We're closing the book on another season of The Complete Works, and that means it's time for a super-sized countdown episode as we say goodbye to our regular Michelle Yeoh coverage! Our epic finale has us listing off our Top 5 Action Scenes, our Top 10 Yeoh performances, and our Top 10 Michelle Yeoh Movies of all time - plus we're throwing in some other stuff just for fun. Until next time - thanks for taking it Yeoh.
[00:00:00] We'll set you down, man!
[00:00:02] Don't get any ideas, Mr. Blythe.
[00:00:07] We can do whatever we want.
[00:00:10] Nothing matters.
[00:00:12] Well, Mike, it finally happened. this past year, we heard that Gru was on the rise along with the beasts, but as long as we could resurrect a mechanic or count on the twinkle twinkle of our lucky stars, we knew we could develop a final recipe for the perfect gunpowder milkshake before tossing it on the ground. You don't have to worry about cleaning it up here because it truly was a messy temple.
[00:01:41] Nice.
[00:01:42] That's right.
[00:01:43] Welcome to episode 55 of the complete works I feel like Morgan itself better moving the Mordecai, right? It's not a hard part of hit, but yeah, I think they did it. I think Morgan is a better booby the Mordecai, but I feel like just sort of in the podcast psyche.
[00:03:04] My Sea Temple is a pretty good one to end on.
[00:03:06] That's what in June. Right. And then we had an episode in July where we were going to, we were going to do
[00:04:20] a Thor 11 Thunder episode because we thought Jeff Goldblum was going to be in it. And then
[00:04:25] it turned out he wasn't. So we had like a quick eight minute episode being like, Jeff Was it her women and a writer? I think or maybe Jamie Curtis. I don't know. No, Jamie Curtis was mine. And I was really gunning for Jamie Curtis. She was like who I wanted for season three of the podcast. And I still think that would be an incredible season if we get to do it one day. We can't next season because she's in everything everywhere all at once. Yes, really head to doorbants for that. Yeah, I'm so glad that Michelle Yeo was the victor.
[00:05:42] Partially because love Michelle Yeo
[00:05:44] and loves getting to explore this filmography. have got like opened up to these kind of Hong Kong action mid to late 90s like WUJA films and be like these are all kind of rock and are like new favorites for both of us I think. Yeah, I mean, I was always, you know, pretty into martial arts films, but this I feel like I went really got really into them in a big way. Thanks to the Michelle, you know, we talked about it in the early days of this podcast.
[00:07:01] We had, you know, in the Nicholas cave season, we had the we made it much
[00:07:04] trilogy of face off the rock and you know, all this stuff and running parallel to the Michelle Yoe rise is the John Woot rise. And then his transition to Hollywood and it's like all the same stuff that we've talked about with the Cage podcast and all the Wind Walkers and all that. Yeah, it's all just very interesting. So go find that John Woot article that interviewed. It's very, very interesting. And now we have a little bit more extra context for that stuff.
[00:08:20] Thanks to the Michelle Yoe pot.
[00:08:21] Very cool.
[00:08:22] Yeah.
[00:08:22] Yeah, it's been really great to explore that this entire season of the show.
[00:09:25] this podcast like August of last year. And I think we had finished the Goldblum podcast pretty early in the year. So I think I had you as my most watched last year as well.
[00:09:28] You're probably right. But yeah, obviously she's going to be, she's going to be my most
[00:09:31] watched star again this year. That's, that's the nature of doing this podcast.
[00:09:35] Yeah. It's just, it's just an interesting, you know, we don't like,
[00:09:38] delineate passage of time as an interview watching to see that. So next week, I think
[00:09:43] right, we'll be figuring out who, who the entire yo filmography. I can't say for sure that we're gonna list every single Michelle yo movie that we've covered on the podcast. But I think we're gonna bring up a lot of them on the podcast and hopefully it's like representative of Michelle yo's career. That's sort of the goal with these family episodes. Yeah, we wanna at least, you know, reminisce on some of our
[00:11:01] most favorites laugh about some of our least favorites.
[00:11:03] But we're gonna focus on the good for the most part, I think.
[00:11:06] Yeah, I would this, it lot of these movies are discoveries for us. I felt like that really didn't apply here because that's going to be most of our top 10 I think. Yeah, I think so. And so I was like, well, and we should do something to commemorate the action of Michelle Yoe's career because it is such a big part of it. And so top five action set pieces and stunts are what's going to come up. And then after that, we're going
[00:12:22] to count down our top 10 Michelle Y be great. Like, I'm not
[00:13:42] going to know where to cut it off. You gross, it's sex crimes the movie, but Michelle-Yos cameo where she just absolutely destroys Sammo, somebody else and Sammo, I forget who she fights, she fights two people. I think it's Richard Ng, I wanna say it for you today. They stumble into a martial arts class
[00:15:00] that she's teaching and they're like,
[00:15:01] oh, a lady teacher, sex crimes the movie.
[00:15:05] And you're like, oh's like a drunken style. Yeah, breast milk fighting. A wild film, a weird movie. Yeah, good answers, Mike. So that's Shaolin, Poppy II, Messi Temple, and Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars. Both good candidates for Best Cameo. Neither one is the one that I picked. Oh interesting.
[00:16:20] My pick for Best Cameo is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
[00:16:24] Okay, yeah. at the end. I've said, I said this on the episode. When I first saw Guardians of Galaxy 2, it was the movie that made me realize how much I liked seeing Michelle Yeo on screen because I remember watching it and it's the end. It's Yandu's funeral and all these like previous ravagers who you've never seen before come up and they're all played by pretty recognizable people. It's Ving Rames. It's Michelle Yeo. And every single person that came up was like,
[00:17:42] what is that Michelle Yeo on screen? Like I was completely blown away. And then our next category here is best entrance. And so we've referred back to this a few times throughout the podcast, especially in recent years or in recent movies. Whereas we come like a weirdly recurring thing where Michelle Yo makes like a very grand entrance and all the other characters like take notice of her and are like, Oh man, Michelle Yo's in this movie now.
[00:20:02] and all that is just really awesome. But my actual answer is Morgan,
[00:20:04] because it's the funniest.
[00:20:05] Mike, that was also my number one and my number two.
[00:20:09] Morgan and a haunting in Venice
[00:20:11] are my pictures of entrance.
[00:20:12] Yeah, I didn't know Morgan entrance is so funny.
[00:20:15] It's just, you know, it's truly like
[00:20:17] they're all sitting around the dinner table,
[00:20:19] Michelle, you know, enters and everybody stands up
[00:20:20] and looks at her and like reverent awe.
[00:20:22] We like exaggerated the scene a little bit
[00:20:24] and joked about how like everybody basically
[00:20:26] just stands up in a plots. And so yeah, Morgan and Haunting and Venice are both of our choices for best entrance. And then favorite TV show is the next one. And so I think the TV years of Michelle Yow's career are pretty interesting. We covered pretty much all the major TV stuff, which we don't often do. But we always do whoever's main cast or whatever.
[00:21:41] But we covered a couple of shows this year where she was recurring on the current recurring
[00:21:45] for a season.
[00:21:47] And so yeah, I think, the best show overall. I don't know particularly, you know, his performance in it and like how much bigger her role is because I only watched the first two episodes, but she was really great in that. Those first episodes were great. And then my other pick is, it seems like a similar situation, Star Trek Discovery.
[00:23:00] And Zincada, her treatment between my senior officers
[00:23:03] note the date and time.
[00:23:04] Noted Captain.
[00:23:06] Is this amount of sarcasm always necessary? Especially because we know that Michelle Yeo is making a movie based on her character from that show. Right, right. Or a Paramount Plus streaming film that's gonna be a spin off of the Star Trek Discovery show of Michelle Yeo. And so at some point, if that movie actually happens, we're gonna have to review it. And I would like to have the full context for that character, you know? We will see what happens there.
[00:24:20] But my pick is also American-born Chinese.
[00:24:22] I really enjoyed that show.
