Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Actor Spotlight: Michelle Yeoh


Quite possibly, the most powerful Asian actress I have seen. Like many others, I believe my first introduction to her was as a "Bond Girl" in Tomorrow Never Dies. She was very well spoken and a lot stronger than any of the other women in Bonds' life. The next time I saw her was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, where she proved herself to be a kick-ass woman worthy of being the only woman that Jackie Chan allows to do her own stunts! She's been in another of my favorite movies too, Memoirs of a Geisha. Despite the controversy surrounding Memoirs of a Geisha it was a very stunning film. I loved the visuals, and colors they used and Michelle played a wonderful Mameha.
This summer, Michelle has been very fortunate to have two movies coming out here in the United States. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Babylon A.D. I have been excited for the threequel of The Mummy for a long time, since my favorite American actor, Brendan Fraser stars in all of them. But, when I learned that they were setting it in China with Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh (pronounced "yo") and Isabella Leung, I was even more excited. I have seen some of the previews, and am glad to say that it looks like they kept a lot of the same feel of the other movies. Babylon A.D. looks like it will be an interesting movie, and she stars alongside Vin Diesel. The credits show her playing "Sister Rebecca," which I am very curious about. I have a feeling she will be a very strong character despite this.
It is rumored that Michelle is the highest paid Asian actress, and it is for no other reason than that she is a wonderful actress. I have seen some of her less-known movies, but I still enjoy them because she lights up the screen when she is on it. I bill see both of these movies this summer, so stay tuned for reviews.

Military Duty for Rain

(Photo courtesy of Rain-Jihoon.com) (I love it because it connects me and Rain since I live in Florida)

I have often been curious about whether or not Rain will be serving his required term in the military in South Korea. It wasn't that I thought he would shirk his duty, more of a curiousity about the policy. I know that he is a very big influence on the Korean people as well as someone that is helping Korean slowly get attention from the rest of the world because of him. I was just wondering before, if his mother passing away and him being the only son, if he actually would have serve (I can't find much information on all of the exemptions that exist for the military conscription.) But, after a few articles have popped up regarding Hallyu stars possibly getting new exempt status, Rain and J.Tunes have come forward to declare his intentions. After three years, Rain will join the army. He intends to wrap up his filming, and music projects by then, to ensure that he has enough time to fulfill his duty to his country.
To be honest, I'm on the fence on this one. One one hand, I admire him for sticking to his determination and being loyal to his country. On the other, he has a earned the country a lot of attention it would not have gotten any other way, and probably has inspired many people to visit the country, learn the language or many other number of things. I hope he works everything out and that we will still see him once he gets back out. (My main fear is that after his time in the military he will disappear from the entertainment world and settle down, never to be seen again.)