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Review: KARATE KILL Earns A Black Belt in Boring Filmmakimg

As a filmmaker, we, subconsciously or not, want to offer tribute or call upon our inspirations on why we strap a camera to our hands and eyes in the first place. At the same time, genre of old should just stay where they are, in the loving memory of nostalgia. So, as you can tell, that’s not really a good opening to my review of Kurando Mitsutake’s Karate Kill. Before I get into all of that, let me just give you a general synopsis of this film. Kenji (Hayate) has lost contact with his younger sister, Mayumi (Mana Sakura), who was studying in the States. Worried, he decides to leave his life behind to find out what happened to his sister; and with the power of Karate and the help of Keiko (Asami), an ex-military, shotgun blasting, sexy amputee, Kenji will stop at nothing to save his sister from the […]

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Ang Lee In Talks To Direct Clone Assassin Thriller, GEMINI MAN

Lee B. Golden III

20 years in the making, it appears a new and long-awaited high-concept action thriller may finally see the light of day at Skydance. Titled Gemini Man, Ang Lee (Billy Long’s Halftime Walk, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is reported to be in talks to direct the film once housed at Disney as a pitch from Darren Lemke until Skydance scooped it up last October. The plot, according to THR‘s exclusive, would follow an aging assassin on his way out of the game until he finds himself fighting a clone 25 years younger and stronger than him. The film reportedly stayed stagnant over the years due to the lack of technology required to replicate actors’ faces as we now see exemplifed with Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy, Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Robert Downey Jr. as seen in Captain America: Civil War, and even to some degree in James […]

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Universal On Deck For Hobbs/Shaw Spin-Off From FAST Franchise

Lee B. Golden III

Universal Pictures It was to be expected since its confirmation in late 2015, and now it looks as if things will officially take shape for the spin-off corner of Universal Pictures’s Fast And Furious saga. On Friday, new report from Deadline presented news on good terms that the studio is keen on efforts to manifest a spin-off that will join action movie stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in their own movie with a script by franchise scribe Chris Morgan. The news comes following the latest release of the eighth installment of the high speed action movie franchise, The Fate Of The Furious, and while I won’t divulge the specific twists and details that outline the prospects of this union, the film did greatly in invoking a buddy element that would bode well for both actors in their current positive chemistry. Ironically it also comes in the wake of other […]

PROFESSION OF CHOICE: An Interview With Actor And Filmmaker Jino Kang (VIDEO)

Review: KARATE KILL Earns A Black Belt in Boring Filmmakimg

When David Van Tassell isn’t working on his own projects, every now and then he serves as contributor to Film Combat Syndicate and upon his recent review of actor and martial artist Jino Kang’s latest action thriller, Fist 2 Fist: Weapon Of Choice, Tassell took the opportunity to offer his services for an interview with the film’s director and star. The movie itself is already available wherever you can find it on VoD and DVD, and is also poised for a premiere on The Fight Channel in the UK this summer while Kang discusses, among other things, his career and current goals in film. For the hearing impaired, Tassell has also made the following transcript available just beneath, and we especially send our thanks to Tassell for going the extra mile to offer us a feat as rare as this seeing as how we rarely get to do Skype interviews […]

Lionsgate Nabs SMART HOUSE, James Wan To Produce

Lee B. Golden III

There’s only been one film at current that I’m eyeing right now for which James Wan is still set to produce. This report isn’t about that one in particular, but another project instead while it still reads with an awesome premise for a film I might go see, now in the form of Lionsgate’s latest acquisition, Smart House. The concept was primed by Wan who will produce the film via his Atomic Monster banner along with head of production Michael Clear from a script by Brad Keene which tells of a family in witness protection whose only defense is the state-of-the-art, autonomous “smart house” they’ve been placed in, tricked out with lethal built-in defense settings. Piranha 3D and The Hills Have Eyes helmer Alexandre Aja will direct, as well as produce with Wan and Clear, and producer Gregory Levasseur. via Variety: “We are delighted that Smart House brings James Wan […]