[00:24:24] Thought it was really fun.
[00:24:25] I watched the first three episodes of it.
[00:24:26] So I haven't had the chance to watch more of it, for our next category. Best voice roll. Best voice roll. Yeah, my pick here is, I think the first one that she did, which was Kung Fu Panda 2. You will find yourself at the bottom of the stairs. I see,
[00:25:41] I see,
[00:25:44] I see, pain.
[00:25:45] Ow!
[00:25:46] And anger.
[00:25:47] How dare you!
[00:25:48] That is the finest one. And yeah, so this comfy pandas you or comfy panda in that franchise fits in that that realm for me. And I think Michelle, you know, does really good. It is really great in it. Uh, James Holland, everything check. But I had fun. So comfy painted to you. Nice. Uh, so my answer was also comfy panda to, um, but I did have a backup in case
[00:27:02] he chose that one too.
[00:27:03] Okay.
[00:27:03] Uh, so yeah, that comfy panda to fantastic.
[00:27:06] A really fun movie that, uh, you know that character more weight than it would have otherwise. As a voice role, I'm not saying a movie, but as a voice role, I think she does a really great job with that one. So yeah, my real answer is Kung Fu Panda 2, but Transformers Rise of the Beast, close second.
[00:28:20] It's better than Pete Davidson, you know?
[00:28:23] Yeah, I think.
[00:28:24] Yeah.
[00:28:26] And yeah, she does, she does a really good job biggest waste of Michelle Yeo in a movie. I think I know what your answer might be, so I'm gonna pivot. Okay, I have said it many times in the podcast, what my answer is. And I think I fully agree with you, but for me, the answer is Legend of Hank, Pause of Fury. Okay, Pause of Fury, the Legend of Hank, you mean whatever,
[00:29:40] who I've rarely wrote down Legend of Hank,
[00:29:41] I couldn't remember which one,
[00:29:43] which order it went in.
[00:29:45] But yes, this movieafuri, the Legend of Hank. You said it wrong again. Did it wrong again? Yeah, no. I mean, I absolutely with you on that one.
[00:31:00] It is a huge waste of Michelle, yeah, not a very good movie overall.
[00:31:05] I do think there was like aic Resurrection. I thought it was a perfectly fine action movie. And I enjoy watching Jason Statham beat people up. And it delivers on that in spades.
[00:32:20] But Michelle Yeo was in the movie.
[00:32:21] It's 2016.
[00:32:22] You would think, you have a pretty solid ensemble here.
[00:32:25] It's Jason Statham.
[00:32:26] It's Tommy Lee Jones.
[00:32:27] You've given a really weird performance. because her character is completely flat, just kind of like a thing to move Jason, say them along. It's so weird to watch it. And knowing that Michelle Yoe is right there and can be involved in these action sequences, the sequences would be better if she was involved in them. Yeah. And then they just don't, they don't do it. It's real strange. Yeah. I think, I think runner up would be boss level.
[00:33:40] Oh yes.
[00:33:41] Her as the quote unquote like greatest swords master
[00:33:43] that ever lived in the movie.
[00:33:45] Yeah.
[00:33:46] And then she only gets to do it in a 30 second montage this season of the podcast, somebody who has been, you know, there throughout Michelle Yeo's career. I know my answer. I'm wondering if yours is the same one. I feel like it might be. But who's your choice for best frequent collaborator? I think there's a lot of answers for this. Yeah. I think there's maybe like the guy, the person that's the most collaborated with. There's the person that I, in modern times,
[00:35:02] I'm still excited to see the reviews. But my answer is Samo Hung.
[00:35:06] Oh, really? Okay. So that's not the one I was going for. the Alversus Bombo, Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars, Yes, Madam, and The Stunt Woman. And also directed Alversus Bombo and Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars. Yeah, but I think he's, Hung is one of the founding D&B films, guys and stuff, and just sort of like in the people that kind of lifted up Bishail Yo in her early career and then gave her a chance
[00:36:22] in all these movies and stuff, got beat up by her
[00:36:24] as in a cameo in Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars.
[00:36:27] And yeah, yeah, so I don't know.
[00:36:28] And he's just the most frequent collaborator
[00:37:42] of Maggie Chung, most frequent actor.
[00:37:44] But Young Wu Ping directed Tai Chi Master, hidden dragon speaks for itself. I mean, it's legendary on its own. And, you know, Director of Crazion Tiger II, which, you know, could be coming up at some point. You never know. Yeah. But yeah, young Wu-Pang would be my choice for a best frequent collaborator. And then I would throw Maggie Chung there as well, because, you know, Maggie Chung, the best. Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's so wild to see her
[00:39:02] in those early roles.
[00:39:04] Yeah, I guess really super comp three is what I'm thinking of.
[00:39:06] But then I'm also thinking of,
[00:39:07] but then also, please, who is in the Alvers' bomb, Tingle Tingle Lucky Stars, yes, Madam and Supercop II, Sam O'Hung, Richard Ng, who was always delighted to see pop up. And he recently passed away, I believe, right? It was so earlier this year, I think. Yeah, Tingle Tingle Lucky Stars, yes, Madam, magnificent warriors and the stunt woman.
[00:40:21] Damian Lau, who was the husband in the heroic nowhere. And it's like, I'll go be in police story four and runs away. Right. And then Kung Fu Panda 2, which they're both voice roles in. Yeah, it's interesting how many more reunions there aren't this season then. I remember there being in the previous season. Yeah, and I think a lot of that
[00:41:41] is because of the first few movies of the podcast.
[00:41:44] Where the D&B films guys were just like using
[00:41:46] the same people over and over again.
[00:41:48] And there is one more in the Four Timers Club. like branded as Netflix movie or Hulu movie or an HBO Max original or whatever. Right. Both had series though. Both had series. Yes. Nick Cage had the history of swear word series and Jeff Goldblum had the world according to Jeff Goldblum and Disney Plus and Goldblum is going to be in chaos, the Netflix series that's going to be coming out. I assume next year, but we'll see what happens. And so yeah, I wanted to sort
[00:43:01] of this category in their best streaming film. I was demoted to beautification. Do I look like I give a shit about smiling? Yeah, all I could remember was gunpowder milkshake and school for good and evil. And I was like, there must be other one. Mike wouldn't make this a category if there was only two fakes. Right. For though, fair game. Yeah, all in.
[00:44:21] But yeah, I mean, I think I remember that, you know, this was only a couple of weeks ago.
[00:44:24] I feel like we covered this.
[00:44:26] Yeah, I mean, it stars Michelle Yeoh, reprising her role from the original movie, and Paris Rope with Donnie Yen.
[00:45:40] So this movie completely lacks the majesty of the original Crashing Tiger.
[00:45:44] Right?
[00:45:45] It does not look nearly as good. of Rogue One, a Star Wars story, and Triple X 3, the return of Xander Cage, where Donnie Yen was the clear standout in both movies, both American movies. And I was like, I gotta watch some Donnie Yen stuff. This guy rules. He's incredible, especially in Triple X 3. He's like, the movie can't keep up with how good Donnie Yen is in Triple X 3. And so I had seen a few more Donnie Yen movies like since then. And then really this past year,
[00:47:04] I got really into the Edman movies. Iout factory recently had a martial arts Blu-ray sale, and I got the Tiger Cage collection, which all movies starring Donnie Yen and directed by Yen Wu-ping. Hell yeah, so excited about this. We should have, we should have mentioned maybe at the top, coming into the Criterion Collection in February, I think.
[00:48:21] Yeah, maybe.
[00:48:23] I remember we talked about this on the episode,
[00:48:24] like I had read that like Criterion got the rights
[00:48:26] to them or something and theirs kind of putting it together. to people want to know what least favorite movie was in this entire run of movies. So what was in your opinion the worst movie we've talked about on this season so far, Mike? I think it was boss level. I, I think that's an absolutely fair one. It is it's high up there for me as well in terms of the worst movie. However, it is not my pick. My pick for worst movie that Michelle. Yeah, was in is Babylon a D. Okay. So I forgot that movie was an option.
