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Indonesia's Skylar Pictures Bring All-Female Action To The Big Screen in GUARDIAN

Electrifying Southeast Asia’s action film industry, Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans isn’t the only genius working behind the camera to create action packed entertainment for audiences. As the Jakarta Globe reports, the people over at South Jakarta-based Skylar Pictures are currently in the middle of their latest attempt at a blockbuster martial arts action picture titled Guardian. The film is headlined by a cast that boasts a strong female action presence led by Indonesian actresses Dominique Diyose and Belinda Camesi, who play a mother on the run with her daughter as she trains her for the day they must fight for their lives against an evil mafia boss, whose wife also sets out seeking retribution after wrongfully serving ten years in prison for his crimes. Canadian actress Sarah Carter, and actresses Kimmy Jayanti and Naomi Zaskia round out the cast along with Indonesian heartthrob Nino Fernandez, and from The Raid 2: Berandal, […]

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Christian Bale Turns Outlaw In The New Trailer For OUT OF THE FURNACE

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Christian Bale doesn’t need a batsuit for his latest role in the upcoming gritty drama, Out Of The Furnace, playing the role of a rust belt blue collar worker whose investigation of his younger brother’s mysterious disappearence takes him deep in the inner circles of the criminal underworld, forcing him to risk his own freedom to dispense his own justice. Writer Brad Inglesby is being tapped to pen the script for Sony’s pending American remake of Welsh director Gareth Huw Evans’ Indonesian breakout martial arts action thriller, The Raid, which is a huge step between both genres and expectations. So it is here that get to see how well he works in Scott Cooper‘s latest stint as director and co-writer of the film. Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Casey Afleck, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker and Sam Shepherd round out the cast of movie, which is slated for release on December […]

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Film Of The Week: PACIFIC RIM (2013)

Lee B. Golden III

SYNOPSIS: As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse. REVIEW: I’m not sure if there is anything else I can add to what has already been said by critics in the past few weeks regarding director/co-writer Guillermo Del Toro‘s latest film, Pacific Rim. I think I’ll give it a shot though here, and not only because of the rave reviews it is getting as a summer blockbuster, I also love Del Toro‘s films. Some critics have their opinions when comparing this latest feature to the preconceived genres off of which this film is based, mainly Godzilla, Gamera and all things tokusatsu involving giant man-operated robots with high-tech weaponry. Personally, I had fun watching this film, if not merely for the […]

Ken Watanabe Reboots An American Classic In UNFORGIVEN (Yurusarezaru Mono)

Lee B. Golden III

Director Sang-Il Lee‘s latest film, Unforgiven, is out with a new trailer this weekend, featuring actor Ken Watanabe as a 17th century former government assassin who is drawn back with a new assignment after his pursuit of a new life is stricken with tragedy and poverty. The film is a remake of the 1992 Western action drama of the same name, which starred and was directed by Clint Eastwood and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Lee’s film, titled Yurusarezaru mono, also stars Koichi Sato, Akira Emoto, Jun Kunimura, Yuya Yagira and Shiori Kutsuna. The film is due out in Japan theaters on September 13th, 2013. SYNOPSIS: The story is set in Hokkaido in 1880, a time of increased pioneering in the area after the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ken Watanabe stars as a long-retired samurai named Jubee Kamata who is now living a quiet secluded life […]

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Ryan Gosling Is A Very Dangerous Boy In The Final Trailer For ONLY GOD FORGIVES

Lee B. Golden III

The final trailer is out for Only God Forgives, and if you have been living under a rock and are just now learning of this movie, then it’s not too late. The film comes out in North America on July 19 from writer and director Nicholas Winding Refn, and stars Ryan Gosling as a gang enforcer living in Thailand whose crimelord mother summons him to investigate his brother’s death, which eventually leads to a showdown between him, and a rogue cop with a notorious, and feared reputation. The reviews are in since the film made the festival circuit in the past few months, with critics delivering mixed reactions largely on the film’s use of violence, otherwise calling it a “masterpiece”. “Art is an act of violence. Art is about penetration…” said Refn to The Toronto Star back in May. “I approach things very much like a pornographer. It’s about what […]

Germany's "Magnificent Fighters" Feature Challenges Between Masters And Students In RED DRAGON

