#Darren Shahlavi

[theactioneer]

Bloodmoon (Siu-Hung Leung, 1997)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Ip Man 2 (2010)

Ip Man 2 is a lot like Rocky IV but not as fun. Like Balboa’s fourth adventure, it features a cartoonish antagonist and the nationalism is basically a main character. This film also features expertly choreographed martial arts sequences and a climax that - while predictable - does deliver what audiences want to see. It’s a major step down from the first but if you want action and don’t want to think, it’ll satisfy.

Now living in Hong Kong with his family, Wing Chun master Ip Man (Donnie Yen) seeks to open a school to teach his unique martial arts style. Unfortunately, the competition in the big city is fierce. Before Ip Man can accept students, he must prove himself to the other master, notably Hung Chun-nam (Sammo Hung). Rivalries are set aside after British boxer Taylor "The Twister" Miller (Darren Shahlavi) challenges Hong Kong's champion to prove whose technique is the best.

Like Ip Man, this sequel can be split into two halves. The first has Ip Man humbly learning the ways of this big city and gathering pupils. Even though you know no one can defeat Ip Man, the film maintains tension by introducing Wong Leung (Huang Xiaoming). Young and arrogant, you just know he’s going to get his master in trouble. When he does, things get crazy. We’ve seen Ip Man battle multiple opponents before but never as many as he does here. What makes it more complex is that while he’s also trying to avoid getting hurt/killed, he has to pull his punches to prevent himself from making an enemy of these students' master.

It would be a shame not to discuss the choreography on display. There are some impressive - and extended - sequences that put most of what we see in North America to shame. The best is the fight in which Ip Man must prove himself against Hung Chun-nam, another high-stakes battle in a unique arena that’ll have you screaming “ohhhh!” more than once.

Then, we get to the second half and that sweet energy drink of action might as well turn to mop water. I’m not going to say that the British occupying China in the 1950s weren’t racist but in this movie, they’re the most racist you could be. You wind up hating “The Twister” more than you did the war criminals in the previous film, which I suppose might be a good thing - a way to keep upping the ante so to speak - but this is the second movie in a row when “foreign devils” come in and start stomping on China. Technically, the opponents Ip Man is up against - all of which are corrupt and dishonest - are British, not American but with the similarities this film has to Rocky IV, you can’t help but wonder if writer Edmong Wong isn't trying to right some wrong. I’m willing to say it might be just me but it's not the only off-putting aspect of Ip Man 2. Ip Man’s wife, Cheung Wing-sing (Lynn Hung), for example. She’s given nothing to do except be a pregnant lady who worries.

The deeper into the film we get, the worse it becomes. At one point, Twister insults Chinese martial arts by comparing them to dancing, boasting that British boxing is superior in every way, etc. Audiences don’t buy it for a second. Styles like Hung Ga or Wing Chun allow you to use your legs so you want to see him cut down to size (the blatant racism also makes him plenty hateable). When Hung Chun-nam enters the arena, things go bad. How could they not? The man’s old and asthmatic, he’s going against an opponent who towers over him and is in a completely different weight class. After exchanging blows, it’s clear Chun-nam needs to throw in the towel, but he doesn’t. He has to stand up for the Martial Arts, whose feelings have been hurt by this one guy. Eventually, Chun-nam dies. It’s tragic but no one questions his decision despite the seven children who will now have to grow up without a father and the widow he leaves behind. Caring about yourself or your family? That’s less important than caring about what some stranger thinks. Even Ip Man’s family thinks so, which is why our hero misses the birth of his second child to compete in the rematch. It isn’t totally selfish, however. Once Ip Man wins, his glorious technique and humble victory speech cure the brain damage Chow Ching-chuen (Simon Yam) suffered!