[00:51:02] Um, yes, I can. weird movie in terms of like Vin Diesel's relationship to like this, you know, girl who Michelle is sort of watching after and he has to take her and then he starts a romantic relationship with her and it's kind of weird and it's just there's a lot of icky stuff that's happening in the movie and I think all of the action does not look great and yeah and Michelle Yoe's character just feels completely flat.
[00:52:22] It feels like a big waste of her in the movie and so yeah that's my pick for
[00:52:26] worst movie, Devil, this is light. But that's not really, I don't think the spirit of this category. So I'm going with, and I might even have the movie wrong,
[00:53:42] the Tofu fight in Wing Chun.
[00:53:44] Okay.
[00:53:45] Is that Tai Chi master?
[00:53:46] I couldn't remember.
[00:53:47] Oh, you're right,nie Yen in that fight. I think the context of the fight, the tofu fight is that somebody has challenged Michelle Yo because she's a woman and she can't be a martial arts master. And so the biggest toughest guy in town is challenging her and she says, if you can grab the tofu from me, then you will win the fight. And then she makes a fool of him.
[00:55:02] Yeah, obliterates him.
[00:55:04] Yes. And then Donnie Yen comes in the movie the table, doing the Charlie Chaplin thing, and it's just like, ugh, chef's kiss. Is that how it looks like that's how we're Spambo, right? That is, yeah, and that's, yeah, yeah. It's such a great, you know, I really enjoyed Alvarious's Bambo, it's super fun, and there are some great action sequences in it, but it's much more focused on the kind of physical comedy aspect of it all, and really using like Samo-Hung's physicality.
[00:56:22] I think what's great about Samo-Hung is that, you know,
[00:56:23] he is built like a bigger guy, you know, he's always like,
[00:56:26] in on the action set pieces choreographed to like big old dance musical numbers and all that. So yeah,
[00:57:41] that's a great pick. And I think this might have even that scene might have even popped into my
[00:57:44] head when I was reading this category. And I that movie, I'm pretty sure ends with Michelle, you know, putting your daughter's, cutting your daughter's face off and wearing it like a mask. It's Sean Bean runs out into the tundra to die. You forget the fact that she, she cuts her daughter's face off, wears it like a mask to seduce Sean Bean. Oh, that's right. So they're having sex.
[00:59:00] And then, and then he realizes that he's,
[00:59:02] she's wearing her daughter's face.
[00:59:04] He forgot about that.
[00:59:07] Yes, that's right. Yeah, I don't think Far North would have come up otherwise on the podcast. And then my other one is the movie that also probably would not have come up otherwise. But I think the weirdest co-star, like the one where you would be like, huh, Michelle Yo is in a movie with this guy is Dean Cook in The Touch. Yeah, absolutely. Just think of what? Yeah, and so, you know, this is a period of time,
[01:00:21] a post-crash and dagger hidden drag,
[01:00:23] and we talked about it on the podcast
[01:00:24] where Michelle Yo started her own production company
[01:00:26] in Hong Kong and was trying to make these Hong Kong movies a couple of okay action set pieces, but just it's a weird thing that like, oh yeah, Dane Cook was in this movie. I feel like that's one of those guys where it's like, oh it's weird that anybody was in a movie with Dane Cook, but like specifically Michelle. Yeah, Michigan Cook really made a go at it in there for a while. Oh yeah, he was the biggest standup in the world for like three years.
[01:01:40] Yeah, but I was gonna say a bike within movies
[01:01:42] making a go at it.
[01:01:43] Oh yeah, I think the touch might have one of the single
[01:01:46] worst looking sequences in anything employee of the month and good luck, Chuck and Dan in real life. And those are all like 2006, 2007. Like it's all happening right around there. There were four years early on Dean Cook. Yeah. Yeah, they were, they were at a curve on that. But yeah, so yeah, he, he is my choice for weirdest co-star, just like an odd thing where it's like, oh yeah, like they feel like they shouldn't be in the same universe together. Yeah.
[01:03:00] What agent is putting those two people together?
[01:03:02] Right. Right.
[01:03:03] But yes, there you go.
[01:03:04] And your choice was Sean Bean in far north, more for the content
[01:03:06] of the movie than for actually it being Sean Bean.
[01:04:01] because what a messy temple it was. And certainly was.
[01:04:02] Our picks for best entrance.
[01:04:03] We both picked Morgan and a haunting in Venice, in some place.
[01:04:06] Yeah.
[01:04:07] Best TV show.
[01:04:08] We both picked American-born Chinese.
[01:04:10] Best voice role.
[01:04:11] You picked Kung Fu Panda 2.
[01:04:12] I pivoted and said, Transformers rise to the beasts.
[01:04:16] Not really zigged when I zagged.
[01:04:17] Exactly.
[01:04:19] Biggest waste of Michelle, yo.
[01:04:20] Your pick was, what was your pick again, Mike?
[01:04:22] Pause a fury lit in a hank.
[01:04:24] Okay. Legend of Hank.
[01:04:25] You got it right that time.
[01:04:26] There you go.
[01:04:26] You got it right.
[01:04:27] Pause a fury of the Legend of Hank. theme song to Tomorrow Never every dies by Cheryl Crow. And for this section of the podcast, we are counting down our top five action set pieces slash stunts in the entire filmography of Michelle. Yeah. And there is a lot of stuff to choose from here.
[01:07:00] Mike, there is.
[01:07:01] It was hard not to just be like the we made it my quintillogy or whatever.
[01:07:06] Just say those five movies in a row. You know? Mostly I just wanted to just use to bring this up because this is the most passion saying idea ever where the bad guy is getting away. I think with Michelle Yoe in the helicopter and they strap some C4 that is rigged to detonate the building. They did they should rig it to the elevator and detonate it which launches it like a bullet
[01:08:22] up the elevator shaft out of the roof of the building and shoots down the helicopter handcuffed to a motorcycle and they're being chased down by a helicopter through town. And I believe they are fighting over who gets to drive the motorcycle. It's oddly, it's weirdly similar to a scene from Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1, which came out earlier this year, where town crews and hell of that, well, are handcuffed to a car together and they're being chased by people and all that kind of stuff and they're fighting over who's driving.
[01:09:40] And at one point, the car tumbles and they switch seats and it's pretty wild.
[01:09:43] But yeah, tomorrow never dies.
[01:09:45] I think a really, put it in there. And yeah, that motorcycle slash helicopter chase is definitely the highlight of that movie. Now, nice. All right. So what's your number four action set piece slash stunt of all time, Mike? So this is the stunt woman, which is of course the movie where she was like very seriously
[01:11:01] injured, almost died if she hadn't the doctor told her that if she hadn't been in such good in that it is a bout the industry of making movies. It is not an action movie per se, but there's a lot of action in it because she's a stunt woman in it. So it's just an interesting look at the other side of these Hong Kong action movies. So yeah, stunt woman number four. Yeah, I had considered putting this in my list as well, and I think I will consider it non-wemention same deal there.
[01:12:23] Cause yeah, it is really interesting watching that movie
[01:12:26] and watching the end credits specifically. Thank you. What's your number four? My number four is the Tofu fight in Wing Chun. Nice. On the complete flip side of things, a very fun scene. And we kind of talked about it already, but it is, yeah, it's just a great scene where a guy comes in and he's like, a woman can't be a master of Wing Chun or of this martial art or whatever. And so she does the whole Tofu thing.
[01:13:41] And yeah, it's such an incredible ballet of skill
[01:13:46] where the Tofu's up in the air.
[01:13:47] She's going up in the air.
