The Legends Of Nethiah Movie Review

Above Pic: The Legends of Nethiah poster


As an independent writer and reviewer I have the opportunity to watch a wide variety of films from all genres. I will be quite honest, I usually don't review children's oriented films, but having been familiar with director Russ Emanual's earlier work, I was interested in his latest offering The Legends of Nethiah.

The films starts off a bit slow as we are introduced to the little boy Gabriel (Jared Young), he is shown with bruised knuckles from a fight. He breaks a kid's nose at school and is suspended. His parents are fighting constantly and are on the verge of getting a divorce. The want him to choose who he is going to live with. While at home he is cared for by his grandfather (Robert Picardo).

Rather than pressure the boy to tell him what is wrong his grandfather proceeds to tell him an allegorical filled story of a boy named Nethiah. Nethiah had to endure many hardships throughout his life, as his people are enslaved by an evil king.

The movie has a message, and the acting is pretty good especially by Jared Young. The story has a large amount of dialogue, at times I wished the action would be a bit more plentiful. The film deals with several issues that children have to encounter: divorce, fighting, friends your parents don't approve of, and tough decisions.

At just over 92 minutes, The Legends of Nethiah is not long, but the wordy dialogue scenes often detract from the message and the action in the film. The fantasy subplot, is only shown for brief moments at a time, and unlike The Neverending Story doesn't generate the epic feel of being on another planet, possibly due to the limited budget.

All of that said, the movie is decent, but I think needs a bit more excitement to hold a child's interest if not watched with an adult present. I do recommend it for parents to watch with their children. I rate The Legends of Nethiah a 5.5 out of 10

Krystal Vee Autograph Picture Contest!! Post number 200! On Dan's Movie Report!

Update 5-14-12: The Krystal Vee Contest has officially closed. I just spoke with Krystal Vee,we have decided everyone who entered the contest below will receive on 4X6 picture, due to the fact that not enough people entered to give out all of the prizes, and in the interest of fairness. Another contest will commence with her next film. I will contact the people below who entered, and get their choice of poses, and confirm the addresses over the next few weeks. Thanks again for supporting Dan's Movie Report and Krystal Vee! Keep reading Dan's Movie Report for more contests, and surprises!


Above Pic: 8X10 Krystal Vee Autograph: The stakes are high in the first Dan's Movie Report contest! The 4X6 Pictures up for grabs are below.

The volume of website views dedicated to Krystal Vee in the one and a half months since she has been featured on my site is over 20,000! In 2012, I am more determined than ever to give my readers what they desire on my site, the first contest is all about the talented Krystal Vee. Below are the Prizes and the simple rules.

PRIZES:

One Grand Prize: 1 8X10 picture and 3 4x6 Pictures (Different Poses)
Two First Prizes 1 8X10 Picture
Ten Second Prizes 1 4X6 Picture

I am also waiting on autographed pictures from Selina Lo, so I am holding back a few pictures until I get those.

RULES:

1) Compose a reason why you deserve the picture, including why you enjoy Krystal Vee's work in 50 words or less, and either e-mail me or comment below on this post. In the e-mail include the subject line: Contest @  templegod6  on GMAIL(.)com

2) In order to win, you must put your complete name and address in the e-mail. On the comments, just your e-mail and name, I will notify the winners.

3) The contest will run for a full month, and I will allow for multiple entry's, but only one prize will be awarded per person. If all of the prizes are not distributed by the end of the month, I will continue the contest.

All of the 4X6 Pictures are below:

Someone Else Movie Review

Above Pic:  Actress Karen Bartke sees visions of horror in Someone Else.

Always loving the short films, I checked out the 2010 Scotland produced horror flick Someone Else. Director/Writer Andrew Newall brings the paranoia in this four minute slice of ethereal mind-bending madness. The film is so short that there is barely enough time for set up and plot points, however the creepy elements and pensive moods brought by actress Karen Bartke are enough to set the tone and convey the story.

Someone Else opens with Karen having visions of another creepy woman in the room with her as she sleeps, she discusses them with her psychiatrist, and eventually the nightmares worsen then turn into a possible reality.

The camera work and direction are professional, and I see tinges of influences from a Dario Argento type horror film, the action is left up to the viewer's imagination, I like it, and rate it a 6 out of 10. Looking forward to more.

Check IMDB Link @ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1479825/

February 2012 News and Photos:

Greetings to movie fans worldwide! A big hello to the 1,000 fans who have visited my site last week from Thailand! There are several news items to report, Here goes...

