The Grandmaster (2012)

[oneskyforall]

Just got back from seeing this on the big screen. Absolutely breathtaking, a cut WKW movie is better than 5 Ip Man movies. If you don't think The Grandmasters is the best Ip Man movie ever made, I will challenge you to a fight, who wants some?

Well I guess I have to see it now

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

STAR & TRIBUNE REVIEW OF THE:

Grandmaster

by Colin Colvert

“The Grandmaster” is a deliriously beautiful martial-arts saga, a mix of exuberant violence and restrained eroticism. Meticulously directed by art-house master Wong Kar-wai (“In the Mood for Love,” “2046”), its fluid, bruising, occasionally lethal battles are choreographed like ballet romance.

The prologue, filmed in a nighttime rainstorm, is a one-against-many contest in which fighting legend Ip Man (Tony Leung) scatters his assailants like a human typhoon. With a color palette of black clothing and inky shadows, and ultra-slow-motion shots that isolate individual water droplets in flight, the combat becomes an exercise in elegant abstraction. There are shattering windows and careening bodies for dramatic oomph — the action is so vivid it threatens to burst the frame — yet the sequence wows you on an elevated level.

The famously meticulous Wong spent a decade preparing for this film and three years in production. It shows. Even if you don’t give a fig for roundhouse kicks, this is an unmissable film, and intoxicating exercise in punch-drunk love.

Ip, the product of a well-to-do family who devoted his life to the martial art of wing chun, survived the Japanese occupation and escaped the Communist revolution by relocating to Hong Kong. In later years Ip taught the young Bruce Lee, a distinction that brought him his greatest measure of Western fame.

He’s often been portrayed in films, usually as a figure of Chinese patriotism. Wong, whose great theme is soulful, unrequited love, recruits the historical character to his own favorite cause. He photographs Leung’s pensive face with sensuous expressions of romantic melancholy.

The film opens in 1936, with Ip entering middle age — the end of his life’s springtime, as he puts it in a typically philosophical voice-over. A revered martial-arts virtuoso, he’s also a dutiful but distant family man whose wife and children have little emotional claim on him. He’s recruited by northern grandmaster Gong Baosen (Wang Qingxiang) to represent the southern fighting style in an all-China conclave intended to heal rifts in a nation that is divided (and in its northern provinces, Japanese-occupied).

A veritable who’s-who of kung fu film notables portray Ip’s rivals. The sequences are extraordinary and startlingly beautiful, as is to be expected from legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping (the “Matrix” trilogy, “Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”).

From the spectacular “fighting in the rain” opener, to wall-shaking brawls in an opulent Chinese brothel, to a thriller in which Ip duels against an adversary’s straight razor with mere metal chopsticks, the action is stunning. Wong repeatedly brings home his subjects’ prowess with fine details — a nail shocked loose from a wooden beam after a solid blow — rather than wrecking-ball exaggeration.

His approach to Ip’s romantic life is cannily understated, as well. The gorgeous Zhang Ziyi plays the northern grandmaster’s daughter, Gong Er, who violated tradition to train in martial arts as a girl. The pair’s sparring is as charged with seduction as any tango. Here is a woman who can understand Ip’s devotion to his calling. Fate seemingly made them for each other, then capriciously erected impassable barriers to keep them apart.

When Japanese officials pressure Ip to become a collaborator, he declares, “I’d rather starve than eat Japanese rice.” It’s a cruelly ironic line given his family’s eventual fate.

The story’s chronology blips ahead abruptly to Ip’s Hong Kong years. Wong’s international version has been cut by 20 minutes for its U.S. release, which may account for some of the choppiness. Then again, Wong makes character films rather than story films. When Ip and the still-beautiful Gong meet again, their lives enter a colder season. Wong’s films don’t conclude with fake Hollywood uplift but tell us that sorrow is part of life and we should bear it with dignity. Even if you can deflect every punch, love really hurts

******************************

Still unsure if I should go.

Probably will.