[01:13:48] She's standing on the chair. He's slash stunt in Michelleio's career. My number three pick is just kind of all of police story, three supercopper. Just kind of picked you to take your pick. I mean, I guess this could have also been now I'm thinking about it. One of the best entrances, even though it's not necessarily her entrance into the movie, but I'll just highlight that the fight scene where Jackie Chan has gone back to his home
[01:15:05] village and it's like all the police are pretending to be his family. Kill Warriors. Specifically, Chainsaw Duel is the coolest thing that's ever happened. I mean, Roll Warriors has a bunch of insane action set pieces. There's the opening one which is on the plane, which is so fun and so ridiculous. And then you have the nightclub shootout. But really that whole extended final set piece,
[01:16:20] which after Michelle-Yo is not lover
[01:16:23] because they don't actually get together.
[01:16:24] But her suitor, I guess, like the guy who's hopelessly
[01:16:27] in love with Michelle-Yo, should have been best entrance. I think they could have liked it. I forget about that. Yeah. Those movies were crazy. Yeah. And she's like fighting this guy over possession of her boyfriend, like you said, her suitor or whatever is like corpse or coffin based casket. Very wild. Yeah. And it's Michelle. And here Yuki Sonata in the movie too, who is joining her for that final fight as like
[01:17:42] her the other good guy.
[01:17:43] And here Yuki Sonata recently in John McFor as well and killing it in that movie too. that has a lot of like crazy sword play stuff in it that just made me be like losing my mind while I was watching it. And then made me remember this scene and be like, oh, this is so good. So that's, yeah, it would have probably been on the list somewhere, but that made me just so jazzed about this type of scene, that it threw it all the way up to number two. Nice. Crashing Tiger Hidden Dragon.
[01:19:00] An excellent choice.
[01:19:01] I realize now that I didn't put any Crashing Tiger
[01:19:04] on my action set pieces list.
[01:19:06] And that feels ridiculous. Yes, madam was. And especially that last like 30 minutes, which is just such a long sustained action set piece with Michelle. And sitting in a rough rock just beating up dozens of dudes. And there's one moment. This is, I think Michelle. It was actually like first big stunt of her career, where she kind of like dives backwards through a pane of glass. And it's just so great.
[01:20:23] And yeah, everything about that, that whole final set stick of dynamite and he like puts fingers in his ear and he blows up and all that stuff is very fun. And then right at the very beginning, actually, this movie starts with just like a kickass Michelle Yo action scene where it's like this flash or guy, which is very funny. And somehow that erupts into a gun battle and I don't really quite remember the 30
[01:21:41] second connection between those two things.
[01:21:43] They're like how that makes sense.
[01:21:44] Yeah, Michelle Yo is like running down the entire last 30 minutes of police. And I really specifically, the motorcycle jump onto the train is pretty unbelievable. I mean, we talked about that stun at length on that episode, where Michelle, you know, like learned how to ride a motorcycle to do that stunt. But she'd never driven one before us is gonna die. Like, is he hanging off a helicopter for like 20 minutes straight at the end of this movie? He's like, what is happening? Well, absolutely wild. That movie rocks. Yes, absolutely. So that is our top five. Do you have any hour mentions that you want to get into, Mike? I didn't put anything down.
[01:24:20] I was really, I guess, you know,
[01:24:21] this movie might fall into the delightful moments
[01:24:25] I want to highlight to you.
[01:24:27] Magnificent warriors, involving Michelle, but it was still really great. The gang fight in master Z it man legacy where she cuts off a guy's arm. Yeah. The cameo scene in Twinkle Twinkle Bucky stars. I also threw in there and the elevator bullet in Wonder seven. Where my, where my own. Yeah, it's good. But all right. Let's recap the top five here one more time. So our top
[01:25:42] five actions, head pieces and stunts. What do you got Mike? To the next phase of this Michelle Yeofanale episode, here is a song that you may remember from Crazy Rich Asians. It is the Cantonese version of Money That's What I want by a share. Okay. From crazy rich Asians. And now it is time to count down our top 10 Michelle yo performances. Now this does not mean our favorite movies. There will probably be some overlap between the two. If history has taught us anything just with the cage and the gold loom ones and all that stuff. Plus we actually have less movies to choose from with this Michelle
[01:28:23] yo season. Both cage and gold loom were up to something like 80 something movies. I think when So Mike D, what is your number 10, Michelle Yoe Performance? So my number 10 is one that I forgot that I put on this list when I was doing the category. So would it come up twice? It would have come up either way, is where I'm going with that. And that's far north, mainly because I probably just wanted to talk about far north again, but I forgot that I put it on this list when I was doing the categories.
[01:29:40] Okay.
[01:29:40] You mustn't fall for you.
[01:29:43] You will vanish into the mist away you can.
[01:29:46] I like him. It is one of the very few examples of like a true independent movie where it gave Michelle, like a lead role, you know, and really a different kind of movie than the kind of stuff that she typically made, a very small-scale survival drama with just a couple of characters. And then yeah, ends up having the most bug nuts ending
[01:31:00] that any movies ever had.
[01:31:01] Like it turns into sounds in the lambs out of nowhere.
[01:31:05] It's out of nowhere.
[01:31:06] Yeah, crazy. her career. She's playing the psychic medium who can hear dead people, can hear their thoughts, can hear them speak to her. And there's this great kind of tearful backstory monologue where she's talking to her Guilpouro about her time in the war and how she was a nurse and she could hear people like the ghosts and people while she was like there in a room with people dying. And then on top of that, you have the actual saon scene, which just
[01:32:23] lets her go wild, like lets her go nuts. course not idiot, I chose it for the shop. Really? Oh and I worked at the pet shop. I called myself Kitty. No.
[01:33:40] And at the health food shop, I was Mistle.
[01:33:44] No, no.
[01:33:46] Yes, yes.
[01:33:47] Guess what it was in the bakery on the edge where I rode? Only likes cheese or something. Where is he? Sarah Kraut? Was he? He's Danish. Danish. They call him the Dane. And then eventually Michelle, you know, can't actually pronounce his name. So she calls him boy. Yes. Yeah. So yeah, she's pretty good in that movie. Never yet. Yeah. No, I think she is very good in last Christmas. And yeah, any kind of redeeming quality that movie has,
[01:35:02] you know, I think Millie Clark is very charming in the movie.
[01:35:04] It's just, you know, the right decadent corrupt Western agent as a partner.
[01:36:23] And like I was kind of saying there, you know, I think all the action in this movie
[01:36:26] is really fun. story three super cop like what a comeback. You know, not that I ever win anywhere. Exactly. And then, you know, I was making her out trio and holy weapon and executioners and so many insane movies. And then I believe after the stunt woman, after the accident on the stunt woman, she was like, maybe I need to stop this again. Yeah. And I believe the story went that she was like about to retire again or she was like thinking
[01:37:44] about retirement. She almost basically steals the movie out from under him. She's so great in tomorrow and ever dies. And that is why it's my number nine. Yeah, that one scene when they're breaking into, Bond is breaking into that, I forget the character, Dr. Gupta's office, I think, right? And I think he's like climbing down a rail or some crazy shit.
[01:39:00] He looks over at Michelle,
[01:39:01] he was just like,
[01:39:02] rappel walking down the wall and it's like,
[01:39:04] ha ha, like waves at him.
[01:39:06] Yeah, she's like,
[01:39:07] she's so much fun getting to you watch. I don't think I ever watched for I don't remember, but I did watch it man one, two, and three because I know this is the spin off of three. Okay. Takes place in there. So I have any excuse to watch all those movies.
[01:40:20] It was awesome.
[01:40:21] And her performance is great in this.
[01:40:23] And this was like one of those kind of things.
[01:40:25] I don't know if forever like a board meeting, but they're something like that. And either like shoots him or slices his throat or something just in the middle of the thing.
[01:41:42] Yeah, it reminds me of like that scene and kill Bill where Lucy Liu chops off the guys
[01:41:46] head and the at the table, right?
[01:41:48] Yeah. in police story three, Super Cup. And like we said, I mean, we've talked about this movie quite a bit already, but yeah, all the action is incredible in it. And part of that is because Michelle Yeo just throws herself into the movie. And like we kind of said, she kind of came out of retirements after five years, came back with this movie. And it really feels like this is a movie where she kind of
[01:43:02] has something to prove.
