s normal life falls apart, plunging him into the depths of guilt, hatred and revenge. Gutierrez’s Unfiled Films produced the pic along with Nostromo Pictures (Buried, Penny Dreadful), and Spal Films (Before the Fall). Michael Rosenberg, President of Film Movement, coordinated the deal with Vicente Canales, Managing Director of Film Factory Entertainment […]

Streaming Sleepers: Kill Time With BABY ASSASSINS 2 Over At Hi-YAH!

Lee B. Golden III

The arrival of Baby Assassins 2 to the Hi-YAH! streamer couldn’t have come at a better time. With a spin-off series drama in the works and a third film already making the festival rounds, the Yugo Sakamoto-directed franchise remains one of the most popular of its kind with its energizing lead cast, quirky and off-beat humor, and stellar action that crackles with each gun battle and hand-to-hand fight scene. Well Go USA is the North American home to the franchise thusfar having already released the first two films on home media, as well as its adjacent streamer. The second film returns Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa in the respective roles of Chisato and Mahiro, two coming-of-age guilded members of an assassin organization still struggling to live life responsibly while intercepting two rival assassins from another company, played by Tatsuomi Hamada and Joey Iwanaga. Read my review for the film by […]