Festivals And Events

NYAFF XX Review: Kan Eguchi’s THE FABLE: THE KILLER WHO DOESN’T KILL, A Taut, Tactful Killer Comedy Sequel

Kan Eguchi’s award-winning 2019 hitman comedy, The Fable, proved to be every bit as enjoyable as one could hope, and from the looks of things as of late, I would say this is turning more and more into an upstanding action franchise that it deserves to be. The latest sequel treatment from Eguchi’s resumè now arrives as The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill, which is now making the festival rounds after finally releasing in Japan in June following multiple theatrical release delays, and it sees the return of actor Junichi Okada (Sekigahara, Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai), fittingly back in the title role and wearing more than one hat on set this time around. The opening setup kicks off our new story four years earlier, when our titular anti-hero was busy laying waste to a whole hit-list of unsavory types. Bodies basically dropping like flies with no one the wiser as […]

HIRUKO THE GOBLIN: Shinya Tsukamoto’s 2K-Restored 1991 Thriller Scores Japan Cuts Premiere This Month!

Lee B. Golden III

Japan Cuts: Festival Of New Japanese Film is gearing up for its hybridized and fifteenth festival installment launching on August 20 through September 2. For this, you’re welcome to hit this tag and check out the 2021 coverage so far, which includes the full line-up, as well as a few reviews already making headway online. This now brings us to the latest addition to this year’s festivities, Hiruko the Goblin, Shinya Tsukamoto’s 1991 sophomore directing move. Just in time for its 30th anniversary, the film was handed a 2K restoration for its recent theatrical outing in Japan last month, and will now follow accordingly with an international premiere as part of the Japan Cuts XV line-up. Read on, and start looking into Japan Cuts for your summer J-moviegoing needs! Brought onboard to adapt two stories from acclaimed manga artist Daijiro Morohoshi (whose widespread influence has been cited by Hayao Miyazaki […]

Japan Cuts XV Review: Takashi Miike’s THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS Takes You To Yokai Church

Lee B. Golden III

My first exposure to Takashi Miike began less than twenty years ago, eyeing Suncoast’s DVD kiosks where I would nab copies of some of their Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock titles. His range of directing proved to me to be as unique as it is versatile, exuding a style that rightfully stirred the pot at times and peppered it beautifully at others. 2005’s The Great Yokai War certainly fit the bill, catapulting viewers into a world where Jim Henson meets Japanese folklore, steampunk and mysticism. I’m not at all sure when Miike decided to make a sequel, though I have to say that last year’s breaking news about the film’s pending release was exciting, particularly since I hadn’t seen the first film until recently. Returning to the genre brings viewers back into the hidden world of the yokai where young Kei (Kokoro Terada) finds himself thrust into an adventure of supernatural creatures […]

NYAFF XX Review: Jéro Yun’s FIGHTER, A Boxing Drama That Delivers A Win Beyond The Ring

Lee B. Golden III

If you’re into films with actors making their debuts, and if you especially enjoy sports dramas, Jéro Yun’s Fighter may just be more your speed. I’m not at all sure what the casting process was here, but it was awesome being introduced to actress Lim Seong-mi in her first lead role and absolutely killing it, and the ceremony she’s been receiving ever since. Starring as a “North Korean Refugee” makes for even more interesting cinema, especially given the ongoing state of the region and its dichotomy. Seeing how Lim absorbs the character with utmost consumption as she embarks on her character’s journey, firstly with a voice over narration about how South Korean would describe her – hence the quotations above. An ex-soldier and refugee settling into her new place just a few months after attending a re-education center, Jina Ree’s main focus, per her broker, is to concentrate on making […]

Gordon Lam Ka Tung, Hand Rolled Cigarette

NYAFF XX Review: Chan Kin Long’s HAND ROLLED CIGARETTE, A Story Of Those Made (And Unbroken) In Hong Kong

Lee B. Golden III

The reception is a hugely earned one this year, by and large, for actor and film multi-hyphenate Gordon Lam with currently four films slated to take the floor at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival. Our focus here will be on his headlining role in actor Chan Kin-long’s feature directorial debut, Hand Rolled Cigarette, one of several recipients of First Feature Film Initiative, Film Development Fund back in 2018 and as of last Fall, host to seven Golden Horse Awards nominations, including Best Leading Actor, an awards’ first for Lam. Hand Rolled Cigarette presets its story with the first of multiple flashbacks, firstly to 1996 during Chiu’s (Lam) active service in Hong Kong Military Service Corps. The film denotes that by the time of Hong Kong’s handover from British-era rule back in 1997, there were a number of British-Chinese serving in the Corps who weren’t granted British citizenship, and […]

