Michelle Lee Interview "Exclusive" Mortal Kombat: Legacy II Chat!

Above Pic (C) 2013 Machinima. Click on photo for wallpaper sized image

Update 9-30-13: Exclusive wallpaper for Michelle Lee as Mileena! http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2013/09/mileena-mortal-kombat-legacy-ii.html

Michelle Lee is an action star on the rise, Hard to believe I first met her a decade ago at Dragonfest! Because of her hard work and dedication over that time span, Michelle is one of the most sought after stunt women in the country. Her talent, quick wit, and lightning fast moves are evident in the latest installment of Mortal Kombat: Legacy II webseries from Machinima. Her portrayal of Mileena in the popular series should blast her to new heights. Michelle takes time out from the set of Transformers to conduct this exclusive interview for Dan's Movie Report. Enough of my rambling, on to the chat. As the Mortal Kombat saying goes, Get Over Here!

How did you get started in Martial Arts? Was Wushu your first love?

I'm Chinese, we were born with KungFu skillz.

Ok, share a unusual, and never before told story about your involvement with Pirates of the Caribbean,as I think all of those questions have been asked and answered : a huge production, must have been fun and a solid learning experience

I've never mentioned in an interview, prior to yours that there was a scene where I took chopsticks out of my hair and I stabbed a british soldier in the eyes with them. It was cool and greusome and the blood coming out of his eyes looked so realistic. I was hoping it would make it into the film but it got edited out. However, if you search online you might be able to find an easter egg of deleted scenes that will have that edit. Also, Gore Verbinski, the director, mentioned to me he wanted to expand on my character because he loved the concept, however, there was not enough time. Next time Gore!

Ok enough about the past, wow, 2012 and 2013 have been super busy for you. Stunts, acting and Motion capture. Lets start with Mo-Cap Resident Evil 6 and Ada Wong, Maybe share a funny motion capture story, harnesses, and light dots, must have been fun.

I loved the Resident Evil series and because I played it myself, I was super excited to book the role of Ada Wong. I got to showcase both acting and stunts. It was such a treat to work with the Capcom team from Japan. The environment they created was very cool and different than any American production I've ever been a part of.

Actually I think you would make a great Ada Wong in the next RE film, did you ever audition for the film role on any Resident Evil movie?

I agree with you, maybe you should tell Paul Anderson (the director of RE) that! Lol.

(C) 2013 Machinima, Dan's Movie Report screen capture, click image for wallpaper size!

On Mortal Kombat: Legacy II, the new series from Machinima, you portray Mileena, a dynamic bad girl, did you also try out for the Kitana role? I liked Dana Hee's portrayal of her in the movie version.

Well I'm a dynamic bad girl. I did not try out for Kitana. They asked me to chose which lines to read at the audition. After reading both, I chose Mileena. Its so much more fun to play the villain. It just comes naturally to me.

Above Pic: Mileena drives her point home, (C) 2013 Machinima, Dan's Movie Report Screen click for wallpaper sized whoop-ass!

Share some training insights for your part as Mileena on the MK production.

I prepared for the role first by watching the previous MK movies, and watching all of Mileena's fatalities online. This gave me a sense of the world and also what our awesome director Kevin did to alter that world for the new Legacy series. It was fun emersing myself into that realm and creating what a Tarkatan is to me (Editor note: a Tarkatan is an warrior race in the Mortal Kombat world, for more info http://mortalkombat.wikia.com/wiki/Tarkata ) Additionally, I brainstormed ideas for her look and how she would move. Finally, I trained with Mileena's weapon of choice, the sai, and my character all came together. Plus, I had incredible actors and actresses to work with that made my character so much easier to pull off.

Photo Credit: www.tonychu.com  Tony Chu https://www.facebook.com/tonychuphotography

The softer side of Michelle Lee, click image for wallpaper size! 

Now that we have discussed movies, video games, and mo-cap, chat about Michelle the person, is it more shopping for shoes or as you did in that video, Gun play and learning more about stunts?

I have a collection of shoes but maybe not the kind you may think. I'm crazy about running shoes, tennis shoes, wushu shoes... lol. And my money is spent on my interests indeed... and Wholefoods.

I am assuming that action is your favorite genre of film, is Michelle Lee ever going to be in a romantic comedy or erotic thriller, haha, as I do see your humorous sexy side.

Above Pic: Michelle Lee as Mileena violent and sexy! (C) 2013 Machinima, Screencap:  Dan's Movie Report

I love all genres of film. I'm not limiting myself to any specific genre.

When you are not being the action stunt woman, how do unwind?

I have several projects outside of stunts. I love photography, and the arts, including digital arts (graphics and creating apps). One of which I am finishing up on now and will be releasing soon!

