View Full Version : The Grandmasters
Milkyway
02-16-2009, 02:06 PM
Leading Asian stars to converge in HK for entertainment expo
HONG KONG: Leading players in Asia's entertainment scene are set to converge in Hong Kong at the end of March for the fifth Hong Kong Film and Entertainment Expo.
Despite the global economic slowdown, veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who is the expo's ambassador, has promised to attract global investment to the city's film industry.
He said: "My feelings are the same as last year - I'm very happy to see the Entertainment Expo improving year by year. Everyone here seems to have a lot of faith in me, allowing me to continue to do my job."
Leung, who starred in John Woo's "Red Cliff", is vying for top honours alongside Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea" and Chen Kaige's "Forever Enthralled" at this year's Asian Film Awards, which is part of the expo.
The actor also revealed he is about to start filming in June on director Wong Kar Wai's biopic about Ip Man, the kungfu master who taught martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
He said: "We're at a very exciting stage now, in the middle of pre-production work. I'm working hard everyday, finding the character, doing physical kungfu training, and reading a lot about Ip Man himself."
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/408075/1/.html
Milkyway
02-27-2009, 01:36 AM
Jay Chou rejects the role as Bruce Lee
Owing to tight schedule, Taiwanese pop idol Jay Chou had to decline offer to cast as his own idol, Bruce Lee, in Wong Kar Wai's movie "The Grand Master".
Besides Wong's proposal, Wilson Yip, director of "Ip Man 2" has also specifically named Chou to take on the role as Bruce Lee in his movie; Chou's company JVR Music however commented that they have yet to received Yip's invite.
Chou's heavy involvement as director and male lead actor in his own sci-fi drama production "Panda Heroes" formed part of the reason why he could not take on Wong's movie. On the drama's press conference held in Taipei on Tuesday, he announced that several young artistes from Greater China would be casting in the drama, including his rumored girlfriend Jessie Jiang. "The female lead from Taiwan was decided internally. For China, I think Zhou Xun most fit the bill but she is too popular. A new face with long hair and big eyes is more manageable," he said.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/xin/20090219/ten-654-jay-chou-rejects-role-bruce-lee-3c1b9bc.html
Charuto
03-01-2009, 06:52 PM
Jay Chou rejects the role as Bruce Lee
Owing to tight schedule, Taiwanese pop idol Jay Chou had to decline offer to cast as his own idol, Bruce Lee, in Wong Kar Wai's movie "The Grand Master".
Et tu, WKW? Does Jay Chou really have something I'm not seeing? Both movies must REALLY be trying to play up the young punk angle on Bruce.
The Dragon
03-04-2009, 11:19 PM
Et tu, WKW? Does Jay Chou really have something I'm not seeing? Both movies must REALLY be trying to play up the young punk angle on Bruce.
Well, The Little Dragon was a young punk!
:nerd:
Yi-Long
03-05-2009, 12:03 AM
Bruce Lee was a teenager at the time he was studying WC in Yip Man's school. He should be played by a teenager, and not by some 20-something popstar.
edit: He's already 30 years old(!)
xianzai
03-05-2009, 02:06 AM
Et tu, WKW? Does Jay Chou really have something I'm not seeing?Have you seen his film (which he directed and starred in) Secret? It's good.
In any event, WKW is known for getting great performances out of his stars.
Charuto
03-05-2009, 04:47 AM
Have you seen his film (which he directed and starred in) Secret? It's good.
In any event, WKW is known for getting great performances out of his stars.
Surprisingly, a lot of people told me it was good. It didn't really interest me though. Jay Chou as a musician? Wow, I don't know if he's going to be able to pull that off. :D I'll put it on my list, but I'm still glad he's not playing Bruce.
EDIT: To be fair though, it's not like WKW only casts actors I like. I hate Karen Mok as much as I do any HK actor, but I still liked Fallen Angels.
Markgway
03-05-2009, 09:27 PM
Ip Man movies are like buses... none come along and then...
The Dragon
03-13-2009, 03:39 AM
Ip Man movies are like buses... none come along and then...
Same could be said of Donnie Yen performances.
