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STREGA: Bueno’s Sexy Purple Partner Packs A Punch In The Newest Teaser Trailer

Garage Hero Filmmaker and tokusatsu maverick, Bueno, now brings us slightly closer to the halfway mark before the theatrical cut release of Strega, the sequel to his most recent feature suit action adventure, Gun Caliber. Production is on going with final action sequences gearing up for next month following strategic cutbacks to earlier intended wire stunts due to production constraints while Bueno currently aims to manifest a splashy, action-packed saga fitting for an era that even now seems to graciously welcomes R-rated Marvel film fandom. Strega is a direct sequel to our first film, Gun Caliber, and is set a few years after the events of that film. The Japanese government decides to even further regulate superheroes AND the overall populace using the Vector Card, a new ID system. Vector also happens to be a corporation that has been gradually extending its power behind the scenes. Our hero, Soma Kusanagi, is a foul-mouthed […]

CHAMPION: Don Lee Arm-Wrestles His Way Onto A New Poster

Lee B. Golden III

Finecut Freshman director Kim Yong-Wan is eyeing a theatrical release next month for his latest, Champion. The film is billed as a sports comedy but its clear, distinct homage to Sylvester Stallone’s classic, Over The Top has certainly garnered the film as something much more with a touch of heart. It has also graced lead actor Don Lee (Train To Busan, The Outlaws, Along With The Gods) with some worthwhile attention on top of his rousing performance caliber. Mark is a disgraced arm wrestling champion who was adopted by an American family when he was a boy. He’s a bouncer at a club and befriends a Korean student named Jin-ki, who has a knack for schemes to make money from any situation he’s in. Lured by an arm wrestling tournament in Korea and Jin-ki’s scheme to make a fortune from it, Mark comes back to his native country for the first time […]

FIRST LOOK: Meet The Kung Fu Killers In James Lee’s KILL-FIST

Lee B. Golden III

EXCLUSIVE: Independent filmmaker James Lee is well on the way with the new martial arts redemtpion thriller, Kill-Fist. Hailing a reunion for the director and his lead actor, Singaporean action favorite, recurring Code Of Law star Sunny Pang, the film further etches a mutual creative partnership for the two who’ve known each other for more than a decade in cinema. “It was fun and great to work with him again after The Collector and Call If You Need Me.” says Lee who cites that as both were different films that served the purpose Kill-Fist aims to do once more in challenging Pang as an actor. “Indeed he had to do some preparations for the character tragic Zhang. Kill-Fist is kind of a refresher for both of us, we hope we can move to bigger projects after this.” Pang, who serves up more brutal screentime in Gavin Lim’s own upcoming film, Diamond […]

THE HIT LIST: April 16, 2018

Lee B. Golden III

I’m pondering taking next weekend off for the Hit List. As it stands I have a few screeners that need screening and reviewing and I haven’t at all had the time for them. Plus, a little extra time for myself would be spiffy. L to R (top): Adele Elasmar, Marrese Crump, Amber Lamarca, Troy Butler, Amy Johnston L to R (bottom): Noel Schefflin, Monique Ganderton, John Wood, Niahlah Hope, Timothy Eulich Of course, all that could change depending on the content of the coming week and if it’s too good to hold back, you can expect another entry online stunts and hits. For now, its the 16th of April and back hand-springing in her element is stuntwoman Niahlah Hope for the inaugural reel of this week’s stunt playlist. Rounding it all out are reels by Max Laferriere, Thaddeus McQueen, John Wood, Amber Lamarca, Ivan Kasnyov, Nakamura Koji, Bryan Dodds, Beni […]

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Amy Schumer In Talks For Ringside Boxing Drama Based On Life Of Christy Martin

Lee B. Golden III

Glamour UK On the eve of her upcoming STX comedy, I Feel Pretty, actress and comedienne Amy Schumer is reportedly up to lead a new boxing drama for Voltage Pictures, inspired by the life of former world champion boxer Christy Martin. Anita Busch and Mike Fleming Jr. broke the news at Deadline on Monday with word that screenwriter Katherine Fugate (Valentine’s Day, Xena: Warrior Princess) pen the script for this, her directorial debut. The report cites the film’s central narrative focus on Martin (whose since changed back to her maiden name, Salters) as “a woman who never gives up and who keeps going despite every odd against her”; Highlights in the report detail Martin’s struggle with adversity entering into the world of the very sport in which she would not only find herself coined as “The Coalminer’s Daughter”, but a champion figurehead in breaking the glass ceiling for women in […]

