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Jean Reno To Play Cop In Fung's ‘Once A Thief’-Inspired THE ADVENTURERS

I admit, it took me a few months to get a grip on the fact that The Adventurers and the upcoming reboot of John Woo classic Once A Thief were the same damn movie being directed by Stephen Fung. That said, I can finally sharpen my focus a bit and follow up on the news as it comes, and now with word that filming is currently underway in Prague following the most recent marriage of Fung and the film’s leading lady, actress Shu Qi. The film was announced earlier this year at HKFilmart under joint venture Flagship Entertainment with Fung to direct, and also lists actors Andy Lau and Tony Yang, and actress Zhang Jingchu. Rounding out the cast this week according to reports from Chinese outlet Mingpao, is actor Jean Reno, who stars as an inspector in the relentless cat-and-mouse pursuit of Lau’s role, a master thief joined by […]

THE CROW Officially Casts Jason Momoa To Film In January

Lee B. Golden III

Contrary to how some may feel about remaking a film like The Crow, I’m pretty optimistic given the progress that’s finally been made following the past several years of the film’s development at Relativity. Actor Jason Momoa, last reported in August as in talks to star in the film under helmer Corin Hardy, is officially on board the film with an eye to start shooting in January of 2017. The film’s movement, according to The Wrap, is being reported as a treatment attributed directly from the source material instead of a mere reimagining of filmmaker Alex Proyas’s original 1994 adapation of author James O’Barr’s underground graphic novel. Momoa will star as Eric Draven, a musician who, following his gruesome murder and that of his fiancée, is resurrected by a majestic bird to enact vengenace and set the wrong things right. The film comes in the wake of Relativity Media’s recent […]

HEADSHOT Goes For The Kill In The Brutal New Teaser Ahead Of Its TIFF Premiere!

Lee B. Golden III

Recent years have certainly seen promience within Indonesia’s film circles. It is of a slow but steady kind and due largely in part to the proliferation of its most notable player, Iko Uwais, undeniable in the work he’s put in to becoming a formidable, game-changing star, and he assuredly has changed it to some degree. His screen caliber as a martial artist and actor have all but sharpened since debuting in the 2009 action drama, Merantau. Following that with crime hits The Raid and The Raid 2 and save for a few albeit minimal cameos in Man Of Tai Chi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there’s no question that there are, indeed, directors who know how to utilize Uwais’s skillset appropriately. Thus, we now come to the latest work from Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel, the hit film duo behind the 2014 slasher, Killers. They’re back, and this time […]

SHANGHAI DAWN Sets On 'Napoleon Dynamite' Helmer Jared Hess To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

While the wait continues for the forthcoming Jackie Chan/Owen Wilson threequel, Shanghai Dawn, it is finally being reported that Napoleon Dynamite helmer Jared Hess will direct the film. The news comes nine months after it was announced that actors Chan and Wilson, under MGM president Jonathan Glickman, that the film was finally moving forward more than a decade after the 2003 sequel and its preceding initial vehicle in 2000. David Dobkin directed the first movie in the now trilogy-to-be in the wake of the Hong Kong cinema action hero’s rise to crossover celebrity stardom. Chan firsr joined Wilson in the respective comedic roles of rogue imperial guardsman Chon Wang and former bandit Roy O’Bannon in Shanghai Noon where they meet up in the 17th century old West and reluctantly pair-up to rescue the Imperial princess, played by Lucy Liu. The film’s hit success to the tune of almost $100 million […]

China Lion Presents The North American Trailer For Cao Baoping's Crime Comedy, COCK AND BULL

Lee B. Golden III

Lest you forget or in case you’re just learning of this, Cao Baoping’s newest crime comedy, Cock And Bull, is expanding its premiere stateside next week following its China release. Thus, China Lion Films is leading the cause with a September 16 date stamped for select cities and theaters in the U.S. and Canada, and have since released its own trailer to help you get acquaintes. SYNOPSIS: When a murder occurs in a small town in Southeast China, a local mechanic, known for his honesty, comes under suspicion. When the police target him to take the fall, he’s forced to try and exonerate himself, uncovering a number of disturbing facts, most much bigger than the initial crime. Liu Ye and Zhang Yi lead the cas t along with Duan Bowen, Wang Ziwen and Sun Lei. Catch the trailer below and head over to the official website for China Lion to […]