:D
Yi-Long
03-13-2009, 01:10 PM
I'm just glad WKW is making a chinese movie again.
doug maverick
03-13-2009, 09:57 PM
whats the difference. if he makes a chinese film or english language film. their are no races barriers in art. my blue berry nights, while not good wasnt that bad either. not to mention that was an indie film not a big hollywood machine film so there were no studio execs saying you cant do this or that hampering wong, sorry to disappoint you. he just picked a horrible lead actress that was the one failure of that film. norah jones couldnt hold a candle let alone my attention in that film.
The Dragon
03-15-2009, 06:04 PM
Got a lot to live up to in terms of quality after Ip Man.
:l
Milkyway
07-14-2009, 04:20 PM
Tony Leung's Arm Broken during Kung Fu Training
Hong Kong actor Tony Leung broke his arm on Monday while practicing martial arts for his next film, "Grand Master".
Leung, who was cast as Ip Man in director Wong Kar-war's new project was practising a fight scene with several other kung fu practitioners. Both Leung and the others used their full strength to create an actual fight. However, Leung missed a kick from an opponent and his left arm was hit, according to a report on the web portal on.cc.
The "Lust, Caution" star is expected to recover in five to six weeks - the report quotes a doctor as saying.
"Grand Master", or "Yi Dai Zong Shi', is a biopic based on the life of Ip Man, who was internationally known as the master of the late kung fu star Bruce Lee. Filming is set to start in August or September, according to earlier reports. It is not yet known if the schedule will be delayed by the actor's injury.
At the end of last year, "Ip Man', a film with a similar subject featuring Donnie Yen as Ip Man, won both critical and box office success in China.
http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/07/14/1221s501253.htm
The Dragon
07-15-2009, 01:41 AM
Tony Leung's Arm Broken during Kung Fu Training
Hong Kong actor Tony Leung broke his arm on Monday while practicing martial arts for his next film, "Grand Master".
Leung, who was cast as Ip Man in director Wong Kar-war's new project was practising a fight scene with several other kung fu practitioners. Both Leung and the others used their full strength to create an actual fight. However, Leung missed a kick from an opponent and his left arm was hit, according to a report on the web portal on.cc.
The "Lust, Caution" star is expected to recover in five to six weeks - the report quotes a doctor as saying.
"Grand Master", or "Yi Dai Zong Shi', is a biopic based on the life of Ip Man, who was internationally known as the master of the late kung fu star Bruce Lee. Filming is set to start in August or September, according to earlier reports. It is not yet known if the schedule will be delayed by the actor's injury.
At the end of last year, "Ip Man', a film with a similar subject featuring Donnie Yen as Ip Man, won both critical and box office success in China.
http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/07/14/1221s501253.htm
"Never take your eyes off your opponent... Even when you block."
:xd:
Leung: Wong Kar-Wai's Kung Fu Biopic Action-Packed
Star says Wong Kar-wai's kung fu biopic will be action-packed
Hong Kong art-house filmmaker Wong Kar-wai is known for his slow, moody dramas, so when he announced his next project would be a kung fu flick, some were worried it would be more tears and talking than fists of fury.
But the film's star, Cannes-winning actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, admitted Tuesday that when filming of "The Grand Master" started, the action was so fast-paced that he "almost couldn't hang in there."
"This is a genuine kung fu movie," Leung said at a news conference, adding "there really will be many action scenes."
Leung is starring as the late Ip Man, a pioneer in promoting the wing chun style of kung fu who coached Bruce Lee in his teenage years. Wong's biopic is the second similar movie in recent years. Hong Kong director Wilson Yip's "Ip Man" was a hit in 2008, starring Donnie Yen.
Leung, however, promised it would be a very different take on the martial arts master.
It's guaranteed to be a sharp change in genre for Wong, whose films have drawn Hollywood admirers like Nicole Kidman and Sofia Coppola. His credits include "As Tears Go By," "Chungking Express," "Happy Together" and "In the Mood for Love." "Happy Together" won him best director at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
His most recent film was the 2007 English-language release "My Blueberry Nights." Wong's English debut marked singer Norah Jones' first movie and drew an ensemble cast featuring Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn and Natalie Portman.
