ip man

IP MAN: KUNG FU MASTER Review: Kung Fu As The Ultimate Weapon For Truth And Justice

Chinese film industry continue turning their most beloved martial arts historical figures into pulp characters, sometimes even bordering on the superhero genre, but overall looking to exploit this figures beyond of what they really were, to bring them to the olympus of legends, where the wide variety of possibilities is unlimited, and all them stop being historical figures to transform into fictitional characters that inhabit universes that those kung fu masters could never imagine, bringing to moviegoers around the world endless hours of evasive entertainment. Since Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen teamed up to turn Ip Man in a cinematic hero, the character has become a recurrent figure for martial cinema of late that comes from the mainland, and alongside another historical masters as Wong Fei Hung or Huo yuanjia, has reached the status of eternal cinematic iconic hero. For Ip Man: Kung Fu Master, Dennis To reprises the main […]

[UPDATED] Win An Exclusive IP MAN PRIZE PACK With Blu-Rays, Posters And More!

Lee B. Golden III

*This contest has expired Director Wilson Yip has had a terrific run with actor Donnie Yen stemming from the 2005 release of S.P.L.. It helped spearhead the martial arts action star through a series of films spanning several genres through different directors with Yip contributing to Yen’s further growth in the kung fu genre for the new millenium. For this, the two broke the mold in 2008 with Ip Man and then Ip Man 2 in 2010, erected as illustrious heroic folk tellings of the once-living Wing Chun master whose life and legend capitulated much of the first part of the 20th century for martial arts enthusiasts. Upon further calibration after dabbling in superhero lore and MMA, Yen’s adaptability to Wing Chun worked to his advantage making his as the most signature performance to date, leading to a slew of directors offering their own take on the legendary martial artist […]

THE GRANDMASTER Will Get A 3D Re-Release This October

Lee B. Golden III

Fun fact: martial arts action auteur Yuen Woo-Ping is awesome, a given fact for any martial arts action cinema fan familiar with his name and stellar credits, most notably the long-awaited release of director Wong Kar-Wai‘s biopictoral martial arts action romance epic, The Grandmaster. Starring actor Tony Leung in the prolific role of late martial arts pugilist and Wing Chun master, Ip Man, the film is Wong‘s most expensive project to date, following an arduous production between its announcement in 2008 and its installment of three different versions for China and Hong Kong, its premiere at the 63rd annual Berlin International Film Festival and finally in North America between January and August 2013. The film has been the recipient of dozens of awards and nominations ever since, and has been the subject of a 3D conversion by Vancouver-based top-tier Hollywood conversion company, Gener8 Media Corp. in conjuntion with distribution by […]

Indiegogo Alert: Help Fund The New American Kung Fu Feature SHAOLIN WING CHUN: A NEW BEGINNING

Lee B. Golden III

Artists from virtually all walks of life continue to thrive on social media to gain a foothold of potential online fans to garner an audience. And with Indiegogo being one of the most useful and beneficial means to do so, this movement continues to remain prolific for filmmakers, especially those fond of martial arts action cinema. Such is the case with independent filmmaker and producer Roderick Powell who is looking to take his craft to what’s being designated as a “Shaw Brothers-style” cinematic love letter to action star Donnie Yen’s trendsetting 2008/2010 performance as Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the form of Shaolin Wing Chun: A New Beginning. And accordingly, writer and producer Erik Bernard has taken to a new Indiegogo campaign video for their new project to help fund their newest creation and continue to bring martial arts action cinema to life. The official Indiegogo platform for the […]

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The New U.S. Trailer For THE GRANDMASTERS Is Online