Above Pic: Michelle on set in Chicago for new Transformers film! A Dan's Movie Report Exclusive! Click for wallpaper size!

Should be fun, we will chat on your apps when they are ready to be released, for now, I will let you get back to work and wrap up the interview, what are some of your future projects?

I have a video game I am currently working on for PS4 called The Order 1886. The game has incredible graphics and gameplay, and I'm excited myself to get my hands on a PS4 and play it. Also, I am currently in Chicago stunting on Transformers 4, Age of Extinction. Its exciting to work on a Michael Bay film for the first time, I've been a fan of his work forever!

For additional information on Michelle follow her on twitter @ https://twitter.com/___MichelleLee

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/michelleleerocks/

Her official page is www.actressmichellelee.com , and check out her IMDB page: @ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1685477/

Check out Michelle's youtube portal for various demos including an action and hosting one! She really has a multitude of talent! @ http://www.youtube.com/user/michelleleerocks?feature=watch

Watch for more on Michelle in the future on your inside source for action, Dan's Movie Report www.dansmoviereport.com 

Also check out this cool Asians on Film Video! interview! Check out this cool 2 part video interview of Michelle in Asians On Film! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y90-uSxRf8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn0Xeypk_z0

Vikingdom: The Blood Eclipse Movie Review

Above Pic: (C) KRU and Epic Film Productions

Above Pic: Cast Banner for Vikingdom

Check out my 2012 interview with cast member Natassia Malthe on Dan's Movie Report @ http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2012/01/natassia-malthe-interview-c-2012-dans.html Watch for further updates and exclusives from Dan's Movie Report! www.dansmoviereport.com 

Before I start this review, again let me preface by saying two things, I love anything to do wth Vikings and that this is a 15 million dollar budget film not 200million. I am not paid by anyone on this production, my views are my own The banner above shows the main charaters! From Kru Studios in Malaysia comes Vikingdom, a 3D theatrical released film in Asia.

The plot is actually pretty cool. In this story Thor is an angry God, a provocative twist. Vikings and allies are sent to Hades to search for Odin's Horn, thus controlling the rage of the ruthless self proclaimed god. Displaced rage is a dangerous thing, and yes Thor is mighty pissed haha!

Discussing some of the innovative film tricks. Cleverly using a steady cam mounted to a ATV allowed horses to be followed closely with very little camera jitters in Vikingdom. Some scenes were shot in 3D and some were later converted to 3D based upon the problems and locations. Many extras are used giving the  film the "epic" feel, even on a budget 1/20 a Hollywood flick. Watch for some cool locations like caves, underwater etc! The final battle scene includes 500 warriors and 50 horses!

Actor Conan Stevens portrays Thor, states that the character fits him, and displays copious rage, and that "Berserk mentality"! Watch for him as Bolg in the "Hobbit" trilogy. Natassia Malthe  (Brynna) plays a boat captain, and yeah she gets in on the action and fighting as well. Dominic Purcell plays Eiric yes that is the correct spelling, essentially the Eirik the Red character from the legend, and leader of the quest for Odin's Horn. Watch for Jon Foo who interestingly enough plays a wayward Chinese slave who was once a warrior joins the quest Foo speacks in Chinese, his parts are subtitled. All of that coupled with the excellent stunt crew of Fist! Check them out @ http://www.filmindustrystuntteam.com.au/FIST_-_About.html

The quest on Vikingdom is rather unique as the story is, having Thor as the antagonist represents a man against God situation, exact opposite of Thor comics. Since the myths predate the comics why the hell not.

Battles, Demons, an alluring sexy Freja played by Tegan Moss make for a great way to spend an afternoon if you like Norse, Odin, etc! The film is out now in Malaysia and blasts into th USA October 4th! Kudos to Director Yusry Abd Halim and KRU studios for their hard work and warrior spirit on a limited budget. I rate "Vikingdom: The Blood Eclipse" an 8 out of 10! Draw your sword HAHA, let the haters hate!

Like them on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/Vikingdom

Order the film now on Amazon, Order through Dan's Movie Report, and be registered for 2014 giveaways!


Update 10-5-13 Actress Natassia Malthe Chats Vikingdom! Exclusively on Dan's Movie Report!

Some the the action in Vikingdom looked very intense, even though you have done several action films in the past, did some scenes like the twisting dive challenge you, were they harder?

The dive was hard actually not much help with it and I had to jump myself and twist myself , to get it right was very hard especially with props and landing on them each time . All the fights scenes were intense . I had to really concentrate .

Even though Vikingdom was a huge production from KRU what are some of the differences you encountered between that and the Elektra film you worked on, sets, attitude, organization etc..

