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:

PRISON WALLS: ABASHIRI PRISON Trilogy: Eureka Locks Up Ken Takakura For A Trio Of Restored Crime Classics In May!

I missed out on posting about this yesterday when I got the alert, but there’s still plenty of time given the three-month window. For this, you’re welcome to take a gander at what’s in store with Eureka Entertainment’s upcoming Masters Of Cinema Series rollout, director Teruo Ishii’s Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison Trilogy. The films all star late legendary actor Ken Takakura who became a household name, priming the yakuza genre with the franchise beginning in 1965. There are actually seventeen of these based on the literary work of author Hajime Itō, but Eureka is putting out three of these for the taking, packaged in limited edition O-card slip cases, currently for the first run of 2000 copies. May 28 is the date for those of you living in the U.S., so mark it and get your pre-orders in if and when you can. More info below! Constructed in the late […]

DARK CHILD: Ayane Hits The Sweet Spot Hard, Fast And Bloody In Reiki Tsuno’s Brutal New Action Short!

Lee B. Golden III

I woke up this morning, looked into my notifications and found a four-minute action short that begins with rising action star talent Ayane beating the crap out of a henchman, already passed out and covered in his own blood… The title alone, Dark Child, should tell you as much about what to expect when you press Play, but I certainly hope the context helps, because four minutes of Ayane beating the pus out of several other goons while trying to enjoy her GameBoy and the occasional lolipop is exactly the kind of thrill you can expect for the duration of the short. And, courtesy of action coordinator Shun Yamashita, we’re all here for it! Dark Child is also directed by Reiki Tsuno who also brought us a feature debut performance from Ayane in last year’s breakout hit, Mad Cats, which is available on all-region Blu-Ray from Third Window Films and […]

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POLAR RESCUE Review: Donnie Yen Is The Reluctant Hero We Don’t Deserve In Lo Chi-Leung’s Unsettling Rescue Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Polar Rescue lands on digital and blu-ray beginning March 26 from Well Go USA. With decades of imprinting himself onto martial arts film fans in his wake, actor Donnie Yen has accrued more than enough wiggle room in his work space to drop the occasional non-action gem for more audiences. It definitely contributes something more versatile to his career, in my view. Like his peers, he’s a talented actor who adds a good deal of depth to many of his roles, doling out decent performances and making the most of each project he’s on, and that especially goes for his latest mainland release from director Lo Chi-Leung, Polar Rescue, also known regionally as Comeback Home. Directed by Lo from a script he co-penned, Polar Rescue delves into something way more than the trailers mostly insinuate, which is signature of a damn good trailer editor (something Hollywood tends to suffer from […]

DUSK FOR A HITMAN Trailer Revealed For Canadian Crime Thriller From Saban Films

Lee B. Golden III

The official trailer is out for Raymond St-Jean’s gritty new crime thriller, Dusk For A Hitman. The film stars Éric Bruneau, Benoît Gouin, Rose-Marie Perreault, and Sylvain Marcel, Simon Landry-Desy, and Joakim Robillard, from a script by St-Jean and co-writer Martin Girard. Hitman, Donald Lavoie faces an impossible order: eliminate his own family for mob boss Claude Dubois. Detectives offer him a way out by making him their informant, putting Donald in a perilous balancing act between loyalty and survival. Dusk For A Hitman opens on Digital and On Demand from April 19.

INFESTED Creepily Crawls Onto Shudder In April

Lee B. Golden III

Sébastien Vaniček’s latest horror thriller is getting the North American treatment with Infested, which launches exclusively on Shudder beginning April 26. The film scored two César Awards nominations during its festival run while winning several Bests at Sitges and at Fantastic Fest last year. Kaleb is about to turn 30 and has never been lonelier. He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive. Infested stars Théo Christine, Finnegan Oldfield, Jérôme Niel, Sofia Lesaffre, and Lisa Nyarko. Check out the trailer!

