Rejoining the Tao (retired)

Waiting to See Ip Man 3 I just returned from seeing Ip Man 3 . I had prepared for this movie by seeing the two previous films, reviewed here and here . In several ways this movie was very different from the earlier editions, so I have mixed feelings about it. I need to include some spoilers in order to explain my feelings about the film. You may want to see the movie before reading any further! Donnie Yen was awesome, as usual. He showed more acting range, due to some very heavy material in the storyline. These poignant scenes were some of my favorite aspects of the movie. I was really impressed by the fighting he was able to perform at age 51. He is an inspiration to those of us over 40. "Ip Man 3" continued the trend of cross-style fighting, with combat between Wing Chun and a "Thai fighter," a western boxer (guess who), and a top Wing Chun artist! These three fights were my favorites in the film. I particularly enjoyed the staging and context for the T...

Western Boxing vs Wing Chun As I mentioned in Movie Review: Ip Man (2008) , I'm planning to see " Ip Man 3 " tomorrow night. To be caught up for the third movie in the Ip Man series, I watched the 2010 movie " Ip Man 2 ." This was a much different movie, and in some ways you might call it the "Chinese Rocky" edition of the Ip Man trilogy. It had a different flow compared to the previous film, and I enjoyed it. Here's what I liked about the movie: Donnie Yen:  Donnie Yen continues to shine in these films. I didn't think his acting range was tested as much in this movie, but his quiet presence is unlike other leading actors in martial arts movies. Cross-style fighting:  Seeing different styles fight each other was one of my favorite aspects of the first Ip Man movie. In Ip Man 2, we get a chance to see different Chinese styles clash, several times. As shown in the image above, we also get to see eastern and western styles in conflic...

Ip Man Facing the Japanese Fighters In preparation for the new Ip Man movie, " Ip Man 3 ," I decided to watch the original " Ip Man " via Amazon Video . It had been a while since I had watched a Hong Kong martial arts film, and this one did not disappoint! I originally became interested in Hong Kong martial arts movies when I started studying kung ku in 1994. Through a few other students, I vaguely became aware of Jackie Chan's movies. In 1995, when " Rumble in the Bronx " was released in the United States, I think I saw it 5 or 6 times in a few weeks! Here's what I liked about the movie: Donnie Yen : I had never seen Donnie Yen in a starring role before "Ip Man." I was thoroughly impressed by his acting and athletic abilities.  Cross-style fighting : I really enjoyed watching Chinese styles vs Japanese styles, or at least what appeared to be fight choreographer Sammo Hung's interpretation of Japanese styles. Cinematograp...