Above Pic: Cynthia in Thailand

Actress Cynthia Rothrock is in the midst of filming White Tiger in the Thailand jungle with Don (The Dragon) Wilson and several other talented martial artists from around the globe. After few intense training sessions, in the city. The filming has begun as of Wednesday February 8th. Cynthia reports the first day she was there a power outage occurred, but no damage to her or her computer. News and pics as they arrive.

Multi-talented actress Krystal Vee recently completed voice-over work on an animated TV series for children in Thailand called Flying with Byrd. Check pic below:

Krystal actually voices two characters, the girl in the pink dress named Lily and the boy to her left Hyun. More information will follow shortly. If you live in Thailand check out the FB page @ https://www.facebook.com/#!/byrdland  A note: this website is not in English, it is in Thai.

Sexy Selina Lo is currently training for her next film, more info will follow shortly. Watch for more news and exclusive photos on Dan's Movie Report.

Above Pic: cute and lethal Elodie Yung from District 13: Ultimatum


Lithe French actress Elodie Yung is in the U.S. completing re-shoots on G.I. Joe: Retaliation. The film comes out in the US on June 29th, but some areas will get the release a week early. Stunt-woman Ming Qiu reports that Elodie trained for two months with her and did all of her own sword fighting! Ming did the harness work on the mountain side. Watch for more news on the film and Elodie soon for now slice your browsers over to Youtube for the brand new international trailer from Paramount Pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfuQEoF8x0M

Fantastic New Zealand horror film Wound has finally found its way to American shores and will be released by Breaking Glass Pictures March 6th. The title will be altered slightly to Wound: Beware the Beast, an updated movie poster is below:

For More info on the USA release of Wound: Beware the Beast go to: http://www.breakingglasspictures.com/

Director Russ Emanuel is putting the finishing touches on his latest film The Legends of Nethiah. The tagline is "Where fantasy meats reality." The film stars Star Trek vet Robert Picardo and veteran actress Theresa Russell. Beam your browsers over to http://www.legendsofnethiah.com/index2.html  for more info.


Martial Artist/Actress Zara Phythian is completing work on The Gauntlet TV Series, the series, produced by Zara and Clash TV will feature realistic brutal action, more news will follow.

Check out the butt kicking new poster below for Iron Monk: 

Above Pic: JNC Productions new Iron Monk Poster

Although the film is still in the pre-production stages, the industry is buzzing about the action in Iron Monk, as a real 36th generation monk engages in battle. MMA master Silvio Simac, (AKA Mr. Supple) also stars, so the action will be fast and furious. More news as soon as it arrives.

Finally the moment the 20,000 viewers of Krystal Vee posts have been waiting for, the first contest on Dan's Movie Report will take place very shortly! The autographed pics from Krystal Vee have arrived safely! Keep watching the site over the next few days!

The One Warrior Movie Review

Above Pic: The One Warrior Movie Poster

Sometimes I am just in the mood to watch a sword and sandals flick. The One Warrior follows the path of a mythological warrior on a somewhat noble quest to defeat the Evil Lord Shoukata, the one who destroyed villages, leaving death and chaos in his path.

With such a set up I kind of figured that this would be a quest type action movie filled with peril, sexy ladies, and excitement. The One Warrior probably will work well as a video game, as that is what it is supposedly loosely based on, as a movie the pacing and story make it a bit bland.There was a bit of peril, but the action and excitement was rather lacking. I did read on the internet that for his next film the director said he wants to concentrate more on story, and acting, which is a good thing as even an experienced actor like James Russo, muddles through a mundane storyline easily imagined by a 10 year old.

The One Warrior goes on his quest, which oddly follow the challenges of Hercules, as he has to defeat a giant, amongst other oddities including a group of Amazons, which is actually on one woman, filmed at many different angles. Incidentally the casting director must have had very slim pickings for women to be in this film, not to sound sexist, but a jaunt to a local grocery story on a hot day should yield far better results.

The filming techniques are decent, and actually a bright spot in the production. The swamp and forest are lush and all of the action is clear and easy to spot. The action itself is another matter entirely. I just did not care for it. The fight scenes, and there were at least a half a dozen of them, had the same pace as a turtle and a snail locked in a mortal battle inside of a vat of molasses. The choreography was not that bad, however it was like the actors had lead in their bones while filming them haha.

