Festivals And Events

Fantasia XXVI Review: SPECIAL DELIVERY Arrives With Full-Throttle Fun

If there’s one particular kind of story that usually hits many of the right notes with Korean movie fans of late, it’s where the hero must rescue a child from certain dangerous, criminal elements. For this third film to date, writer/director Park Dae-min is handed the reigns for a story that clearly takes some cues from the likes of Edgar Wright, Simon West and Louis Leterrier and for this, we get Parasite and Man Of Will actress Park So-dam’s newest role in action thriller, Special Delivery. Our story centers on Jung Eun-ha, a North Korean defector who’s long been in the care of Baek (Kim Eui-sung). Together with Asif (Howard Han), they operate an elite delivery business for clients out of Baek’s junkyard and save for Eun-ha’s eagerness for a 50/50 split away from the usual 40% take she earns, not only is she good at what she does, but […]

NYAFF 2022 Review: MAMA BOY, A Visually Poetic Tale About Growing Pains

Lee B. Golden III

U.S.-born filmmaker Arvin Chen’s third feature is a profile in coming-of-age hardship amid family drama in Mama Boy, fresh out of Taiwan and currently circulating festivals abroad with its latest movement now at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival. Distribution Workshop is representing the film internationally per its announcement last year with a cast led by Tiny Times franchise actor Kai Ko, and actress Vivian Hsu following their last shared screen credit, Jeff Chang’s 2013 comedy, Machi Action. We meet Xiao Hong (Kai Ko), who’s a bit of a basketcase. He lives with his overprotective and intrusive mother, Meiling (Sara Yu), who insists on coordinating just about every aspect of his life in hopes of securing his future, including his romantic interests. There is just one problem: Xiao has just turned 29. He’s never had a girlfriend, and everytime she sets him up on a date, it ends in […]

Fantasia XXVI Review: BABY ASSASSINS, Japanese Action Cinema All Grown-Up!

Lee B. Golden III

Originally published July 15, 2022: The last several years have seen a notable of proliferation of the newest J-wave of action cinema titles out of Japan. To this end, films like the HiGH&LOW franchise which remains on-going to this day, stars and figures like Shun Oguri, Tak Sakaguchi, Takumi Kitamura and Masanori Mimoto, and directors like Kensuke Sonomura have all been welcome assets amidst the emerging talents of late, and it’s not over yet with other filmmakers and performers bound to leave their mark in the coming weeks and months. This especially goes for director Hugo Sakamoto, who has been increasingly influential in his craft for at least six years to date, having since made waves stateside at Fantastic Fest last year with his most recent endeavor, Baby Assassins. The film is still trekking the festival circuit in North America, and in no short order looks to be a solid […]

Fantasia XXVI Review: Lee Sang-Yong’s THE ROUNDUP Knocks ‘Em Out Once More In The Hit Action Crime Sequel

Lee B. Golden III

Watch any of actor Don Lee’s earlier films and you’ll know he wasn’t as sizeable as he has been in the last, say, maybe eight or ten years. Regardless of whether his beefy build was a planned effort or not, however, you have to give it to him for using it to his advantage and ultimately paving a way for an evolution in Korean cinema of late with a raft of hard-hitting roles as a big, hard-hitting character with enough screen charisma to match the likes of Schwarzenegger and current business partner Stallone to name a certain few, which now brings us to Lee Sang-yong’s The Outlaws follow-up, The Roundup. Enter Ma, the “Beast Cop” himself played once more by actor Don Lee in a story now set in 2008 where he and his unit’s captain, Jeon Il-man, are sent to extradite a criminal operating in Vietnam. The case eventually […]

NYAFF 2022 Review: LEGENDARY IN ACTION!, An Uplifting, Timely Ode To The Enduring Spirit Of Hong Kong Cinema

Lee B. Golden III

Films about filmmaking are always a welcome feat for consumers and festival audiences, both narrative features and documentaries alike. Screwball comedies like Bowfinger and Tropic Thunder, Jarod Crooks’ martial arts romp, Indie Guys, and even Soushi Matsumoto’s It’s A Summer Film! are among those that come to mind. Leave it now to co-helmers Li Ho and actor Justin Cheung as they make headway for their own outing with Legendary In Action!, serving as a humble profile of wuxia and Hong Kong cinema following the city’s sociopolitical unrest from 2019 and onward. Joining Cheung on screen are actresses Wiyona Yeung, Harriet Yeung and Buber Mak, and actors Jiro Lee and Lam Yiu-sing who each play a role in the events that arise in this newest artful drama from the far East now making the festival rounds globally. Tiger (Justin Cheung) is a filmmaker whose love for the craft is born from […]

