lee byung hun

Watch The Sizzling New Trailer For THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

I’m already a long sold fan of director Antoine Fuqua, and I don’t say that lightly. I dug The Replacement Killers in 1998 as well as thrillers like Training Day and Shooter. I could probably go on all day about how much I enjoyed his 2014 big screen reboot of The Equalizer but I won’t; that it’s a box office success getting a sequel is enough for me. As for this week, Sony and Columbia are off to spend the rest of the year guaranteeing us another solid piece of work in the reboot category pairing our dear director with a terrific ensemble cast in The Magnificent Seven. Photos and stills from the movie have already begun circulating for the last week or so with images coming out of CinemaCon and as recently as USA Today with actor Denzel Washington leading the way once more in a Fuqua vehicle, and […]

Woo's MANHUNT Casts Zhang, Lee And Ha For Filming In June

Lee B. Golden III

Reportedly, casting is under way for Media Asia’s forthcoming production of the Japanese crime classic remake, Manhunt. For this, Apple Daily cites a diverse set of names with The Taking Of Tiger Mountain and Special ID co-star Hanyu Zhang along with South Korean leading man Lee Byung-Hun and actresses Ha Ji-Won as among the current crop to star. The film, once an adaptation of Nishimura Juko’s 1976 novel from director Sato Junya and starring the now departed Ken Takakura, centers on a lawyer who must set out to clear his name after being wrongfully accused and framed for robbery, rape and multiple murders. Details on how the remake with furbish things for the plot are nil at the moment as news on this film has been building for months now, and the Apple Daily report boasts a pretty meaty cast worth mettle while we await to find out more on Rurouni […]

Lee, Kang, Kim Headline Jo's MASTER Early Next Year

Lee B. Golden III

Actor Lee Byung-Hun, co-star of Terminator: Genisys, currently has a flourishing overseas career with Paramount Pictures’s G.I. Joe movies in 2009 and 2013 among others, and with any luck he’ll be doing the same with the studio now in tow with a universe of crossover films for Hasbro’s Allspark shingle. In the meantime, Lee is still a star at home in South Korea with hits like the long-awaited release of Woo Min-Ho’s political thriller, Inside Men, which finally opened last month. This week, his momentum into the new year continues with Master, which is set to begin filming in early 2016. The film marks Make It Big and The World Of Silence helmer Jo Eui-Seok’s third solo directorial debut as well as his latest gig since working at the helm with Kim Byung-Seo on the 2013 surveillance hit, Cold Eyes. Lee will be joined by opposite fellow leading South Korean sensation, […]

MEMORIES OF THE SWORD Wields A New U.S. Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

There’s no mistake to be made here when it comes to the vision director Park Heung-Sik had in mind for the release of his latest film, Memories Of The Sword. Actresses Kim Go-Eun and Jeon Do-Yeon and actor Lee Byung-Hun take the lead in this sweeping period tale full of sprawling beauty accompanied by tragedy and betrayal that properly befits the caliber of Korean drama storytelling – a point eloquently made by Joey Min in his latest review. Moreover, comparisons to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the like notwithstanding, it’s a film that definitely plays on emotion between scenes of dialogue and high-flying sword action and all the more entertaining for fans of wuxia, and most favorably with Kim in a role in which she really takes charge and does quite the justice. North American staple Well Go USA has since managed to snag this one for a limited theatrical […]

Screener Review: MEMORIES OF THE SWORD (2015)

I’ve always loved Asian period pieces and Korean ones are always a treat. Memories Of The Sword is no exception; a Korean period drama with all the helpings: political corruption, betrayal, lost loves, revenge, and redemption. Also lining with a power cast of Lee Byung-Hun and Jeon Do-Yeon, and even 2PM‘s Lee Jun-Ho clearly the filmmakers and crew here were really aiming to make a blockbuster hit. Director Park Heung-Sik doesn’t give you room to settle by introducing you his vision for this movie in the first 5 minutes; Large, sweeping shots of a field full of sunflowers while the protagonist is enveloped in golden streaks of sunlight as she rushes through town and ends up watching a fast paced, dramatically cut fight scene. Though despite the visual onslaught of slow motion action, this movie is still a drama. Veteran actors of Lee and Jeon give great performances of their fallen hero characters, […]

Well Go USA Announces MEMORIES OF THE SWORD For Release End Of August!

Lee B. Golden III

At this point, it’s a matter of time before most of the action-packed titles coming out of Asia end up at Well Go USA, so it may come as no surprise that director Park Heung-Sik‘s latest, Memories Of The Sword has been granted the same treatment. The footage looks visually stunning and graceful with energetic action sequences judging by the trailers and featurettes that have gone online up to the film’s regional opening today, and with a limited U.S. release set for August 28, we’re not too far off from getting our turn! SYNOPSIS: As the greed and excess of a corrupt Monarchy threatens to destroy the once-glorious Goryeo Dynasty, three legendary warriors lead a revolt to overthrow the empire and save its people. But when deceit and betrayal costs the life of a master swordsman, a plot for justice and revenge is set into motion, raging for decades between […]