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SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES Lets Out The Mayhem In A Brand New Trailer!

The verdict is still out on how well director Soi Cheang‘s SPL 2: A Time For Consequences will stand with audiences. In the meantime, the promotional campaign remains on-going and the footage is pulling no punches with actors Wu Jing, Tony Jaa and Max Zhang at the center of this gruesome crime tale thematic of Chinese astrology. The plot of this particular sequel installment is quite intricate with a much more grander scale for its characters and setting. My own summation here: Run by a corrupt warden (Zhang), a Thai prison and its illegal orga smuggling ring and an elusive crimeboss (Louis Koo) are the initial stake for an undercover Hong Kong cop (Jing) whose cover is blown and must find a way to break out, while serving as the only bone marrow match for the dying daughter of one of the guards who helps him (Jaa). The film is […]

THE HIT LIST – May 18, 2015

Lee B. Golden III

Stunt reels, freerunning, tricking, fighting and more. The Hit List is back this week and there’s at least one video you should check out here as it pertains to an upcoming televsion series arriving this Fall. For now, the Hit List begins in the only way it should, particularly considering anyone who knows who action star Donnie Yen is knows he has a sister. Alas, Chris Yen‘s latest reel comes first and foremost, with others from Amy Sturdivant, Kiki Okubo, Christopher Llorca, Paul Clark and David Rodriguez, as well as a new fight choreography reel Paradox Pollack, and an absolutely fantastic stunt coordinator reel from Philippe Guegan! Now we get to do a little bit of freerunning, and to kick things off, the folks over at Precision Parkour have a new video out which you can view right now, with other entries from Team Farang’s own Pasha Petkuns, 16-year old […]

Kelly Russo Is The Worst Date Ever In The New Teaser For Assassin Thriller, CALL GIRL

Lee B. Golden III

Here’s something thrilling to take a gander at. It’s Nicholas Acosta latest directorial offering in the form of a seductive new thriller titled Call Girl, centered on actress Kelly Russo as an experienced assassin and the chaotic events that follow when she mistakenly takes out the wrong target. You can pretty much guess what happens from there, and at any rate, the director himself already has quite a knack for combining some sexy storytelling with a good amount of thrills to boot, as per some of his previous work. That certainly qualifies Call Girl as something impressive, and future reviews will tell us how that will turn out. Producer Golan Ramas wrote the script, and it’s got a teaser trailer now to share that bodes quite well for the tone it takes. Check it out, and make note of a possible September release! Actress Hollie Shwarz and actor Sam Puefua […]

SURVIVAL'S END: Watch The New Trailer For Austin St. John's New Sci-Fi Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Award-winning filmmaker Daniel E. Springen‘s latest sci-fi induction, Survival’s End, is finally making the rounds with a new trailer following crowdfunding efforts back in February. The crew is currently providing updates via its Facebook page following production last Spring with actor, martial artist and Power Rangers alum, Austin St. John starring, with efforts in part by the Valencia College Film Program in Orlando, Florida. The film is mainly set in a post-apocalyptic America with a story congruent with certain then-current events, pitting St. John at the center of the chaos as a former military expert leading a group of survivors to safety in the wake of the government’s “cleansing” campaign against the Ebola outbreak. It looks more drama heavy then preferred here, but it shows an awful lot of acting caliber with St. John back in his element in front of the camera and lending some fanfare to the Toku […]

My Two Cents: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a while since I’ve seen any of the previous Mad Max films leading up to Mad Max: Fury Road. However, that didn’t stop me from catching the glory of director George Miller‘s return to the fray aside from this being my big screen introduction to the character, and needless to say, it’s nothing short of the wonderous, gruesome, brutally fantastic cinematic treat that any number of reviews will tell you this month. The film immediately reinvites you into the rebooted madness with a heavily-bearded Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) in the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland as he’s captured by the War Boys, a cult of bald albinos led by Immorten Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). While in captivity, Rockatansky soon ends up as a universal blood donor to one of the War Boys, Nux (Nicholas Hoult) who is eager to meet his destiny at the foot of Joe’s calling when Joe and […]

Lundgren, Goss And Rourke Plot To Take Out The Third Reich In The New Trailer For WAR PIGS!