Lee B. Golden III

My initiation into German kung fu movies began mostly with the team behind the release of action star Mathis Landwehr‘s break out hit, Kampfansage: Der Letzte Schüler. Since then, in continuing to keep up with independent filmmaking and as many teams as there are throughout the world, it is without question that martial arts cinema is a genre that continues to thrive in various parts of Europe, especially with Martial Arts stunt team, Magnificent Fighters. The team has been around for a number of years now and has just unveiled its latest third installment to its kung fu action comedy mini-project, Red Dragon, which began in 2009 with a story about a martial arts school that is consistently met with challenges by students from other schools, with each episode ending with several lessons pertaining to respect, discipline, and all things generally aligned with the true spirit of martial arts. The […]

Scott Adkins And Jacky Wu Jing Set For War In WARG (a.k.a. WOLF)

Lee B. Golden III

Wrapped on #Hercules3D, back home for 3 days then off to China to do battle with Jacky Wu Jing! #WayTooBusy. http://t.co/UP3slgJXTL — Scott Adkins (@TheScottAdkins) July 10, 2013 Last week on Wednesday, actor Scott Adkins drew a lot of attention on twitter, having ecstatically announced the completion of filming for director Renny Harlin‘s Hercules 3D before returning to Hong Kong after thirteen years to work with actor, martial arts performer and filmmaker Jacky Wu Jing. Adkins did not name the project immediately, although it was later confirmed on his official fan site, Scott Adkins Fanz, that the name of the upcoming film would be Warg, a word that shares its origins with Norse mythology which means “Wolf” in English. It took a little bit of googling and google translating, but based on my own findings, Wu Jing is said to return to the helm as director, making Warg, his second […]

TRIBAL TIES Features Germany's "Young Masters" In Action

Lee B. Golden III

You may recall German actor and martial artist Eskindir Tesfay from my previous shoutout featuring a new team reel from his own action team, Movie-Do. As it turns out, Tesfay’s latest collaboration will feature even more cool, action packed content awaiting from today’s ever evolving and vibrant independent action filmmaking generation, this time, courtesy of Germany-based action team, Young Masters. The team has a new teaser out for their August debut of their seven minute short fight action film, Tribal Ties, a project the team worked on along with fellow actor and action performer, Max Huang, last year The teaser is packed with all the trimmings of what is looking exceptionally as an installment of independent action cinema excellence, inspired by martial arts, fantasy and the visual stylings of Japanese anime. Take a look at the teaser below, and for more info, visit the official website for Young Masters.

[UPDATED] Two New Trailers For THE GRANDMASTER

Lee B. Golden III

Director Wong Kar Wai‘s long-awaited and long since seen biopic of the late Wing Chun grandmaster, Ip Man, The Grandmaster, now has its own abundant shares of reviews and opinions online, with the film already available on DVD on several websites. The film is finally getting a North American release, in addition to a South Korean release this August, and in my opinion, unlike the U.S. trailer shot for TWC’s end, the Korean trailer here, though mostly loaded with action, is more to the point and less tacky. Youtube channel Thirty Toes has the short trailer which you can view below. The film stars Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Chang, Song Hye-Kyo and Julian Cheung, with action choreography by Yuen Woo-Ping. SYNOPSIS: Ip Man’s peaceful life in Foshan changes after Gong Yutian seeks an heir for his family in Southern China. Ip Man then meets Gong Er who challenges […]

Sharlto Copley To Get 'Biting Elbows' Treatment In HARDCORE

Lee B. Golden III

Ilya Naishuller (pictured left) the living, breathing film genius behind the explosive action movie music video megahit, Bad Motherfucker, is set to direct a new superhero film called Hardcore. The film will be shot in Russia and produced by Russian-Kazakh filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, whose credits include the 2008 bullet-curving action thriller, Wanted, and the 2012 fantasy history-twisting fantasy horror flick, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Katia Kononeko and Inga Vainshtein are also producing. Casting and plot details are few and far between at the moment, but word is actor Sharlto Copley is set to star in the film as the main hero, with the entire film shot in first person, as per Naishuller‘s previous work. The plot for Hardcore is not yet fully known, but is said to focus primarily on a stylized science fiction setting where Copley’s character will be killing numerous bad guys to rescue a damsel in distress. Copley, […]

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MORTAL KOMBAT LEGACY 2 Cast, Director Heading To SDCC

