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WellGo USA Nabs GOD OF WAR For English-Speaking Territories

Asian action star Vincent Zhou’s career is one that’s been on the low signal end of things for a few years now. Thankfully he’s one that’s popped up from time to time with recent titles like True Legend, Wu Dang, The Boundary and The White-Haired Witch Of Lunar Kingdom, as I’ve been a fan of his work since having spied a few of his earlier hits like Fong Sai Yuk 2, The Blacksheep Affair and Fist Power. Soon enough, he’ll be launching a full scale period epic assault on our senses with director Gordon Chan (2000 A.D., Legend Of The Fist: The Return Of Chen Zhen, The Four trilogy) for the new thriller, God Of War which opens in March of next year. Post production is underway for the film with news now out of Toronto from Variety that the film has officially been picked up for multiple English-speaking territories […]

THE HIT LIST – September 19, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Follow me on Instagram and you’re more than welcome to join in on my current Gintama binge. Apart from that and my other work obligations, the newest installment of the Hit List is here and ripe with plenty of stunt talent and action to absorb for your Monday evening! Taking the lead is the usual playlist of stunt reels from some of today’s hardcore wreckers and coordinators of epic screen action and stunt work, now featuring Force Storm Entertainment’s own Noah Fleder, the pre-visual wizardry of stunt coordinator Dave Macomber, and action actor Jonny Caines with a reel featuring some spectacular new footage from a feature project currently in post-production (see more on Caines’s latest efforts here). Rounding out the playlist are Ashley Short, Craig Morgan, Aaron Delaney, Julia Maggio, Daniel Locicero, Jake Eavey, Jericho Green, Angelo Poulis, William Greenburg, Malay Kim, Tyler Hall, and the newest amalgam of action practice […]

Review: BEAST: THE CHRONICLES OF PARKER (2016) Is A Full-Blooded Martial Arts Action Affair That Shows Its Teeth Accordingly

Lee B. Golden III

Following a breakthrough career in the 1990’s as the first African-American member of the Hong Kong Stuntman Association, actor and fight coordinator Robert Samuels has since gone onto work on various other projects to date, including Kaloni Davis’s 2013 sophmore indie effort, Last Days The Saga: Torrent. For this, we now turn to Samuel’s most recent turn at the helm with a project currently enduring following crowdfunding efforts earlier this year, and brings nothing short of an albeit doable concept that enfuses action, hip-hop, martial arts, fantasy and espionage in some pretty appealing ways. Enter the world of Beast: The Chronicles Of Parker, the launchpad of Samuels and writer/producer Robert Jefferson under their R4 Films LLC. banner. Multi-acclaimed Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee, actor Marco Johnson takes the lead for a story that goes underground as our hero, Robert Parker, an agent assisting a woman named “Osiris” – […]

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Andrey Kravchuk's VIKING Gets An Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

If there were ever a more compelling, eye-catching promotional campaign for a film, it would be Andrey Kravchuk’s forthcoming epic, Viking. Last year’s teaser rose nothing short of pure, electric awareness of the new film for viewers – undoubtedly appealed by the sheer production value and quality overall. The set pieces were fanatstic as was the music score, and not really knowing full well the celebrity of lead actor, Hardcore Henry co-star Danila Kozlovsky, my guess is that the locals adore him, and clearly not for nothing. For this, the teaser was simply a phenomenal hit. The hype was definitely there and even the usual calls from netizens and fans a like for releases apart from its December 22 open in Russia this Winter, and indeed, the nation’s film industry has rightly earned that kind of attention. Unfortunately, the dialogue also drew some of the more uglier auspices of online […]

Jean-Claude Van Damme And Co. Sign On To Star In KILL ‘EM ALL

Lee B. Golden III

Paramount Eyes Spring 2017 Start Date For The Next MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Film

Lee B. Golden III

.Writer and director Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation soared to nearly $700 million dollars last summer. It’s weekend success already led to talk of another in the works, an effort that has since been underway with an eye to start in January. Last month’s pay dispute halted things for franchise producer and lead star Tom Cruise who had also been busy filming Doug Liman’s new crime thriller, American Made (formerly Mena) which comes out a little over a year from this week. In the meantime, the star of next month’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is officially on deck to commence filmming the sixth installment this Spring according to an exclusive report at THR which also confirms McQuarrie’s return to penning and helming duties. The previous film saw Cruise back in action as IMF field operative Ethan Hunt and his newly-disavowed team up against equally skilled terrorist organization […]

