Jason Scott Lee
A disgraced former ping pong champion is drawn back into the world of high-stakes table tennis to carry out a top-secret mission in the feature directorial debut of Reno 911! writer/director Ben Garant. Far removed from the rigidly regulated world of professional sports, clandestine ping pong tournaments offer thrilling competition where only the strong survive. There was a time when the mere mention of the name Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) was enough to make even those most hardened ping pong player cower in fear, but these days Randy has fallen out of favor with ping-pong fans. The former champ soon receives a much-needed shot at redemption, however, when he is recruited by a determined FBI agent named Rodriguez (George Lopez) to win a coveted spot in the upcoming underground table tennis tournament and ferret out the nefarious Feng (Christopher Walken), whose thriving criminal empire has transformed him into a true menace to society. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, (more)
Czech New Wave leader Ivan Passer picks up the torch originally ignited by Russian director Sergei Bodrov to bring Central Asia's first-ever event film to the light of the silver screen. Penned by Russian screenwriter Rustam Ibragimbekov, Nomad tells the tale of 18th-century Kazak military strategist Ablai Khan -- a forward-thinking visionary whose efforts to unify his country eventually helped to define Kazakhstan's borders. Warned by a mystical Kazak warrior named Oraz (Jason Scott Lee) that a child who will unite the warring local tribes and free his people is about to be born, invading Jungar leader Galdan Ceren (Doskhan Zholzhaxynov) -- whose soldiers are currently occupying Kazakhstan -- instructs his assassins to target Mansur (Kuno Becker), the son of a local sultan. After being saved from a grim fate by none other than Oraz, Mansur is raised to become a fearless warrior whose vision of a unified Kazak state drives him to fulfill the ancient prophecy. Tirelessly training alongside his best friend Erali (Jay Hernandez), Mansur leaps into action when love interest Gaukhar (Ayanat Yesmagambetova) is abducted by malevolent Jungar swordsman Sharish (Mark Decascos). Originally set to be helmed exclusively by Passer, Nomad was finished by director Bodrov after a production hiatus threw the fate of the film into question and the European production partner Wild Bunch stepped in to help assure that the film was eventually completed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kuno Becker, Jay Hernandez, (more)
- 2006
Filmmaker Jeff Adachi turns his critical lens on Hollywood in order to highlight the dangerous but seldom explored reality of cinematic prejudice. With fifty film clips spanning a century on the silver screen, Adachi chronicles the experiences of Asian men in American cinema. From ethnic stereotypes to the limited roles available to talented Asian actors, this look at a highly visible form of racism reveals just how much damage can be done by the image making machine in Hollywood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Forces of good and evil are in hot pursuit of a book with tremendous supernatural powers in the fifth installment of the The Prophecy franchise. A young woman named Allison comes into possession of an unusual book. Allison discovers the strange volume is the Lexicon, a book with great spiritual powers that will predict the coming of the Antichrist. Soon minions of both heaven and hell are chasing Allison, hoping to get their hands on the book; few mortals seem to believe her, though, with the exception of a lawman (Jason Scott Lee), who attempts to protect her against the agents of the afterlife. The Prophecy: Forsaken also stars Jason London, Tony Todd, and John Light. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2005
- PG
- AddLilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitchto QueueAddLilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitchto top of Queue
The animated feature-length film Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch follows the characters from the Oscar-nominated movie Lilo & Stitch. Everything seems to be going smoothly as the film begins, with Stitch acceptably assimilated into his adopted family and everyone planning for a gigantic hula festival. However, Stitch soon starts behaving as erratically as he did in the first film. Lilo (Dakota Fanning) and her older sister Nani (Tia Carrere) soon discover that there are some programming bugs in their alien friend that may make it impossible for him to stay with the new family that loves him. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dakota Fanning, Chris Sanders, (more)
If you think the prophesies have all been written and humankind's fate forever sealed, you won't know just how wrong you are until you witness the ultimate war between heaven and hell in this supernaturally charged thriller that re-teams Hellraiser: Deader co-stars Kari Wuhrer and Doug Bradley. When an ancient, self-generating religious manuscript known as The Lexicon lands in the hands of an unsuspecting young woman, she is horrified to learn that the mysterious text continues to write itself -- forever revealing future predictions that, if discovered, could alter the course of history. Caught in an epic supernatural battle between fearless renegade angels determined to use the monolithic revelations of The Lexicon to achieve their own nefarious means, the young woman must protect the ancient text or risk eternal damnation for all of humankind. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2004
