cary tagawa

A Case For Better Action Movies: Mark Dacascos’s SHOWDOWN IN MANILA Fights For 80s Ensemble Action Glory, Loses

Star bodybuilder, journalist, author and crossover film producer and action star Alexander Nevsky refuses to be pigeonholed into playing the stereotypical Russian bad guy in movies. This is a campaign he’s been on for the better part of the last twenty years or so in the course of his growing film career and it’s a worthy effort to pursue in an industry rife with a constant need for change and improvement in many ways. Characteristically, that fact plays well into filmic vision and direction despite the cult fondness of a genre or a given period of cinema. Nevsky’s latest lead role in the new ensemble action thriller, Showdown In Manila, makes for a worthwhile case in point as we approach its upcoming North American release from ITN Distribution. Granted, Nevsky’s screen presence isn’t the most weighted in drama, while one can argue in favor of his ability to tell stories […]

Amazon Series, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, Gets A Second Season Order

Lee B. Golden III

While Frank Spotnitz’s new show, The Man In The High Castle, didn’t exactly fare positively in its otherwise immersive advertising a month ago, the show’s airing is proving much more positive nowadays. Variety reports the series, inspired by Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel of the same name which focuses on a story of a reality that faces a grim alternative future following the fallout of World War 2, has risen as Amazon’s most-streamed original series. It’s news that obviously favors producers and welcomes the prospects of a second season which is being officially announced this week. Check out the press release below: SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced that Amazon Original Series The Man in the High Castle, recently renewed for a second season, is the most-streamed original show ever by Prime members globally. The show broke a previous record set by Amazon Original Series Bosch—which is launching its second season […]

Alexander Nevsky Kicks Ass With Don "The Dragon" Wilson And More In The New International Teaser For SHOWDOWN IN MANILA!

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and action star Mark Dacascos‘s is kicking off future prospects next year in great fashion with his directorial debut, Showdown In Manila. Dacascos joins Russian action star and producer, actor Alexander Nevsky with plans to release the film in 2016, and with a stellar cast action fans won’t fail to recognize in what appears to be another meaty foray geared toward audiences nostalgic of memorable 80’s and 90’s action cinema fanfare. Set in Manila and the province of Palawan in the Philippines, Craig Hamman wrote the script with a story putting Nevsky‘s character back into action following a local murder that forces him to confront the dark past he once tried to bury. Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, Olivier Gruner, Casper Van Dien, Matthias Hues, Tia Carerre and Cary Tagawa round out the cast with action design by Grandmaster Al Dacascos, whose implementation of Filipino martial arts was […]

NYC's Videology To Host A FREE Screening Of MORTAL KOMBAT This Friday!

Lee B. Golden III

1995 couldn’t have been a better time to be a gamer and martial arts movie fan. It was the year that we got the best of both worlds with New Line Cinema’s release of the hit live-action adaptation, Mortal Kombat, pitting three Earthrealm warriors in a multi-dimensional medium of supernatual proportions where the fate of our planet would be decided in life-or-death battles. For a PG-13 iteration of a relatively violent game, the film banked critically and commercially well among fans and movie goers alike, and new article posted on Tuesday at The Hollywood Reporter gets right down to the nitty gritty on how it all began, from dealing with naysayers and coping with location challenges, to off-set drama and on-set injuries, and finally its theatrical release. Moreover, of course the film led to a less-than-expemplary sequel but it still purported hopes for a third that never came, and nowadays […]

A Priest Takes On The Yakuza In The New Trailer For PRIEST: CONFESSIONS OF A SAMURAI!

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Cary Tagawa‘s career is something he wholly welcomes as distinctively unusual. His latest role in Yegor Baranov‘s international Yakuza crime thriller, Priest: Confessions Of A Samurai is finally on par for a November opening in Russia, and for a film production relatively marred by the language barriers that followed, it’s a film that undoubtedly benefits Tagawa in just the way he prefers. SYNOPSIS: The story’s protagonist Takuro Nakamura, baptized as father Nikolai, is the priest of the Japanese Orthodox Church who used to be a professional sportsman and now is the blood brother of one of the influential clans yakuza. Once he could not pass by the violence and helped an ordinary girl getting to grips with one of the groups hostile to his brother. The war of yakuza clans is imminent. Having become the hostage of the criminal skirmish the priest faces a lethal risk. Nakamura is sent […]

Olivier Gruner Goes BEYOND THE GAME In The Latest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

