Ip Man/叶问 / 葉問 (2008) - Excellent Yen in nationalistic Hong Kong/Chinese actioner

♥♥♥♥ 

 

Star Donnie Yen stands tall and carries a huge stick in the midst of devastation on this grim poster for Wilson Yip's Ip Man

Ip Man is a grandmaster of the Wing Chun style of martial arts in Foshan, China in the end of the 1930s, as the Japanese occupy the country. Man and his family lose their wealth, and he is forced into a battle with the Japanese.

Ip Man is written by Tai-Lee Chan (Mak dau sin sang (2004)) and Edmond Wong (Bounty Hunters/Shang jin lie ren (2016)) and directed by Wilson Yip (Yeh boon 1 dim chung (1995)). It is based loosely on the life of the actual Ip Man (1873-1972).

Historically this is full of falsities, but as a (Chinese) nationalistic action-drama Ip Man is highly effective, nearly registering as propaganda.

Donnie Yen (John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)) is excellent with an internal force and calm about him in the title lead, and the fight scenes are phenomenal, (Sammo Hung (Firestorm/Fung bou (2013)) was among the film's fight coordinators). The dialog is at times trite, and the plot is simplistic, but the film is otherwise well-made, and the story is highly compelling.

 

Related posts:

Wilson Yip: 2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Dragon Tiger Gate/Lóng Hǔ Mén/龍虎門/龙虎门/Lung4 Fu2 Mun4 (2006) or, The Fighting Hairdos! 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 11.7 mil. $

Box office: 22.1 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.88 times its cost)

[Ip Man was released 12 December (China) and runs 108 minutes. Shooting took place from March - August 2008 in China, including in Shanghai. The title was changed to Ip Man prior to release, deleting 'the great master' from the title due to a dispute with Wong Kar-Wai, who was preparing his own Ip Man movie at the time, eventually released as The Grandmaster (2013). The film spent 4 weeks at #2 in China, where it grossed 13.7 mil. $ (62 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Hong Kong with 3.3 mil. $ (14.9 %) and Singapore with 2 mil. $ (9 %). It was not released in North America and most European markets. The film spun a franchise with 3 sequels, all by Yip and starring Yen, the first being Ip Man 2 (2010). Yip returned with Ip Man 2. Yen first returned in a cameo in Ga yau hei si 2009 (2009) and in a real part in The Founding of a Republic/Jian guo da ye (2009). Ip Man is fresh at 86 % with a 6.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ip Man?

San De huo shang yu Chong Mi Liu/ 三德和尚与舂米六/The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977) - Hung's muscular kung fu debut

♥♥♥

 

Macho fun and violence is promised on this cool poster for Sammo Hung's The Iron-Fisted Monk

A younger student in a Shaolin temple, who receives training from a similarly aged monk, is introduced to the fight against the evil Manchu rulers.

 

The Iron-Fisted Monk is written by Pro Hung Ching, Feng Huang (Xue fu men (1971))  and Yu Ting (Project A 2/'A' gai wak 2 (1987)) and directed and starring debuting Sammo Hung (The Victim/Shen bu you ji (1980)). The original Chinese title translates to, 'the three virtuous monks and the broken rice'.

Hung's debut is not his best film but still quite good. A grim rape scene is included in the film. The story is classical and forgettable, but the fight scenes are good.

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: Unknown 

Box office: 2.28 mil. HK$, approximately 0.5 mil. $

= Uncertain

[The Iron-Fisted Monk  was released 25 August (Hong Kong) and runs 93 minutes. The film grossed around 500k $ in Hong Kong, its only registered market at IMDb. Hung returned with Enter the Fat Dragon/Fei Lung gwoh gong (1978). As an actor he returned first in Po jie (1977); Sing Chen (Ninja Terminator (1986)) in The Amsterdam Kill (1977). 1,1k IMDb users have given The Iron-Fisted Monk a 6.6/10 average rating.]

What do you think of The Iron-Fisted Monk?

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning/องค์บาก 2 (2008) - Another energetic Thai revenge dish from Jaa and Co.

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+ Best Martial Arts Movie of the Year + Best Revenge Movie of the Year + Best Thai Movie of the Year 

 

Star Tony Jaa is perched incredibly upon the tusks and head of an elephant on this rad poster for Ton Jaa and Panna Rittikra's Ong Bak 2: The Beginning

Back in 15th century Thailand, a young man is intent on avenging his father's untimely death.