Espionage Novel Adaptation I AM PILGRIM Finds A Director

Lee B. Golden III

MGM has remained slow but steady to pass in the last several years to get an adaptation going for Terry Hayes’ bestseller, I Am Pilgrim. On Monday, upward news of a director attached made way at Deadline with word that upcoming Ad Astra director James Gray will helm the movie based on the hit 2014 espionage spy novel. “Pilgrim” is the codename for a man who doesn’t exist. The adopted son of a wealthy American family, he once headed up a secret espionage unit for US intelligence. Now in anonymous retirement, he is called upon to lend his expertise to an unusual investigation but ultimately becomes caught in a terrifying race-against-time to save America from oblivion. Kingsman helmer Matthew Vaughn was intially tapped to direct back in 2015. Lloyd Braun is producing the film from a script by Hayes whose screenwriting credits also include Payback, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, […]

GENESIS: Layered Sci-Fi Sees Deadly A.I. Run Amuck In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Film duo Freddie Hutton-Mills and Bart Ruspoli share a sizable list of writing and producing credits together with the latter spanning with his own notoriety as an actor. They also share the helm when filmmaking and their latest partnership brings some intriguing dystopian sci-fi thrills in Genesis, now hailing as the first of an ambitious new trilogy to come. Deep in a subterranean silo, the last remnants of humanity is divided by a caste system that keeps the politicians and scientists away from the rabble and crowd. While the civilians starve, freeze and are forced to work in a hazardous, chemically lethal environment above ground, all resources are dedicated to the construction of ABEL, a humanoid life-form designed to forage, search, recover and make contact with any other survivors. Dr. Eve Gabriel, lead scientist, works with the huge burden of the fate of mankind on her soldiers. But when a […]

DEATH KISS Revives Cinematic Nostalgia With A Burgeoning Star In The Latest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

What are the odds that you’ll be born in the spitting image of one of cinema’s most iconic screen legends? That’s probably a question actor Robert “Bronzi” Kovacs asks himself frequently, and much to his own benefit as an actor as well. He’s taking kindly to his visage in time for his latest, Death Kiss, no less a fitting homage to a bygone era of violent action characteristic of Charles Bronson’s Death Wish franchise. Rene Perez helms this, his second turn in the chair for Kovacs who now stands to go before the audience at Texas Frightmare next month for the film’s premiere. A vigilante with a mysterious past becomes a one-man army as he goes to a crime-infested city and takes matters into his own hands. At the same time he protects a young mother and her child, trying not to develop feelings that he knows will get in […]

HOTEL ARTEMIS: A Hospitality Experiment Between Rules And Rulebreakers In The First Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Drew Pearce’s feature debut, Hotel Artemis, the first official trailer arrived on Monday following an announcement on Sunday evening. I imagined a much different look when I first heard about it two years ago, which doesn’t necessarily undermind what was applied here. The rustic, antique setting, dramatic, somewhat noir, edgy tone, set pieces and warm lighting with a touch of neon to its action thriller visage actually feels pretty appealing. Also, the added gloss of seeing actress Sofia Boutella in another fierce action role just warms my heart pretty dearly, and it actually gives me hope that she’ll be juxtaposed next to heavier hitters in due time. She joins actress Jodie Foster who leads the rip-roaring, dystopian tale now set off in the official trailer with actor Sterling K. Brown revving up the energy, and a cast that includes Charlie Day, Jeff Goldblum, Zachary Quinto, and the always rewarding Dave […]

GINTAMA 2 Signals A Trio Of Peacemakers In New Character Posters

Lee B. Golden III

I’m still a little bit on the fence about Fukuda Yuichi’s 2017 live-action adaptation of Sorachi Hideaki’s Gintama. Granted however, it’s a pretty short fence with lots of cozy bushes to land on as much as I’ve given the film a curve being a fan of the anime that I am and how generally fun the film was. Needless to say, I’m already curious about what the summer will bring with the forthcoming sequel, tentatively titled Gintama 2. The latest update over at the offical website doesn’t have much in the way of anything new apart from the expected return of actor Masaki Suda and actress Hashimoto Kanna in the respective roles of straight-laced Shinpachi and loveable, battle-proficient Yato exile Kagura. Both rejoin actor Oguri Shun who headlines the trio based on Sorachi Hideaki’s longstanding manga and subsequent anime. Gintama centers its whacky, often parodic narrative on a trio of […]

