Tag Archives: Martial Arts

It’s Not Ip Man’s Finale, but the Grandmaster of all Collections!

24 Mar

IP MAN: THE GRANDMASTER 4-MOVIE COLLECTION
Release Date: April 7th

Wilson Yip’s work in the fictional biography of Ip Man is getting a box set! Not only will it feature all four films (previously released as separate films by Well Go USA) featuring Donnie Yen in the titular role, but also we’ll be getting the much needed featurettes that should help fill in the gaps that the cinematic treatment doesn’t touch on.

In the fourth film, which I reviewed a few months ago here, Ip Man lands in San Francisco to help ease tensions between the local Kung Fu masters and an up and coming talent, Bruce Lee. However, there’s more than just tensions between keeping Chinatown in peace. There’s problems with other locals; when the military gets involved, the xenophobic tensions can almost speak for the current situation going on presently between the White House, China and COVID-19.

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Enter the Fat Dragon Hits North America!

19 Feb

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Well GO USA
Playing at select theatres.
Please check local listings.

Enter the Fat Dragon was quite the unexpected movie to launch on Valentine’s Day weekend. It has enough romantic elements to make the idea work. Ultimately, it’s an update of the 1978 film of the same name starring Sammo Hung and stays true to the comedic styling that defined that generation of martial arts films. Yes, we all love Bruce Lee, and when paired with the crazy stunts popularized by Jackie Chan’s prowess, it’s a movie to admire.

Fallon Zhu (Donnie Yen) is having a hard go at life. He’s a police officer who ends up being more trouble than he’s worth because of all the collateral damage caused when he brings down a criminal. Because of this, he gets demoted to the evidence department and that means sitting down alot. He has access to a vending machine with all the worst possible junk food he can have and eventually it leads to him gaining a lot of weight. Plus, he has girlfriend problems.

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Is it The Finale for the Ip Man franchise?

8 Jan

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Playing in select theatres across North America

Spoiler Alert

Distributed by WELL GO USA

Twelve years is not much of a wait to see Ip Man: The Finale. Thankfully, it’s shorter than following the saga of the Skywalkers in Star Wars, but that’s besides the point! Donnie Yen plays the seminal master of a style of Kung Fu known as Wing Chun. Unnecessarily aggression (charging at your foes) is not part of the way. Those who practice any style of martial arts knows it’s more about defence than outright aggression.

Ip Man is introspective. An Asian chivalric code exists. While we don’t know all the rules, those who are indoctrinated knows them and respects it—even when Ip Man has to fight with one hand. The battles he faces are often not by his choice. It’s to defend honour. Challenges are normal between schools to see who is the ultimate fighter, and usually it does not mean ending an opponent’s life.

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The Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master Kickstarter Breaks Demand with a …

12 Nov

RotKFDM_CVR.jpgDue to popular demand, the soft launch of the Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master on Kickstarter is getting a print edition. The digital-only option remains $20, while a print and digital tier has been added for $30. “You spoke, we listened,” said writer Chris Mancini.

All tiers above the $30 level, including the digital comics collections of Starburns Press and of Mancini and artist Fernando Pinto’s previous releases, will receive this and along with the print edition of the new book, the campaign now also features physical add-ons that can be purchased through Backerkit–including The Comedy Film Nerds Guide to Movies, Mancini and Pinto’s previous graphic novel Long Ago and Far Away, and DVD copies of Mancini’s film Ear Buds: The Podcasting Documentary.

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