Member cultlabs Posted October 15, 2009 Member Share Posted October 15, 2009 Thanks to Kung Fu Cinema members for letting me know the score about PR posts. I'm working on the PR campaign for the upcoming biopic IP MAN, I'm a general fan of Cult Movies rather than a specific Martial Arts fan. Reading through some of the posts about technique made me realize that other people are watching these movies in a completely different way to me. I loved IP MAN, great performances, a good deal of depth and I liked the way the fighting gradually moves from gentle demonstrations to all out brutality. And there was me expecting something respectably restrained given the status of the subject. I've got some cool press materials like an IP MAN bio, so if people want all the background info, let me know. Trailer Link: Here's the press release with all the extras and specs : WINNER OF BEST PICTURE AND BEST ACTION CHOREOGRAPHY AT THE 2009 HONG KONG FILM AWARDS Directed by Wilson Yip (Flash Point; Dragon Tiger Gate; SPL) and starring Donnie Yen (An Empress And The Warriors) in the title role, the award-winning wartime period action-drama IP MAN brings to the screen the fascinating life of the celebrated Chinese martial artist who famously became martial arts master to Bruce Lee and was the first person to teach the close range combat techniques of Wing Chun openly. Providing a dream role for Yen, who has always been an outspoken Bruce Lee fan and has gone on record hailing him as one of the greatest Chinese figures in history, the story of IP MAN and his importance in the development of modern martial arts cannot be overstated. In fact, Bruce Lee was so devoted to his master that he would often sit outside the dojo before classes started looking sullen, pretending that lessons had been cancelled so that, once the other students had gone home, he could enjoy personal one-on-one training sessions with Master Ip. The year is 1935 and Foshan in Guangdong province is a hive of martial arts schools each competing against each other for superiority. The area's undisputed Wing Chun master is Ip Man (Yen), an independently wealthy and unassuming character who refuses to give classes and only fights behind closed doors in order to protect his challengers from the embarrassment of defeat. Several years later, invasion by Japanese military forces sees Ip Man and his family destitute and hungry. In desperation, Ip takes a job working at the local coal plant alongside many of his fellow martial artists, where employees are offered bags of rice to take part in bouts fighting against the Japanese soldiers in the commander's private dojo. Following the death of one of his former peers in the dojo, Ip volunteers to take on ten Japanese fighters at once, an act which arouses the interest of the Japanese commander, Miura. Meanwhile, on hearing they are being harassed by local bandits, Ip agrees to teach Wing Chun to the workers at his friend's cotton mill so they may defend themselves. Hearing news of this development, Miura demands that Ip Man also instructs his troops in martial arts. Refusing to cooperate, Ip Man instead challenges Miura to a public fight in which he intends to prove the superiority of Chinese over Japanese martial arts once and for all. The fourth movie collaboration between director Wilson Yip (Flash Point; Dragon Tiger Gate; SPL) and action star Donnie Yen (An Empress And The Warriors), IP MAN boasts incredible fight choreography and action direction by Sammo Hung (Three Kingdoms; Kung Fu Hustle; The Medallion) and Tony Leung Siu Hung (The Legend Of Drunken Master; The Three Swordsmen). Nominated for 12 honours at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2009 and eventual winner of the Best Picture and Best Action Choreography Awards, the film took the number one spot at the Hong Kong box office during its initial domestic theatrical release keeping both "Twilight" and 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" off the top of the charts. A sequel to IP MAN is already in production and is scheduled for release in May 2010, while a biopic of Bruce Lee, produced with the cooperation of Lee's family, is being planned for release to coincide with the 70th anniversary of his birth on 27th November 2010. IP MAN (cert. 15) will be released as a two-disc DVD (£15.99) and single-disc Blu-ray (£19.99) by Cine Asia on 26th October 2009. Special Features include: Trailer Gallery; Interview Gallery (Wilson Yip, Donnie Yen, Lam Ka-tung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ip Chun, Fan Sui-wong, Xiong Dai-lin, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam); "Making Of" Gallery (Making Of, Pre-production, Shooting Diary); Location/Set Design Gallery (The Foshan Cotton Mill, Foshan's Main Street and Mo Goon Street, Ip Man's Residence); Gala Premiere footage; Deleted Scenes Gallery; Cantonese 2.0 and 5.1 (with English subtitles) audio options; Cine Asia trailers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member johnoverall Posted October 16, 2009 Member Share Posted October 16, 2009 I've joined forces with Showbox Entertaiment and I'm pleased to announce your chance to win one of five copies of the new UK release of IP MAN, due in all good stores on October 26th 2009. To be included in the draw to own a copy of this fantastic movie, simply click the above image and follow the instructions. Closing date is 31st October 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Kwok Choi Posted October 18, 2009 Member Share Posted October 18, 2009 Check it out here but make sure you get the original dvd as well.