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Screener Review: RISE OF THE LEGEND (2016)

I’m pretty new to Eddie Peng, having only seen him in Stephen Fung’s Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero at the time of the release. However, in the few years since then, he’s appeared to be just the kind versatile actor a director looks for, and maybe even one bold enough to take the lead in the revival of a classic martial arts film mainstay. Leave that effort to director Roy Chow Hin-Yeung whose career compass following Murderer (2009) and Nightfall (2012) now bring him to the forefront of his latest 2014 kung fu epic, Rise Of The Legend, reviving the folklore of martial arts hero Wong Fei Hung with an origin tale that does the work that none of its previous films did, lending plenty of opportunity for something truly fresh to bloom. The film opens with Peng front and center in a big-scale alleyway fight sequence, a […]

A Case For Better Action Movies: CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: SWORD OF DESTINY (2016)

Lee B. Golden III

As the 1990’s drew huge fervor in Western audiences for Hong Kong cinema with Jackie Chan and Jet Li crossovers, director Ang Lee helped pave the way for Asian cinema ina fashion hugely rewarding. The award-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, released in 2000, achieves some of the highest marks in wuxia filmmaking with a story that brilliantly taps into its source material with a sense of substance and quality that bookmarks it as one of the most memorable movies in history. Surely, the film mingles differently among moviegoers as do all, but the majority on this one is quite certain with Lee’s signature vision setting a visible standard in artful storytelling and drama based on Chinese folklore. On that note and despite its successes as a standalone feature, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon remained as one of several stories recorded in the ancient work of author Wang Du Lu whose pentalogy […]

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Cuong Ngo's TRACER (TRUY SAT) Unveils Its First Official Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Action films each have their own fair share of hurdles, and sometimes those dynamics can vary to regional circumstances. So, taking Vietnam to consideration, I always look forward to what comes out from this country with its talent on hand, particularly here with the case of filmmaker Cuong Ngo who is no stranger to the genre. His latest film, Tracer (Truy Sat), is on deck for an April 22 release and reunites Ngo with actress Truoung Ngoc Anh following their last stint on the 2014 action crime pic, Huong Ga (Rise). Here and now, she plays a detective hot on the vengeful trail of a criminal kingpin. Actor Thien Nguyen also stars along Lamou Vissay, Vin Thuy and award-winning Hit Girls shortfilm pair, actress Maria Tran, and fight choreographer Trung Ly. CJ Entertainment is representing the film internationally following its launch in Berlin earlier this month. In the meantime, the […]

Finn Jones Reported To Play IRON FIST For Netflix

Lee B. Golden III

HBO series Game Of Thrones is set to premiere its sixth season on April 24. In the meantime, co-star Finn Jones now has more to add to his schedule these days thanks to Marvel and Netflix. Programs Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage all have their leads for their respective shows leading up to The Defenders. And still, fans patiently waited to see who would claim the role of Iron Fist before then, and courtesy of EW, the word is out with Jones now set to lead with Scott Buck serving as showrunner and executive producer. Returning to New York City after being missing for years, Daniel Rand fights against the criminal element corrupting New York City with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist. The show also lends a nod to martial arts fans who’ve become heavily vested into Netflix’s […]

Honor And Bullets Among Thieves In The New Trailer For PRECIOUS CARGO

Lee B. Golden III

I dig actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar in any dimension beyond his old teen comedy roots. Performances in shows like Weeds and NYPD Blue have earned him my respect and just as so with director Max Adams’s latest, Precious Cargo, pitting Gosselaar against Bruce Willis with actress Claire Forlani also starring. SYNOPSIS: After a botched heist, Eddie (Bruce Willis), a murderous crime boss, hunts down the seductive thief Karen (Claire Forlani) who failed him. In order to win back Eddie’s trust, Karen recruits her ex-lover and premier thief Jack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) to steal a cargo of rare precious gems. But when the job goes down, allegiances are betrayed and lines are crossed as Jack, Karen, and Eddie face off in a fateful showdown. Lionsgate Premiere will release the action-thriller in theaters and on demand on April 22. Following the premiere of the most recent poster a la IMDb, Lionsgate unveiled its newest […]