"The Grand Master" is now shooting in China with a cast that also includes Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi and South Korean Song Hye-kyo.
Leung won best actor at Cannes in 2000 for playing a newspaper editor who has an affair with a married woman in "In the Mood for Love."
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9724040
lillippa328
02-02-2010, 05:57 PM
any release date
Previous reports state this summer but that's unlikely.
I see that as good news with Tony saying it would have many action scenes.
________
Vaporite Net Solo (http://vaporizer.org/reviews)
International posters
http://i0.sinaimg.cn/ent/m/c/2010-11-01/U3088P28T3D3131648F326DT20101101011742.jpg
http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2010-11/01/12722580_11n.jpg
http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2010-11/01/c_12722580.htm
http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-11-01/01173131648.shtml
OpiumKungFuCracker
11-01-2010, 02:37 AM
My most anticipated movie of the year or the next.. His movies look so gorgeous!!!
sen_pai
11-01-2010, 03:51 AM
Yeah, I look forward to this. His movies are really up there.
Space
11-01-2010, 04:28 AM
Got a lot to live up to in terms of quality after Ip Man.
:l
It'll probably look fantastic but I doubt that the kung fu lives up to Ip Man's.
Have never thought of Tony Leung as having any good martial skills.
Yi-Long
11-01-2010, 10:49 AM
It'll probably look fantastic but I doubt that the kung fu lives up to Ip Man's.
Have never thought of Tony Leung as having any good martial skills.
That's the beauty of Wing Chun: you can relatively quickly look like you know what you're doing. It's not like wushu where you have to jump 2 meters in the air while doing a split kick, or like Taekwonde where you can do spinning flipkicks and leg-holding and such.
I'm sure Tony Leung will have put in the hours to be able to make it look convincing :)
I'm really looking forward to this, also because it has the gorgeous Song-Hye Gyo in it....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/Yi-Long/song.jpg
Also, most WKW movie have a tremendous soundtrack (until he fucks them up in the 'Redux')
Very attractive posters. Will check this out for sure.
OpiumKungFuCracker
11-01-2010, 12:59 PM
That's the beauty of Wing Chun: you can relatively quickly look like you know what you're doing. It's not like wushu where you have to jump 2 meters in the air while doing a split kick, or like Taekwonde where you can do spinning flipkicks and leg-holding and such.
I'm sure Tony Leung will have put in the hours to be able to make it look convincing :)
I'm really looking forward to this, also because it has the gorgeous Song-Hye Gyo in it....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/Yi-Long/song.jpg
Also, most WKW movie have a tremendous soundtrack (until he fucks them up in the 'Redux')
Wow, she is smokin aces:tongue::tongue:... What memorable movie has she been in??
Drunken Monk
11-01-2010, 03:48 PM
I'm highly anticipating this but I really hope Yuen Woo Ping is back on form in regards to choreography. "True Legend" has its moments but I was surprised by the lackluster effort put into making the fights groundbreaking.
I feel that if Woo Ping keeps the choreography grounded and just gives it a realism-based flare, it could really be something special.
Yi-Long
11-01-2010, 04:16 PM
Wow, she is smokin aces:tongue::tongue:... What memorable movie has she been in??
She's mostly been in korean TV drama's I believe....
lillippa328
11-01-2010, 07:13 PM
I didnt know Woo Ping was doing the fights!!!Awsome!
tho im not to crazy about the headline....
"In Martial Arts there is no right or wrong, only the last man standing...."
who the hell thought of that dumb stereotypical catchphrase smh
blue_skies
11-01-2010, 08:28 PM
That girl is really gorgeous so at least with the film isn't much good I'm sure she'll keep any red-blooded man's attention!
I'm highly anticipating this but I really hope Yuen Woo Ping is back on form in regards to choreography. "True Legend" has its moments but I was surprised by the lackluster effort put into making the fights groundbreaking.
I feel that if Woo Ping keeps the choreography grounded and just gives it a realism-based flare, it could really be something special.
Not that I have seen True Legend but isn't it more worrying that he can't deliver with talented on screen martial artists and then be expected to deliver without.
daisho2004
11-01-2010, 09:01 PM
Looking forward to this movie.
