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KICKIN’ IT ‘KORYU’: An Interview With KARATE KILL Star, Actor And Martial Artist, Hayate

My own understanding and comprehension of Karate dates as far back as the mid-1990s. I always knew there were different forms while the only version I had ever studied was Shotokan, one I commonly heard of. I don’t practice it as much these days – point in fact I haven’t worn a gi since life took over in 1998 and my old karate school dissolved. Sobering times. Nowadays I’m certain my old sensei is still somewhere in my neck of the woods doing what he does, as maybe a few of my old classmates. Moreover, Karate is still something I can relate to as a sport, and even as a watchable style in action cinema; Two of the most fun examples of this, aside from the Karate Kid trilogy, obviously, are several titles that took up a great portion of my time since I began immersing myself in Asian cinema […]

GINTAMA: THE MITSUBA ARC: This Brother/Sister Reunion Is Absolutely Lit!

Lee B. Golden III

With Fukuda Yuichi’s live-action adaptation, Gintama in theaters in Japan and gearing up for a release in Singapore as well as a North American debut at Fantasia, its dTV counterpart also began streaming with web drama spin-off, Gintama: The Mitsuba Arc. The exclusive streaming platform released well-over eight minutes of footage which you can sample from below featuring Yoshizawa Ryo and actress Kitano Kie, and title actor Oguri Shun featured. Killer dreams, spicy foods, bazookas and forced levity ensue, as well as high drama and action for the remainder of the program now available solely in Japan. Well Go USA is hosting the feature film adaptation at Fantasia later this month following its Japan release this weekend from Warner Bros. Japan and news and details await on that end. Stay tuned! (Feel free to skip to the 5:21 mark).

Miike Takashi’s BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Opens In U.S. Theaters This November

Lee B. Golden III

Spring and summer have been much ado with acclaimed director Miike Takashi, now making waves at Fantasia this summer following his most recent theatrical Japan release, Blade Of The Immortal back in April from Warner Bros. Japan. Its Cannes premiere in May led to some terrific news for folks in North America tracking the film and with none other than Magnet Releasing snagging the rights for a U.S. release to be announced. As of Sunday, that date has officially been set for a theatrical release on November 3. Starring actor Kimura Takuya and actress Sugisaki Hana, Blade Of The Immortal is adapted for the screen by Oishi Tetsuya and centers a young woman who, following the murder of her family and devastation of her dojo at the hands of a bloodthirsty martial arts school, desperately seeks vengeance with the help of an afflicted, immortal swordsman with a vendetta of his […]

Review: Silent But Deadly, BRUTAL: A TASTE OF VIOLENCE Is An Acquired One

Lee B. Golden III

Freerunning extraordinare and actor David Belle is someone, in all certainty, I can vouch for when it comes to film and TV talent. I do profess, however, that it has been a little frustrating seeing him between phases of his career – at one point he’s leading a hit film and its sequel and at another, he’s being pigeonholed into smaller roles. I expected more than this after first catching him in action for the first time in Pierre Morel’s Banlieue 13 (not so much so in that film’s sorely, and poorly mishandled 2015 remake, Brick Mansions). At best, one can hope that this particular phase changes as Belle moves onward with his career prospects, especially after spotting two trailers last year, one being for concept project called Jaya which also featured actor and late martial arts star Darren Shahlavi at the time. The other, Brutal: A Taste Of Violence, […]

Newcomer Mena Massoud Headlines Disney’s ALADDIN With Naomi Scott

Lee B. Golden III

Disney hasn’t really had it easy in recent days as news began circulating of its casting woes regarding Guy Ritchie’s live-action adaptation, Aladdin. Frankly, I was hoping Ritchie would get back to focusing on a third Sherlock installment but I reckon there’s still some script work to be done while that film’s star moves forward on finishing what he has left on a certain Marvel flick coming next year. At any rate, those aforementioned casting troubles regarding Aladdin came to a halt on Saturday at D23 Expo with the announcement of newcome actor Mena Massoud for the coveted title character. The original 1992 animated film sees our tale set in the fictional city of Agrabah where an adventure of love, swashbuckling heroics and magic await a street urchin who discovers a mystical lamp and its residing genie who grants him three wishes. Massoud will also reportedly join actress Naomi Scott […]

