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SPY INTERVENTION: Romantic Spy Comedy Lands At Cinedigm For 2020

Cinedigm has officially acquired director Drew Mylrea’s new film, Spy Intervention. Drew Van Acker (TV’s Pretty Little Liars) stars in the upcoming spy comedy penned by Mark Famiglietti and Lane Garrison for its select big screen release in February 2020. Van Acker (pictured) stars as Corey Gage (Drew Van Acker), once and formerly the world’s greatest spy who then chooses to settle down with the woman of his dreams and decides to abandon his action-packed life of espionage and world-saving. When the reality of idyllic, suburban life in a seemingly listless marriage sets in, his best spy friend decides to enact an intervention to help get him back in the game. “Spy Intervention is a reimaging of the spy genre,” said Yolanda Macias, Cinedigm’s Executive Vice-President of Acquisitions. “It has all the action and espionage audiences have come to expect plus a lot of comedy and some romance as well. […]

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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Jacks Into The Fourth MATRIX Installment For Warner Bros. And Village Roadshow

Lee B. Golden III

The Get-Down and Aquaman actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will take a key role in the pending fourth installment of The Matrix saga. Lana Wachowski will return this time to direct in a solo capacity as announced by Warner Bros. Pictures Chairman Toby Emmerich back in August. The original trilogy earned $1.6 billion dollars at the box office centered on Keanu Reeves as venerable “chosen one” in mankind’s long and winding tale of harrowing survival against an autonomous, mechanized onslaught that imprisons mankind through a virtual world known as The Matrix. Reeves and original franchise co-headliner Carrie-Anne Moss will both reprise their roles joining Abdul-Mateen II from a script by Wachowski, and co-writers Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. As Justin Kroll at Variety notes, production is expected to begin early 2020 with Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures producing and globally releasing the film. I won’t even go into the […]

SPUTNIK Trailer: Your Next Favorite Space Horror Film

Christina Ortega

Space travel has its own sense of wonder: exploring the unknown, going where no man (person) has ever gone before, and finding out if we’re really alone in the universe. It’s all fun and games and excitement — until it isn’t. Russian director Egor Abramenko’s first feature film Sputnik takes viewers to space and back and promises to be full of chills from fear, not excitement. According to Screenanarchy, the …story revolves around a young doctor called in by the military to evaluate a cosmonaut returned from a mission under unusual circumstances … and let’s just say he didn’t exactly return alone. There are no subtitles in the trailer, but you can tell what is going on based on the visuals and the facial expressions. The threat and fear are clearly conveyed. Check it out here: Ooh. I definitely cannot wait to see this film!

Michael Jai White’s THE OUTLAW JOHNNY BLACK Joins Forces With UrbanflixTV

Lee B. Golden III

Martial arts star, actor Michael Jai White is partnering with inclusion streaming service UrbanflixTV to executive produce The Outlaw Johnny Black. The news came late Wednesday following the actor’s announcement days earlier signaling the next phase of his Jaigantic Studios banner which includes the long-developed Black Dynamite follow-up. White and co-star and screenwriter Byron Minns penned the script that centers on the titular Johnny Black, hell bent on avenging the death of his father at the hands of Brett Clayton as he becomes a wanted man in the aftermath. Posing as a preacher in a small mining town, it is where he’ll soon be tasked with saving it from the stranglehold of a notorious land baron. The streamer states the film is right on task with its mission in creating high-quality multi-cultural content, offering scripted and unscripted content in providing definitive “urban” entertainment. “As a filmmaker, I see a lack […]

Your Next Viewing: HARPOON (2019)

Christina Ortega

Have you ever looked at someone in your life and wondered why you were friends with them? Besides laughing out loud, this thought crossed my mind while I watched Richie, Jonah, and Sasha interact. In fact, the film opens with Aristotle’s explanation of types of friendship. Rob Grant’s Harpoon is labeled as a comedy/horror and it delivers on both. Well, if I’m being honest, I laughed more than anything and wondered why these three amusing jerks were still friends. So what is it about? Here is the summary from the press release: Rivalries, dark secrets, and sexual tension emerge when three best friends find themselves stranded on a yacht in the middle of the ocean desperate for survival. With plenty of alcohol and very little food and water, emotions run high and their delusions become a reality. As the days stretch on and death seems inevitable, their terrifying truths float […]

INTO THE NIGHT: Kate Li’s No-Budget Murder Mystery Feature Debut To Screen In Los Angeles And Cardiff This Month

