All time favourite Kung Fu Movie

bababardwan
November 12, 2010, 12:04 PM posted in General Discussion

What is your all time favourite Kung Fu movie and why? I really love a few of the recent Kung Fu movies, but somehow I would find it hard to go past Enter the Dragon, just for Bruce Lee's amazing presence, and some great lines. It was so much more than just the action. He had the whole mental game. I thought Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was also special in a different way.

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bababardwan
November 12, 2010, 12:19 PM

ps I must see Ip Man and Ip Man2. Can't believe I've missed it. Anyone seen them?

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xiao_liang

Oh, I saw Ip Man 2 (and Ip Man: The Legend is Born) on the plane back from China. Loved them!

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RJ

Its fate. Got to be.

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xiao_liang

Ip Man 2 was definitely my favourite of the two, I was sad to hear they wouldn't be making an Ip Man 3 with the same actor. It's corny as hell, not to mention predictable, but the fight scenes are just great :)

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RJ

It is supposed to be a true story, with a little relish (embellishment). Yip was from Foshan. I hope they did the truth some justice. Now I have to see it. I can probably buy from i-tunes and watch it on my i-touch right now. I love modern technology.

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bababardwan

RJ

yeah, I thought you and Simon would both like that he was from Foshan. Did you strike anything related to him when in Foshan?

xiao_liang,

thanks for the feedback. Good or bad I was determined to watch it anyway [due to his historical significance from a Kung Fu point of view], but glad to hear it's good. I knew ages ago that it was coming and then somehow missed the release and it had slipped my mind.

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pretzellogic
November 12, 2010, 01:16 PM

Enter the Dragon was probably my favorite for many years. Then I didn't watch the film for a long time, then took three years of Kung Fu.  After the Kung Fu lessons, Enter the Dragon looks so poorly acted, unfortunately.

My new favorite is Hero.  Mixing music and fighting works for me.

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bababardwan

pretzell,

Yeah, I loved Hero too and I know what you mean about poor acting and movies becoming dated. But still, there is something so enigmatic about Bruce Lee and some of his lines still crack me up. Admittedly I haven't actually watched it in some time though I've got the video, so I'm going from a replay in my head, but I don't think watching it again will change my opinion. I was often conscious watching those old films of how good the hero's fighting looked until you instead focused in on what the opponent was doing and you realised that was usually pretty lame.

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RJ
November 12, 2010, 02:14 PM

Really? Enter the dragon? A bit corny I always thought but like pretzel I do like Hero. I saw Hero for the first time on the plane home from china a few years ago. Great timing. I find Bruce Lee's real life much more interesting than his movies.I would also like to see IP man. Got to put that on my list. Crouching tiger I enjoyed watching. Flying daggers too. Its strange how a movie hits you different though after a few years.

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RJ

Update- Watching it now (IP man). Hey, this guy has the same wooden girlfriend that Simon had. :-)

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bababardwan

haha. Good one mate. If this doesn't entice Simon out of hiding to defend himself, nothing will. :)

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bababardwan

"I find Bruce Lee's real life much more interesting than his movies."

...fair comment. Yeah, I can see that. I think I agree. His presence was perhaps even stronger in interviews, and yeah, a very interesting life story, no doubt.

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daniel70
November 12, 2010, 04:22 PM

Ashes of Time

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bababardwan

daniel,

I haven't seen that one, but see it has some big names and like a lot of Chinese films looks to be done on a huge scale...I guess there are no shortage of dudes happy to rock up and not be paid much as extras [just a hunch]. Thanks for the link. I was thinking/hoping that it was in Cantonese, 'cos I wasn't picking up too much [though the loud background music doesn't help], but then one line sounded like it was in Mandarin.

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RJ
November 12, 2010, 06:08 PM

Baba,

I just watched IP Man. Excellent. It may not be for everyone, but I know you well enough to know that you will love this movie. Trust me on this one. Do it this weekend, you will be glad you did. IP2 is now on my must see list.

Xiao Liang - IP man - "the legend is born" is #3. So you saw 2 and 3?

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xiao_liang

Yea, but it's a prequel. There was supposed to be a third featuring ip man's relationship with Bruce Lee, but the main actor doesn't want to be typecast and has said he doesn't want to be in it. :-(

The wikipedia entry is pretty good. The films play pretty fast and loose with the truth...

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RJ

the legend is born is the third movie with Dennis To instead of Donnie Yen. They do look alike. #1 takes place in Foshan in the late thirties. #2 is the sequel and takes place in HK. #3 is the prequel to the other two. Yip is a teenager in Foshan. The third movie came out at the end of June 2010. The reviews are pretty confusing. So which 2 movies did you see?

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xiao_liang

Yes, I know, but it's not the planned third film. It's separate (and features different story elements. E.g. Ip Man learns English). From Wikipedia:

Sequels

Ip Man is the first film in a planned trilogy. Donnie Yen reprised the lead role in the sequel Ip Man 2, the second feature film based on the life of Ip Man. The film focuses on Ip's movements in Hong Kong as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts; it also focuses on a young Bruce Lee prior to becoming one of Ip's most famed disciples. Ip Man 2 was released theatrically in Hong Kong in late April 2010. Lynn Hung and Fan Siu-wong reprise their supporting roles, while martial arts choreographer Sammo Hung appears as a master of Hung Ga martial arts.

Yen has expressed his disinterest in making a third film, feeling that, "Ip Man 2 will incontrovertibly become a classic, bettering the first."[50] Yen later stated that after Ip Man 2, he would no longer be involved in a film based on Ip's life.[51] While both Donnie Yen and Raymond Wong are not keen on making a third Ip Man film, director Wilson Yip has expressed interest in making one that would focus on the relationship between Ip and Bruce Lee. While Ip Man 2 briefly focuses on Lee as a child, Yip hopes to find a suitable actor to portray Lee as an adult for the third installment.[52]

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RJ

Got it. It is a bit confusing. So you haven't seen the first one.

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xiao_liang

Nope! Still haven't seen the first one! Maybe it will be on the next flight to China... hehe