Lee B. Golden III

Take a ragtag team of kick ass action stars and pit them against Adolf Hitler and his evil Nazi army, and you’re bound to have a damn good time at the movies. Director Ryan Little‘s newest World War II action thriller, War Pigs, brings you Luke Goss, Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lundgren, thanks in part to successful crowdfunding efforts late last year with Schuetzle Company Productions spearheading the post-production campaign. SYNOPSIS: Disgraced World War 2 Army Captain Jack Wosick (Luke Goss) is given the opportunity for redemption when asked to lead a rag-tag unit of misfits known as the War Pigs on a secretmission to go behind enemy lines to uncover and capture a Nazi developed Super Weapon the V3, a massive artillery canon that would give the Nazis an insurmountable advantage against the Allies. With the help of Captain Hans Picault (Dolph Lundgren), a German Anti-Nazi serving with the […]

CANNES 2015: Julien Seri's New Thriller, NIGHT FARE, Goes On The Hunt In A New International Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Yamakasi and The Great Challenge helmer Julien Seri‘s latest feature-length come back is destined to grab the attention of movie goers who love a good thriller. His new movie, Night Fare, has already snatched multiple sales around the world including the U.K. and Japan with WTFilms representing the movie at the Marche du Film at Cannes this month, and for seemingly great reason! SYNOPSIS: Luc and his English friend Chris take a taxi to go home after partying hard all evening in Paris. At destination, they run away without paying the fare. They got the wrong driver for this… The taxi goes immediately into hunting mode, chasing them all night, wherever they go. But does he only want his money back? Not bad for a film privately funded with a million Euros and shot quickly, and not to mention that premise is absolutely fantastic! Night Fare isn’t the only film […]

Cannes 2015: Not One, But TWO MILLION K(L)ICKS Are Now In Order For Mike Moeller To Star!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s becoming an electrifying weekend of news for movie deals coming out of France, and fans within the martial arts action niche aren’t being ignored at all. Several deals have been made so far, including one regarding the latest directorial debut success of Alex Padrutt’s martial arts drama, One Million K(l)icks, the story of a fighter’s ultimate battle for survival in an underground online betting tournament with German action sensation Mike Moeller starring. The film is already set for distribution in the U.K. through international sales agent, distribution company Evolutionary Films who, as of this week, will officially co-produce the English-language sequel, Two Million K(l)icks: Hong Kong Death Match with Moeller returning to star. Mike Leeder and Rudiger W. Kuemmerle, who produced the first film, are back to produce for Ross Boyask, helmer of such actioners as Left For Dead, Ten Dead Men, and actress Cecily Fay’s fantasy adventure, Warrioress, […]

Cannes 2015: TEKKEN Is Being Remade…Again.

Lee B. Golden III

Now now, get this. Some have different opinions about live action adaptations of fighting games, and video game creator Katsuhiro Harada’s popular Namco/Bandai franchise, Tekken, is no stranger to the mix of optimism and ire of fans far and wide. The first film, starring Jon Foo, was filmed in 2008 before taking three years to finally release on US DVD and Blu-Ray, and while the film proved to be a decent tournament movie with plenty of fighting and a talented line-up of martial artists, the film could have been done better in many ways, particularly for a proper reboot. I made this case in a rant back in 2013 and I still stand by that, even after Crystal Sky’s own Steven Paul went on record to state that the film would move on with a prequel with a cast that would resemble the characters from the game (look how that […]

New HITMAN: AGENT 47 Trailer Goes 'Mad'

Lee B. Golden III

Clearly someone at Twentieth Century Fox is a fan of the hit TV series, Mad Men. The studio just released a trailer for the new film, Hitman: Agent 47 stylized in the show’s opening credits, which is all fun and interesting, and moreover, on the heels of a first trailer which has already caught some fan appeal among those fond of the original video game. SYNOPSIS: HITMAN: AGENT 47 centers on an elite assassin who was genetically engineered from conception to be the perfect killing machine, and is known only by the last two digits on the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck. He is the culmination of decades of research – and forty-six earlier Agent clones — endowing him with unprecedented strength, speed, stamina and intelligence. His latest target is a mega-corporation that plans to unlock the secret of Agent 47’s past to create an army of […]