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Julien Seri's SMART CHASE: FIRE AND EARTH Filming, Adds Six More To Cast

Lee B. Golden III

Currently underway is the production of Night Fare helmer Julien Seri’s latest production, Smart Chase: Fire And Earth. The film subsequently marks the start of a producing venture for its lead star, actor Orlando Bloom in China via his BlissBloom Productions banner following the film’s announcement back in June. Elephant White (2011) scribe Kevin Bernhardt provides the logline which reads of a washed-up private security agent who gets ambushed as he attempts to escort a pricey Chinese antique out of Shanghai. Special ID (2013) and The Great Wall (2016) co-star Jing Tian was also announced to star in the film next to actors Leo Wu, Cao Kefan and up-and-comer Liu Enyou, while Asian Film Strike confirms the presences of Hong Kong actor Simon Yam and South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae (Assassination, Operation Chromite) in his second stint in a Chinese production since starring in Li Jun’s summer thriller, Tik Tok. […]

Hong Kong Veteran John Salvitti To AMBUSH Audiences For His Directorial Debut

Lee B. Golden III

When you look at veteran martial artist and fight coordinator John Salvitti, you’re looking at someone who has cut his teeth to a great deal over the last several decades dating back to the proliferation of Hong Kong cinema. Thus, having worked with the likes of Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Zhang Yimou and Yuen Woo-Ping in addition to his experience in law enforcement, he has since continued to further help influence how action is translated for the screen, and much to the favor of his own offering in the now-branded Salvitti Supa Scraps, most recently in Ernie Barbarash’s 2015 thriller, Pound Of Flesh. As such, he’s been working on a script for sometime now in the course of building toward his own debut, and as per news forwarded via City On Fire, that effort now includes secured funding for his directorial debut, Ambush. Story details are nil while Salvitti describes […]

RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE LEGEND ENDS Teases An Epic Final Battle In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

The final chapter in the live-action telling of Keishi Otomo’s epic Rurouni Kenshin trilogy comes to a close with the limited U.S. release of Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends. The first two are already rolling out on DVD and Blu-Ray from Funimation Films and you can get those before they release in November. SYNOPSIS: After his confrontation with Shishio ends in defeat, Kenshin Himura awakens at the home of his old Master. With his mind set on revenge, he trains day and night to learn the final technique of his deadly fighting style. While he builds up his strength, Shishio and his army attack the coastline and force the new government to name Kenshin a wanted man. With the world closing in on him, Kenshin will have to look inside himself to find the strength he needs to protect his friends and end Shishio’s reign of terror once and for […]

INTO THE BADLANDS: SEASON ONE Lands On DVD, Blu-Ray And Digital HD This November!

Lee B. Golden III

With season two well on the way, AMC’s hit series, Into The Badlands, is already available via VOD streaming where you can find it. However, if physical media is more your speed, you’re just luck with this week’s announcement from Anchor Bay Entertainment’s forthcoming release of the first season on DVD and Blu-Ray. The show itself has proven greatly to be one of the most thrilling martial arts-infused properties in TV history with a cast led by Daniel Wu and Aramis Knight at the center of this tale loosely inspired by Journey To The West, combining steampunk dystopia with compelling drama and romance, and kinetic fight action. The DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital HD comes out on November 8, so check out the full details and get your copy as soon as possible! Anchor Bay Entertainment Goes Into the Badlands The Complete First Season Available On Blu-ray + Digital HD and […]

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French Thriller, DISORDER, Is Next In Line To Be Remade With ‘Sicario’ Writer Scripting

Lee B. Golden III

It’s a terrific time to be in screenwriter Taylor Sheridan’s shoes as of late. Last year’s Sicario and this year’s hit crime drama, Hell Or High Water have all but offered high marks for the acclaimed scribe who has since moved onto directing his latest completed thriller, Wind River, for a likely 2017 release. We’ll have more on that end for later, while it’s now being reported via Deadline that he’ll be providing the script to remake the 2015 Alice Winocour-directed/co-written French thriller, Disorder. The original saw actor Matthias Schoenaerts as Vincent, a PSTD survivor and former solider home from Afghanistan whose new line of work pits him against an unverified threat while protecting the wife of a rich businessman in France. Escape Artists’s own Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch and Tony Shaw are producing the film which still has yet to cast or enlist a director. Sheridan is […]

