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OBI-WAN KENOBI Walks The Path In The First Teaser Poster Ahead Of May Launch

Disney/Lucasfilm are announcing a May 25 premiere for Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest in line of programming for the Star Wars brand as the companies continue plotting future film and television endeavors. The show was firstly announced back in 2018 as a feature film prior to the studio switching gears a year later, thus announcing plans for a show at D23 that year. We also have a brand new poster which you can view below teasing actor Ewan McGregor who makes his highly-anticipated return to the Jedi protagonist he reprised in place of the late Alec Guiness (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope), portraying the character in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Check it out below and read on for story and further cast details just beneath! One of the greatest Jedi ever is back for a new mission. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new […]

57 SECONDS Lines Up Freeman, Hutcherson For Action Sci-Fi Shoot This Spring

Lee B. Golden III

Highland Film Group is off to the races for the upcoming European Film Market with their slate this year, including action sci-fi thriller 57 Seconds starring Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) and Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games movies). Cameras are set to roll this April in Lousiana for Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood, “Chappelle’s Show”) who is directing from a script by Macon Blair (Netflix’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), who adapted the pic based on the acclaimed story by British author E.C. Tubbs. Hutcherson stars as Franklin Fausti, a tech blogger Franklin Fausti who lands a career-defining interview with the visionary technology guru Anton Burrell (Freeman). After thwarting an attack against the celebrated technophile, Franklin picks up a mysterious ring that Burrell has dropped and soon discovers the ring allows its possessor to travel 57 seconds into the past. Driven by revenge and with Burrell’s support, Franklin […]

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FIRESTARTER Trailer Engulfs The Internet With A Look At Keith Thomas’ Reboot

Lee B. Golden III

Sometimes I forget what films are in remake mode so I was delightfully surprised to see how well the newest pitch from Universal Pictures delivers with Keith Thomas own take on Firestarter, from a script by Scott Teems. I can only imagine what some early bird naysayers may espouse until the film releases and we can all have an informed conversation, but I think many of us at least can agree the newest incarnation of The Invisible Man was kind of a banger, and with that film’s producers on board here, we might he in for something cool. In a new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic thriller from the producers of The Invisible Man, a girl with extraordinary pyrokinetic powers fights to protect her family and herself from sinister forces that seek to capture and control her. For more than a decade, parents Andy (Zac Efron; Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil […]

THE SPINE OF NIGHT: AMC’s Shudder Launches Celebrated Animated Horror Thriller Next Month

Lee B. Golden III

Our own Matthew Essary had the pleasure of interviewing writer/director duo, animator Morgan Galen King and screenwriter Philip Gelatt, ahead of the release of their most recent and celebrated festival fanfare, The Spine Of Night, just late last year. On that note, you’re welcome to check out the write-ups here, and it’s totally worth a read if you’re intrigued by animation and different styles of art and execution. It’s a work now heralded and readying its new home via AMC Networks’ premium horror/thriller streaming service, Shudder, beginning March 24, with availability in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The streamer is also launching its green band trailer which you can view here, but we’re going with the red-band embed atop the page as always because…well, it’s damn cool. In The Spine of Night, an ultra-violent fantasy epic, ancient dark magic falls into sinister hands and unleashes […]

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THE LONG NIGHT Review

Christina Ortega

Families can be so complicated, but the complexities of the relationships and the drama make for great storylines in books and movies. In The Long Night, Grace (Scout Taylor-Compton) has never known her biological parents and is desperate for information. So desperate that we great a solid scary movie out of her family drama! Grace has been in contact with someone who lets her and her boyfriend (Nolan Gerard Funk) use his isolated home while she is searching for her family. On the way there they have the obligatory awkward and somewhat sinister interaction with a local gas attention attendant and once they arrive at the home, their host is nowhere to be found. More weird things happen so that the boyfriend wants to leave, but Grace is so adamant about finding her family and understanding her roots that she refuses. The Long Night then continues as they are tormented […]

Final Girls Berlin 2022 Review: WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR

Christina Ortega

I have a weird quirk that I need to share (I have several, but I’m only sharing this one): I don’t like to watch videos on social media. I am not into TikTok nor do I follow people on YouTube. If I click on an article on Facebook and a video starts playing, I immediately close it; I read quickly and would much rather read and ingest the information faster than the video is serving it. So why am I sharing this? Because we here at Film Combat Syndicate are currently covering the Final Girls Berlin Film Festival and I just watched We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and because of the above quirk, this movie was not for me. It was not a bad movie, but I was not the intended audience for this film. So what’s the movie about? I was excited to view this film because […]

RESET 开端 Review: The Most Mind-Blowing Show that You Don´t Know About

Mike Garcia

Since its first emission on Tencent video, this short drama has became trend in Chinese social networks, being praised and loved by most of the viewers, that have been enchanted into this endless loop of tension and human stories that delivers one of the most memorable dramas in recent years. 15 episodes that revolves around two characters, game designer Xiao Heyun (Bai Jingting) and college student Li Shiqing (Zhao Jinmai), two strangers who meet by chance being stuck in the same day repeatedly, where they become victims of a bus explosion. Together, they will use the loop to team-up and try to break the cycle. Based on a novel of the same name, written by Qi Dao Jun, this is a very intelligent Sci-Fi Thriller that hides underneath a human drama about lost and grief, supported by a clever script, good production values, and terrific performances by the whole […]

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RESTLESS: Franck Gastambide’s Day Gets Harder In The Official Trailer For Régis Blondeau’s Remake Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

A cinematographer for thirty years in addition to serving other roles on sets behind the scenes, leave it to Régis Blondeau to set the tone for his inaugural feature debut this week as the official trailer launches for crime thriller, Restless, starring Franck Gastambide (Taxi 5, Rabid Dogs) and Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale, Playground). After going to extremes to cover up an accident, a corrupt cop’s life spirals out of control when he starts receiving threats from a mysterious witness. As a noted remake of Kim Sung-hoon’s thrilling crime pic, A Hard Day, I’m eager to see how this picks up. I haven’t gotten around to checking out how Lien Yi-chi’s Aaron Kwok starrer, Peace Breaker, fares in comparison, and eventually I will, but I love that I get to go into Blondeau’s take here with some background to analyze and endulge with. I also recommend seeing A Hard Day […]

THE RONINS: Check Out The Latest Trailer For Toshi Asaka’s Award-Winning Indie Samurai Drama

Lee B. Golden III

When Toshi Asaka isn’t teaching the ways of Meishinryu Aiki-Jujutsu at his school in the city of Yokohama, he’s making movies. The actor and martial artist, and Yokohama Film Club founder has plied his trade across the world, in part pursuant of a career in film that has since seen him at the helm to start, with 2017 short thriller, Blackout, and the award-winning 2018 samurai drama, Kaishaku: The Honor Of The Samurai. Several independent features later, Asaka has since returned in the last few years with his latest effort, The Ronins, an ultra-low budget samurai feature that just came out of the Bright International Film Festival with a win for Best Narrative Feature. Several trailers are already online but the latest one is available for you to check out atop the page. The Ronin is a free Samurai who only follows his own faith. The faith that pursue the […]

Director Paul Solet On His New Movie CLEAN

Matthew Essary

Paul Solet is a filmmaker who has been making strides in the movie industry for over a decade. Coming onto the scene with the brutal and unique zombie film GRACE. He went on to solidify his name as a creator to keep eye on with work as one of the main writers on the space exploration series MARS for National Geographic as well as continuing to spearhead his own film projects like the true-crime documentary TREAD, about a fortified bulldozer that wreaks havoc on a small town, and the thriller BULLET HEAD, featuring Antonio Banderas, John Malkovich, and Adrien Brody as three criminals trapped in a warehouse with a seemingly unstoppable guard dog. Solet recently reunited with his BULLET HEAD lead, and Academy Award-winning actor, Adrien Brody for a project that is very personal to the pair- a gritty action yarn titled CLEAN. Here is the film’s official synopsis: […]