[01:43:03] Like, oh, I'm still a viable action star.
[01:43:05] And I'm co-starring with a super cop and is just like on 11. You're like, holy shit. That's crazy. She hasn't missed a step. Yeah. And even beyond just the action, I think she's just such a charismatic performer and it really shines in police story three super cop.
[01:44:20] And like you said, the whole the pose that she does is so iconic and so cool.
[01:44:24] So yeah, that is why that's my number eight, Michelle, your performance.
[01:44:27] Mike D, what's your number seven? her dead in the time of the out. You will have no part in the future earnings. Okay. It's a different kind. Yeah. It's a different kind. I think overall this movie is really fascinating and interesting and like to hear the kind of behind the scenes production and all that stuff of like it being Americans, right? It's directed by Rob Marshall, I think
[01:45:40] produced by Steven Spielberg. Yeah. I can no, I think she is really terrific in memoirs of the Gaysha despite everything kind of surrounding the movie. And yeah, I think there is some really good stuff memoirs of the Gaysha. I remember I also liked it more than I expected to having watched it once before. Right. But I remember the time that I had watched it was like, I think like 10th or 11th grade in a class, like my social
[01:47:02] studies class was just watching memoirs of the gate.
[01:47:05] Like are we taking the AP class and it's like, well, are we
[01:47:07] taking the AP test?
[01:47:08] It's like, well, we? Or her boyfriend proposes to her and then immediately dies. Or something like that, right? Yeah. And so she moves to Hong Kong to kind of start a fresh life
[01:48:21] and she gets kind of intertwined with this other guy
[01:48:24] who looks exactly like her husband.
[01:48:26] And she's really's all shot in golden hour. She's smoking a cigarette And she just looks so cool and so beautiful and just a really great performance And so yes, this Michelle and moonlight Express is my number seven Hell yeah, stay stay tuned. I guess
[01:49:42] Okay, fair enough I thought that one might come up for you And I was wondering if you were gonna get the name of the movie right when you
[01:50:41] and the tofu fight and everything, and just that whole reflection of Michelle Yeo
[01:50:45] at the time, making a name for herself
[01:50:48] as a woman in these action movies,
[01:50:50] while simultaneously being in these historical action dramas
[01:50:53] about a woman's lot in ancient China, right?
[01:50:56] And all that stuff and overcoming that.
[01:50:58] So that's all very fun.
[01:50:59] And I think, yeah, if there's anyone
[01:51:00] that could represent the sort of mythical creator
[01:51:05] of a school of martial arts, Kong movies. And so Michelle yo plays that woman. And the movie opens with her just walking on set, getting to do a stunt for this legendary director played by Samo Hong. And she ends up joining his stunt team. And the first half of this movie is just her doing stunts pretty much. But like while that's happening, she kind of develops a romance with a producer
[01:52:20] of these movies, which is what happened with Michelle performance in this movie is just really, really stellar,
[01:53:40] really good stuff.
[01:53:41] Yeah.
[01:53:42] Yeah.
[01:53:43] And as we highlighted at the time, just peak t-shirt and jeans, Michelle Yoe.
[01:53:46] Yes. title act and just with the lightest touch just just changes the entire movie. Yeah. It's just fascinating. I mean, it's a letterbox review, but I came for Leslie Chung, stayed for Michelle Yo puffing a cigarette while basking the color of golden hour. And that's really all you need to think about when you're talking about this movie because yeah, it's this lovers on the run thing and it's this kind of like also crime undercover
[01:55:02] cop thing.
[01:55:03] And then here comes Michelle Yo to just just part of the movie is part of the performance and so you're kind of analyzing that and how much you want to you know take that versus like the actual like Dramatic stuff that they're asked to do and I think that's something that she improved on over time
[01:56:21] I think especially even just in royal warriors a year later
[01:56:24] She's given a real emotional through line in that movie coolest moments of anything ever when they high five, you know, forget. I don't know, James Dean or anybody, but fuck all them. It's this, you know, like just the one cool guy you could think of. It's like the most classical thing that popped into my head. Yeah. Sure. And yeah, absolutely. A hard degree. Yeah. That one's not on my list because my next pick at number four is magnificent
[01:57:43] warriors just sort of to represent that era, just to, hell yes, this is amazing. I can watch this forever and we do. So yes. Maybe there's a Warriors at number four. Yeah, no, that's a great choice. I had great time with Magnificent Warriors. Did not make my list here. It might come up in my top 10 movies list, but we'll see what happens. We'll see. But I did recently get the 88 Fellows Blu-ray
[01:59:01] for that movie that came out with.
[01:59:03] One of the many Blu-rays that came out
[01:59:05] after we covered the movies on this podcast.
[01:59:07] Yeah, all these hard to find early Hong Kong movies all the good will from Crash and Tiger and launches into her own production company with The Touch and Silver Hawk. And that doesn't really work. And so she comes back with Memoirs of Gaysha and a movie that was liked. I think it got a couple of Oscar nominations and I think everybody liked Michelle Yeo in it. But it didn't really set the world on fire and like that. And she kind of does a lot of supporting roles
[02:00:21] from that point on.
[02:00:22] And Sunshine is an example of one of those,
[02:00:24] which is really good, but a lot of those movies
[02:00:26] are like Babylon 80.
[02:00:28] You know? three Mike, we're getting down to the wire here. What is your number three, Michelle Yo performance of all time? My number three, I'm feeling weirdly self-conscious about putting it this high now all of a sudden, but that is Michelle Yo as Joyce Reynolds in A Hunting and Venice. Well shit, yeah. Spirits you scream and shout,
[02:01:40] and no one hears we do now.
[02:01:45] Alicia Drake, find your voice. out as far as that gulf between everything everywhere all at once and haunting inventors of just like the the pause of furries and the legend of grew you know just all these all these all these kind of like pretty low-tier voice rolls and things and some small cameos or whatever and then here we have
[02:03:02] haunting inventors which is I mean I guess you know it extended cameo it's
[02:03:05] kind of like a stunt casting thing but very broad range of things that she could do in that movie. And a haunting event is like asks her to do something
[02:04:20] that even that movie didn't really ask her to do.
[02:04:23] And like she, and she nails it.
[02:04:24] She's so great.
[02:04:25] And so yeah, had a great time with a haunting event It's really fun to watch Michelle Yo just know that she's better than ever anywhere else in the movie. Yeah, absolutely. Just that like sly smile that she has as she knows she's about to kick this guy's ass is really, really great. And this movie ends, I mean this is the movie that really I think originated the idea of Mike D's favorite thing, The Bandit Cave.
[02:05:45] And there was a few movies that involved The Bandit Cave, but this is Crazy Rich Asians. I'm afraid that I've been unfair. Oh, no, you know what? I'm sorry I made an assumption. I didn't mean to offend you. Not at all. You asked about my ring. The truth is, Nick's father had it made
[02:07:01] when he wanted to propose to me
[02:07:04] because a mom wouldn't give him the family ring.
[02:07:07] I was on her first choice. Okay, duh. I sort of like you were saying, I feel like kind of weirdly sets the template for what the kind of like going forward, Michelle Yoe performance, or Michelle Yoe popular conception of her roles are as this kind of matriarch, a figure of authority, the one that is kind
[02:08:20] of like regal and reserved and elegant and all that stuff, which then like three years
[02:08:24] later gets broken by everything everywhere, all at once. the other list, but not this list. Oh, spoilers for the other list. Boilers for the other. Come on. Come on. You knew. Everybody knew. Literally pretending. Right. Okay. So you're not going to have this as your number one anymore. But people know that it actually is your number one. Yeah. Okay. Fair enough. But it's my number two. Michelle, your performance of all time. You are getting fat.
[02:09:40] And you never call me, even though we have family plan.
[02:09:43] And it's free.
