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THE DIVINE FURY: Win A Copy Of The New Supernatural Thriller From Well Go USA

Lee B. Golden III

One of the best experiences this summer was getting to see director Jason Kim’s supernatural action thriller, The Divine Fury, as part of this year’s 23rd Fantasia line-up. The film is now gearing up for a homeward bound release on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital beginning November 19, and we are proudly giving away a three copies to fans. The action-packed mystery stars The Chornicles Of Evil and Midnight Runners actor Park Seo-jun with Arahan actor Ahn Sung-ki and Master co-star Woo Do-hwan for the story of an MMA champion fighter whose acclimation to demonic afflictions draws him into the throes of a priest fighting an all-out exorcism war with one of Satan’s minions. Also featured are special appearances by Choi Woo-shik (Train to Busan) and Kim Si-eun (The Beauty Inside), and with stunt and fight sequences by Park Young-Sik Park and Lim Wang-Sup. My own review can be read here […]

LET IT SNOW: Arclight Takes New Snowboarding Thriller To AFM

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Ivanna Sakhno (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Pacific Rim: Uprising) is readyimg to star in the new thriller, Let It Snow. World sales agent Arclight Films has boarded the flick for the American Film Market this week with Alex Hafner (Submergence, The Councellor), and Tinatin Dalakishvili (Abigail) also starring. Stanislav Kapralov makes his feature film directorial debut from a script he wrote with Omri Rose. Let It Snow centers on Mia, a free-riding snowboarder who is separated from her fiancé after sneaking onto a restricted slope. She must not only survive against nature, but also a masked snowmobile rider in black who’s out for her blood. Solar Media’s Serge Lavrenyuk is producing, with FishCorb Film’s Yan Fisher and Roger Corbi (Papillon) exec producing. “Stanislav has created a standout thriller that is beautifully shot, with superb performances, and edge-of-your-seat suspense that will captivate audiences,” said Arclight chairman and CEO, Gary […]

5 GALAXIES: Check Out The Trailer For The Upcoming Sci-Fi Anthology From Uncork’d

Lee B. Golden III

Uncork’d has a new sci-fi anthology now forthcoming with 5 Galaxies making way to DVD and Digital beginning December 10. It’s boasting a bit of starpower here but also be sure to expect a nary known cast at the forefront of this new homebound piece of genre entertainment. An assemblage of futuristic, high concept stories about artificial intelligence, 5 Galaxies features Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, “Suits”) and Neil Jackson (“Sleepy Hollow”) in in a powerful profusion of science-fiction, featuring segments from such visionary filmmakers as Nelson Lee, Kristen Hilkert, Amir Reichart, Vitaly Verlov and Marc-Henri Boulier. Whether its love found in time of over-population or exploration of the unknown and space-travel, 5 Galaxies has a bit of something for every fan of the genre.

TADFF XIV: CONTRACTS, MUTANT BLAST, THE ODD FAMILY Among Winners Of The 14th Festival

Lee B. Golden III

Toronto After Dark Film Festival made its announcement this weekend after the closure of its 14th annual installment. Among the winning recipients from the 5000+ votes from attendees and fans are Lee Min-jae’s zombie comedy, The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale, in addition to Alex Chung’s tenaciously-produced independent action endeavor, Contracts, crowdfunded sci-fi oddysey, Blood Machines, and Fernando Alle’s Bucheon fave, Mutant Blast. Check out the roster below and stay tuned for more updates! THE MORTUARY COLLECTION, the creepy new horror anthology directed Ryan Spindell took Top Prize, the Audience Choice Award for BEST FEATURE FILM GOLD plus three other Specialty Awards including BEST HORROR FILM. BEST FEATURE FILM SILVER went to THE ODD FAMILY: ZOMBIE ON SALE, Lee Min-jae’s zombie comedy which also took home BEST ENSEMBLE CAST. Time travel comedy JAMES VS HIS FUTURE SELF, directed by Jeremy LaLonde took home BEST FEATURE FILM BRONZE as well as […]

HYPNOTIC: Robert Rodriguez Gears Up New Action Thriller For Early 2020 Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