Gary Daniels Gets Ready To RUMBLE In A New Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

Following their previous work on last year’s action installment, Misfire, genre favorite, actor and martial artist Gary Daniels and filmmaker R. Ellis Frazier were already underway with their next in line, Rumble. It’s yet another entry into Daniels‘s screenfighting resumé as of late, now in the role of a aged fighter at the twilight of his MMA career, forced to battle his way through a line-up of underground fighters to save his kidnapped wife from the throes of a mysterious crimelord. The film is written by Benjamin Budd, and is currently making the rounds for the film at Cannes at the behest of the reps at Hannibal Pictures. That said, following a first trailer from late last year, Rumble is back with a second trailer to showcase what fans are in for, which should be nothing short of a story of layered with intrigue, intensity, and the usual assortment of […]

Cannes 2015: 80's Martial Arts Fantasy Flick, KUNG FURY, Gets Distribution

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a fantastic journey for independent filmmaker, David Sandberg and his team at Laser Unicorns in the past few years, and I don’t use the word “fantastic” too loosely. His mission to conceive his latest neon-lit labor of love, Kung Fury, in its grandiose adherence to the lasting cult fandom of all things 1980’s-oriented and whimsical, hasn’t been an easy one to accomplish, and were it not for the explosively successful crowdfunding campaign that earned him and his skeleton film crew three times over their original goal, it’s safe to say that the project likely wouldn’t have picked up as much steam as it has, especially in this climate. Save for its experimental nature, Sandberg‘s got credentials and he applied them quite well in a such a workable proof-of-concept, now accompanied with even more prominence by way of singer and actor David Hasselhoff as of earlier this month performing a […]

Terracotta Presents THE KING OF FISTS AND DOLLARS, Available Now On DVD

Lee B. Golden III

Od school kung fu cinema fiends in the UK are lucky to have the folks over at Terracotta Distribution paving the way over in their region for reviving classic martial arts action films for the niche. Their most recent title in their ‘Classic Kung Fu Collection’ following the previous releases of Hero Of Shaolin and The Shanghai 13 is the Ming-Hua Chen directed 1979 feature, The King Of Fists And Dollars and it’s available now on UK DVD. Danny Lee, David Chiang, Chao Hsiung and Pearl Cheung Ling star. SYNOPSIS: A forgotten martial arts classic, featuring a legendary Shaw Brothers’ cast. A greedy tyrant rules with relentless aggression. What he can’t buy, he takes by force. The desperate townspeople seek local kung fu master, the Iron Fist King, for help. Backed by his top students, the master takes on the warlord’s formidable hired fighter to rid the community of this […]

Beckinsale And James Set To Return For 'Underworld 5'

Lee B. Golden III

The action horror genre remains ever more ripe with lycan and vampire fandom for the current four-movie installment of the Underworld franchise which began in 2003, and it was just last August that Lakeshore Entertainment stated they were rebooting the franchise with a fifth film tentatively titled Underworld: Next Generation. At the time, a cast wasn’t in place, but updates have arrived on this end and the franchise is officially going forward with two of its principal cast members. THR writes that actress Kate Beckinsale is set to reprise her role as vampire warrior ‘Selene’ with the Divergent Series co-star, actor Theo James returning as her ally, David. Cory Goodman wrote the script for Anna Foerster, who directed episodes for Starz series, Outlander, and served as director of photography for the 2004 disaster flick, The Day After Tomorrow and 2013 hostage flick, White House Down, to helm with a story […]

SKIN TRADE Co-Star, Actress Tasya Teles Talks To Film Combat Syndicate

Lee B. Golden III

Director Ekachai Uekrongtham’s latest internation action thriller, Skin Trade had its big premiere last week shortly before releasing theatrically in the U.S.. Sure, many will immediately see it as a welcoming accomplishment for one of its two lead actors, action star Tony Jaa in his second career outing this year, but the film also sheds light on a very important subject matter, and it’s one that actress Tasya Teles (picture credit: Bellaphoto) took note of before staking her claim in the film next to lead actor Dolph Lundgren as his on screen wife. This week, Teles takes to Film Combat Syndicate to briefly share her story, her career, her experience on set with the cast and crew and much more. FCSyndicate: Thank you for sharing your time with Film Combat Syndicate. How are you doing this year? Tasya Teles: I’m feeling great! Enjoying the sunshine, hiking with my mom’s dog, […]

