iko uwais

Liam O’Donnell’s BEYOND SKYLINE Gets Its First Release Date Stamped For Indonesia This November

It’s sure been a long time since we heard anything major on director Liam O’Donnell’s new sci-fi thriller, Beyond Skyline. Production wrapped in 2015 and it was a year later in December that footage eventually leaked following an unveiling at an X-Spatial 4D presentation in Hong Kong. The footage itself is just a tad hard to come by these days though folks who’ve seen it at least know now what they’re in for to a certain extent. That, along with the story that encircles actors Frank Grillo, Johnny Watson and actress Bojana Novakovic among others in a story about a detective on a relentless search for his son amid the world wide alien invasion that ensues as seen in the film’s 2010 predecessor, Skyline. Of course, today’s fandom now accomodates the addition of Indonesian action talents like co-star Iko Uwais who plays the leader of an underground resistance whose skirmishes […]

TRIPLE THREAT Has Your Favorite Action Stars Beating The Hell Out Of Each Other In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

I could go on and on until I’m blue in the face about how excited I am for the new action thriller, Triple Threat. I won’t, but I will throw my hat in with some words for seasoned stuntman and filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson who, in the wake of a stagnant directing career salvaged by the appeal drawn from his latest release, Savage Dog, has risen above expectations in opportune fashion. It truly is something to be proud of… a succession accompanied, no less, by a line-up of some serious, prominent action starpower; Names like Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen as well as Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping and Jeeja Yanin are all but what one would dream of seeing in a single movie together on the big screen, which, at least until starting late last year, almost felt like an impossibility. Then again, there were […]

[UPDATED] 16 Seconds Of TRIPLE THREAT Will Make Your Day

Lee B. Golden III

Among all else at Comic-Con this summer at San Diego, Jesse V. Johnson’s new movie, Triple Threat, has to be one of the more hotly-anticipated titles from here on and especially if you are a martial arts fan. Timely, that’s what Well Go USA is here for and with no more than 16 seconds to stir your veins aplenty until a full teaser arrives publicly which won’t be for a little while longer, so take it all in. And then watch it again until you’ve looked at every quick edit and had your fill. Oh, and stay tuned for some sequel news as hinted over at Deadline

The Cast Begins Assembling For Asian Action Ensemble, TRIPLE THREAT

Lee B. Golden III

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. For this, I think it’s safe to say this particular picture is self-explanatory, but for the uninformed, you’re looking at just the start of a new campaign for thrilling action cinema with pre-production heavily underway for Triple Threat, the new movie from director Jesse V. Johnson. Pictured below are just two of the film’s headliners of the ensemble cast, Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais – both having been central to fan curiousity for the last seven years regarding if ever these two would see a film set together. Uwais recently completed filming Timo Tjahjanto’s Joe Taslim-starrer, The Night Comes For Us following the release of Indonesian action hit, Headshot, while Jaa, fresh from his latest online music video premiere, Groundbreaking, scored big with his appearance in D.J. Caruso’s xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage this past winter. Joining the two will […]

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Did FOXTROT SIX Just Confirm Iko Uwais?

Lee B. Golden III

Reports as early as December of 2015 confirmed that famed Rambo and Terminator franchise producer Mario Kassar’s participation in the development of high-end Asian sci-fi action thriller, Foxtrot Six. For this, we had info of The Raid and The Raid 2 producer Ario Sagantorio also on board as well as the addition of two martial arts stalwarts who worked on both films Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. As things now stand with cinematographer and camera assistant Randy Korompis set to make his feature debut at the helm for the new film, this could very well serve as the stellar Indonesian action movie reunion fans might have been craving since the three cameoed in J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As such, it appears the official Twitter account for the film’s production at Paradigma Pictures recently confirmed the addition of The Raid franchise star, actor and martial artist Iko Uwais. You can […]

Mark Wahlberg And Peter Berg Stretch MILE 22 Into Franchise Territory At CinemaCon

