Thursday, September 15, 2011

Actress Profile: Chontelle Melgren

Actress Profile - Chontelle Melgren
Chontelle Melgren
Birthdate: February 1993
Birthplace: Tauranga, New Zealand











New Zealand's Chontelle Melgren is a fashion and photo model whose one (so far) film appearance comes in the 2010 martial arts Western The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010Young LynneSngmoo Lee

Actress Profile: Aimee Renata

Actress Profile - Aimee Renata
Aimee Renata
Birthdate:
Birthplace: New Zealand








New Zealand's Aimee Renata is an emerging actress with one film role to her credit, that of a featured extra in the 2010 martial arts Western The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010Mexican DaughterSngmoo Lee

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Actress Profile: Ebony Sushames

Actress Profile - Ebony Sushames
Ebony Sushames
Birthdate:
Birthplace: New Zealand











Ebony Sushames is a New Zealand dancer and actress whose only credit to date is a bit part in the 2010 martial arts Western The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010Mexican DaughterSngmoo Lee

Actor Profile: Nic Sampson

Actor Profile - Nic Sampson
Nic Sampson
Birthdate: 18 November 1986
Birthplace: New Zealand








Nic Sampson is a young New Zealand actor best known for his role as Chip Thorn (aka "The Yellow One") in the Power Rangers: Mystic Force" television series. Though his career has expanded beyond the Power Rangers franchise, his only Western role came in 2010's The Warrior's May in which Nic plays one of a trio of punk ass troublemakers.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010PugSngmoo Lee

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Actor Profile: Jed Brophy

Actor Profile - Jed Brophy
Jed Broophy
Birthdate: 1963
Birthplace: New Zealand











Established New Zealand actor Jed Brophy has been fortunate enough to have garnered a role in two of the three Lord of the Rings films, though the roles were rather orcish ones. His Western filmography is limited to one film, however - 2010's The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010JacquesSngmoo Lee

Actor Profile: Matt Gillanders

Actor Profile - Matt Gillanders
Matt Gillanders
Birthdate: 16 October 1977
Birthplace: Christchurch, New Zealand












New Zealand native Matt Gillanders has a steadily growing list of roles to his credit, from a 2-episode appearance as Marcellus in the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand to his portrayal of the vampire Daeron in 30 Days of Night. For his only Western credit, Matt drew on his experience as a fire-breathing carnie to play the role of fire-breathing carnie Geyser in 2010's The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010GeyserSngmoo Lee

Monday, September 12, 2011

Actor Profile: Rod Lousich

Actor Profile - Rod Lousich
Rod Lousich
Birthdate: 1967
Birthplace: New Zealand











New Zealand's Rod Lousich has a handful of large and small screen credits to his name, with his portrayal of billionaire Andrew Hartford in the television series Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive being the most noteworthy. His only Western appearance is a non-speaking supporting role in 2010's The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010CraigSngmoo Lee

Actor Profile: Tony Cox

Actor Profile - Tony Cox
Tony Cox
Birthdate: 31 March 1958
Birthplace:










The diminutive Tony Cox has a rather long and noteworthy list of credits to his name, including such comedy hits as Spaceballs, Bad Santa, and Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams. His only Western film appearance thus far has been as circus ringmaster Eight-Ball in 2010's The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010Eight-BallSngmoo Lee

Actor Profile: Lung Ti

Actor Profile - Lung Ti
Lung Ti
Birthdate: 19 August 1946
Birthplace: Guangdong Province, China







Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010Saddest FluteSngmoo Lee

Friday, September 9, 2011

Actor Profile: Geoffrey Rush

Actor Profile - Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Birthdate: 6 July 1951
Birthplace: Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia











Australia's Geoffrey Rush, perhaps best known by American audiences for his portrayal of Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, is one of a few actors who have won the "triple crown" of Hollywood: an Emmy, a Tony, and an Oscar. Although he played a role in the Australian Western Ned Kelly, his first role in an Old West-themed film came with 2010's The Warrior's Way.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010RonaldSngmoo Lee
Ned Kelly2003Supt. Francis HareGregor Jordan

Actress Profile: Kate Bosworth

Actress Profile - Kate Bosworth
Kate Bosworth
Birthdate: 2 January 1983
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California











California-born, East Coast-raised rising star Kate Bosworth came into her own with the leading role of Anne Marie Chadwick in the 2002 surfer flick Blue Crush, and has since starred in several films in a variety of genres. The champion equestrian and two-time member of Maxim's Hot 100 List has only appeared in one Western, however, though here's hoping for future contributions to the genre.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010LynneSngmoo Lee

Actor Profile: Dong-gun Jang

Actor Profile - Dong-gun Jang
Dong-gun Jang
Birthdate: 7 March 1972
Birthplace: South Korea











South Korea's Dong-gun Jang is quite the celebrity in the Asian film industry, having had more than 25 film and television roles and been awarded a dozen honors. His first foray into the world of American cinema came with the lead role in the 2010 Western/martial arts mash-up The Warrior's Way, which to date has remained his only contribution to the genre.

Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Warrior's Way2010YangSngmoo Lee

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Movie Review: The Warrior's Way (2010)

Movie Review - The Warrior's Way (2010)
Release Date:  2010
Director:  Sngmoo Lee
Writers:  Sngmoo Lee
Studio:  Sad Flutes
Rating:  R
Run Time:  100 minutes

New Zealand film






Plot Summary
Having established himself as the World's Greatest Swordsman by slaughtering almost every member of a rival clan of warriors, assassin Yang's (Dong-gun Jang) cold heart is thawed when confronted with the task of killing the last remaining clan member - an infant girl. Having now failed his own clan, Yang secrets himself and the baby away from China to the American West in an effort to disappear from the searching gaze of his clan master (Lung Ti). In America, Yang reaches a desolate, broken down town named Lode populated by a demoralized carnival troupe - and finds a new home. Although his new life consists of gardening, laundering (sheets, not money), and parenthood, the threat of violence is never far. The wild redhead Lynne (Kate Bosworth) takes a fancy to Yang from the start, but she harbors a violent past that is about to revisit Lode with a vengeance and unravel Yang's pacifism.
This is Lode
Review
First-time director Sngmoo Lee attempts to cover a lot of bases with The Warrior's Way by blending Western themes with the surreal action of '70s-era martial arts films and a 300-esque animated setting. Most Western fans will find this mixture to be a tad distasteful, especially since Lee emphasizes style over substance, leaving The Warrior's Way as more of a novelty film than a solid contribution to any of the genres it invokes.

The most striking aspect of the film, and the one that obviously attracted the most attention from Lee, is the overtly stylized setting. The exaggerated CGI visuals are stunning at times, though almost always too cartoonish to root the story or the place in any sense of reality. The garish costumes donned by the carnies are also a little beyond believable by Old West standards. Together, these outlandish elements kept the story from absorbing my attention and did more to distract than attract, which is unfortunate because the story is actually quite intriguing had it been explored and executed more deftly.

Yang's flight from his own clan and his life as a killer combined with the impending resurgence of Lynne's haunted past (dominated by The Colonel, a ruthless pedophile played by Danny Huston), together form a perfect storm of plot twists and possibilities. An effort was made to explore Yang's relationship with Lynne, the former a brooding introvert and the latter a fiery tomboy, but the attempt came off as half-hearted and more focused on sword sparring than character development. Equally frustrating were the many, many plot holes pertaining to the the town, its history, and its inhabitants that were left unaddressed by the storyline. The character of Ronald (Geoffrey Rush), the town drunk who just happens to have been some sort of badass gunslinger, begs for further development but, sadly, is relegated to something of an afterthought.
The party has been duly crashed

I was pleased, for the most part, by the performances turned in by the majority of the cast members, though I think Lee was intentionally trying to get some over-the-top acting to compliment his stylistic trend. Bosworth really pushed the hayseed accent and pouty attitude, while Huston practically defined creepy with his portrayal of a sadistic, scarred outlaw leader. The cast members playing the carnies were also quite flamboyant in their roles, but taken together with Lee's imagery it all seemed to mesh well.

The final aspect of The Warrior's Way that I wish to touch on is the quality and style of the action sequences, of which there were many during latter half of the film. Gravity-defying ninja antics were the norm, with Yang slicing through adversaries with lightning speed and seemingly little effort. Thankfully such acrobatics were reserved for Yang and his clan, the remaining townsfolk and the outlaw soldiery sticking to rather mundane lead slinging. Decapitations and the rending of limbs by the score just added to the overall outrageousness of the movie and added little substance to the story.
Ummm...yeah

Western fans won't like The Warrior's Way, and fans of pure action films might not find much to enjoy either. The gamers and anime crowds, however, seem to be the target audience here.

For the Stathounds:
Body Count:>100
Explosions:5
Full Moons:1
Actors who've appeared on Dukes of Hazzard:0
Actors who've appeared on Twilight Zone:0


   

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Actor Profile: Lawrence Dublenko

Actor Profile - Lawrence Dublenko
Lawrence Dublenko
Birthdate:
Birthplace:









Western Filmography

TitleYearRoleDirector
The Mountie2011OatchkoWyeth Clarkson