Even though The One Warrior was not great, I have seen films with a far worse concept and storyline. I imagine the same film with a tighter story, bigger budget, and much better actors would be entertaining. Sadly I have to give this one a 4 out of 10, a one time watcher.

Celebrity Sex Tape Movie Review

Above Pic: Screen Cap from the DVD menu.


Celebrity Sex Tape plot basics are the set up of a taped cell phone conversation and threats for a huge blackmail sum as a group of college age kids try to raise the money to ward of the threatening man. The kids hire washed up porn stars to film and people pay good money to watch the videos, and the funds start to add up.

The film has copious amounts of nudity, and the ladies are rather good looking. Celebrity Sex Tape plays out like a comedy, but often the jokes fall flat, but did I mention the excessive nudity. Emily Addison is very cute but her acting ability is tepid at best which is fine, cause she is there specifically for the scenery haha!

This is a guy film, don't even bother to watch it with your lady, cause she will just become jealous and angry. There is sex, but simulated Cinemax sort of sex, at least it is clear and easy to see, pause button anyone haha. Nice camera work, the film makers must have some sort of porn experience, even if the copulation is pretend.

Plot holes and lack of story are to be expected, but I do give this an solid B for boobies haha.  Celebrity Sex Tape is not the worst film from The Asylum, but far from something in the Ben Hur category hahaha. I rate the film a 4.5 out of 10, and it also has a couple of nice extras, with a gag reel, and behind the scenes. The film is available from Amazon and ships February 14th.

Blood Is Thicker Than Water Movie Review

Above Pic: Poster for Blood Is Thicker Than Water


I am always on the lookout for interesting short films to review. With the advent of Youtube a plethora of them are available for watching and all one really has  to know is the title and possibly the year the film was posted. 

Blood Is Thicker Than Water was not a random find, although it is on Youtube, but one shown to me by the film's producer and lead actor Rod Johns. The film was part of 2010 NZ (New Zealand) 48 Hour film festival. This was a high pressure project, as the cast and crew of all of the films had to get the  compulsory elements of the movie at 7pm Friday and hand in a completed projected, edited and ready for broadcast Sunday at 7pm. For purposes of simplicity I am shortening the title to BISTW for the remainder of the review.

BISTW starts out as an innocent film with two young ladies waiting by the side of the road. One does not want to wait till the end of the day for the bus, and she decides to hop in a van with Sidney Manson (Rod Johns). As the day goes by, inexplicably the van pics up other hitchikers, one guy who is a guitarist, and one guy who's vehicle has broken down. We never see where they go, nor what happens to them.

A sexy Russian girl Sharon (Iana Bikoulova) adds a spark to BISTW while she is trying to hitch a ride. In tight shorts and snug top, sulty Sharon enters the vehicle chats up with Sidney while the van passes the same stretch of road where the first girl was picked up! Iana is pleasurable to look at and has a keen grasp of facial expressions as the scene shifts from innocent chatter to terror. As a side comment, Iana looks like she could put up quite a fight if attacked.. (Note to self: don't mess with her.)

No More spoilers, but this film has obvious horror undertones, Charles Manson references and is an interesting 7 minute concept to film, on such a short time period, with a minimal cast and crew. Some problems with sound in the beginning, rather awkward dialogue and interplay from the first two ladies do not detract from the creepy story and amazing camera work in BISTW. Director Andrew Gillingham, and Rod Johns deserve a bigger budget project to hone their craft, a job well done. The technical aspect of the film was solid, it was filmed on the Canon XL1 and XL1s cameras. Rod told me he got about three hours of sleep during that 48 hour filming period!


I give Blood Is Thicker Than Water a 6.5 out of 10, check it out.

The entire film is available on youtube @  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0RDFqe_-m0

Lisa-Marie Long Interview (C) 2012 Dan's Movie Report

Above Pic" Lisa-Marie Long pic from IMDB page

Lisa-Marie Long took the chance and relocated from the UK to sunny LA to pursue her dream of acting. Now several months into her journey she chats about her work on the film The Hike and her future goals and Desires. No more of my rambling on lets get right to Lisa-Marie.


Must have been fun to work on The Hike, how did you get the part? Describe your audition.

It was fun. The others girls and I grew really close over filming so it was kind of like a really messed up summer camp.. Over Winter! Because I was involved at a quite an early stage, the character was actually written with me in mind. That said I still had to audition for Rupert and Ben to prove I do the character of Ellis Justice. 

Did you audition for other parts it the Hike or just the character you played?

Just the part I played.