Elektra was a way bigger budget with extremely experienced people in every single department . But I think that isn't really important . The intention and drive to make a good film and work with what one has is what gives a film uniqueness and soul . Sometimes high budget studio movies mess up the story and the story becomes generic...To commercial .... there was more of a community feel on Vikingdom. 

Very true on community, additionally Vikingdom has a unique story in that Thor is portrayed as a maniacal God, in my review I liked the portrayal as I think it offered something different, What were some of the things that attracted you to accept your role in Vikingdom, the strong character you would be playing, the unique story etc..

I was attracted to the mythology and that my character was strong . I liked the genre alot .

How were the relationships on the set of Vikingdom, everything was relaxed, etc..

Um.. I was mostly hanging out with my bf at the time Jon foo ... We kind of did our own thing kept away from any drama . But everyone was nice and friendly . 

Are there any rumblings you heard from other big budget releases from KRU. a sequel etc..

I have heard of sequel talk.... One, two, three but you know I hear that on every movie and until its happening its something I try not to pay attention too ...

Hope it happens, Vikingdom is a cool project, any new projects in the work you can chat about?

I am in talks with a TV show but I have also been thinking of studying at a university and getting a degree ...... I feel like a change ....

Wish you the best Natassia chat soon.

Thanks for the interview.

Legend Of The Red Reaper Movie Review

The extreme difficulty Producer/Writer/Star Tara Cardinal had with even completing 'Legend of the Red Reaper' is a six year journey through movie hell, full of rejections, deceptions, and lost promises. Rather than let the process get her down, real life warrior Cardinal forges ahead and delivers an action filled tale that travels back to 80's action films, prior to the CGI-heavy effects laden behemoths of today.

The back story to 'Red Reaper':  as a child she was sold by her mother, to her biological father, a demonlord,  who tormented her for many years. She was rescued by a clan of Reapers, who raised and trained her. She begins to develop her powers, which include seeing into the future. The Red Reaper then exacts revenge on those who

Ok, I am not going to lie, this is a far more simplistic version of the story than really needs to be told. In fact, I am glad that there is an explanation of the prior story. while a short visual montage plays in the background, or else I would be  rather confused, Furthermore, spinning a detailed history of the relationships of demons, reapers, and humans, the 100 minute flick would have easily pushed past the two hour mark, not a good thing for most lower budget films.

Red Reaper takes a more serious tone but, due to the "female action - quest adventure" the fiery red haired Cardinal gives a fierce performance, akin to 'Red Sonja' and the recent lower budget flick 'Dragon Crusaders' with petite warrior Cecily Fay. 

Battles, legends, demons, this full on action fantasy is great, I rate 'Legend Of the Red Reaper' an 8 out of 10 A must own. Let this be a lesson to all indie film makers, Rome was not built in a day! If you have a dream, fight like hell to make it happen. 

Like the film on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/LegendoftheRedReaper

Isis Rising: Curse Of The Lady Mummy Movie Review

Crossing over into her first "mainstream" film, popular, exotic, adult movie star Priya Rai tries to expand her fan base and explore new horizons in Isis Rising. Priya's adult films often include a few moments of  "scene scenario" acting. For research purposes, of course I sampled a few of them prior to this review, ok many, whatever haha.

Isis Rising's opening sequence almost mirrors the first 'Mummy' film, where a ultra sexy Patricia Velazquez, gets caught up in a love triangle that ends up in murder. Most of the rest of the movie takes place in the present day, in a museum, with the contents of the tomb being explored, by a handful of students and a professor.

Priya portrays the lead character Isis, although, Isis appears as a ghost, and breathes spirit breath into various students, forcing them, by spell, to collect body parts to raise Osiris, her ancient, murdered lover. Actually Ms Rai has kind of a smaller role then I anticipated, especially given top billing. She only appears for brief moments scattered throughout 'Isis Rising', which focuses on the students in the museum, deciphering the ancient artifacts. Priya fits the description of the salacious title character Isis, she is beautiful, and has a devious smile.

The acting in 'Isis Rising' is typical B-movie, a bit more overly dramatic than necessary. Supposedly the film is supposed to be a somewhat of a horror-comedy, maybe it was intentional, or perhaps just due to inexperience with the young cast. None of the performances detracted from the film, in fact reading trough the credits, Lisa Palenica takes on a quadruple role in the production of Isis Rising. Palencia, wrote, directed, starred, and is a producer on the project, a daunting task to be sure. 

Sadly though, the film is rather predictable, the plot follows too closely to 'The Mummy', and several other films in the 'raised from the dead genre'. The special effects, definitively due to budget limitations, distract from the story, and perhaps it even would have been better to have more of the effects laden scenes to be implied, happening off-screen. 

