People are too hung up on the title of the grandmaster that they totally missed the message this movie was going for. According to wong kar wai it is a state of being. The one to complete their journey and reach that state is gong er's father and ipman. Gong er gave up martial art for revenge so she could never reach that state. People in this movie all live their lives to a certain extend as martial artists, and this is what make them different from normal people.
Great review, not everyone will like this type of movie, but those who do will appreciate the attention to details this director was going for, it could be boring to some viewers, but if u have the patience to sit through it, it does deliver on the marial art as well as the emotional impact.
I just love Zhang Ziyi. Her on screen presence is immaculate and captivating. I also really like Tony Leung too. Unfortunately he's underrated. He was really awesome in INFERNAL AFFAIRS (the original version before The Departed). Both actors are simply great to watch on screen.
When I saw the trailer I was immediately intrigued and captivated by the artistry in the scenes. They way the rain fell and bounced off of the fighters, the ballet like movies and off course the power behind the beauty that laid the guys on the floor. Jaw dropping. I love foreign films and some of my most memorable were Chinese so even if this is not like a typical Western film, it is not a deterrent to going.
Grace I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY, encourage watching the Ip Man 1 and 2 with Donnie Yen. It has action to keep you entertained but has better story telling. Also I think Donnie Yen played a great casual Ip Man. Haha he was almost like Clark Kent in the sense that he's very mild mannered but springs into action when needed. Also those movies weren't just about action or about Ip Man, they tried to potray equality but through martial arts. They're really good pick them up sometime at Redbox :)
Yes, The Legend Is Born is a prequel to the Donnie Yen movies. Kwok Lam Sin, who was a producer on the first Ip Man movie starring Donnie Yen, produced The Legend Is Born and Ip Man The Final Fight. That is the reason one movie is called "The Legend Is Born" and the movie that takes place with Ip Man as a much older man is called "The Final Fight". They are meant to be the beginning and end of the series starring Donnie Yen.
I am not sure which version you saw but I suspect it was the highly edited English version. (Almost 30 minutes were edited out for American audiences) If possible, I strongly recommend viewing the original full Chinese cut. You might change your view of the film. www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/grandmaster-review-kung-fu-legend-ip-man/ www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/movies/the-grandmaster-wong-kar-wais-new-film.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1381852592-89xdTl2hBG1hx8f/eoSZCg&pagewanted=1&pagewanted=all&
I haven't seen Grandmaster yet, but I just ordered it. I have, however, seen Ip Man 1 and 2 (and half of 3) and am curious to see how they differ from this newer version, in both storytelling and action style.
Hangeng! Holy shit! I used to be a fan of his years ago but I totally lost track of his career when he went back to China! Woah, man, this is awesome for him, I'm glad his career is taking of! Also, this trailer looks incredible! :D
If one is to discuss Won Kar Wai's movies, one cannot over look his greatest film by far, imho, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. That stands head and shoulders above all as his best film. It is gorgeous and haunting.
Grace, I'll be honest, I had no idea who any of these people were a t the beginning of this video, Wong Kar Wai, Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang- I was kind of like...who? But I have to say, I know them now, and I think as the world of movies becomes more global, more people will know these names too. Thanks for Wong Kar Wai 101 Grace, keep it up!
I'm such a huge fan of Ziyi Zhang, she always does a great job no matter the role, with movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers and Memoirs of a Geisha, the girl has proven that she can act and kick some serious ass, I'm so sad that she never became a global movie star but maybe her breakthrough is coming!
Also, could you review more indie and foreign films? I've seen some good movies on cable that I've never heard of because there just wasn't any publicity, for instance, an Ang Lee movie with Tony Leung, 'Lust, Caution?' (Although that did get an NC-17 rating...)
Hong Kong is huge on there street fighting. especially during the 40s through 70s. you could say that was the golden age of martial art street fights in hong kong
(part 1) I was able to see this movie on a cable channel called RED, which is a sister channel of HBO. To be honest there are a couple of things that confused me philosophy wise but the situations, events, and action scenes kept me interested. I think the metaphors they used did not translate well. On a side note: Fur coats made me sad though, I hope they used faux fur.
After watching the movie tonight I did felt that the story should have focus more on gong since its her story arc. It was a lot more artsy the the original ip man movie
Its about living within a social caste. primogenetor still exist, she couldn't inherit her fathers school simply based on her sex andf she followed through on vengeance, should would've been a marked woman.which is simply allowed with the construct of the world they live in to ever each.No man will touch her, she gave up her Fiance and her prospects for everything else to gain back her family's honor. In a sense the title really refers to her. She's lives the life of kung fu at her own expense.