- AddWes Craven Presents Dracula III: Legacyto QueueAddWes Craven Presents Dracula III: Legacyto top of Queue
In this direct-to-video sequel to Dracula 2000, iconic vampire Dracula (Rutger Hauer) has once again escaped the clutches of Luke (Jason London) and Father Ufizzi (Jason Scott Lee), a pair of traveling vampire hunters. Luke and Ufizzi discover the undying bloodsucker has made his way back to his native Romania, and the hunters give chase. They arrive in Romania to discover the nation is caught up in a bloody civil war -- and that Dracula has kidnapped Elizabeth (Diane Neal), Luke's fiancée. Can Luke and Ufizzi finally vanquish Dracula and save Elizabeth in the midst of the chaos that sweeps the land? Produced in tandem with Dracula II: Ascension, Wes Craven Presents Dracula III: Legacy also stars Roy Scheider and Alexandra Westcourt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Jason London, (more)
- 2003
- AddWes Craven Presents Dracula II: Ascensionto QueueAddWes Craven Presents Dracula II: Ascensionto top of Queue
The burned corpse of Dracula (Stephen Billington) is revived by a wheelchair-bound scientist, Lowell (Craig Sheffer), and his devoted students in an effort to cure Lowell of a fatal disease. They chain the demon to a slab at the bottom of an abandoned indoor swimming pool and begin their experiments. But the highly contagious, extremely convincing fiend can create havoc even chained up, as Elizabeth (Diane Neal) and Luke (Jason London) find out the hard way. Luckily, vampire-slaying priest Uffizi (Jason Scott Lee) arrives with his razor-studded whip. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Craig Sheffer, (more)
Jason Scott Lee portrays the title character in Stephen Boyum's time-traveling action film Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision. The film follows the timecop as he jumps from various eras in history in an attempt to stop criminal Branson Miller (Thomas Ian Griffith) who has been manipulating history for his own personal gain. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Thomas Ian Griffith, (more)
A lonely little girl makes a very unusual friend -- a ukulele-playing alien who likes to toss around small automobiles -- in this antic animated comedy from Walt Disney Studios. Lilo (voice of Daveigh Chase) is a young Hawaiian girl being raised by her teenaged sister Nani (voice of Tia Carrere) after the unexpected death of their parents in an auto accident. While Nani tries to hold their household together, Lilo is a child with unusual interests and a distinctive sense of humor, which makes it hard for her to bond with her peers, as well as her big sister. Nani decides Lilo might be happier if she had a pet, so the sisters go to the animal shelter to adopt a dog; however, the critter which catches Lilo's fancy is a fuzzy blue creature she names Stitch (voice of Chris Sanders). Nani isn't so sure Stitch is really a dog, and it turns out she's right; Stitch is actually "Genetic Experiment 626," a mutation created by extraterrestrial mad scientist Dr. Jumba (voice of David Ogden Stiers) to be used a weapon. Stitch is an intelligent but gleefully destructive little creature with superhuman strength who has escaped to Earth and crash-landed in the Hawaiian islands, but Lilo sees him simply as a fellow misfit and attempts to teach him to behave like her favorite American icon, Elvis Presley. Meanwhile, Nani struggles to keep Lilo and Stitch on their best behavior as stern social worker Cobra Bubbles (voice of Ving Rhames) tries to determine if Nani is fit to raise a child, while Dr. Jumba and Pleakley (voice of Kevin McDonald) attempt to capture "Experiment 626" and bring him back home. Chris Sanders, who provides the voice of Stitch, also co-wrote and co-directed the film, which features numerous Elvis Presley tunes on the soundtrack, as well as a new recording of "Burning Love" by country star Wynonna. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, (more)
In this made-for-TV retelling of the classic tale A Thousand and One Nights, a woman discovers the ability to spin a good yarn is literally a matter of life and death. Schahriar (Dougray Scott), a powerful sultan who rules Bagdad, has developed a bitterness and distrust of women ever since he discovered his first wife was unfaithful to him. He no longer trusts the fair sex and has vowed to never marry again, but circumstances force him to wed Scheherezade (Mili Avital), a beautiful girl he's known since he was a child. Schahriar decides that if he must marry Scheherezade, he will murder her after their wedding night. Scheherezade, however, is understandably unenthusiastic about this idea, and to postpone her execution, begins regaling Schahriar with a long series of fascinating stories; by keeping him intrigued with her fables of adventure and honor, she hopes his heart will soften and she will be allowed to live. Scheherezade's stories include the tales of Ali Baba (Rufus Sewell), BacBac the Hunchback (Alexei Sayle), Aladdin (Jason Scott-Lee), the Genie of the Lamp (John Leguizamo), and many more. Arabian Nights was originally shown as a two-part miniseries, with the first episode airing on ABC on April 30, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mili Avital, Dougray Scott, (more)