 

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is written by Ek Iemchuen (Skin Trade (2014)) and Nontakorn Taweesuk (The Bodyguard (2004)), with debuting co-writer/co-producer/co-director/star Tony Jaa (Singh Siam (1992, star)) and co-writer/co-producer/co-director Panna Rittikrai (2 Nuk Soo Poo Ying Yai (1986)) contributing story elements. It is the sequel to Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003).

It is a visually resplendent, flashy follow-up with handsome scenes with exotic animals and protracted fight scenes. They are impressive, entertaining, - and a bit comical, as they can also seem like one long PR boost for the ever-present Jaa. There's also a very good-looking scene of traditional Thai dance.

The story plays second fiddle and is served with muddled precision in Ong Bak 2: The Beginning.

 

Related post:

 

Tony Jaa, star; Panna Rittikrai story contribution:  2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior/องค์บาก (2003) - The acrobatic martial arts breakthrough

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 8 mil. $

Box office: 8.9 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.11 times its cost)

[Ong Bak 2: The Beginning was released 4 December (Thailand) and runs 98 minutes. Mystery and scandal enshrouded the production of the film, the first Jaa was set to direct himself: Jaa was said to have disappeared from the set for 2 months, creating a major contract conflict with enormous damages as result; and Rittikrai was apparently involved to help finish the film, which has a budget that is more than 7 times the size of the original Ong-Bak. The film opened #62 to a 26k $ first weekend in 10 theaters in North America, where it expanded to 12 theaters the next week but failed to gain a higher rank, grossing 102k $ (1.1 % of the total gross). The biggest markets were Thailand with 2.9 mil. $ (32.6 % of the total gross), France with 2.1 mil. $ (23.6 %) and Spain with 1 mil. $ (11.2 %). Jaa and Rittikrai returned with Ong-Bak 3 (2010), which was also Jaa's next film as a star. Ong Bak 2: The Beginning is rotten at 49 % with a 5.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ong Bak 2: The Beginning?

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior/องค์บาก (2003) - The acrobatic martial arts breakthrough

♥♥♥

 

+ Best $ Return of the Year: 18.3 times its cost + Best Martial Arts Movie of the Year + Best Thai Movie of the Year

 

Star Tony Jaa's muscular back in warm, earthy tones makes up this poster for Prachya Pinkaew's Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

When a Thai village have the head of their protective Ong-Bak Buddha statue stolen, a young, virile man gets chosen to head out on the dangerous journey to the big city (Bangkok) to repossess the holy artifact.

 

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is written by Suphachai Sittiaumponpan (Thai Theeb (2006)), with Panna Rittikrai (Black Goblins (1990)) and co-writer/co-producer/director Prachya Pinkaew (Rawng tah laep plaep (1992)) contributing story elements.

Young Ting (Tony Jaa (Monster Hunter (2020))), the brave young man in question, beats up and suffers beatings from a fantastic amount of people, and the fighting scenes take up most of the film's running time. And here are very cool and acrobatic choreography to admire.

Aside from this significant quality, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is overlong and, outside of its action, amateurish.

 

Related post:

 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

 

Watch a 3-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 1.1 mil. $

Box office: 20.2 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 18.3 times its cost)

[Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior premiered 21 January (Bangkok International Film Festival) and runs 108-105 minutes (Thai version/international version). Shooting took place in Thailand, including in Bangkok. The film opened #17 to a 1.3 mil. $ first weekend in 387 theaters in North America, its 2nd biggest market, where it grossed 4.5 mil. $ (22.3 of the total gross). The biggest market was France with 6.4 mil. $ (31.7 %), and 3rd biggest was Thailand with 2.5 mil. $ (12.4 %). The success resulted in 2 sequels; Ong-Bak 2 (2008) and Ong-Bak 3 (2010), with Jaa and Pinkaew returning. Pinkaew first returned with The Protector/Tom yum goong (2005), which was also Jaa's next movie. Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is certified fresh at 85 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior?

The Grandmaster/一代宗師/一代宗师/Yīdài Zōngshī/Jat1 Doi6 Zung1 Si1/ (2013) - Visuals prevail in Kar-Wai's strange kung fu spectacle

♥♥♥♥

 

+ Best Hong Kong Movie of the Year + Best Kung Fu Movie of the Year

 

Vivid motion and water splashing incredibly are central elements on this mostly black and white poster for Wong Kar-Wai's The Grandmaster

Kung fu legend Yip Man is followed in 1936 during internal competitions in China's martial arts groups, Japanese occupation and great changes in the country.