Audience Favorite HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS Now Playing In Select Theaters

Lee B. Golden III

Director Mike Cheslik’s new comedy feature, Hundreds Of Beavers, has officially begun its North American rollout after making the rounds with its Great Lakes Roadshow beginning in January. Cheslik reteams with actor Ryland Brickson Cole Tews following their previous work on 2018’s Lake Michigan Monster. Filmed in the span of four years between Michigan and Wisconsin, Tews stars in Hundreds Of Beavers from a script he and Cheslik wrote for a story that combines robust live-action slapstick and thrills with zany cartoon spectacle and laughs. Combined with appearances by the cast during the Roadshow with Q&As bookending the premieres, Hundreds Of Beavers stands to be one of the most immersive, interactive theatrical experiences for anyone who’s had the chance to come to one of these. Set in the 1800s, Hundreds Of Beavers tells of Jean Kayak (Tews), a drunken applejack salesman who suffers the brunt of an intrusive infestation of […]

THE VALIANT ONES: Eureka Lands 4K/Blu-Ray May North American Debut!

Lee B. Golden III

Eureka Entertainment is supplying wuxia film fans with the North American debut of 1975 wuxia classic, The Valiant Ones, arriving May 28. Billed as Taiwanese auteur King Hu’s last great master piece from the Golden Age of wuxia cinema, Eureka is rolling it out as part of their Masters Of Cinema Series in a Blu-Ray/4K HUD bundle, freshly restored in 4K and complete with special features. Only 2000 copies will be made available with the first print edition of each format in each territory to feature limited edition O-card slip cover packaging. Read on below, and don’t miss the latest trailer! The Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu, an undisputed master of the genre. Shot back-to-back with The Fate of Lee Khan (but not released until two years later), it stands as a worthy follow-up to his earlier works Come […]

HONEKO AKABANE’S BODYGUARD Teases First Look At The Blonde-Haired Protector In First Pictoral Promo

Lee B. Golden III

A new manga adaptation is underway with romantic action comedy, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguard, according to coverage by Comic Natalie over the weekend. Junichi Ishikawa is directing from a script by Hiroyuki Yatsu, based on Masamitsu Nigatsu’s 2022 Kodansha publication for Weekly Shonen Jump, as well as U.S. digital portal, K Manga. A first look announcement was also released as well, featuring actor, recording artist and Snow Man member, Raul. As the manga tells it, secrets are abound as the story unfolds of the adopted daughter of a lawyer, and her third-year delinquent classmate, Ibuki (Raul) who is assigned to secretly protect her from the raft of deadly assassins trying to kill her, and ensure her graduation. More casting and production details remain pending as the film is reportedly expected to wrap in June in time for an August 2 release from Shochiku. Take a look below!

Teaser: GOLDEN KAMUY Sequel Series Lands Fall Premiere On Japan’s WOWOW

Lee B. Golden III

Shigeaki Kubo’s latest manga adaptation, Golden Kamuy, has a new series in the works, and there’s a teaser online as well. The show will succeed the events of the movie which opened in January from Toho, and with Kubo joined by directors Kenji Katagiri, Ken Ochiai, and Yosuke Sato to direct their own episodes. Hailing from Credeus, Inc., the production label behind the Kento Yamazaki-led Kingdom trilogy from director Shinsuke Sato, Kubo’s Golden Kamuy is based on Satoru Noda’s award-winning Seinen manga out of Weekly Young Jump which ran from 2014 to last year. The story, set in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War, sees Yamazaki in the role of Sugimoto (Kento Yamazaki), a celebrated Imperial war hero who, along with an indigenous Ainu hunter named Asirpa (Anna Yamada), finds himself at the center of a mystery involving a band of prison escapees beholden to tattoos of a ciphered map […]

WILD ZERO 2: Crowdfunding For Cult Hit Punk Sci-Fi Action Horror Sequel Kicks Off In One Week!

Lee B. Golden III

Director Tetsuro Takeuchi’s 2000 cult hit thriller, Wild Zero, is finally getting a sequel with Wild Zero 2: The Strongest Blood Of Humanity, after several years of ramping up efforts to make the film a reality, global pandemics be damned. With an early-shot pilot promo taking off once more just in time for the film’s upcoming Kickstarter campaign launching March 10, the team is now putting the word out for fans to bookmark the page for reminders in time for the launch. Takeuchi announced the campaign officially at an event a few days ago with Wild Zero co-stars, celebrated rock band Guitar Wolf whose titular lead singer and frontman, Guitar Wolf, stars in the inaugural film, as well as the pilot promo, and the upcoming sequel. Director Tetsuro Takeuchi said there is strong interest from Wild Zero fans around the world for the sequel. Delayed due to covid19 we have […]

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS: Feel-Good Comedy And Pandemonium At The IFC Center