AlbertV
11-01-2010, 10:02 PM
Twitch posted this and it looks like the title may be changed to THE GRANDMASTERS but it has Tony Leung in character as Yip Man.
http://twitchfilm.com/news/Grandmasters.jpg
Space
11-01-2010, 11:26 PM
That's the beauty of Wing Chun: you can relatively quickly look like you know what you're doing. It's not like wushu where you have to jump 2 meters in the air while doing a split kick, or like Taekwonde where you can do spinning flipkicks and leg-holding and such.
I'm sure Tony Leung will have put in the hours to be able to make it look convincing :)
True, he's a professional. There's also a lot of annoying tricks we've had to put up with in movies since the '90s that directors use to make mildly or unskilled people look like martial artists; i.e. MTV-style editing, close-ups, slow-mo, extreme undercranking, wires, extensive doubling...
Wait, Zhang Ziyi is in this?
Ugh.
AlbertV
11-02-2010, 07:55 PM
More posters for the American Film Market
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6fyaIP-cj0o/TM30kXAR7wI/AAAAAAAAYgU/Zg5FyolIF7A/s400/grandmasters+poster+afm3.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6fyaIP-cj0o/TM30k26Ck0I/AAAAAAAAYgY/iVblrsb7nRg/s400/grandmaster+poster+afm2.jpg
Scans from HK mag showing Wong Kar-wai and Song Hye Kyo discussing the film's photos/stills in a meeting. You can see Tony Leung and Song Hye Kyo in the enlarged bottom right pic.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2010-11/03/12731417_51n.jpg
Song Hye Kyo
http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2010-11/03/12731417_61n.jpg
Song Hye Kyo and Zhang Ziyi
http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2010-11/03/12731417_71n.jpg
Source: xinhuanet
Drunken Monk
12-30-2010, 05:21 PM
Here's a fairly useless teaser for those of us who don't understand the lingo...
OnlUQjUn-8o
TibetanWhiteCrane
12-30-2010, 05:44 PM
Whether you read chinese or not, that was pretty fuckin' pointless!
http://www.sinaimg.cn/dy/slidenews/4_img/2011_06/704_264037_162361.jpg
http://www.sinaimg.cn/dy/slidenews/4_img/2011_06/704_264039_794454.jpg
http://www.sinaimg.cn/dy/slidenews/4_img/2011_06/704_264040_687584.jpg
http://slide.ent.sina.com.cn/slide_4_704_18250.html#p=4
Yi-Long
02-10-2011, 03:56 PM
Leave it to Mr Wong Kar Wai to make it look fucking gorgeous. :yociexp56:
QueMuchita
02-10-2011, 04:04 PM
When is this due to be released?
Yi-Long
02-10-2011, 05:02 PM
When is this due to be released?
This is Wong Kar Wai, so I suspect no-one knows.
Maybe he'll try to get it 'finished' before Cannes, so he can show it there, but don't be surprised if he'll continue tweaking it once it's premiered at that festival.
Space
02-10-2011, 05:51 PM
Zhang Ziyi doing Wing Chun?
Is there even a point to this movie after Ip Man?
Ugh.
AlbertV
02-10-2011, 07:17 PM
Wong's version of the Ip Man legend was developed BEFORE Raymond Wong's Mandarin Films made their now award winning film.
Leung had been training for the film for quite a few years and even suffered a broken arm while training. I think this will be quite interesting movie and will be up for comparison with IP MAN.
Yi-Long
02-10-2011, 07:36 PM
I'm not expecting a martial arts movie though. I'm expecting a WKW movie.