Michael Mann, HarperCollins Partner For Rights To Paul Le Roux Novel

Lee B. Golden III

Immersive crime narratives have been, and continue to be, a staple for director and author Michael Mann; Say what you will about Blackhat – I say it was a disservice for it to bomb the way it did four years ago and personally, I’m glad it hasn’t tripped him since. The last few years have seen the celebrated Heat helmer move forward with several projects, including at least a few through his his publishing imprint, Michael Mann Books. HarperCollins is just the latest to catch on with exclusive reports last week at Deadline on their acquisition of publishing rights for a new book from author Elaine Shannon, for which Mann has himself nabbed television and film rights. As Mike Fleming Jr. reported last week, the forthcoming book stems from four years of Shannon’s own research into Paul Le Roux who went from developing encryption software in the late 1990s and […]

Martial Arts Comedy PAYING MR. MCGETTY Gets An April 25 U.S. Rollout

Lee B. Golden III

R. Marcos Taylor (Luke Cage, Baby Driver, Straight Outta Compton) has been well receptive to the fandom praise of Michael Baumgarten’s latest action comedy, Paying Mr. McGetty with awards earned in Melbourne, as well as Burbank and New York City. The film is now being readied for a progressive theatrical nationwide rollout in select locations which also entail a return to the big screen for actor and action star Don “The Dragon” Wilson among the cast. After a night of drinking and gambling, Tyrell (R. Marcos Taylor, Netflix’s Luke Cage) is awakened by an angry call from his girlfriend, Meena (Anita Clay) and finds himself in bed with a strange woman, Cecelia (Alissa Schneider) — a local mob boss’ daughter. Once the local mob boss finds out, he hires Shota (Wilson) — a relentless hitman. To make matters worse, the reward on Tyrell’s head has dozens of others looking for […]

Tim Miller's TERMINATOR Reboot Finds Its Killing Machine, Others Added To Cast

Lee B. Golden III

The week has been ripe with announcements for the upcoming production of Terminator from Paramount pictures and Skydance. Monday saw the addition of The Titan co-star, actor Diego Boneta in an undisclosed role following the long-known attachment of returning franchise stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. Trade news sites began bustling Friday afternoon with Deadline bookending the week with two new names added to the cast following an extensive search for talent. The production found its footing in Colombia with Latin America series Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas actress Natalia Reyes, who will play a working class woman who gets swept into the human resistance against the machines. The two are further joined by Blade Runner: 2049 actress McKenzie Davis who was added last month. Toplining the mechanic end of the cast is TV’s Ghost Rider fan favorite from ABC series Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., actor Gabriel Luna who will star as […]

Netflix Orders More Marvel’s JESSICA JONES

Lee B. Golden III

This year’s second season of Marvel’s Jessica Jones turned up with some much more exciting and dramatic twists. It wasn’t as action-driven as season one but I don’t see a reason why it should be. Indeed, it was characteristic for these shows to be more slow-burn than preferred, but I think the shepherds behind the scenes here learned a thing or two and chose to keep it much more tighter and interesting per the story. It certainly worked in my opinion while others have their own say on it. At any rate, the show was renewed as of Thursday for a third season on Netflix and I have no reason to protest. Krysten Ritter stars as Jessica Jones with a cast expected to return with Rachel Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss and Eka Darville. Showrunner Melissa Rosenberg executive produces with Marvel’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory.

INCOMING: Scott Adkins Sci-Fi Thriller Lands An Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Eric Zaragoza’s directorial debut gets the pleasure of having one of the fandom’s most prolific and admired action stars, Scott Adkins, billed first, front and center. The official trailer for sci-fi actioner, Incoming, has been on a slow, progressive rollout this week ahead of a select May 4 release having initially debuted on iTunes. Peter Martin at ScreenAnarchy has exclusively presented a wider release of the trailer to help spark interest. The International Space Station is now a prison — the ultimate black site. No one’s getting out. And no one knows it’s there. But when the imprisoned terrorists take over the Station and turn it into a missile aimed at Moscow, only a shuttle pilot and a rookie doctor can stop them. Their task is complicated by a rogue CIA agent (Adkins) who has his own plans for the station and the terrorists within. Also starring are Aaron McCusker, […]

Universal’s FAST Spin-Off Confirms David Leitch To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