Lee B. Golden III

Development of STX Entertainment’s long-awaited Asian action thriller, Mile 22, has been on hold for sometime now. Call it a really slow brew – nearly two years, in fact. Thankfully though, the film is in play at the studio where the film has taken shape to some degree with a few changes since then. Graham Roland’s script currently has Deepwater Horizon star/director pair Mark Wahlberg and producer Peter Berg attached with the actor cast for the role of Silva – last described as a “complex” character, “a salty intelligence hack who has shoveled shit on four continents”. His newest shot at redemption now sees him battling through corrupt cops, criminal overlords and heavily-armed locals in order to escort a compromised informant to an airport 22 miles away. As of this week, Deadline and Variety have it on good terms from events at CinemaCon that they’re looking toward the film as a […]

THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Wraps Principal Photography

Lee B. Golden III

Princpal photography wrapped on Tuesday for the filming leg of writer and director Timo Tjahjanto’s solo directorial debut, The Night Comes For Us. Production on the pic took a near-seven year evolution and finally went underway last December with scenes filmed in and around Jakarta, Indonesia for its seventy-six day shoot following its resurrection last August. The film sees the return of actor Joe Taslim (Furious 6, Star Trek: Beyond) for his debut lead role as Ito, a gangland enforcer arriving from his stint at abroad and home to his crime family in Jakarta only to find himself caught in a web of turmoil, treachery and violent upheaval. Reuniting with Taslim is action star Iko Uwais following their appearance together in Gareth Evans’s The Raid (2011), while casting familars from Tjahjanto’s resume include the additions of Julie Estelle, Epy Kusandar, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee, Hannah Al Rashid and Shareefa Daanish […]

TRIPLE THREAT Multiplies The Danger With Adkins, White And Bisping; Jesse V. Johnson To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

EXCLUSIVE: In the months since its evolution, the highly anticipated action thriller, Triple Threat (formely Makeshift Squad) has been a bookmark for many an Asian cinema fan looking to see just how this particular “Asian-Expendables” kind of movie this will bring about. The prospects have been good, too, and notably in the wake of its casting additions including headliners Tiger Chen (Man Of Tai Chi), Tony Jaa (Furious Seven) and Iko Uwais (Headshot), and particularly with 87eleven’s own Chad Stahelski (John Wick: Chapter 2) behind the action scenes. Bearing all this in mind, an attached director has not been entirely certain with earlier names Gary Mak and Wang Xiaolie having circled the project, the latter reported by the time of its acquisition over at international sales outfit Arclight Films late last year. Moreover, with Stahelski poised to move forward with a hopeful third installment of the hit John Wick franchise […]

Review: HEADSHOT Aims High, Nails It With Ballistic Action And Blunt Force

Lee B. Golden III

Sometimes I look back on Iko Uwais’s career, and reflect on what life would be like without his prospects, and I think life would be a bit more boring without films such as Merantau and The Raid movies. In that sense, I think there’s something providential here and especially since we now live in a time when action movies really could use a kick in the nuts, and there’s no question that Uwais has been a leading force in that movement in the last eight years. For this, whenever most of of us who were born in the 80’s or 90’s think of the martial arts genre, we don’t just think of the usual enterprises in the U.S. and U.K., or throughout Asia such as, Hong Kong or Korea and the like. Nope, our view has stretched beyond that measure with many places brewing with talent and a surge in […]

THE RAID: Carnahan, Grillo Dish The Details For Their Vision, Motivation, Risks And More

Lee B. Golden III

Yes, that is the movie that War Party duo, Frank Grillo and director Joe Carnahan are setting out to remaster with their own vision. It’s been an epicenter of much brouhaha for many a fan who already think that the 2011 Iko Uwais-led starrer and its sequel from director Gareth Huw Evans is enough with a third pending and a fanbase this apprehensive toward anything they love like The Raid being remade in any capacity is likely hard to please. Seriously. Just go on any chatboard or any Facebook group where fans gather to discuss the upcoming re-imagining of the hit action film and you will find yourself amid some of the most stubbon fans you’ll ever see. It’s a fun conversation at that, really, but it’s also important to highlight some specific points about just what the heck is going on about The Raid under War Party’s watch alongside […]

