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 KILLER: John Woo’s Remake Of His 1989 Hong Kong Hit Has Already Wrapped Filming

Remakes and reboots are the center of Rebecca Leffler’s Cannes market coverage over the weekend at Screendaily. Buried in her editorial is the news that John Woo’s revival of The Killer has already wrapped production in Paris. Matthew Stuecken and Josh Campbell, and Eran Creevy adapted the script which centers on an assassin’s efforts to make amends by earning money to help restore the eyesight of a beautiful singer be blinded in a gunfight. Chow Yun-Fat starred in the 1989 original opposite Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, and Kenneth Tsang. Woo’s root flick shot to acclaim through his signature gritty allure and stylish action, becoming part of a staple of golden age Hong Kong films that continue to influence and inspire audiences and creatives to this day. Multiple hands and individuals tinkered with visions for a remake for more than two decades before Woo decided to stake his claim at the […]

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Ryoo Seung-Wan’s VETERAN 3 In The Works

Director Ryoo Seung-wan is plotting a threequel follow-up to 2015’s Veteran and his latest, I, The Executioner, which just screened Out Of Competition at Cannes. Ryoo confirmed the preliminary details in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Patrick Brzeski on Sunday. “I’m actually already in talks with the actors. A third one will happen. I already have a spin-off story. I’d like to expand this universe and I feel like there are many more stories that I can tell. Of course, there’s a very important precondition for all that though. If Veteran 2 flops, none of this will happen. If you want to see a third one, please give this film your support!” I, The Executioner reunites Ryoo with the prime cast of the first film led by Hwang Jung-min (12.12: The Day). The two previously collaborated on Ryoo’s hit award-winning 2010 crime thriller, The Unjust. Ryoo also dove a […]

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Streaming Sleepers: John Francis McCullagh’s DEAD HAND Scratches The Indie Action Itch

Dead Hand is now available on Amazon Prime for rental or purchase. 5 min. read Texas-based actor and filmmaker John Francis McCullagh first landed on my radar in 2018 during the good old days of The Hit List. His reel showed promise, and needless to say, his potency as a feature film creative has finally surfaced with Dead Hand, an independently-produced action comedy he and his team partially crowdfunded back in 2021. McCullagh writes and directs his feature debut in which he also stars alongside Brandon Yates, Josh Weinstein, and Angel Rodriguez. The story kicks off with a brutal interrogation by an elusive terrorist named Matthias Frost (Rodriguez), an ex-soldier-turned-zealot eyeing the location of a mysterious and deadly device. What the device exactly is, with exception to Matthias, is mostly anyone’s guess. That especially goes for Eoghan Flynn (McCullagh), a secret agent whose mission it is to nab the device […]

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THE PRISON WALLS TRILOGY Eureka Classics Blu-Ray Review

This was a pretty big task to take on in the past week, but I really wanted to dive into some classic Japanese cinema. Eureka Entertainment remains on the ball as one of the foremost niche outlets priming throwback titles out of banners like Toei, including the Prison Walls Trilogy culminating the first three movies of the “Abashiri Bangaichi” franchise. The trilogy is now available in a box set containing the first three films on two blu-ray discs. The movies are presented in original Japanese Mono with optional subtitles, and commentaries from experts on the stars and subject matter, and much more. I had a blast with these, and if you didn’t pre-order these discs yet, I highly recommend ordering them now. It’s a must-have for anyone in the western world who discovered actor Ken Takakura in Tony Scott’s Black Rain like I did, and is purely keen on venturing […]

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TACFEST 2024: ‘I’ll Crush Y’all’, ‘Shadow Fist 3’, ‘Kigurumi Blade’ And More Splash Big For Spain’s Second-Year Genre Festivities

The International Toledo Action Films Festival & Expo wrapped its goings-on in Illescas last week. The second-annual festival launced on May 15, kicking off a weeklong spell of film fandom and martial arts fanfare with expos, panels and seminars host to topical discussions on industry and the craft, stunts and much more within the first three days. The latter half of TACFEST II saw a plethora of events rolled into one at the Guillermo Plaza Pavilion in Yuncos in Toledo. Expos, training and exhibition segments, mini-cinema and merchandising were all on hand with over a dozen booths on display, including a photo booth where everyone could share their own Dragonz Magazine cover. The weekend also saw more than twenty martial arts seminars held with Grandmasters of Martial Arts such as Sebas Deibe, Paulino Martín, César Alonso, José Torres II (Killer-Ex), and Musical Kata World Champion Jan Sykora from the Czech […]