There’s a lot to love in the first half of Ip Man 2. Scrutinize the latter half at all and the film becomes problematic for multiple reasons. What is it with this series and needing to remind us of Ip Man’s connection to Bruce Lee? I’d rather just watch Rocky IV again. At least that movie is so goofy you never wind up with the wrong kind of expectations. (Original Cantonese with English subtitles, March 26, 2021)

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have I-Spy 2002

[ryukang1995]

Mortal Kombat (my version) - actor influences/inspirations

Jax - Wesley Snipes, Michael Jai White, Steve James

Johnny Cage - Linden Ashby, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Brandon Lee

Kano - Trevor Goddard, Darren Shahlavi, Vernon Wells

Kitana - Talisa Soto, Jennifer Connelly, Tia Carrere

Kung Lao - Mark Dacascos, Donnie Yen, Yuen Biao, Paolo Montalban

Liu Kang - Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Robin Shou, Jason Scott Lee

Raiden - Christopher Lambert, Sonny Chiba

Shang Tsung - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, John Lone, James Hong

Sonya Blade - Cynthia Rothrock, Bridgette Wilson, Cameron Diaz, Jaime Pressly

That's all for now.

[nofatclips]

Accented Cinema on Ip Man and [how to write] Superman

[fuforthought]

Tai Chi II (1996)

[3slash74movies]

[scenesandscreens]

Ip Man 2 (2010)

Director - Wilson Yip, Cinematography - Poon Hang-sang

"I am Ip Man of Wing Chun."

[kungfutemple]

[adamwatchesmovies]

Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

If Mortal Kombat: Legacy writer, director and producer Kevin Tancharoen sees my score for this movie, he'd surely object. “Come on, Adam! This isn’t a movie; it’s a YouTube series meant to lead into a game! It doesn’t belong on your movie blog!” He'd be partially right. This has no business calling itself a “movie”, but nobody told the distributors. I did not find this… anthology (?) film online. I found it on Blu-ray, packaged together with Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihiliation. How was I supposed to know that my next 90 or so minutes would be spent with a “story” that has no protagonist, plot or resolution?

Serving as a prequel to the 1992 arcade classic, Mortal Kombat: Legacy follows Sonya (Jeri Ryan), Kano (Darren Shahlavi), Raiden (Ryan Robbins), Johnny Cage (Matt Mullins), Scorpion (Ian Anthony Dale), Shao Khan (Aleks Paunovic), Kitana (Samantha Jo), her twin Mileena (Jolene Tran), Cyrax (Shane Warren Jones), Sektor (Peter Shinkoda) and others on their way to Mortal Kombat, a tournament that will decide the fate of our world.

Some of the criticisms I had as the picture began I’m going to declare moot. The special effects are so-so but considering this is a YouTube film, they’re impressive. While the camerawork in the first two segments make the action look phony, that’s the exception. Overall, the cinematography is well done and the action easy to follow and engaging. For those who know the Mortal Kombat lore and have always wanted more, this is what you’ve been wanting for. Sorta. I’ve never played the games but I have seen the other films. I thought this would be enough. I was wrong. Kitana has a twin sister, who’s actually her clone, but it’s half the same species as her, and half demon and then Kitana’s mother committed suicide so she could transplant her soul into her daughter. It doesn’t make much sense to me. More than once, backstories are needlessly convoluted. Almost as if these characters were just concepts thrown into a game with a thin story and were never meant to be developed further…

Some of the segments nevertheless work alright as mini stories. Others, not so much. The story of Jax, Sony & Kano is nothing but a barrage of action clichés, while the single animated segment, the story of Kitana and Mileena sticks out like a sore thumb. Then there’s the Raiden segment, which is preceeded by a message from Tancharoen. He explains why this story isn’t part of the normal continuity of Mortal Kombat. If they were worried fans would go ballistic over a tweaking of their beloved characters, why tweak it? Actually, I think it’s one of the best stories, as it feels genuinely inspired instead of a fanboy’s rendition like so many of the others do.

Things get real nutty, the mythology is this soup of random threads and the performances vary in quality. Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage entertains thoroughly. His story is the one that has a genuine – and welcome – sense of humor about itself. Ultimately, however, this is a big letdown because you have 9 episodes… which lead to NOTHING. I know there’s a second season, but what kind of series doesn’t have a climax? It sows seeds which never grow and, since none of the non-two parter stories connect with each other, it doesn’t matter in what order you watch these or even if you miss half of them.