Lee B. Golden III

Harvard and Boston Uni graduate, actress and filmmaker Kate Li’s feature debut, Into The Night, is the latest recipient of Sunrise 45’s Best Feature Film award. The $6,000-budgeted, skeletal-crewed murder mystery noir will now take to screens in Los Angeles, California and in Wales, United Kingdom this month. The film depicts the story of a young woman, following the mysterious murder of her fiancé, who is forced to sift through facts and lies to arrive at the truth and escape from the web of manipulation she is caught in. Shot in black and white and presented in a non-linear fashion, the film breaks a few boundaries of traditional gender roles and human morality in classic detective stories and brings a contemporary narrative and characters to the iconic film noir style. Into The Night is scheduled to premiere at LA Femme International Film Festival on Saturday, October 19 at 10am at […]

Bento Harassment - Japan Cuts Hollywood Opening Premiere

BENTO HARASSMENT: Renpei Tsukamoto’s Appetizing Family Dramedy Inaugurates Three-Day Japan Cuts Hollywood November 1

Lee B. Golden III

Japan Cuts Hollywood is kicking off its first year event with the West Coast opening night premiere of family dramedy, Bento Harrassment which opened in Japan back in June. The film is written and directed by Renpei Tsukamoto who will also partake as a special guest next to actress Ryoko Shinohara. A true, universal tale – full of laughter and tears – about a single mother and her high school daughter. The girl who used to call her mommy now totally ignores her. Exasperated, the mother seeks revenge by using ‘bentos’ (home-made boxed lunches) as her ‘weapon’. Regardless of what’s going on in her own life, she never fails to make her daughter a bento lunch that embarrasses her with its sugar-coated messages of love. After three long years, the final ‘bento’ message is a ‘thank you letter’ from mother to daughter. This story of a mother’s love will ring […]

Behind The Scenes Of COWBOY BEBOP: The Real Work Starts When The Real Star Finally Shows Up

Lee B. Golden III

Netflix series Cowboy Bebop is well on the way after years of long-speculated feature film hype prior to series evolution from the hit manga/anime franchise. Of course, the show’s biggest star is now making the rounds on set and keeping our cast in check as seen in the video above. A ragtag crew of bounty hunters chases down the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll save the world… for the right price. The series is headlined by John Cho (Searching) in the role of Spike Spiegel, Mustafa Shakir (Brawl In Cell Block 99, Luke Cage: Season Two) as Jet Black, Daniella Pineda (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) as Faye Valentine, Alex Hassell (The Bisexual, Amazon series The Boys), and Elena Satine (CBS All Access series Strange Angel) as Julia. Shinichiro Watanabe, who created the 1998 anime based on Cain Kuga’s hit manga, serves as consultant on the 10-part series. Screenwriter Christopher Yost […]

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK Reveals Mark Dacascos’ Killer New Look In These Four New Stills [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

Film Combat Syndicate can proudly share a quartet of exclusive stills from upcoming thriller, One Night In Bangkok. Production was announced in June signaling the reunion of star/director duo, Mark Dacascos and Wych Kaosayananda in lieu of their latest pending November release, The Driver, from Lionsgate. Kaosayananda penned the new thriller which wrapped principal photography back in July and is currently on deck for a release sometime in the first quarter of 2020. Plot details remain underwraps, although according to the director in our own inquiry, the film is described as a crime noir in the vein of Collateral with its own twist. The wrap party back in July also saw the presentation of a tentative reel highlighting key moments from the new film. The film is aimed particularly to be more drama centric, though there will certainly be some morsels of the screenfighting kind as Dacascos won’t be the […]

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER: Andre Øvredal Set To Direct For Amblin

Christina Ortega

Filmmaker Andre Ovredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) wants to direct The Last Voyage of The Demeter. The film has just docked at Amblin Pictures and Bradley Fischer, Mike Medavoy, and Arnold Messer have already been named as producers. So what is the film about? In Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, Demeter was the name of the ship that carried Dracula from Transylvania to London. The ship washed up on shore with one survivor in the novel. The script for The Last Voyage of the Demeter was written in 2002 by Bragi Schut and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, it “tells the tale of that journey, in which the crew is slaughtered one by one by a mysterious passenger.” This is not the first time the project has found a port somewhere though. It was previously at Phoenix Pictures, Millennium Films, and more. Maybe Ovredal and Amblin Pictures will […]