GD Y-Y

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

Just got back from seeing this on the big screen. Absolutely breathtaking, a cut WKW movie is better than 5 Ip Man movies. If you don't think The Grandmasters is the best Ip Man movie ever made, I will challenge you to a fight, who wants some?

yeah I am IN.

GD Y-Y

[masterofoneinchpunch]

What surprised me after doing some research on this was that not only did Wong approve of this cut, he edited it as well (this is most likely why he approved of the cut.) While I have not seen the longer cut, I found it interested he added scenes in the American release that are not in the International (a situation like for the American release of This Girl is Badass (2011: Petchtai Wongkamlao), a film I know all of you want to see). I read an interview where he stated that the American audience is second to China in knowledge about MA in films (do not forget the British I know some of you are thinking.)

This is an exquisitely beautiful looking film which I enjoyed. If you get a chance to watch this in the theater do so. It has some of the most sublime cinematography I have seen since Life of Pi. The martial art scenes here are better realized then in Wong’s Ashes of Time where the action scenes were muddy and distracting. However, there were a few faults with the film. I thought it diverged too much with Gong Er's (Zhang Ziyi: 2046) story. It almost feels that Wong got bored with the Ip Man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai: Happy Together) character. Though her story is where I felt that this was a Wong Kar-wai film and not an “Ip Man” film. Early on with a variety of martial art scenes I was wondering how much action Wong would put in the movie. There were also a few parts I found confusing where I was left wondering if the longer version would explain.

Time is a constant theme in his work, but so is unrequited love which fits so prominently into this film. For those who have seen the majority of Wong’s oeuvre then not much in this movie will surprise you. Author Stephen Teo has an excellent little monograph on Wong Kar-wai (and his Johnnie To book is a must own; both I recommend to those interested in either director), though it stops right before "The Hand" and does not cover movies after that short.

For me the best Ip Man film is the first Wilson Yip version. Donnie Yen has such a presence in that movie in which he does the Wing Chun brilliantly and it comes off better as a biopic though it lacks the grandeur of Wong's direction. Tony Leung Chiu Wai did a superb performance here though. He spent a lot of time working on his Wing Chun and getting into shape. His acting ability is almost always admirable. Yuen Wo-ping’s action direction was solid (he had directed a film called Wing Chun with Michelle Yeoh in 1994), with his sometimes over-the-top flourish where you know some wirework was obviously done, but combined with Wong’s direction it looks beautiful. I am not against obvious wirework, especially in fantastical martial art films, but with a martial artist like Ip Man and the art and aesthetics of Wing Chun I do not feel you need to overemphasis movements or hits to make your point. But that is a minor quibble for a film that is a worthy inclusion into the new sub-genre of Ip Man films.

My two top Wing Chun films: Prodigal Son and Warriors Two.

NOTES: this post was adapted from a comment I made on The Grandmaster review on rogerebert.com. The only Wong Kar-wai feature film I have not seen is My Blueberry Nights which I hope to rectify soon.

[daisho2004]

OK I watched the Grandmaster last night the HK version, & I thought it was an Excellent movie, not really to much action. Very good storyline, different from the Donnie Yen versions. I want to see the American version of it now. I thought Tony Leung Chiu Wai was awesome as IP Man.

[AlbertV]

OK I watched the Grandmaster last night the HK version, & I thought it was an Excellent movie, not really to much action. Very good storyline, different from the Donnie Yen versions. I want to see the American version of it now. I thought Tony Leung Chiu Wai was awesome as IP Man.

I too saw the Hong Kong version and what I absolutely loved in the film was that Tony Leung played Yip (Ip) Man as a person who not only delves into Wing Chun, but has nothing but the utmost respect for other Chinese martial arts. I loved the duels against the Bagua, Hsing-I, and Huen Kuen masters and showing his profound respect for them.( Hope everyone knows that Sammy Lau (aka Lau Kar-Yung) played the Hung Kuen master. ) and sticks to his respect in both peaceful times and in turmoil.

