filmcombatsyndicate.com

LOKI: See Everyone’s Favorite Trickster in the Trailer

They say (and by “they” I mean the people who create all those memes passed around on social media) that when you are a child, you identify with the superheroes, but when you are an adult, you begin to understand the villains. While I cannot fully agree with this because even growing up there were villains I could empathize with, I do think there may be some truth to it since some villains are just so likable! A good example of this is Loki. Hear me out. If you have siblings, you all know that even though parents are not supposed to have favorites, they often treat their children differently. Loki was treated differently. How could you not rebel when growing up in anyone’s shadow, but especially Thor’s? Loki is a trickster and while he may go too far, was he ever really taught otherwise? Yes, he played a part […]

THE TOMORROW WAR: Chris Pratt’s Sci-Fi Thriller Lands A Summer Release Date On Amazon Prime

Lee B. Golden III

After a contentious bid back in January before acquiring Chris McKay’s The Tomorrow War, Amazon Studios has officially closed its deal for the Chris Pratt-led sci-fi and launch exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories on July 2, 2021. In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of […]

WITHOUT REMORSE: Catch The Explosive Final Trailer For The New Michael B. Jordan Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

If you thought the first trailer for Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse hit the spot, I think the final trailer which debuted on Tuesday just about smashes it. The film, spinning off a character favorite from the late author’s famed espionage universe and featuring Michael B. Jordan in the title role, is set to release beginning April 30, 2021 on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories. An elite Navy SEAL uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, the explosive origin story of action hero John Clark – one of the most popular characters in author Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe. When a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation for his role in a top-secret op, Sr. Chief John Kelly (Michael B. Jordan) pursues the assassins at all costs. Joining forces with a fellow SEAL […]

THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD: The Heat Is On In The Official Trailer For Taylor Sheridan’s Searing New Crime Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

If there’s anything you can take away from the last five years or so when it comes to Taylor Sheridan, it’s that there’s a reason he’s gotten to work with directors like David Mackenzie and Denis Villeneuve. Sheridan’s potential bodes with nothing short of kept promise that can only be sampled in his work, including Sheridan’s own 2017 debut, Wind River, a compelling and brutal view into the reservation which saw an FBI agent and a wildlife officer on the hunt for an elusive killer. That film purely thrusts you into an intense and thrilling neo-noir on the western frontier with chilling and violent results, and serves as a high mark for a first time director who’s also just as good on-screen as he is off, in addition to his recent television credits on Yellowstone. His momentum continues this year following suit with screenwriting credits for upcoming Amazon release, Tom […]

AMERICAN FIGHTER Knuckles Up A May Release From Lionsgate

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmaker Shaun Paul Piccinino (The Lackey) was one of the earlier prospects I’d become familiar with since the dawn of this website over at Blogger, and so it feels absolutely rewarding to be discussing his latest feature film at Lionsgate, American Fighter. The film had its debut at Fantasia International Film Festival in 2019 when I was able to acquire a virtual screening of it to review. Needless to say, I dug it, and having since made headway with its releases, including via Signature in the UK, it’s now in Lionsgate’s hands this week with plans to roll the film out in select theaters and wherever movies can be rented beginning May 21, before releasing on Blu-ray and DVD May 25. The move here on Lionsgate’s part also signals the studio’s favor with actor Sean Patrick Flanery whose empassioned mixed-martial arts sport drama, Born A Champion, also released under the […]

DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Well Go USA Delivers Hong Won-Chan’s Hit Korean Action Thriller On Blu-Ray, DVD And Digital In May

Lee B. Golden III

The latest round of Asian-centric action and crime thrills coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on May 25 from Well Go USA now hands us the official trailer for Deliver Us From Evil. The film reunites New World actors Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing; The Spy Gone North) and Lee Jung-jae (Tazza: One-Eyed Jack; The Face Reader; Along With the Gods franchise), and also stars Park Jeong-min (Svaha: The Sixth Finger), Park Soi a.k.a. Park Myung-hoon (Parasite) and Choi Moon a.k.a. Choi Hee-seo (Anarchist from Colony; Okja). After the shocking kidnapping of a little girl in Thailand, a mercenary with a murky past as a government black ops agent (Hwang) is forced to re-emerge from the shadows when he learns the incident is closely connected to him. With the help of expat Yui (Park), he flies to Thailand and begins tracking the girl’s whereabouts, moving ever closer to the notorious child trafficking ring responsible for her […]