VENGEANCE IS MINE, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH Trailer: Edwin’s Picaresque Allegory On Cautionary Romance And Revenge

Lee B. Golden III

Indeed, you read the headline correctly as the director solely goes by Edwin, whose film career spans close to eighteen years and a life experience even longer before – such which now shapes his directorial vision, as festival attendees this month at Locarno and TIFF in Toronto rev up to catch his newest film, Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash, starring Marthino Lio and Ladya Cheryl. Ajo Kawir is a fighter who fears nothing, not even death. His raging urge to fight is driven by a secret: his impotence. When he crosses paths with a tough female fighter named Iteung, Ajo gets beaten black and blue, but he also falls head over heels in love. Will Ajo’s path lead him to a happy life with Iteung, and, eventually, his own peace of mind? Screendaily unveiled the official trailer a few days ago prior to Edwin’s interview for The Hollywood […]

THE RETALIATORS: Movie/Music Mash-Up Survival Game Horror To World Premiere At Arrow Video FrightFest This Month

Lee B. Golden III

Tickets and passes are already on sale for this year’s edition of Arrow Video FrightFest, which will run from August 26 through 30. Just in time for things to kick off is the addition of directing duo Samuel Gonzalez Jr. and Bridget Smith’s latest effort, The Retaliators. The trailer had been quietly making the rounds along with a low key roll out of updates via social media with some websites picking up on the trailer, including our own Christina Ortega Phillips weighing in back in April upon exuberantly discovering the bands included in the cast: Papa Roach. Ice Nine Kills. Escape the Fate. Five Finger Death Punch. No, I am not playing that game where you put together a fantasy music festival lineup. These are just some of the bands featured on the soundtrack of THE RETALIATORS. But wait! There’s more. Not only are these groups on the soundtrack, but […]

Japan Cuts XV Review: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s WIFE OF A SPY, War And Strategy Amid Matrimony

Lee B. Golden III

If you’ve seen your fair share of WWII movies, it’s no real mystery the challenges that lie ahead for our main characters going into Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s new period drama, Wife Of A Spy. The 1940s were a trip as world governments collided, and dehumanizing atrocities were taking shape at the hands of countries like Germany, and of course, Japan. Kurosawa nimbly crafts his story around these events, inviting viewers into a character study, specifically of one woman who, despite all her daily exuberance at life and subservience to her husband, gets thrust into confronting her own identity when she learns a horrific truth for herself, and her husband’s flummoxing role in it all. Our story begins in 1940, just as a British businessman gets accosted and taken by Japanese authorities from a raw silk firm in Kobe, where Yusaku Fukuhara (Issey Takahashi) manages a trading post. His pastimes occasionally include […]

NYAFF XX: Benny Chan’s RAGING FIRE Heads Up Centerpiece Premiere With Kim Ji-Hoon’s SINKHOLE To Close Festival

Lee B. Golden III

Not to be outdone for a ways to end the week on a high note, folks attending the New York Asian Film Festival will undoubtedly be privy to the addition of two more titles to this year’s hybrid festivities, with the Centerpiece presentation of Benny Chan’s Raging Fire, and the closing premiere of Kim Ji-hoon’s survival pic, Sinkhole. This brims things up even more with several ceremonies already lined-up on top of the now 75-title schedule. To be honest, I felt like this was going to happen what with the timing and all and August already on approach. It’ll be right for the occasion too, with fans of Chan eager to show out for his final posthumous bow. Read the announcement below and head to the official websites here and here to gather all you need to purchase tickets forthwith! New York, NY (July 30, 2021) – The New York […]

Fantasia Adds Donnie Yen Action Thriller RAGING FIRE To This Year’s Festival Line-Up!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s always a welcome feat that festivals like Fantasia drop a surprise last-minute addition. This year, the 25th hybrid installment just got a little bigger with the announcement of action crime thriller, Raging Fire, starring Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse. The film, the last was which to be directed by Benny Chan before his untimely death nearly a year ago, was acquired last month by Well Go USA for pending U.S. releases both in theaters and its in-house streamer, Hi-YAH!. Tickets are now available with Fantasia hosting the film’s Canadian premiere at the Cinéma Impérial on August 10. Check out the programming notes below as penned by Fantasia’s Chu King-Wei: Havoc reigns in Hong Kong! A disgraced former cop has returned for vengeance against his former mentor Shan, the decorated hero of the police force. He has assembled a wild bunch of merciless assassins to generate death and destruction till […]