[02:09:44] You only visit when you need something.
[02:09:47] You got a tattoo.
[02:09:48] And I don't care. I was always, always want to be here with you. Evelyn Wong and everything, ever while at once, it is the movie that won Michelle Yeo in Oscar and much deserved after a long career. Like truly she should have won the Oscar after police story three supercap, you know? But everything everywhere, I mean, really, you know,
[02:11:02] asks Yeo to do everything.
[02:11:04] It goes through every kind of emotional arc
[02:11:07] that you can go through in a movie enjoyed it and I think her performance is fantastic. Yeah, it's kind of the thing that like, I feel like doesn't happen anymore, right? Like that kind of just state box office staying power, all that like word of mouth hit kind of thing, right? Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I don't remember. I remember this sort of being like people on film Twitter and stuff being like, you got to go see that like the LA crowd that like gets it
[02:12:22] early and like all that stuff that like was like, please, right? That's her whole thing. She's a former beauty pageant winner, all this stuff. Right. And here she is in like a ill-fitting sweater and sweatpants and sandals and great hairs and she's like yelling about the noodles and stuff. And, you know, in the first five minutes of the movie, and then everything else about it is perfect. So yeah, love this
[02:13:42] movie. Love Michelle Yoe in it. Like duh, what was I doing? Not putting up number sunshine, but really, okay. Yes, because I think she makes a big impact on that movie, but that was sort of like, well, I guess I'm gonna rearrange a little bit on the fly. Okay, fair enough. We'll talk about that in on our mentions then in a second. But yeah, my number one is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, which how could you leave this off your list, Mike? This is insane. Because it's on the other list. And I was like, oh, he's gonna talk about the same 10 movies
[02:15:01] over and over again.
[02:15:02] I think that's totally fair.
[02:15:04] Yeah, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,
[02:15:06] just an incredibly artful film that is really powered to kind of get that performance through, despite not knowing the language, I think is a pretty incredible achievement. And yeah, her performance in Crash and Tiger, can't be beat, number one. That one scene, I don't remember if they're like in a restaurant or cafe or whatever, but it's Chai On-Fat and Michelle Yeo, and they're sort of like, it's where they sort of explain
[02:16:21] she was married or betrothed to his best friend,
[02:16:23] and like he'd never betrayed that tribe.
[02:16:24] Like that's why this whole unrequited love thing
[02:16:26] can never happen. Also, this movie in the evolution of Michelle, where originally there was interest from Danny Boyle and Alex Carl, or Danny Boyle, I guess, in her playing the captain. And she was like, no, no, no, no, I can't be the captain. People wouldn't follow me. I should be one of the other people. And then she reunites with a herey-ki-sonata as the captain. But to see, you know, 10 to, I guess, 15 or whatever years
[02:17:44] later, she's winning the Oscar for it for,
[02:17:46] and she's like, you could I really love it now. I haven't watched it a second time. Yeah, Sunshine is an honorable mention for Mike D for Michelle, your performance. Any other honorable mentions that you want to throw out there Mike? No, particularly that was sort of the only one that,
[02:19:00] well, the only one obviously took off the list.
[02:19:02] That was on the list.
[02:19:04] But I had only put down 10,
[02:19:05] but sort of just all of them really.
[02:19:08] Yeah, just baby's head falls into a nail and it dies. Yeah, it's a pretty wild movie. That's a crazy movie. Yeah. So, but I think Michelle Yeo does a pretty good job of like, she is kind of the emotional
[02:20:23] center of this movie.
[02:20:24] Like, it's a lot of it is about prologue of the movie is the is like the thing that powers the rest of the film kind of right? True. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's another movie that has like, you know, opening monologues or voice over stuff from Michelle, you feel like there's a couple in the inner row there that at the time.
[02:21:41] But yeah, did you have any other honorable mentions or is that?
[02:21:43] No, that that pretty much ends my list.
[02:21:45] So should we recap our 10 one more time?
[02:21:47] What are your what's your top 10 Mike? three was Wing Chun. My number two was everything everywhere all at once. And my number one Michelle Yoe performance of all time was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And with that, there is still another section of this podcast to go. It's still one more list. Exactly. Everybody loves lists. And so gold gas runs You've been put to the dress but you never knew You got the touch You got the power
[02:24:22] When a horse break and lose
[02:24:24] You'll be right in the eye of the storm
[02:25:21] It's more of a cameo. Speaking of actually that remind me,
[02:25:23] I wanted to mention it right before we actually
[02:25:24] start getting into the list.
[02:25:25] Yeah, but speaking of things that Michelle
[02:25:27] is not involved in, I like to amend my most delightful moment
[02:25:31] because yours didn't have Michelle Yoe
[02:25:33] and your Samo Hung singing in the rain musical number.
[02:25:36] Right, yeah.
[02:25:37] And I can't believe we've made it two and a half hours
[02:25:39] into this finale episode and we haven't talked about
[02:25:43] the single greatest shot in cinema history
[02:25:45] from Tai Chi Master where the young version
[02:25:48] of the kids are fighting. the Memorex guy where his hair is blown back in the chair. Like that's what happened when that scene happened. Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, Tai Chi master might come up in a little bit. But yeah, we are counting down our top 10 Michelleio movies of all time. So Mike D, let's kick things off with your number 10. Okay, number 10 is 1997's The Soon Sisters.
[02:27:00] Yes, this is a movie that I think neither I said heard of.
[02:27:04] We didn't really know anything about
[02:27:05] and it is very clearly 100% just like Chinese drama, melodrama really about this one family, but undeniably about like, you know, the glory of the Chinese nation. Right. Like all that stuff. So yeah, the Sing Sisters number 10. Yeah, it's a really terrific sweeping historical epic with Michelle Yeo, Maggie Chung and Divya and Wu as the Song Sisters. Maggie Chung kind of the main one.
[02:28:20] She's the one who kind of is sort of the lead of the film.
[02:28:23] Michelle Yeo, kind of a key supporting role.
[02:28:25] She's basically terrific. Yeah. There's even a line in Wonder Seven, if I think, where like one of the guys, because they're like super agent,
[02:29:41] secret agent guys or whatever,
[02:29:42] one of the criminals like escapes on a dirt bike
[02:29:45] and he crosses the border and he's like,
[02:29:46] I'll see you Legend in 94. And yeah, Ho-Yin-ja is in the movie, Teaching Jet-Lee. And so now Jet-Lee is playing Ho-Yin-ja,
[02:31:00] which is kind of a fun thing that I learned recently. And now's choreographed by Young Wu Ping. It's more brutal than I think other Young Wu Ping movies that we've talked about on this podcast. Yeah, is this the one that ends with the, what's the like the Japanese guy, right? Like refuses to kill him, but he's been poisoned. Is this true? Is that true? Right? Yeah, that is fearless. Yeah, he's been poisoned.
[02:32:20] So yeah, it's a Japanese diplomat who poisons Hu Yin Jia.
[02:32:25] But then yeah, it's that last battle with him
[02:32:27] and the Japanese guy Tanaka and Tanaka shit of all time where there's this one like warlord dude who's got his armor like stitched into his body and there's this big fight for this guy's honor and it's awesome and he loses the main character loses who is Vincent Zhao played by Vincent Zhao and he gets like thrown into a river and his family thinks he's dead and he's like washed away down the
[02:33:40] rapids and everyone he's unconscious and he's found by Michelle Yeo and like sort of about this. But yeah, a true legend was an honorable mention for me as well. So a movie that is great. I'm glad you threw it on the list. I'm curious what you removed from the list to a quickly add true legend. It was just a haunting in Venice. When you as soon as you mentioned like a fear list and I was like, Oh yeah, true legend. I was like, I was like, I was like, I was going to get the smart these out. We've already talked about a haunting
[02:35:00] event as a bunch. Yeah, fair enough. We talked unique, fun, original, multiversal story. It's got this really fun energy to it. And like we kind of said, in the performance section of the podcast, Michelle Yeo is undeniable in it. She's so great.
