ip man 3

Max Zhang To Reprise Role For IP MAN Spin-Off Movie

Well into the month of May and with Cannes currently underway, it’s likely that a fourth Ip Man movie may ruminating among those in charge. Details on those efforts remain otherwise pending, though it does signal something worthwhile since Wilson Yip’s latest treatment in the franchise, Ip Man 3, became a theatrical hit throughout Asia earlier this year – box office controversies be damned. The film’s success ultimately catalyzed the proliferation of its main star Donnie Yen, whose continuous portrayal of the once-living purveyor and ‘Grandmaster’ of Wing Chun continues to endure as a headliner for kung fu fanatics. Moreover, the epic story build up between his role and that of co-star Max Zhang remains one of the most resonating dichotomies ever illustrated on film, and assuredly leading up to one of the most admired (and noticeably most pirated if you’re an avid internet user) fight finales ever shot on […]

IP MAN 3 Review: Of Masters And Men

Lee B. Golden III

Confession. I got a thing about legends. About legendary people who walked this earth, who had humble, otherwise ordinary beginnings (and perhaps, where some are concerned, lived their entire lives under the premise of this deceptive obscurity only to enjoy posthumous historical glory) but went on to achieve so much during their time on this Earth that their influence spans out for generations and generations, influencing culture (multi-culture) as it appears before us today – indeed, every day; a nameless, faceless, unisex deity. We just lost Prince, you see. Bare with me. For it is with a great deal of procrastination, anticipation, and fastidious intent that I arrive before Ip Man 3 for perusal and review; like watching the Beetles getting together, an artistic unity between producer Raymond Wong, writer Edmond Wong, action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping, a living legend in his own right, and director Wilson Yip to conclude the […]

Donnie Yen Announces FLASH POINT Sequel In Development

Lee B. Golden III

Courtesy Of Mandarin Films Distribution Co. Ltd. Hong Kong cinema saw a bit of a sea-change in the past decade, specifically with the release of the 2005 crime thriller, Sha Po Lang. The film, also starring Simon Yam, Wu Jing and Sammo Hung, would mark the first of a four-film journey between action star Donnie Yen and director Wilson Yip as the former would commence the next level of his craft into the world of MMA-branded fight choreography. With this, it was Donnie Yen’s signature film at the time for a new era of martial arts cinema with the 2008 cop thriller, Flash Point, following suit. The film portrayed Yen as a tough Hong Kong Cop in pursuit of a nefarious Vietnamese gang led by actor and martial arts star Collin Chou, and ultimately continued the foreground in what perpetually became one of the single, most memorable fight sequences in […]

Screener Review: IP MAN 3 (2016)

Lee B. Golden III

The past year or so has been quite a journey in observing the various headlines surrounding the production of director Wilson Yip’s newest film, Ip Man 3, along with my own. Going into this movie, it was very refreshing to see action star Donnie Yen back in the role that has done him so well for nearly eight years, and especially to see him reunite with someone like Yuen Woo-Ping who helped punt his career more than thirty years ago. That said, an Ip Man film is not something you go into lightly. Yes, I say this even as the franchise, at current, blurs the line between fact and fiction here and there, so as to present the once living Wing Chun master in almost folkloric fashion. Things like that haven’t sat well with a handful of fans who are more keen on a cerebral, existential approach to Man’s historical […]

[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 […]

Watch Well Go USA's Final Trailer For IP MAN 3

Lee B. Golden III

Action star Donnie Yen is back in the fray this year with director Wilson Yip for one potentially last kung fu stint in the new overseas hit, Ip Man 3. As such, our title character, loosely inspired by the life and times of the once-living Wing Chun grandmaster and teacher of Bruce Lee, has his hands full in this latest installment. Mike Tyson, in the role of a ruthless property developer with a panache for Western boxing, wants to see whose fists are the fastest. Max Zhang, who serviced nicely in Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster and recently in Soi Cheang’s SPL 2, wants to see whose Wing Chun is the greatest. Egos will be tested and brusies will be had in what could notably be Yen’s exit from the kung fu genre while still making action films. As such, having the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping and his team at the forefront […]