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqrKlsVUfFQ&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member cultlabs Posted October 22, 2009 Author Member Share Posted October 22, 2009 More IP MAN goodness. To get you fired up about the new DVD release, here's a potted Bio of the real IP MAN I was given some good pics of the man himself to share, but the file size is to big and I don't want to shrink them down, so if anyone wants to see three archive images of IP MAN in training with Bruce Lee, they're published on out Myspace: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.editAlbumPhotos&albumID=755445 MASTER IP MAN BIOGRAPHY Born Ip Kai-man in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, Ip Man lived a feeble existence as a child and in order to improve his health, he was sent to practice under Money Changer Wah, pupil of renowned wing chun master Leung Chun. Still a child, Ip became the last pupil of Wah and enjoyed great love and care of his sifu. Following the death of Wah, Ng Chung-sok, Wah’s first pupil, continued to teach Ip wing chun per his late sifu’s request. Other senior pupils also took care of Ip. At the age of 16, Ip left Foshan to pursuit his studies at St. Stephen’s College in Hong Kong, where he met Leung Bik, son of Wah’s sifu, Leung Chun. Ip then studied hard with Leung Bik and saw great advancement in his skills. After finishing his academic studies, Ip returned to Foshan and took up a military job. He eventually got married and fathered two sons, Ip Jun and Ip Jeng. Establishing close connections with wushu practitioners in Foshan and displaying his flair in occasional combats, Ip’s fame surged in the city. Foshan fell under Japanese rule during Sino-Japanese War. A patriotic man, Ip refused to serve the Japanese militia and struggled to make ends meet. His friend Chow Ching-chuen lent a helping hand in times of hardship and to return his favor, Ip took Chow’s son Chow Kwong-yiu in as his pupil and started teaching wing chun in Chow’s cotton mill factory, where his teaching career began. After the war, Ip returned to Hong Kong and started teaching at the Hong Kong restaurant employees’ union. Ip had a unique opinion on martial arts. He saw it as a form of power instead of exercise and believed genuine expertise could only be acquired through combats instead of practice. Sport combats, or “hand-talk” was the only way to improve and strengthen one’s skills. Therefore, unlike sifus of other schools who forbad their pupils from engaging in combats, Ip encouraged his pupil to go out and “hand-talk” with different people. “Hand-talk” in the Guangdong martial arts circle refers to friendly sport combats. Among the pupils of Ip, Wong Shun-leung loved these combats and almost never lost. He became known as the “King of Hand-talk” and with his fellow pupils engaging in combats with different people, the name wing chun spread in Hong Kong and apart from members of the union, other workers and foreign exchange students came to learn from Ip, among them Bruce Lee, the late kung fu superstar who showed the world the power of Chinese martial arts. Apart from his profound knowledge in wing chun, Ip was also unique in his beliefs and ways of teaching. Well-educated in modern science, Ip employed scientific ideas such as force and geometry in his teaching, making it easier for pupils to understand the theories. He also taught differently according to the abilities of each pupil to make sure everyone understood his teachings. Ip emphasized intuition and encouraged the free flow of moves without restrictions of specific moves and forms. Ip saw martial arts as reactions to the moves of the opponent and instead of following rules of particular moves, one has to respond in most efficient way to moves of the opponent and the only goal in combat was to defeat the opponent. Ip’s beliefs had huge influence on his pupil Bruce Lee and provided a substantial foundation for Lee’s founding ofJeet Kune Do (the way of the intercepting fist). Jeet Kune Do stipulates that its followers abandon all forms and rules, adopting the principle of “no rule as the rule, infinity as the limit”, which shares the essence of Ip’s beliefs. Ip was a humble man and had never assumed the status of a leading wing chun icon. Since settling down in Hong Kong, he had worked tirelessly to promote the art of wing chun and nurture martial arts talents in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Many of his accomplished pupils have established their own schools overseas, sowing seeds of wing chun in every corner of the world. With millions of followers, wing chun has now become a worldwide phenomenon. With invaluable contribution to the development of martial arts, Ip is therefore regarded as one of the greatest wing chun masters of all times and Ip Man Hall was built by the government of Foshan city in honor of Ip’s contribution to the development of Chinese martial arts and his tireless efforts on helping the art of wing chun flourish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member cultlabs Posted October 22, 2009 Author Member Share Posted October 22, 2009 Here's another history piece, this time about Wing Chun, the technique that IP MAN mastered and passed onto to Bruce Lee... Wing Chun Accounts on the origin of wing chun differ but the most common version names southern Shaolin nun Ng Mui as its founder. While visiting Foshan in Guangdong in late Qing dynasty, Ng Mui came across Yim Wing-chun, the beautiful daughter of a tofu vender, who was often harassed by local gangsters. To help her defend herself, Ng Mui then taught her selected moves that were suitable for girls. Being a talented learner, Yim Wing-chun soon gained a grasp on the essence of the moves. She developed a series of moves for practice and named them “wing chun”. Developed as a method of self-defense for women, wing chun is a practical school of boxing characterized by its tall and narrow stance, relaxed softness and directness of action in contrast with the low and wide stance and high-impact moves of other schools. Towards the end of the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, Master Yim married Leung Bok-sau and taught him all she had learned. Leung eventually taught Wong Wah-bo and Leung Yi-tai wing chun on a boat in exchange for the manual of the “six and a half point pole”, which had since became an