Help Jonny Caines Take A Bite Out Of Evil In The New Martial Arts Horror Comedy Short, HOT DOG CART 666

Lee B. Golden III

The martial arts genre as of late, is one befallen to many a producer and director who take the genre for granted. They shouldn’t, and especially for guys like actor and martial artist Jonny Caines who, much like many performers I’ve written about, have done some incredible work contributing to the genre. Quick online searches will bring you to a handful of good examples here with titles like Do The Damn Thing: In Canada and the 2014 short, Fist Plus Face, along with stunt credits in features like Scott Pilgrim VS. The World and David Hayter’s Wolves. One other credit includes the 2015 Canadian action drama indie, 11 Blocks, from director Matthew Bennett who has since been after a few opportunities to reteam with Caines and enhance his talents and on-screen caliber in film. And so, we are brought to his latest effort, Hot Dog Cart 666, which aims to […]

THE HIT LIST – September 5, 2016

Lee B. Golden III

Welp, another work weekend has passed and I managed to finish the first of two interviews which are now airing as of this week. Accordingly, the work also extends to putting together new content this week for the Hit List, and there’s plenty to go around! Kicking things off, of course, are the stunt reels, starting with the newest debut reel by Far East Action, a newly-formed stunt ensemble featuring highlights from some noteworthy titles as of late, including Kung Fu Fighter, Time Rush, Wolf Warrior and the 2015 blockbuster epic, Dragon Blade. Rounding it all out are new, fully-loaded stunt reels by Tonya Kay, Wendy Vrijenhoek, Corey Snowden, Justin Hall, Troy Castaneda, Ashley Oliver, Antonio “A.J.” Rachetta, Jasper Joyner, Kent De Mond, Becca GT, Martial Club in a high-impact kicking sesh with friends, and firey Australian martial arts stunt troupe, Dauntless MC, a noteworthy team among several behind something very special that’s […]

EXCLUSIVE: Jaa, Uwais, Tiger, Angelababy First In Line For ‘Asian Expendables’ Thriller, MAKESHIFT SQUAD

Lee B. Golden III

While getting some of the biggest and notable action stars together for a single movie is no easy feat to achieve, it’s one worth celebrating when it happens. Namely, I speak of talents like Skin Trade and Furious Seven breakout co-star Tony Jaa, and Man Of Tai Chi-starring opposites Tiger Chen and Iko Uwais, all of whom have been prolific in the last three years, and if you’re wondering if there’s any meaning to my mention of their names in this article, then with any luck and smooth scheduling, we may be onto something! For this, we look to the forthcoming Chinese production of the new ensemble action thriller, Makeshift Squad, which also has Rise Of The Legend and Indepedence Day: Resurgence co-star, actress Angelababy joining the cast as the female lead. Plot and story info are not yet known, although an unnamed source with knowledge on the production contacted Film Combat Syndicate […]

VOLTRON FILM SCHOOL – PART I: An Interview With Actor And Filmmaker Leroy Nguyen

Lee B. Golden III

It’s pretty imaginable – the demanding list of items and moving parts a filmmaker has to manage and keep track of in the course of a project’s evolution. I say this whilst not being a filmmaker myself, but having spoken to a good few who’ve worked on either one or both sides of the lens and that pretty much enlists most of the people I’ve written about off and on in the last eight years – less than three of which have been here on this site. For certain, actor and filmmaker Leroy Nguyen can attest to these and much, having cut his teeth for well over a decade through his own projects, as well as shared ventures with numerous other aspiring film professionals, and with a distinct interest in action and martial arts. Joined by longtime friend and film cohort, Edmond Shum, the two have found a unique working […]

Tiger Chen And Wang Zhi Armor Up In New Posters And Stills For KUNG FU CYBORG

Lee B. Golden III

Take note of the following artwork you now see below. Indeed, actor and martial artist Tiger Chen who upscaled from stunt performer to leading man status in films like Kung Fu Man in 2012, and Keanu Reeves’s directorial debut, Man Of Tai Chi, is back in the forthcoming action romance sci-fi, Kung Fu Cyborg. Details are pending on the overall plot and story but this looks undoubtedly like a neat little transition for the budding action star who has been at the center of talk for several projects in the past few years, including Jonathan Lim’s Kung Fu Cowboy, announced last year during AFM. Expected to release this December or thereafter, Zhang Xianfeng makes his own directorial debut joining Chen with Drug War co-star, actress Wang Zhi, both of whom can now be seen in the album below with fresh images and posters courtesy of 1905.com.

