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In The Legend is Born: Ip Man, directed by Herman Yau, the legendary Sammo Hung returns along with action star Fan Siu Wong and To Yu Hang, the youngest martial arts world champion Hong Kong has ever produced. Playing minor parts in the original films, To Yu Hang is asked to take over as the young Ip Man here. Yuen Biao, Huang Yi, Bernice Liu, Rose Chan, Xu Jiao, and Lam Suet are among the new cast members, but the film's most surprising performance probably belongs to the 86-year-old screen novice Yip Chun, the real-life Yip Man's son who curiously plays the master of his father.

In his childhood, Yip Man was initiated into Wing Chun under the tutelage of Master Chan Wah Shun (Sammo Hung). After Chan's death, Yip Man follows senior schoolmate Ng Chung So (Yuen Biao) as his new mentor alongside his brother Ip Tin Chi (Fan Siu Wong) and good friend Lee Mei Wai (Rose Chan). Later, the teenage Ip Man (To Yu Hang) opts to leave Foshan to pursue education in Hong Kong, where he meets his third teacher Leung Bik (Yip Chun), a master of an unorthodox school of Wing Chun. When he comes back to Foshan, Ip Man falls in love with the mayor's daughter, his future wife Cheung Wing Shing (Huang Yi). Meanwhile, Ip Man is confronted by Ng Chung So and faced with the dilemma of whether to follow through with his training under Leung Bik. And, unbeknownst to everyone, Tin Chi seems to harbor a secret that threatens to put the whole nation in jeopardy...

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In Tsui Hark's latest lavish epic wuxia/mystery choreographed by Sammo Hung, starring Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Tony Leung Kar Fai, Li Bing Bing, etc, Di Renjie, who is in exile, is summoned back to the court to investigate a series of mysterious murders that threatens the coronation of Empress Wu Zetian. Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame is competing at Venice Film Festival, held from September 1 to 11, and will be released on Sept 29, 2010.

Reportedly, Chen Kuo Fu, the producer and scriptwriter for the film, has already finished the screenplay for Detective Dee 2, and expect another trailer in the near future.

Trailer: Youtube

Ip Man 2, the highest grossing Chinese film so far in China this year at slightly over 200m yuan, will be available on home video on June 25, 2010. Directed by Wilson Yip, action choreographed by Sammo Hung, and starring Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Shi Xiao Long, Fan Siu Wong, Huang Xiao Ming, Darren Shahlavi, Lunn Hung, Kent Cheng, etc., the sequel, which is more martial arts oriented, sees Donnie Yen against with Sammo Hung in some of the most exciting martial arts sequences in the recent years.

After defending himself against the Japanese army in the first film, Ip Man (Donnie Yen) goes with his family to start anew in Hong Kong. He starts a small martial arts school, recruiting the young and brash Wong Leung (Huang Xiao Ming) as his student. However, Ip finds out the hard way that the Hong Kong martial arts world is controlled by a group of martial arts masters, led by the powerful Master Hung (Sammo Hung). To survive in Hong Kong, Ip not only needs to gain acceptance from the masters, but also from the corrupted British-run police force and an arrogant British boxer (Darren Shahlavi).

Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD Editions come with:
● Making Of
● Cast and Crew Interviews
● Deleted Scenes
● Featurette on Four Major Scenes
● Shooting Diary
● Gala Premiere
● Photo Gallery
● Trailers

Order from YesAsia: Ip Man 2 Blu-ray | DVD - Standard Edition / Special Edition

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --

As the ultimate villain in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert, Sammo Hung is playing general Wan Shou Shan from the fallen Ming Dynasty who spends his entire life going against the Manchu empire. Sun Hui Ning describes that while their collaboration was rather short, everyone was able to feel the prowess of Sammo Hung, imparting such domineering presence worthy of a general of Xilu Society, he is indeed an actor with real strength.

Wan Shou Shan is extremely cunning, scheming, devious and ruthless, and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even at the expense of the lives of his children. He wields great military powers, and is responsible for the death of the Ming prince, thus becoming the only remnant Ming loyalist in power to reclaim the throne.