YAKUZA PRINCESS Cuts In A Late 2021 U.S. Release From Magnet Releasing

Lee B. Golden III

Magnolia Pictures’ Magnet Releasing will rollout Motorrad helmer Vicente Amorim’s Yakuza Princess later this year. Magnolia EVP Dori Begley and Magnolia SVP of Acquisitions John Von Thaden negotiated the deal with Pip Ngo from XYZ Films who acquired international sales rights on the action thriller back in February. Twenty-one-year-old orphan Akemi learns she is the heiress to half of the Yakuza empire, and that the other half wants her dead. Her survival is dependent on a foreigner who suffers from amnesia, who believes that an ancient sword ties their two fates together. Yakuza Princess is based on Danilo Beyruth’s graphic novel “Samurai Shiro”, and stars newcomer, Japanese-American actress and singer Masumi in the title role. She stars along with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara and Kenny Leu, from a script co-penned with Fernando Toste, Kimi Lee and Tubaldini Shelling, the latter who is producing the film next to Andre Skaf, Filmland […]

Moviemaking Can Be A Harsh ‘Mistress’ For Director C.J. Julianus

Lee B. Golden III

For debut filmmaker C.J. Julianus, the word “interesting” would be an understatement describing the effort it took to sell his new independent crime comedy, The Misadventures Of Mistress Maneater. The film, which stars Lorrisa Julianus in the title role alongside Mickey O’Sullivan and Shannon Brown, was released for a limited time last Fall on Amazon Prime and Vimeo-On-Demand, and is now stationed at Indie Rights for distribution, and released as of last week on Friday, April 2. The acquisition marks the latest update for the humble production from the Julianus’ shared Binary Star Pictures banner. Lead actress Julianus put in more than her own weight on the production on top of starring in the film from her own script, painting an acrylic replica written as a long-lost, priceless 17th century Baroque style oil painting. The painting becomes crucial as the film’s plot unfolds – about a dominatrix who stumble upon […]

THE FABLE: A CONTRACT KILLER WHO DOESN’T KILL Gets Its Groove Back In The Newest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

It’s right about that time for Shochiku to help turn the lights back on for its theatrical release plans this year, namely for long-awaited action comedy sequel, The Fable: A Contract Killer Who Doesn’t Kill. A June 18 release is now in tow as of early last month following a delay of its planned February release due to the ongoing pandemic. That the good folks over at Shochiku are moving along is a positive sign that things are progressing, and for this, the Kan Eguchi-directed live-action manga follow-up won’t be the only Junichi Okada starrer rolling out this year for the actor. Reprising her role as Yoko from the 2019 inaugural is Fumino Kimura, next to Okada’s titular portrayal of Akira – a known legend in the underworld as an elusive and deadly assassin, then forced into hiding by his employer and advised never to kill. The sequel sees Akira […]

ONE CUT OF THE DEAD+ONE CUT OF THE DEAD: IN HOLLYWOOD Limited Blu-Ray Sets Coming In May From Third Window Films

Lee B. Golden III

Third Window Films is touting a limited edition release of one of its most-prized titles of its catalogue, One Cut Of The Dead. A sleeper hit at home with increasing support in the months and years that followed, director Shinichiro Ueda’s one-take comedic horror delight now comes aptly packaged with its 57-minute follow-up, One Cut Of The Dead: Hollywood Edition. The UK distro outlet will have 2000 units on hand, boasting several hours of content with bonus features, and it all goes down May 31. Peep the specs below: ONE CUT OF THE DEAD opens in a run-down, abandoned warehouse where a film crew are making a zombie film. Yet this is no ordinary warehouse. It’s been said that it’s the site of military experiments on human. From nowhere, real zombies arrive & terrorize the crew!This may sound like a the plot of a clichéd zombie film, but One Cut of […]

OPERATION KUNG FLU Trailer: Maria Tran Takes Racism To Task In The New Action Comedy Short From Phoenix Eye