Overall, I know the cast and crew of 'Isis Rising' tried hard, it is excruciatingly difficult to make a feature film on a shoestring budget, with an inexperienced cast and crew. I give the film a 5 out of 10, a rent for B movie fans. Also check out the Tomcat films website, the seem to have a myriad of films in various stages of production, in several genres @ http://tomcatfilmsllc.com/

Man Of Tai Chi Movie Review

Above Picture: Poster of Man of Tai Chi 


Hard to believe that it has been nearly 15 years since The Matrix was unleashed on the world. That film solidified Keanu Reeves as an action star, surprisingly, however, after two somewhat tepid sequels, he was relegated to a variety of lower profile material. Man of Tai Chi represents a leap of for the nearly 50 year old actor into uncharted territory  directing. The daunting task of wearing two hats, (Reeves stars as Donaka Mark, a ruthless underground fight promoter) on a production is difficult, especially when the production takes place in China and English is your native language.

Above Pic: Reeves as Donaka Mark, a stoic businessman. (C) 2013 Village Roadshow Pictures

Man of Tai Chi opens very brutally with an underground fight taking place and the winning fighter stopping just short of maiming or killing his opponent, he is ordered by Donaka Mark (Reeves) to "finish him", when he refuses, not only is his opponent killed by Mark wearing a black face mask, but Mark later dispatches the winning fighter, calling him a coward while stabbing him! Keanu is his usual self, stoic, expressionless, and unemotional, but for his ruthless villain character, it works to some extent.

Above Pic: Karen Mok says "This isn't About Fighting" HAHA! It is about fighting! (C) 2013 Village Roadshow Pictures

Hot on the trail of this underground fight organization is Sun Jingshi, portrayed by Karen Mok. She is trying to look for an angle to break up the ring. Jingshi is a no-nonsense Hong Kong policewoman, leading the investigative team against Donaka. Karen is a long time veteran of a variety of HK action and dramatic films, and her performance in Man of Tai Chi represented a willful determination, breathing life into the "cop" role, often portrayed as a bumbling, unsympathetic character.

Above Pic: Tiger Hu Chen demonstrating his handy-work (C) 2013 Village Roadshow Pictures

The real star in Man of Tai Chi is Tiger Hu Chen. He portrays the title character of Chen Lin Hu, Man of Tai Chi. His character is pulled in several directions. His hi stress job as a priority package delivery guy, he is constantly being pressured by his boss. Chen tries to focus his energy to Tai Chi, delivered artfully by his master Yang, played by Yu Hai. Hai serves as a grounding point, later in the film his temple is threatened by demolition, and Tiger feels obligated to help financially. Finally his longtime girl/fiance Qingsha, played wistfully, caring, and innocently by Qing Ye. Chen is an excellent fighter, and obviously is working hard to potray the difficult character, with a few more films under his belt his acting ability should be on par with his fluid fighting ability.

Although the underground fight film has been beaten like a rented mule lately, Man of Tai Chi tries, somewhat to portray the inner struggles of a fighter as he turns from honor to greed. To save his master's temple Chen turns to Donaka Mark, who promises him a high paying 'security job'. In the first part of the film a car is sent to pick Chen up, he goes all be it reluctantly. Near the end Chen revels in the fight game, and the audience never really knows if it is the fighting or the money he likes more.

Where Man of Tai Chi excels is in most of the fights and filming. Although it does appear a few of the fights were cut down to achieve the 101 minute running time, this film offers far more fight action than the average American  film. With longtime choreography veteran Woo-Ping involved in the fight mix get ready for some solid action in Man of Tai Chi. My minor complaint is that there is some wire work in some of the fights and none in others, either way I wanted to see a bit of consistency. Several fighting styles are represented, which is a plus, along with the creative angle camera work, made for enjoyment for the action in Man of Tai Chi.

Due to the fact that Man of Tai Chi had a bit of a larger budget, the scenery and fight locations were more creative and opulent than the standard gritty underground fight club film. For one of the fights Chen was helicoptered to this floating barge, where a luxury club had been set up for patrons to watch his fight. Hiring a sexy female fight announcer also added a bit of flare to Man of Tai Chi. Normally I try to stay away from minor characters, unless important to the film, but having an actual onstage announcer for the main fights is a wise choice. Helene Leclerc exudes sexiness, with her looks and commanding speaking voice, she pushes the Man of Tai Chi pre-fight build-up to a crescendo. 

Above Pic: Helene Leclerc brings a bit of sexiness to the announcing role, thank goodness Michael Buffer never wears an outfit like that! (C) 2013 Village Roadshow Pictures

Overall I liked Man of Tai Chi, despite the minor quips of some of the fight scenes being cut, some wooden acting, the underground fight-club plot being played out, and the back and forth between English and Chinese language being used throughout. The film is a wall to wall fight-fest that should please any action junkie,  I give Man of Tai Chi a solid 7 out of 10.