Get An Explosive Look At The New BANSHEE: Season 4 Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

Television buffs and action fans alike would be wise to appeal to Cinemax’s fourth and final season of the hit series, Banshee. The show has gone strong since the top of 2013, and for good godamn reason at that with a sprawling and layered tale of mistaken identity, romance, crime and vengeance. And at the center of it all is actor Antony Starr and actress Ivana Milicevic who have all but led the way through trials and tribulations and dozens of moving pieces, and plot twists seething with intrigue, danger and explosive grade-A action. If you love good television, Banshee warrants your attention starting now through its season premiere on April 1, here to set the record straight a bit further is a first look poster and featurette to get the juices flowing. Watch and enjoy! (H/T Yahoo! TV)

The New War Between Man And Machine Rages On In The New KILL COMMAND Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

National Geographic’s 2008 piece, Inside The Human Body, proved worthwhile for Emmy award-winning VFX craftsman, Steven Gomez. His newest venture into writing and directing now takes his skillset even further with the new sci-fi thriller, Kill Command, and its latest trailer is proof positive of what he seems capable of. SYNOPSIS: In a near future technology-reliant society, man is pitted against killing machines. An elite army unit is helicoptered to a remote, off-the-grid island facility. What starts out as a simple training exercise for Captain Bukes and his tight-knit squad, descends into a terrifying battle to the death, as the marines discover the island is overrun by an enemy that transcends the human concept of evil. Filmed in London just a few years back, the film’s cast of unknowns is led by Vanessa Kirby, Thure Lindhardt and David Ajala. Vertigo Distribution is releasing the film in the U.K. this May with […]

Kosugi Father And Son To Reteam For “Big” Mystery Martial Arts Project

Lee B. Golden III

The kind folks over at Arrow Video have been doing quite good by their viewership in the last several months, specifically toward fans of classic ninja cinema with Kosugi Sho classics, Pray For Death and next month’s Blu-Ray release, Rage Of Honor. The late Gordon Hessler, who directed both titles, was to follow up with Sho for a fourth film reunion before Hessler passed away in 2014, and now it appears things may have taken a turn upward since. Arrow’s latest interviews with the longstanding action star and recent co-star of Ninja Assassin (2009) have since lended them exclusive knowledge of two projects now brewing – an English-language biography and another that’s only been described as a big budget martial arts movie in which the youngest of his two sons, actor and stuntman Kosugi Shane will star. “We put together a screenplay, but I can’t tell you too much about […]

Trust Runs As Thin As Blood In The New Trailer For DAREDEVIL: SEASON TWO!

Lee B. Golden III

The current run up to Netflix’s second season premiere of Marvel’s Daredevil has been nothing short of exciting. The first season was a pure blast and now things are about to get piping hot in Hell’s Kitchen with actor Charlie Cox and newly added actress Elodie Yung portraying fellow Marvel anti-heroine, Elektra. The two now pair together in this week’s newest trailer and I, for one, am sure that fans are going to love Yung’s performance as we are sampled with a bit more of it since her character poster and animated graph came out this week. This, coupled with the brewing debut of actor Jon Bernthal as the heavy-handed vigilante known as Punisher, only adds to the intensifying drama as we further witness how our lead character deals with his personal plight with actor Elden Henson returning as the beleaguered best friend Foggy Nelson. SYNOPSIS: Just when Matt thinks […]

The Final Trailer Has Arrived For CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: SWORD OF DESTINY

Lee B. Golden III

That fans still have an interest in seeing Yuen Woo-Ping’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny on IMAX is an interesting thing to bare in mind, even as The Weinstein Company is rolling back its theatrical locations in most areas around the U.S.. That said, there are still people who don’t have Netflix and probably won’t be able to partake in the fandom right away as soon as those who do, but hopefully that will change. As for the film, the reviews are in and the reactions of so far been of a mixed breed with reflections on the film’s more “Westernized” feel, due in part from its approach compared to Ang Lee’s 2000 masterpiece. Whether this fares at all with your opinions on film is entirely up to you while I look forward to catching this myself for a more informed opinion; I initially preferred this on be […]