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ESCAPE: Explosive Trailer Revealed For Lee Jong-Pil’s DMZ Survival Thriller

Lee Jong-pil might not be a name familiar to most. A quick look-up notes several of his screen appearances as an actor, namely as a detective in Lee Jeong-beom’s action hit, The Man From Nowhere. It would only be a few more films after until Lee would ascend to the mantle of director for several titles of his own, including his award-winning 2020 flick, Samjin Company English Class. To date, Lee’s work at the helm continues with Escape, starring Lee Je-hoon (Time To Hunt), and Koo Kyo-hwan (Escape From Mogadishu). The first official teaser is now live as of Tuesday after teasing marketeers and audiences with first look stills and posters out of distro outlet Megabox Plus M. The film also stars Hong Xa-bin whose lead role in last year’s Cannes pick, Kim Chang-hoon’s Hopeless, which won the burgeoning star Best Actor at the 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards. Fear […]

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CREATION OF THE GODS I: KINGDOM OF STORMS: Win A Blu-Ray Copy Of Wuershan’s Hit Fantasy Epic!

Next week will mark the digital and disc release of director Wuershan’s award-winning epic fantasy Creation Of The Gods I: Kingdom Of Storms. I look forward to reviewing this title by then, and in the meantime, I have two Blu-Rays that I’m happily giving away to readers. All you need to do is email me at fcsyndicate@outlook.com with some insight on some of your favorite lore-based fantasy and wuxia. I’ve seen my share, but there’s always an extra space to fill and titles I haven’t seen, so if you have something in mind, consider it a recommendation. In turn, both selected winners will receive an email confirmation with a request for a mailing address, with updates and a tracking number to follow suit. Good luck! More on the movie below: CREATION OF THE GODS I: KINGDOM OF STORMS stars Kris Phillips (The Monkey King 2), Li Xuejian (The Wandering Earth […]

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BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F Trailer Pulls Out All The Familiar Stops

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is hitting Netflix on July 3 and the official trailer is now online. Mark Molloy directs the fourth installment of a franchise that’s become a staple in action comedy since Martin Brest propelled Eddie Murphy’s memorable screen persona into stardom in 1984. Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy. Bronson Pinchot also reprises his flamboyant role with actor Kevin Bacon rounding out the cast. I’ll be sure to share my honest thoughts in a review or reaction post via my socials. In the meantime, the franchise may have fizzled by the 90s but Molloy’s efforts here seem noteworthy. The […]

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THE LAST KUMITE Review: Mathis Landwehr Kicks Ass To A Nostalgic Soundtrack In Middling Martial Arts Tourno Thriller

5 min. read Martial arts fans now have another addition to their 2024 viewing slate with Capelight’s latest digital and physical release, The Last Kumite. The film is directed and penned by Ross W. Clarkson, and co-written by Sean David Lowe who produced the film, and shepherded the film’s initial crowdfunding campaigns in its earlier development stages. Coralling a bevy of nascent and veteran screen talents led by German action star Mathis Landwehr, The Last Kumite centers on Michael Rivers, a widower and seasoned tournament champion exiting the circuit to focus on his school, and raising his teen daughter, Bree (Kira Kortenbach). Seizing the opportunity while attending an afterparty in Michael’s honor, a man named Ron Hall (Matthias Hues) approaches Michael with a sereptitious “business opportunity”: A Kumite in Eastern Europe, and the chance to win a million dollars. Nevermind the consequences of albeit cordially turning down the offer. For […]

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New X-MEN Movie In The Works, Lands ‘Hunger Games’ Writer

Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes scribe Michael Lesslie will write the next X-Men movie, according to the trades on Tuesday. A new film in the franchise had been the talk for some years now but things are finally inching a little closer after the end of last year’s strikes. The Marvel property launched in the comic pages in the 1960s from creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, chronicling the efforts of a band of superheros to mitigate diplomacy in a world then-discovering the existence of mutants. Led by telepath Charles Xavier who founded his School for the Gifted, those efforts often resulted in battling foes both human and mutant alike. The franchise elevated into screen success in the 90s, as well as the most recent revival on Disney+, “X-Men ’97”. On the live-action front, 20th Century Fox got the ball rolling with X-Men in 2000, landing twelve […]

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MUZZLE: CITY OF WOLVES Reteams Star And Director For Action Sequel

