Editorials

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Happy Birthday, Cynthia Rothrock!

Lee B. Golden III

My first exposure to Cynthia Rothrock was the China O’Brien films growing up. Little did I know that my own discovery of Hong Kong cinema in the mid-nineties would eventually lead me to one of the actress’s most rewatchable films of her heyday, Righting Wrongs, also starring Yuen Biao and Melvin Wong. By this point, Jackie Chan’s second crossover with Rumble In The Bronx and my subsequent intake of his other work familiarized me enough with his ilk that Biao became another favorite, and with Righting Wrongs eventually becoming a repeat VHS rental for me in the early two-thousandsies. Mom couldn’t pull me out of the Asian video section fast enough. To this day though, I’ve yet to consume all of Rothrock’s films on both the East and West ends of her career. Suffice it to say that she still remains one of the most potent and celebrated action stars […]

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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 […]

Review: Christian Sesma’s LIGHTS OUT Delivers A Knock Out Blow!

Review: Christian Sesma’s LIGHTS OUT Delivers A Knock Out Blow!

Christian Sesma’s latest gritty action packed feature is hitting cinemas, digital platforms and on demand services from 16th February 2024. I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview and here are my thoughts on the film. (Poster courtesy of Quiver Distribution) Starring Frank Grillo, Mekhi Phifer, Jaime King, Dermot Mulroney and British Action Man Scott Adkins. The synopsis of “Lights Out” A homeless veteran, Michael “Duffy” Duffield (Grillo), meets a talkative Ex-Con, Max Bomer (Phifer) who notices Duffy’s skills after he gets into a bar fight and offers him a well-paying “job” competing in underground fight clubs. The pair form an unlikely partnership after their first fight and decide to travel to LA so Duffy can atone for his past and Max can pay back a crime boss, Sage Parker (Mulroney). Duffy enters Sage’s fight club and eventually wins, but it also gets him tied up in the crime […]

XYZ Films Acquires Domestic Distribution Rights To Sci-fi Actioner ‘SKYLINE: WARPATH’ STARRING IKO UWAIS AND SCOTT ADKINS

XYZ Films Acquires Domestic Distribution Rights To Sci-fi Actioner ‘SKYLINE: WARPATH’ STARRING IKO UWAIS AND SCOTT ADKINS

In Los Angeles, California on 16th January 2024 XYZ Films has acquired all US rights to distribute the martial arts sci-fi action film SKYLINE: WARPATH, written and directed by action mastermind Liam O’Donnell (Beyond Skyline) and starring Iko Uwais (The Raid Franchise) and Scott Adkins (Undisputed), with Louis Mandylor, Randall J. Bacon and Yayan Ruhain rounding out the cast. The film is produced by Matthew Chausse and Evangelo Kioussis. XYZ Films will release the film domestically in early 2025. The rights deal was negotiated by Matthew Chausse on behalf of the filmmakers with Maxime Cottray from XYZ Films. Set within the “Skyline” universe and five years after the events of BEYOND SKYLINE, Sua (Iko Uwais) leads The Resistance against the aliens. When Sua discovers the powerful alien Radial Gauntlet, he must deal with both the corrupt Eric (Scott Adkins) and the army of alien invaders. In a partnership with XYZ Films, the original […]

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JOHN WICK: A Brief Lookback At The Best Of The Four-Part Action Saga Ahead Of ‘The Continental’

Lee B. Golden III

Today is the day The Continental limited series launches on Peacock in the U.S. and on Prime Video in the U.K.. Reviews are currently out for the John Wick series spin-off which occurs decades before the events of the Keanu Reeves-led franchise and has been a point of hype for fans still reeling from the fourth and latest installment of the film series which opened back in Spring. The series is still a fun revisit with fresh value in its delivery since taking off in 2014, still hitting multitudes of notes for fans of the genre with each their own reasons. Independent filmmaker Josh Fowler sought to express some of his thoughts on the franchise in the wake of director Chad Stahelski’s latest success about the franchise and its lasting legacy on the genre, with spotlights on several key character faves. Enjoy the gallery with the write-ups in the description […]