PILGRIMAGE Wields Prayer And Swords In The First Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Cue the comic book humor, kids! The latest trailer for Brendon Muldowney’s period adventure thriller, Pilgrimage has arrived and so the internet will surely run nowhere short on Spider-Man and Punisher tie-in banter with actors Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal leading the cast with actors Richard Armitage, John Lynch and Stanley Weber. Ireland, 1209. An island on the edge of the world. A small group of monks begin a reluctant pilgrimage across an island torn between centuries of tribal warfare and the growing power of Norman invaders. Escorting their monastery’s holiest relic to Rome, the monks’ progress is seen through the eyes of a pious young novice and a mute lay-brother with a violent past. As the true material, political and religious significance of the bejewelled relic becomes dangerously apparent, their path to the east coast becomes increasingly fraught with danger. The monks belatedly realise that in this wild land […]

Paul Mormando Throws Down In The Official Trailer For Indie Martial Arts Thriller, BOUND BY DEBT,

Lee B. Golden III

In the few years following his efforts with Double Fist, actor and Cha Ki Do founder Paul Mormando (King Of The Kickboxers) has continued his independent push in film and now signals that effort with his newest movie, Bound By Debt. Wife and film partner Anna Mormando scores her directorial debut for the new crime pic which sees the martial artist as Dylan, a pit fighter for the mob with no choice but to get back in the game when his former boss uses his gambling-addicted brother, Robert and his wife children as leverage. Also starring are Bobby Ciasulli, Nikki Silva (Lyco) and Alexis Mormando with actor Samuel DiFiore, and hailing from C+C Music Factory fame, Freedom Williams for the film’s pending December 2017 release. The latest trailer finally arrived and while it isn’t very solid on introducing its principle cast in the course of its narrative, it does go hard and […]

GUN CALIBER: SRS Cinema To Launch North American Pre-Orders This Friday!

Lee B. Golden III

Niche distributor SRS Cinema proudly acquired maverick tokusatsu filmmaker Bueno’s lo-fi, gonzo action comedy adventure, Gun Caliber back in December. The company is now out to festivals with the film in addition to a few of its other titles and as of this week, they are also advancing consumers with pre-order options through their official website. As such, they’ve presented exclusive artwork to topline the release of the film in all its unmitigated, lo-fi, unsafe-for-work-glory. A release date is still pending but I couldn’t be happier to share in the excitement with the opinions of those who’ve screened the film in either its exclusive webserial or feature-length format, presenting a vision of Tokusatsu that literally nukes expectations. “Get ready to shoot evil in the dick and steal its wallet! It is the year, 20XX AD. The evil organization known as “Skulldier” is hell-bent on taking over Japan – well, right […]

CAPTAIN MARVEL Lands Directors

Lee B. Golden III

With Marvel Studios’s Captain Marvel adapation still two years out from its release, the upcoming phase three adaptation is still taking shape with actress Brie Larson (Kong: Skull Island) having been cast as of last July. Thankfully, word now, via Variety, writes that the film has found its directors in the form of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Mississippi Grind, Showtime series The Affair and Billions) who’ve been in talks with Marvel execs for the last few weeks before being offered the movie last week. The character itself bares numerous versions but will focus solely on the Carol Danvers iterarion based on her 1968 launch from creators Roy Thomas and Gene Colan, telling of an airforce pilot who awakens with superhuman powers and strength after surviving a deadly explosion involving weaponry that fuses her DNA with that of an alien. Guardians Of The Galaxy scribe Nicole Perlman & and Disney•Pixar’s […]

KILLER PROFILE: A Word With Actress Kristanna Loken

Lee B. Golden III

Kristanna Loken in Black Rose The past year or so have lended an ample opportunity to familiarize myself with the work of actor and producer Alexander Nevsky in lieu of his upcoming April 28 U.S. release, Black Rose. The film marks his directorial debut wherein he also stars in a formula slightly different from his usually known action star persona from his film career in Russia, and joined by none other than actress Kristanna Loken. With the film a little over a week away from its limited theatrical release courtesy of ITN, we’ve already had the pleasure of sharing questions with one of the film’s guest stars, actor Matthias Hues in which he delves deeply into his career history, progression and plans for the future. The same goes for Loken who now takes center stage in this week’s interview following Hues which also briefly highlights something interesting about the new […]

HIT LIST HEAD’S UP: Master Ken Makes His Entrance In The Official Teaser For OF MARTIAL ARTS AND MEN: ENTER THE DOJANG