A sequel to 2023 action thriller Muzzle is in the works. Production will reteam lead actor Aaron Eckhart and director John Stalberg Jr. who collaborated on the original film. Stalberg Jr. will direct Muzzle: City Of Wolves, which he and Carlyle Eubank (The Signal) storied for a script by Jacob Michael King (Caviar). Stalberg, Jr. is also producing via his Slow Burn banner along with David Frigerio through Broken Open Pictures (Land of Bad, Muzzle, Bad Hombres), and Highland Film Group.  Eubank is exec producing for Slow Burn next to Tim O’Hair and RuthAnne Frigerio for Broken Open Pictures. Highland Film Group is handling international rights and is introducing the film to buyers. Haunted by PTSD from his days as a K-9 officer, Jake Rosser (Eckhart) endeavors to lead a peaceful life with his family and retired K-9 companion, Socks. But the tranquility quickly dissolves when a ruthless gang targets […]

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SIERRA MADRE Lines Up Kiefer Sutherland For Fall Action Thriller Shoot

Emmy Award-winner Kiefer Sutherland (Flatliners, “24,” Clint Eastwood’s upcoming Juror #2) is set to shoot action thriller Sierra Madre this Fall. Highland Film Group launched world sales on the film at the Cannes market and is co-financing. Sutherland will play Captain Jordan Wright, granted leave along with his squadron from their mission to attend a crewmate’s wedding in Mexico. When the festivities are interrupted by a cartel’s murderous descent on the small village, Jordan attempts to lead his remaining men to safety, as war breaks out between his squad and the cartel. Now under siege in the enemy’s deadly stronghold, Jordan has no other option but to engage in a full-scale battle to save the only family he has. Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) is directing from a script by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers (The Grey) and Delbert Hancock. “I’m thrilled to be joining the team on Sierra Madre, […]

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DEATHSTALKER Reboot Is Underway As First Look Goes Viral Of Daniel Bernhardt In Full Regalia

Already hitting the trades and genre film forums, a first look is already out and about with featured actor Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick, Nobody, Skylines) for Raven Banner’s Deathstalker. The label launched world sales at the Marché du Film over the weekend with cameras currently rolling in Canada. A reboot of the late Roger Corman’s cult Sword & Sorcery film franchise, Bernhardt stars as the titular character revised by writer and director Steven Kostanski (The Void, PG: Psycho Goreman). Bernhardt portrays the barbarian who finds himself cursed by a magical talisman that draws him into conflict with a malevolent wizard and a clan of monstrous assassins. Corman’s films capitalized on the 80s fan fervor of films like John Milius’ Conan the Barbarian, with a similar collision of pulp fantasy and lurid excess. Kostanski’s new vision promises a greater emphasis on exploring the series’ fantasy setting and filling it with monsters […]

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TRIGGER WARNING Trailer Shows What Jessica Alba Does When Goons Ignore It

Jessica Alba is front and center in the official trailer for Trigger Warning, directed by Mouly Surya. The cast also lists Mark Webber, Tone Bell, Jake Weary, Gabriel Basso and Anthony Michael Hall. A skilled Special Forces commando (Alba) takes ownership of her father’s bar after he suddenly dies and soon finds herself at odds with a violent gang running rampant in her hometown. Surya directs from a script by John Brancato, Josh Olson and Halley Gross. The film is produced by Erica Lee, Basil Iwanyk and Esther Hornstein, and while we’re also on the BTS end of things, the explosive fight action teased in the trailer below also comes courtesy of Eric Brown whose credits also include Netflix productions like Halle Berry boxing drama Bruised, J.J. Perry’s action horror Day Shift, and crime drama series “The Brothers Sun”. Catch the trailer below, and the poster!

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THIEVES HIGHWAY Hits The Road For Jesse V. Johnson’s New Crime Thriller

Avengement and Triple Threat helmer Jesse V. Johnson will next direct crime thriller Thieves Highway. The film stars Devon Sawa (The Fanatic, Gasoline Alley), and also reteams Johnson with actor Aaron Eckhart (Chief Of Station), along with 308 Enterprises own Corey Large (One Ranger) who is producing. Johnson is directing from a script by Travis Mills, the story of an Oklahoma Stock Detective (Eckhart) in over his head in the “Breaking Bad” world of modern cattle rustling. Kirk Shaw (The Hurt Locker, Papa Hemingway in Cuba, Extraction), Jordan Nott (Assassination) and Jon Keeyes (White Elephant) are exec producing. BondIt Media Capital and Pink 308 will finance. Red Sea Media is handling international sales and debuting the film for buyers at the Marché du Film in Cannes. “’THIEVES HIGHWAY’ is a passion project, for Aaron and me. We spent a lot of time developing Travis Mills’ script, embracing factual anecdotes and […]