Time and again, he sends assassins after the present ruler Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi, who wishes for peace and prosperity of the nation, doesn't wish to take up arms, and intends to grant amnesty and recruit him instead, but Wan Shou Shan would rather perish than yield to the court, and the uprising continues...  Sohu

-- Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame --  

The trailer for Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, directed by Tsui Hark, action directed by Sammo Hung, starring Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Li Bing Bing, Tony Leung Ka Fai, has just been posted on Sina. 

Even before the film is released, Huayi Brothers is already in the process of planning the script for Detective Dee 2, which might possibly be a prequel instead, focusing on Di Ren Jie's salad days.

This is confirmed by Tsui Hark, "This year marks the 25th anniversary of Film Workshop and Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame is Film Workshop's 50th production. I have not done any wuxia films in 5 years, and in this film, I'm fortifying my original wuxia heritage, and by combining suspenseful drama that is full of twists with perfect action, I hope my return to my roots would be approved by movie-goers. I have not thought of doing how many more Detective Dee sequels, but this will definitely become a franchise, so as to let this famous detective penetrate everyone's heart so deeply."

In the film, Empress Wu Zetian's coronation is threatened due to a spate of strange murders of the court officials. So, she summons Detective Dee, who is in exile, back to help solve the mysteries. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame opens on September 23, 2010.

Update: An English subbed trailer, shown at Cannes Film Festival, has just appeared on Sina and Youtube.

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --

After over 7 months of intensive and gruelling filming, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert, directed by Du Xiao, has successfully wrapped up in late April 2010. Following the tradition of Legend of Shaolin Kungfu series, the final instalment features various martial artists as Shaolin monks, including Li Yuan, Xu Peng Jun, Xie Miao, (who was simultaneously filming a kungfu comedy Fist Club 《拳馆》 with Kou Zhan Wen in April), Xu Ming Hu, Cao Jun, etc.

Veteran martial artists like Yuen Wah, Gordon Liu, Xu Xiang Dong, Sammo Hung, etc are specially hired to take on villainous roles, to ensure that both sides are evenly matched, rewarding the audiences with numerous authentic and intricate fights. Sammo Hung is playing the final villain Wan Shou Shan. In addition, veteran actor Bao Guo An, the wonderful abbot from the first instalment, is back, by popular demand. Rounding up the cast are Sun Hui Ning, Yuuki Moami, Ji Chun Hua and Wang Zhi Gang.

Here are some pics from the blogs of Xu Ming Hu, Xie Miao, Li Yuan and Xu Peng Jun:

Heard that you hurt yourself when filming but still insisted on carrying on? Was it very serious?

Sammo Hung: Yes, I still kept on filming after being injured. You could say it was serious, you could also say it's not serious, did not matter. Darren Shahlavi dared not hit me initially. But I compelled him to strike, but he was still holding back, so the outcome wasn't very good and we kept doing retakes.

At Ip Man 2 press conference on March 23, 2010, Donnie Yen boldly declares, "While there are a handful of Yip Man projects out there, this is the one and only film everyone has actually seen. So, from my standpoint, there is only one Ip Man film - the one I acted in. Yip Man is an otaku who fights very well, the movie's success has nothing to do with Wing Chun (Spring).

-- Ip Man 2 --

More awesome goodness between Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen that director Wilson Yip declares as another martial arts classic:

14 Blades is expected to be released on home video on April 15, 2010.

In the final years of Ming dynasty, the Imperial Guards have come under the control of power-hungry eunuch Jia Jingzhong. Secretly conspiring with an exiled prince to rebel against the emperor, the corrupt eunuch frames the Jinyiwei captain Qinglong for treason and orders his death. With his fellow Imperial Guards, and the deadly assassin Tuotuo after him, the beleaguered fugitive fights his way out and is joined on his run by Qiao Hua, the daughter of a security agency leader. Together, they set out to stop Jia's conspiracy with help from a powerful bandit king.

Directed by Daniel Lee; Starring Donnie Yen, Vicki Zhao, , Sammo Hung, Xu Xiang Dong, Kate Tsui, Chen Kuan Tai, Law Kar Ying, Chen Zhi Hui, Qi Yi Wu, Wu Chun

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