Ip Man: The Final Fight

A rash of biopics has come lately about Ip Man, the grandmaster of Wing Chun whose most famous pupil was Bruce Lee. Tonight I went to see "Ip Man: the Final Fight." Interested though I am, I probably wouldn't have gone to see the movie, in part because of high movie prices, but I won a pair of tickets through the blog Ashevegas by knowing the name of an obscure style (xingyi).

The movie is full of known names in the HK film world. It portrays the last years of Ip Man's life, from the time he arrives in HK and begins to teach (late 1940s) to his death in 1972. There's a lot of time spent eating and smoking and teaching, and there are a few set pieces of martial arts battles. The real purpose of the film is to impart Ip Man's philosophy of life, especially as a martial artist.

I enjoyed the film very much and thought the lead actor (Anthony Wong) did a really fine job of portraying the nuances of the character. As a recreation of a particular time in Hong Kong, it was excellent.

One jarring scene was when Ip Man met with "Bruce Lee" in a restaurant. This was after Lee had gone to the States and started teaching his own version of a martial art and also teaching non-Chinese. I don't know who decided that the guy they had playing Lee was suitable, but I'm here to tell you that he didn't look anything like Lee or move like him. In short, the whole scene rang false. But it was only one scene in an otherwise good movie.

Movies

There's a new Chinese martial arts film with Jet Li, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, directed by Tsui Hark. It's one of those period movies (like Crouching Tiger) that gorgeous, violent, and fantastical. It's just out yesterday but only on Imax, so it' not here yet.

Also, I just remembered one of my favorite movies but couldn't remember the name so I went off to imdb and finally chanced on it. It's Bagdad Cafe, a charming tale of a German tourist who is stranded at a cafe/motel in the middle of nowhere out west. It's a rundown place struggling to survive, owned by CCH Pounder. The tourist is played by M. Sagebrecht, a fabulous German actress, who sets in to transform everyone's lives. Jack Palance is in it, too.  It's charming and just draws you in, subtly and quietly.

No news yet about the museum job.