Universal Pictures officially moved on Thursday to confirm David Leitch as the director of the upcoming Fast saga spin-off with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. The news comes about two months since Leitch’s name arose with potential toward helming the film that would reunite the two cast members in their respective roles of Luke Hobbs and former soldier-turned-mercenary Decard Shaw since The Fate Of The Furious. Time will tell if whether or not this will be it for Johnson following his prolific, ongoing dispute with franchise headliner and producer Vin Diesel which Johnson recently resolved, mostly as a matter of creative differences. What is definitely known, however, is that with Leitch having proven himself co-directing John Wick and sitting at the helm for Atomic Blonde and this summer’s Deadpool 2, is that this newest spin-off endeavor is sure to be a lighting-fast, supercool action thriller. Further casting and crewing remain […]

CALIFORNIA STREET DREAMIN’: A Word With Actor And Filmmaker Jordan Cann

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and artist multi-hyphenate Jordan Cann and I have a few things in common. I surprisingly learned this during our latest interview in the days since he debuted the official trailer for his second feature film, Street Dreams: Los Angeles. It turns out that both of us were born and raised in the borough of Queens in New York City. I actually reside near the area he grew up in for eight years which, at the time, dealt with its own share of crime – enough to upend the Cann household for a move to Hampton, Virginia where would begin cultivate himself in the arts. “Around this time I really started getting heavy into the martial arts due to the popularity of TMNT and the action/martial arts boom in the 80s – 90s.” he says. “After begging for classes my family finally gave in and I took formal lessons for […]

MULAN: Jet Li, Gong Li And Xana Tang Join The Cast For The Live-Action Film

Lee B. Golden III

News seems to be fast-tracking this week for Walt Disney Pictures amid the current progress toward reviving the studio’s animated gender-bending classic, Mulan. Following the addition of international action star and actor Donnie Yen for the role of Commander Tang on Wednesday, three new names are now circling the live-action production: International action star Jet Li (Hero, The Expendables Trilogy), distinguished actress Gong Li (Curse Of The Golden Flower, Miami Vice, The Monkey King 2) and New Zealand actress Xana Tang (Filthy Rich, Dead Lucky). As Rebecca Sun’s exclusive at The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday confirms, Jet Li is in final talks to play the Emperor of China. The report also cites at least two moves signaling departures from the Barry Cook/Tony Bancroft-directed 1998 film, highlighting actress Li for the role of a powerful witch, and actress Tang who will play Mulan’s sister. Actress Crystal Liu is headlining the cast […]

MULAN: Donnie Yen To Make A Man Out Of Our Heroine In The Live-Action Adventure

Lee B. Golden III

Beyond recent progress on Big Brother and Enter The Fat Dragon and the production start of Ip Man 4, time will tell what lies ahead for actor and action star Donnie Yen. That said, if Mike Fleming Jr.’s exclusive at Deadline is any indication, a starring role in Disney’s own live-action version of Mulan is very likely to soon follow. The report confirms Yen for the role of Commander Tung, mentor and teacher to Mulan, with Yen marking this as his second Disney feature since playing the memorable role of blind warrior Chirrut Imwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Whale Rider helmer Niki Caro is set to direct the film which has since nabbed The Forbidden Kingdom, The Four and Once Upon A Time actress Crystal Liu for the starring role – the result of an expansive casting search that implored the studio to push its release of […]

STXSurreal’s First Person Action Thriller, THE LIMIT, Hits VR Consoles, Apps This Summer

Lee B. Golden III

Robert Rodriguez recently premiered a clip at this year’s MIPTV event for his new virtual reality shortfilm endeavor, The Limit. The project hails from Robert Simonds’ STXsurreal in its newly-announced co-financing and producing partnership with Academy Award-Winning VFX firm DNEG. As Scott Roxborough’s coverage at The Hollywood Reporter noted on Wednesday, The Limit reunites Rodriguez with Fast saga and Machete Kills co-star Michelle Rodriguez in the role of a genetically enhanced weapon of mass destruction hellbent on destroying the covert agency that created her. The Walking Dead series star Norman Reedus will also appear in the shortform VR production. The Limit will kick off this summer, inagurating STX’s upcoming slate of premium, original, short-form VR series. As part of the deal according to a press announcement a week ago, DNEG will exclusively provide STXsurreal post-production VFX and 3D conversion services on a minimum of six projects. Others in the slate […]