SONG OF THE SAMURAI Slashes Its Way Onto HBO Max In May
Starring Yuki Yamada!
hbo max
SUPERMAN & LOIS wraps up a spectacular third season, setting big expectations for the next season after renewal
After the cancellation of Gotham Knights, Superman & Lois has turned into the only survivor of the Arrowverse, however the future of the show still remains uncertain on the horizon, since it has suffered a big cut on its budget, reducing big part of the cast and dropping the number of episodes to 10 for the next season, but setting big expectations after a devastating season finale that has done beyond right what has been done wrong on DC cinematic universe. Throughout three seasons so far, this show created by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, has suprised viewers and fans of the beloved character for its undeniable quality beyond TV plays standards, due a most ambitious approach than the rest of CW superhero universe, adding bigger production values, with a cinematography that resembles more to film than televison, presenting a new vision of superman, under a new light of maturity […]
Streaming Sleepers: LONE WOLF AND CUB, A Six-Film Journey Into Hell
The Criterion Collection, or pretty much any video essay search on YouTube or written review can tell you all you need to know about the sextet of Lone Wolf And Cub titles in its library. Or, rather though, the best experience in this case is a lived one, given it’s still one of the most celebrated classic chambara franchises ever made, and never without ceremony as it still garners curated screenings for occasional public film events, as well as praise for its influence toward other creators and auteurs over the years. I spent the past week engaging in the blood-soaked revenge saga featuring Tomisaburo Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa in the titular roles based on Kazuo Koike’s hit manga. I’m not familiar with the television shows that followed and I’ll probably follow up on my socials if I ever come across them over time, but the initial adaptations from helmers Kenji […]
Unsettled Scores: WARRIOR Season Three – Zing’s Revenge, Leary’s Rise, And O’Hara’s ‘White Mountain’
It’s possible the ends justified the means for San Diego’s finest, Sgt. Bill O’Hara (Kieran Bew). Of course, that all depends on what happens in season three of hit HBO Max series, Warrior, which is set to arrive in June, and while we await the next update, I’m continuing this short series of articles to discuss some of the key arcs that play out in the current two-season run. As noted last week, this series dives into spoiler territory, so if you haven’t seen the show yet since it began its run in 2019, turn back now and feel free to come back to this piece another time. The show’s roaring introduction to the role of Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) extends further into the first season as the fledgling hatchet man for the Hop Wei’s first brush with the law sees him get thwacked by O’Hara, who has plenty of […]
Unsettled Scores: WARRIOR Season Three – Bitter Reunions, Backdoor Politics, A Bloodbath In Chinatown And Mai Ling’s Betrayal
With the upcoming season three premiere of HBO Max series Warrior launching in June, I spent the last couple of days before publishing this article pondering the events of the first two seasons. In recalling the episodes, my mind started to wander into fan-fiction rabbit holes I thought would be more suitable for another article series, so I figured instead I would highlight some of the key arcs left open-ended in the season two close back in 2020 to help stir the hype. Indeed, this is gonna dive into SPOILER territory. It’s been four years since the show began airing all twenty episodes, and its contents are all pretty much public knowledge by now and so I’ll be going into a more detailed and descriptive layout as I move forward. Otherwise, if you haven’t seen the show yet and want to avoid the enticing twists and turns that I’ll be […]
WARRIOR: Perry Yung Teases Summer HBO Max Premiere For Hit Tong Wars Action Drama
Long since its birth under Cinemax before transitioning as an HBO Max exclusive property in the U.S., hit Tong wars drama, Warrior, is finally slated to return for a June 29 season three premiere. The news came on Thursday by way of an Instagram post in which actor Perry Yung is seen recording key music via flute for the upcoming third season. Created by Jonathan Tropper (Banshee) and shepherded in part along with executive producers Shannon Lee and Justin Lin, Warrior is based on the writings of late martial arts cinema screen legend Bruce Lee. Firstly premiering in 2019, Yung joins a cast led by Andrew Koji who plays a Chinese national who brings his lethal fighting skills to 1870s San Francisco in search of his sister, played by Dianne Doan, only to be roped into a long and bitter war between the Tongs, as well as toxic and racist […]
WARRIOR: Mark Dacascos And Chelsea Muirhead Join Season Three Of The Hit Martial Arts Action Drama
WarnerMedia is officially announcing the casting additions of actors Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) and Chelsea Muirhead (Spare Parts) as series regulars for HBO Max martial arts action crime drama, Warrior. Both actors join a cast of new and returning actors for the upcoming ten-episode third season, led once more by series star Andrew Koji (Paramount Pictures’ Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, Sony Picutures’ upcoming Bullet Train). Set during the violent and bloody Tong Wars of the late 19th century in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Warrior stars Koji as Ah Sahm, a Foshan martial artist whose covert arrival in search of his missing sister forces him to tread carefully between rival gangs, corrupt politicians, and an amenable police force. At the end of season two, shocking twists and stark revelations unfold in the city’s fractured backdrop, upended by racial unrest between the Chinese and the Irish, while Ah […]
