The Grandmaster
Release Date: August 23 Oscar Prospects: Bad Director Kar Wai Wong has built up quite the passionate fanbase over the the last two decades, especially among hardcore cinephiles and people involved directly in the making of movies themselves. Wong's 200o film, In the Mood for Love, is cited by a growing amount of people as the greatest contemporary film made. Other films in the Chinese auteur's oeuvre, such as Happy Together and 2046, are very highly regarded as well and considered modern day classics by many. Wong's last film, My Blueberry Nights, was an attempt (that only partially succeeded) to go little more mainstream, and it appears Wong's desire to branch out a bit has continued, as his latest film, The Grandmaster, is a Kung-Fu flick. Based on the legendary martial arts master, Ip Man, who trained Bruce Lee, the film is a biopic of sorts, but purportedly contains much more martial arts action than your typical biographical movie. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival where it received a lukewarm reception. Most critics seemed to think that Wong struggled a bit outside his comfort zone, and the fact that there is already a relatively popular trilogy based on Ip Man may dampen people's interest in seeing The Grandmaster. However the film does financially though, The Grandmaster was never going to be an awards season contender. As passionate as his devotees are about his films, Wong has never managed to receive an Oscar nomination for his movies. The fact that his latest film is a martial arts hybrid flick only makes the chances of Wong getting nominated even more slim. If Wong can make an universally praised film at some point in his career again, he may get an Oscar nomination because of the high profile his films have earned over the last few years, but I can say with certainty, 2013 will not be the year. Possible nominations: None