MOHAWK: Check Out The Festival Poster For The New Period Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Fantasia Festival is finally underway and as such, We Are Still Here helmer Ted Geoghegan has returned to the fray with the new period thriller, Mohawk. Geoghean will be on hand for the Saturday evening premiere with co-star Jonathan Huber and producer Travis Stevens marking the latest phase for the film’s buzz since photos started debuting late last year. The War of 1812 has revived violent hostilities between the British and their erstwhile American colonial subjects. The powerful Mohawk nation of the New York region is divided as to whom they should stand by, and so they maintain a position of neutrality. They want no part in the killing – but the killing is coming to them. An impulsive attack on an American encampment has drawn the vengeful attentions of a ragged band of American military renegades, led by the vicious, racist Hezekiah Holt. Oak, Calvin, and their British lover […]

BUSHWICK: The War At Home Begins In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Brooklyn ain’t the same as it used to be for one unlucky girl caught amid a hailstorm of national insurrection in the new explosive action thriller, Bushwick. The official trailer is finally here following its spate of festival screenings and enough pull quotes to deem this one a worthwhile sell from RLJ. When Lucy (Brittany Snow) steps off the subway, she walks into an utter bloodbath on the streets of Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood. Texas is attempting to secede from the Union, and militia forces have descended upon New York City to claim it as an East Coast base of operations and negotiation tool. Faced with a flurry of whizzing bullets and total destruction around every corner, Lucy takes shelter in the basement of Stupe (Dave Bautista), a burly war veteran who reluctantly helps her traverse the treacherous five-block stretch of Bushwhack to reach her destination—assuming it’s still there. Bushwick is […]

THE FINAL MASTER: Win A Copy Of Well Go USA’s Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack Release

Lee B. Golden III

UPDATE: This contest has expired. Perhaps one of the best martial arts moviegoing experiences ever brought overseas has to be Xu Haofeng’s newest home release, The Final Master. An adaptation of one of his written anthological works, the film shimmers with action and drama with pure wit and charm from its main cast led by actor Liao Fan and acclaimed choreography by Haofeng himself. Its central highlight of Wing Chun (for a release as timely as this one as it came out in theaters just months after Well Go USA released Ip Man 3) is certainly one that I had never seen before in any particular film of this genre centered on its style and it’s hosted with such intensity and focus – Being my first foray into Haofeng’s work, I get him. I understand him. I’m proud to say how much I love this movie and I couldn’t be […]

[UPDATED] OUTRAGE: FINAL CHAPTER: Kitano Pops Off In The New Official Trailer For The Yakuza Crime Epic

Lee B. Golden III

Acclaimed auteur “Beat” Kitano Takeshi still has a bone to pick with what’s left of his past and he’s gonna need a lot of help and twice as many bullets. Outrage: Final Chapter is in store for an October 7 release in Japan following the events played out in the first two installments since 2010, ensuing in an opus of blood, bullets, courruption, greed and total retribution! The formerly prominent though now decimated Sanno-kai yakuza crime organization is being absorbed into the Hanabishi-kai under their Grand Yakuza leader, who has virtually unified the entire underground of all of Japan into a massive, single and centralized organization. Among the few survivors of the gang war is Otomo who was a former lieutenant of the Sanno-kai and who had allied himself temporarily with the Hanabishi-kai in order to set the records straight concerning what he felt was his unjust imprisonment while still with […]

Catch The Trailer For Trent Haaga’s 68 KILL

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Trent Haaga’s latest crime thriller, 68 Kill, is readying an August 4 release from IFC Midnight. Before then, audiences at Fantasia in Montreal will have a chance to get a glimpse of the award-winning SXSW favorite later this month which has Alisha Boe, Matthew Gray Gubler, AnnaLynne McCord and Sheila Vand starring. As Fantasia Festival’s Mitch Davis writes: Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) cleans septic tanks for a living and wants more out of life than he’s currently got, yet his loving relationship with Liza (AnnaLynne McCord) makes him an overall happy man. Liza’s main gig is stripping, but she’s got a great side thing going with a gun-loving sugar daddy. Learning that her mark has $68,000 lying around in cash, she decides to heist it, roping Chip in with a non-violence promise that instantly goes out the window in a torrent of wholly preventable blood and death, […]