If you happen to be noticing a resurgence of B-movie action cinema fandom as of late, no, it’s not all in your head. This is real, and there are several examples out there with titles as far back as 2010 with the release of Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables, and more and more of these films have been rolling out in some capacity ever since. Clearly the niche hasn’t disappeared long since the 90’s era of B-movie action cinema glory took hold, and its clearly one that Blizhniy Boy (2007) trio, director Erken Lalgashev and writers J. Stephen Maunder and David Mitchell share a lineage in, as well as a shared interest as so expressed in their latest contribution, Beyond The Game. There aren’t any plot details, but the cast itself is littered with a who’s-who of action veterans with actor and martial artist Olivier Gruner as a psychologically-cracked solider in […]

Screener Review: SKIN TRADE (2015)

Lee B. Golden III

SYNOPSIS: New Jersey detective, Nick Cassidy (Dolph Lundgren) heads to Bangkok where he teams up with Thai detective, Tony Vitayakui (Tony Jaa) to hunt down Viktor Dragovic (Ron Perlman) and destroy his human trafficking network. Nick had mistakenly killed Dragovic’s son in a sting operation on the New Jersey docks, and Dragovic responded by attempting to kill Nick and his family. Nick miraculously survived the brutal attack, but his wife and daughter were killed. With nothing but vengeance to live for, Nick and Tony traverse their way through the Bangkok underworld in search of the elusive Dragovic. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Eddie Reed (Michael Jai White) is sent in to bring Nick home. But as the crossfire ensues, Nick has to determine who his true allies are. REVIEW: It’s taken close to twelve years since first breaking out with the 2003 hit film, Ong Bak, followed by a string of movies […]

[UPDATED] Meet The Global Cast Of Kazakh-Produced Actioner, THE WHOLE WORLD AT OUR FEET In Its Latest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Action film production at large is a bit tight and can endure its share of challenges. Such is the case for debut writer and director Salamat Mukhammed-Ali and writer/producer Dauren Mussa‘s long-awaited Kazakh-produced action drama, The Whole World At Our Feet, which wrapped production in 2011 as a milestone achievement for the genre within the region, as rare as it is for action films to be made in many areas of the world while Kazakhstan certainly has its share of titles invested in the genre for fans domestic and abroad, and in that regard, on top of some of the stellar action sequences now seen in the latest trailer, the impressive cast list surely speaks for itself as well. SYNOPSIS: Only one lusted glance induced a whole range of events which, like a shot would plunge a young lady ‘Aliya’ into a criminal abyss. But even in that vortex of […]

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS 2 Gets New DVD Artwork + Release Date

Lee B. Golden III

Regardless of whatever feelings you might have about actor, musician and filmmaker RZA‘s 2012 kung fu hip-hopera, The Man With The Iron Fists, the fact is it now has a sequel and as soon as this April, it’s coming home on DVD and Blu-Ray. On that note, we finally have some artwork from the folks over at Universal for The Man With The Iron Fists 2 prior to the film’s release, which you can check out just beneath. SYNOPSIS: Thaddeus (RZA) is back in this explosive action adventure inspired by kung fu classics. A reluctant villager joins forces with a mysterious outsider to fight off powerful evil forces, both earthly and otherworldly, in a 19th century Chinese mining town. When a stranger, Thaddeus, is found badly wounded near the village, miner Li Kung (Dustin Nguyen) and his wife Ah Ni (Eugenia Kang) offer him refuge. As he heals, he becomes […]

Mortal-Kombat-Legacy-Season-2-Shang-Tsung

Cary Tagawa Will Return As Shang Tsung For The New MORTAL KOMBAT Series

Lee B. Golden III

Machinima’s release of the hit webseries, Mortal Kombat Legacy is gearing up for a brand new season filming this month in Los Angeles by way of Warner Bros.’s digital production arm, Blue Ribbon Content. We already have an idea about who will be appearing while an official listing has yet to be made public, although every little bit of news that trickles does help. That being said, expect actor Cary Tagawa to tweeted his return in the role of aging Outworld sorceror Shang Tsung starting next week on Monday. Tsung emerged briefly in then-director Kevin Tancharoen’s first of two by way of actor Jonathan Phan in the third episode while Tagawa followed suit in season two, reprising a refurbished version of his iconic role from the 1995 feature film adaptation of the original game by Midway. It is not yet clearly known how the third season will depict its story, […]