MUZZLE: Aaron Eckhart Stars In New HFG Crime Thriller Launching At Upcoming EFM

Lee B. Golden III

Aaron Eckhart will star in Muzzle, the new thriller from director/producer John Stalberg Jr. (Lionsgate’s Crypto). The film is set to shoot in July from a script by Carlyle Eubank (Focus Features’ The Signal), and storied by Eubank and Stalberg Jr., with co-financing by Los Angeles-based sales company Highland Film Group who are also handling worldwide rights at the upcoming European Film Market. Muzzle centers on LAPD K-9 officer Jake Rosser (Eckhart), who has just witnessed the shocking murder of his dedicated partner by a mysterious assailant. As he investigates the shooter’s identity, he uncovers a vast conspiracy that has a chokehold on the city in this thrilling journey through the tangled streets of Los Angeles and the corrupt bureaucracy of the LAPD. “I feel lucky to work with such an immensely talented actor to bring this timely, thrilling story to life,” commented Stalberg, Jr. “I’ve never seen Aaron Eckhart strike a false […]

SIFU: Get A Kung Fu Blast Out Of The New Live-Action Short Now Online

Lee B. Golden III

Etch the name Christopher Clark Cowan in your notes going forward. Cowan is as hands-on as any aspiring film professional I’ve covered on here and his work is proof of it, ranging from ambitious independent short projects like Clandestine and the My Hero Academia-inspired UA:LA, as well as that ONE viral video (you know the one), to working in the fields of stunts and action, and cinematography for several of today’s biggest studio titles for DC, Marvel and Disney/Lucasfilm. This week, Cowan plies his trade once more for a brand new shortfilm to promote upcoming martial arts videogame, Sifu, which arrives for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC from February 8. Showcasing actor and stunt performer Alvin Hsing (The Mandalorian, Mulan, Unlucky Stars) in the title role, Sifu centers on a martial artist’s quest for vengeance, with the help of a magical talisman that revives him whenever he’s fatally […]

Netflix Adaption of ONE PIECE Has Begun Filming!

Edward Orndorff

There has been a lot of talk surrounding the upcoming adaption of Eiichiro Oda’s worldwide smash hit One Piece by Netflix. Fresh in the minds of many is the narrative surrounding previous Netflix attempts at adaption, including the recent Cowboy Bebop (you never gave it a chance, internet, and you know it) and Death Note (this one I get a bit more), so to say there is some skepticism is putting it mildly. Check any Twitter thread on the show and you’ll find quite the blend of thoughts being expressed. However, to say that this cast and crew are not excited or dedicated would be an error of the highest order. Recently, it’s been confirmed that filming has begun, with the Netflix Geeked Twitter account recently sharing some photos of some of our Straw Hat Crew! Among the photos we find Emily Rudd (Fear Street), our Nami. We’re also treated to a behind the scenes look […]

CAIN AND ABEL: Kani Releasing Sets North American Release For Late Director Lino Brock’s 1982 Dramatic Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Eleven years since the launch of the ABS-CBN Restoration Project, the journey now continues with Kani Releasing lending a foothold in North America with a planned Blu-Ray release of late filmmaker Lino Brocka’s own 1982 take on the classic biblical tale, Cain And Abel. The announcement has been making the rounds since late last year and invites disc collectors to check out what’s in store with a fresh new trailer and a look at assets as well, including new artwork by Tony Stella all which you can view at the bottom of the page. Firstborn Lorens (Phillip Salvador) toils the land by buffalo while Ellis (Christopher de Leon), the apple of his mother’s eye, is given a university education in Manila. When the latter returns to the family’s hacienda with a metropolitan fiancée in tow (Carmi Martin), the domineering Señora Pina (Mona Lisa) immediately disapproves. Looking to reassert her influence, […]

DEN OF THIEVES Sequel Casts Up, Plots Spring Production Start

Lee B. Golden III

Some of the best news this month is coming right out of the European Film Market where deals are being made and casting is underway for numerous projects, developing or otherwise – namely the long awaited Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera, the long-awiated sequel to the inaugural hit 2018 heist thriller which starred Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. The sequel was greeinlit a month after the film’s release with an official title etched in the following year. Christian Gudegast is returning to direct the sequel from his own script, with Deadline‘s Andreas Wiseman reporting the return of Jackson Jr. to his role from the first film opposite Butler, and confirming the return of actress Meadow Williams along with the addition of actor Swen Temmel (After), with Jackson also returning this time to produce. The plan is to commence principal photography late Spring in […]

