singapore

BEST SERVED COLD: Ex-MMA Star Ann Osman Lands Feature Film Debut Role In Malaysian Supernatural Action-Noir

Sabah-based former MMA fighter Ann Osman will make her feature film debut in supernatural action-noir, Best Served Cold for writer/director Aaron Cowan. Singapore-based 108 Media reportedly secured the backing required to develop the project, which is inspired by Jill Girardi’s short story, “Don’t Eat The Rice”, as well as characters in her October 2018 Buku Fixi novel publication, “Hantu Macabre. As Patrick Frater at Variety reports, Osman will take on the role of “Suzanna Sim, an ex-MMA fighter turned private detective who uses her fists and her knowledge of Southeast Asian black magic, while working with a Malaysian mythical creature, to find a rich new client’s missing husband”. Osman, best known as Athena as she blazed a trail for female posterity in the sport of MMA in , announced her retirement from the ring last month, leaving a 5-4 Flyweight record in her wake since her career took off in […]

DIAMOND DOGS: Sunny Pang Taps Into His Primal Instincts In The First Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

More than a decade after earning Best Director acclaim for 2005 shortfilm, Subtitle, director Gavin Lim has since begun paving the way with his feature debut upon returning to the Singapore International Film Festival later this month. His new feature debut, Diamond Dogs, has hit the web with a splashy and violent new look at the upcoming small-budgeted action thriller headlined by none other than Singaporean action star Sunny Pang who has already won in-roads with global audiences for his imposing gravitas opposite Iko Uwais in Mo’ Bros action thriller, Headshot. A stage three cancer diagnosis leaves deaf and mute Johnny with little to lose when he is lured into a deadly underground social experiment. Funded by the uber rich, it pits fighters against one another in a test of animalistic aggression and adrenaline. Johnny’s fight to the top is brutal, fueled by the sole desire to exact revenge on […]

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 […]

Feel The BURN In Luke Lee's Indiegogo For Singapore's First Action Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Call it what you will, but it hasn’t been that long since I resurrected one of Malaysian filmmaker James Lee’s action concepts, Second Life, as a Hit List entry last month. It’s one of several projects included in Lee’s Doghouse 73 Pictures catalogue which includes a heavy population of conceptual projects that look cleverly well done and appealing enough for some serious studio dedication with the right people in company. In sum, it’s been a blast following Lee’s work so far as he’s since continued to keep his craft sharp in a number of genres since then, from action and sci-fi to romance and horror – you name it. He’s definitely not a monolith when it comes to storytelling, and so I’m of the opinion that he’s earned himself a noteworthy shot this month that deserves all the support it can get. Suffice to say, that shot now welcomes us back […]

Watch The Trailer For Malay-Language Sports Dramedy, BANTING!

Lee B. Golden III

M. Raihan Halim‘s directorial debut, Banting, is finally getting its Malaysia premiere on May 7 after initially releasing to audiences in Singapore late last year. Judging by the trailers and the overall plot, you can definitely chalk this one up as another peeling-back of the layers on gender-based religious stereotypes that influences cultural growth and self-fulfillment, although Halim’s offering here promises a few laughs to help sweeten the usual formulaic drama along the way. SYNOPSIS: Written and directed by award-winning writer/director, M. Raihan Halim, Banting follows the story of Yasmin Muhammad (lzyan Mellyna Ishak), a 24-year-old young woman who is tired of being stereotyped because she wears a hijab. She wonders if a hijab girl can do everything that a normal girl can do. Things take an unexpected turn when Yasmin comes across a professional wrestling gym and decides to sign up to become a wrestler. Hiding this newfound passion […]

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Singapore Martial Arts Action Comedy, I'MPOSSIBLE, Launches On Kickstarter

Lee B. Golden III

To some, Singapore may not exactly stand out as significantly when it comes to surveying the globe for prominence in martial arts movies. However, there are folks who are otherwise hopeful in flipping those prospects for the better, and it’s a case that does have some merit considering the amount of talent on display via social media from said country. For this instance, we now look to the new Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the new Rocky-esque underdog martial arts action comedy, I’mpossible – a portmanteau built on the words “I’m” and “possible”. Singapore’s own Grid Synergy is backing the project with film veterans, director Gilbert Chan (23:59, Ghost Child) and actor Vincent Tee (Ghost Child, Afterimages) along with aspiring actor Daniel Wee whose heartfelt testimony in the brand new campaign video over at the page makes THIS particular Indiegogo campaign all the more awesome. The movie itself is based on […]

From The Classroom To The Streets, Meet THE RULE BREAKERS!

Lee B. Golden III

The expansion of online action has grown tremendously in well-over the past decade, with filmmakers around the country and the globe suddenly taking part in contributing their own efforts to share their skillset for film, fight choreography and storytellng. And as I have previously mentioned in recent months, Singapore is very much a part of that movement, particularly where you will find folks like Jaze Phua working on building his own platform over at the Jaze Phuaductions working on some pretty amazing projects, including two episodes released this year for his inspired webseries, The Rule Breakers. The project comes within two years prior to Phua, earning his degree for Media Design at NTU School Of Art and Design in Singapore. From there, he would eventually meet and make friends and performers like James Fong with whom he would share the stage for Phua‘s late 2013 shortfilm release, Battle Of The […]

The New Trailer For RE:SOLVE Whispers The Voice Of Terror!

Lee B. Golden III

Director Randy Ang is readying to deliver a first for Singaporean theatergoers with the country’s fresh new crime thriller, Re:Solve. And after building up the excitement with an explosive new teaser late last year, we now have a new poster and a full trailer for film’s domestic release set for February 27, 2014, courtesy of Red Action Entertainment & JF LENNON. Re:Solve stars Chris Lee, Mico Chang, Yuan Shuai, Jimmy Wong, Pamelyn Chee, Sunny Pang, Zheng Geping, Zhu Houren with Xiang Yun and Richard Low. SYNOPSIS: Singapore’s first crime thriller follows Serious Crimes Unit Inspector Chen Shaoqiang (Chris Lee) as he tries to figure out a series of daring armed heists and seemingly unrelated murders. Shaoqiang must revisit his troubled past as a member of the elite Special Tactics Unit, after a botched raid seven years earlier that shattered the unity of his team, taking the life of his mentor […]

Singapore Is Ground Zero For Explosive Action In The New Teaser For RE:SOLVE

Lee B. Golden III

On Saturday, Twitchfilm forwarded a new 30-second teaser for the upcoming action thriller, re:solve. Courtesy of Red Action Entertainment & JF LENNON, the film is being pitched Singapore’s first ever police action thriller from director Randy Ang, who broke ground with his first online movie magazine publication, Sinema.SG and founded his own independent theater a year later, prior to successfully cutting his teeth in film as the executive producer and art director of the 2007 cult indie feature film Becoming Royston, as well as producing and marketing for the 2008 film, The Days. After then building his career for the next four years through directing commercials, music videos, musical features and shortfilms, it seems Ang is ready to prove that he can take it to the next level. And as you will see in the teaser at the bottom of the page, it looks like a real kickass effort. SYNOPSIS: […]