david leitch

A Case For Better Action Movies: JOHN WICK (2014)

SYNOPSIS: An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet-riddled playground, “John Wick” (Keanu Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the “assassin genre.” REVIEW: I particularly share the opinion that the folks over at stunt training facility 87 Eleven Action Design are dog lovers. And I’m drawn to this possibility in noticing a bit of a pattern having caught one of their most recent shortfilms, Fetch, directed by action veteran and and stuntman Daniel Bernhardt, which plays off quite nicely as one way of telling a story that can generally relate to people. I mean, you have to be pretty soulless to not at least hold a special place inside for canines; I’m a dog lover myself, biased and shameless so… sorry not sorry. Alas, we are brought into the world of former hitman […]

Catch New B-Roll Footage From The Set Of JOHN WICK!

Lee B. Golden III

Lionsgate is officially releasing their latest action blowout, John Wick, in 2D and IMAX theaters in two weeks, and several exclusive screenings are already pending or underway for lucky moviegoers in North America and Canada. The film has already gotten off to an amazing start with rave reviews spanning many film sites following its intial premiere at Fantastic Fest last month. Needless to say, it appears that actor Keanu Reeves and debut directing duo Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are having a pretty good season, as they are already continuing their collaborative efforts for Reeves‘ upcoming foray into TV. In the meantime, Apple consumers may still have time to catch the actor in New York City at Apple Store SoHo on Monday. Until then, you can now catch Reeves and co. in a brand new audioless B-Roll featurette, bringing you behind the scenes of all the action that awaits. Or, […]

JOHN WICK Gets An Official IMAX Release Announcement

Lee B. Golden III

Keanu Reeves is going to tear the underworld a new asshole in multiple shoe sizes next month when Summit/Lionsgate releases its newest crowdpleaser, John Wick to the masses, in 2D and IMAX. The film is already the recipient of tons of film festival accolades and fanfare with press galore, and early screenings still taking place. I wonder if more will happen for this film. Sequels anyone? For now, I say Aye! SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) Summit Entertainment label today announced the stylized assassin film John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® format and released in domestic IMAX® theatres starting Oct. 24. Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, both of whom worked with Reeves as stunt technicians on all three of The Matrix films, John Wick tells the story of a […]

A Third Poster And New Trailer Have Arrived For JOHN WICK!

Lee B. Golden III

Upon launching a new Reddit AMA on Tuesday, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch shared a new poster for the upcoming release of their debut action thriller, John Wick. The film is already picking up a ton of steam among the fans with stellar reviews online following its premiere at Fantastic Fest, and its trailer launch a few weeks ago. The film also has a few posters under its belt, and now we have a third piece of artwork with leading man of action Keanu Reeves getting making his…*ahem*… “point”, clear. Take a look: SYNOPSIS: An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet-riddled playground, JOHN WICK (Keanu Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the “assassin genre”. John Wick releases in theaters on October 24 from Lionsgate. Reeves is joined by Willem Dafoe, Adrianne […]

JOHN WICK Directors Line Fans Up For A Reddit AMA Next Tuesday

Lee B. Golden III

This month, the momentum couldn’t be any better for directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch following the Fantastic Fest premiere of the new hitman revenge thriller, John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves. A trailers is already out and about online with reviews that are nothing short of upworthy, and if you’re eager to learn more about the film, you’re in luck! Stahelski and Leitch will be holding a Reddit AMA on September 30 whereupon they will also release a second trailer for the film which hits theaters on October 24, 2014, courtesy of Lionsgate. Subscribe to the official John Wick Facebook page and stay tuned to all things John Wick in the weeks leading up to the film’s release. In the meantime, a new TV spot has gone viral this week, and you can check it out below.

A Killer Legend Returns In The New Trailer For JOHN WICK

Lee B. Golden III

There’s something to be said about stuntmen who become directors. Some results fare better than others, and there’s an up-tick in the trend nowadays, particularly in Hollywood where veteran stuntmen David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are daring to put their first foot forward with their newest debut, John Wick. From a script by Derek Kolstad, Keanu Reeves stars as the film’s title lead in a revenge-driven epic that sees him going back to the world he once left in order to seek his own brand of justice. The film is also one of Reeves latest maneuvers in the action genre, and one well-suited enough for him since Leitch and Stahelski are the ones who run things at Hollywood’s top stunt gym, 87 Eleven, the same company that collaborated with Yuen Woo-Ping and his team for The Matrix Trilogy (2000-2003) and Man Of Tai Chi (2013) to name a few. SYNOPSIS: […]

Keanu Reeves Teams With ‘John Wick’ Helmers For Action TV Series, RAIN

Lee B. Golden III

If you CLICK HERE, you will see a trailer for the 2009 hitman thriller, Rain Fall. It starred The Dark Knight Trilogy actor Gary Oldman with Shinobi: Heart Under Blade actor Kippei Shiina in the English-language action pic which Lionsgate picked up for release a few years after it was released in Japan in 2009, and now, the title is back in a new iteration set for television with leading action man, actor Keanu Reeves.Reeves, along with stunt auteurs and filmmakers David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, and author Barry Eisler have partnered up with LA-based Slingshot Global Media for the forthcoming production of the new action series, Rain. The show will be based on Eisler’s eponymous twelve-year running action espionage novel series character, John Rain, a military-trained half-Japanese/Caucasian hitman whose employ is based on three rules: No women or children, no assistance or outside help, and only principle targets […]

Film Of The Week: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)

Lee B. Golden III

SYNOPSIS: Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil and her cameraman Vern Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan. REVIEW: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was my first big screen experience following director Steve Barron’s 1990 classic. While it does fall short of the expectations most people evidently had for the film, the film does have some really great highs to make up for some of its lows. The story re-observes the origins of where the turtles and lab-rat-turned-life-sized ninjitsu master, Splinter, came from. This point of origin, in conjunction with the “Legend Of The Yokai” (see tags […]

Veteran Action Directors To Helm Reeves’ Next, JOHN WICK

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and first time director Keanu Reeves has a few new films coming out this year, which include the upcoming Japanese samurai epic, 47 Ronin, and his cinematic martial arts directorial debut, Man Of Tai Chi. With these in mind, action continues to be consistent theme in Reeves’ career as he is now slated to star in an upcoming hitman thriller from producer Basil Iwanyk of Thunder Road titled, John Wick, based on a screenplay by Derek Kolstad. According to details reported at Screendaily, the film will headline a story about a former hitman who is driven back to his killer instincts when a thug steals his 1969 Ford Mustang, killing his dog in the process.The action heats up when he tracks the thug to New York City, only to become the target of a his father, a major crime boss. The film is setting up to look like a […]

Will Arnett Gets A Mystery Role For NINJA TURTLES

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Will Arnett is the latest to join the cast of the Jonathan Liebesman directed film, Ninja Turtles, according to The Hollywood Reporter and several sources. Arnett’s role is also being kept super-secret, meaning the hype will continue to build as fans grow ever more curious about the nature of the production. The news comes not too long after the first five names of the characters have been listed. Actors Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Pete Plozek and Noel Fisher will each fill the roles of Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo and Michaelangelo, the four titular characters under the leadership of the life-sized rat, Master Splinter. Actress Megan Fox was the first name mentioned for the cast as the character, April O’Neil, through a slate of reports that drew enormous attention considering her previous history with the film’s producer, blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay. SYNOPSIS Aliens invade Earth and inadvertently spawn a quartet of […]