NYAFF 2022 Review: Jun Robles Lana’s BIG NIGHT, A Timely, Upbeat Satire Told Through A Grim, Gutpunch Lens

Lee B. Golden III

If there was ever a point of inspiration in world history for Filipino cinema, it’s definitely the era of former President Rodrigo Duterte whose tenure saw one of the most controversial and deadly anti-drug policies take effect. Such is the setting we are immersed in with award-winning filmmaker Jun Robles Lana’s newest release out of last year, Big Night, with a story that’s as equally delightful as it is terrifying given the backdrop. Our story is set in the district of Barangay where a new anti-drug campaign is in effect using a “watch list” program targeting suspected junkies. We meet Dharna (Christian Bables), a barber and stylist whose common everyday life sits as far away from illegal drugs in any context as other people just living day-to-day and struggling to get by. It also happens to be All Souls’ Day, which is a day of memberance for the dead – […]

THE PAPER TIGERS Cast And Crew To Cross Hands With Fans At Comic Con International This Month [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Comic-Con International: San Diego is less than two weeks away with the days winding down and with all the guests and attendees plotting their panels and presentations. This especially goes to the production team behind award-winning runaway independent martial arts comedy hit, The Paper Tigers, who will be on hand for fans during the one-hour panel event, “Kung-fu in the Age of Marvel and John Wick”. “To go to THE Comic-Con representing ourselves and a film we built from the ground up is certainly something special and will undoubtedly be unforgettable.” producer Al’n Duong tells FCSyndicate. “This cast and crew are near and dear to our hearts. Not all film sets are created equal, but The Paper Tigers set was family. We all have branched out to do bigger and badder things since our premiere, and we’re happy to finally be able to get everyone under the same roof again. […]

LONDON ACTION FESTIVAL 2022: ‘Die Hard’, ‘Predator’, ‘Con Air’, ‘Drunken Master 2’ And More In Store For The Inaugural Four-Day Event

Lee B. Golden III

The first-ever London Action Festival is set to kick off its four-day event from July 28 through July 31 at Picturehouse Central. The screening programme is currently available online at the official website listing a screening schedule that will also host Q&As for John McTiernan (Die Hard, Predator) and Simon West (Con Air). The festivities therein will continue with opening night ceremonies on July 29 at the Royal Geographical Society, followed by a 4K presentation of Lau Kar Leung’s Jackie Chan action classic, Drunken Master 2 at Picturehouse on July 30, which will double-bill with The World In Action panel featuring speakers Joey Ansah (The Old Guard, Street Fighter Assassins’ Fist), Jude Poyer (Gangs Of London, Apostle, Viking Destiny) and “Life Of Action” author Mike Fury. Among the list panel events in part will include a filmmaking seminar called Punch Above Your Weight, and The Car Chasers which showcases a […]

BABY ASSASSINS To Make Landfall At Comic Con International This Month!

Lee B. Golden III

Published July 8, 2022: Director Hugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins is making a pit stop this month during the Kung Fu Extravaganza panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 21. That’s the day the official U.S. trailer will go live for Sakamoto’s latest action comedy, which will release exclusively on Hi-YAH! the following day before releasing on Digital, Blu-Ray and DVD on August 16. Baby Assassins is latest film from Sakamoto who scored the Jury’s Special Award at the 2022 Fantasporto Film Festival back in April, with audience favor earned from screenings at Glasgow and Fantastic Fest. The film, which will also make its run this summer at Fantasia Festival, also marks his second turn at the helm following his January 2021 action crime thriller, A Janitor, whose featured cast were actresses Akari Takaishi and stunt professional Saori Izawa. Sakamoto reunites with both screen talents this time with a […]

NORTH BEND 2022 Announces Full Line-Up Ahead Of August Launch

Lee B. Golden III

The campaign is currently underway to ramp up the fifth edition of the North Bend Film Festival, which is set to launch from August 4 to August 7. Passes are now on sale for the event which will be in-person at the historic North Bend Theatre in Washington, host to a diverse new line-up that you can also check out below, which also includes Next Exit, a new thriller from director Mali Elfman who is also the designated recepient for this year’s Duvac Vanguard Award for extraordinary achievement in filmmaking. That film stands as this year’s centerpiece presentation alongside drug trafficking thriller, Swallowed, from director Carter Smith (The Ruins), while James Morosini’s Patton Oswalt starrer, I Love My Dad will serve as the 2022 festival opener, with Amanda Kramer’s Please Baby Please set to close with Demi Moore and Andrea Riseborough starring. The line-up also hails a round of shorts […]