If it has fantastic wing-chun and martial arts scenes in it, that will be a plus, but WKW's movies are almost always pretty damn special.
mark187
02-11-2011, 05:34 AM
yeah, this one is starting to become my most anticipated of the year. 2010 was a pretty decent year for HK films, and there just aren't as many exciting ones coming out this year. Shaolin, Johnnie To and Milkyway's stuff (!), Donnie's 2 films, and this one really are the only ones I can say I'm excited for right now...unless I'm forgetting something. Dante Lam's new one sounds ok, I'd definitely check it out, but I was hoping he'd do that project with Nick Cheung, Anthony Wong, Lau Ching-Wan, and Francis Ng next. The Grand Masters should be approached as a Wong Kar-Wai film 1st, and a martial arts film 2nd I'd say. even if the fight scenes are shot the same way those in Ashes of Time were, it still wouldn't affect my enjoyment of this movie, but w/ Yuen Woo-Ping involved, it may have some dazzling camerawork yet, and that would just be a bonus. oh yeah, I forgot about Tsui Hark's upcoming film with Jet Li, Zhou Xun, and Guey Lun-Mei-that one will be a must see!
I don't mean to spoil anything, but Tony Leung's double (for some fighting scenes) was a Wing Chun Sifu from Australia.
Mike Leeder
02-12-2011, 10:10 AM
Tony Leung's main Wing Chun instructyor for the last few years as this geared up for production is Darren Leung, son of Sifu Duncan Leung http://wingchunkungfu.cn/ and http://www.everythingwingchun.com/Duncan-Leung-Wing-Chun-Warrior-p/dl01.htm
Yuen Woo-ping, Guy Lai, Frankie Chan etc have all been involved with the film ref choreography and martial arts consultants so fingers crossed for this one
Yi-Long
02-12-2011, 12:04 PM
Tony Leung's main Wing Chun instructyor for the last few years as this geared up for production is Darren Leung, son of Sifu Duncan Leung http://wingchunkungfu.cn/ and http://www.everythingwingchun.com/Duncan-Leung-Wing-Chun-Warrior-p/dl01.htm
Yuen Woo-ping, Guy Lai, Frankie Chan etc have all been involved with the film ref choreography and martial arts consultants so fingers crossed for this one
Is Frankie doing the soundtrack again? That guy is amazing. Such a shame that WKW screwed him over by replacing his perfect soundtrack for Ashes of Time with Yoyo Ma versions...
Tony Leung's main Wing Chun instructyor for the last few years as this geared up for production is Darren Leung, son of Sifu Duncan Leung http://wingchunkungfu.cn/ and http://www.everythingwingchun.com/Duncan-Leung-Wing-Chun-Warrior-p/dl01.htm
Yuen Woo-ping, Guy Lai, Frankie Chan etc have all been involved with the film ref choreography and martial arts consultants so fingers crossed for this one
A grandstudent of Duncan Leung was a stunt double for Tony Leung. I'm guessing Darren Leung would be his sibak, or sisuk.
sifu iron perm
02-21-2011, 01:35 PM
Ip Man movies are like buses... none come along and then...
lol,. brilliant!
Production has been put on hold due to Tony Leung's commitment to Derek Yee's next movie.
http://wongkarwainews.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/filming-halted-on-the-grandmasters-delayed-until/
Yi-Long
03-07-2011, 12:23 AM
Production has been put on hold due to Tony Leung's commitment to Derek Yee's next movie.
http://wongkarwainews.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/filming-halted-on-the-grandmasters-delayed-until/
Damn... :tinysmile_angry2_t: How fucking long do they want us to wait since 2046!?!?
Sohu Entertainment News are reporting that filming on ‘The Grandmasters’ has stopped and Wong Kar-wai has something else to be busy with.
Sure hope he isn't occupied with butchering another one of his own movies, like he did with Ashes of Time...
Meanwhile The Hollywood Reporter has noted that the film “has been delayed until the fourth quarter.”
Oh for fuck's sake....:cry:
The Dragon
03-07-2011, 01:19 AM
A production doomed from the start.
:nerd:
Yi-Long
03-07-2011, 10:22 AM
A production doomed from the start.
:nerd:
Didn't they say the same about Ashes of Time? That was also a long and troublesome shoot, but the end result was fantastic, plus his 'diversion' was the quickly shot Chungking Express.
Ramji
03-07-2011, 12:07 PM
Didn't they say the same about Ashes of Time? That was also a long and troublesome shoot, but the end result was fantastic, plus his 'diversion' was the quickly shot Chungking Express.
This is the way to look at it:smile:
David Rees
03-08-2011, 08:34 AM
Didn't they say the same about Ashes of Time? That was also a long and troublesome shoot, but the end result was fantastic, plus his 'diversion' was the quickly shot Chungking Express.