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Unsettled Scores: WARRIOR Season Three – Zing’s Revenge, Leary’s Rise, And O’Hara’s ‘White Mountain’

Lee B. Golden III

It’s possible the ends justified the means for San Diego’s finest, Sgt. Bill O’Hara (Kieran Bew). Of course, that all depends on what happens in season three of hit HBO Max series, Warrior, which is set to arrive in June, and while we await the next update, I’m continuing this short series of articles to discuss some of the key arcs that play out in the current two-season run. As noted last week, this series dives into spoiler territory, so if you haven’t seen the show yet since it began its run in 2019, turn back now and feel free to come back to this piece another time. The show’s roaring introduction to the role of Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) extends further into the first season as the fledgling hatchet man for the Hop Wei’s first brush with the law sees him get thwacked by O’Hara, who has plenty of […]

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Unsettled Scores: WARRIOR Season Three – Bitter Reunions, Backdoor Politics, A Bloodbath In Chinatown And Mai Ling’s Betrayal

Lee B. Golden III

With the upcoming season three premiere of HBO Max series Warrior launching in June, I spent the last couple of days before publishing this article pondering the events of the first two seasons. In recalling the episodes, my mind started to wander into fan-fiction rabbit holes I thought would be more suitable for another article series, so I figured instead I would highlight some of the key arcs left open-ended in the season two close back in 2020 to help stir the hype. Indeed, this is gonna dive into SPOILER territory. It’s been four years since the show began airing all twenty episodes, and its contents are all pretty much public knowledge by now and so I’ll be going into a more detailed and descriptive layout as I move forward. Otherwise, if you haven’t seen the show yet and want to avoid the enticing twists and turns that I’ll be […]

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Review: Michael B. Jordan Lands A Knockout Blow With CREED III

The highly anticipated third instalment to the Creed franchise is hitting cinemas this week on 3rd March. I was lucky enough to check out the film at an early press screening thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures UK in glorious IMAX and I was not disappointed. In the opening sequence we are introduced to a young Adonis Creed sneaking out of his home to hang with his older friend Damian. They head over to a shady night club hosting a boxing show where Damian fights inside the ring winning by spectacular fashion. On the journey home we learn of Damian’s aspirations to become Olympic champion and turn pro and eventually become Heavyweight Champion of the World. Unfortunately these dreams come to a staggering halt and his World comes crashing down when a violent altercation derails any sort of a future for him. Cut to modern day and we find ourselves sharing […]

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Happy Birthday, Tony Jaa!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a bit of a somber weekend for me, but social media reminders nudged me a bit to get on here to pay some respects to another beloved action star many like me have been fond of for about twenty years now: Tony Jaa. We’re only a few years into the new millennium and in the years since Hollywood’s embrace of Hong Kong’s best into its mainstream after crossing over multiple titles in theaters and on home video and eventually DVD, little did martial arts action fans know that it wouldn’t be long before Jaa would flying knee his way into our hearts with style in the incredible Ong Bak. The trailer itself, selling big on the moves, the stunts, and with Jaa front and center as a new leading face of action cinema for Western audiences, would add Jaa’s name to the incredible cadre of martial arts action […]

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JOHN WICK: Top Three Fight Scene Faves From The Franchise So Far

Lee B. Golden III

Years and years ago I used to be obsessed with what my favorite fight scenes were in movies, and I would gauge this topic on my own time based on the performers, choreography, choreographers, style, and tone of the action, and even sometimes the length of the fight scene. One metric I also factored in was whether or not the fight scene would cut itself in between cuts from other climatic scenes in that film. Nowadays, it’s hard to even draw up a top ten as I’ve seen so many fight scenes, and so whenever I see a random post on social media asking followers what their favorite fight scene is from a film, I instantly pass. All fight scenes – and I mean really good, signature action sequences in a film or a television series – put in some intense effort to tap into the memory cells of their […]

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BLACK LOTUS, LAYERS OF LIES, And Eight More Titles To Look Out For In 2023!

