Ip Man 2 review

 Number 719 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Hong Kong martials art film and sequel to Ip Man, Ip Man 2.

Set after World War Two, Hong Kong has returned to British control. The Japanese are gone and Ip Man (Donnie Yen) tries to navigate life in this new world. He begins teaching Wing Chun earning the ire of the martial arts matters who think he is disrupting the local system. But a new enemy arrives when the corrupt British police begin setting up Western Boxing matches to compete against Chinese martial arts.

I enjoyed the first Ip Man far more than I thought, as there was a strong story running behind the spectacular martial art sequences. yet, I don't think the story was as strong here. Things start promisingly enough. After the Japanese occupation has ended, Ip Man is questioning his place in life. When he tries setting up his own dojos, this puts him in opposition with the other martial art masters. And this leads to a series of spectacularly choregraphed, but overlong fight sequences.

But things start feeling overfamiliar when the British are involved. The storyline is re-hashed from the first film. The British have replaced the Japanese, and boxing has replaced karate. And the great Japanese actors have been replaced by less than convincing English ones. I guess it didn't help their character were rather two-dimensional. There was nothing particularly memorable about the British boxing champion Twister (Darren Shahlavi) who was little else than your standard brash, arrogant and overly-shouty villain.

And as the story was so similar, it was very predictable. I could easily guess how things would end. And I was right. While Ip Man 2 might have had some fantastic martial arts sequences, it was too familiar to its predecessor to have been truly enjoyable for me to watch.

IP man review

 Number 215 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2008 Hong-Kong biographical martial-arts film "IP Man."

Based on the true story of Ip Man, a former wing-chun master, this film follows his many exploits. Considered the number-one authority of his martial art, he is well-respected and has his own school in the city of Fushon. However, when the Japanese invade and occupy Hong Kong as part of the Sino-Japanese war, Ip Man (Donnie Yen) soon becomes a leader of a resistance movement.

I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. I thought it might be like Kung-Fu Hustle and be all style over substance. Sure it would be full of well-choregraphed martial art sequences, but there would be little in the way of story. I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a great storyline behind all of the spectacular kung fu sequences. And they were spectacular. Martial artist Sammo Hung and stunt coordinator Tony Leung Siu-hung worked together to create slick and entertaining fight scenes. But Donnie Yen is also to be applauded. In preparation for the role, he spent months training in Wing Chun and it really showed on screen. 

But like  Lust, Caution, I really enjoyed how Ip Man showed a part of the Second World War that people don't talk about as much in the Western world and that's the Sino-Japanese theatre. True, it did start separately from the war in Europe before eventually bleeding into WW2. Obviously, I'm not too clear on the history of it all, but it was so interesting seeing this other aspect of the war. The production element from the costume to the set design was brilliant. And this all was a perfect backdrop to the martial arts. Instead of over-shadowing or under-mining, the two elements came together very well. 

After the Japanese invade and occupy Hong Kong, Ip Man is forced to work in the coal mines to support his family. There he trains the other workers in Wing-Chun to protect against roving bandits. He also comes to the attention of the Japanese General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi) who is a karate master and has the Chinese martial artists fight against his Japanese cadets in a show of dominance. General Mirua wishes to break Chinese spirit by proving that Japanese martial arts are better than their Chinese equivalents. Ip Man eventually accepts his challenge and the two fight each other in a thrilling conclusion.

I also have to briefly mention Tenma Shibuya who played Colonel Sato, Miura's second-in-command. Despite looking no more threatening than a bank manager, he was a sadistic and psychotic maniac. Shibuya was great in the role.

Beyond this film, I don't really know anything about Ip Man and his exploits, but I think this film did him justice. However, most importantly, what I know now about Ip Man is that he went onto have many famous students: none more famous than Bruce Lee himself.

Donnie Brasco review

 Number 517 on the top 1000 films of all time is Mike Newell's 1997 crime-drama 'Donnie Brasco.'