I wouldn’t be as harsh but I watched Mortal Kombat: Legacy on Blu-ray with no warning. I know not everyone will have the same reaction as me, but I'm sure many will be just as stunned as I when Mortal Kombat: Legacy abruptly ends. Hopefully if this does interest you, your experience with it is better than mine. (On Blu-ray, October 6, 2018)

[twilightronin]

Ip Man 2

[ryukang1995]

Mortal Kombat - actor influences for the characters (9/3/2024):

- Liu Kang - Bruce Lee/Brandon Lee/Jackie Chan/Robin Shou/Jason Scott Lee/Jon Foo/Shin Koyamada/Ludi Lin

- Kitana - Cynthia Khan/Michelle Yeoh/Tia Carrere/Jennifer Connelly/Talisa Soto/Samantha Win/Adeline Rudolph

- Sonya Blade - Cynthia Rothrock/Cameron Diaz/Bridgette Wilson-Sampras/Sandra Hess/Jaime Pressly/Natasha Henstridge/Katheryn Winnick/Jessica McNamee

- Kung Lao - Yuen Biao/Donnie Yen/Jet Li/Mark Dacascos/Paolo Montalban/Max Huang

- Raiden - Sonny Chiba/Christopher Lambert/Jeffrey Meek

- Johnny Cage - John Saxon/Jean-Claude Van Damme/Linden Ashby/Loren Avedon/Matt Mullins/Casper Van Dien

- Jax - Jim Kelly/Carl Weathers/Steve James/Wesley Snipes/Michael Jai White/Lynn Red Williams/Mehcad Brooks

- Kano - Vernon Wells/Trevor Goddard/Darren Shahlavi/Josh Lawson

- Shang Tsung - James Hong/Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa/John Lone

- Scorpion/Hanzo Hasashi - Hiroyuki Sanada/Sho Kosugi/Chris Casamassa/Ian Anthony Dale

- Sub-Zero/Kuai Liang - Keanu Reeves/JJ Perry/Yoshi Sudarso

- Noob Saibot/Bi Han - Gordon Liu/Francois Petit/Joe Taslim

- Shao Kahn - Brian Thompson/Clancy Brown/Martyn Ford

There are other characters that I have actor influences in mind for, but for the sake of time, these are the main ones.

Now, it goes without saying that I also have the actual performers from the games in mind for the characters (ex.: Kerri Hoskins as Sonya, Ho-Sung Pak as Liu Kang, or Rich Divizio as Kano), but for this post, I narrowed it down to film and TV actors, including those who played the characters in the adaptations.

[fuforthought]

Fantastic new Ip Man 4 poster paying homage to the entire series.

[justfilms]

#735 Beyond the Limits - Olaf Ittenbach 2003

[andrewsmoviereviews]

Ip Man 2 (2010)

Plot: Ip Man (Donnie Yen) has moved to Hong Kong to escape persecution, but is finding everyday life a hardship. Could he be win over his new neighbours, and fellow martial arts masters, but saving face for them against a Western boxer?

Review: In the nicest possible way, this is Ip Man’s Rocky 4. There are just so many similarities in the plot it’s quite incredible.

The basic structure follows the last one, as there are two main obstacles for Ip Man to overcome, one after the other. This time around the first one is winning the respect of his rival martial arts masters, accomplished with a series of duels on a very shoddily constructed wooden table. The next, is a foreign boxer who comes to Ip Man’s country and kills one of his friends in the ring (with Ip Man ready to throw in the towel only to be told not to), leading to a showdown between the two, which Ip Man wins before grabbing a microphone and preaching about togetherness between nations. We’re just shy a snowbound training montage.

At times, the film takes on an almost propaganda style, as everything bad is the fault of the ‘foreign devils’, the British who occupy Hong Kong. Similar to Star Wars, every bad guy can be identified by a British accent and over the top acting (looking at you, Domhnall). The locals who facilitate their evil are just poor men struggling to make ends meet of course, who do the right thing in the end. It’s like an American movies treatment of the Russians. Or the British. Or anybody Middle-Eastern. Or anybody who isn’t American. It’s that kind of basic ‘everybody who isn’t us is bad’ mentality that is frankly unnecessary whichever continent you’re on.

Still, the film does feature some nicely acted moments and some very good fight scenes, despite upping the stakes in rather predictable fashion. It’s everything you expect a mediocre sequel to be.