I thought WKW did a great job with this film and I do wish to see the U.S. cut ASAP.

[Drunken Monk]

Hope everyone knows that Sammy Lau (aka Lau Kar-Yung) played the Hung Kuen master.

I, for one, didn't! It just didn't click with me at all. Thanks for letting me know.

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

Gene Ching is the editor and owner of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine.

Is The Grandmaster the next Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon?

Do all art-house Kung Fu films look alike? The comparison between THE GRANDMASTER and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) is unavoidable. Both films enjoy a major U.S. theatrical release seldom seen for subtitled cinema. Both star Zhang Ziyi, or Z to her fans, the undisputed Kung Fu Queen for the art set, and are choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, Hollywood's go-to guy when it comes to Kung Fu action. Like almost every other martial arts film, both are tales of revenge. Unique to these films, both films are also about unrequited love. There are surely a few more similarities, but the comparison stops when it comes to overall impact. CROUCHING TIGER is a hard act to follow. It stands comfortably alongside the two other global game changers for martial arts movies, ENTER THE DRAGON (1973) and the original version of THE KARATE KID (1984). While it is unlikely that THE GRANDMASTER will achieve such timeless stature, its aspirations for Academy Award recognition are intriguing, especially at a time when Hollywood is fascinated with and concerned about China.

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON retains the title as the highest-grossing foreign-language film to get distributed in America, a record that THE GRANDMASTER is unlikely to touch. THE GRANDMASTER is already director Wong Kar Wai's highest-grossing film, but given his track record, that pales by comparison. CROUCHING TIGER has received more than forty major film awards, including four Oscars and two Golden Globes. In the wake of CROUCHING TIGER, there was a short-lived push to distribute more quality Kung Fu films, but all of the wannabe successors fell short. The two most outstanding contenders were both from Mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou: HERO (2002), starring Jet Li and Donnie Yen alongside THE GRANDMASTER stars Tony Leung and Z, and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004), again starring Z (see why she is the undisputed Kung Fu Queen for the art set now?).

From a directorial standpoint, THE GRANDMASTER and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON couldn't be more different. Taiwanese-born American director Ang Lee is a master of mainstream movies. Beginning with the most modest martial arts movie ever, PUSHING HANDS (1992), Lee has moved deftly from Jane Austen's SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) to Marvel's HULK (2003). He has taken on homosexual cowboys in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005), hippies coming of age in TAKING WOODSTOCK (2009) and Bengal tigers in LIFE OF PI (2012). He has an eye for turning beloved literature into crowd-pleasing spectacles, from the stunning landscapes of Wyoming to the verdant bamboo forest of Anji to the 3D CGI deep blue sea. That eye has won Lee three Oscars and three Golden Globes for direction; his films have earned dozens more.

The director of the THE GRANDMASTER is Wong Kar Wai, a second-generation Hong Kong director. Wong is a true art-house filmmaker. His films have exquisite style and artistry. They garner high acclaim from art critics and film students, but seldom strike gold at the box office. Often laborious and meandering, he is an unlikely candidate to direct an action film. Wong's previous Kung Fu movie, ASHES OF TIME (1994), was based on another famous Kung Fu book, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, from the master of the genre, Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha). Wong took extensive liberties with the book, so much so that the story is almost unrecognizable, or perhaps better said, the lack of story. Was it a tale of revenge and unrequited love? Hard to tell. The film is so existential and longwinded that there is hardly a story arc. Despite mediocre box office performance and some panning by critics, ASHES won multiple film awards in Asia and even captured Best Cinematography at the Venice Film Festival, and attracted an almost cult following amongst film students. Wong re-edited ASHES in 2008, shortening it and presenting it as ASHES OF TIME REDUX; however, this version remains backbreaking and oblique. It remains an artsy outlier of the martial arts movie genre.