Lee B. Golden III

With the biographical storytelling of the late legendary Wing Chun master, Ip Man, now having gone mainstream with several films and television installations, it would likely make sense that the biggest selling point in the new U.S. trailer for The Grandmasters would be showcasing martial artist and actor Cung Le. So, this is pretty much the case here. Other than that, the entire thing is pretty much a re-broadcast of the teaser that many viewers of the teaser from several yeara ago have already seen: Tony Leung Ka-Fai in character, battling a dozen or so baddies in the rain in the dark of night amidst a whirlwind of total Wing Chun smacketh down. Yeah, if you’re like me and the many, MANY others who have seen that footage before, you probably just want to see the movie already. And I don’t blame you. And that day will come courtesy of […]

THE GRANDMASTERS Gets Full Distribution And A Release Date

Lee B. Golden III

Five years in the making, writer, producer and director Wong Kar-Wai’s latest cinematic entry into the history of Ip Man movies, The Grandmasters, will finally see its way to a bigger audience in the latest circulated report from City On Fire via Indiewire and Exhibitor Relations. The reports indicates The Weinstein Company has acquired the rights to distribute the film, and has set an official wide release date for August 23, 2013. The film, stars Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Zhang Ziyi, Song Hye-kyo and Chang Chen, with a screenplay co-written by Wong, along with Zou Jingzhi and Xu Haofeng, and produced by Megan Ellison and Ng See-Yuen, with action choreography by Yuen Woo-Ping. The Grandmasters endured a long production stint which saw the film acquire of up to four hours of material, evidently cut down to two hours, along with additional edits prior to its pushed back release. China finally got […]

The New IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT Trailer Brings All Smiles

Lee B. Golden III

Beyond Hollywood recently forwarded a new trailer to promote the premiere of Ip Man: The Final Fight at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival. The trailer features a more different tone than can be seen in previous trailers, illustrating the latest directorial take on Ip Man’s life and legacy from filmmaker Herman Yau with a little more subtlety and charisma than a grim and dramatic actioner. Sure, the film will definitely have its share of action, no doubt about it. The trailer, though, evokes a sense of openess in its push for an audience. And I have read in previous articles that this upcoming film will be a lot more inclusive with dialogue and acting rather than lots of action. To be conclusive, I would not worry at all. Besides, I do not know about the rest of you, but I like the 1950’s quirkiness of this one. At […]

New BTS Footage From IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT

Lee B. Golden III

Twitch has shared a new behind the scenes featurette for Herman Yau’s latest directorial involvment with the Ip Man films, IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT. The footage is only a few minutes and is only in Chinese, but worth the watch if you’re a fan. The film is currently slated to kick off the Hong Kong International Film Festival this Sunday, March 17, 2013, with a theatrical release in Hong Kong and Singapore on March 28. (CLICK HERE TO WIN PASSES BEFORE MARCH 20, 2013) SYNOPSIS: Starring Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang and Gillian Chung, the film takes place in postwar Hong Kong, where legendary Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man is reluctantly called into action once more, when what begin as simple challenges from rival kung fu styles soon draw him into the dark and dangerous underworld of the Triads. Now, to defend life and honor, he has no choice but […]

The Latest News On IP MAN: THE FINAL FIGHT

Lee B. Golden III

(Poster Source: Martial Arts Movie Junkie) Several reports this week so far reveal new details about Herman Yau’s new film, Ip Man: The Final Fight starring Anthony Wong Chau Sang, Eric Tsang, Huang Yi, Jordan Chan and Gillian Chung. The film is the latest in a lineage of film and tv projects from several directors based on the late grandmaster of Wing Chun and well-known master of late iconic martial arts action film legend, Bruce Lee. Twitchfilm reported that Ip Man: The Final Fight is set to open this year’s 37th annual Hong Kong International Film Festival, among 300 other titles including Ronny Yu‘s latest film, Saving General Yang. The film is an unofficial follow-up from Herman Yau’s 2010 project, Ip Man: The Legend Is Born, which starred Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, Lam Suet, Bernice Liu, Fan Siu-Wong and also, Ip Man’s eldest son, Ip Chun. Wong’s career spans […]