Everyone Is A Target In The Official Webseries Trailer For BLACK: SEASON TWO

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a couple of years since the journey began for filmmaker and series creator Frank T. Ziede to bring the new espionage military action series, Black to fruition as a sprawling military epic filled with thrills and intrigue following efforts via Kickstarter. Thankfully, the independently-funded action-packed show found an audience with the first season last year, and Ziede and the creators have now responded in kind with a second season to release sometime next year. Now enfused with a slightly larger budget and more resources, Black: Season 2 is adding more characters, more layers to its epic backdrop, and more high-impact drama and intense action. If that doesn’t draw your attention then perhaps the brand new trailer released this week will suit your needs. Starring 22-year veteran and former Navy SEAL, actor Mikal Vega (Transformers: Age Of Extinction, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Black centers on the leader of a special-ops […]

A New Threat Looms In The New Second Season Teaser For BLACK: THE SERIES

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker Frank T. Ziede had a stellar first run last year with season one of his independently-funded online action series, Black, starring 22-year veteran and former Navy SEAL, actor Mikal Vega (Transformers: Age Of Extinction, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) as the leader of a special-ops team created in response to a terrorist attack on American soil. Since then, the success of season one led to a season two greenlight with much more potential to present a story greater in depth, size and scale to up the ante, and thanks to another victorious fundraiser back in March, Ziede and his team plan to do just that. Of course, what this means is a threat greater than just a few rotten apples. That’s right. Our heroes will now be dealing with a horde of high-level mercenaries led by a criminal cyberterrorism organization aimed at targeting the world’s financial markets from within the U.S.. […]

Get Your Kicks In The Explosive New Trailer For SKIN TRADE!

Lee B. Golden III

If there’s anything specifically worth noting about actor and producer Dolph Lundgren‘s new action thriller, Skin Trade, much of it lies in its etymology. The film is well over seven years in the making, having mainly begun as the first step into a more personal journey for the veteran action hero upon doing his own research on the disturbing reality of human trafficking. As such, while Skin Trade certainly is not the first film to utilize this particular type of story setup in serving its purpose like many action movies in history, there has always been a much larger agenda at hand. At any rate though, as we now move into 2015 for the film’s hopeful release, Beautiful Boxer helmer Ekachai Uekrongtham‘s latest foray into storytelling now welcomes willing observers with a full trailer for Lundgren‘s latest labor of love which promises plenty of stylish action entertainment to equal in […]

Watch The Explosive New Teaser Montage For SKIN TRADE

Lee B. Golden III

It has been known for a while that international action hero Tony Jaa would be collaborating a few times with blockbuster superstar Dolph Lundgren for a few major films as of last year, one of which includes the newest revenge thriller from director Ekachai Uekrongtham titled Skin Trade. And after just recently wrapping up principal photography, a sampler of film is now available in the form of an action packed montage which you can now view below courtesy of the official Facebook page for the film. Slated for a 2015 release, Jaa and Lundgren are joined by a stellar cast that includes Michael Jai White, Ron Perlman, Peter Weller, Celina Jade and Cary Tagawa. Watch the montage below and subscribe to the page for more info on the film as it enters post production. SYNOPSIS: A tough NY cop, Nick (Dolph Lundgren), runs afoul of the Russian mob engaged in […]

Fantasy Martial Arts Action Pits Ninjas Against Zombies In The New Trailer For NINJA APOCALYPSE

Lee B. Golden III

Digital and VFX film professional Lloyd Lee Barnett carries quite an extensive and impressive list of credits on TV shows and several notable blockbusters, including The Mummy Returns, Underworld: Evolution, Speed Racer and Avatar; It stretches longer of course, but now it appears Barnett is also applying his skillset to the business end of the director’s chair for his second directorial effort, Ninja Apocalypse. Not much is known about the film’s plot just yet, although based on the new trailer you can check out at the bottom of the page, it appears to have taken a few notes from 1979 classic,The Warriors, with a touch of heavy-hitting martial arts action and fantasy, and zombies! Because well …why not? The trailer looks exciting and pleasing enough for any martial arts cinema fan looking for something fun to watch, so hopefully we will learn more as 2014 rolls on with an official release […]

New Photos Kick Things Into Action On The Set Of SKIN TRADE!

Lee B. Golden III

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Post by Tony Jaa Official. The official Facebook pages of blockbuster action heroes Tony Jaa and Dolph Lundgren continue to share a steady slate of still photos of the upcoming international action thriller, Skin Trade. The photos come as the film is expected to wrap soon with months of additional post production prior to the film’s expected 2015 release. Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, Skin Trade is the latest pairing of Jaa and Lundgren in a story centered on a tough-as-nails detective whose journey to avenge his slain family leads him to Thailand, aided by a relentless detective to ultimately help put an end to a human trafficking ring. The film promises to deliver a fully-packaged quality action film equipped with a positive message, and […]