Peep The Sales Art For Frank Grillo, Iko Uwais Sci-Fi, BEYOND SKYLINE

Lee B. Golden III

The internet may have been busy spoiling itself rotten with the footage tentatively available above and on other YouTube accounts as per its leak from last year’s X-Spatial event. In the meantime, director Liam O’Donnell’s new sci-fi, Beyond Skyline, is now here to accomadate with sales art currently available, and visible over at worldwide sales rep Red Sea Media’s official website. The artwork is part of the pitch for the film over at EFM in Berlin which finishes running its course later this week. The film follows-up the 2010 endeavor in the same narrative timeline wherein here, actor Frank Grillo plays a tough detective battling aliens amid an invasion while in search of his son. He’s joined by a cast that also includes Bojana Novakovic and Callan Mulvey, and notable Indonesian martial arts film stars Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian. The Brothers Strause – Greg and Colin, who directed the […]

HEADSHOT Lands Itself New Japanese Poster Art And Trailer For Its March 11 Release

Lee B. Golden III

I didn’t even look at the new Japanese trailer for the nation’s upcoming release of the new Mo Bros’ thriller, Headshot, lest I further break my abstinence. Alas, it’s available above and with none other than Iko Uwais lead the cast for a story of an amnesiac, wounded and held in a nurse’s own care until he’s forced to confront his dark and deadly past now threatening his future. The film has since been a festival favorite everywhere it’s been at and officially released in Indonesia. Now it’s rolling out abroad with March 3 dates set for the U.S. and U.K. and Nikkatsu will be doling out the thrills to Japanese moviegoers on March 11, and they’ve since erected a new poster below to signal just that. Take a look!

There’s So Much New Footage In The U.S. Trailer For HEADSHOT…You’ve Been Warned!

Lee B. Golden III

With March 3 already set for the release of X-Men spin-off Wolverine finale, Logan, hardcore R-rated moviegoing types are now more than welcome to set the date for a double feature if they so choose, specifically for those who’ve been pining for the release of Iko Uwais headliner, Headshot from Vertical Entertainment and XYZ Films. To be frank though, their latest trailer is out and I myself have all but avoided seeing any more new footage until now, and I feel like I’ve utterly failed and spoiled myself to no end. I might just go and down a whole two liter bottle of Pepsi and fuck my kidneys up to finish myself off because this is awful… not the movie judging by Alex Chung’s awesome review among others, of course, but me breaking my own abstinence here… Ugh. SYNOPSIS: HEADSHOT centers on a mysterious young man who, after months in a […]

THE RAID COLLECTION: The Two-Film Action Package To Release In February

Lee B. Golden III

This month’s leaked X-Spatial Media footage from CineAsia of action star Iko Uwais’s performance in Liam O’Donnell’s upcoming sci-fi thriller, Beyond Skyline is nothing short of a riproaring tease for what could be a delightful thrillride considering the technology on hand. This, accompanied by his upcoming appearance in the 2017 wide release of his current Indonesian theatrical run, Headshot, certainly lends even more appeal to the fans, especially amid the long and winded expectations for a third outing in the electric crime saga, The Raid. The craze began in 2011 with releases in 2012 for the first film, and a sequel that followed two years later, further bolstering Uwais’s stardom and the local talent on hand representing the newest face of the resurgence of Indonesian action cinema. It also earned director Gareth Huw Evans a promising reign as one of the most spolighted filmmakers to date, while his current advancement […]

Sci-Fi Action Sequel BEYOND SKYLINE Previews With X-Spatial 4D Tech At CineAsia Event

Lee B. Golden III

It’s interesting to see how theater technology evolves from time to time, though not everyone shares in that same immersive experience since theaters equipped with that kind of gear are located in select locations around the world, especially Asia, for one. I’m speaking of cinema local where services like Barco Escape and things like 4DX and Screen X are paving the way for moviegoers to engage the cinematic experience even beyond wearing a pair of 3D glasses, only here and now we turn to another new venture unveiled at CineAsia this week in Hong Kong in the form of company X-Spatial’s 4D Psychoacoustics. The new technology became the platform on Wednesday evening for director Liam O’Donnell whose latest contribution, Beyond Skyline, which unveiled a preview sampling with the new technology. The company outlined the details of that conference which includes its latest deal with Zhuijang Film, Faan Cultural and Beijing […]