[02:36:20] But it's not just her.
[02:36:21] Everyone is really fantastic.
[02:36:23] Kihei Kwan, who came back from like a total obscurity
[02:36:26] to star in this movie and is now just popping up number nine, Michelle Yo movie. I will expect that we talk about it again. So at some point down this list, I would be shocked if it's not Mike's number one action. I can either confirm or deny these allegations before me. We'll just have to see together. Yeah, fair enough. Mike D. What is your number eight Michelle Yo movie of all time? My number eight
[02:37:40] movie is Master Z. It man legacy. Nice. yeah, Master Z, it man legacy. Nice, another honorable mention for me. So yeah, did not make my list, but Master Z really terrific. And of honestly, like I watched all the It Man movies for Master Z, I think Master Z is my favorite one of those movies. The one without It Man is my favorite of the It Man movies.
[02:39:00] Crazy.
[02:39:01] And I would love to see more in the Master Z universe
[02:39:03] that they ever decided to make more of those.
[02:39:05] All right, here is my number eight. And yeah, this movie contains some of the most insane stunts I've ever seen put to film and it's so thrilling and so fun And I can't wait to watch it again at some point. This is like a definite many of these movies I plan to play at the Roxy at some points Because for those who don't know I host a series of the Roxy called Inferno of Danger where I play a different great action movie every month essentially
[02:40:23] I have played one Michelle yo movie which might come up on this list in a little bit
[02:41:21] or at least one. I forget what I was just watching recently
[02:41:22] where something happens and it's like
[02:41:24] they're basically doing the bus scene
[02:41:26] from the least story one,
[02:41:29] like hanging out the window and stuff.
[02:41:30] But-
[02:41:31] Shang chi.
[02:41:32] It might have been shy.
[02:41:32] I know we talked about it in shang chi,
[02:41:34] but yeah.
[02:41:35] But yeah, I really like,
[02:41:36] I think Supercop III,
[02:41:38] I always say that.
[02:41:39] Police story three, Supercop.
[02:41:41] Yeah, Supercop III just rolls off so much faster.
[02:41:43] There should have been a Supercop III.
[02:41:45] It should have been Supercop III.
[02:41:46] Yeah, I just picked that one
[02:41:47] because of Michelle Yove at all.
[02:41:49] Why not? Don't get any ideas, Mr. Bond. Just after the cuff, I thought we might link up. Well, come in, hon. Stick close to each other. Maybe we go after General Chiang together. Your turn. Thanks for watching, my hair.
[02:43:02] I work alone. That would have been a real swerve.
[02:43:04] Yeah, I mean, I probably talked about this on that episode every single line that Piers Brosnan says is some kind of double entendro or flirting line or something like that, which is just wild when you're talking to Jonathan Price. There's no difference between Terry Hatcher and Jonathan Price in this dialogue and stuff. So yeah, tomorrow never dies. Absolutely blast for me. Nice. You are hitting a lot of my honorable mentions on your list, Mike.
[02:44:21] Interesting. That's good. Yeah. Overlapping a ton.
[02:44:24] So far, yeah. No, tomorrow never dies. Also, number seven, Michelle Yo movie of all time. And my number seven is episode five of this podcast. And that is 1987's Magnificent Warriors. Oh, yes. This movie is super fun. Like you said before, it's Michelle Yo. It's a ragtag group of rebels.
[02:45:41] It's essentially, it's the plot of Star Wars.
[02:45:45] With the attitude of like,
[02:45:46] but you take Michelle Yo movie of all time? My number six movie, I should have put it number seven
[02:47:00] just for shits and giggles,
[02:47:01] cause it's wonder seven.
[02:47:03] Of course.
[02:47:04] I knew this had to make you a list.
[02:47:05] Yeah, I had to make the list.
[02:47:06] There was a race between Tamar never dies that we've talked about. Yes, the aforementioned elevator bullet. Yeah, no, one or seven did not make my life. Not even on a convention. Not even on a convention, but I did like it. I ultimately enjoyed the movie, and it really, I mean, is salvaged by that elevator bullet scene, which is the most insane thing that ever happened. Yeah, no, I think that and far north are the craziest endings ever in a movie.
[02:48:22] And they both have a show, yeah.
[02:48:24] They're both Michelle, yeah, absolutely.
[02:48:26] But yeah, but I'm glad Star Wars is a pretty great plot. And it's a pretty great archetypal thing that you can just latch onto anything.
[02:49:42] And yeah, Michelle Yeo gets involved as one of the rebels.
[02:49:45] I don't think she's a love interest,
[02:49:46] like you mentioned before,
[02:49:47] I think she is just like somebody who's there. that she sort of is not the love interest in that movie. But yeah, the movie rocks. They're all so fun in that in that whole post, uh, super cop early nineties, bullshit movement. Yes. Whatever you want to call it. Uh, Holly weapon and all that stuff and, uh, butterfly and sword and all that. So yeah, that's your rocks. Absolutely. So that is my number to the underworld and fighting this demon king guy who launches himself into the real world, but he explodes or something and all of his skin burns off and he's just like a claymate.
[02:52:20] He's like the skeletons from army of darkness and he fights them and it's awesome.
[02:52:25] It's just batshit insane. Icarus, pad me through to me, I have something wonderful to show him. Oh Cassie, oh Capa. Icarus. Don't fart. Don't fart.
[02:53:47] Which, like I said before, this is the movie I like are sort of hints at being in a relationship, but you don't actually get that from like the text. It's just kind of like what you kind of get from the subtext, you know, all that stuff. It takes a very like clinical like, you know, scientific view to the entire thing and gives you some really effective space horror. And Michelle, you know, it was really great. And it's so yeah, sunshine is my number five. Hell yeah. Yeah,
[02:55:02] this movie absolutely rips, which is why it's my number four. There you go. There it is.
[02:56:02] English language movie that we talked about on this podcast. Yes, I think that's a good descriptor for it.
[02:56:04] Yeah, absolutely.
[02:56:05] So number four.
[02:56:06] Nice. All right.
[02:56:07] So my number five was sunshine.
[02:56:08] It was also Mike's number four.
[02:56:10] So we can move on into my number four, which is Yes,
[02:56:13] Madam from episode three, this low.
[02:56:20] Fair. I mean, totally fair.
[02:56:21] Yes, Madam rules.
[02:56:22] It's a basically pitch perfect action movie with a total like
[02:56:26] Looney Tunes sensibility to it, just this kind of the beauty, the beautiful elegance of all this and really, really turning into keying into the, you know, action portrayed as dance. Yes. Type thing. And really the platonic ideal of that. I don't know if this has really been matched and having all the wire food and union ping choreography. The grand romance of it
[02:57:41] all mixed in with the absolutely mind melting has all of the great action that yes, Madam has. It has everything, maybe even more sophisticated great action. Every action set piece is unbelievable. It looks so good. But on top of that, there is a real emotional through line for Michelle Yoe's character.
[02:59:01] She is going through an arc and not just her.
[02:59:03] Here Yogi Sonata also has an arc too where his family gets killed and a car bomb and
[02:59:07] he has to get his revenge. I think you're right. I think he's in four Yeah, he's the bad guy in four. Yeah. Yeah royal warriors rules those those movies all these movies all rule So that's why number two for me is yes, man
[03:00:22] That's what I kind of figured yeah
[03:01:41] I mean, you know everything we've been talking about the whole episode in two movies together. He would have been a great candidate for number season four, but we can't do it because. Alas, yeah. Alas. By our own rules, yeah. Nobody who is in a movie with Michelle Yeo can be a candidate for season four of the podcast, which unfortunately removes like half of Asia. Yeah, exactly. But it is like the same 20 people though. That's true. But yeah, so Royal Warriors rules.