Hit Crime Drama Series WARRIOR Shoots In July To Commemorate Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee Foundation president Shannon Lee took to social media on Sunday to announce the commemoration of late martial arts legend Bruce Lee’s passing with a July start date for principal photography on season three of hit series, Warrior. “So you know how July twentieth is a very special date in the Bruce Lee legacy? It is the day my father passed away. Well this year, we get to celebrate him and his legacy in a really, really special way, but on July eighteenth instead of July twentieth” says Lee, before announcing the start of principal photography on July 18 for the series. “Season three of Warrior, July eighteenth, the cameras start to roll!” she adds. The announcement comes following news out of WarnerMedia last Spring of the show’s return last April, after its cancellation in late 2020 after two seasons since firstly airing in April of 2019 on Cinemax. […]
DMZ Review: Dystopian US War Drama Sets The Stage For A Transformative And Convicting Tale Of Love
I first caught HBO Max series DMZ back in April and meant to write about it then, but finally managed to revisit it over the weekend. I have to admit though, that the show is only as long as one hour for all four episodes is one of its more inviting aspects. I never read the DC Vertigo comic, and so I don’t know if that is due to duration or simply Robert Patino’s own liberties in creating the series. Nevertheless, the show is certainly solid in its format. Rosario Dawson leads the cast opposite Benjamin Bratt, and along with Hoon Lee, Freddie Miares and Jordan Preston with episodes directed by Ava DuVernay and Ernest Dickerson – neither of whom are strangers to television – and penned by Patino along with Westworld and Mad Men vet Carly Wray, and by the comic’s original authors Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli for […]
GENSAN PUNCH: Brilliante Mendoza’s Award-Winning Boxing Drama Lands On HBO Max From April 14
Warnermedia has officially announced its April line-up of titles both entering and exiting HBO Max. For the former, of course, we have the April 14 premiere of biopictoral boxing drama, Gensan Punch, a Max Original Premiere from director Brilliante Mendoza, and featuring actor Shogen (Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist; High & Low: Final Mission) who is currently filming Anshul Chauhan’s court room drama, December, which wraps this Spring. Directed from a script by Honeylyn Joy Alipio, Gensan Punch is based on the biographical true story of Naozumi Tsuchiyama, an amputee with a prosthetic leg, who battles the odds to pursue his dream of professional boxing in the Gensan Quarter of General Santos City, Philippines. The film had its world premiere for the 26th Busan International Film Festival’s A Window On Asian Cinema program, winning the festival’s Kim Jiseok Award. The English/Japanese/Tagalog film was shot in both the Philippines and Japan, with scenes […]
PEACEMAKER To Thrill Audiences For Another Season On HBO Max
Every week for the last eight weeks has been a damn good week if you’re subbed to HBO Max or wherever you can legitimately catch the 80s rock-supercharged hit series, Peacemaker. On Wednesday, Warnermedia announced a second season for the show is officially in development following its premiere last month as a spin-off of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. The news comes on the eve of Thursday’s season one finale premiere on February 17. Birthed on comic pages initally back in 1966 before eventually landing under DC Comics, Gunn brought the character to life between both properties, following through with the hit HBO Max series with John Cena in the title role. Pigeonholed into teaming up with a secret unit being overseen by government spook Amanda Waller (cameoed by Viola Davis), Peacemaker (a.k.a. Chris Smith) finds himself on an adventure of self-discovery, questionable friendships, and imminent conflict, as he and […]
‘AGGRESSIVELY PACIFIST’ – Preview of PEACEMAKER (2022) Series
Within the last 24 hours, the trailer for PEACEMAKER (2022) has dropped and has been well received by fans and for good reason. It looks as funny as it does exciting, with James Gunn shifting a focus on the anti-hero character who somewhat personifies the whole concept of a trope or caricature; with a protagonist that is unintentionally self aware. James Gunn’s version of SUICIDE SQUAD (2021) failed to create blockbuster traction despite the all star ensemble cast in its true popcorn romp, eyeing adults with its more mature humour; evidently John Cena’s role as the decidedly douche, Peacemaker (a clear antithesis to Captain America) was the clear standout of the film. Some of the bigger cast names were largely forgettable, whilst Cena shone as a flawed antihero with some excellent one liners, imposing physical presence and an ultimately affable personality. This upcoming HBO MAX series will reportedly explore the […]
TITANS Brings On Red Hood And More New Villany In The Official Season 3 Trailer
It’s no stretch to say that after Netflix’s turn with Marvel for its own repetoire of seasonal action dramas, DC Universe’s Titans did some wonders in picking up the slack. Its storied progression with Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) being catapulted into a dark and terrifying mystery journey of fantasy and danger that would eventually compel him to look into his own past proved to be truly advantageous in the course of introducing the titular team and its generational flux of members and the interwoven drama therein. Going forward though, the embattled superhero team will be forced yet again to make the trek into its own self-discovery while fending off newer evils, such can be seen in the newest trailer now running online ahead of its season three launch later this summer on HBO Max. Joining in with Thwaites’ Grayson (Nightwing) are recurring talents Anna Diop as Koriand’r (Starfire), Teagan Croft […]
BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER Signals New Animated Series From Matt Reeves, J.J. Abrams And Bruce Timm