With all the nights must Zara described it as a difficult shoot what's your perspective?

It was difficult and damn cold too at times. But you just suck it up and get on with it because you're happy to be working and you don't want to let anybody down. Making a movie like 'The Hike' is such a collaborative effort that you really are all in it together.. You sink together or you swim together. We got through a LOT of penguin bars and coffee!!

Do you enjoy horror films? What is your favorite genre of film to watch in general?

I am a total techno geek so Sci-Fi is where my heart lies. I'm not ashamed to admit I watched all of the Stargate Atlantis series and pretty much every Sci-Fi movie ever made. 'Primer' is an awesome example of how quality sci-fi can be achieved on a micro budget! Actually talking about Stargate Atlantis.. I met Jason Momoa at a party last night. (Pardon me whilst I name drop) He's very pretty. But bloody tall and not so great when you're trying to watch the game and he's between you and the screen.. 

I see you are an avid poker player, what got you into the game? Phil Hellmuth or Jennifer Tilly? haha

LOVE Jennifer Tilly, I've interviewed her a fair few times. She's always so sassy and chatty. What got me into poker was love of the game and randomly getting a job presenting The partypoker world series at short notice because the presenter they were initially going to use managed to get herself sent straight back to Vegas upon landing. From there I made some great friends including Mr Norman Pace (Of Hale and Pace) who took me under his wing and coached me. He and his wife Beverly are crazy about the game as are their two sons and that enthusiasm was infectious. Although it took for a while for me to start winning my money back!

How long ago did you relocate from the UK to LA? Was the decision entirely work related, or was it partly a climate and change of scenery decision? 

All of the above. I've been here 4 months now and I absolutely love it. The lifestyle and the industry here is just so more conducive to success. I'm already getting auditions for the type of shows I'd never had been seen for after this long in the UK.

Skydiving, 8 solo dives, are you a bit of a daredevil? Are you ever interested in being a stunt double?

I like trying things I haven't tried before and challenging myself but I do have a very healthy survival instinct so I know my limits! I do like to push them though...

Pretty cool idea with Skype live chat short film Anna that Matthew Solomon had, how did you get involved with the project?

Matty and I had been chatting over skype along with his business partner Killebrew Mason although I knew them separately at first and it took a while to work out we were all connected!

We all get along so well and are so passionate about what we do that it was inevitable we would do something together once I'd moved out. When Matty sent me the script for Anna it was such an innovative concept, I just knew I had to be part of it.. So we filmed it over one day pretty much with me in London and them in Los Angeles.

What is your opinion of the impact of the social media sites like facebook, twitter, and the rise of instant communications like Skype?

The joy and failure of social Media is that it can be pretty much whatever you want it to be. For me it has become an extension of myself, a means by which I can reach out to people and they can reach out to me in a way that just would not have been possible or appropriate before. It's a middle ground. A platform to give or receive as little or as much of yourself as you are willing to that can impact others in a real, honest and meaningful way. In a practical sense it means that distance is irrelevant.

What is upcoming for Lisa-Marie in 2012?

The wonderful thing about the life I have chosen for myself, and every actors waking nightmare is that you never know what is around the corner. I'm loving being in LA, taking classes, meeting with Producers/Casting Directors and collaborating with friends. So more of the same hopefully. Also I'll take a series regular in any pilot that get's picked up too please!!

That completes the  Dan's Movie Report interview. For more information on this cute and talented actress. Watch for more news in the future, for now slide your browsers over to the following sites @ 

www.lisamarielong.net

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2866513/

http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/776449-2128288

Follower her on twitter @  

https://twitter.com/#!/LisaMarie_Long

War Of The Arrows Movie Review

Above Photo: War of the Arrows Movie Poster


From South Korea comes this 2 hour blast of action and historical drama called War of the Arrows. The film opens with a bang as a peaceful town is invaded and the king is killed as his two children watch in horror for the nearby forest. His two children are left to fend for themselves and are eventually taken in by a neighboring king who raises them with respect and honor.

The action in War of the Arrows is so fast and in your face that there is often no time to take a breath. The focal point is the child of the king grows to adulthood and becomes an expert marksman, using a different kind of arrow, that travels further and is more accurate. There is a copious amount of arrows through the neck, and much blood is spilled.

As a historical drama the film falls slightly flat as the amount of dialogue is rather sparse and the fighting often overrides the meaning behind the invasions and uprisings. The fighting and action are so well executed, that it is easy to look past this small detail. All of the performers have the choreography down perfect and this film is played very seriously. No scantily clad ladies fighting in this film, not that that is a bad thing at all, but obviously inappropriate here.