Best known for his Highlander series, Russell Mulcahy pays homage to the Hammer films of the 1960s with this all-star recreation of the Mummy story. Centuries ago, a sadistic prince named Talos was buried and his tomb was infinitely cursed so that no man would ever again suffer from his evil ways. But hundreds of years later, a group of archeologists break the seal of the tomb and are brutally massacred. The bandages of Talos are discovered years later by the head archeologist's daughter and brought back to London to be displayed in a museum. But the bandages go on a violent rampage. His evil threatens to spread around the world when the approaching alignment of the planets will raise the legendary Talos to a level of immortal power. The American detective in charge of the affair and the daughter of the archeologist race against time to defeat the malicious mummy. Russell Mulcahy has modern computer graphics techniques on his side in this remake of the classic Mummy monster story. At the same time, he has invited the legendary Christopher Lee to appear in the role of the ill-fated archeologist who discovers Talos. Shelley Duvall and Jason Scott Lee round out the main cast. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Louise Lombard, (more)
As restaurant patients eagerly await to dine on food cooked by arguably the greatest chef in the world, they don't realize that his cuisine is literally to die for. Meanwhile, a recently married couple give a new meaning to the phrase "until death do us part." Later on, a female murderer becomes victim to a terror she could never have imagined, while an unsuspecting model's photoshoot turns deadly after she discovers an ancient evil lurking behind the camera's lense. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
After scripting Blade Runner and Twelve Monkeys, David Webb Peoples continued to traverse the science fiction landscape with this action-adventure directed by Paul Anderson. A prologue shows infants classified 1A and placed in an academy promoting violent militarism. Spawned in such an environment, Sgt. Todd (Kurt Russell) became a top-ranking interplanetary fighter. However, military upgrades in genetic engineering made Todd obsolete. Todd's commanding officer, Captain Church (Gary Busey), has a confrontation with West Point-trained Colonel Mekum (Jason Isaacs), who heads the new generation of genetically engineered fighters. One such warrior is Caine 607 (Jason Scott Lee), who defeats Todd and others led by Church. The trio, presumed dead, is put in a garbage ship which dumps them on the distant Arcadia 234 planet. However, Todd survives and is nursed by homesteaders Sandra (Connie Nielsen) and Mace (Sean Pertwee), while their mute son Nathan (brothers Jared and Taylor Thorne) watches. Todd is regarded with suspicion by others in the colony. But when the warrior supermen, led by Caine 607, attack the settlement, Todd turns out to be their only line of defense. The one-man army springs into action to eliminate the super squadron amid leftover props from Demolition Man, Event Horizon and other sci-fi movies. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, (more)
- 1994
- PG
Twenty-seven years after turning one of Rudyard Kipling's best known works into a successful animated musical, Disney returned to the same source material for this live-action adventure, which hews slightly closer to the original source material. Mowgli (Sean Naeleli) is the five-year-old son of a wilderness guide who accompanies his father on a hunting expedition in the jungles of their native India. Mowgli becomes close friends with a British girl named Kitty (Joanna Wolff), whose parents commissioned the hunt, but when a tiger attacks their camp and kills Mowgli's father, the boy is lost in the confusion, and he's left to fend for himself. Mowgli is befriended by the animals of the jungle -- Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther, and Grey Brother the wolf -- and they develop an unspoken sense of communication as the growing boy learns to live in the wilds. Years later, after growing to adulthood, Mowgli (now played by Jason Scott Lee) once again encounters Kitty (now played by Lena Headey), who is visiting India with her father, Col. Brydon (Sam Neill), a British officer stationed nearby, and her stuffy fiancée Capt. William Boone (Cary Elwes). Kitty and Mowgli recognize each other, and while his powers of speech are rusty, with the help of Dr. Plumford (John Cleese), Kitty and her father are able to return Mowgli to civilization. However, after spending most of his life in the jungle, Mowgli does not feel at home among other people, and while he deeply loves Kitty, he concedes to his rival for her affections. However, Boone and several of his men kidnap Mowgli when they learn that he has discovered a vast treasure in the jungle, and they try to force him to reveal its secrets while fending off the dangers of the jungle which Mowgli understands, but Boone and his men do not. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Cary Elwes, (more)