The Final Trailer For HEADSHOT Relishes In Brooding And Brutality

Lee B. Golden III

I’m already sold on the new Mo Bros thriller, Headshot, going into the new year. Nonetheless, the film is out now in Indonesia, accompanied by a third, final trailer to help pull in the masses. I love the marketing push for this kind of film and I certainly hope we will see more martial arts films step up to the plate in the same fashion. Iko Uwais stars as a wounded amnesiac forced to reckon with his past when the life of the nurse who kept him in her care hangs in the balance. Also starring are the beautiful and talented Chelsea Islan and Julie Estelle, and Singaporean action star, actor Sunny Pang. Release dates for other territories remain pending.

HEADSHOT Ignites Online With Thrilling Behind-The-Scenes Footage

Lee B. Golden III

Read our latest interview Singaporean action star Sunny Pang and you’ll learn quite a bit about his career, family life and goals through next year, including the currently completed Diamond Dogs, and the long-awaited production of The Night Comes For Us which starts rolling cameras in December. In the meantime, perhaps some of the best news you’ll see in press as of late will pertain to the upcoming release of the new ‘Mo Brothers movie, Headshot, releasing on December 8 in Indonesia followed by a wider release in 2017. Starring opposite Pang is actor and martial artist Iko Uwais who succeeds his stardom following his acclaim in Gareth Huw Evans’s Merantau, The Raid and The Raid 2. Uwais plays Ishmael, fondly named by the nurse caring for him when he discovered with a serious head wound and severe memory loss, only to trigger a series of events that put her […]

RONIN AT LARGE: An Interview With Sunny Pang

Lee B. Golden III

Photo: Arnold Wells The latest Fall film festival premieres of the new ‘Mo Brothers amnesiac revenge thriller, Headshot, has already drawn waves of approval from most critics and fans able to attend film events in Texas, as well as in Busan and Sitges to name a few. The film also landed in Toronto before long where select cast members also intended the film’s Midnight Madness opener, including the film’s co-star, Sunny Pang who became known to me as early as 2012 by way of director James Lee’s action comedy, The Collector. Thankfully, friend and one of Canada’s best stuntmen, Alex Chung took to this year’s Toronto International Film Fest to screen Headshot for a review on our site. I also recommended it as a chance for him to meet Pang and the cast and unfortunately their meeting was too brief in the midst of the electricity in the room for them […]

[UPDATED] AFM 2016: Arclight ‘Shifts To Chad Stahelski And Wang Xiaolie For Chen/Jaa/Uwais Headliner, TRIPLE THREAT

Lee B. Golden III

It looks like things have taken a bit of a turn for the initially announced Makeshift Squad. The film, previously announced to be helmed by Gary Mak with an “Asian Expendables” styled tone, has reportedly been restaffed with a new director, as well as retitled under the name, Triple Threat. Arclight Films is taking the film to the American Film Market for buyers with the cast currently packaged as mentioned before with action stars Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen. John Wick franchise co-helmer and sequel director Chad Stahelski and director Wang Xiaolie will partner on the film, directing from a script by Dwayne Smith which tells of a Chinese martial artist on a mission to rescue his ex-wife and son being held captive by the local drug cartels. Actress Angelababy who was also included in our initial exclusive report from September was not mentioned in the update while it […]

Iko Uwais Awakens To Anarchy In The Second Teaser For HEADSHOT

Lee B. Golden III

Our own Alex Chung’s TIFF review is among others at this stage delineating why the new Indonesian action thriller, Headshot, should garner our attention when it hits theaters between now and next year. Multiple territories have already been announced for the film’s release with North America gearing up for a February opening next year from Vertical Entertainment and XYZ Films, and with a full trailer still pending, a second teaser has arrived to further keep the pot boiling with action star, actor Iko Uwais championing the genre once more. A mysterious young man jolts awake after months in a coma, nursed back to health by young student-doctor Ailin after being discovered left for dead with a gunshot wound to the head. It’s a rebirth of sorts and, realizing that the man has lost his memory and identity, Ailin renames him Ishmael. The two quickly grow closer, not realizing that behind […]