Sarik Andreasyan’s Superhero Actioner, GUARDIANS, Lands A New English VO Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Sarik Andreasyans’s latest, Guardians, couldn’t have come at a better time with superhero movies in full swing. The trailers thusfar dating back to earlier this year have all but gripped genre followers far and wide and with a Russia release planned for February next year, talk of a sequel has already begun brewing with China to co-produce. For now, we have at least another of two English-dubbed pitches for the international audience highlighting a team of Cold War genetically-enhanced superheroes assembled to take on a menacing force of evil. Actor Anton Pampushniy leads the cast along with actress Alina Lanina, and actors Sebastien Sisak and Sanzhar Madiev. During the Cold War, an organization called “Patriot” created a super-hero squad, which includes members of multiple soviet republics. For years, the heroes had to hide their identities, but in hard times they must show themselves again. Check it out below, and then click […]

Otomo Keishi's MUSEUM Finally Lands A Full Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Oguri Shun is well on the way with at least one other live-action manga prospect in Fukuda Yuichi’s Gintama for next year. For now, we turn our attention to his most recent role as a detective on the hunt for a serial killer menacing in a frog mask in Otomo Keishi’s Museum based on Tomoe Ryosuke’s 2013 publication. A body mauled to death by dogs is found and other heinous murders follow. The killer only appears on rainy days and is witnessed wearing a frog mask. A police detective is on the case and to his surprise; he finds out the next target could be his wife and child who had left him 2 weeks ago. The film is currently headed toward a world premiere next month for the 21st Busan International Film Festival Midnight Passion line-up before opening in Japan on November 12. The film’s summer promotional push […]

George Nolfi’s BIRTH OF THE DRAGON Lands An Extended Promo

Lee B. Golden III

To mix in any conversation about martial arts films the question of just which Bruce Lee biopic is the best to date, is an instant invite to copious amounts fanboy scream-debating and shouting. Possibly in all caps. It gets crazy and little stupid at times, even more so as we live in an age when the long late martial arts and film icon is still a popular source to conjure on-going ideas for film and television. That point gets a new stake as of this week with festival screenings now happening in Toronto for the Kylin Pictures-financed and Groundswell-produced film, Birth Of The Dragon. The film marks The Adjustment Bureau helmer George Nolfi’s sophomore turn in the director’s chair with a script by Christopher Wilkinson and Steven J. Rivele, casting actor Billy Magnussen as a newly arrived San Franciscan whose drunken stupor in front of Bruce Lee’s Wing Chun studio […]

BEYOND SKYLINE Sees Earth In An Alien Sea Of Blue In The Latest Poster

Lee B. Golden III

Yes, we’re still without footage of director Liam O’Donnell’s forthcoming action sci-fi sequel, Beyond Skyline, as much as many of us have hoped for at least a teaser by now. That said, a new teaser poster designed by artist Derek Winslow is being circulated via Twitter for the film which occurs in the same time line as its 2011 predecessor, Skyline, directed by Colin and Craig Strause. The new film sees Purge trilogy co-star Frank Grillo as a tough detective who sets out on a rescue mission to save his son trapped aboard an alien warcraft. Also starring is a hodge podge of actors and actress that include Indonesian action stars Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian along, actresses Bojana Novakovic, Pamelyn Chee, Valentine Payen and Betty Gabriel, and actors Jonny Weston, Callan Mulvey, Jack Chausse, and Kevin O’Donnell. Release information is also still pending but you can check out the […]