POLARIS: Get A Look At The Raw, Brutal New Survival Actioner Screening At Fantasia This Summer

Lee B. Golden III

Following her multiple award-winning feature debut with 2017’s The Sun at Midnight, writer/director K.C. Carthew is back and ready to make a big splash this summer at Fantasia Festival as the campaign continues for her sophomore feature, Polaris. The dystopian sci-fi survival action thriller stars 13-year old South Korean-born Canadian actress Viva Lee (Syfy’s Deadly Class), who was only eleven at the time of filming, and now makes her own feature debut appearance in a leading capacity. Set in 2144 against the harsh backdrop of a frozen wasteland, Sumi, a human child raised by Mama Polar Bear, narrowly escapes capture from a brutal Morad hunting party and sets out across the vast winter landscape. When Sumi stumbles across Frozen Girl, an unlikely friendship is forged and together they race ahead of the vindictive hunters towards the only guiding light Sumi knows, the Polaris star. Polaris marks an expansion of a […]

Fantasia 2022: Five Must-See Titles To Watch At This Year’s 26th Edition

Lee B. Golden III and 2 more

I think the one thing I’ve had difficulty with is picking which films to select for the curtain raiser I’m posting here ahead of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival installation. Nearly all the selections I would bet are easy picks, but I’m resigned to only a handful. Honorable mentions thusfar for me go to Sadako DX for anyone who’s anyone who’s been a fan of iconic Japanese horror in the last three decades, namely since the infamous literary character was first adapted for the screen in the 1990s. I’m also keen on Cult Hero, Jesse Thomas Cooke’s pulpy and spectacular-looking seventh feature which stars Ry Barrett (The Demolisher, The Hoard), and other tasty thrillers like Kim Dae-jin’s latest live-action series take on animated South Korean classic, The King Of Pigs, Choi Dong-hoon’s time-walloping fantasy actioner Alienoid which is set to be back-to-back with a second part coming later this […]

FANTASIA XXVI: SADAKO DX, COUPEZ!, DETECTIVES VS. SLEUTHS And So, SO Much More In The Third Wave Of Titles For The Festival!

Lee B. Golden III

The 26th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is popping off in a matter of weeks and the final round of titles has arrived to round out the line-up. The package includes a tasty row of restored genre classics to bookend contemporary titles, many of which I’ll be picking out in a future curtain raiser in the not-too-distant future. The festival also rolled out its official poster for the 26th edition as the event will mark a long-awaited return to screening titles for in-person audiences since the Covid-19 pandemic crippled the world, and effectively, any in-person festival activities that were planned for that year and the year that followed. This is it, gang! Until further notice, read on and hit up the official website for more info! June 30, 2022 // Montreal, Quebec – The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 26th Anniversary in Montreal this summer, […]

ONE PIECE FILM: GOLD Returns to Theatres in Limited Engagement

Edward Orndorff

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the film, Toei Animation and Fathom Events have announced a special collaboration for screenings of One Piece Film: Gold. First screened in the US in 2017, it will screen as a limited, two night engagement. On July 24, the film will be shown in English, while the Japanese language with English subtitles version will screen on July 26th. Both will include an exclusive, pre-show interview with the director of ONE PIECE FILM RED, Goro Taniguchi. Tickets are on sale now on the Fathom Events website. Watch the trailer of the film below! The glittering Gran Tesoro, a city of entertainment beyond the laws of the government, is a sanctuary for the world’s most infamous pirates, Marines, and filthy rich millionaires. Drawn by dreams of hitting the jackpot, Captain Luffy and his crew sail straight for the gold. But behind the gilded curtains lies a powerful […]

NIFFF 2022: Brandon Vera Returns To Kill The Dead In First DAY ZERO Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

It was a little over a year ago that folks caught a short glimpse of new Filipino zombie thriller, Day Zero, following its production start back in February 2020. Just ahead of its upcoming premiere at the 21st NIFFF next month, the first official teaser trailer is here and to start, marking the return of none other than Filipino American former/first-ever ONE Heavyweight Champion Brandon Vera to the screen following his action-packed feature debut in Erik Matti’s 2018 thriller, BuyBust. Emon is suddenly released from prison when a deadly virus starts turning people into blood-thirsty zombies. The ex-Special Forces former inmate must make his way through hordes of savages to reunite with his family. An orgasmic, gory spectacle, Day Zero is Emon’s quest for redemption, a cathartic release against the built-up anguish created by the pandemic. Just pure cinematic pleasure starring Brandon Vera, The Rock’s Filipino heavyweight rival. Day Zero […]