This might bode poorly for Wong to take on another action film, but THE GRANDMASTER has been re-edited for American consumption. The U.S. release, distributed by the Weinstein Company and promoted by Martin Scorsese and Samuel L. Jackson, is nearly a half hour shorter than the original shown in China. And in this case, it is a significant improvement, especially if this is marketed as a martial arts film.

director of THE GRANDMASTER, Wong Kar Wai

Returning to CROUCHING TIGER for just a moment, Lee developed that film for Hollywood. The leads, Chow Yun Fat, Yeoh and Z, all had distinctly different accents so it doesn't work quite so well for anyone fluent in Mandarin. Imagine Romeo and Juliet done by actors with Brooklyn and Texan accents. Lee was very methodical with his direction, even down to his OCD attention to personally editing all of the clunky translations from the subtitles. Wong's artistic vision is extraordinary, but - as seen with ASHES - is mostly lost on a bombastic American action palette (especially Kung Fu film fans). A fundamental principle of the genre is to end with a climactic finale fight. The fight scenes in THE GRANDMASTER are absolutely gorgeous. Gratuitous slow motion replaces gratuitous violence. Yuen Woo-Ping's choreography is one action to one shot, but neither Z nor co-star Tony Leung are martial artists. While they both claim to have trained extensively in preparation, as any genuine practitioner knows, the martial arts are a lifestyle. A few months of training is no replacement for a lifetime of discipline. So much is redeemed in the editing. However, the last fight in the original Chinese version clocks in with a good half hour of movie to go, and ends by languishing in a slow opiate haze, rather the buzzkill following such dazzling action sequences. The U.S. version is much tighter. It even interjects parting clips of some fight-scene trim during the credits, giving the audience a final bump of Kung Fu action.

When the U.S. edit was announced, a few film students and critics lambasted Weinstein for dumbing down the film. Previous American edits of Chinese films have suffered horribly. When New Line Cinema released Jackie Chan's 1996 film POLICE STORY 4 to America in 1997, it was retitled FIRST STRIKE. That change was understandable. POLICE STORY 1 (1985) and 2 (1988) were never distributed in the states outside of Chinatown theaters. Consequently, POLICE STORY 3 (1992) was retitled SUPERCOP for its U.S. release in 1996. But what was unforgivable was that the U.S. version of FIRST STRIKE edited down the final fight scene, cutting out some of the comedic choreographic genius that is the main appeal of Jackie's work. This affront, and many more like it, has left a poor taste in the mouths of martial filmgoers. Weinstein's reedit of THE GRANDMASTER is the opposite. Those criticisms are largely unfounded. It redeems Wong's film by keeping the action engaging and the storyline linear. And those film students crying for faithfulness can surely access the original in all of its sluggish glory, if they so chose.

Tony Leung in THE GRANDMASTER

What the U.S. release of THE GRANDMASTER achieves, beyond that wishful Oscar bid, is magnificent. While the original version of THE GRANDMASTER is an excursion into art film, the U.S. version is more pop. THE GRANDMASTER may well be the most beautiful Kung Fu film to date. Despite Wong's tortuous storytelling (now resolved with the reedit), he can frame a shot like a Dutch Master painter. Z and Tony Leung have two of the most beautiful faces in Chinese cinema. Z's porcelain China doll perfection is the perfect foil for Leung's pensive authenticity and gravitas. Both actors can express emotions in nuances. A miniscule raise of an eyebrow from Leung or an ever-so-delicate flinching neck muscle from Z betray a trove of underlying emotion. Wong takes full advantage of this by filling the screen with their luminous faces and setting them against impenetrably dark backgrounds like Rembrandt. The juxtaposition of light and dark, warmth and cold, makes this film an immersive atmospheric experience. Stylistically, Wong is a visionary filmmaker, which is why he garners such adoration from film students and critics. He has a sharp eye for minutiae. The ornate details of costume and set are lovingly filmed, often in slow motion so as to capture every facet. Indeed, Weinstein might have been able to cut the running time in half just by playing all the slow motion scenes at regular speed, but that would have been a criminal disservice to the masterpiece Wong has created. Wong has received some international accolades, mostly from the renowned Cannes Film Festival, and numerous awards of recognition from Asian film groups, but nothing from Hollywood yet. If ever there was a shot for Wong winning an Oscar, as well as another martial arts film getting recognized, this might be it.