Lee B. Golden III

Hats off to Mike Garcia for keeping me on my toes with forthcoming titles opening in 2023. I initially congregated with him and a few other members of our group to help accrue a list of titles we can expect or possibly get excited for in the new year and with Todor Chapkanov’s Black Lotus back on my mental radar after breaking a press release for its production earlier this year, I felt inclined to keep it going just a little more – this time with an extra ten. Obviously there are more but I don’t have the bandwidth to map out everything that’s coming in the next 367 days, so…Enjoy the gallery below and watch to your heart’s content!

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A CASE FOR BETTER DC MOVIES….And Fandoms

Lee B. Golden III

As hard as it is to keep up with superhero lore in movie news, it is also intriguing to observe over time. Updates on development, creative choices, and casting can read as nothing more than “leaked” reports or merely suggest insight from otherwise unnamed “sources” and frankly, it’s all just bullshit to take with a grain of salt until the trade reports are published, the IMDb pages get updated, stills are distributed and a trailer is released. That’s the approach I’ve taken, although I rarely speak on superhero films until I feel like throwing my hat in the ring, and so before we segue into a new year, after one in which we’ve now born witness to some of the most divisive events on a corporate level to ever affect consumers on a massive scale since the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, I thought I’d chime in. At least before […]

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BAD CITY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, EVIL DEAD RISE, And More: 40 Titles To Look Out For In 2023!

Lee B. Golden III

I have no doubt in my mind that next year will be jam-packed with some enticing film favorites for those of you looking to keep busy at the cinema. I and certainly a few folks among our group at FCSyndicate have a few choice picks of our own and for what it’s worth, we have a list of as many as thirty titles to bookmark in your filmgoing schedule for the year. As such, there were a few prominent favorites along with some honorable mentions I won’t list, and those are The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes which our own Christina Ortega shared with me in the past month is her choice pick for the upcoming November release out of Lionsgate. I’m also throwing my hat in the ring for Project Wolf Hunting with its upcoming disc and streaming release this year out of Well Go USA, […]

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Ten Years Later, A Solemn Reminder

Lee B. Golden III

It’s only been the first week of December as I’m writing this (published as of a day later), and while toiling away at getting past my writer’s bloc in addition to some sulking over what this year has meant for me, I honestly don’t immediately know what to say… it’s been, well… it’s been that kind of year. Between my own yearlong doctors’ appointments, and having to attend both of the facilities periodically in which my father has been staying after nearly losing his life twice as of late August, “rough” doesn’t exactly describe how things have been for my family and me. I wish I could word it better without going into a full-on, paragraph-long run-on meltdown-of-a-sentence – which is what I did during this draft before revising – but the anger is too immediate for me. The pain, the angst, the disappointment… it becomes a lot to try […]

Superhuman To Superhero

For the part two weekends running Black Adam has become No.1 Movie in the World. To celebrate this momentous achievement we take a look into how the leading man the legend himself, Dwayne Johnson went from superhuman to superhero physique. Images Courtesy Of Warner Bros UK As we all know Dwayne Johnson is never shy of hard work, going by his personal slogan “Hardest Worker in the room” and if you ever tune into his live workouts on Instagram you would fully agree with that statement and some. Black Adam has been 15 years of Johnson’s life from the concept of bringing the character to the big screen to finally opening in cinemas around the globe on 21st October 2022. Over the course of those years DJ has committed and sacrificed blood, sweat and tears in his personally built portable training facility “The Iron Paradise” where he goes, it goes. […]