ENHANCED: Don’t Miss The First Teaser For ‘Kill Order’ Director’s New Action Sci-Fi

Lee B. Golden III

The next Toronto After Dark Film Festival rounded out its line-up last week with Enhanced among the numerous more titles included. Stunt professional and filmmaker James Mark follows up his previous sci-fi feats with a cast, among which actor and stunt performer Chris Mark follows-up his freshman lead in last year’s Kill Order. Packed with kick-ass action and super-powered throw downs, James Mark’s ENHANCED is a thrilling new sci-fi action flick set to delight fans. In the vein of X-MEN, when a sinister government organization declares them illegal, a group of ‘enhanced’ mutant outcasts including a young woman (CARDINAL’S Alanna Bale) go on the run. But when a super-enhanced serial killer emerges on the scene, the dynamics between hunter and prey changes. Adding extra action to the cast is Canadian Olympic icon and martial artist Elvis Stojko! The Toronto After Dark Film Festival kicks off on October 17 with a […]

CONTRACTS: Watch The Exclusive, All-New Trailer For Alex Chung’s Action-Packed Feature Debut

Lee B. Golden III

The last twelve years have been a pivotal period of growth for actor, stunt performer and filmmaker Alex Chung. From his birth into stunts and independent cinema to a full-fledged resumè in the field, his latest endeavor, Contracts, stands on its own as a true testament of his dedication to the craft. “The existence of this film is ironically not a result of a clear ambition to make a feature-length chaotic martial arts action film with no funding, yet that is what we ended up with.” says Chung, whose earlier evolution of the project was intended to be a 45-minute prequel to a small string of independent action shorts from 2009 and onward. “I had always imagined attempting my first feature once I had a script that was perfect, the desired amount of funding, and basically all of the planets lining up. I realized the naiveté of that and decided […]

YAKUZA PRINCESS Bows Online With A First Look

Lee B. Golden III

Variety revealed the first look at newcomer, actress and recording artist Masumi with actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Motorrad director Vicente Amorim’s new thriller, Yakuza Princess. The film hails from Filmland Internaccional and wrapped principal photography last month after filming throughout Brazil, including São Paolo and in Paranapiacaba. In Yakuza Princess, Masumi plays an orphan raised in São Paulo only to learn about her true origins when her late yakuza boss father’s bodyguards track her down. Danilo Beyruth, who provided concept art for Amorim’s previous Toronto International Film Festival outing, Motorrad, authors the original comic book on which the film is based. ”’Yakuza Princess’ is an action-packed Brazilian/Japanese/American-thriller. At the same time, it’s also a film about solitude, identity and about coming-of-age in Brazil’s biggest metropolis. It’s an adventure with samurais, ronins and a fearless heroine. Fearless as we filmmakers were when facing this challenge. A challenge up there with […]

THE OUTLAW JOHNNY BLACK: Michael Jai White Hails Second Phase Of His Jaigantic Production Slate

Lee B. Golden III

Martial arts cinema star, actor Michael Jai White is officially in pre-production with The Outlaw Johnny Black. The movie is a spirited follow-up to his 2009 cult hit, Black Dynamite, in the vein of a Western-themed period blaxploitation opus, offsetting crowdfunding efforts last Spring. The project will be the first of a raft of titles now being tended to under White’s own Jaigantic banner, marking a new phase for his company that also brings the long-awaited Blood And Bone sequel back into the spotlight since its release in 2009; Director Ben Ramsey shared his own director’s cut of his film via Vimeo in October of 2015. “My company @jaiganticstudio has the perfect the partnership & we’ll be bringing you the type of movies you’ll never see anywhere else, like The Blood and Bone Sequel and much more!” White Tweeted on Thursday. “Thank you everyone for your continued support & loyalty! […]

ACCELERATION: Fast Noir Action And Thrills In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Michael Merino and Hollow Point director Daniel Zirilli’s new thriller, Acceleration, comes to select theaters and VOD on Novemeber 8, followed by a December Blu-Ray and DVD release from Cinedigm. Hailing from Cinetel Films and 7Heaven Productions’, Acceleration stars Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints), Dolph Lundgren (Creed II) and Chuck Liddell (Kick-Ass 2) with Natalie Burn (The Expendables), Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson (The A-Team), and Danny Trejo (Machete). Vladik Zorich (Dolph Lundgren), a villainous crime lord, is double-crossed by his most trusted operative Rhona (Natalie Burn). Vladik’s propensity for power, control, and violence drives him to kidnap Rhona’s son forcing her to participate in a twisted plan to eliminate one of Vladik’s enemies. To keep her on a short leash, Vladik sets out the ‘rules’ to his ‘game’ and overseas Rhona’s every move as she navigates the darkened streets of Los Angeles. As her son’s life hangs in the balance, […]

