"Ip Man 2" Movie Review

Director: Wilson Yip Wai-Shun
Cast: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Lynn Hung, Huang Xiaoming, Simon Yam, Kent Cheng, Fan Siu-Wong, Darren Shahlavi

"Ip Man 2" picks up after the events of the first film with Ip Man (Donnie Yen) leaving Foshan and relocating to Hong Kong in 1949. While the previous installment is a sensationalized semi-biography of the martial arts master, the sequel is far more historically inaccurate. I estimated almost 70% of the events in this movie are fictional.

The first half of the movie follows Ip Man setting up his own school in Hong Kong to teach Wing Chun and faces rivalry with the local martial arts master (Sammo Hung). Those of you who saw the trailer will know that the highlight of this film is the showdown between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung. This is the duel everyone is paying to see and as expected, the fight choreography is both intense and fantastic.

The second half of the movie deals with the evil British who looks down upon the Chinese people of Hong Kong. The plot is nothing new and is quite common among Hong Kong-mainland China co-productions nowadays and is meant to appeal to the nationalist pride of the mainland China audience. However, the filmmakers went overboard with their attempt as the British in the film are so obnoxious and racist that it is hilarious. The main offender here is Darren Shahlavi as Twister, the British boxer who spends most of his screen time shouting how much he hates the Chinese. His overacting is so over-the-top that it risks being cartoonish. This is in contrast to Hiroyuki Ikeuchi's portrayal of the honorable General Miura in the first film.

If you overlook the historical inaccuracies and overacting bad guys, "Ip Man 2" is a satisfying martial arts film thanks to Donnie Yen's calm and charismatic performance, and Sammo Hung's excellent fight choreography.

Score: 8/10

Second Trailer for "The Green Hornet"

Here's the brand new, second theatrical trailer for "The Green Hornet", directed by Michel Gondry and starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Edward James Olmos and Tom Wilkinson. You can check out the trailer above, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies.

Although this new trailer gave me a much better impression of the film, I still think that the choice of casting Seth Rogen as the Green Hornet is highly questionable. On top of that, the slow-mo fight scenes look really fake to me and is in great contrast to Bruce Lee's 'real kung-fu'.

IMHO, the short film directed by Aurélien Poitrimoult is way more faithful to the source material and I wish Columbia Pictures hired him instead. You can check out the awesome short film below:

"The Green Hornet" first originated as a radio series on WXYZ (a local Detroit station) from 1936 to 1952. ABC then adapted "The Green Hornet" to television on 1966. The television series starred Van Williams as The Green Hornet and introduced martial arts master Bruce Lee to American audiences as Kato.

"The Green Hornet" is set for release in Malaysia on January 27, 2011.

"Cowboys & Aliens" Teaser Trailer

Universal Pictures has unleashed the teaser trailer for Jon Favreau‘s big screen adaptation of the graphic novel "Cowboys & Aliens". The comic book adaptation crosses the classic Western with the alien-invasion genre, and stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer and Adam Beach.

Official synopsis:

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella, he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents – townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors – all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

"Cowboys & Aliens" is scheduled for release in the US on July 29, 2011.

"Green Lantern" Movie Trailer

Warner Bros has just released the full movie trailer for the big screen adaptation of DC Comics' "Green Lantern". The film is directed by Martin Campbell and stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, and Tim Robbins.

Official synopsis:

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

"Green Lantern" is scheduled for release in Malaysia on June 16, 2011.

"Karate Girl" Training Video

A training video from the upcoming Japanese martial arts film "Karate Girl" has been released on Youtube. The video shows Rina Takeda and her co-star, Hina Tobimatsu, hard at work.

The film is directed by Yoshikatsu Kimura and is supposed to be a sequel to Rina's big screen debut, "High Kick Girl!".

"Karate Girl" will be released in Japan on February 5, 2011.

"Battle: Los Angeles" International Teaser Trailer

The teaser trailer for the upcoming science fiction film "Battle: Los Angeles" is now available online.

The film is directed by South African filmmaker Jonathan Liebesman, and stars Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, and Bridget Moynahan.

"Battle: Los Angeles" is scheduled for release in Malaysia on March 17, 2011.

"Shaolin" Theatrical Trailer

Emperor Motion Pictures has released the theatrical trailer to Benny Chan's upcoming martial arts film "Shaolin" (新少林寺). The film features an all-star cast which includes Andy Lau, Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Wu Jing, Fan Bingbing, Xing Yu, Yu Shao Qun, Xiong Xin Xin and Yu Hai. Cory Yuen will serve as the film's action director.

Hou Jie (Andy Lau) is an arrogant warlord who is betrayed by his second-in-command, Cao Man (Nicholas Tse). When his child is killed and his wife (Fan Bing Bing) leaves him, the heartbroken Hou Jie seeks refuge at the Shaolin Temple.

With the assistance of a Shaolin cook (Jackie Chan), Hou Jie becomes enlightened and begins to see things differently. But as the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hou Jie and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a stand against the treacherous warlord Cao Man and his collaborator Suo Xiang Tu (Xiong Xin Xin).

"Shaolin" opens in Malaysia on January 27, 2011.

Third "Tron Legacy" Trailer

The third and presumably final trailer for "Tron Legacy" has been released recently. The latest trailer reveals a large chunk of the plot and the dual personalities portrayed by Jeff Bridges.

Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father’s disappearance and is transported into the computer world and embarks on an adventure in which he learns what has happened to his father.

"Tron Legacy" is expected to be released in the U.S. on December 17, 2010.