THE GRANDMASTER

Original Title: Yi dai zong shi

Directed by: Wong Kar-wai

Starring: Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Zhao Benshan, Song Hye-kyo

Runtime: 130 min

Once there were abundance amount of films about Wong Fei Hung, but as Bob Dylan's aptly put; Times are changing, now Yip Man is the hot item. Ever since Donnie Yen's version (Ip Man, 2008 and the sequel Ip Man 2, 2010), much interest has been showing.

Having seen the two Ip Man movie (plus The Legend is Born-Ip Man, which is boring in my opinion), I anticipate this one a bit differently since this is Wong Kar Wai, not John Woo.

Roughly 12 years in the making (it is reported that Wong Kar Wai has planned to make this as he shoot 2046), I have to say I really like The Grandmaster since it is on a different level than the two Ip Man from Donnie Yen. Sure, I like the two Ip Man, since it is entertaining but this one is something I also like.

If you are familiar with Wong Kar Wai's films then you will not be disappointed, after two decades in arthouse films such as Chungking Express (1994), In the Mood for Love (2000), and 2046 (2004), he manages to make Tony Leung, his favorite actor, awesome again. Having said that, Tony Leung himself is awesome. You can feel his charisma pouring into the whole scene in every movie.

The Grandmaster tells the story of Yip Man (Tony Leung), his ups and downs in life from his 40s in Foshan in the 1930s, suffering during Japanese occupation, flight to Hong Kong, his meeting with Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi) and several fights he faced.

Somewhere in the middle the story change focus into Gong's story and makes me wonder, is it about Ip Man or about Gong? But towards the end it goes back into Ip's story. There are so much of Wong Kar Wai's trademark here, not only the marriage between cinematography and music, but also the theme. It is not just about how martial arts evolved in China, but it is also about honor, family, philosophy, and last but not least, unrequited love, Wai's favorite theme. All of it molded beautifully and made me think so much about life in general. I think several tracks of Kitaro in this film can enhance the catharsis.

I have no complain for martial arts scene, Leung is amazing and Zhang Ziyi shows that she still got her moves since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). But some will complain the lack of fighting scenes. Well if you expect this one to be a no brainer entertainment, you are wrong since it is more than that. One does not simply watch a Wong Kar Wai film and expect a John Woo one. Expect to have your feelings stirred beautifully.

JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS

Directed by: Stephen Chow and Derek Kok
Starring: Huang Bo, Shu Qi, Wen Zhang, Show Luo, Chrissie Chau
Running time: 110 minutes
Original Title: Xi You Xiang Mo Pian 

The story of Sun Go Kong, or Sun Wukong (I am not familiar with varieties of spelling and dialects, so forgive me if I am mistaken in spelling) is very famous in Indonesia. As a teenager I am familiar with Journey to the West TV series, aired in 1996. Although dubbed, I find the story of a monk, with his three followers, a very entertaining and meaningful one. Not just adventure, but each road trip has a so called moral message in it. The series is very famous in Indonesia and it has been re-run several times.

The TV series is not the only on screen adaptation of the legend, it has been told and re told several times on the screen since 1927. Even this year, Donnie Yen will appear as Sun Go Kong in The Monkey King.

This one is directed by Stephen Chow with the help of Derek Kwok and it tells about the prequel before the monk and his three followers embark on a journey to the west. The central character is Tripitaka, the monk, or Xuan Zang (Wen Zhang), before he is being a monk.

Xuan Zhang is a demon hunter and he believe in compassion and goodness in every demon he encounter. He even try to tame demon with the help of 300 Nursery Rhymes book. His non violence approach is at odds with his fellow demon hunter, Duan (Shu Qi), whose skill is far more better than him.

They crossed path as they try to tame (and capture) each demon. As they keep meeting each other, Duan start to fall for him. As expected, Stephen Chow's jokes are everywhere in it. I myself find the jokes to be funny, fresh and spot on. The part where Xuan Zhang met Sun Go Kong for the first time is also amazing and funny.

If you have seen Shaolin Soccer, Chinese Odyssey and Kung Fu Hustle, plus countless Stephen Chow's movies, you know what to expect. As for those Sun Go Kong fans, this is a re-telling, do not expect a sudden turn to change the story to be more weird, but it is a fresh re-telling and judging from the success in the box office chart, a sequel is guaranteed.

BELENGGU

Directed by: Upi Avianto

Starring: Abimana, Laudya Cintya Bella, Verdi Soleman, Bella Esperance, Imelda Therine

Running Time: 100 min

Psychological thrillers are rare in Indonesia. Most movies are either romantic drama, religous romantic drama, low brow horror stories or another low brow stuff. I myself rarely pay attention to low brow comedies so I have some expectation for this film. This one is a stand out since it is beyond my expectation. Belenggu itself means 'shackle' in English. It has the same name with an Indonesian classic literature written by Armijn Pane, but the story itself is not about the book. The similarity is only on the name.

Elang (Abimana) is haunted by his horrible dreams. As a closed and introverted man he saw a masked figure that seems to be the key of the horrible events, like murders that happened around him. The masked figure reminded me of the horror bunny from Donnie Darko.

Meanwhile his neighbor, Djenar (Laudya Cintya Bella), always seem depressed and it looks like that she had a problem with her husband (Verdi Soleman). In the mean time, strange things happen out of nowhere and the viewers are left puzzled by how and why until gradually the twist reveal itself.

Fans of psychological thrillers can easily guessed what happened (and who done it) but this does not reduce the enjoyment of this brilliantly scored film that can make your heart pound with curiosity. With tight editing, the acting is satisfying and I must give extra credit to the art department for creating a scary atmosphere.

However the film poster at the cinemas is a major turn off, it looks like any generic horror film and sometimes the use of too formal Indonesian language in the dialogue feels weird to Indonesian. If only the poster for Indonesian release is the one this film used at international festival, perhaps it might attracts more audiences.

Written and directed by female Indonesian filmmaker Upi Avianto, Belenggu is so far one of the best Indonesian film released early this year and one of my favorite.