RAINBOW SIX In The Works From Akiva Goldsman At Paramount With Ryan Reynolds In Talks To Star

Lee B. Golden III

Ryan Reynolds may be busy manifesting further greatness over at Fox with Atomic Blonde helmer David Leitch’s upcoming Marvel sequel, Deadpool 2. However, if all goes as planned, he may soon find himself at the center of another franchise by way of Paramount with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman making some more moves this week with his Weed Road production banner. The word is he now has a two-year first look deal at the studio with a raft of items to possibly work on, including an adaptation of Rainbow Six, late author Tom Clancy’s 1998 publication centered on John Clark, the ex-Navy SEAL character who has apprared in at least two live-action films inspired by Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels. Reportedly with Ryan’s pivot to Amazon by way of actor John Krasinski’s upcoming TV series in the Ryan character comes potential in a new action hero franchise for Paramount. A partial description of […]

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BIRTH OF THE DRAGON: Catch The Official U.S. Trailer For The New Bruce Lee Biopic

Lee B. Golden III

Whether you go into director George Nolfi’s new movie, Birth Of The Dragon, for its martial arts action or any historical substance you can scrape, if past reviews and reactions have anything to say for it, its unlikely the film will be as fulfilling in its delivery. The film was assailed by critics after debuting in Toronto late last year and even moreso when the film’s trailer arrived introducing what some feel is a tone-deaf transposition to film based on the legendary contest between two iconic athletes, one of whom would soon ascend to greatness in the years ahead. That moment was the very fight between fledgeling action film hero Bruce Lee and Shaolin martial artist Wong Jack Man, etched in history as a fight between two distinct ideologies for which the outcome remains a recorded mystery to date. Front and center is American-born Hong Kong actor and martial artist […]

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Action Spy Thriller THE RHYTHM SECTION Casts Actress Blake Lively To Star

Lee B. Golden III

The Handmaid’s Tale helmer Reed Morano and actress Blake Lively are now at the center of the latest efforts to advance a female-driven spy vehicle from IM Global and EON Productions. The Rhythm Section, penned by author Mark Burnell will be the IP from which Lively will reportedly star for the film’s production slate to commence later this year. The announcement, in the wake of Lively’s recently-announced MMA drama, Bruised, comes as a delightful additive to what has so far been a great summer of movie news, particulatly regarding female-led buzz titles like Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde and Jung Byung-Gil’s festival favorite, The Villainess. The book series, for which the film is being pitched as in the vein of Jason Bourne and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, has four installments to date, published by HarperCollins as of 1999 along with efforts reported as early as 2005 by New Line […]

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: Military Might And Homunculi Evil Emerge In The Newest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Not to be outdone by Warner Bros. Japan’s currently loaded roster of manga/anime adaptations, December 1, 2017 will mark the arrival of Fumihiko Sori’s own contribution, Fullmetal Alchemist. The promotional campaign is going full-tilt this summer having stopped at Los Angeles and Paris before heading back to Japan and with none other than creator Arakawa Hiromu getting in on the excitement with a batch of newly-written mangas to coincide with event screenings of the film for fans. It’s a big deal, too, from a creative standpoint with the promise of aiming to tell the complete story of the manga/anime within one film instead of several installments according to reports at Anime News Network. The film’s setting is a huge one at that, set in a time when alchemy, despite its benefits, is a widely-publicized controversial practice. The core of our story has two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, whom after […]

HiGH&LOW: THE MOVIE 2 – END OF SKY Gets An Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Japan’s bustling action crime saga, HIGH&LOW, is now past the halfway point after debuting two exclusive TV dramas, an origin movie, a first feature and a character spin-off in the last two years. On August 19, Shochiku will follow through with two remaining feature film titles starting with the latest, HiGH&LOW: The Movie 2 – End Of Sky, led by its ensemble cast of today’s biggest actors and popstars, many stemming from the auspices of LDH, Inc. Members of SWORD win against Wangan Rengogun, which is led by Kohaku. The city becomes peaceful again. Nevertheless, the most brutal gangs appear. The gangs are Doubt, led by Hayashi Ranmaru, and Prison Gang, led by Jeshi. These gangs try to dominate the area controlled by SWORD. The new gangs also go up against other gangs in the area. Finally, Doubt, with the help from Prison Gang, challenges White Rascals to fight. Exile’s […]