Hill And Rodriguez Talk Gender-Swapping Action Noir, (RE)ASSIGNMENT

Lee B. Golden III

With TIFF still in full swing, much is also ado with Saban Films’s most recent acquisition – director Walter Hill’s latest movie, (Re)assignment. However, don’t call it that title in front of neither Hill nor lead actress Michelle Rodriguez who leads the film as male assassin who seeks revenge after he’s double crossed by gangsters and given gender-reassignment surgery at the behest of a sinister plastic surgeon, played by actress Sigourney Weaver. The initial title upon the actress’s signing of the dotted line was Tomboy: A Revenger’s Tale and as you’ll see in the video here or below if you can see the player, Rodriguez discuss the title and their reason for their preference toward it, among other things regarding the film’s intentions as nothing more than an action-genre noir title. Critics are already observing this as per their opinions in reviews now rolling out online with mixed responses: Todd […]

Anchor Bay To Re-Release REIGN OF ASSASSINS And THE LOST BLADESMAN On DVD, Blu And Digital In November

Lee B. Golden III

More on director Gary Mak’s latest happenings in due time, while the good folks over at Anchor Bay Entertainment are accomodating martial arts fans with the November 1 U.S. home releases of two distinct action-packed titles, Mak’s 2011 historical Donnie Yen war action headliner, The Lost Bladesman, and director Su Chao-Pin’s John Woo-produced 2010 martial arts period thriller, Reign Of Assassins starring action cinema leading lady Michelle Yeoh. Hoepfully we’ll have product reviews of these up soon, so in the meantime, check out the details below and stay tuned for more updates! BEVERLY HILLS, CA (September 13, 2016) – Michelle Yeoh (Babylon A.D., Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend), Jung Woo-Sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird; A Moment to Remember, The Warrior) and Xueqi Wang (Iron Man 3, Bodyguards and Assassins, Warriors of Heaven and Earth) star in Reign of Assassins, the exciting martial […]

Catch The First Teaser For Jo Eui-Seok's New Crime Thriller, MASTER

Lee B. Golden III

I have to say, I’m pretty thrilled to see actor Lee Byung-Hun standing out so well in the last several years. The first I’d heard of him was in the live-action rendition of G.I. Joe in 2009 prior to its protracted sequel’s release in 2013 and it’s really exciting to see him take up action roles. Here, he does just that with a dash of salt and pepper in his air as a crimeboss at the center of a massive fraud investigation opposite Woochi and Kundo actor Kang Dong-Won in his debut role as a detective in the new thriller, Master. The film opens this December a year after its announcement in 2015 from CJ E&M with Cold Eyes helmer Jo Eui-Seok directing, and actors and actresses Friend, The Great Legacy actor Kim Woo-Bin, Uhm Ji-Won, The Tunnel and Veteran co-star Oh Dal-Su and Assassination co-star Jin Kyung also starring. […]

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20th Century Fox Is Producing A 1970’s Fictional Action Adventure Based On The Life Of Stan Lee!

Lee B. Golden III

Marvel Entertainment Ever wonder what comic book auteur Stan Lee’s life would be like as its own action adventure film? If so, then you’re more than welcome to consider the very real and possible outcomes. Word from THR writes that 20th Century Fox has acquired the life rights of Marvel’s famed comic book franchise co-creator to produce a 1970’s fictionalized action-adventure story that sees Lee front in center a la Kingsman/Roger Moore’s 007. Maze Runner and Twilight franchise producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing the film while casting and director details are pending. The film is just the next biggest move for Lee who still keeps busy at the young age of 93, long after seeing his 1939 Timely Comics publication through its evolution into the immersive multimedia powerhouse brand it is today. And so what better place than Fox where one of its biggest properties, X-Men, has […]

HIT LIST HEAD'S UP: New Stills Unleash The Kung Fu Fury Of Joey Min's MY ASIAN AUNTIE

Lee B. Golden III

Not all young performers can pull off the look of an elderly character, and that fact can easily be attributed to actor and filmmaker Joey Min who, razors be damned with that stubborn beard of his, still dares to have a little fun in life with ideas. Such is the case for My Asian Auntie, the latest webseries from the folks over New Jersey-based indie banner Art School Dropouts. Thursday will mark the premiere of the new kung fu comedy series following a few earlier short videos exploring the concept. I had the opportunity to screen all seven parts of this series for myself and it’s a well-worthy labor of love to watch and enjoy from start to finish with Min starring in the title role. Also leading the story is actress Stephanie Pham whose own knack for screenfighting has sharpened quite a bit since making her debut earlier this […]