A knockout year for cinema

The Grandmaster

Wong Karwai's outing in the martial arts genre is either a masterpiece or a deeply flawed exercise in exerting control over a story beyond his control. The movie has both narrative loopholes large enough for the whole martial arts academy to march through and cinematography so lush and mesmerizing you'll forget about the story anyway. The title character disappears for the middle hour, for one. But one thing everyone can agree on: Zhang Ziyi delivers a knockout performance that steals the show and unseats the title character. The movie is currently on the shortlist of nine finalists for the upcoming Best Foreign Language Film of the Academy Awards. 

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Wong Kar-wai's film to enter Oscars race

Picking (Apart) the bad apples

Hot ticket with popcorn