Lee B. Golden III

I find myself in a slightly more challenging point in my life. By that, I don’t mean that the last several years of my life weren’t full of resistance and strain, indeed they were. To add, it’s why I can only count on one hand how many times I’ve done anything for recreation or fun in the last year and a half: Two. That’s it. Yes, I’m kind of a introvert, and I’m pretty busy with family matters and work, although that’s not really the point. As a journalist with my own independent platform covering genre film, I also find myself forgetting things. Some of this is due to overload. Other times its due to trauma, like that one time six years ago when I got a horrifying email that became the start of one of the longest and most gut-wrenchingly teachable moments ever etched into my brain. Some of […]

THE CONVERT: Catch The Trailer For Lee Tamahori’s Brutal New Period Drama Opening In Australia And New Zealand This Month

Lee B. Golden III

Taking cues from author Hamish Clayton’s 2011 novel “Wulf” is Lee Tamahori’s latest return to the director’s chair with period Māori epic drama, The Convert. A March 14 release is in order for the pic following its World Premiere in Toronto last Fall. New Zealand in the 1830s is a Māori world, dominated by tribal wars. Seeking redemption from a dark past, lay preacher Thomas Munro (GUY PEARCE) is on board a trading vessel heading to the newly established town of Epworth, a British settlement in that far corner of the world. When the ship anchors for repairs, Munro finds himself caught up in a battle between Māori tribes and witnesses the slaughter of innocents at the hands of chief Akatārewa (LAWRENCE MAKOARE). Munro manages to save the life of Rangimai (TIOREORE NGATAI-MELBOURNE), the daughter of Maianui (ANTONIO TE MAIOHA), a rival chief whose land Epworth leases in a delicate […]

THE PRINCESS WARRIOR Fends Off An Ambush With A Royal Beatdown In A New Clip [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker S. Baasanjargal and co-helmer Shuudertsetseg Baatarsuren will be making landfall this Friday with the release of Mongolian action adventure, The Princess Warrior. To celebrate the occassion, we have an exclusive clip from the film which you can view below, teasing some of the action that awaits, and featuring actress Tsedoo Munkhbat who stars in the title role based on Baatarsuren’s own 2017 novel. The movie itself centers on legendary warrior princess, Khutulun, who despite being embattled with gender expectations and patriarchal hierarchy, rises to the occasion when an assassination attempt on her father compels her to jet across the land with her warrior bretheren, and retrieve a stolen family keepsake from the clutches of an evil would-be warlord. The clip is set midway into the film and is the third key action sequences in which our heroine and her band of warriors must fight for their lives, against a […]

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ONE-PERCENT WARRIOR: Win A Copy Of Tak Sakaguchi’s New Action Thriller On Blu-Ray From Well Go USA!

Lee B. Golden III

If you’re on Twitter/X a good deal and you follow Tom Mes, you’re welcome to scan his page and you’ll get a hint at why nowadays I find myself likely closing a chapter (if not temporarily) in my film coverage, namely as we approach the release of one of Well Go USA’s recent acquisitions out of the far East, One Percent Warrior starring Tak Sakaguchi. Otherwise, the film is due out on March 12 on Blu-Ray, and I’m giving away a few copies to readers. All you need to do is send us an e-mail at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com with your favorite Tak Sakaguchi film or fight scene. That’s it. Plain and simple. The contest runs through March 11 at 11pm, EST as of this post. Otherwise, enjoy the clips below, and good luck! International action sensation Tak Sakaguchi (Bad City, Versus) — “one of action cinema’s reigning kings of on-screen fighting…lightning […]

THE UNBREAKABLE AGASTYA: CHAPTER 1 Trailer: Saurav Chaudhary’s New Nepali Action Thriller Gets Limited U.S. Theatrical Release

Lee B. Golden III

Currently making its way in Nepali cinemas is the new action drama, The Unbreakable Agastya: Chapter 1. It’s director Saurav Chaudhary’s second offering after making his own screen break in Utsav Pratap Thapaliya’s 2016 film, Best Friends Forever, before debuting at the helm with 2020 romantic comedy Love Diaries. Chaudary directs from his own script this time as well, and featuring local film star Saugat Malla in his return to the genre since appearing in 2022 hit crime thriller, Lakhey. The film also features action sequences by Shree Shrestha, who has about a dozen credits and was also awarded Best Action Director at the 2022 edition of the Dcine Awards (Dcine Award 2078) for Biraj Bhatta’s Sanglo. In the streets of Gorakhpur, Saurya, brilliantly portrayed by Saugat Malla, grapples with his troubled mind, haunted by a difficult past. After 1 year of disappearance, his brother and friend, Nisan (Najir Husen), […]