How opinions differ. I thought the end result was a load of pretentious rubbish and i wouldnt be suprised if this ended up the same way.
Yi-Long
03-08-2011, 11:11 AM
How opinions differ. I thought the end result was a load of pretentious rubbish and i wouldnt be suprised if this ended up the same way.
I loved everything about Ashes of Time. The story, the characters, the cinematography (dropdead gorgeous), the absolutely brilliant music, the acting, etc etc.
... and then WKW decided he would go back to this masterpiece and do a 'redux'.
-Sigh-
mark187
03-08-2011, 07:23 PM
http://hktopten.blogspot.com/2011/03/20110308-grandmasters-continues-to.html
apparently the production hasn't been delayed after all, at least according to this new article. hopefully this is true
Ramji
03-08-2011, 09:19 PM
How opinions differ. I thought the end result was a load of pretentious rubbish and i wouldnt be suprised if this ended up the same way.
Wow, strong opinions! Do you like any of Wong Kar Wai's films or is it just Ashes of Time you don't get along with?
Personally The Grand Master is one of my most eagerly awaited upcoming movies. I'm not looking forward to it in the same way as I'm looking forward to seeing a new kung fu flick like Shaolin, but am looking forward to it because it'll be the first feature length Chinese movie WKW has directed since 2046 with the added bonus of it being about the life of Ip Man. I look forward to WKW vision during the fight sequences!
Of slight concern, is Christopher Doyle not doing the cinematography for this film?
SimonMW
04-06-2011, 05:37 PM
I look forward to WKW vision during the fight sequences!
I bloody am not! I doubt I'll get to see this at a cinema, but if I did I'd walk out if he did that. Such gimmicky effects add absolutely nothing and are distracting. Everything cinematography shouldn't be.
I'm not going to get my hopes up for this one at all.
Movie wraps in mid-May.
http://www.chinesefilms.cn/1/2011/05/06/141s2967.htm
http://i1.sinaimg.cn/ent/m/p/2011-07-19/U4175P28T3D3362920F346DT20110719014048.jpg
http://i2.sinaimg.cn/ent/m/p/2011-07-19/U4175P28T3D3362915F346DT20110719014023.jpg
http://i3.sinaimg.cn/ent/m/p/2011-07-19/U4175P28T3D3362918F346DT20110719014038.jpg
http://i1.sinaimg.cn/ent/m/p/2011-07-19/U4175P28T3D3362917F346DT20110719014033.jpg
http://i0.sinaimg.cn/ent/m/p/2011-07-19/U4175P28T3D3362914F346DT20110719014017.jpg
http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-07-19/01413362921.shtml
Teaser Trailer
sA-Mh7AjmPs
Love the cinematography! And Tony looks very convincing as an onscreen fighter. On the other hand, the editing was clumsy and you can't make out some of the shots. Let's see how this turns out.
Drunken Monk
07-19-2011, 02:10 PM
Visually, the trailer looks lovely and lavish, but some of the editing was definitely off. Hopefully the action is a little tighter in the final cut.
ShaOW!linDude
07-19-2011, 02:39 PM
Need to see more. It looks okay. What I don't get is that every hit is a power hit and whoever gets popped goes off on a wire-assisted flight. I don't mind super-powered MA's but it's becoming so frequent (seems to me anyway) that it's losing its coolness. Show me some technique, a little interplay involving form or shape, something with some flow.
OpiumKungFuCracker
07-19-2011, 03:28 PM
Need to see more. It looks okay. What I don't get is that every hit is a power hit and whoever gets popped goes off on a wire-assisted flight. I don't mind super-powered MA's but it's becoming so frequent (seems to me anyway) that it's losing its coolness. Show me some technique, a little interplay involving form or shape, something with some flow.
Yeah it almost look super-heroish, from Marvel Studios or something... Fuck it, I'm desperate and need my Wong Kar Wai fix...