The camerawork is excellent, at times showing the broad scope of the lush landscape, at other times showing the intricate details of the tip of an arrow. Actually in War of the Arrows, the camera is relied on heavily not only to set up the scene, but to tell the actual story.

The acting is pretty good, much of the story is told through non-verbal communication and actions. Even though she actually had few lines I particularly enjoyed the work of actress Moon Chae-Wong as the younger sibling Ja-In. She often emoted an air of pensive sadness, and has the ability to portray a quiet innocence to her character.  Often in an action movie, the pensive quiet type characters are overlooked, but in War of the Arrows a distinct effort was made to show her reaction to the surroundings and horror taking place.

Overall I rate War of the Arrows a 7 out of 10, a must watch. The film gives a bit of a historical, all be it brutal, perspective to a far away place and the perils of a time long ago.

The film is available for pre-order and it ships February 21st on Amazon!

Seven Layer Dip Movie Review

Sultry Monique Ganderton, not happy, ready to fight! (C) 2011 SamMo Productions


As a lover of short films, especially the action ones, I had to review this four minute blast of insanity from SamMo productions called Seven Layer Dip. Sultry and somewhat dangerous Monique Ganderton has spent time in her kitchen making this glorious dip which her partner Sam Hargrave is just skimming off the top layer of. Well wouldn't you know it Monique gets pissed off, why is that you ask, well she worked hard on making it and wants it to be eaten properly hahah!

Sure enough a full fledged brawl erupts! The fight carries outside and the two are toe to toe. I mean, I have had minor fights or shall I say disagreements with my lady but, this looks like some sort of taller version of a Jet Li action film haha! The two are stunt performers, and do not try this at home, or else you could really hurt yourself and or your pride.

Masculine Sam Hargrave, not ready to accept a beating from Monique! (C) 2011 SamMo

The film is full of hilarity and action and makes the time fly by. I enjoyed the fact that they did all of the production work themselves. The camerawork was tight, but not obtrusive, obviously they know how to film a fight scene. Have to love a woman who can take and give a punch.

Overall I give this a 7 out of 10. A must watch, and it is of course available on youtube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VfAe0K_ObKk

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1737727/

For More info on SamMo GO to: http://moniqueganderton.com/myproductions.html

100,000 Hits on Dan's Movie Report! Brand New Photos! Can a man get a Hell Yeah!?

Just like Super Stunt Queen Ming Qiu, Dan's Movie Report will fly into 2012!
Above Photo (C) 2011 MGM Pictures!

Sexy Selina Lo is Flying High in Scorpion King 3! (C) 2012 Universal Pictures

Sexy Krystal Vee ready to bring the pain! HAHA! (C) 2012 Universal Pictures

Update 11-13-12 Krystal Vee New Film! "The Cop"! Follow Link!  http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2012/11/krystal-vee-new-photos-new-film-cop.html


Dan's Movie Report has been online since November of 2009. Seriously though, I really started working hard on it around August 2011. As of August 2011 the Dan's Movie Report barely had 10,000 total views. Times have changed! As of December 2011 the site had 50,000 total views and as of Thursday February 3rd 2012 100,000! In January 2012 the site has developed a huge surge, which I can not deny the impact that The Scorpion King 3, actress Krystal Vee, and actress Selina Lo have had on my site generating nearly 25,000 of the 41,008 views!

As 2012 progresses, look for more interviews, news, and exclusive photos, directly from the actors, actresses, and directors making the films. Please be patient the contests for Krystal and Selina will take place as soon as I obtain the pictures!

Look for several unannounced surprises throughout the year! 2012 will be a memorable one on Dan's Movie Report. Thank you all for reading, and taking the time to comment and e-mail me.

I am accepting banner ads at a VERY reasonable rate for quality movie related companies and individuals. Please send e-mail with the subject line "Ad Inquiry"

Actress Selina Lo New Video And Photo Shoot Upcoming!

Greetings Dan's Movie Report readers! Actress Selina Lo recently did a new photo shoot, and has posted an HD video on Youtube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwyU8KmDKy8

The sexy video and photos were shot at Pout Studios in London. Blast your browsers to their official site @  http://poutstudios.com/

The Photographer is Andy Lesauvage

Watch for EXCLUSIVE photos soon on Dan's Movie Report!!!!!