Ip Man Is Back … and More Or Less the Same
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16 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010 • TAIPEI TIMES FILM REVIEW Ip Man is back … and more or less the same The fictionalized life story of kung fu master Ip Man continues in Hong Kong under British colonial rule BY HO YI STAFF REPORTER ince its release last year, against local masters. neatly tie these action sequences the immensely successful The challenge leads to a closely to the plot. S Ip Man (葉問) has elevated masterfully choreographed fight One thing that this old-school kung its eponymous grandmaster of the between Ip Man and Hung that dazzles fu fare has gone too far with, however, foreign wing chun (詠春) martial arts school with its sheer intensity and virtuosity, is its overly caricatured portrait of villains. to an icon of Chinese kung fu and a scene that deserves to be considered Though in the first Ip propelled action star Donnie Yen (甄 one of the most memorable fighting Man movie, the Japanese general, 子丹) to superstardom. sequences in kung fu cinema. played by Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, seems to The highly anticipated sequel, Ip The duel ends in a draw, and have a shred of humanity left within Man 2 (葉問2), closely follows the despite the combatants’ differences, IP MAN 2 him, the white men in the follow-up format that made its predecessor the two come to respect each other’s are comically wicked and corrupt, a blockbuster hit. But this time the skills and integrity. (葉問2) prompting the contemporary viewer PHOTOS COURTESY OF Chinese hero-versus-foreign invaders As with the first installment, the to wonder why the villains are still SERENITY ENTERTAINMENT narrative is fleshed out without wire fu second half of the film follows the as embarrassingly witless and one- INTERNATIONAL or CGI-enhanced martial arts moves. martial arts hero rising up against DIRECTED BY: dimensional as they were in Bruce WILSON YIP (葉偉信) Yen is joined by action director foreign oppressors. Only this time, Lee’s (李小龍) heyday. Sammo Hung (洪金寶), who plays it is not the villainous Japanese our Despite its plot holes, the Ip Man STARRING: series has potential and recalls the a supporting but important role in Chinese hero does battle with, but an DONNIE YEN (甄子丹) AS IP MAN, 1990s’ Once Upon a Time in China the follow-up that won’t disappoint evil white man in the form of boxing SAmmO HUNG (洪金寶) AS HUNG 黃飛鴻 李連 fans, though it doesn’t offer many champion Twister (Darren Shahlavi), CHUN-NAM, HUANG XIAOMING (黃 ( ) franchise starring Jet Li ( 杰 surprises. who brutally beats master Hung to 曉明) AS WONG LEUNG, LyNN DAILIN ). The brief appearance toward the The story begins with Ip Man death in what was supposed to be a XIONG (熊黛林) AS ZHANG YONG end of the film of a young Bruce Lee, (Yen) fleeing to Hong Kong having friendly match. CHENG Ip Man’s famous disciple, hints at the defeated the Japanese general in Outraged, Ip Man challenges the possibility of another sequel, though Foshan. To support his family, Ip Man vicious pugilist to a final battle in RUNNING TIME: Yen has reportedly said he won’t be sets up a wing chun academy. But front of a cheering crowd. 104 MINUTES in another Ip Man movie. as a newcomer to the British colony, Veteran martial arts star Hung What is certain is that competing the unassuming kung fu master soon once again creates the adrenaline- LANGUAGE: Ip Man projects will soon hit the catches the attention of master Hung pumping, close-range combat IN CANTONESE AND ENGLISH WITH silver screen, including Wong Kar- of the powerful Hung Ga school. sequences that show Yen fighting his ENGLISH AND CHINESE SUBTITLES wai’s (王家衛) The Grand Master (一代 Respected by various martial arts way through a fish market melee, 宗師), currently in development, and schools, Hung insists that, in order to tabletop duel and ringside battle. TAIWAN RELEASE: Herman Yau’s (邱禮濤) prequel The earn his right to teach wing chun in Director Wilson Yip (葉偉信) and TODAY Legend is Born — Ip Man (葉問前傳), Hong Kong, Ip Man must win duels scriptwriter Edmond Wong (黃子桓) slated for commercial release in July. FILM REVIEW OTHER RELEASES ‘Iron Man 2’ COMPILED BY IAN BartHOLOmeW Mademoiselle Chambon Low-key French drama about brings out the a blue-collar dad who falls for his son’s teacher, a woman of high culture who nevertheless finds herself becoming a big guns victim of her own desires. Scriptwriter and director Stephane Brize picked up Everything original about ‘Iron Man’ has a Cesar Award last year for best film adaptation of this been replaced in the sequel by noise, multiple work from a novel by Eric Holder, and he keeps the whole thing very buttoned down. The power of the film derives villains and confused story lines from the turmoil that is taking place beneath the surface and the terrible consequences for the very respectable BY IAN BartHOLOmeW in the privatization of international main characters if it breaks loose. The level of restraint STAFF REPORTER peacekeeping, but Favreau is too has the critics polarized. Despite generally acknowledged Iron Man generated a good deal busy coloring in the boxes in a fine performances by leads Sandrine Kiberlain and Vincent of support from lovers of super- painting-by-numbers action film to Lindon, Mademoiselle Chambon might be just a tad too hero movies when it came out in fill in these finer details. respectful and bloodless to attain widespread appeal. 