I like Donnie Yen. However this looks cool too. It's just that they put too much "action movie" into this. Ip Man 1 and 2 were exaggerated but not completely to this extent. However I'll probably see it though just because I'm a sucker for martial arts
It's been out here for a while. Very good movie. It has an artistic quality that cannot be denied, yet the action parts... Sheer beauty. I am currently a fervent adept of Kenpo and Muay Thai (kick boxing in general) and I have to say that this movie made me much more intrigued regarding Chinese internal arts such as Xing Yi and Bagua. There is a docu out there on the webs that shows the years long training the actors had to endure to make this movie... Brutal, to say the least. Check it out.
IMO, I think it's a romantic notion - in the same way we in America romanticize aspects of our culture in films that are centered around our history (particularly in war related mainstream films).
Grace I'am a big fan of your but I often feel you under estimate american's love of Asian inspired entertainment. You've Made similar comments to the kanji and mecha genre. Americans are embracing Korean dramas. Japanese anime and other Asian entertainment. But the main thing lacking for this movie is publicity.
(part 2) Spoiler Alert Ahead w/ Questions: Somebody please explain to me the move about the monkey hanging a robe and the important part is looking back, Google cannot even generate the line used for that so I cannot quote it properly). I don't understand why Gong Ruomei aka. Gong Er has to vow to never teach, marry or have children her entire life in order to choose the path of vengeance, I mean it's possible to at least teach martial arts while pursuing Ma San.
I do like narrativly unique films, so this might be a good watch for me. There is an issue, with these sorts fo bifuaxographies, where there is a good ammount of liberty taken with the story (a number of Bruce Lee stories have the random martial arts battles breaking out in China as well) but if you seperate the story from the reality it can be fun, but you may get sideward glances afterwards from those who know the true biography.
This movie is more about Ziyi Zhang's character than it is about Ip Man. In fact, I think that if the movie was specifically made about her character (less Ip Man) I would have enjoyed it more. As a Wing Chun Instructor twice removed from Ip Man, I was highly disappointed with this film. If you want a great Ip Man movie outside of the Donnie Yen franchise, I suggest watching Ip Man: The Final Fight. That movie puts this one to shame. JMHO.
there is not a three yet the movie you are thinking is not a sequel to donnie yen ip man movies but it is a prelude to ip man final fight movie , confusing i know
For a martial artist this movie is hard to beat, the actors trained for 2 years in thier styles and most of the fight scenes the basic techniques are utlized above fancy make believe(though not always). So i disagree.
The movie series that starred Donnie Yen as Ip Man has two more movies. A prequel called "The Legend Is Born Ip Man" which Funimation released in the U.S. on DVD and Blu Ray and a movie that takes place in Ip's later years called "Ip Man The Final Fight" which will be released in theaters in limited release in the U.S. by WellGoUSA later this month also. Here is WellGoUSA's teaser for "Ip Man The Final Fight": /watch?v=SKRQpmPpPug
More like American teens/youths are embracing Korean drama and Japanese anime. Honestly the box numbers for Asian media speaks for themselves. It's a crappy deal but that's the way it is. Hollywood hasn't had a strong Asian male lead since Bruce Lee.. maybe Jackie Chan. Best bet right now for Asian cinema is for Hollywood to keep remaking Eastern hits like Oldboy or Internal Affairs.
Maybe Asia will make movies more diverse. More female characters without relying on sex appeal and different race. Someday they might even overtake Hollywood in film making. Just my opinion though.
different film franchise Hong Kong film bussiness did what hollywood does release similar movies i.e deep impact and armageddon, snow white and the huntsman. the only slight difference is the all based on one man the is six with donnie yen finishing out his trilogy what i hear from the Grand master movie it was in pre production before donnie yens movie there is the legend is born and its sequel ip man the final fight
The legend is born is not a prequel to donnie yen ip man movies aldo it does have ip chun ip man sons sammo hung yuien biao from the wing chun/prodigal son movies and TV series , i know it is confusing but it is the truth :)
I saw the film and love wing chun and tai chi are such great martrial arts that help one i life and on the film i just love it i watch alot of asian films and i love it also watch #ManOf TaiChi with kuraena reeves it was cool
Sorry. I just really really didn't like 2. But it's okay if you do, nothing against everyone else who liked 2. While the fighting was great, I wished they did it more like 1 with less wire-fu, and the overacting from the caricatured Caucasian villians really irritated me. I loved 1 because it was more down to earth, but 2 was far too flashy for me. There's really no point in both of us trying to convince each other that we should change our subjective tastes. But you asked me, so...