[03:01:44] It's my number three and yes, Mad that, it's a phenomenal film. Michelle Yeo is so great. We talked about it so much in this podcast already, but Michelle Yeo and Chaoyou and Fat, their romance is so incredible and all the action is so balletic and beautiful. And there are so many sequences in this movie that I think about all the time. And there was a time, I've seen this movie like three or four times now.
[03:03:00] I think when I first saw it,
[03:03:03] I really liked it up until the extended flashback sequence to me, but I ultimately, I had to go with my heart for a different number one. The first, we gotta go with your number one mic, which I think I figured out. Yeah. I said it already. Yeah, actually that's true, you did. So what is your number one movie of, what is your number one Michelle Yoe movie of all time? Moonlight Express, no. Oh my. It is of course, everything.
[03:04:21] Final recipe.
[03:04:22] Yeah, it's the touch.
[03:04:23] It is of course, everything everywhere all at once,
[03:04:26] directed by the Daniels.
[03:04:28] What's happening? I've spent years searching for the one who might be able to match this great evil with an even greater good and bring back balance All those years of searching have brought me here to this universe Do you I know it's allowed to take him right now? And yeah, I mean like I talked about in the performances list just the kind of
[03:05:42] Perfect movie for me hit me in all the right places got me
[03:06:40] that's what it is. So I'm very interested to hear what your number one is.
[03:06:43] Yeah, sure.
[03:06:44] Well, I mean, just back to everything everywhere for a second,
[03:06:46] it really does feel like this is like the culmination
[03:06:48] of everything that Michelle, you know, had been doing, right?
[03:06:52] Like, I mean, it's really like a once in a lifetime,
[03:06:54] like career opportunity to get a movie like that
[03:06:57] that really taps into her skill sets
[03:06:59] and everything that she can do in a movie
[03:07:01] and really allows her to kind of express all of it at once.
[03:07:04] Yeah.
[03:07:05] It does feel, it? I think so, yeah. Because Kasame O'Hung is bombo, so it's George Lau. George Lau, I want to say. Yes, like Kanto Pop guy, yeah. Yes, and so she is sort of his love interest. And yeah, she gets some really like effective sequences in the movie that kind of like tell you like,
[03:08:20] oh man, she's really got something here.
[03:08:22] Like it's, this is like a, it doesn't have to be,
[03:08:24] like this could have been a nothing role.
[03:08:26] And she did something with it, you know?
[03:08:27] Right. Yeah. So this was episode eight of the podcast, one of the many discoveries I got to make on this podcast, and none more delightful than this movie. So I think when I first saw Heroic Trio, I was kind of blown away by how insane it was. And that's something that we get a lot of in the Hong Kong movies, like, wow, this movie's insane. Heroic Trio is like a next level of insanity.
[03:09:40] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[03:09:41] Where truly, I mean, the reckless disregard for baby's safety
[03:09:47] is something that really sets this movie apart And then about a year later, because that was a pretty early movie in the Michelle Yo' filmography. Right, you said. Yeah, it was episode number eight. So we probably watched it in like September or October, something along those lines of last year. In August of this year, I played it for Inferno of Danger. So I played it at The Rock. See, like I said, that's my series where I do a different action movie every month.
[03:11:00] I wanted to get a Michelle Yo' movie in there
[03:11:02] and I wanted it to be the heroic trio.
[03:11:04] And it was, I think the biggest gam,
[03:11:06] one of the biggest gambles I was really worried about how it would go over. You know, but people were like either like kind of like kind of blown away. Like I can't like couldn't process what they had just seen or they were like, man, that was amazing. That was fucking awesome. Yeah.
[03:12:20] Yeah.
[03:12:21] I mean, that's one of those things that like,
[03:12:22] at least to an American audience,
[03:12:22] I don't know about a Hong Kong audience in the,
[03:12:25] I should agree.
[03:12:26] But it's like. Yeah, it's so, so cool. Um, and all of the action set pieces, you know, we really didn't highlight anything like that for our, like you top five action scenes or whatever. Um, because they're maybe not like as like technically like big stunts or whatever, like some of the other stuff is, but like, you know, you got the
[03:13:40] scene with like this giant bodyguard with the flying guillotine who's killing
[03:13:43] people.
[03:13:44] You got the scene where the train goes through the wall.
[03:13:46] You got all, all this stuff that's happening.
[03:13:48] It's, it's awesome.
[03:14:42] I don't know, there's a lot of better movies I can show. And the executioners, executioners have some fine sequences in it.
[03:14:45] It looks in pretty fun action, but just a lot of big swings,
[03:14:50] similar to Horatio, but I just think those swings
[03:14:52] don't work as effectively in that movie.
[03:14:54] Yeah, to make it a post-apocalypse,
[03:14:56] like post-nuclear winter societal collapse movie is wild.
[03:15:00] Yes.
[03:15:01] And being about like smuggling water into a green zone
[03:15:03] or something like that.
[03:15:04] Yeah, and separating. Felt like, you know, it kind of, we were hitting those notes. Yeah. And Moonlet Express, honestly. You know, I think just for the, sure, like, weight and impact like we talked about before, of, yo, for so little screen time. And then, you know, I don't know, the other 44 movies.
[03:16:20] Yeah, fair enough.
[03:16:21] Basically, my honorable mentions are my 11 through 20,
[03:16:23] essentially.
[03:16:24] My list.
[03:16:25] Yeah, yeah Fu Panda 2, true legends also in there. A haunting and Venice, crazy rich Asians and Master Z, it man legacy, all kind of make up the rest of my honorable mentions. So yeah, a lot of
[03:17:42] movies that did make your top 10. There it is. Look at that. Yes movies of all time. We did it, Mike. We fucking did it. We made it through another season. Yes, we did. And we can briefly speculate wildly on the future of Michelle. Yo, if you'd like. I mean, we're going to be back with the Michelle. Yo podcast in a few weeks, I guess, because she's at the star of a new Netflix series,
[03:19:01] which premiere is like the first week of January.
[03:19:03] Yeah.
[03:19:04] Yeah.
[03:19:05] I mean, so we're, yeah, we got that.
[03:19:07] We got, we got a little time before we get to that one. But I'm sure we're going to see other Michelle Yo stuff in that interim, like during that time.
[03:20:23] Yeah, and I know we have we have we heard. Yes, that is very true. But there you have it. Michelle Yo, season three of the Complete Works is now complete. Thanks, Michelle Yo, for a really fun filmography for us to talk about. Yeah, yeah, I think overall hits to misses best season we had so far.
[03:21:40] Yeah, I mean, you know, I think especially in those early,
[03:21:43] that early run of episodes, I think so, yeah.
[03:21:45] Those Hong Kong years are pretty unimpeachable. And then Crash and Tiger Hidden Dragon right after that. I mean, yeah, it's a pretty great filmography for that first half. And then that back half, I mean, you really, there's a lot of great stuff in there. You know, you sun shines and everything everywhere and you know, crazy rich Asians and all that. But I think it is, you know, it was indicative of, you know, man, it's difficult for older women of color in Hollywood to get roles, you know?
[03:23:01] Right.
[03:23:02] Yeah, absolutely.
[03:23:03] And so you have more stuff like Morgan and just,
[03:23:07] just for example, I don't mean to pick on Morgan, how that all shakes out. But yeah, the clout from the Oscar, hopefully she gets the cash some of that in and makes some really interesting, awesome stuff like she's been doing lately. Yes, absolutely. All right. I think we can wrap it up, Mike. Are you ready? I think so. I'm ready to be done with the ticket at yo. No, Yoiverse? There we go. Yes. The Yoiverse. But yeah, we're going to close the chapter
[03:24:23] in the Oiverse for now, but we'll reach your own podcast themes at Kyle's podcast themes at gmail.com. And our logo was designed by Mac V or at Fearless Guard on Twitter. Join us in the next week in the complete works where we are getting back in the cage, baby. Ah, he won't stop. He just simply will not stop.
[03:25:41] And I'm curious to rewatch this movie.
[03:25:43] I saw this movie over a year ago at this point
[03:25:46] at the Montana Film Festival.