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DOUBLE CROSS: TKO Productions Debuts With Indie Action Thriller Shoot In February

Lee B. Golden III

The official social media pages for burgeoning Virginia-based TKO Productions are already running with updates on indie action thriller, Double Cross, from actor/producer Braden D. White. The film marks the official launchpad for White’s production banner with cameras set to roll later next month. David H. Ferguson is directing from a script by White which centers on Scott (White) and Richard Douglas (Ezra Douglas), trained as assassins after their father is murdered. Almost twenty years later, the two brothers find themselves in a conflict of interest when a new employer makes his entry in an attempt to break up the team. The production is boasting a cast largely comprised of martial arts talent with White, who himself is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Te-Ashi-Ryu Jujutsu/Shotokan Karate; Ezra Johnson, a Kickboxing Black Belt under Bill “Superfoot” Wallace and Gracie Jiu-jitsu Blue belt; Ethic Dejaun as Dominic, a 3x World Martial […]

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: Leatherface Returns to Torture Today’s Teens

Christina Ortega

I once took a road trip and drove for several hours out of my way to visit both homes that were seen in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. True story. My travel companion was not amused (they are not a horror fan), but I was driving so I ignored their protests. What can I do? I’m a TCM fan. But I did not realize that Netflix was making a new movie until I saw the trailer today. Here’s the link to trailer. Watch it then watch it again while reading my running commentary: We start with a car accident then a woman in the car after an accident since she looks pretty rough. Then we go out into a field and … peek-a-boo, I see you! Leatherface is baaack (yes, that was an imitation of the sing song voice). 30 seconds in: now we see a group of maybe friends […]

NEW KUNG FU CULT MASTER Reimagines Louis Cha’s Wuxia Classic In Newest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Already making the rounds is the latest trailer for New Kung Fu Cult Master, the first of two back-to-back installments re-adapting the Jin Yong classic novel from directing duo Wong Jing and Keung Kwok-Man. This one comes subtitled by way of Shaw Theatres who’ve just released the film a few days ago in Singapore. For decades, all forces in the martial world had been fighting for two legendary weapons, the Dragon Saber and the Heavenly Sword. Xie Xun, the “Golden Lion King” of the Ming Sect, had made countless enemies in seizing the Dragon Saber. His god-brother Cuishan (Louis Koo) was coerced by the Six Major Sects to expose Xie Xun’s location and ends up dying under Emei Sect Master No-mercy’s Heavenly Sword… The latest installment rejoins Jing with familiar territory nearly 30 years after directing Jet Li and Chingmy Yau starrer, Kung Fu Cult Master in 1993. The new […]

THE LONG NIGHT: A Treacherous Trek Through Darkness Within In The Official Trailer

Christina Ortega

The Long Night, directed by Rich Ragsdale, is an upcoming cult horror thriller by Well Go USA. The trailer starts simply enough with two characters making what looks like a wellness check on someone who … is not there! Cue dramatic music. So, any normal person may be asking, why don’t they just leave before anything spooky can happen? The boyfriend asks Grace to leave, but she says that she cannot leave and even admits to not understanding why. But it wouldn’t be much of a story if they did leave, would it? So they stay and some intense possibly supernatural definitely cult spook things start to go down. Oh, and apparently there is some kind of prophecy involved, too. Here is the trailer so you can see for yourself: I put this one on my to-watch list. I like the idea of watching people in a seemingly isolated place […]

THE LONG WALK: Creepy Kids, Ghosts, and Time Travel in the Official Trailer

Christina Ortega

Now, you know me and you know I love my scary movies and I know I say I’m excited to see a lot of films, but this is so true for The Long Walk, which is Lao-based director Mattie Do’s third feature film. Why? Let’s watch the trailer together and I’ll break it down for you: Okay, so right off the bat I know this film has a chance of actually scaring me (have I mentioned I’ve only ever been scared of like two films?). Horror films do not normally scare me, but this one opens with a kid and if you’re a fan of the genre you know that kids in horror films are creepy and are about to bring about some messed up things. So, when the kid says at ten seconds in that he is going to take me to see something I’m thinking I need to […]