Kim Jee-Woon Howls To Helm JIN-ROH: THE WOLF BRIGADE For Live-Action

Lee B. Golden III

Acclaimed director Kim Jee-Woon is on the road promoting his latest period espionage thriller, The Age Of Shadows, which releases in South Korea in the next several days following its TIFF premiere, marking a first for Warner Bros. Pictures. In the course of all this, Kim took to the press this weekend to discuss the film, the industry and future plans while in attendance at the Venice Film Festival. Thus, such plans now include the confirmation to direct a live-action adaptation of helmer Okiuta Hiroyuki’s 1998 animated sci-fi war thriller, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, according to Screendaily. An award-winning feat written by heralded animation auteur Oshii Mamoru, the film takes place in an alternate version of 1950’s Japan post World War II, telling of a deadly political war between Public Security Division and the Special Unit – the latter from which Fuse, a demoted solider traumatized by the death of […]

SHIN GODZILLA Debuts A North American Poster!

Lee B. Golden III

The acclaimed King Of The Monsters himself has been taking Japan by storm once more in the latest kaiju epic, Shin Godzilla. Having become a box office hit at home, it seemed only fair that Toho’s prized property took the world stage and it has since obliged accordingly with releases throughout Asia, as well as a planned release in North America. Thus, the good folks at Funimation Films heard the call and now by way of the gang over at Sci-Fi Japan, Shin Godzilla is roaring online in the first official poster which you can view below. All that and more can be read in the subsequent press release which highlights the dates of the film’s U.S. limited theatrical run. LOS ANGELES, CA – September 2, 2016. The iconic science fiction monster Godzilla makes land fall in the U.S. and Canada this October with the North American theatrical release of […]

Gangster Thriller HiGH&LOW: THE RED RAIN Gets A Full Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

If there is one international film franchise I would love to see cross over, it’s that of the HiGH&LOW franchise. Having launched last year exclusively in Japan via NTV and Hulu through this past Spring, the folks over at LDH, Inc. and the creatives within Japanese super pop group, EXILE TRIBE, have exhibited nothing short of an amazing array of stunt talent to highlight the action that entails this sprawling gangster drama from director Kubo Shigeaki who directed the July feature film, HiGH&LOW: The Movie. This week, we’re about keep going even further with the latest treatmnent from Deadball and Chromartie High: The Movie helmer Yamaguchi Yudai. HiGH&LOW: The Red Rain follows up the epic action and drama with a spin-off into one other aspect of this latest musical action movieverse – all started from the tale of a town embroiled in gang warfare after splitting into five different gangs. […]

Filmmakers! Submit Your Projects To THIRD CULTURE FILM FESTIVAL For Next Spring!

Lee B. Golden III

Filmmakers of the action variety now have another outlet of their own to delve into festival territory. For this, we turn to actor and martial artist Harry Oram who has been up-and-coming for close to a decade with credits such as Jackie Chan blockbuster, Dragon Blade and Daniel Lee’s latest adventure epic, Time Raiders. As it turns out, the actor is well on his way to his second year as co-founder with curator and award-winning Hong Kong animator, Faiyaz Jafri, for the Spring 2017 installment of Third Culture Film Festival – the film arm of the official Third Culture learning movement which speaks to societys’ demographic of individuals with mixed heritages. Oram is currently looking to offer his shared film festival platform with professional and aspiring action directors looking to submit their work to be shown before an audience comprised of select and notable judges. Jafri, Mann and Oram at […]

EXCLUSIVE: New Clip From THE BODYGUARD Shows Why You Should Never Force Yourself Into Sammo's Home

Lee B. Golden III

Action legend Sammo Hung’s latest, The Bodyguard, proved to be a bit of a hit-or-miss with some critics who’ve seen the film since its Asia release in Spring. You can read more on it in our own review courtesy of contributor Joey Min if it helps, though in fairness the buzz is still very much the same for fans still fond of the seasoned star and director here. At any rate, folks in North America can currently see the film on Digital HD as of last month. However, if physical media is more your speed, then Well Go USA have you covered with a release date officially slated for September 6 on DVD and Blu-Ray. Thus, here to help keep the buzz going is an exclusive clip featuring Hung in the lead role alongside young actress Jacqueline Chan who finds herself in a heap of trouble with a small band […]