Lee B. Golden III

Taking a page from her own Tiger Cop fanfare, 80s Hong Kong nostalgia reigns supreme once more for filmmaker and actress Maria Tran in the official trailer for action comedy, Operation Kung Flu. The short is headed for an online release this month, marking the latest step for Tran and her devoted independent film crew who are more than steadfast and ready to place their stake in fighting back against the kinds of violent and racist reprisals against Asian communites around the world in the past year. Operation Kung Flu hails from Tran’s independent film production banner, Phoenix Eye Entertainment, in association with Diversity Arts Australia’s program “I Am Not A Virus”. The project was shot on a shoestring budget over two days involving sixty cast and crew members, marking a sheer collaborative volunteer effort of Western Sydney filmmakers and creatives to speak out on this topical issue during this […]

BLUE IGUANA: Iggy Pop Joins Crime Comedy Starring Bob Saget And Joel David Moore

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and punk-rock icon Iggy Pop (Coffee and Cigarettes, Universal Pictures Cry-Baby, The Crow: City Of Angels) has joined the cast of the dark comedy Blue Iguana, currently filming in the Cayman Islands under the newly announced three-picture production deal between Productivity Media and Darius Films. Jeremy LaLonde (James vs. His Future Self, Sex After Kids) is directing the film from a script by Matthew Dressel (YouTube’s “The Pilot is Dead”) and stars Joel David Moore (James Cameron’s Avatar), Bob Saget (“Full House,” “Fuller House”), Jason Jones (TBS comedy series “The Detour,” HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant”), Carly Chaikin (“Mr. Robot”), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love, Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Little Miss Sunshine, and TV’s “24”). In Blue Iguana, Iggy Pop will play Edward, the wealthy patriarch whose death kicks off a chain of unfortunate events after Daniel Powell’s plan to reconnect with his siblings hits a […]

News Briefs: Trailers For SHADOW AND BONE & STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH, Woo’s MONKEY MASTER, KOMBAT Begins A Week Later, Berry Joins OUR MAN IN JERSEY, THUNDERCATS Roar For Wingard

Lee B. Golden III

● The official series trailer is out for Netflix’s Shadow And Bone, created by Eric Heisserer and based on the Fantasy novel franchise from author Leigh Bardugo. Set to premiere on April 23, the series is set in the Grishaverse novels, and centers on Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a lowly soldier and orphan who awakens an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free from the monstrous threat of the Shadow Fold. ● New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures have since scaled back the release of Mortal Kombat, moving it to April 23. Simon McQuoid makes his feature directing debut from a script by Greg Russo, and stars Lewis Tan as a washed-up MMA fighter thrust into an epic death tournament that will decide not only the fate of the realms, but his own destiny in the wake of a longstanding rivalry between ninja […]

GODZILLA VS. KONG Review: The Two Legendary Kaiju Finally Come To Blows

Matthew Essary

Before any big title fight, there is anticipation in the air; crowds buzzing with excitement, gamblers rapidly placing bets as the odds shift back and forth, and analysts debating the merits and flaws of both combatants. It’s one of the joys of combat sports – the buildup. The hype. It’s a feeling that films don’t quite capture. Sure, there is intense excitement before a new blockbuster debuts but it doesn’t have the same gleeful banter between opposing fans, the heated debate over who will emerge as the winner, and the chest-thumping tribalism of rooting on a favorite fighter. Hollywood has tried to capture this feeling before in the buildup to other “versus” films, where different franchise mainstays squared off against one another, but it never really captured the vibe of actual anticipation for a big fight. With Godzilla VS. Kong, however, the hype has been there. Whether it’s due to […]

‘Exiled: The Chosen Ones’ Director Revamps Crime Thriller, BERZERKER, Filming In June [EXCLUSIVE]

Lee B. Golden III

The past fifteen months have seen misses rather than hits for director Ranjeet S. Marwa, who’s ambitious plans for crowdfunded action thriller, Blood Rush, came to a screeching halt as the Coronavirus pandemic took center stage in the UK as it did the rest of the globe. Many productions forced to stop midway or shelved altogether, although many filmmakers and industry stalwarts instead chose to work around the current pandemic to keep the biz afloat on the market and distribution fronts, with at least some ongoing productions relegated to safety protocols to avoid scrutiny. Marwa, based in Birmingham, had met up with two cast members upon visiting Jakarta last year prior to virtually shooting independent mini-doc, Covid-19: The Impact On Asian Cinema to make use of his time during the U.K. lockdown. In the time thereafter, he chose to put his focus into the virtual markets to pitch his projects, […]