People are too hung up on the title of the grandmaster that they totally missed the message this movie was going for. According to wong kar wai it is a state of being. The one to complete their journey and reach that state is gong er's father and ipman. Gong er gave up martial art for revenge so she could never reach that state. People in this movie all live their lives to a certain extend as martial artists, and this is what make them different from normal people.
Great review, not everyone will like this type of movie, but those who do will appreciate the attention to details this director was going for, it could be boring to some viewers, but if u have the patience to sit through it, it does deliver on the marial art as well as the emotional impact.
I just love Zhang Ziyi. Her on screen presence is immaculate and captivating. I also really like Tony Leung too. Unfortunately he's underrated. He was really awesome in INFERNAL AFFAIRS (the original version before The Departed). Both actors are simply great to watch on screen.
WKW first caught my interest when he directed a short film in BMW's "The Hire" series about 10 years ago. Definitely a good pickup!
When I saw the trailer I was immediately intrigued and captivated by the artistry in the scenes. They way the rain fell and bounced off of the fighters, the ballet like movies and off course the power behind the beauty that laid the guys on the floor. Jaw dropping. I love foreign films and some of my most memorable were Chinese so even if this is not like a typical Western film, it is not a deterrent to going.
Grace I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY, encourage watching the Ip Man 1 and 2 with Donnie Yen. It has action to keep you entertained but has better story telling. Also I think Donnie Yen played a great casual Ip Man. Haha he was almost like Clark Kent in the sense that he's very mild mannered but springs into action when needed. Also those movies weren't just about action or about Ip Man, they tried to potray equality but through martial arts. They're really good pick them up sometime at Redbox :)
It opens August 23rd here in the US, so there's still some hope! :)
- Grace
Zhang Ziyi has been in several Chinese martial art movies, as well as Rush Hour. She is very successful in China
Yes, The Legend Is Born is a prequel to the Donnie Yen movies. Kwok Lam Sin, who was a producer on the first Ip Man movie starring Donnie Yen, produced The Legend Is Born and Ip Man The Final Fight. That is the reason one movie is called "The Legend Is Born" and the movie that takes place with Ip Man as a much older man is called "The Final Fight". They are meant to be the beginning and end of the series starring Donnie Yen.
I am not sure which version you saw but I suspect it was the highly edited English version. (Almost 30 minutes were edited out for American audiences) If possible, I strongly recommend viewing the original full Chinese cut. You might change your view of the film.
www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/grandmaster-review-kung-fu-legend-ip-man/
www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/movies/the-grandmaster-wong-kar-wais-new-film.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1381852592-89xdTl2hBG1hx8f/eoSZCg&pagewanted=1&pagewanted=all&
I haven't seen Grandmaster yet, but I just ordered it. I have, however, seen Ip Man 1 and 2 (and half of 3) and am curious to see how they differ from this newer version, in both storytelling and action style.
Hangeng! Holy shit! I used to be a fan of his years ago but I totally lost track of his career when he went back to China! Woah, man, this is awesome for him, I'm glad his career is taking of!
Also, this trailer looks incredible! :D
If one is to discuss Won Kar Wai's movies, one cannot over look his greatest film by far, imho, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. That stands head and shoulders above all as his best film. It is gorgeous and haunting.
Grace, I'll be honest, I had no idea who any of these people were a t the beginning of this video, Wong Kar Wai, Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang- I was kind of like...who? But I have to say, I know them now, and I think as the world of movies becomes more global, more people will know these names too. Thanks for Wong Kar Wai 101 Grace, keep it up!
i agree watched that movie two days ago it was better than i thought may i ask what is your lineage mine is through wong shun leung by nino bearndo
Did you happen to catch the original poster's user name?
I'm such a huge fan of Ziyi Zhang, she always does a great job no matter the role, with movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers and Memoirs of a Geisha, the girl has proven that she can act and kick some serious ass, I'm so sad that she never became a global movie star but maybe her breakthrough is coming!
YES YES... LOVE.. A director that both my father and I can like for completely different reasons.
Was there a trailer for this movie?
Great Review.
Zhang Ziyi is actually pronounced Zhang Zi Yi. It's actually made up of 3 words/ syllables
Zhang Ziyi is pretty impressive. Give her a franchise!
is it going to be in English or have subtitles?
hey grace, did u see the new trailer for captain philips
I have the utmost respect for WSL. He was a gem among Ip Man's students. My lineage is Jiu Wan.
Also, could you review more indie and foreign films? I've seen some good movies on cable that I've never heard of because there just wasn't any publicity, for instance, an Ang Lee movie with Tony Leung, 'Lust, Caution?' (Although that did get an NC-17 rating...)