Ready For IP MAN 3? Here Are A Few Lessons In Wing Chun

Lee B. Golden III

Star Wars fans may be eagerly awaiting action star Donnie Yen to get his turn at intergalactic action this December in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Nevertheless, Ip Man 3 is as much the hype these days with impressive box office returns in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore making headlines, thus validating how strong the Force is in other areas of film. As such, we’re still bound for a release on January 22 in limited theaters and Well Go USA isn’t resting solely on overseas success to help sell. Having an idea here about they operate, their latest promo may be the first of several to roll out online featuring Yen in his element, and this time it’s all about how to gun people down with sick Wing Chun fisticuffs. Well Go USA has done a lot of these promos for Yen actioners, and they’re pretty good at it. […]

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FIVE A DAY: Here Are Five More Titles To Look Up In 2016!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s Tuesday, and that means I have five more titles to offer as my top list of titles I’ve rounded down to as priority for 2016, and as you’re about to see, this one’s for the Donnie and Sammo fans. You can click here to view Monday’s first five, and remember that these are in no way listed in any particular order. That said, I also can’t mention action star Donnie Yen’s name just once in today’s list as he has at least three titles pending in 2016. The biggest and most long-awaited of them is director Yuen Woo-Ping’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny, which premieres in limited theaters and on Netflix in February, 15 years after Ang Lee’s award-winning first. The Chinese and U.S. (Netflix) trailers both leave their own impressions but otherwise serve appealing glimpses into a production that primarily reunites three of Hong Kong Cinema’s […]

Donnie Yen: "I Still Have A Little Fire Left In Me"

Lee B. Golden III

Well that was pretty quick. Nevertheless it was also quite necessary, especially when talk of retirement for a fan-favorite film actor comes into play, and especially if said actor is martial arts action star Donnie Yen. Still with a few films left through 2016, Yen is currently making the rounds to promote his latest kung fu threequel, Ip Man 3, and with respect to past statements, also acknowledging it as his last martial arts film. That said, Yen graced readers of South China Morning Post with a little clarity in a recent article published on Monday. “I still have a lot of fire in me to make contemporary action movies,” Yen states. “They’re different from kung fu movies because the fights are not as protracted. But it’s still a form of expression for martial arts. I really want to keep going in this regard. I still have a lot of […]

Donnie Yen Talks Life After IP MAN 3 And More

Lee B. Golden III

All the talk that’s been heard about martial arts star Donnie Yen possibly retiring from martial arts films may sound like rhetoric to some fans who are skeptical ahead of the forthcoming release of Ip Man 3. For the man himself though, it’s very much certain despite whatever may happen, and he expanded on this and much more in a recent interview with Time Out Hong Kong. “It’s definitely intended to be my last one, but you know, we can’t predict what’s going on in the future, right?” said Yen, before adding “I have every intention in my mind that it’s going to be my last martial arts movie. It’s really hard. As an actor, I want to move on. I understand that the world changes, so I can’t guarantee ‘never’, but I definitely consider this is my last heroic martial arts kung fu movie.” Yen went forward in citing […]

IP MAN 3 Enters The 1950's With New Character Posters

Lee B. Golden III

For as long as nearly anyone can remember, the folks over at Well Go USA are all-in when it comes to Asian cinema of the action variety. As such, they’re here to remind you of exactly that with the forthcoming release of the new film, Ip Man 3, featuring action star and actor Donnie Yen who has carried the role for up to seven years and put all sorts of Wing Chun ass-kickery on the map in spades. Lynn Xiong joins as Ip Man’s wife along with a much more diverse cast that broadens the universe of good guys and baddies in the martial world that our title hero has to face, namely including former Heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. Max Zhang also stars as the principle antagonist we will likely see in the final fight opposite Yen in a story that pits our mild-mannered grandmaster against local Triads, courrpt […]

Watch The Final Trailer For IP MAN 3

Lee B. Golden III

What with all the talk of marital arts action star Donnie Yen possibly retiring from films in the upcoming months after Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, there’s probably a lot riding on his latest film with director Wilson Yip, Ip Man 3. As it stands however, the franchise is already a major success with plenty of momentum, having established itself quite nicely with a meaty roster of Hong Kong film legends like Sammo Hung, Fung Hak-On and the late Darren Shahlavi. Here and now, we come full circle with a series of new challenges for our title character loosely based on the life of the legendary Wing Chun Grandmaster as he takes on the local triads, a corrupt businessman and his Thai hitman, and a fellow Wing Chun purveyor with a bone to pick against our protagonist. Yuen Woo-Ping styles the action for this explosive finale, and more than […]