The Grandmaster is written by Jingzhi Zou (Legend of a Kung Fu Rabbit/Tu xia chuan qi (2011)), Haofeng Xu (Judge Archer/Jian shi liu bai yuan (2012)) and Chinese master filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Wong Kar-Wai (As Tears Go By/Wong Gok ka moon (1988)). It is based on real-life Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man. The original title translates to, 'ancestral teacher of a generation.'

It is a fascinating and odd film, which it seems hard to fully comprehend, perhaps notably as a Westerner, - but even as a Westerner who has seen a good deal of kung fu movies. Much of it ostensibly revolves around kung fu techniques.

The Grandmaster has kinetic, explosive fight scenes, and Kar-Wai makes it an esoteric art form all his own to manipulate the speed of large portions of the film's shots, which enshrouds it in an unreal haze. This makes periods of the film seem downright dizzying as an onslaught of beauty and poetry in violent motion. The Grandmaster definitely deserves to be watched more than once.

 

Related posts:

Wong Kar-Wai: 2013 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED VI]

My Blueberry Nights (2007) - A slice too cute
2046 (2004) - Kar-Wai's visually resplendent, empty hull of a movie 

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

In the Mood for Love/花樣年華/faa1joeng6 nin4waa4/huāyàng niánhuá (2000) - Kar-Wai's delectable home run 
Chungking Express/重慶森林 (1994) - Kar-Wai's urban love drama is a visual treat 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 240 mil. CNY, approximately 38.6 mil. $

Box office: 73.9 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.91 times its cost)

[The Grandmaster was released 8 January (China) and runs 130 minutes, with shorter Western versions running 123 and 108 minutes. Development began in 2008. One delay came when Tony Leung (Hard Boiled/Lat sau san taam (1992)), who plays Ip Man, broke his arm while training Wing Chun. Shooting took place from December 2009 - April 2010 in China. The film opened #37 to a 132k $ first weekend in North America in 7 theaters, where it peaked at #15 and in 804 theaters (different weeks), grossing 6.5 mil. $ (8.8 % of the total gross). The biggest markets were China with 45.2 mil. $ (61.2 %), North America and Hong Kong with 2.7 mil. $ (3.7 %). While the original cut runs 130 minutes, the Berlin International Film Festival cut - the first shown in the West - is 123 minutes, and the North-American edit dictated by distributor The Weinstein Company, is 108 minutes. The film was Hong Kong's nomination for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars. It was instead nominated for 2 other Oscars; it lost Best Cinematography (Philippe Le Sourd (Melody for a Hustler/Cantique de la Racaille (1998)) to Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity and Costumes to The Great Gatsby. It won 7/11 Asian Film award nominations, 12/14 Hong Kong Film award nominations, a National Board of Review award, among other honors. The film made an additional 9.8 mil. $ (13.3 %) at a 2015 Chinese re-release. Kar-Wai has not returned as director since The Grandmaster and is only announced in connection with two - perhaps - coming TV-series. Leung returned in Shimajiro: A Wonderful Adventure/Gekijouban Shimajirou no wao!: Shimajirou to kujira no uta (2014); Ziyi Zhang (Love for Life/Mo shu wai zhuan (2011)) in Better and Better/Yue lai yue hao: Cun wan (2013). The Grandmaster is certified fresh at 78 % with a 6.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Grandmaster?

Game of Death (1978) - Bruce Lee's last real picture is a blast

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A cool 1970s-style poster for Robert Clouse's Game of Death, which promises that star Bruce Lee is going to kick some serious butt in the film

Billy Lo is an action movie star with an evil Macao gangster after him. After staging his own mock funeral, [which uses footage from Bruce Lee's (The Orphan/Ren hai gu hong (1960)) real-life funeral], Lo seeks to get rid of his enemies!

Game of Death is written by writer/co-director Robert Clouse (Darker than Amber (1970)), co-directed with co-director/star Lee. Clouse took over the film after Lee's untimely death in 1973 in the midst of production, forcing a drastically altered plot.
The film begins with the famous Lee-Chuck Norris (Top Dog (1995)) Colosseum fight scene lifted from Way of the Dragon (1972). In the film that follows, Dean Jagger (King Creole (1958)) is great as the triumphantly cackling Macao gangster villain Dr. Land, and Lee's fight against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Fletch (1985)) is phenomenal, as is the film's motorcycle scene.
The inevitable many doubles for the tragically suddenly passed away star Lee and poor slow-motion work impede this otherwise great martial arts classic.