Yes he is a former member. But there was a lot controversy behind his reasons to leave and stuff.
the movie 2046 is awesome too, and Faye Wong is charming in Chungking Express, ---how could you not mention those?
Hong Kong is huge on there street fighting. especially during the 40s through 70s. you could say that was the golden age of martial art street fights in hong kong
I can't believe I didn't mention that one. Yes indeed. Ip Man: The Legend is Born is excellent. Thanks!
Grace , Tony Leung won Cannes Best Actor in 2000. He is a very good actor like you say. You should definitely check out the movie "2046"
I don't know what Eastern aspect? but I really liked Tampopo with all it's randomness, so is this narrative style like that?
zhang ziyi is absolutely stunning in this movie..Love her...
I have a question Grace, did you see it in english dubbed, or subbed?! I'm wondering if they dubbed it.
(part 1) I was able to see this movie on a cable channel called RED, which is a sister channel of HBO. To be honest there are a couple of things that confused me philosophy wise but the situations, events, and action scenes kept me interested. I think the metaphors they used did not translate well.
On a side note: Fur coats made me sad though, I hope they used faux fur.
After watching the movie tonight I did felt that the story should have focus more on gong since its her story arc. It was a lot more artsy the the original ip man movie
Its about living within a social caste. primogenetor still exist, she couldn't inherit her fathers school simply based on her sex andf she followed through on vengeance, should would've been a marked woman.which is simply allowed with the construct of the world they live in to ever each.No man will touch her, she gave up her Fiance and her prospects for everything else to gain back her family's honor. In a sense the title really refers to her. She's lives the life of kung fu at her own expense.
Shang ziyi is under appreciated for her work in memoirs of a geisha
So... Did she even see the Ip Man from 2008? Because that had a great story, with a lot less flash. Oh, and did I mention it was educational?
Wasn't Hangeng from Super Junior?
I like Donnie Yen. However this looks cool too. It's just that they put too much "action movie" into this. Ip Man 1 and 2 were exaggerated but not completely to this extent. However I'll probably see it though just because I'm a sucker for martial arts
It's been out here for a while. Very good movie. It has an artistic quality that cannot be denied, yet the action parts... Sheer beauty. I am currently a fervent adept of Kenpo and Muay Thai (kick boxing in general) and I have to say that this movie made me much more intrigued regarding Chinese internal arts such as Xing Yi and Bagua. There is a docu out there on the webs that shows the years long training the actors had to endure to make this movie... Brutal, to say the least. Check it out.
IMO, I think it's a romantic notion - in the same way we in America romanticize aspects of our culture in films that are centered around our history (particularly in war related mainstream films).
Hey Grace, are you a fan of the Kung-fu genre in general, or is it just this film that you like?
Grace, people as wealthy as Megan don't need to make a profit, they can simple produce art. Which reflects the theme of Grandmaster after all.
This movie isn't showing at my cinema. :( Sometimes living in Jersey is a real pain.
So an artsy martial arts movie, I'm in; let's do this.
Grace I'am a big fan of your but I often feel you under estimate american's love of Asian inspired entertainment. You've Made similar comments to the kanji and mecha genre. Americans are embracing Korean dramas. Japanese anime and other Asian entertainment. But the main thing lacking for this movie is publicity.
I'm definitely going to see it. Not in theatres though.
Really enjoyed the first IP Man looking forward to seeing this
(part 2) Spoiler Alert Ahead w/ Questions:
Somebody please explain to me the move about the monkey hanging a robe and the important part is looking back, Google cannot even generate the line used for that so I cannot quote it properly). I don't understand why Gong Ruomei aka. Gong Er has to vow to never teach, marry or have children her entire life in order to choose the path of vengeance, I mean it's possible to at least teach martial arts while pursuing Ma San.
I'll watch it for Zhang Ziyi alone :P
I LOVE HER
What happened to Donnie Yen? Why was he kicked from this franchise?
Thanks! :)
I do like narrativly unique films, so this might be a good watch for me. There is an issue, with these sorts fo bifuaxographies, where there is a good ammount of liberty taken with the story (a number of Bruce Lee stories have the random martial arts battles breaking out in China as well) but if you seperate the story from the reality it can be fun, but you may get sideward glances afterwards from those who know the true biography.
They're both on Netflix as well.
The Grandmaster this story is wonderful the fighting the way of it just so strong i like it
This movie is more about Ziyi Zhang's character than it is about Ip Man. In fact, I think that if the movie was specifically made about her character (less Ip Man) I would have enjoyed it more. As a Wing Chun Instructor twice removed from Ip Man, I was highly disappointed with this film. If you want a great Ip Man movie outside of the Donnie Yen franchise, I suggest watching Ip Man: The Final Fight. That movie puts this one to shame. JMHO.