- 1994
- R
This is a historical melodrama set against the backdrop of Easter Island's mysterious stone monoliths, directed by Kevin Reynolds and produced by his frequent collaborator, Kevin Costner. Jason Scott Lee stars as Noro, a pre-colonial tribesman living on the remote Pacific island that his people call Rapa Nui. A member of the elite "Long Ears" sect, Noro is to represent his clan in an annual ritual, a dangerous race along rocky cliffs and through shark-infested waters to retrieve the first egg from a sacred bird hatchery that lies offshore. Noro, however, is in love with Ramana (Sandrine Holt), a member of the "Short Ears," a slave class that builds the "Moai," which are giant stone carvings dotting the island. The tribal shaman rules that Noro and Ramana may marry if she spends six months in an isolated cave and he wins the contest. Make (Esai Morales), another Short Ear, is a rival for Ramana and leader of unrest in his exploited caste. Make trains to represent the Short Ears against Noro in the race, but judgment in the contest's result is interrupted by the sudden appearance of an iceberg. Interpreted as an omen, the "white canoe of the gods" leads to a civil war. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Esai Morales, (more)
The brief but eventful life of actor and martial arts trailblazer Bruce Lee is portrayed in this drama, based on a biography written by his widow Linda Lee Caldwell. Lee is introduced to the study of martial arts as a child living in Hong Kong by his father (Ric Young); the father dreamed that a demonic armored dragon would take his son from him, and wanted young Bruce to be able to protect himself. Bruce continues his training as he grows to adulthood, and after the cocky teenaged Lee (Jason Scott Lee, no relation to Bruce) seriously injures a prominent British citizen while fighting a gang of troublemakers at a dance, he's sent to San Francisco. While working as a dishwasher, Bruce begins to study philosophy, and in time develops a personal martial arts discipline, Jeet Kune-Do, which blends Kung Fu fighting techniques with lessons gained from his philosophical research. Bruce decides to open a martial arts academy on the advice of his fiancée Linda (Lauren Holly); Linda and Bruce encounter resistance as a mixed-race couple, especially from Linda's mother Vivian (Michael Learned), and Bruce earns the enmity of traditional Chinese martial arts experts for his new style. But after a strong showing in several public tournaments, Bruce's fighting skill and charisma attracts the attention of TV producer Bill Krieger (Robert Wagner). Bruce is cast as Kato, the karate-trained sidekick on the series The Green Hornet, and while the show is short-lived in America, it's a huge success in Asia, leading to a series of films based around Bruce's remarkable fighting skills. Sadly, shortly before the release of the film that would make him a major screen star in the United States, Enter The Dragon, a mysterious brain disorder sends Lee into a coma that soon kills him. In a tragedy with eerie timing, Bruce Lee's real-life son Brandon Lee died shortly before this film was released, the result of an accidental shooting while completing the picture The Crow. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, (more)
A white, Inuit boy named Avik is the focus of New Zealand director Vincent Ward's meditation on race and romance. In the opening moments of the movie, set in 1931 in the Arctic-Canadian settlement Nunataaq, Avik (portrayed initially by Robert Joamie) lives under the watchful eye of his grandmother (Jayko Pitseolak). While tagging along after British cartographer Walter Russell (Patrick Bergin), Avik falls prey to the "white man's disease,"--tuberculosis; to assuage his own guilt, Russell takes the boy to a Montreal clinic to recover. There, Avik meets Albertine, a mixed-blood Indian girl, and the two fall in love, but their relationship is quickly broken up by the Mother Superior who is in charge of the clinic. Years later, Avik again meets Russell, who this time is on a mission to recover the German U-boat lying wrecked off the coast of Nunataaq. Avik asks for Russell's help in learning the whereabouts of Albertine, and he gives the cartographer a chest X-ray of the girl which he has carried with him since their separation. More time elapses, and Avik (now played by Jason Scott Lee) has become a British bombardier fighting in World War II. He is sought out by Albertine (Anne Parillaud), who has become Russell's mistress. Still, she begins an affair with Avik; Russell soon finds out, and as revenge sends Avik and his crew on a suicide mission of which Avik is the lone survivor. Despondent over his war experiences, Avik flees to Canada, where he becomes an alcoholic; decades later, he is sought out by Rainee (Clotilde Courau), the daughter born from his affair with Albertine. On his way to the girl's wedding, Avik is killed in an accident; his body washes up on the beach at Nunataaq, a wedding gift still clutched in his arms. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Scott Lee, Anne Parillaud, (more)