THE GRANDMASTER as a Gateway Kung Fu Film

THE GRANDMASTER focuses on Ip Man (1983-1972), the real-life Kung Fu master of Bruce Lee, although like with ASHES, Wong takes liberties with Ip Man's biography. He's not the only one. Ip Man has become quite the focus of Kung Fu films recently. This began in 2008, when the world's eyes were watching China for the Beijing Olympics. That year, Chinese television produced a major biopic serial, The Legend of Bruce Lee, an unprecedented look at China's most famous son by the People's Republic of China. The 50-episode retelling featured real-life Kung Fu Grandmaster Yu Chenghui, who was featured on our July+August 2012 cover, in the role of Ip Man. But it was martial superstar Donnie Yen, who was featured way back on our July 2000 cover, whose depiction of Grandmaster Ip catapulted him from historic figure to cinematic legend. IP MAN was an overwhelming success at the box office, as well as with film critics and action film fans. It even won several Asian awards. Directed by Wilson Yip, IP MAN cemented Yen's status as the lead action star in Hong Kong film, the next inheritor to the Kung Fu King throne once occupied by Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Like anything profitable in China, IP MAN spawned more. In 2010 Yen starred in a sequel, IP MAN 2, also directed by Yip, and also well received. He has been flirting with doing IP MAN 3 (which might even be in 3D). But the same year that the sequel came out, another film directed by Herman Yau was released, IP MAN: A LEGEND IS BORN (2010). While there was some overlap in the cast, particularly with Jackie Chan's heavyweight Kung Fu brother Sammo Hung, who appeard in both 2010 films, the productions were unrelated. Ip Chun, one of Grandmaster Ip's sons, appears in A LEGEND IS BORN as one of Ip Man's teachers. Ironically, or perhaps methodically, Yau is releasing the sequel of that series to coincide with the run of THE GRANDMASTER. Starring Hong Kong veteran actor Anthony Wong, IP MAN: FINAL FIGHT will have a limited U.S. release (seven theaters at this writing) on September 20, 2013. It should be noted that when Donnie Yen's first IP MAN film was being developed, THE GRANDMASTER was too. This resulted in some feuding between the productions. If an attempt is made to map these fictional depictions on Grandmaster Ip's real life, A LEGEND IS BORN would be first, and then both of Donnie's IP MAN films overlap THE GRANDMASTER. FINAL FIGHT would be the final film.

Ip Man fever continues today. With the support of Grandmaster Ip's other son, Ip Ching, IP MAN: THE MUSICAL is being developed for international theater. This project is still in development, so there's no telling where it might fit into the chronology of Grandmaster Ip's real life, if at all.

If this all sounds crazy, welcome to the chaos of Chinese cinema, as well as the wonderful world of Wing Chun, the Kung Fu style that Grandmaster Ip propounded. In the wake of Bruce Lee, Wing Chun, became immensely popular, so much so that feuds arose over who had the real Wing Chun. As Kung Fu styles go, Wing Chun is not as complex as most traditional schools. Where most Kung Fu systems have dozens of forms within their curriculum, Wing Chun only has a few: three hand forms, Sil Nim Tao, Chum Kiu, and Biu Ji, two weapons forms, Butterfly Swords and 6 1/2 Points Pole, and its signature Wooden Dummy practice.

Wing Chun promotes itself as a no-nonsense combat system that advocates simplicity and effectiveness. And yet lately it has been lambasted by MMA enthusiasts as it has yet to produce any significant champions. At the same time, Wing Chun has some true star power behind it. Beyond the cavalcade of Ip Man cinema and its prodigal son Bruce Lee, Robert Downey Jr. endorses Wing Chun. He cites it as his salvation from addiction, and has gone so far as to include some nods in his films, such as wooden dummy in an opening scene of IRON MAN 3.