YOLO Trailer: Jia Ling’s Lunar New Year Box Office Knock Out Lands Select U.S. Theatrical Release In March

Lee B. Golden III

Actress, filmmaker and comedienne Jia Ling drew a Chinese Lunar New Year box office hit with her new boxing comedy, YOLO (a.k.a. Hot & Spicy). Following its acquisition by Sony Pictures earlier this month, the studio launched the official trailer on Friday for international release. Le Ying (played by Jia Ling) has been staying at home for many years, doing nothing in particular. After graduating from college and working for a while, Le Ying chooses to withdraw from society, closing herself off from social circles, which she believes is the best way to “reconcile” with herself. One day, after several twists of fate, she decides to live life in a different way. In cautiously venturing into the outside world, Le Ying meets boxing coach Hao Kun (played by Lei Jia-Yin). Just when she thinks life is about to take a positive turn, the challenges that follow far exceed her imagination, […]

ARMED: Neil Mackay Unleashes Cold War Robot Terror In A Trio Of Teasers For The New Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Sixty Minutes To Midnight and Death Hunt helmer Neil Mackay and his team have been stirring about for a month now, promoting the new action sci-fi horror thriller, Armed. The film hails from Rapid City Entertainment and is expected to release sometime in the Fall. A group of veteran marines steal a shipment of weapons from the military only to find a cold war era robot that hunts them down, determined to complete it’s mission. Mackay directed the pic from a script by Terry McDonald who also penned Sixty Minutes To Midnight. That film is still very much on my queue, but I did get to catch Death Hunt which I enjoyed, and in which McDonald also acted in. Armed sees a cast led by Omar Tucci, Rick Amsbury, Mason Cromwell and Greg Johnston. There are now a total of three teaser trailers as of Friday, the latest which you […]

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SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN SAMURAI: Michael Su’s New Action Thriller Now Available In Select Theaters And VOD

Lee B. Golden III

Everyone’s favorite mockbuster outlet The Asylum is back and has released Michael Su’s new action thriller, Snow White And The Seven Samurai. The film stars Eric Roberts, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Gina Vitori from a script by Jacob David Smith. Left for dead by her rich and powerful stepmother, Snow White is taken in by a team of assassins – The Seven Samurai, who train her in their ways of fighting. As her stepmother becomes more and more powerful, Snow White and the samurai take up arms to topple her once and for all. ComingSoon previously revealed the trailer exclusively on their platform. The trailer is now online as well as the movie, releasing on digital as well as in select theaters in the following locations: Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino, CA; Hickory Ridge Cinemas in Brunswick, OH; Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis, MN; O Cinema South Beach in Miami […]

SPIRIT HUNTERS: Watch Kaori Kawabuchi Slay Evil In Helsinki In The Award-Winning Supernatural Sci-Fi Action Short

Lee B. Golden III

It wasn’t long after I woke up this morning I noticed my notifications were flooded mostly with alerts of Mikko Löppönen‘s newest short, Spirit Hunters. The film won awards at the Fighting Spirit Film Festival in London and at the Urban Action Showcase late last year and is now online for everyone to endulge. An Interpol agent from Japan visits Finland to catch a small-time criminal but all hell breaks loose as a sword wielding demon from the spirit world tries to open a portal to another world. Now she has to team up with the criminal to save the world. Said Japanese Interpol agent is played by Kaori Kawabuchi whose resumé has a handful of live-action appearances while mostly composed of motion capture work, which really makes seeing the actress herself at work here a real treat. Kawabuchi is joined by Arman Ansari as the elusive petty criminal, and […]

James Gunn’s SUPERMAN Takes Flight As Cameras Roll With Logo Reveal And Title Change

Lee B. Golden III

James Gunn is flying high on Leap Day with a first look at the newest incarnation of the title logo for the formerly-titled Superman: Legacy. Now titled Superman, the film is now in production with David Corenswet donning the titular “symbol of hope” per DC lore for its July 11 release Per plot details revealed last year, Superman “tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.” Corenswet is joined by Rachel Broshanan who plays Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult who has shaven his head accordingly to portray Lex Luthor. Also starring are Isabela Merced, Maria Gabriela de Faria and Nathan Fillon, along with Anthony Carrigan, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Milly Alcock, Edi Gathegi, Terrence Rosemore […]