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Now Streaming: Andy Long Nguyen’s LUC VAN TIEN: KUNG FU WARRIOR Hustles Next-Generation Kung Fu Movie Muscle [Reprint/Revisal]

This review was originally published in May of 2019 as the film was still circulating buyers, long prior to its ad-supported streaming release on Tubi last April. This review is being republished in the wake of last week’s announcement by Nguyen for the film’s official release on Amazon Prime. Jackie Chan Stuntmen Association member and burgeoning action star, actor Andy Long Nguyen fulfilled a dream back in 2016 with the production of Vietnamese martial arts comedy, Lục Vân Tiên: Kung Fu Warrior. It’s a milestone achievement for Nguyen who has come a long way from his heyday in Pforzheim to becoming one of the most prolific and active members in his field today – a career path paved in part with inspiration from one of the genre’s greatest cinematic heroes. That notion gets extravagantly sprinkled throughout the film, shepherded by Hoang Phuc who shares numerous acting credits of his own […]

THE BAD BATCH: Premier Season Continues To Thrill

Cathy LaFrance

Disney+ “The Bad Batch” continues to impress with the release of each episode. Didn’t read the coverage for the pilot episode? FCS has you covered. But here’s your catch-up for episodes 2-4. Starting off in Episode 2, “Cut and Run” we follow the Batch to the planet Saleucami to meet, or re-meet, a familiar character from The Clone Wars, Cut Lawquane, who just had a meeting with Captain Rex, although the reason is still unclear. We met Cut back in The Clone Wars Season 2, Episode 10, “The Deserter.” It turns out to be a good meeting, since the Bad Batch soon become trapped and Cut and his family help them escape the planet. This episode also sees Cut and his wife Suu indirectly teach Hunter some “parenting” skills, as he grows as Omega’s father figure. Next up is Episode 3, “Replacements.” This episode focuses more on Crosshair, as in […]

Reminder: Bao Tran’s THE PAPER TIGERS Debuts In Theaters Today From Well Go USA!

Lee B. Golden III

By all accounts, if you’re a martial arts fan then there’s really no excuse for not having heard of Bao Tran‘s feature debut, The Paper Tigers. Born from an idea nearly a decade ago leading to an action-packed proof-of-concept, and an extensive galvanizing effort to crowdfund a targeted campaign to the global film markets for better appeal just a few years ago, that idea now comes nourished with nearly back-to-back stellar reviews from critics and virtual festival audiences the world over, including two reviews here at FCSyndicate HQ from none other than myself, as well as Melbourne-based Vance Ang whose own recent coverage partly states the following: “…As a feel good action comedy, the movie concludes in a decidedly formulaic fashion neatly wrapping up the story. Though nothing teases a sequel, the strength of its characters and themes could no doubt present this avenue – as Bao Tran clearly deserves […]

THE BAD BATCH: Animated ‘Star Wars’ Offshoot Takes Off In Top Notch Form On Disney+

Isaac LaFrance

As if we needed more reasons to celebrate May the 4th, Disney released the new Star Wars series, The Bad Batch. The Bad Batch is set between Revenge of the Sith, and A New Hope, or if you’re all about the new stuff, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – S7, and Rogue One. The first episode starts off just about 10 minutes before Order 66 – the order to wipe out the Jedi. We first meet Jedi master Depa Billaba, and her padawan Caleb Dume, or as anyone who has watched Star Wars: Rebels knows him as Kanan Jarrus. They are quickly overrun by battle droids, but the “Bad Batch,” Clone Force 99, crash in, literally, and save the day. Shortly after Order 66 is executed, many clones are recalled to Kamino for a mandatory assembly, and then we see the infamous Palpatine Galactic Empire speech from Revenge of the […]

WANDAVISION: We Watched It, So You Don’t Have To. Here’s Why Cathy And Christina Think You Should!

Cathy LaFrance and 1 more

Christina and I may be a bit late to the party, but better late than never! Perhaps a surprise hit of late-pandemic-era streaming (suck it, Bridgerton), the Disney+ mini-series WandaVision quickly achieved cult status with Marvel fans and TV buffs alike. The series begins, quirkily echoing TV sitcoms of years gone by: I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Brady Bunch, Family Ties, Full House, Malcolm in the Middle, and even modern-day favorites like Modern Family and The Office. But the decade-by-decade progression of American TV had a darker secret belying it. SEASONE ONE Episode Guide Episode 1: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience I have a theory that you can’t really judge a TV show by its pilot. When I start to watch a show, I like to give it at least 3 episodes before I feel like I can rightfully decide if I like it or […]

AGENT REVELATION Review: Derek Ting’s Latest Reveals Some, Asks More

Cathy LaFrance

Derek Ting’s second film in his Agent series is all about show and tell, with a side of hide and seek. Agent Revelation (or Agent II), Ting’s sequel to his 2017 film Agent Intelligence, picks up where the first film left off: Jim Yung (Ting) has found and partnered with Dr. Victoria Jansen (Carole Weyers), who is investigating why the red alien dust, now referred to as “ash,” hasn’t affected Jim in the same way it does with others, who become empty vessels for the alien consciousness. Jansen has no answers for Jim, nor for her as-yet unknown superior. Jim and ex-girlfriend and medical resident Angela Porter (Marikah Cunningham) recover from the deaths of their friends Seth and Lucy, who had been possessed by the aliens, and begin working in tandem with the researchers and soldiers at a secret training facility. Jim, while seemingly having been exposed to the ash, […]

South Korean Sci-Fi SISYPHUS: THE MYTH Now Streaming On Netflix

Lee B. Golden III

If you’re open to any Korean TV drama watching these days and have the weekly time to spare, you can now catch JTBC sci-fi, Sisyphus: The Myth, now airing in simulcast on Netflix. The show stars Stranger favorite, Cho Seung-woo, and actress Park Shin-hye of Memories Of Alhambra and #Alive fame. An unfathomable incident introduces a genius engineer to dangerous secrets of the world — and to a woman from the future who’s come looking for him. New episodes are streaming every Wednesday and Thursday, so make a note!