Zizy Zhang Was also in House of Flying Daggers
Man, they really need to to make an Ip Man 3!!!
While i haven't seen Crouching Tiger, i thought Zhang was great in Hero and Rush Hour 2 :) .
What about a HBO TV show on the previous 73 Hunger Games!?
there is not a three yet the movie you are thinking is not a sequel to donnie yen ip man movies but it is a prelude to ip man final fight movie , confusing i know
Why is Hollywood casting Fan Bing Bing in super hero movies and not courting Zhang Ziyi who is amazing!!??
definitely i'm going to see this movie grandmaster!
DUDE. . I SOOOO AGREE WITH YOU AND I WISH I WOULD'VE SEEN THIS COMMENT SOONER!! UGHGHGHGHG
i hope i doing this correctly. if not... meh.
american outlaws is to the assassination of jesse james as ip man is to the grandmaster.
Has Grace's voice changed since she first started making videos? I think it has.
Zhang Ziyi has been in other great movies like The House of the Flying Daggers or Hero
I think mixed results are better than generic results.
Ip Man 1 & 2 are really good movies :)
grace can you please review Vlogumentary trailer
For a martial artist this movie is hard to beat, the actors trained for 2 years in thier styles and most of the fight scenes the basic techniques are utlized above fancy make believe(though not always). So i disagree.
The movie series that starred Donnie Yen as Ip Man has two more movies. A prequel called "The Legend Is Born Ip Man" which Funimation released in the U.S. on DVD and Blu Ray and a movie that takes place in Ip's later years called "Ip Man The Final Fight" which will be released in theaters in limited release in the U.S. by WellGoUSA later this month also.
Here is WellGoUSA's teaser for "Ip Man The Final Fight": /watch?v=SKRQpmPpPug
More like American teens/youths are embracing Korean drama and Japanese anime. Honestly the box numbers for Asian media speaks for themselves. It's a crappy deal but that's the way it is. Hollywood hasn't had a strong Asian male lead since Bruce Lee.. maybe Jackie Chan. Best bet right now for Asian cinema is for Hollywood to keep remaking Eastern hits like Oldboy or Internal Affairs.
The way you talked about The Grandmaster made it seem like you haven't seen much Wong Kar Wai at all....
zhang is her last name.
I think I will watch Ip Man on Netflix now..
Sounds like a great film in general.
Noooooo! Donnie Yen was incredible in Ip Man, but I do love me son Ziyi Zhang or Zhang Ziyi for trolls!
Maybe Asia will make movies more diverse. More female characters without relying on sex appeal and different race. Someday they might even overtake Hollywood in film making. Just my opinion though.
different film franchise Hong Kong film bussiness did what hollywood does release similar movies i.e deep impact and armageddon, snow white and the huntsman. the only slight difference is the all based on one man the is six with donnie yen finishing out his trilogy what i hear from the Grand master movie it was in pre production before donnie yens movie there is the legend is born and its sequel ip man the final fight
The legend is born is not a prequel to donnie yen ip man movies aldo it does have ip chun ip man sons sammo hung yuien biao from the wing chun/prodigal son movies and TV series , i know it is confusing but it is the truth :)
I saw the film and love wing chun and tai chi are such great martrial arts that help one i life and on the film i just love it i watch alot of asian films and i love it also watch #ManOf TaiChi with kuraena reeves it was cool
Looks pretty cool.
Sorry. I just really really didn't like 2. But it's okay if you do, nothing against everyone else who liked 2. While the fighting was great, I wished they did it more like 1 with less wire-fu, and the overacting from the caricatured Caucasian villians really irritated me. I loved 1 because it was more down to earth, but 2 was far too flashy for me. There's really no point in both of us trying to convince each other that we should change our subjective tastes. But you asked me, so...
SHANG ZIYI is great in HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
Donnie yen has trained in wing chun for more than 2 years he also does many other forms of martial arts. 2 years is nothing in terms of training.
NICELY SAID love donnie yen ip man
Soo.... You used to stand.
I agree with Mario U, you underestimate the number of American fans.......
Hangeng in Transformers?.????
If it isn't Donnie Yen then I pass. I watched this and it was not as good as the Donnie Yen movies.
Wing Chun baby!!
donnie yen is making his own ip man movie sequel called master coming in 2014
Where in god sake is Donnie Yen?
I want Donny yen back.
Nice complete review
Looks good...
In the mood for love.
HI GRACE:)
Looks awesome