KICKBOXER: RETALIATION Has A Teaser… And With It, Reasons To Be Concerned

Lee B. Golden III

I have several people in my group who contribute often and at least one of them purely loved John Stockwell’s Kickboxer: Vengeance when it released in 2015. And there are definitively a few reasons to, particularly for much of its consistency in action and much of the drama, as well as action star Jean-Claude Van Damme’s continued ability to hold his own on screen as he helped present stunt performer, breakout actor and martial artist Alain Moussi for his debut spotlight in a feature film. As a martial arts vehicle kickoff, Kickboxer: Vengeance had its worthwhile functions. However, if I’m being totally honest compared to some of my counterparts and maybe other fanboys out there reading this, I frankly felt the film to be a subpar shadow of itself. It spent most of the film touring Thailand while notably aiding Van Damme in sustaining his relevance and forcing a strained […]

UNDISPUTED BUSHIDO: An Interview With Actor And Martial Artist Emilien De Falco

Lee B. Golden III

It was back around late 2012 or early 2013 – likely the latter – that I began following actor and martial artist, up-and-comer Emilien De Falco. By then to my knowledge I had spotted him in at least one action short with a group of stunties out West while in actuality, he had already accrued some notable TV and film credits. I’m pretty sure as others may have felt that there was more waiting in store with De Falco and I have to say, I’m glad I kept up to some degree. It’s not easy working the field he works and a lot of rare and rich opportunities involve a lot of waiting, and staying productive in the course of that period, and surely enough, De Falco has. He’s become something of an internet sensation for martial arts aficionados alike who get a kick out of seeing great people do […]

Hey U.S.! Canada! U.K.! Here’s Where You Can Catch Derek Kwok’s WU KONG!

Lee B. Golden III

Folks attending Fantasia Festival this month can expect to catch Derek Kwok’s latest Eddie Pang headliner, Wu Kong, next week. In the meantime, moviegoers looking to catch the film sooner can look toward releases slated for the U.S. and Canada, and select locations in the U.K.. Three powers collide. Long ago, Sun Wukong, was born in Huaguo Mountain with a heart of stone. Ji Hua, a powerful general from the heaven planned to terminate him. However Wukong was rescued by Bodhi and became his pupil. Jian Yang, is a being who was given an opportunity to become a strong god, but for this he needs to kill Zixia, the daughter of the Heaven Emperor’s rival, who he is in love with. Tianpeng, Ji Hua’s bodyguard, was given the secret order to investigate Wukong. All three of them entered the Heaven school together, and their lives are about to change. Cine […]

Well Go USA Announces LEGEND OF THE NAGA PEARLS For Release In August!

Lee B. Golden III

Lei Yang’s directorial debut, Legend Of The Naga Pearls, is just a few weeks away from its China release. As for stateside, Well Go U.S.A. is obliging its Asian cinema fanbase with a date now slated for an August 25 outing and they’ve since presented their own official trailer for good measure. After being defeated by humans centuries ago, the Winged Tribe has lost their ability to fly. Seeking vengeance, a royal descendant of the tribe has begun searching for the magical Naga Pearls, which he plans to use to destroy the humans. When the legendary pearls fall into – and out of – the hands of Heiyu, a wily human street punk, he must join a team of unlikely heroes as they race to prevent the destruction of their people in this magical fantasy adventure. Starring are Darren Wang, Simon Yam, Xing Yu, Tianai Zhang , Guansen Sheng. Catch […]

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: Netflix Announces 10-Episode Live-Action First Season For Next Year

Lee B. Golden III

Netflix hit big this week with the release of animated series, Castlevania, now on deck for a second season with more episodes. As it stands, they’ve now advanced a new project in the form of a new ten-episode live-action serial adaptation next year. For this, we turn to The Umbrella Academy, inspired by the popular Eisner award-winning comics and graphic novels from Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) and illustrator Gabriel Bá. Per the press announcement on Tuesday, Universal Cable Productions is producing the series for a 2018 premiere date forthcoming. The Umbrella Academy is a live action series that follows the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes (The Umbrella Academy) — The Monocle, Spaceboy, The Kraken, The Rumor, The Séance, Number Five, The Horror, and The White Violin — as they work together to solve their father’s mysterious death while coming apart at the seams due to their […]