RIDE ALONG 2 Pulls Up This April On DVD, BLU-RAY And Digital HD

Lee B. Golden III

Universal Pictures is releasing the action comedy sequel, Ride Along 2 on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD in April and they’re announcing all the specs this week you can view below along with a trailer for its home release. I haven’t seen the second one yet so I can’t give my opinion on it just yet, but I enjoyed the first one in 2014 and the campaign to promote this one has been fully hilarious. Check out all the details right here: UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Fasten your seatbelts and brace yourselves for another wild ride when Kevin Hart (Get Hard, The Wedding Ringer) and Ice Cube (22 Jump Street, Barbershop) return in the hilarious, action-packed comedy, Ride Along 2, coming to Digital HD on April 12, 2016, and Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on April 26, 2016, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray™, DVD […]

xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE Gets An Early 2017 Release

Lee B. Golden III

Without a shadow of a doubt, perhaps the biggest factor in director D.J. Caruso’s latest, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, will be the diversity and overall caliber of its cast. It’s generally what makes a Vin Diesel feature film so warm and welcoming on top of the virtual day-to-day upkeep of videos and photos the actor shares on his fanpage, and there’s no question either that similar practices by co-stars Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa are doing the same considering the amount of followers they each have on social media, starpower notwithstanding. Yep…I’d say the bar is set pretty high for this latest foray into franchise territory with Paramount staking its claim to release internationally. Thus, the company has finally announced a January 20, 2017 release date for the film, just four months shy of Diesel’s other forthcoming franchise flick, Fast 8, which starts shooting sometime this year. So, […]

Netflix Announces New Anime Series, PERFECT BONES

Lee B. Golden III

Anime fans neck deep into Netflix’s anime dish now has another serving on the way with the new original series, Perfect Bones. Parterning the SVoD company with animation studio Production I.G. and successful animator and character designer Nakazawa Kazuto, the new show will be the first to debut in all current territories where Netflix is available following its expansion back in January, and judging by the plot it sounds like it’ll be a fun 12-episode ride. Details are below! Beverly Hills, Calif., February 24, 2016 — Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, today announced, together with Production I.G, a groundbreaking deal that sees the upcoming original Anime series Perfect Bones to premiere only on Netflix. This marks the first ever original Anime title to debut all episodes simultaneously in 190 countries around the world. Directed by Kazuto Nakazawa, the 12-episode series is set in the future where scientists have […]

MGM To Re-Remake THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, Michael B. Jordan To Star

Lee B. Golden III

There’s no director or writer attached, but THR is reporting that MGM is preparing to remake another classic title now with a reworking of The Thomas Crown Affair. What’s more is that the studio’s latest prospect, Creed star Michael B. Jordan is tapped to lead the film based on the 1968 hesit flick from director Norman Lewison. Steve McQueen starred in the title role in the original film opposite actress Faye Dunaway in the story of a billionaire businessman/career thief who ensues a romance with a beautiful insurance investigator when his latest heist lands him on her radar. Director John McTiernan remade the film with a different ending in 1999 at the time with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo headlining. The report cites the film’s news as a sign of confidence in Jordan who led the way for Fruitvale Station helmer Ryan Coogler’s sophomore directorial offering, Creed, to box office […]

Watch Elektra Light Up The Night In Her Own Cinemagraph For DAREDEVIL: SEASON 2!

Lee B. Golden III

Netflix Roughly over three weeks remain for the second season of Marvel series, Daredevil and a slew of character posters and cinemagraphs have been rolling out ever since. The latter has just been updated with its roster complete with animation featuring actor Charlie Cox in the title role followed by, Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, Jon Bernthal debuting as Punisher and newly added Elodie Yung kicking around the badies in a new look as Elektra. Phil Abraham directs the new season which now forces our hero to continue questioning his purpose with the rise of a new vigilante and the return of an old flame in the midst. The show is building up to further the advancement of The Defenders in the next few years along with other shows, but what’s more interesting is what could happen for a spin-off for Bernthal in his own Punisher series since it’s […]

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN JOHNSON Filming In May For Amazon