WRATH OF MAN: Jason Statham Unleashes It All In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been two years since Jason Statham thrilled us with high-seas fracas in The Meg and the boorish and macho shenaniganry alongside The Rock that was Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Now he’s back and in full-‘Stath’ regalia, having since rejoined director Guy Ritchie for the first of two films together, and thus, we now have a look at what’s in store for Ritchie’s Le Convoyeur revisal, Wrath Of Man apart from last week’s poster reveal. A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score. It’s good to see Stath back in action. The past year has seen a few revists of […]

ASSAULT ON VA-33 Review: In Yet Another Generic, Formulaic, Pedestrian ‘Die Hard’ Facsimile, Sean Patrick Flanery Powers Through

Lee B. Golden III

With Christopher Olen Ray’s new movie, Assault On VA-33, you can pretty much stack this one as another thriller in line with the rest of all the other potboiler ‘Die Hard’ carbon copies you’ve probably seen by now, if you’re an avid viewer of action films and you live for the kind of star power that films like this one headline. The film isn’t without its redeeming qualities, though apart from the admiration of watching action genre faves like Mark Dacascos and Michael Jai White, really, the plusses here all mainly boil down to the overall performances, led by Sean Patrick Flanery, who I can’t shut up enough about after seeing him in recent films such as American Fighter and Born A Champion. Flanery plays Jake Hill, a PTSD survivor whose wife, Jennifer (Gina Holden), counsels at the local VA hospital in upstate New York where he’s beginning to attend. […]

THE EIGHT HUNDRED Review: The Heroic Deed that Smashed the Box Office

Mike Garcia

Set in 1937, this huge chinese blockbuster that smashed the box office in 2020 becoming the highest grossing film worldwide, follows the heroic deed of a group of 800 Chinese soldiers, who resisted the Japanese aggresion in sanghai, defending the Sihang warehouses, carrying over their shoulders the hope of a nation and the dignity of their people, having as ultimate goal, survival as the last win. Director Guan Hu captures onto the screen the harshness and ugliness of war through breathless action sequences, in which we follow the choral cast across a rain of shrapnel and bullets, in a battlefield where death approaches in every corner, giving us an intimate look to those men who bravely risked their lives for their nation, whom actually were just a bunch of young men and boys who their only wish was that hell to end as soon as possible and return home with […]

AJKICK101 MatChats With Martial Artist And Stunt Performer Ayesha Hussain

Lee B. Golden III

I caught up on Friday with the official YouTube channel where actress, stunt performer and martial artist Angela Jordan took to her platform to acquaint viewers with fellow colleague, Ayesha Hussain. She’s a newcomer in entertainment, albeit experienced in her trade in martial arts and weapons performance, and the two spend close to a solid 38 minutes discussing the martial arts in sport, practice and philosphy, Ms. Hussain’s background, issues pertaining to sexism and gender equity, and much more. It’s a lively watch, and a fitting contribution to an online community where even action stars like Vidyut Jammwal and Scott Adkins are chatting it up with other action stars. Check it out above and sub to all things @AJKick101 by clicking here!

THE SUICIDE SQUAD Gets A Killer Red-Band Trailer Rife With Violence & Gore, Dick Jokes, Harley Quinn-isms And More!

Lee B. Golden III

With Zack Snyder’s Justice League soon to be months behind us as Warner Bros. Pictures outwardly shuns its director’s highly superior four-hour epic from the studio’s more ideal canon, time will tell how the forthcoming slate of live-action DC movies will manage to validate its DCEU on the big screen for fans going forward. We’ll soon see how that bodes for filmmaker James Gunn in lieu of the August 6 release date for The Suicide Squad, hereby succeeding David Ayer’s own incarnation with a newly polished approach to the property that launched in 1959 and revised plentily over the years, and now carrying the torch for a studio now patently lagging in its heretofore attempt at rivaling Marvel. Folks will get to check out the film in theaters, as well as HBO Max for subscribers for up to 31 days at no extra charge. Alas, the official red-band trailer, as […]