MSR Media Announces Production Slate Including THE ISLAND, BLACK NOISE And More

Lee B. Golden III

MSR Media Producer Philippe Martinez announced today four new films in the company’s film production line-up on Monday, firstly with The Island, directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino (The Lackey, American Fighter), and is currently in post-production. Based on an original story by Philippe Martinez, and scripted by Martinez and Michael Caissie (The Hangman starring Al Pacino), The Island recounts the story of an LAPD officer (Michael Jai White) who takes down drug traffickers with his wisecracking partner Phil (Jackson Rathbone) until his brother dies under mysterious circumstances. He returns to his island home, to seek answers and ultimately vengeance, in a bloody battle with the corrupt tycoon who has taken over the island paradise. The film also stars Gillian White (Take Back) and Edoardo Costa (Live Free and Die Hard). Martinez and Highfield Grange Studios’ Alan Latham produced the pic. Exec producers are Karinne Behr and Lee Beasley from MSR […]

Happy Birthday Marko Zaror!

Lee B. Golden III

There are times when I can keep up with the birthdays and other times when I’m just too busy to write. At any rate, the love is definitely there for actors and action stars celebrated by the masses, and that especially includes Chilean martial arts star and Ki-Way entrepreneur, Marko Zaror. I first caught wind of Zaror many years ago as most have if they ever read a website called Twitchfilm (before it was re-branded as Screen Anarchy). Zaror made a name for himself following the releases of films like Chinango, Kiltro and MirageMan, unleashing a martial arts prowess that absolutely equals to some of the best screenfighting talents today, and it certainly helps that Zaror has been able to share some time on the lens with some of these folks to create some of the most memorable action sequences through memorable roles. One of his most lauded, of course, […]

Happy Birthday, Jet Li!

Lee B. Golden III

I keep waiting for some of my stunt friends to get together and make a Wah Sing Ku fan flick based on the deadly triad enforcer played phenomenally by action star Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4. It’s certainly one of the best villain characters I’ve ever seen alongside Yayan Ruhian’s Mad Dog from The Raid in recent memory and I dare say Whang In-sik’s leadfooted martial arts antagonist in Jackie Chan’s The Young Master, and I think it would be a great fan ode to preserve the fanfare, especially considering Li has long since been retired from the game due to his hyperthyroidism diagnosis in 2010. Indeed, Li’s newfound fame upon arriving via the fourth installment of the Warner Bros. Pictures blockbuster franchise in the wake of the reception of colleagues Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chan, also brought about some memorable performances in his mainstream career with […]

BUT FOR ME, IT WAS TUESDAY!: A Night Of Indie Kung Fu Fanfare At The Angelika

Lee B. Golden III

I think at least one other important lesson I must always remember is that I don’t get out enough. It’s true. I’ve lived in New York City my whole life and I’ve never explored it enough to know my bearings when I venture out anywhere other than my usual familiar places when I do end up having to take the subway. The same goes for when I arrived at the Angelika Film Center for the second time since catching Snowpiercer years earlier and crossing paths with actor Gabriel Byrne as he was crossing the street. He had company at the time and so, yeah, nah, I didn’t intrude. I’ll also add that sometimes, JUST sometimes, Google Maps can be shit. So leave it to me to find myself walking past the movie theater twice and nearly turning the wrong damn corner. It didn’t help that there were a few exterior […]

ECHOES FROM DOWN UNDER: Swords, Swings And New Beginnings With Maria Tran And Takashi Hara

Lee B. Golden III

I’m having a bit of a slow day here, so there isn’t a whole lot coming through in my inbox. All that aside, I thought I’d share this little tidbit from a rare night out I had on Wednesday evening here in New York City when filmmakers Takashi Hara and production partner Maria Tran of Australia-based Phoenix Eye Film Productions came to visit. The two had just wrapped up a journey with the Vingroup Elite Tour and had a gig shortly after at the New York International Auto Show this week, and so their schedule was certainly something to factor in our planning. We were supposed to link up on Tuesday evening and sadly, those plans got derailed that morning when a Brooklyn subway was terrorized by a lone gunman causing multiple injuries, several of which were critical and thankfully, none of them were fatal… You’d think a pandemic that’s […]