INDEMNITY: South Africa’s Answer To Jason Bourne Just Landed An Explosive Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

If you’re keen on South African genre cinema and have been curious to know the goings on of late with the creators of Netflix series Blood & Water, then your answer has finally arrived with the official trailer for fugitive espionage action thriller, Indemnity. The film is set to screen for Fantasia’s 25th and hybrid installment, in addition to an in-person World Premiere on August 11 at the Imperial Theatre in Montreal, QC, and from the looks of things, attendees at Imperial are in for a real treat. I’ve mused plentily on South African action and stunts during the run of The Hit List and so to see the names Vernon Willemse and Grant Powell in the announcement below certainly rouses the excitement and curiousity. Check out the trailer above and read on: An ex-firefighter in Cape Town is forced to fight for his life after being accused of murdering […]

THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT - North Bend 2021

North Bend 2021 Review: Julien Faraut’s WITCHES OF THE ORIENT

Christina Ortega

One of my favorite things about covering film festivals is getting to see the works of new-to-me writers and directors, but I also enjoy the variety of documentaries that are shown at the fests. For my coverage of North Bend Film Festival, I opted to watch one movie and two documentaries. The Witches of the Orient was about one hundred minutes long and directed by Julien Faraut. Thought most of it is in Japanese, there were English subtitles. Here is the official summary: In one of the greatest feats in all of sports history, a Japanese women’s volleyball team won a record 258 consecutive matches and captured gold at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. With astonishing archival footage of their relentless training, intense matches and colorful clips from anime series the women inspired during their glory, director Julien Faraut shows how this team of textile workers dominated their sport […]

North Bend 2021 Review: Paola Calvo’s LUCHADORAS

Christina Ortega

What movie lover doesn’t enjoy a good film festival? We here at Film Combat Syndicate were lucky enough to access some of the films shown at the recent North Bend Film Festival and I don’t know about my colleagues, but I chose a nice variety of films to view. I’ve already told you about Tailgate, but I also got to watch Luchadoras and Witches of the Orient. Luchadoras, directed by Paola Calvo and Patrick Jasim, is a documentary film with a runtime of just over ninety minutes. Although it is in Spanish, there are English subtitles. So what’s it about? Here’s the official summary: Mini Sirenita, Lady Candy, and Baby Star are female wrestlers grappling with life in Ciudad Juarez, inside and outside of the ring. The threat of violence looms over their daily lives as they navigate the struggles of motherhood, immigration, and factory work. The courage they exude […]

FANTASIA XXV: Twenty Titles You Don’t Want To Miss At This Year’s Hybrid Festival

Lee B. Golden III

The third wave just recently hit for the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival, which is hosting in-person and virtual screenings and events from August 5 through 25. Thus, peep the first wave and the second wave before hitting up the latest article and take in the full line-up as things rev up to help make for one awesome post-Covid semi-comeback. This site has a team of four which will be reviewing titles and hopefully getting to do an interview. As such, our obligatory curtain raiser is here to help spotlight some recommendations. We took the initiative to put together at least thirty selections, but I’m reducing it to at least twenty; At this rate, choosing for the list was quite the challenge, but that’s part of the fun though. Isn’t it? I’m fully aware the gallery function isn’t working properly, so I’m doing this in list format, citing descriptions directly […]

DREAMS ON FIRE Trailer: Bambi Naka Set To Ignite Fantasia With Illustrious Underground Dance Drama

Lee B. Golden III

International dance sensation and former lead back-up for Madonna, actress Bambi Naka, makes her latest screen outing in a role that will surely set the dance floor ablaze next month at Fantasia Festival in Dreams On Fire, from director Philippe McKie. The film has since released in Japan and is currently set to screen on August 8 at Cinéma du Musée as part of the festival. After running away from home to become a dancer in Tokyo, Yume (Bambi Naka) struggles against the harsh realities of what it takes to achieve success. She works as a hostess in the red-light district while taking dance lessons, and refuses to abandon her ambitions. DREAMS ON FIRE features the first leading role from celebrated Japanese dance idol, Bambi Naka, former lead dancer on Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour and internationally recognized icon. An electrifying and dazzling feature debut from Canadian-born, Japan-based filmmaker Philippe McKie, DREAMS […]

Heads’ Up! The Official Trailer For NYAFF 2021 Is Here!