Academy Lifetime Honoree Jackie Chan Sends His Regards

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and legendary action cinema auteur Jackie Chan’s recent achievement with the Academy’s Honorary 2016 Governors Award has beem no easy feat to accomplish. A good look at his history will tell you that with respect to the challenges he’s faced both in front and behind the camera, and to no affect at all is he stopping any time soon with the current production of new sci-fi actioner, Bleeding Steel. Chan took to social media today to announce his gratitude in the wake of his latest announcement, marking yet another career milestone as well as a first for the Oscars. As per his Facebook post, read either language below, and by all means, feel free to fawn and remimisce over some nifty footage with Chan on screen by way of WatchMojo. It’s been 56 years since I filmed my first movie when I was six, and I’ve worked on over […]

KICKBOXER: SYNDICATE Has Been Announced As The Third In The New Reboot Trilogy

Lee B. Golden III

Wednesday evening saw the red-carpet premiere of John Stockwell’s latest, Kickboxer: Vengance at Westwood’s iPic theater in California, and to an esteemed effect with mostly positive reviews in its wake. As of then and on the eve of its theatrical and digital release, just a little bit more info came to light regarding the future of the newly rebooted trilogy based on the 1989 martial arts classic. According to Variety, producer Rob Hickman has announced the title of the third film in tow will be Kickboxer: Syndicate. No casting details are available as of yet while it is inherent that the film will undoubtedly see actor and martial artist Alain Moussi reprise the revived role of Kurt Sloane, the protagonist previously portrayed by the film’s original star, Jean-Claude Van Damme who also joins the reboot trilogy as Sloane’s reclusive martial arts mentor. Kickboxer: Vengance opens this weekend in theaters and […]

Stuart Willis's Sci-Fi Suspense Thriller, RESTORATION Gets An Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Moviegoers and home viewers in Australia will soon be able to catch director Stuart Willis’s newest sci-fi thriller, Restoration, through streaming service Stan on September 8. With this, the official trailer is now online following its teaser last month prior to premiering on Nine network and landing a deal with SKY and Virgin Australia. SYNOPSIS: In the near future, a company offers individuals the service of having their memories downloaded “for backup”. So, in the event of death, those memories can be uploaded into a new body. After a routine backup, Oliver Klein wakes to find his memories restored into a body that is not his own. Trapped in a foreign body with its own ‘muscle memory’, Oliver discovers that he is capable of doing things the original Oliver never could and never would. Oliver must find a way to reconnect with his family and his life, while coming […]

LEAFF 2016 To Host A Park Chan-Wook Retrospective Outlining THE HANDMAIDEN, THE VENGEANCE TRILOGY, And More

Lee B. Golden III

Events in the UK where the London East Asia Film Festival took off late last year are keeping the pace a bit with an upcoming retrospective look into the work of filmmaker Park Chan-wook. At the moment, I am reminded of Hollywood’s once ambitious attempts at translating Park’s work for an American audience with the hopes of adapting the remaining two of the aptly named Vengeance Trilogy. Sure, that probably won’t happen after the demise that was Spike Lee’s Oldboy, but it’s amply good to see Park still on his toes. His latest, The Handmaiden, generated quite the buzz at Cannes this summer with a possible nod for the Palme d’Or before it went to I, Daniel Blake helmer Ken Loach, and has since gone on to a theatrical release in South Korea in June, and with plans for an October 17 U.K. release, LEAFF will be obliging its attendees […]

RAILROAD TIGERS On Track For A U.S. Release Through Well Go USA

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a few days since action star and Guiness world record holder Jackie Chan snatched a spot as one of four recipients for an Honorary 2016 Governors Award for his achievements in film. All well and good, and he’ll be receiving that award in November while obviously continuing to excel in his craft with a raft of titles to boot, including KungFu Yoga, The Foreigner, and The Lego NINJAGO Movie. For now, his next runner-up for 2016 will be the release of Ding Sheng’s Railroad Tigers which joins Chan with actors Huang Zitao (Edge of Innocence), Wang Kai (Nirvana In Fire) and Darren Wang (Our Times) for the story of a railroad worker in 1941 who rallies a rebellion against the Japanese to get food to the poor. Word from Deadline now has it that Well Go USA is seeking to release the film simultaneously with its China release […]