Based on the true story, Donnie Brasco follows FBI agent Joseph Pistone (Johnny Depp) as he infiltrates the New York mob. He assumes the alias of Donnie Brasco and befriends Mafia hitman Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggerio (Al Pacino.) However, as Brasco grows closer with Lefty and the mob, he soon finds his professional and personal lives starting to blur.

Johnny Depp is now so well-known for playing whacky, off-the-wall characters, it's difficult to imagine him as anything else. Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, the Mad Hatter, Captain Jack Sparrow...need I go on? But the eighties and nineties proved what a versatile actor he can be. Donnie Brasco is a character rule by conflict. Deeply unsatisfied with his home life, he throws himself into his undercover work, putting a strain on his already tenuous marriage. And to remain convincing to Lefty and the rest of the mobsters, Brasco has to participate in plenty of criminal activities. This creates its own array of personal dilemmas and Depp plays the conflict well.

Although, I would argue that his relationship with his wife Maggie (Anne Heche) was quite contrived. Their marriage becomes rocky as Brasco's work begins to take over. One second they are fighting and the next they were making up. This seemed forced and unnatural. It was almost like it was what writer Paul Attanasio wanted to happen instead of what should happen. But I did enjoy the little girls who played Brasco's daughters. They only had small parts, but they were played well. They become progressively more quiet, distant and withdrawn, emphasising the impact that Brasco's absent behaviour is having on them.

As for Al Pacino, I've seen him play so many grizzled, old gangsters that this was just another role for him. Don't get me wrong, he does them well, but the role of Lefty wasn't anything special. I was more impressed by Michael Madsen who played the fearsome mob boss Sonny Black. He had such an imposing presence that he was scary in every scene he was in.

Donnie Brasco was certainly an enjoyable film. And it proved that Johnny Depp can play more than the whacky, off-beat characters he's so well-known for.

Donnie Darko review

 Number 209 on the top 1000 films of all time is Richard Kelly's science-fiction, psychological thriller 'Donnie Darko.'

Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a schizophrenic high schooler who also sleepwalks. He is haunted by an apparition of a man in a bunny mask who warns him about the coming end of the world. Meanwhile, Donnie also becomes fascinated by the notion of time travel and starts researching into spaceships and portals.

This was a weird, surreal film. A film that you think has to mean something. But maybe it doesn't mean anything and maybe that's the point. Nihilism is a central theme of this film. Donnie might be mentally unstable, but he is also very intelligent. His English teacher Karen Pomeroy (Drew Barrymore) thinks so when he gives an astute interpretation of Graham Greene's short story 'the Destructors.' His physics teacher notices Donnie's interest in time travel and gives him a book called 'the Philosophy of Time Travel,' written by once famed scientist Roberta Sparrow, now a senile old woman living on the edge of town. But Donnie also not afraid to challenge authority and to take the meaning that's so important to adults and reducing it to nothing.

His gym teacher Kitty Farmer (Beth Grant) plays self-help tapes by self-help guru Jim Cunningham (Patrick Swayze) as part of her class. Donnie openly criticises these trapes. When Cunningham visits the school, Donnie publicly challenges his ideas. A meaning that holds so much value so so many is scattered into the wind.

And, of course, lots of meaning has been attributed to Donnie's hallucination of the man in the bunny mash. As well as providing ominous warnings, it also acts as the devil on Donnie's shoulder - pushing him into delinquent acts like flooding his school or burning down Cunningham's house. Perhaps the rabbit represents our unconscious desire to cause or mayhem or to challenge the system. it's always waiting in the background ready to strike, only leashed by our own vague senses of morality. A fluid morality that can change on the drop of the hat. 

The time travel aspect links in nicely to a key theme of the film - you have to find happiness wherever you can. As the film progresses, Donnie's nihilism slowly dissolves as he starts to finding meaning, partially due to his new girlfriend Gretchen (Jena Malone.) Once he has found his meaning and his happiness, he enters a wormhole sending him twenty-eight days back in time.

Having said all of that, considering the film's nihilism, a lot of my review is completely meaningless as well. So, I'll end on an unobjectionable point. Gary Jules' cover of Mad World by Tears for Fears, is the perfect way to conclude this film, as well as one of the best covers of all time.