SPACE SWEEPERS Review: An Enthralling Sci-Fi Space Adventure Worth Multiple Rewatches

Lee B. Golden III

The least anyone expected in the past year would be to have to wait out a whole pandemic in order to have some semblance of some semblance of fun (yes, I wrote it like that, and you read it correctly the same). Moviegoers the world around were resigned to such a fate even as trailers for Jo Sung-hee’s latest star-spangled space rouser, Space Sweepers, made the rounds with small trailer bits touting a hopeful release last summer, and so with its delay came the usual brouhaha over releasing films onto smaller screens despite helmers priming their work for more grandiose theatrical showings. We can go over all the Nolan-isms on that all day, of course, and sadly, it won’t change the fact that the best course of action for any film to see movement would be to tether it to a streaming deal of some kind. I’ll leave the watercooler […]

THE GOD OF HIGH SCHOOL Review: A Proper Martial Arts Tournament Adventure With Nearly All The Trimmings

Lee B. Golden III

Park Young-jie’s 2011 manwha and Naver webtoon finally saw life last year as one of the most explosive animated shows going into a new decade, launching just in time as millions were forced into quarantine as a pandemic spread across the world. Thus, folks lucky enough to have Crunchyroll access got to dive into the insane, fight-filled world that is director Park Sung-hoo’s treatment, The God Of High School. Set in South Korea where teenagers gather from around the world to test their skills in a spectacular no-holds-barred martial arts tournament, The God Of High School culminates around teenagers Jin Mori, and friends Han Daewi and Yoo Mira, who find themselves at a precipice of an epic, historical mystery within the tournament’s backdrop – one that will embolden them to not only discover the bond they share as budding friends, but the very keys to unlocking their fighting prowess as […]

HUNTED Review: When The Prey Becomes Predator

Cathy LaFrance

With a nod to the “Little Red Riding” Hood fairy tale, Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted is a slick and intense revenge fantasy film. Every woman wants to be taken seriously. And in movies, as in real life, it’s hard to work around some of the professional pitfalls set by centuries of patriarchal traditions. So this is where we meet Eve (Lucie Debay), who is working in the male-dominated field of construction. Her male boss indicates that she’s too nice in her business dealings, and if she doesn’t work up to his expectation, he’ll send her male colleague to finish her job. Unsettled by the pressure, red-jacket-clad Eve ignores calls from her significant other and goes to a bar for a drink and some dancing. A casual flirtation goes incredibly awry, and Eve finds herself held captive by two men from the bar, nameless characters called The Handsome (Arieh Worthalter) and The Accomplice (Ciaran […]

Warrior – Season 1: Episode 5 “The Blood and the Shit” Finding One’s Purpose within

Kyle Wong

“We’ll be back in the blood and the shit soon.” –Ah Sahm Ah Sahm and Young Jun are traveling back from Nevada via stagecoach to bring a corpse stuffed with ingots back for Father Jun. Traveling with them are Father Flynn, Shepherd and his wife Nancy and Mason. And the usual racist connotations and remarks are given back and forth by the latter but Flynn is more accepting with the two. The travel back is stopped by Lew the driver doesn’t want to risk going past sun down. They take shelter in a small saloon run by Billie and Lu, it is a mix of warm welcome for Ah Sahm and Young Jun but more of a forceful entry by Mason. Lu offers Ah Sahm and Young Jun a piece of proper Chinese cooking as they reminisce of the old country. Young Jun falls for Wankeia who works in the […]

ARROW: December Seasons, AGFA Titles And More Outline To Arrive Through December Into 2021

Lee B. Golden III

Cutting edge cult cinema streamer, ARROW, is making headway this month announcing its December line-ups and title release plans well into the new year, starting with the December 1 release of Patrick Picard’s slow-burner horror thriller debut, The Bloodhound. Picard writes and directs this, his feature debut billed as “a hauntingly atmospheric tale”, freshly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The film centers on Francis (Liam Aiken – A Series of Unfortunate Events), a dispossessed young man who finds himself drawn into a world of malaise and despair upon visiting the secluded home of his wealthy childhood friend who suffers from a mysterious affliction, and whose family is discovered to carry a dark legacy. The film also stars Joe Adler (The Maze Runner) and Annalise Basso (Ouija: Origin of Evil). Going forward, the seasons commence with “Naughty or Nice” for its following thematic […]

Now On Tubi: Wilson Yip’s PARADOX Chews Through A Louis Koo Vengeance Story With Blistering Thrills And Grit

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been several years since the announcement of a third chapter in the Sha Po Lang crime saga with S.P.L.: War Needs Lord. At least tentatively though, the closest we have here is Wilson Yip’s 2017 neo-noir action crime thriller, Paradox, billed as more of a tangible side story apart from the two previous installments, S.P.L., and S.P.L. 2: A Time For Consequences. Casting Louis Koo for the role of Lee, a dauntless Hong Kong cop on a mission to search for his missing daughter in the Thai city of Pattaya, the film also stars Wu Yue, Gordon Lam, Tony Jaa and Chris Collins along with Hanna Chan, Vitthaya Pansringarm and Ken Lo, with a script by Jill Leung and Nick Cheuk. Much like its two predecessors, the non-canonical Paradox takes its inspiration from the the three stars of Chinese astrology. Koo is in fine form as Lee, an imperfect […]