- 1991
- R
Though representing a slight step upward in budget from the previous two Ghoulies installments, this is still a rather silly exercise in childish fart jokes and rubbery monster effects. The title critters are mini-demons summoned forth from a demonic chamber pot (seriously!) by the occult-obsessed Dean of Glazier University. However, the ancient vessel is currently being used by the Beta Theta Zeta fraternity for a more (ahem) practical purpose. The ghoulies eventually cut loose on campus, and the surrounding frat-boy bacchanalia seems to have made them even more obnoxious than usual. The creatures' Satanic antics are first thought to be creative Hell Week pranks, but they are eventually discovered and defeated by the nominal hero and heroine. One of Vestron's last productions before the company went belly-up, this languished in distribution limbo for several years. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Drawn from the novel by Kate Wilhelm, this made-for-cable thriller stars Melissa Gilbert as a grieving young mother who doubts her sanity after seeing the daughter she lost in a car accident. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Michael Gross plays Don Scott, the real-life protagonist of the 1990 TV movie Vestige of Honor It is Scott's mission in life to uphold the governmental assurances made to the Montagnards, a group of pro-US Vietnamese who'd been promised safe conduct to America after the war. But when Saigon fell, the Montagnards were left behind in a refugee camp supervised by a disgraced ex-Green Beret (Gerald McRaney). Forming an uneasy alliance with the military man, Scott battles the new Vietnamese government and an indifferent American bureaucracy in securing freedom for the Montagnards. Partially filmed in Bangkok, Vestige of Honor is well intentioned, but seems more interested in proselytizing than in stirring up emotional involvement in the story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerald McRaney, Season Hubley, (more)
- 1989
Things have barely settled from the excitement and resolve of the original Back to the Future, when in pops that crazy inventor Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) with news that in order to prevent a series of events that could ruin the McFly name for posterity, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox ) and his girlfriend are whisked into the future to the year 2015, where Marty must tangle with a teen rogue named Griff, who's obviously the descendant of Biff, the first Future film's bully. Marty foils Griff and his group when he jumps on an air-foil skateboard that flies him through town at rakish speeds with the loser bullies beaten again. Marty gets a money-making brainstorm before hopping in the time-traveling DeLorean, and he purchases a sports almanac. He figures that back in 1985 he'll be able to place sure-fire bets using the published sports scores of the games that are yet to happen. Unfortunately for Marty, Dr. Brown disapproves of his betting scheme -- he feels too much messing with time is very dangerous -- and he tosses the almanac. A hidden Biff overhears the discussion about the almanac, sees it get tossed out, and grabs it. Thus begins a time-traveling swirl to make the head spin. Biff swipes the DeLorean, heads back to 1955, and with the help of the unerring almanac, bets his way to power. The now-altered "Biff world" has turned into a nightmarish scene with Biff the mogul, residing in a Vegas-styled pleasure palace and running everything. It's all our hero Marty can do to pull the pieces together this time, as he must jump between three generations of intertwined time travel. The end of Back to the Future, Part 2 introduces its sequel as the zany professor has already time-dashed away to the Wild West of the late 1800s and invites Marty into a new adventure. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, (more)
Richard "Cheech" Marin, of Cheech & Chong fame, directed and starred in Born in East L.A.. Inspired by Marin's music-video parody of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA", the film casts Cheech as an East Los Angeles repairman. While paying a visit to a sweatshop toy factory, Cheech is caught in the middle when the feds raid the place and cart off all the illegal alien workers. Since he's forgotten to bring his own i.d., Cheech is also shipped off to Mexico-where, having next to no knowledge of the Spanish tongue, he's virtually helpless. Desperate, he takes a job with crooked Tijuana saloon owner Daniel Stern-the first of many "make-do" jobs that he assumes to earn enough money to return home. Along the way, he falls in love with El Salvadorian girl Kamala Lopez, whose English is as fractured as Cheech's Spanish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, (more)