Going into AFM next week, Solstice Studios and Studio 8 will be revving up action thriller Hypnotic with reports that Robert Rodriguez will helm early 2020. Rodriguez will produce from a script he wrote with Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), centered on “a detective who becomes entangled in a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program, while investigating a string of impossible high-end heists.” The film marks a partnership first for Solstice and Studio 8 with a budget tapping $60-$80 million dollars. Both will produce with the former handling U.S. distribution and world sales, and the latter possibly co-financing; Hailing from Studio 8 are Jeff Robinov, Guy Danella and John Graham. Solstice has been slowly brewing since launching a little over a year ago, and with projects that now include Split Second, Shield Of Straw remake Manhunt, and Russell Crowe thriller Unhinged. Rodriguez is on deck for […]

NECROMANCER 2020: Don’t Miss The Newest, Spectacular Trailers For The Upcoming Thai Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

There will be plenty to take a gander at with the forthcoming AFM presentation of Necromancer 2020 from director Piyapan Choopetch and Sahamongkol. This one actually comes with a November 14 release date stamped to it though I suspect its 2020 suffix on screen and in the key art below is just there to signal its market appeal. The film stars actress Chicha Amatayakul, and actors Prin Supharat and Chatchai Plengpanich, and centers on a boxer out to avenge his father’s death and retrieve his father’s amulet, pulling the veil back on a world of black magic and a duplicitous motivational speaker and his cult-like organization. The trailer above is subtitled and much longer than the latest minute-long spot just beneath. Enjoy!

KIKYO: THE RETURN: Shigemichi Sugita’s 8K Trailblazer Announces November 4 Tokyo Screening

Lee B. Golden III

Director Shigemichi Sugita’s latest costume drama, Kikyo: The Return, is reportedly off to an amazing start since screening for MIPCOM at the French resort at Cannes earlier this month. Nihon Eiga Broadcasting Corporation’s Samurai Drama Channel is now on deck to screen the project for audiences on Monday, November 4 for the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival. Screening at MIPCOM is but one achievement out of several for the new samurai drama which was also shot using 8K technology. Sugita directs from a script he wrote alongside Masahiro Kobayashi, and stars actor Tatsuya Nakadai in the role of a man who falls ill at the end of his thirty year journey and returns to his hometown where he decides to save a girl in dire straits. Kikyo: The Return, which opens in Japan, is based on the novel “Kikyo” by Shuhei Fujisawa, which sits among a collection of his short […]

LINE OF DESCENT: Delhi-Set Pic Heads Features Among Dozens Of Long And Short Form Screenings For First NYC South Asian Film Festival

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Rohit Karn Batra’s new thriller, Line Of Descent, is getting its U.S. theatrical and VoD premiere from GravitasVentures beginning December 13. Before then, the new crime pic starring Abhay Deol and Brendan Fraser will get its opening night premiere when the three-day inaugural NYC South Asian Film Festival kicks off Friday, November 15. The festival’s totaling line-up of 24 shorts, documentaries and trio of feature films were announced earlier this week with the announcement signaling the festival’s choices would explore timely and relevant themes: immigration, surrogacy, police brutality and the aftermath of HIV/AIDS, as well as under-represented communities such as transgenders, deaf and hard-of-hearing and outcasts. “Our programming team has worked incredibly hard to strike the right balance and showcase the most current, ground-breaking, topical independent cinema from various parts of South Asia at our inaugural festival,” said Jitin Hingorani, Founder and Festival Director. “We have focused […]

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: HBO Lines Up New ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel For Its Streaming Service

Lee B. Golden III

Not gonna lie. My work schedule made it difficult to keep up with Game Of Thrones all these years and so the likelihood of avoiding passing spoilerific mentions of it will be about as imminent as my next breath. Gladly enough the show has been immortalized as a global hit and so the fans are definitely in for more medieval fantasy action and adventure though as HBO has finalized ten-episode straight-to-series order, House Of The Dragon. The show is based on Game Of Thrones author and patriarch George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood”, which sets 300 years back before the events of Game of Thrones, and is centered on the story of House Targaryen. The news comes following news of a cancelled seperate prequel that was greenlit last June with Naomi Watts set to star. Post-production seems to be at the center of the difficulty. As announced at WarnerMedia Day […]

BETTER DAYS: Don’t Miss The Final Official U.S. Trailer For Derek Tsang’s New Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA just rolled out its official trailer for Derek Tsang’s emotional new coming-of-age drama, Better Days. Zhou Dongyu and TF Boys member Jackson Yee star in the compelling new film which only just announced its new U.S. release date for November 8 after four months of stagnation by China censors ahead of its local release in the mainland last Friday. When it is time for the Chinese gaokao, a two-day national college entrance exam, the entire country comes to a standstill. For nearly ten million high school students, this exam not only determines where and if they get to study but the fates of their entire families as well. Like so many others, Nian has been single-mindedly preparing for the exam, cutting everything else out of her life. When she becomes the target of relentless bullying, fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei and the two form […]