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BLOOD PASSAGE: ‘Maria’ Helmer Boards Martial Arts Vamp Thriller

Maria and Nilalang helmer Pedring Lopez is lining up to direct Blood Passage. The film marks the first project out of a deal announced late last year between Singapore-based Very Tay Media and Lopez’s BlackOps Studios Asia in the Philippines. Variety’s Patrick Frater reports: “Blood Passage” is a martial arts vampire action horror feature set in Southeast Asia. Its story follows a rescue mission gone wrong, that pits a private military unit against relentless supernatural forces. Rex Lopez is producing for Blackops Studios Asia & Psyops8 as is Alaric Tay for Very Tay Media. Fred Hedman of Evolution Pictures and GFM Film Sales, and Christopher Shaw are exec producing. On the action front, stunt-multi-hyphenate Sonny Sisson, who provided stunts on Lopez’s recently-completed crime series, “Sellblock,” will return in a similar role. He will be joined by action choreographer Brahim Chab, whose credits partly include Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, The […]

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GOLDEN KAMUY Review: A Gem That Fuels The Hunt For More In Shigeaki Kubo’s New Action Epic

5.5 min. read Manga and anime adaptations are hard to make for live-action film presentations. Difficult however they may be, they’re far from impossible, and there are plenty of examples to find online. This platform has covered quite a few of them too, and to add, that stretch continues with Shigeaki Kubo’s new flick, Golden Kamuy. Now streaming on Netflix, the film based on Satoru Noda’s Weekly Shonen Jump manga brings actor Kento Yamazaki back into the fold with a script by Kingdom franchise scribe Tsutomu Kuroiwa. The casting of Anna Yamada also lends to the atmospheric depth of Hokkaido with a circumspect treatment on the indigenous Ainu people of North Japan during the late Meiji period. For this, our story is set at the tail-end of a bloody battle during the Russo-Japanese war. Saichi Sugimoto is one of the 1st division’s fiercest soldiers, having time-and-again survived wounds that would […]

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DARKNESS OF MAN Review: JCVD Tackles Gangland Crime, Revenge And Redemption In Sluggish Neo-Noir Thriller

Darkness Of Man arrives on Digital from Sony Pictures on May 21. 5 min. read There aren’t a lot of Jean-Claude Van Damme-led titles I can point to in the last decade or so as a favorite. Enemies Closer comes to mind with The Bouncer definitely hitting a few highs for me. I tried pretty hard with 2021’s The Last Mercenary and pretty much tuned out each time I hit play. It’s a really weird place to be in as a fan of the venerable star of heyday American action cinema. My appreciation for the actor notwithstanding though, I can’t blame anyone for feeling conflicted nowadays about his movies, or any of the like from similar stars. Suffice it to say, Darkness Of Man puts my head precisely in that sort of space. I love a good, solid noir thriller. Van Damme and director James Cullen Bressack definitely touch on […]

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NARC: Arrow Video 4K Blu-Ray Review

8 min. read I’ve seen most of Joe Carnahan’s filmography at this point. With any luck, I’ll be able to come across some of his earlier stuff. At least this way, I can better gauge his early creative trajectory at some point in the future, including his second directorial offering, Narc, which remains a celebrated modern classic among cinephiles. Actor Ray Liotta certainly did his diligence there. He divulges as much, and more in EPK footage now included in this month’s release of the modern crime hit on 4K/Blu-Ray from Arrow Video. Actor Tom Cruise ekes in a producer credit behind the lens alongside Diane Nabatoff, Michelle Grace and Julius R. Nasso. The movie was strategically shot in Toronto as the prominent backdrop of the film’s setting in Detroit, with the remainder of the movie shot mostly guerilla-style for a day in the latter city. Narc immediately takes off with […]

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THREE OLD BOYS Bring The Pain In The Official Trailer For Gao Qunshu’s Long-Awaited Crime Thriller

Far be it for me to know why it takes years for some films to hit screens. Gao Qunshu’s crime flick, Three Old Boys, was putting out teasers as early as the pandemic, and now just four years later, it looks as if things are finally set in motion with a release stamped for May 24. Veteran police Xu Guozhu, Cui Tiejun, and Pan Jianghai held remarkable record during times of war. Once walking manifestation of justice and guardians of the people, they are now settled for office tasks as they aged and younger officers such as Lin Nan began to take over fieldwork. And yet unsettled… Before long, the bureau of economic offence investigation receives a financial fraud case that could only be solved with Xu, Cui, and Pan’s valor and experience. The three avuncular fighter of justice, in joint force, reinstate their former positions and embark on an […]

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