Lee B. Golden III

It’s the news BEFORE the news that Mortal Kombat fans are longing to follow up on in attendance at San Diego Comic Con, with the upcoming September web airing of Mortal Kombat: Legacy – Season 2. And with a movie currently in the works (in addition to the creation of a new original character for the currently developing film), hopefully the public will gain a more broader and bigger (apologies for the pun) a taste of things to come. Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Brian Tee (The Wolverine), Ian Anthony Dale (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), Samantha Jo (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), and Ed Boon (creator of Mortal Kombat) join series creator and director Kevin Tancharoen (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), producer Lance Sloane (Mortal Kombat: Legacy/Act of Valor), and Machinima’s executive vice president of network programming Aaron DeBevoise for an in-depth discussion about the highly anticipated second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, set to premiere exclusively on Machinima, the number one global video entertainment brand for young males. Moderated […]

Syndicate Superhero Movie Roundup: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, AGENT CARTER, THE WOLVERINE

Lee B. Golden III

Today was a pretty loaded day with some comic book film news. Notably, a few new photos from Thursday’s installment of Entertainmemt Weekly were unveiled for director Mark Webb‘s upcoming film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which is set to release on May 2, 2014. The Columbia Pictures film, starring Andrew Garfield as the title hero opposite actor Jamie Foxx as the new villain, Electro, is expected to make its arrival at the San Diego Comic Con next week. The film also stars Emma Stone, Paul Giamatti, Dane DeHaan, Sally Field and Martin Sheen. The story will focus on character Peter Parker balancing life between high school and fighting crime as New York’s friendly neighborhood web-slinging superhero, conflicted between his feelings for love interest, Gwen Stacy, and keeping the promise he made in the first film to her father, played by actor Dennis Leary. Recent reports also concluded that the character, […]

Sam Mendes And Daniel Craig Are Coming Back For BOND 24

Lee B. Golden III

Sony Pictures and MGM reportedly started talks back in May with director Sam Mendes to return to the helm for the next Bond film following the explosive success of the third feature of the franchise, Skyfall. The report came two months after the filmmaker stated he was not staying on board due to his other commitments. “It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael [Wilson] and Barbara [Broccoli’s] very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie,” he said. “Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life, but I have theater and other commitments, including productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Lear, that need my complete focus over the next year and beyond.” He also expressed optimism to return to the franchise, adding “I feel very honored to have been part of the Bond family”, the director said, “and very much hope I have […]

The New International Trailer For THE SEVENTH SON Is Online

Lee B. Golden III

With award-winning filmmaker Sergey Bodrov‘s latest fantasy actioner, The Seventh Son, making its way to a panel hosted by Legendary Pictures at this summer’s events at San Diego Comic Con on July 20, a new international trailer has been unveiled for the U.K. release on October 25, 2013. Warner Bros. will be releasing the film on its new date, January 17, 2014, during MLK weekend. The release date news came back in June as per the announcement of several previously announced dates for October 2013 and February 2014, the result of VFX house, Rhythm & Hues, filing for bankruptcy back in February. The company was eventually acquired in March by an affiliate of Los Angeles-based visual effects company, Prana. The Seventh Son stars Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore and Ben Barnes, along with Alicia Vikander, Antje Traue, Olivia Williams and Kit Harington in a story based on author Joseph Delaney’s 2004 […]

Tom Everert Scott And Orlando Jones Take On JCVD In ENEMIES CLOSER

Lee B. Golden III

If being an action movie fan teaches you nothing else, it will teach you that actors Tom Everett Scott and Orlando Jones are prepared to handle themselves on the set of a Peter Hyams action thriller. Yep! The same director who brought you the badassery in the 1990’s Timecop and Sudden Death is ready to deliver you one gritty, brutal, bloody piece of action cinema, partering once again with Jean-Claude Van Damme for their latest film, Enemies Closer. The film tells the story of two sworn enemies who are forced to battle their way through a Van Damme and his small, highly trained army of baddies deep in the night. Moreover, with son, John Hyams handling the editing, the fact that John shares his own directorial credits which include the Cung Le starrer, Dragon Eyes, followed by Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning with Scott Adkins, shows that both father and […]