Watch a fan-made trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown, reportedly 850k $
Box office: Reportedly in excess of 31.3 mil. $
= Uncertain, but certainly a mega-hit (may have returned 36.62 times its cost)
[Game of Death premiered 23 March (Hong Kong) and runs 94-125 minutes (different edits). Shooting took place in Hong Kong and China. Production was halted when Lee was offered an 850k $ budget for his first kung fu movie produced by a Hollywood studio, Warner Bros.; Enter the Dragon, directed by Clouse. This was his last completed film; he passed away from cerebral edema (excess of fluid in the brain), before it was released and before he could return to filming of Game of Death. Though reportedly 100 minutes was filmed, only about 11 minutes were thought usable at the time and are incorporated into the finished film. Clouse was hired to rescue a film from the footage. The 850k $ budget for the film listed elsewhere is mysteriously identical to that of Enter the Dragon and could be false. The in any case low-budget production became controversial due to Lee's death; especially since it uses footage from his actual funeral, including of his corpse in his open casket! Abdul-Jabbar would not return to film more due to the controversy, and several other stars turned down offers to be in the film. Still it opened to enthusiastic audiences: It grossed 10 mil. $ (31.9 % of the total gross) in North America, the 2nd biggest market; 13.13 mil. $ (41.9 %) in Japan, the film's biggest market, and 6.12 mil. $ (19.6 %) in France, its 3rd biggest market. The 31.3 mil. $ gross is only from these markets plus Germany, and the film screened in several more and so must have had an even higher total gross. Game of Death II (1981) is made by an unrelated Chinese filmmaker, splicing past Lee performances together to serve a new plot. Clouse returned with The London Connection (1979). 32,540 Rotten Tomatoes users have given Game of Death a 3.57/5 average rating.]

What do you think of Game of Death?

Fighter (2007) - Arthy makes good youth drama with propulsive kung fu

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Kung Fu Movie of the Year

Semra Turan as the titular fighter sends a determined stare on this simple but effective poster for Natascha Arthy's Fighter

Aicha is a young woman in Denmark with Turkish roots, whose life sometimes is a balancing act for her between the sweet Danish boy she is fond of, her obdurate Muslim family, school life and her passion for kung fu.

Fighter, written by great Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel (Catch that Girl/Klatretøsen (2002)), Rasmus Heisterberg (A Royal Affair/En Kongelig Affære (2012)) and co-writer-director Natascha Arthy (Old, New, Borrowed and Blue/Se til Venstre, Der Er En Svensker (2003)), is a surprisingly good Danish youth martial arts romance-drama with social realism elements.
Debuting Semra Turan (The Protectors/Livvagterne (2009), TV-series) and Cyron Melville (Love and Rage/Vanvittig Forelsket (2009)) do well in the main parts, and the drama is gripping. Aicha as a character follows the classic recipe of getting mowed over for much of the film in Fighter, - only to charge back like a cannonball for its climax.
The film's scoop is undoubtedly its signing of Xian Gao (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)) to choreograph the fights and stunts, which raises Fighter and makes it stand out as something of a rarity in Danish cinema; an actual Danish martial arts film.
Minor flaws and repetitions don't defeat this solid cultural gulf/kung fu gem.

Related post:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch the Danish trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown - reportedly 4 mil. $
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain - but likely a flop, perhaps even a mega-flop
[Fighter was released 14 December (Denmark) and runs 100 minutes. Shooting took place between October 2006 - March 2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 52,189 paid admission to see it in its native Denmark, far from enough to let it get near to success, - especially if the reported 4 mil. $ budget is accurate. It was released in several other markets including at 14 festivals. Without numbers from its other markets, its status can only be tentatively set to that of flop. It was nominated for 3 Bodil awards (the Danish film critics' awards). Turan has only had a part in the Danish The Protectors/Livvagterne TV-series in 2009 since the film. Arthy returned directing TV-series Lulu & Leon (2009), The Killing/Forbrydelsen (2012) and Heartless (2014) and theatrically with the panned comedy Comeback (2015). 1,351 IMDb users have given Fighter a 6.6/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Fighter?