Lee B. Golden III

The next installment of the Hit List is currently in production, we have also been ramping up promotion of filmmaker Eric Nguyen’s apparent efforts to build toward an epic shortfilm trilogy. For this, we recently highlit his 2015 comedy, Of Martial Arts And Men along with exclusive coverage featuring stills for the pending sequel, Of Martial Arts And Men: Enter The Dojang. That project will go live publicly on Nguyen’s Lunar Stunts Action Cinema YouTube channel on April 25. In the meantime, those wishing to catch it sooner will be able to do when Film Combat Syndicate will proudly premiere the action comedy sequel for the April 24 edition of The Hit List which will publish between the hours of 7:00pm and 8:00pm EST. Returning are Lunar Stunts principles, actors Irvin Nguyen and Mickey Arce reprising their roles as master and student who fought for each other to save their […]

The Game’s Afoot In The U.S. Trailer For THE KING’S CASE NOTE

Lee B. Golden III

As One helmer Moon Hyun-Sung’s directing career has only gotten started with the director well on his way with his latest sophomore offering, The King’s Case Note, opening in the U.S. in early May. For this, we get a cast headlined by Lee Sun-Kyun in the role of a Joseon Dynasty king who enacts his investigatorial practices underneath his veneer of royalty to solve crimes. King Yejong (Lee Sun-Kyun) is smart. Even though he is a king, he tries to expose cases by himself. He has Yi-Seo (Ahn Jae-Hong) who is in charge of of historical records. King Yejong gives him a hard time due to Yi-Seo doing stupid things. A strange rumor spreads in Hanyang. King Yejong senses that there is something to the rumor. King Yejong and Yi-Seo try to uncover the truth of the strange rumor. The film is reportedly premiering in the U.S. in Los Angeles […]

Korean Crime Thriller, THE MERCILESS, Delivers Hard-Hitting Lessons In The International Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

This year’s festival at Cannes kicks off one month from today. In the meantime a raft of Korean titles are inbound for the crowd and one of which includes director Byun Sung-Hyun’s new action crime thriller, The Merciless, for which its latest international trailer has now gone viral to make its case. Jae-Ho is the prisoner who makes rules and wields the most power among the inmates. Outside of prison, he was the #2 guy in a criminal gang, but he is ambitious enough to go after the #1 spot upon his release. One day, Jae-Ho meets new prisoner Hyun-Soo, who doesn’t follow the rules of the prison and he doesn’t submit to anyone. Seol Gyeong-gu of Public Enemy fame and ZE:A member, actor Si-wan lead the cast with actor Kim Hie-won and actress Jeon Hye-Jin starring for its release later next month from CJ Entertainment. Catch the trailer below […]

AMERICAN ASSASSIN: Dylan O’Brien Is On A Mission Of Vengeance In The First Official Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

The marketing for director Michael Cuesta’s latest thriller, American Assassin, wasn’t without its fair share of brouhaha over some of the intial artwork. Thankfully it wasn’t a huge page turner and it shouldn’t have a huge effect on the film’s overall delivery if it manages to win over a sizeable enough crowd for franchise potential with actor Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner trilogy) leading the way. That said, the film is the latest adaptation to set foot on the big screen soon following its popularity as a novel series central to its main character, Mitch Rapp, from the work of now late author Vince Flynn. Also starring are Sanaa Lathan and Michael Keaton with Shiva Negar and Taylor Kitsch rounding out the cast for the film’s slated release on September 15 from Lionsgate, all of whom can now be seen in the newly released teaser trailer which offers something pretty ample […]

Opinion: The ‘Fate’ Of Scott Adkins And The FAST AND FURIOUS Saga

Lee B. Golden III

The hardcore fanbase cheering on martial arts action star Scott Adkins were vociferous in support of him obtaining a role in the months leading to the seventh installment of the Fast franchise, Furious Seven. Ultimately it never came to fruition, nor did the attempts to cheer him on for the role of Batman as it stands with Ben Affleck having earned his appeal with most fans now in lieu of Justice League and The Batman. I guess one other question remains now: Could Adkins snag a role this time in the forthcoming ninth installment following the pivot taken in The Fate Of The Furious this month? Well, I guess that will depend on what the studio plans for it first, although to be frank, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t, and there’s plenty of potential to go on. Gray’s film still leaves you wanting to learn more about Charlize Theron’s […]