SNAKE EYES: ‘She’s Just A Shadow’ Actress Haruka Abe Joins Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Haruka Abe lends a sturdy portrayal of a prostitute in love in Adam Sherman’s October 22 Breaking Glass Pictures release, She’s Just A Shadow. That’s her role as seen in the image above and it’s one that’s no less contributed to her current career trajectory as a tentatively unnamed character in the new live-action G.I. Joe-based Snake Eyes incarnation from Paramount and co-producers Skydance and Hasbro. She joins up with Guy Ritche’s The Gentlemen co-headliner Henry Golding who leads in title formation opposite Cinemax series Warrior star Andrew Koji for the orgin tale that depicts characters Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow as they engage in their training to join the Arashikage ninja clan. As Hasbro folklore dictates, the two ultimately become enemies following the death of the Hard Master, a pivotal moment contributing to the G.I. Joe/Cobra rivalry. Celebrated martial arts star, actor Iko Uwais (Stuber, Beyond Skyline, The […]

100 ACRES OF HELL Heat Up Select Theaters Next Week

Lee B. Golden III

Moviegoers are just days away from the limited theatrical and digital release of 100 Acres Of Hell from Indican Pictures. Hank Leigh Hump, Lisa Lakeman and co-star Ernest O’Donnell direct the ode to the golden age of ‘80s slashers, developed by Hump and screenwriter/co-star Jason L. Koerner who also wrote with Ed McKeever and featured lead actor, WWE wrestler Gene Snisky. After suffering a career ending injury and family tragedy Wrestling Champ, Buck Severs travels to an abandoned wildlife preserve with his friends for a ‘Bro’s Weekend’. They become the targets of a deadly manhunt and Buck must find the warrior in himself to fight the psycho, inbred mutant killer that stalks through the preserve. Also starring are Eileen Dietz, Catherine Corcoran and Jim Roof for the film’s October 8 limited theatrical release and subsequent October 15 release on DVD and Digital.

10-31: Orion Nabs Trick-Or-Treat Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Orion Pictures has acquired the rights to 10-31, a horror script. According to Deadline, “the plot follows a young woman who takes her niece and nephew trick-or-treating and discovers a note inside a candy wrapper that says there’s a killer loose on her block.” This is based on a story by Laurie Ashbourne and screen story by Kathy Charles. Screenwriters Ian Shorr and Peter Gamble are also attached to the project. Eli Roth and Roger Birnbaum are set to produce 10-31, which is said to be on its way to production.

BELOVED BEAST: A Trailer to Hold You Over Until its Limited Release

Christina Ortega

An escaped mental patient and a twelve year old meet in the woods…have I got your attention? Beloved Beast, directed by Jonathan Holbrook, is an upcoming horror film that runs three hours long. The cast includes Meredith Binder (The Oregonian), Tabitha Bastien (The Wonderland Murders), Sheila Houlahan, and Lance Carver. Here is the official synopsis: 12 year old Nina loses her parents in a car accident and is forced to live with her unstable Aunt Erma. Except her aunt dabbles with drugs, partying and every other thing an aunt shouldn’t do. When Nina meets a stranger in the woods, instead of running, she brings him home. Not realizing that the man she has brought home is an escaped mental patient with a penchant for murder… There will be a limited release in theaters on October 11th in Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago. If you can’t make it to […]

HELL HOUSE: Indie Film’s Cast Revealed

Christina Ortega

Indie horror film Hell House has announced its cast. The cast will include Stefanie Scott (Insidious: Chapter 3, Insidious: The Last Key), Odessa Adlon (Fam, Nashville), Jess Weixler (It: Chapter 2, The Good Wife), Gene Jones (No Country for Old Men), and Michael Abbott Jr. (The Death of Dick Long). Hell House focuses on “the complicated relationship between small town high school peers Dawn (Scott) and Makayla in the Deep South, on the eve of a religious-themed Halloween attraction or “hell house” grand opening, and the various townspeople who try to keep the two apart, with disastrous results.” Written and directed by Andrew Gori, the movie is set to start filming this fall. Stay tuned for more details!(DEADLINE)