Lee B. Golden III

Those of you still waiting to see Zombieland 2 will be happy to know that all isn’t lost for its development at Sony, and Indiewire has more on that. As for its plot, nothing is known yet and you can only ask its writer Dave Callaham who has otherwise been keeping busy with his currently-brewing TV debut as of the last few years. That effort, following updates from last November, now comes in the form of Jean-Claude Van Johnson, which will star none other than action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. The new action comedy series rejoins the two since the actor co-starred in the 2012 ensemble action sequel, The Expendables 2 for its franchise creator, Callaham, who is writing and executive producing the series for which its pilot has officially been picked up by Amazon. via THR: Jean-Claude Van Johnson will star Van Damme as a version of himself — a […]

PACIFIC RIM 2 Is Back Above Water With A New Director

Lee B. Golden III

Sequel expectations for dorector Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 sci-fi monster epic, Pacific Rim, have been somewhat of a rollercoaster. The film generally didn’t do well enough to greenlight a follow-up right away, but it ultimately earned a cult following from fans who’ve simply wanted to see more. A year later, both del Toro and Legendary’s own Thomas Tull invested updates of their own before announcing an April 2017 release (before it was pushed back four months), while plans were in motion to develop graphic novels and an animated series to tie-in to both films. This was all before del Toro was confirmed to direct an upcoming remake of Fantastic Voyage for 20th Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment, thus leaving the impression among fans and Twitter followers that the film wasn’t going to happen at all. Alas, our dear director took to Twitter a little over a month ago to lend […]

BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE Will Be Rated-R On Blu-Ray

Lee B. Golden III

In what can only be described as the so-called “Deadpool effect” it now appears that Warner Bros. is curiously dabbling into R-rated territory, but with a catch! Comingsoon.net has learned via FilmRatings.com that Zack Snyder’s Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice is getting an R-rating for its Blu-Ray release in the form of Dawn Of Justice: Ultimate Edition. The current theatrical release of the film, opening in the U.S. on March 25, still stands at PG-13 so certain moviegoers won’t have to worry about walking into the wrong movie. Time will tell what this will mean for other films like the August 5 release of Suicide Squad and the Justice League films which open between next year and in 2019. At any rate, an R-rated director’s cut of Batman V Superman on Blu-Ray sounds like a good way to test the waters and see how fans respond, not to mention […]

Hey Salt Lake City! Kate Beckinsale Will Be At SLCC FanX One Month From Today!

Lee B. Golden III

Actress Kate Beckinsale is back in the fray with her forthcoming return to action horror territory with Anna Forrester’s directorial debut, Underworld: Next Generation. Fans alike in and around the area of Salt Lake City in Utah would be wise to remember this ahead of attending FanX this year on March 24 through 26 where The Aviator and Van Helsing co-star will be joining in on the fun a la Salt Lake Comic Con. Details are below so read closely and be sure to purchase your tickets! SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Salt Lake Comic Con (http://saltlakecomiccon.com/) announced today that English actress Kate Beckinsale is the latest in a long line of exciting celebrity guests attending FanX™ 2016. Salt Lake Comic Con FanX16 will be the first comic con fan event where Kate Beckinsale will be available for Photo Ops and Autographs with fans. The event is scheduled for March 24-26, 2016 at […]

Reynolds's HITMAN'S BODYGUARD Adds Salma Hayek And Elodie Yung

Lee B. Golden III

With everyone hung up on actor Ryan Reynolds’s then-forthcoming lead role in 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool, in its good graces awaited further news on one other project, Kick-Aas 2 director Jeff Wadlow’s Hitman’s Bodyguard. Such a project is befitting for Reynolds in the wake of his latest success with Deadpool which maintained its number one spot for two weeks in a row. Moreover, it’s just the kind of momentum that can be used here as production on Hitman’s Bodyguard is now set to begin in London on April 2, 2016 for Lionsgate to distribute. For this, the film is now boasting the additions of actresses Salma Hayek (Everly) and Elodie Yung (G.I. Joe: Retaliation). The two join Reynolds and actors Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman with a script from Tom O’Connor that sees Reynolds in the role of the world’s top protection agent now forced to help his arch-enemy […]