The First Red Band Trailer For Spike Lee's OLDBOY Is Online

Lee B. Golden III

Nearly a year after making controversial statements criticizing director Quentin Tarantino‘s pre-Civil War blaxploitation spaghetti western-inspired drama, Django Unchained, filmmaker Spike Lee re-enters the spotlight where he will await the verdict of film goers and Asian cinema fans everywhere upon the release of his next film, Oldboy, a “re-interpretation” of the 2003 Korean cult classic which was directed by Park Chan-wook. Lee’s film stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson and Sharlto Copley. The film is one of several Korean titles we can expect to continue to cross over to North America between now and next year for Hollywood adaptations, including actress Charlize Theron‘s upcoming role in the reboot of the 2005 film, Lady Vengeance. Collectively, both Oldboy movies are loosely based on an orginal story and graphic Japanese novel published and serialized between 1996 and 1998 by author Garon Tsuchiya and illustrator by Nobuaki Minegishi, about a man mysteriously kidnapped and locked […]

[UPDATED] A New Clip And Three New Featurettes From THE WOLVERINE

Lee B. Golden III

Video: The Wolverine: exclusive clip The clips and featurettes keep coming for Twentieth Century Fox’s pending July 26 release date for The Wolverine. The latest new clip above features actor Hugh Jackman as the title character, held captive by the Japanese before saving the life of soldier, Yashida, portrayed by actor Ken Yamamura, cast as the younger counterpart of the same much older, bed-ridden character played by actor Hal Yamanouchi. Three new character featurettes have also been released this week, featuring Logan, along with characters Yukio and Harada, portrayed by actress Rila Fukushima and actor Will Yun-Lee. Feel free to take a look and stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the theatrical release. The Wolverine also stars Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hal Yamanouchi, Tao Okamoto and Brian Tee, and is directed by James Mangold. SYNOPSIS: Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes […]

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New Set Photos From A CERTAIN JUSTICE Are Now Online

Lee B. Golden III

New set photos are emerging from the set of the set of martial arts action star Cung Le‘s latest film, A Certain Justice, which is set for a 2014 release. The film is written and directed by James Coyne, and co-directed by Giorgio Serafini, who credits also include the 2010 Wesley Snipes actioner, Game Of Death, and the upcoming action picture, Blood Of Redemption. Cung Le directed the action sequences along with fight choreographer and co-star Scott Sheeley and guest fight choreographer Jimmy Lui. Le also served as one of the film’s producers along with co-star, legendary action hero Dolph Lundgren. Actress Brianna Evigan, and actors Vinnie Jones, Giannin Capaldi, James C. Burns and Jonathan Kowalsky also round out the cast. Hype around the film originally began in 2009 in an exclusive interview hosted by Rama’s Screen where Le, in promotion of the sci-fi horror, Pandorum, and the live-action adaptation of […]

Syndicate Shoutout: ERNIE REYES JR., The New Host Of MOVIES SO GOOD On Myx TV

Lee B. Golden III

Any fan of action cinema who has seen films like Red Sonja, The Last Dragon, Surf Ninjas, The Ultimate Fight and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret Of The Ooze, you may be familiar with well known actor, martial artist, action director and filmmaker, Ernie Reyes Jr., who recently made a few headlines in the last several weeks regarding becoming the newest host for the third season of Myx TV’s weekend kung fu film series, Movie So Good as of June 30, 2013. Myx TV is based in Redwood, California, and was founded in 2007 by diversified Asian media conglomerate, ABS-CBN. To this day, the network is known for its award-winning programming, and currently broadcasts up to well over ten million households in North America and counting. Reyes Jr., who currently holds a 3-0 record in Strikeforce, also shares a history as the youngest martial artist to compete in professional forms […]

ANTAPAL Comes Home To DVD This Summer As THE GANGSTER

Lee B. Golden III

Director Konggiat Khomsiri‘s latest Thai crime drama, The Gangster (a.k.a. Antapal) is set to arrive home on DVD on July 23, 2013, courtesy of Magnolia. The film stars Krissada Sukosol Clapp, Somchai Khemglad, Kritsada Suphapphaphrom and Sakrin Suthammasamai, with Wasu Saengsingkaeo, Nantana Chowarat and Sonthaya Chitmanee. Antapal was initially released on June 14, 2012 in Thailand cinemas, and is loosely based on characters interpreted in a 1997 gangster film from acclaimed director, Nonzee Nimibutr. The story is classified as a docudrama set in 1960’s Thailand where thugs and gangsters were heralded as heroes in the eyes of the young, including two teenagers eyed on becoming their idols, gangsters Dang, and the film’s main character, Jod, whose change in personality after time in prison serves no measure to evidently falling back into a the gangster lifestyle, with a new crew. Khomsiri’s previous credits also include The Art Of The Devil, martial arts […]