Today, over a decade later, Harvey Weinstein is producing a sequel to CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. The original film was based upon the fourth installment of the Crane-Iron series, a pentology of novels by Wang Dulu. The CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON sequel is based on the final book of that series, Iron Knight, Silver Vase. At this writing, Michelle Yeoh has committed to reprising her role as Yu Shu Lien. In an exciting move, Donnie Yen is joining the cast. The screenplay is being developed by John Fusco, who also penned THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (2008). In typical diva fashion, Z has yet to commit to the project. She has said that she would not participate unless Ang Lee also took the director's chair again.

The Academy Awards will announce its selections in January of 2014. Regardless of whether THE GRANDMASTER secures nomination, or even whether it succeeds at the American box office, Wong Kar Wai has delivered a Kung Fu film of unparalleled magnificence. THE GRANDMASTER is a grand cinematic delight, meant to be experienced on the silver screen. Wong has raised the bar for all art-house Kung Fu films to follow, even future crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

[Drunken Monk]

I don't see "The Grandmaster" getting any Oscar love at all. Maybe a technical nom here and there but that, too, is pretty doubtful.

It's not on the western radar nearly as much as "Crouching Tiger..." was and, from what I've read, US audiences (bar critics) have been largely negative towards it. It seems Wong Kar Wai went too art house with this one.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

This movie is nothing like CTHD, if anything more like WKW other films like ITMFLove or Chungking Express.

[DrNgor]

Before it came out in the US, I read some of the reviews of it at the IMDB. There were *a lot* of negative reviews of the film, claiming that it got it all wrong, from the kung fu styles on display to the characterization of Ip man. I haven't seen it (save a couple of fights on YouTube), but it looked rather beautiful and Yuen Woo-Ping seemed to hit closer to the mark with wing chun than he did in the Michelle Yeoh film.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Yuen Woo-Ping seemed to hit closer to the mark with wing chun than he did in the Michelle Yeoh film.

I would hope so, as the title of that film was massively misleading:smile:

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Some comments/questions on the Gene Ching article:

"Taiwanese-born American director Ang Lee is a master of mainstream movies."

While he has made some popular films, I wouldn't put that tag on him. Makes him sound like Michael Bay.

It seems kind of strange comparing this and CTHD. He says it is unavoidable, but it seems lazy to me.

It will be interesting to see what award nominations this film will or will not get.

[VenomsFan]

Among the other 16 awards won already, The Grandmaster received two 2014 Academy Oscar Nominations for Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Costume Design.

Well deserved.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Among the other 16 awards won already, The Grandmaster received two 2014 Academy Oscar Nominations for Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Costume Design.

Well deserved.

It deserves those two, but I would have liked to see more. It is one of my favorite films of 2013 and is much better in my opinion than some nominations like Her.

[Drunken Monk]

"Her" is the single best film of 2013 and probably one of the best five films of all time in my opinion but "The Grandmaster" definitely deserves a "Best foreign film" nomination.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

"Her" is the single best film of 2013 and probably one of the best five films of all time in my opinion but "The Grandmaster" definitely deserves a "Best foreign film" nomination.

Too basic allegorical content in ultimately a banal love story. For a film involving AI, does not have the intellectual capacity to even consider the Singularity topic (though goes over it at the very end in a basic way.) I'm not sure how a film that just came out is one of the best five films of all-time though. In my opinion not even in The Grandmaster's league which is more sublime on dialog, cinematography, story, costumes and set design (Her does do well with this and cinematography just not quite as good.)

[Drunken Monk]

Too basic allegorical content in ultimately a banal love story. For a film involving AI, does not have the intellectual capacity to even consider the Singularity topic (though goes over it at the very end in a basic way.) I'm not sure how a film that just came out is one of the best five films of all-time though. In my opinion not even in The Grandmaster's league which is more sublime on dialog, cinematography, story, costumes and set design (Her does do well with this and cinematography just not quite as good.)