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) - Wright's comic book nonsense is a terrible and costly studio misstep

♥

 

+ 2nd Worst Movie of the Year

 

Michael Cera appears on this poster for Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to be a rock guitar-loving kid (in a mysterious movie that promises 'epicness')

 

Scott is a lazy teenager who is dating another lazy teenager, but to win her over, he must beat her seven evil exes.

 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is an adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's (Lost at Sea (2003)) first five (2004-09) Scott Pilgrim comic books, which very quickly grows very tiring. It appears to have been created for the more irksome segment of emo youths as a busy, speed-talking explosion of colors, graphics and chop-chop editing, which is all over the place and nowhere at all at the same time. The film is not fundamentally about anything and what's worse, it isn't exciting, romantic or funny.

Michael Cera (Juno (2007)) has lots of fight scenes (...!), but most of all I felt like punching him in the throat during Scott Pilgrim. Quite a few talented actors have been attracted to the film's nonsense material, (probably by handsome studio paychecks and co-writer-director Edgar Wright's (Shaun of the dead (2004)) previous films.

Wright co-wrote the script with Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street (2012)). From watching Scott Pilgrim, you'd think the two must be as immature as their awful teen-pandering turkey.

Piece of advice: The outtakes on the DVD last less than 10 minutes and are a lot more fun than the film itself.

 

Related posts:

 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Around 60 mil. $ (down from 85-90 mil. $ through Canadian tax rebates)

Box office: 47.6 mil. $

= Huge flop

[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World premiered July 27 (Fantasia Festival) and runs 112 minutes. Filming took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from March - August 2009, reportedly the biggest film identifiably set in Toronto to date. The film opened #5 to a 10.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, behind The Expendables, Eat Pray Love, The Other Guys and Inception, dropping to #10 in its second week and grossing 31.5 mil. $ (66.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 8.4 mil. $ (17.6 %) and Australia with 2.8 mil. $ (5.9 %). Strangely for a film that is a US/UK/Canadian/Japanese co-production, the film has no Japanese gross listed on Box Office Mojo. The film made in excess of 27.3 mil. $ on DVDs and Blu-rays in North America, which, if taken into account, changes the film's status to big flop only. Although the film was lambasted by several critics, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Dragon Tiger Gate/Lóng Hǔ Mén/龍虎門/龙虎门/Lung4 Fu2 Mun4 (2006) or, The Fighting Hairdos!

♥

The strangely stylized poster for Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate

QUICK REVIEW:

Three young men fight for their Dragon Tiger Gate!

- Which is possibly a martial arts school, but after having watched the film I'm still not entirely sure. Dragon Tiger Gate is written by Edmond Wong (Ip Man 3 (2015)), based on Yuk Long Wong's (Long Hu Men (1979), story) manhua (Chinese comic) Oriental Heroes (1970-), and directed by Wilson Yip (Ip Man (2008)).
The fight scenes are done with an abundance of energy and stylistic excess, but they are also of the kind that are so exaggerated as to arouse laughter. Even more laughable is the way the three heroes' long hairdos wave dramatically around in these scenes, and the general look throughout the film of these puppy-like wigs, which often completely cover the actors' eyes! Particularly the silver wig seems to me it must be one of the wackiest things an action hero has ever been asked to wear for an entire film.
Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey 2/Gaai Tau Saat Sau (1996)) is pretty cute to look at. The few women in Dragon Tiger Gate are completely powerless like dolls, and the plot is mostly something elusive about the art of using nunchuks. Add to this some ugly CGI effects and you have Dragon Tiger Gate, which is best described as a super-commercial botch-up.

Related posts:

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

The three lavishly haired heroes of Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate

Donnie Yen strikes a rather peculiar pose beneath an incredible head of hair for Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown 
Box office: 12.1 mil. HK $, equal to approximately 1.6 mil. $
= Unknown (but likely a huge flop)
[Dragon Tiger Gate was released July 28 and runs 96 minutes. The film, which was shot in Heng Dian, China, is notable for having had created the world's largest punching bag for it, recorded by the Guiness World Records. It was 8 ft. tall, 5 feet wide and weighed around 400 pounds. The film was mostly released in Asian countries and never in North America. Without knowing the cost, or if the gross listed above is the world total, it is impossible to say for certain what commercial standing belongs to Dragon Tiger Gate, however, I surmise that it was a huge flop. Talk of a sequel has not resulted in anything. 5,285 IMDb users have given Dragon Tiger Gate an average rating of 6.2.]

What do you think of Dragon Tiger Gate?