Olivier Gruner Goes BEYOND THE GAME In The Latest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

If you happen to be noticing a resurgence of B-movie action cinema fandom as of late, no, it’s not all in your head. This is real, and there are several examples out there with titles as far back as 2010 with the release of Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables, and more and more of these films have been rolling out in some capacity ever since. Clearly the niche hasn’t disappeared long since the 90’s era of B-movie action cinema glory took hold, and its clearly one that Blizhniy Boy (2007) trio, director Erken Lalgashev and writers J. Stephen Maunder and David Mitchell share a lineage in, as well as a shared interest as so expressed in their latest contribution, Beyond The Game. There aren’t any plot details, but the cast itself is littered with a who’s-who of action veterans with actor and martial artist Olivier Gruner as a psychologically-cracked solider in […]

Chan And Wilson Set To Complete The Trilogy With SHANGHAI DAWN

Lee B. Golden III

Well, another day has passed and another Jackie Chan film is currently in the works, and in this instance you would be forgiven for thinking this was too good to be true. Only it isn’t false, which for Chan-heads is probably not at all bad. ComingSoon.net had forwarded news from The Tracking Board that the action legend is set to reteam with actor Owen Wilson under producer and MGM president Jonathan Glickaman for the long-awaited threequel, Shanghai Dawn. It’s been twelve years since the first two left us off with Chan and Wilson in the respective roles of rogue imperial guardsman Chon Wang and former bandit Roy O’Bannon at the peak of Chan’s post Hong Kong action career, and Chan’s own career has been much more global and prominent in Asia since making Around The World In 80 Days and The Spy Next Door. There aren’t any solid specifics being […]

Watch The New Trailer For Well Go USA's Release Of Jackie Chan's POLICE STORY: LOCKDOWN

Lee B. Golden III

Anyone who went and saw Well Go USA’s theatrical release of Kung Fu Killer last month likely caught a glimpse at a trailer for their forthcoming delivery of Jackie Chan‘s most recent gritty installation of one of his most popular film franchises to date, Police Story: Lockdown. Directed by Ding Sheng who will be helming Chan‘s next big action comedy entreé, Roaring Tigers, the film initially gained prominence in China under its Police Story 2013 iteration having released two years ago, but the film is finally making its way to the states with a trailer that comes just as its lead actor continues to make headlines out of Cannes. SYNOPSIS: Police Captain Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan) knows all about sacrifice. He’s always been too busy chasing bad guys to be a father to his daughter Miao (Jing Tian). Tonight, he’s seeing her for the first time in years – and […]

Legends Fight For The Future In CW's First Look At DC's LEGENDS OF TOMORROW!

Lee B. Golden III

The CW’s establishment of DC Comics’s TV iteration, Arrow, has come a long way since 2012. Nowadays, the practice is obviously trending much more between networks with producers brewing their own televised superheroverses, and with that comes competition. So, what better way to stay competitive? Enter the CW’s next evolution of superhero fandom for the small screen with DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow, following the success of Arrow and The Flash as of late (the former having had its latest season finale on Wednesday night), with a bigger team, bigger foes and greater danger. The show is yet another in television’s Fall 2015 line-up through 2016, and we now have a first-look trailer going around. Take a look beneath the details! DESCRIPTION: When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked […]

Dwayne Johnson And Kevin Hart Begin Filming CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE For Warner Bros.

Lee B. Golden III

Following last year’s report, actors Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart are back in the headlines for Rawson Marshall Thurber‘s new movie, Central Intelligence. Both actors are huge favorites with a pending workload between now and next year with Johnson still on deck for disaster flick, San Andreas later this month and Hart‘s pending sequel romp, Ride Along 2. On that note, it’ll be fun to watch these two take on each other in a setting perfect enough for some action and laughs to take place. Filming officially started this week in Boston, Massachusetts, so hopefully we’ll see some cool set pics along the way. Cue the specifics below! BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Production has begun in Boston on the action comedy “Central Intelligence,” for New Line Cinema and Universal Pictures. The film, starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, will be directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, director of the hit comedies […]