The Cartel Assembles For Jesse Johnson’s TRIPLE THREAT

Lee B. Golden III

It wasn’t made clear just to what capacity actress Jeeja Yanin’s role in Jesse Johnson’s new movie, Triple Threat, would extend at the time when we broke the exclusive back in March. Needless to say that mystery now comes to an end with the Raging Phoenix and Chocolate star donning some serious tactical gear in a new promo photo featuring herself among the antagonists for the new Asian action movie currently in production in Thailand. Yanin’s cohorts as seen below include Ron Smoorenburg and Scott Adkins, Michael Bisping and Michael Jai White outlining the murderous cartel from which leading action stars Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen must protect a billionaire’s daughter, played by none other than Celina Jade. SC Films International’s own Mike Selby is producing along with Mike Gabrawy and Gary Hamilton of Arclight Films. Actor Chen is also producing the film as will Elliot Tong and […]

Review: THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS Runs High On Big-Scale Action, Stalls Its Way To The Finish

Lee B. Golden III

I’ve spent my fair share of time fawning over Universal Pictures’s Fast franchise. However, in the wake of having seen its newest installation, F. Gary Gray’s The Fate Of The Furious, I think I’ve grown past the fandom a bit. That’s not to suggest that I’m exhausted from the franchise – I’m excited to see how it proceeded after Furious Seven, and I can’t wait to see what lies for the final two titles. I do feel left a little short on a the film’s ending on top of other things. I know it sounds nitpicky, but I did stay for the entirety of the end credits and sadly, there’s nothing after all of the explosive action and thrills and compelling plot twists. That said, the rest of the movie doesn’t disappoint in terms of said explosive action, thrills and twists and especially if you’ve been following the franchise since […]

THE HIT LIST: April 17, 2017

Lee B. Golden III

My not-weekend was indeed such. I did not one, not two, but three reviews, and frankly I’m surprised I even managed to get the Hit List done. So there, I’ve amazed myself whereas the following stunt performers and creatives below inducted into this week’s Hit List will do so tenfold. Alex Chansky dons his share of superheroics and thick skin in his latest action packed reel followed by Kate Petersen, Yavuz Topuz, Jessie Simpson and the incomparable Christopher Leps. Adair Moran gets a bit of height in for her newest reel next to that of the ‘Chemist’ himself, Jason Ng, with Nick Shuhan, weapons grade badasses Tien Hoang and Mike Moeller, Matt Shadden, Julia Maggio, Patrick King, Joshua Romeo, and stellar fight choreographer and all-around impressario Olivier Schneider rounding out the first, jam-packed stunt playlist, queued and ready to go! There’s only one item to promote in this segment and […]

INSTANT DEATH Blows You Away In The Official U.S. Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Folks in North America looking for some down and dirty direct-to-DVD action can expect so in Ara Paiaya’s new revenge thriller, Instant Death. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is proudly releasing the film on DVD and Digital on May 2, 2017, and you can currently pre-order your copy at Amazon before then! A vicious gang war for drug dominance draws in a disturbed Special Forces veteran John Bradley (Lou Ferrigno). Seeking retribution on his last connection to humanity, a daughter and grandchild leads to a descent of fury and violence that not even the brutality of gangland is prepared for. Catch the official trailer below now! Pre-Order your copy of Instant Death on DVD!

There’s A Bullet Coming For The Cast Of Beat Takeshi’s OUTRAGE: FINAL CHAPTER In The First Official Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Ready to see actor and acclaimed auteur “Beat” Kitano Takeshi dump the live-action anime hairdo? If so, you may be pleased to learn that his award-winning two-part Outrage series of gangster thrillers now has a third in tow with Outrage: Final Chapter. Kitano, no less, sits at the helm as well as reprises in the role of Otomo, a once disavowed Yakuza subordinate who wages vengeance against those who had him imprisoned between the events of the first two films. This one sees our saga extending from Japan to Korea with a cast both new and returning, although what remains to be known in detail is what lies ahead for ensuing finale. That said, with so many dead Yakuza, courrpt officials and manipulative police in its wake, the first official teaser arrived on Monday and it’s safe to say that the likelihood of this one being any less violent than […]