It must hurt to be so wrong. "Her" has more thematic content and the possibility for in depth analysis that pretty much every film in 2013.

Top five films is a matter of taste. I happen to think it's better than most films and so...so be it. I thought it was enchanting.

But if you don't see what I see, that's on you. "The Grandmaster" is easily in my top three of 2013 but, for me, "Her" plucked a more emotional chord and provided a tiny bit more depth.

[massa_yoda]

"Her" is the single best film of 2013 and probably one of the best five films of all time in my opinion but "The Grandmaster" definitely deserves a "Best foreign film" nomination.

To quote from Arrested Development: ....her?

[Secret Executioner]

Hadn't heard of Her so I checked out what it was and I nearly fell asleep reading the summary on wikipedia... It sounds like a very basic romantic comedy.

As far as AI in movies goes, I prefer this "guy":

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

Her was one of the best movies I've this year but does it count cause technically it came out in 2013? Towards the end of the film I couldn't quite understand what happen to Scarlett Johanson's character because I had to go pee pee for like 2 hrs. DON'T BUY A LARGE SODA AND DRINK IT HALF FULL BEFORE EVEN THE MOVIE STARTED!!!! Anyways, Drunken Monk if you can PM me the final 3rd act of the film, cause I didn't know what was going on since I lost focus and had to pee so bad!!! I can understand some folks would not like Her because it's a very quirky and targeted towards the hipster demographic if that makes any sense?

[Drunken Monk]

Hadn't heard of Her so I checked out what it was and I nearly fell asleep reading the summary on wikipedia... It sounds like a very basic romantic comedy.

I'm not sure you can judge a film by reading a written synopsis. Dozens of classics probably sound terrible on paper.

[Secret Executioner]

I'm not sure you can judge a film by reading a written synopsis. Dozens of classics probably sound terrible on paper.

Good point - I mentionned Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey earlier, but to be fair, I think it's more a great movie due to its cinematography (music, pacing, sets, props...) than for what goes on in it (same goes for others of my personal favorites like Kubrick's Barry Lyndon or F. W. Murnau's The Last Laugh). The summary/synopsis of Her I read didn't do much for me (romantic comedy is one of the movie genres I enjoy the least TBH), but maybe the execution is great and so it turns out to be a very enjoyable film in the end.

That said, I guess we can agree to disagree on Her and go back to discussing The Grandmaster.

[Drunken Monk]

Good point - I mentionned Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey earlier, but to be fair, I think it's more a great movie due to its cinematography (music, pacing, sets, props...) than for what goes on in it (same goes for others of my personal favorites like Kubrick's Barry Lyndon or F. W. Murnau's The Last Laugh). The summary/synopsis of Her I read didn't do much for me (romantic comedy is one of the movie genres I enjoy the least TBH), but maybe the execution is great and so it turns out to be a very enjoyable film in the end.

That said, I guess we can agree to disagree on Her and go back to discussing The Grandmaster.

"Her" isn't a romantic comedy, by the way. I'd say, genre wise, it's close to whatever "Lost in Translation" is.

But yes, I agree with your last statement: let's get back on track and use this thread to discuss "The Grandmaster" which was one of the better films of 2013 in my eyes.

Granted, I haven't yet watched most of the "Best Foreign Picture" nominations so they could be marvellous but I feel "The Grandmaster" deserves some recognition.

[Chinatown Kid]

I don't see "The Grandmaster" getting any Oscar love at all. Maybe a technical nom here and there but that, too, is pretty doubtful.

It's not on the western radar nearly as much as "Crouching Tiger..." was and, from what I've read, US audiences (bar critics) have been largely negative towards it. It seems Wong Kar Wai went too art house with this one.

That's pretty much my view of this film, too artsy fartsy and the action was scarce and not that impressive. Just not my cup of tea, much prefer Yen's Ip Man films.