Every few years, a martial arts movie comes along that’s worth watching by mainstream audiences – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) was one, Ip Man (2008) is another. Very loosely based on the life of Bruce Lee’s kung fu teacher, the plot tracks how he, his family, friends and rivals struggled through the Japanese occupation of China in WWII. While Yip Man’s exploits are exaggerated to the level of legend and even sainthood, viewers can still connect with Donnie Yuen’s conflicted martial arts master-protagonist.
Tag Archives: World War II
Ip Man (2008, dir. Wilson Yip): one of the few martial arts films worthy of breaking out of its niche
The King’s Speech (2010, dir. Tom Hooper): didn’t deserve the Oscar – then again, not all of them do – but it’s enjoyable enough
Light, fluffy feel-good confection that dramatizes the friendship (even ‘bromance?’) of a British king (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush). Well-scripted with spare comic touches, the movie shines when the two leads share the stage, and in examining the vestiges of still-class-conscious Britain – such as the prejudice of an overweening Archbishop of Canterbury against an un-Oxbridge educated commoner using new controversial techniques – from Australia no less!
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