Unless you’ve had your Batman fill, there’s more to come from the world of the Dark Knight set in Gotham. HBO Max and Cartoon Network are officially in tow for a straight-to-series order for Batman: Caped Crusader, an all-new animated series and reimagining of the Batman mythology. The new animated series will be exec produced by Bruce Timm, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), Bad Robot Productions and 6th & Idaho. “It is always fun to feed the insatiable appetite fans have for all things Batman.” said Tom Ascheim, President, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics (GKYAC). “Batman: Caped Crusader will entertain first time and die-hard fans alike and, with such an impressive creative team in place, we know we have another future Batman classic in the making.” Batman: Caped Crusader represents Timm’s return to the iconic DC character in animated episodic television, which began with the […]
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: First Look Stills From The Upcoming ‘Game Of Thrones’ Prequel
A year and a half since its announcement and with cameras now rolling, WarnerMedia and HBO have unveiled the first official images from the upcoming drama series, House Of The Dragon. The show is based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood” novel – drawn from his own manuscript in 2014 and is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, centeted on the story of House Targaryen. The gallery below features the select cast in full regalia: Olivia Cooke as “Alicent Hightower” and Rhys Ifans as “Otto Hightower”; Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake”; and Emma D’Arcy as “Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen” and Matt Smith as “Prince Daemon Targaryen”. The show began filming in April and is set to debut on HBO, and on HBO Max in 2022. Check out the gallery below!
MORTAL KOMBAT Warns Of A Bloody Reckoning In The First Seven Minutes From Warner Bros.
This is about as spoilery as I’m going to get in terms of watching any legitimately-released footage from Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat. I’m already sold and plan on seeing it in May, or as soon as I can get it on screener for a review this week as long as I’m getting my writing nerve back. Yes, it’s as red-bandy as you’d expect. The film opens in theaters, IMAX and HBO Max on Friday!
Warrior – “Warrior Season 3 Continues to Fight on HBO Max”
2021 has been a year of surprises both good and bad. Changes have been happening slowly but there is always something hindering that change. HBO Max has been off to a rocky start with it’s launch as content has been questionable. “Wonder Woman 1984” was a mild success and “Zack Synder’s Justice League” proved to be the film that everyone wanted back in 2017. And in terms of the world, well not much has changed as Asian Hate crimes are still on the rise, and police procedurals change is still absent. HBO Max acquired the series “Warrior” last year after Cinemax cancelled their original programming. This left the series in a state of limbo that the cast, crew and audience wanting a season 3. HBO Max streamed both season 1 and 2 at the start of the New Year and they have showed their support in the Stop Asian Hate […]
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD: The Heat Is On In The Official Trailer For Taylor Sheridan’s Searing New Crime Thriller
If there’s anything you can take away from the last five years or so when it comes to Taylor Sheridan, it’s that there’s a reason he’s gotten to work with directors like David Mackenzie and Denis Villeneuve. Sheridan’s potential bodes with nothing short of kept promise that can only be sampled in his work, including Sheridan’s own 2017 debut, Wind River, a compelling and brutal view into the reservation which saw an FBI agent and a wildlife officer on the hunt for an elusive killer. That film purely thrusts you into an intense and thrilling neo-noir on the western frontier with chilling and violent results, and serves as a high mark for a first time director who’s also just as good on-screen as he is off, in addition to his recent television credits on Yellowstone. His momentum continues this year following suit with screenwriting credits for upcoming Amazon release, Tom […]
A Case For Better Action Movies: ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE Wins Its Director The War
(It’s been years since I used this headline. Bear with me while I flush these opinions out, and if I sound a little bitter, it’s because.. well, I am. Originally published March 19, 2021) If you were to ask me five years ago if I wanted to cover comic book movies, I would have said something along the lines of “…Well yeah, of course. Only I can’t do that a whole lot, and mainly because keeping up with all the trade news, rumors and soundbytes takes more of a marathon effort than I can apply right now.” That is still true for me, albeit stemmed from the conclusive fact that comic book movies nowadays thrive on hype to sell themselves, without much input from voices like my own. And really, the only other thing that can discourage me from truly diving into the genre is the kind of creative malfeasance […]
MORTAL KOMBAT: New Footage In A Bevy Of Quick Promos For The Live-Action Martial Arts Thriller
Feast your eyes above on a slew of short promos for Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat, from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. The promos are host to tons of new footage, some of which lend a greater reveal of the characters and the action, including the armored look teased in the latest banner art donned by lead star Lewis Tan, and speedy hooksword killer Kabal, played by Daniel Nelson. The promos also remain adherent to the key narrative culminating the eternal rivalry between warring ninjas Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), with other permeating characters like Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax (Mehcad Brooks) Mileena (Sisi Stringer), Kano (Josh Lawson), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang), Shang Tsung (Chin Han) and Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), and, if you watch carefully, brief glimpses of Nathan Jones as brutal kombatant, Reiko, and Tan lunging a feral attack at the mighty […]
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