Godzilla: The Showa Era Films, (1954-1975)

Out On Blu-Ray: Criterion’s GODZILLA: THE SHOWA ERA FILMS, 1954–1975

Lee B. Golden III

Criterion lit a match under some asses earlier this year with their announcement of a Blu-Ray stack of Godzilla classic feature films from the Showa Era of the famed Toho franchise. That package is now available coupled with pages of info and exclusive new art compiling all fifteen films from the artists listed in gallery just beneath. Check it out and get yours now! In 1954, an enormous beast clawed its way out of the sea, destroying everything in its path—and changing movies forever. The arresting original Godzilla soon gave rise to an entire monster-movie genre (kaiju eiga), but the King of the Monsters continued to reign supreme: in fourteen fiercely entertaining sequels over the next two decades, Godzilla defended its throne against a host of other formidable creatures, transforming from a terrifying symbol of nuclear annihilation into a benevolent (if still belligerent) Earth protector. Collected here for the first […]

I AM VENGEANCE: RETALIATION Muscles Up Its First Key Art From Evolutionary Ahead Of AFM

Lee B. Golden III

Evolutionary Films is now revving up to take Ross Boyask’s recent feature venture to the American Film Market in November with action sequel, I Am Vengeance: Retaliation. Stu Bennett and Vinnie Jones are on the newest piece of artwork along with Katrina Durden, Phoebe Robinson-Galvin and Bentley Kalu as presented by Evolutionary at their official website, as well as Boyask via social media on Tuesday Former special-forces soldier John Gold is given the opportunity to bring Sean Teague – the man who betrayed his team on their final mission in Eastern Europe several years ago – to justice. Gold would cheerfully see Teague dead, but he is convinced to help transport him to a military prison to pay for his crimes. Along the way, Gold will have to fight off Teague’s team who are attempting to extract him, as well as a sniper seemingly hell-bent on killing Teague before he […]

MIRACLES: THE CANTON GODFATHER: Jackie Chan’s 1989 Classic Gets A Limited Edition U.K. Release From 88 Films

Lee B. Golden III

Jackie Chan’s 1989 hit, Miracles: The Canton Godfather, is now available for pre-order from 88 Films, the latest Jackie Chan release from the UK distro outlet following recent Chan releases, Crime Story and The Protector. The official street date for the new limited edition Blu-Ray is December 9, packed with featurettes, exclusive art and more. An optimistic Gwok Zan-Waa (Jackie Chan) arrives in Hong Kong, quickly finding himself impoverished. That is, until a serendipitous encounter with a rose seller (Gua Ah-Leh) leads to his inadvertent appointment as boss of a local gang. Amidst the reluctant leader’s efforts to reform their fraternity and businesses, is an endeavour to share his new-found fortune with the bestower, all whilst trying to stave off rivals and the authorities. A remake of Frank Capra’s ‘Pocketful of Miracles’, Miracles – also known by its Hong Kong English title ‘Mr Canton and Lady Rose’ – is an […]

A.I. COLLAPSE: The Hi-Tech War On Mankind Begins In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

With a director as able as Yu Irie to deliver an intriguing and suspenseful thriller as he’s done in films like Joker Game and his recent Confession Of Murder remake, his latest, A.I. Collapse looks to continue the trend here. He directs a cast led by Takao Osawa who plays a medical scientist whose latest life-saving A.I. system goes autonomous and begins plotting to taking out humans it deems unfit to live, and it does so in numbers. That’s an intense setup if ever, and audiences in Japan will have their chance to watch it all unfold on January 31, 2020. Also starring are Kento Kaku, Alice Hirose and Takanori Iwata.