Mark Pollard
07-19-2011, 04:39 PM
I just posted news on the front page.
http://www.kungfucinema.com/teaser-for-wong-kar-wais-the-grandmasters-18139
I agree with ShaOW!linDude. My first thought was too much style and not enough substance. The editing is definitely off and I've seen scenes like this before but with better screen fighters. I would have thought Wong could have highlighted something more creative or original as the first impression. But this is only one scene and the rest could be better.
BaronK
07-19-2011, 05:06 PM
Looks like Neo vs some agents. Wo Ping can't get out of his way with the wires. Everything he does has wire pulls from hits.
For Little Tony to be playing Yip Man, I didn't see the WC in there. From the looks of this, it probably would play better as a superhero movie.
"What I don't get is that every hit is a power hit and whoever gets popped goes off on a wire-assisted flight. I don't mind super-powered MA's but it's becoming so frequent (seems to me anyway) that it's losing its coolness. Show me some technique, a little interplay involving form or shape, something with some flow."
Yeah. It lost whatever it was supposed to do for the viewer 5 years ago. You want flow, Legend is Born: Ip Man or Panna.
Mark Pollard
07-19-2011, 05:29 PM
You know, I've been watching a lot of late '60s, early '70s SB flicks lately and something I noticed is that before the shapes sub-genre got going, there wasn't a lot of flow in fight choreography back then either. Tang Chia and Lau Kar-leung were slowly changing that but for the most part heroes were semi-superpowered and cutting through their foes quickly. I would say it was the chambara and fantasy wuxia influence.
Yuen Woo-ping was there through the whole evolution of HK fight choreography since the '60s and must know the value of mixing up power hits with even exchanges. That's what made his early hits in the late '70s great. But fight sequences like this reminds me of watching Mike Tyson's early matches where he goes for the KO in the first round. Unless you're watching a sports highlight reel, where is the entertainment value in that?
Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung were truly the masters at getting the most out of even a throwaway screen fight and I sorely miss their '80s-era influence in HK fight choreography.
ShaOW!linDude
07-19-2011, 07:30 PM
Looks like Neo vs some agents.
Yeah, it does. Like a scene out of MATRIX: RELOADED when Neo fights all the Agent Smiths in the courtyard. At the time, that was something new and phenomenal. Now? For almost every fight sequence? Yawn.
If things segued in choreography as MP stated, then this may just be part of the cycle in choreography and eventually form/shape choreography will once again come into play. Yuen Woo-Ping was great about mixing the 2. Now it seems to cater to the masses. Rather than trying to show them a truer display of MA, HK cinema seems to now rely more on Western influences of displays of physical power.
You know, I liked IP MAN 2 but I loved IP MAN 1. Why? The 1st film gave more of a depiction of Wing Chun though it did include power hits. The 2nd seemed to rely more on power hits and less on Wing Chun. Jaa and Panna always seemed able to both showcase the style of combat and have cool power hits and there's no doubt that's because they spent the time developing the choreography prior to filming.
Other HK/MA film-makers need to take the advice of "Mr. Miyagi": Find the balance.
BLfan
07-19-2011, 09:49 PM
Agree with most of your comments (Wow Yip Man is a super hero). Too much style and not enough Wing Chun, hopefully the rest of the movie is better.
Yi-Long
07-19-2011, 11:06 PM
I like how it looks, but then again, I already mentioned before that I'm expecting a WKW movie that will have martial arts in it, instead of a straight-up martial arts movie.
Also, Wing Chun is supposed to be direct and powerful, so I don't mind him scoring 1-hit knockdowns with 'power-moves' when fighting multiple opponents. When I knee someone in the face or hit them straight on the nose they will also go down.
Ofcourse we'll have to wait and see, but it's WKW, it's Tony Leung, it's 'Ip Man'.... as long as they don't cut it up or do a 'redux' or whatever, I'm sure I'll like it, or at least I will enjoy the visuals, the soundtrack, and the acting...
Teaser in 720p.
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daisho2004
07-20-2011, 03:11 AM
When is the release date for this movie?
reason108
07-20-2011, 07:06 AM
Not sure that Yuen Woo Ping is the correct person to choreograph an Ip Man movie. What can be added after the amazing job that Sammo did on the Ip Man movies we already have? Perhaps we may get a more realistic glimpse into the real life of Ip Man. This may be one of those martial arts films where I would prefer more story and less fighting.