essential weapon used by wing chun practitioners. According to historical documents of Foshan, Wong Wah-bo passed his wing chun skills to Leung Chun, a local doctor and respectable gentleman with very good reputation, extensive social network and a passion for martial arts. Despite his wide exposure in martial arts, he was hardly satisfied with his skills until he learned wing chun from Wong. Recognizing the superb tactics and mastery of power and stance in wing chun, Leung put his heart into it and mastered siu nim tau, chum kiu (seeking bridge), bil jee (darting fingers), wooden dummy boxing, the six and a half point pole and the eight slashing knives. He also put wing chun to practical use in and gave local bullies and gangsters a hard time. Wing chun became well-known in Lingnan as a result, while Leung acquired fame as the King of Wing Chun. However, being a philanthropist, Leung spent most of his time on his medical practice instead of wing chun teaching and only Chan Wah-shun and his sons Leung Chun and Leung Bik learned from him the essence of wing chun. Although the legend was known by many, it was only practice by a few and therefore regarded as a mystery. Living in Chan village in Foshan, Chan Wah-shun worked as a money changer in his youth and was known as Money Changer Wah. He frequented Leung’s clinic for work and eventually became Leung’s pupil and learned the essence of his art. After the death of Leung, more and more people approached Wah for guidance on wing chun. Wah then quit his work as an money changer and concentrated on wing chun teaching. He was the first wing chun master to establish his own wushu school. Apart from boxing sequences and individual moves, chi sau (hand-sticking) is another important element of wing chun that requires extensive training to master. One-on-one coaching is required and Wah was obliged to keep only a few pupils and charge at expensive rates. Most of his pupils were boys from rich families and wing chun acquired reputation as “boxing for rich boys”. With the extended one-on-one coaching required, Wah only took in 16 pupils throughout 36 years of teaching. Among them are Ng Chung-sok, Ho Hon-lui, Lui Yu-chai, his own son Chan Yu-gum and Ip Man, his last pupil who would eventually turn wing chun into a into one of the most popular Chinese martial arts. Ip joined Wah’s wushu school at the age of seven. Then an old man, Wah was very fond of the boy and taught him with great devotion. After the death of Wah, Ng Chung-sok, his first pupil, took very good care of Ip and continued to guide him in his practice. After three years of hard work, Ip had learned the essence of Wah’s skills. Relocating to Hong Kong to pursue his studies, Ip, then 16 years old, met Leung Bik, the second son of Leung Chun. Ip then studied under Leung Bik for three years. It proved a great opportunity for him and saw great advancement in his skills. Upon his return to Foshan, Ip supported the cause of justice with his expertise in martial arts and once again brought great fame for the art of wing chun. However, with the invasion of the Japanese, Ip fled with his family and did not have a chance to teach. After the Sino-Japanese War, Ip revisited Hong Kong and settled down to teach wing chun. After painstaking scouting, he found a teaching job at the restaurant employees’ union on Tai Nam Street in Sham Shui Po with the recommendation of his friend Li Man, and took up a career in teaching. Well-educated in western science and reason, Ip taught wing chun in a scientific manner, stressing the importance of logic, line and angle of attack, control of force as well as psychology, among other things. He also abandoned the traditional way of teaching, and encouraged learners to look further than specific moves and instead try to grasp the essence and strike as their hearts please. Ip taught differently according the abilities of each pupil, ensuring all of them learned efficiently and developed their talents. The art of wing chun flourished with Ip’s new way of teaching. Unlike many other sifus, Ip encouraged his pupils to engage in combat with outsiders (“hand-talk”) in order to understand their own weaknesses. This help spread the name of wing chun throughout the city and attracted many talented young people to come to join Ip’s school. The late kung fu superstar, Bruce Lee who introduced Chinese martial arts to the world, was one of them. Ip spent a lifetime teaching wing chun and many of his pupils enjoyed great success, gaining enormous fame for the art of wing chun in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. With his invaluable contribution to the development of wing chun, Ip came to be regarded as one of the greatest masters by wing chun practitioners. From a method of self-defense for women, wing chun developed into a powerful practical combat martial art in several decades and from its origin in Foshan, it has established fame and keen following in different corners of the world. Highly regarded around the world, it is now the most popular form of Chinese wushu among foreigners. There is an agreed account on its origin and development: founded by Yim Wing-chun, took roots in the hands of Leung Chun and blossomed under Ip Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member cultlabs Posted October 22, 2009 Author Member Share Posted October 22, 2009 Yes. There will be an English Dub included on the DVD & Blu-Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member cultlabs Posted October 26, 2009 Author Member Share Posted October 26, 2009 Just popping back to make the out now announcement IP MAN is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray. Good luck to anyone who entered the competition listed above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kingofkungfu2002 Posted October 26, 2009 Member Share Posted October 26, 2009 Picked it up today from HMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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