Lee B. Golden III

The twentieth New York Asian Film Festival line-up is looking pretty damn good so far, and you’re more than welcome to check out the latest titles here. I’m thinking there’s more to come so my antennae are still up on this, but the official trailer is finally here and fitting for the occasion with the launch set for August 6. The 20th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), a hybrid event with NYAFF’s largest film lineup to date, will screen over 60 films, both virtually and in-person, to audiences in New York and across the country from August 6 – 22, 2021. NYAFF’s 2021 lineup will include two world premieres, six international premieres, 29 North American premieres, eight U.S. premieres, and nine New York premieres, showcasing the most exciting action, comedy, drama, thriller, romance, horror, and art-house films from East Asia. Following an unprecedented year in which […]

FANTASIA XXV: THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS Tops Out The Third Wave As The Festival’s Closing Premiere!

Lee B. Golden III

The 25th Fantasia International Film Festival is in full-throttle with its final wave of titles now available for viewing. This completes the full list among which the first and second waves are now available for sifting, but don’t sift too long… You’ll definitely wanna get a handle on those tickets first as they go on sale this Friday at 1:00pm ET. So read on below and head over to the website to learn more about partaking in this extraordinary hybridized 25th event! FANTASIA 2021 TO CLOSE WITH TAKASHI MIIKE’S THE GREAT YOKAI WAR – GUARDIANS AND PRESENT CAREER AWARDS TO SHUNJI IWAI AND PHIL TIPPETT FOR UPCOMING 25TH EDITION Lee Won-tae’s THE DEVIL’S DEAL, Paul Andrew Williams’ BULL, Vincent Grashaw’s WHAT JOSIAH SAW, Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji’s THE DEER KING, Rob Jabbaz’s THE SADNESS, and Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury’s THE DEEP HOUSE are among the wealth of […]

JAPAN CUTS XV: The Great Yokai War: Guardians, Kiba: The Fangs Of Fiction, Docs, Narrative Shorts And More In The Full 2021 Line-Up

Lee B. Golden III

2021 has been riddled with its share of strife, personally, but that hasn’t slighted or stunted the progress of festival coverage on this site. Gladly, this includes this year’s hybrid virtual/in-person installment of Japan Society’s Japan Cuts, launching one month from today as of this article. Illustrious docs and shorts and some major headliners are in-bound, including a couple of encore such as Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth Of Cinema to which our own Mike Garcia took a liking for last year’s festival, as well as premieres for The Great Yokai War: Guardians, Kiba: The Fangs Of Fiction and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Wife Of A Spy to name a select few. There’s a whole raft of titles to start choosing from with tickets going on sale beginning August 16. Do yourself one of the biggest favors you can if you love Asian film and world cinema in general, and put this festival on […]

Celebrate Sammo Hung With A Hip-Hop-Flavored Fistful Of Well Go USA’s IP MAN 2 This Friday!

Lee B. Golden III

Netizens are invited this Friday to partake in this month’s livestream celebration of actor and Asian action legend Sammo Hung for Shaolin Jazz’s latest livestream installment of Can I Kick It?. Presented in association with the National Museum Of Asian Art for the Made In Hong Kong Film Festival, Shaolin Jazz will premiere Wilson Yip’s 2010 franchise sequel hit, Well Go USA’s Ip Man 2: Legend Of The Grandmaster, bolstered by a live soundtrack performance by DJ 2-Tone Jones. The film bookends its three-title slate following this month’s screenings of Huang Feng’s The Final Plot, and Corey Yuen’s Yes, Madam. Since kicking off in 2013, Can I Kick It? is best known for rolling out the festivities with immense gala for in-person attendance as it has for the last six years – something that’s obviously become a factor due to the pandemic and the new rise of cases as of […]

NYAFF XX Debuts 2021 Poster, Announces Kickoff With Well Go USA’s ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU And Much More For Its Second Wave Announcement!

Lee B. Golden III

The twentieth installation of the New York Asian Film Festival is coming in as hot as the Summer sun. The festival just announced its second wave of titles in addition to the celebration and ceremony of NYAFF honoree, filmmaker and producer Ann Hui, and among other things, has also announced a brand new section for the festival titled Asian American Focus. The biggest update here though is the festival’s opening premiere of South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s new political thriller, Escape From Mogadishu, which also kicks off its North American theatrical release the same day on August 6 from Well Go USA. Over 60 films will be screened for the festival through August 22, with screenings to be held both virtually AND in-person with tickets and passes currently on sale for hopeful attendees at Film At Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, and the SVA Theatre all in Manhattan, NYC. Fore […]