The Grandmaster - 一代宗師

The Grandmaster (一代宗師) is an 2013 film out of Hong Kong. The movie is directed and written by the acclaimed Wong Kar-Wai. The film stars Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi. The supporting cast include Chang Chen, Song Hye-kyo, Wang Qingxiang, Zhang Jin, and Zhao Benshan. Cung Le makes a brief cameo in a fight under the rain. There are three version of the film. I have seen the Hong Kong and US versions.



Ip Man is in Foshan in 1936. A northern master has come south to retire and handing the reigns to his disciple Ma San. However, Ma San goes overboard and hurts combatants. Ip Man is to represent the Southern masters in one last duel with the Northern master. The two come to a non-physical duel. The duel is of ideals for martial arts. Ip Man wins by his philosophical ideal of expanding martials arts beyond the border of northern and southern Zhong Guo. Gong Er is the daughter of the defeated Northern master. Gong Er and Ip Man duel to pretty much a stand still before a Ip Man breaks a step. The terms of the duel were that nothing would be broken by the winner. Gong Er and Ip Man are than separated and long to reunite for another duel. Do the emotions they have for each go beyond their reverence for martial arts? The Sino-Japanese war lands in Foshan and Ip Man is forced to live in poverty for much of the remainder of his life. 1950 is here and Ip Man relocates to Hong Kong and sets up shop to spread Wing Chun.



This movie was not an action film. It was a Wong Kar-wai film. If you paused the film, it would look like a photograph you might hang on a wall. It was a beautiful film. The way Wong gets his films to look the way they do is amazing. 6 years was way too long from his last film, My Blueberry Nights.



The Hong Kong and US versions of the film were like watching two different films. The Hong Kong version was clocked at 130 minutes and the US one at 108. Another international version shown at the Berlin film fest was 123 minutes. I think only the HK and US version will be available to the general masses.



I liked the Hong Kong version better. It was classic Wong. The scenes were filled with flashbacks to an earlier times in the beginning moments. The non liner presentation made me long to know what was next. All along, I was pressed into the current scene and the grand emotions there. The dialogue was also pretty amazing. The Hong Kong version I watched was completely in Mandarin, I didn't have subtitles to distract me. I was able to focus on the faces, the scenery, the movie! Zhang Ziyi is still a beauty. During the Golden Palace scenes, she was plain and seemed to be without make up. While the other women all around her were made up and had fancy clothes on. BUT Zhang Ziyi was still heads above more beautiful than the rest of them. A testament to her natural beauty. The teahouse scene in Hong Kong between Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung still resonances. From their philosophical chat and to Zhang's utter look of being defeated by life.

The US version was more linear and tried to tell a story from start the finish. Leaving out whole sub plots and inserting some scenes not in the HK version. I also enjoyed it and I recommend it to my US based friends as well. It's more digestible for the folks on this side of the pond. Marketed as a film about Bruce Lee's master, it left out the two main fight scene from Chang Chen's baji style.

In both films, the way Chang Chen's story was only a little of adding how the martial arts world had moved to HK was a disappointment. Knowing that rumors of an original 4 hour cut was around, I would have been very happy if Wong split the films into two!

The Last Supper - 王的盛宴

The Last Supper (王的盛宴) is an 2012 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Liu Ye, Chang Chen, and Daniel Wu. The supporting cast include Qin Lan and Huo Siyan. The movie is based on Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty in Zhong Guo. The story takes place from when Liu is 48 years old to his death at 61 years old.



Liu Ye plays Liu Bang as the movie opens when he is 61 years old. Haunted by memories of two of his greatest enemies, Lord Xiang Yu and General Han Xin. The movie goes into episodic flashbacks of his struggle from common man to emperor. Liu seeks the help of Lord Yu to reclaim his wife and family. The set out to overthrow the Qin government, the fall of Qin, and the fall of Lord Yu. Along the way, Liu's army is partially lead by General Han Xin. But Liu's paranoia prevents him from trusting those close to him and those that helped him establish hit empire. The movie closes out with with the death of both General Han Xin and Emperor Liu Bang.



This was an artsy fartsy movie at its core. Told in episodic flashbacks and full of deep thoughts, it tells a story of commoner to emperor to paranoia. How much of this is based on history is beyond me. I only know a little of the Qin and Han dynasty from wuxia series and films, like The Myth. And an wiki article here and there. Nothing to make me understand that era.



I do recommend it because the acting is pretty awesome. Liu Ye, Chang Chen, Daniel Wu, and Qin Lan age with the screen and it's very believable. Some of the best acting in a ancient Zhong Guo film in recent memory. The language wasn't super formal and very modern so I didn't have to turn on the subtitles.

昨日的記憶 - When Yesterday Comes - Upcoming

昨日的記憶 (When Yesterday Comes) is being released in Taipei this weekend. The story seems to revolve the lives of young and old. The cast seems to be star studded including many of the more popular movie and drama stars. Included in the cast are veterans of Taiwan cinema.

I am not sure if I would watch this movie. However, if I base it on the cast alone, I would get it.

停車 - Parking

停車 (Parking) is a 2008 film out of Taiwan. The movie stars Chang Chen. The rest of the supporting cast include Kwai Lun-mei, Jack Kao, Leon Dai, Peggy Tseng and Chapman To.



The movie revolves around Chang Chen and his parked car. While buying a cake, someone double parks next to him, preventing him from leaving. Because of this, Chen gets involved with the happens of Chengde road, where his car is park. Chen patiently waits from late afternoon to sundown. The first is a one hand barber next to his car. The barber is played by Jack Kao and tells him that the car probably belongs to the people on floor 3. Chen goes up and finds an elderly couple with their granddaughter Nini. The grandfather calls him Xiao Ma, the nickname of their deceased son. Chen goes along with it and ends up having dinner with them. When he's done with dinner, the double parked car is gone. About to leave, Chen receives a phone call. Distracted by the phone call, he sits on the cake he bought. Now Chen's butt is covered in frosting and he goes back to the barber to clean up. After cleaning up, he finds that another parked car has blocked him via double parking. Chen goes to a nearby tailor store to ask for help. Chapman To is that tailor and doesn't help him. Chen calls the towing company to get the car towed. The towing company is busy from it being Mother's Day and a Sunday. The towing company tells him to take a cab. Chen finds a cab but the cabby refuses to take him to his destination. Leaving the car angered, he kicks the double parked car. The car is not empty and filled with triad members. Just as they are going to do something bad to Chen, To runs out being chased by triad members. The barber steps out and tells the triad head to let them go. The barber and triad boss are old buddies and chat about a little history and their current situation. Chen's car is still double parked, but by a different car now. Chen heads to the fourth floor to ask if its their car. Chen than gets into an argument with them and is beaten up and thrown into a park ditch.



The movie is a trip as there are many small subplots along the way. I didn't even bring up Peggy Tseng's character. One of the subplots revolves around Chang Chen and Kwai Lun-mei as his wife. There's also the subplot of tha barber that gets somewhat explored.



This was a slow moving movie, but for a purpose. The slowness in the beginning turns into lots and lots of things going on in the second half of the film. Peggy Tseng makes her movie debut. I've not seen Peggy before because she's in Taiwan commercials and appeared in a few MVs, two things I see very little to none of here in LA. I think she gives a breakout performance.

I highly recommend this film.