2008 because it has some claim Worried that his treatment of to originality and to have suited these ideas produces a hollow Rec 2 the unusual (and often annoying) sound, Favreau seems to feel acting talent of Robert Downey Jr. pressed to add plot line over plot PHOTOS COURTESY OF UIP Aliens meets The Exorcist It is therefore not surprising that line, seemingly in the hope that in meets Cloverfield in Iron Man 2 is now upon us. the ensuing tangle, the audience Spanish. This is a sequel The sequel shows all the worst will forget that nothing about this IRON MAN 2 to the highly regarded symptoms of terminal sequel-itis, movie makes any kind of sense. Rec, a classic of hand- making up for an absence of ideas The introduction of Samuel L. Jack- held camera point-of-view with bigger guns, more exotic son as Nick Fury and the whole filmmaking. In the original DIRECTED BY: the camera in question was that of a television crew. In Rec locations, deeper cleavages, and SHIELD sup-plot, though part of JON FAVREAU faster jump cuts. And did I mention the Marvel Comics universe, to the 2 it is cameras mounted on the helmets of an elite armed bigger guns, many, many more uninitiated managed to seem like STARRING: response team sent into the same abandoned city block to of them. an afterthought, so poorly was it ROBERT DOWNEY JR (TONY STARK), find out what happened to the original media expedition. The story picks up with integrated into the story. GwyNETH PALTROW (PEPPER A clue is provided by the presence of a Catholic priest in Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), Tony Stark is also facing his POTTS), DON CHEADLE (LIEUTENANT mufti who is on hand to face down evil with the power of now publicly acknowledged as own demise as the power source COLONEL JAMES ‘RhODEY’ RhODES), the divine. Things don’t go as planned and there is plenty of Ironman, enforcing world peace for Ironman gradually poisons his ScARLETT JOHANSSON (NATALIE killing and blurry scares to keep the audience jumping, but though the use of his amazing blood. Genius that he is, he works RUShmAN/NATASHA ROMANOff), critics agree the sequel lacks the immediacy and raw power metal suit. Everyone wants a piece out how to save himself and the SAM ROCKWELL (JUSTIN HAmmER), of the original. of this technology, but Stark is not Ironman franchise, synthesizing MICKEY ROURKE (IVAN VANKO), SAMUEL L. JACKSON (NICK FURY) willing to share. He knows only a new element with the help of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars (一閃一閃亮晶晶) too well what might become of some air-conditioner ducts and this technology if it gets into the a laser pointer. He succeeds in RUNNING TIME: Documentary-style feature by wrong hands; and this includes doing this only seconds after his 124 MINUTES Lin Cheng-sheng (林正盛) who those of the US military. supercomputer tells him that the has pretty much been going TAIWAN RELEASE: down hill since his big success The role of world savior weighs task is impossible. Even in the CURRENTLY SHOWING heavily on Stark, but he still wants make-believe world of superhe- with Betelnut Beauty (愛你愛我, to party. The US military and roes, where there are no limits and 2001). Opting for a new format business rival Justin Hammer (Sam everything is possible, the story might be a way of finding his Rockwell) want to take things into loses its purpose and the characters way back on track, though his their own hands. Then there is Ivan any claim on our sympathies. not sufficient crumpet for the lads herself an utterly inept action star, superhero movies too seriously, choice of a worthy but already somewhat shopworn topic Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a Russian Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer who are the film’s main target, so while Rourke’s all-too-brief return to but there is silly entertainment of Asperger syndrome suggests he still has a passion for the physicist who wants revenge on is one of the few bright spots, Scarlett Johansson has been brought form in the indie flick The Wrestler that takes pleasure in pleasing sort of social earnestness that sunk Crusoe’s Robinson (魯 Stark, believing that Stark’s father producing a comic villain who in to show a bit of stocking.