MASK: Peter Jang Echoes The Homecoming Horrors Of War In New Stills From The New Shortfilm Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Currently in its eleventh year, the 2022 edition of the Marina Del Rey Film Festival is fully underway with tickets to any and all available screenings still accessible via the official website, including the latest compelling short film drama, Mask, from writer/director and star Peter Jang with stills you can view in the gallery above. The film is one of several projects burgeoning from Jang’s Simplicity Pictures production wheelhouse and stars Jang as a former soldier with PTSD who is still struggling with the internal scars he’s suffered from the battlefield. The story is an inspired and personal one by Jang as he aims to cast a spotlight on the on-going crisis among Veterans still coping with trauma from war. Additionally, his grandfather served on D-Day storming the beaches of Normandy, and his mother also served in the Air Force during Vietnam. Mask also stars Tim Neff and Gabrielle […]

SHIN ULTRAMAN, THE KILLER, FULL STRIKE And More New And Classic Titles Heading Up The In-Person 2022 Edition Of The New York Asian Film Festival

Lee B. Golden III

The 20th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival is in full swing next month as a fully in-person event launching this July, after going virtual in 2020 and taking a hybrid route last year. The first wave of the festival’s full line-up is also now online with over 60 new and classic titles, including some exciting features that have arrived this year as well. “We’re thrilled to be back fully in person after two years, the best and only way to really have a festival, in my view,” said Samuel Jamier, Executive Director of NYAFF and President of the New York Asian Film Foundation. “We’ve been really impressed with the quality and diversity of films made during the trying times of the pandemic, and we’re especially excited that we can once again welcome guests from all over Asia to the stage at FLC, giving them the spotlight they […]

NIFFF 2022: V-Cinema Legend Hitoshi Ozawa Cuts And Kills His Way Through BAD CITY In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

The 21st edition of the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival is around the corner with a stellar line-up of titles for its worldly presentation. It’s Asian Competition is jam-packed as well, and with none other than Bad City, the long-awaited sophomore entry from stunt multi-hyphenate Kensuke Sonomura who broke ground in 2019 with his feature debut, Hydra. For Bad City, there’s no question Sonomura is leading the way for the brutal, slice-and-dice action once more, and time he’s joined by lead actor and V-Cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa (billed as OZAWA as the film’s writer and executive producer) who turns 60 this weekend. To further commemorate this latest career milestone is the official trailer for the film’s premiere for Neuchatel, which will run from July 1 to July 9. Corruption and violence reign supreme in a city torn apart by a private conglomerate, the yakuza, and even the authorities. Former police […]

THE HEROIC MISSION: JOHNNIE TO RETROSPECTIVE Kicks Off In London Next Month

Lee B. Golden III

UK-China Film Collab and Trinity CineAsia are joining forces with the Prince Charles Cinema in London to host The Heroic Mission: Johnnie To Retrospective. Running from July 7 to 14, fans will have a rare chance to see three of the most influential cinema made in Hong Kong from a master of the game on the big screen. Life Without Principle (2011) – Thursday 7 July, 6.00pmStarring Lau Ching Wan (Mad Detective, Call of Heroes), Richie Jen (The Sniper, Exiled) Running on Karma (2003) – Tuesday 12 July, 6.30pmStarring Andy Lau (House of Flying Daggers, Infernal Affairs), Cecilia Cheung (Legendary Amazons, The Promise) Breaking News (2004) – Thursday 14 July, 8.30pmStarring Richie Jen, Kelly Chen (An Empress and the Warriors, Infernal Affairs), Nick Cheung (Beast Stalker, Connected) Curated by MA Film Curating student, Birbeck University’s own Riley Wong, the title of the series takes after two of To’s films, The […]

Overlook V Review: Mark Meir’s THE SUMMONED, A Spiraling Faustian Tale Of Dark Redemption

Lee B. Golden III

Mark Meir’s feature directorial debut brings to life a script by Yuri Baranovsky with The Summoned, a contained thriller that opens with some eerie cinematography and shots of a desolate forest area, and imagery of a man digging a ditch for a what looks like a body. None of it makes sense at first, but that’s really one of the best parts of The Summoned as you dive into the film’s chilling exposition. This is where we meet Elijah (J. Quinton Johnson), a modest, middle-class mechanic who embarks on a self-help therapy retreat at a remote cabin with music superstar girlfriend, Lyn (Emma Fitzpatrick). They are joined by snobby actress Tara (Angela Gulner), and self-made billionaire douche, Joe (Salvador Chacon) – another belagured couple in their retreat and soon rendezvous with the cabin’s eccentric host, Dr. Frost (Frederick Stuart). Committed to a three-day stay to explore and discover themselves, both […]