BaronK
07-20-2011, 07:32 AM
From the trailer, do you get a feel of realism, story or otherwise about the movie? A guy bursts through a second story window and gently floats to the ground in the rain feels realistic? Granted the teaser isn't the best gauge for how the story will play, but it looks like the friggin Matrix. Doesn't give a vibe of a realistic glimpse into the real life of Yip Man.
Sammo did an amazing job on the IM movies? We all have our opinions. After watching those, I don't ever get excited to hear his name attached to any project. Don't like what I've seen of My Kingdom either. Give me Tony Leung's WC action direction and chor. over Sammo's 7 days a week.
reason108
07-20-2011, 07:53 AM
The trailer does look like something out of The Matrix. That is why I was thinking that YWP may not be the right guy for this movie. For an Wing Chun based movie, (at this point in time) I prefer Sammo doing the choreography. From this trailer there is no way to determine what the rest of the story will be or how it will be handled. I am basing future predictions on past performances from this director.
reason108
07-20-2011, 07:56 AM
Not sure why they are calling it THE GRANDMASTERS. Maybe there is more to it than we have heard or perhaps they script has changed from the original concept. Maybe its an sci-fi movie where Ip Man has been cloned and now he must unleash the fury. (haha) At least is wasn`t named LEGEND OF THE GRANDMASTER(S).
rdenn
07-20-2011, 12:55 PM
glossy hollywood...sigh., i read in the latest impact magazine and saw on imdb that bruce liang is also in this movie , thats some hope.
Yi-Long
07-20-2011, 12:59 PM
Have some faith, people. It's WKW so you know it will look and sound stunning, and looking at the cast you also know it will have good performances from the actors.
Don't expect a brilliant martial arts movie and you'll be fine. Hoping it will also be a brilliant martial arts movies is ok ofcourse.
BaronK
07-20-2011, 04:49 PM
That's a funny statement considering the teaser IS of the action and NOT about the story. What would you expect people to expect?
Yi-Long
07-20-2011, 06:00 PM
That's a funny statement considering the teaser IS of the action and NOT about the story. What would you expect people to expect?
Exactly what it is: A WKW movie about Ip Man.
Space
07-23-2011, 03:34 AM
Have some faith, people. It's WKW so you know it will look and sound stunning, and looking at the cast you also know it will have good performances from the actors.
Don't expect a brilliant martial arts movie and you'll be fine. Hoping it will also be a brilliant martial arts movies is ok ofcourse.
Blech, why make a movie about a great martial arts master and then hope the audience doesn't expect a great martial arts film? Why not just make a WKW movie about an acrobat, a lawyer or a cook?
At any rate, Cung Le is in it and Yuen Woo Ping is doing the choreography, according to Le.
One Armed Boxer
08-24-2011, 04:52 PM
After watching Donnie Yen`s kung-fu driven take on `Ip Man`, who ever decided that was a suitable trailer to put out and entice people to come and see this movie was seriously misguided.
If you`re going to have a trailer which focuses just on the fighting, you need it to contain a moment which makes you go `Wow!`, as I`m sure every one of us did when we saw Donnie pummeling someone to the ground with non-stop punches in the original `Ip Man` trailer. This looks like the end of `Matrix Revolutions`, and it doesn`t need to, Tony Leung is an amazing actor, I would rather have seen some dialogue scenes than what I saw here.
mark187
10-11-2011, 12:02 AM
http://yellowcranestower.blogspot.com/
apparently this is listed as tentatively scheduled to be released in the Mainland on Dec. 22nd. I had heard rumors about a year end release, but had thought this wouldn't premiere until Cannes 2012. we'll see
daisho2004
12-12-2011, 04:02 PM
Does anyone know when this is getting released?
mark187
12-12-2011, 09:53 PM
obviously those rumors about a 2011 release were false, so I'd guess that we'll see this have it's world premiere at Cannes 2012.
mark187
12-14-2011, 11:21 PM
ok, just read yesterday that the producers/distributors said don't expect this out until sometime between summer and December 2012. probably will still premiere at Cannes though
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