CODE 8: Catch The Official Trailer For Jeff Chan’s Long-Awaited Crowdfunded Sci-Fi

Lee B. Golden III

Friday saw the official trailer release of Jeff Chan’s new sci-fi, Code 8. The film is based on his own hit proof of concept short which followed up with feature film prospects funded by fans via Indiegogo. Robbie Amell stars along with Greg Bryk, Kari Matchett, Sung Kang, Alex Mallari Jr., Peter Outerbridge, and Shaun Benson. The film just premiered at Sitges and will release in select theaters and on-demand on December 13 from Vertical Entertainment. Set in a world where 4% of the population is born with varying supernatural abilities, but instead of being billionaires or superheroes, they face discrimination and live in poverty, often resorting to crime. Connor Reed (Robbie Amell), a power-enabled man, is struggling to pay for his ailing mother’s health treatment. Fighting to earn enough money as a day laborer, Connor is lured into a lucrative criminal world by Garrett (Stephen Amell) who works for […]

In Memoriam: Hans Wikkeling II (1983-2019)

Lee B. Golden III

UPDATED October 28, 2019 at 7:04pm EST News is currently circulating about the death of stunt performer and martial artist Hans Wikkeling II as of Tuesday. An update from a family member on Friday confirmed the cause of death was drowning. “Hans passed doing what he loved to do, swimming in the ocean and on October 17th his body was found on the beach in Davenport, CA.” said Ahjahlia Hall in Facebook post. “It was deemed that his death was due to drowning.” Folks were alerted of Wikkeling II’s mysterious disappearance on September 24 upon which friends filed a missing persons report prior to an October 11 update revealing a description of his 2005 Hyundai Accent GL in hopes of learning of his whereabouts. His body was discovered on Saturday, October 19. Wikkeling II, originally from San Jose, California, grew up in the fandom with star properties such as Teenage […]

BETTER DAYS: Derek Tsang’s Touching New Drama Will Open In North America On November 8

Lee B. Golden III

Derek Tsang’ riveting new drama, Better Days, will finally have its U.S. theatrical bow on November 8 from Well Go USA. The move is the latest milestone for the film which befell China censorship over the summer among other titles this year. Since its June 27 release lapse, Better Days opened in China instead on October 25 starring Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee in an emotionally captivating, picaresque tale of social and urban strife, and love between a bullied, abused school girl struggling to prep for final exams, and the small-time criminal who sets out to protect her. The China cut severed five minutes from its runtime following its June release cancellation due to reticence from China’s education authorities. It is not yet known if the U.S. cut will have the same runtime. My review is still up for grabs and you’re welcome to read it here. If you’re convinced, […]

bloody marie 2.jpg

BLOODY MARIE: Don’t Miss The Official U.S. Trailer For The New Dutch Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Directing duo Lennert Hillege and Guido van Driel had their day earlier this year with the release of their acclaimed Dutch action-drama Bloody Marie. German actress Susanne Wolff stars in the title role as a once successful graphic novelist who now thrives on alcohol living in Amsterdam’s red-light district, getting into one conflict after another. When a horrific incident in the house next door occurs, she is forced to take action and get her life back on track. Bloody Marie has since screen in Rotterdam for the festival crowed and was also shortlisted as one of the nine films in contention to be the Dutch entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Uncork’d Entertainment has since acquired the new thriller which hits select theaters November 1 before releasing on-demand November 11.

Review: BELOVED BEAST Is Beastly, But Not Beastly Enough

Christina Ortega

I have to start by saying that I love all things horror and I know that a good horror movie does not have to have only action and goriness to make it entertaining. I was excited to be able to screen Jonathan Holbrook’s Beloved Beast for this website. Thrilled when I saw that the run time was nearly three hours long. Intrigued by the synopsis. And now that I’ve seen it, I want more, but in an unfulfilled sense… Let me backup. If you haven’t already seen the trailer for this film, here is the synopsis, straight from the words of Indican Pictures itself: Nina (Sanae Loutsis) is only twelve years old, when she loses her parents in a car accident. Now living with her aunt, Nina is no longer in the best of company. Escaping into her imagination and into the woods, she meets a strange, masked man. He […]

THE MAN FROM KATHMANDU Revealed In A New Poster

Lee B. Golden III

Folks are just a few weeks away from the U.S. premiere of Pema Dhondup’s new action drama, The Man From Kathmandu at the seventh Urban Action Showcase in New York City. The film opened overseas in Nepal earlier this year prior to featival screenings in Puerto Rico and Barcelona with an upward mixture of reviews and we now get a little more of its profusion with new poster art now making the rounds. The Man From Kathmandu is a milestone role for actor Jose Manuel who debuted in 2011 as Puerto Rico’s premiere martial arts action star with independent thriller, El Testigo. In Dhondup’s new film, Manuel plays a disaffected half-Nepali Muslim beleagured by life in L.A. who pit-stops in Kathmandu on his way to Syria only to find his true, redemptive calling when a seedy politician and the actions of his criminal underpinnings put his family and the woman […]