Edwards Design Solutions

Rated: PG-13 for Martial Arts Action/Violence and brief Sexuality. 1hr. 25min.

I had the pleasure of watching Iron Monkey for the first time last night. I have once again been reminded why I love everything the amazing Yeun Woo-ping touches (i.e. Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Kingdom, etc). The thing I respect most of the genre, is the un-abated display of the many actors’ and actresses’ Kung-fu. A great Kung-fu movie reminds me that I want to learn at least one style before I die. That style may most probably be Krav-Maga, for its readily accessible training facility where I live and for its relevance to today’s society and usefulness.

Of the Chinese culture, besides the highly respected discipline of Martial Arts and the complexity of its heritage, one of the most amazing things is its history. One of the greatest cultures and societies in the world, China also has some of the greatest folk-lore in both imaginary legends and real heroes of the times. Iron Monkey is a Hong Kong cinematic adaption of Wong Fei-Hung, one of the most recent and greatly loved folk heroes. There have been quite a few movies on the different aspects (and ages) of Fei-Hung’s life. Some of the most notable are the Once Upon a Time in China series, the Drunken Master series, the Eight Bandits (earliest) and many others; including Iron Monkey as the early years of his life. The total count of films that include Fei-Hung number into the hundreds!

Iron Monkey is included in the particular sub-genre of Kung-fu films being designated as “wire-fu” or “CG-fu”, but the momentum of the film and storyline kept me enthralled so that it was not as noticeable to me as some movies can be. I feel that the story is very well written, the acting is perfect and the fight scenes are impeccable. The following is a brief mash-up of the movie’s story and the history of Wong Fei-Hung: Continue reading »

Rated: PG-13, sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content. 2hr. 6min.

I am a Trekkie from way back. The different tv series’ have always been a favorite for me. I love TOS, enjoyed much of TNG, liked the deeper stories of Voyager, appreciated elements of what Enterprise was supposed to bring (at least in the first two seasons) but the movies have always been plagued. There were things in the “Motion Picture” that I enjoyed, TWOK has always been my personal favorite and I liked parts of First Contact. Nemesis was good to bring a different feel to the extended Next-Gen series. But the offering by J.J. Abrams has caught everyone’s eye. I can honestly say that I have been skeptical up to yesterday.

Early teasers and the quite limited release of trailers made me a bit wary of what more could be done to destroy my favorite franchise of all time. I have not had the chance to catch J.J.’s Lost, but I thoroughly enjoy Fringe. Anyway, when I got to the theater, I half-expected to see no real acceptance of the film. You can usually get the impression of how a film is doing (or going to do) based on the decor. Well my wife and I were greeted with a pair of 8 foot long tables with theater help selling Trek gear and giving away swag. It was like going to a mini-con! The walls were adorned with Star Trek emblems, Saturns and various types of space craft. The movie was obviously good and being that we saw it one day after the continental release, there was time for early reactions to generate this kind of acceptance.

I became quite excited about seeing the work that J.J. had slaved over and I was glad that we were 15 minutes late to get our seats. We sat 6 rows from the screen, dead center, and had thankfully missed the commercials and only saw the upcoming film previews. The opening sequence doesn’t offer any familiar theme music, or anything else for that matter, with the exception of Star Fleet uniforms. Continue reading »

Well, game 3 was anything but stellar from the black-n-gold. Visiting the city of sibling rivalry (commonly referred to as brotherly love) has put a damper on the Pens’ thoughts of finishing this series early. Game 4 will really tell the tale of how much the loss has damaged the frosty exteriors of Crosby, Malkin and the boys.

During game 2 in the Igloo, I heard something over the loudspeaker that rekindled a fire in me. I have always loved music and my favorite genre is hairbands of the 80′s and 90′s. One of my favorite movies about the period was made by period aficionado George Clooney. I am talking of course about Rock Star! This movie gives an intimate look into the ups and downs, and ins and outs of “living like a rock star”.

I love the song, but the visuals are even better….

Stand Up

Beware, this is not a movie for kids! This movie sends a clarion call to anyone thinking of getting into the business. Be prepared to fight the temptations or possibly lose your soul in the process. What really gets to me, is to see the lead singer “Izzy”, played by Mark Wahlberg, go through these challenges. He pushes away everything familiar, including his long-time girlfriend (played by Jennifer Anniston), just to be the man everyone wants to be. But he eventually learns his error and decides to leave the band. This choice brings healing to his mental state and brings his girlfriend back into his life.

The point is, make choices but be prepared to suffer the consequences. Make good choices and you will save yourself a lot of grief. Now getting back to hockey, lets hope we see better gameplay and better choices by coach Bylsma in Game 4.

PG (for some mild action and peril) – 1hr. 36min.

I had no idea that 3-D could look soooo good! At least for me, the effects of the CG-Anime in this new 3-D format out-shined the story. The cast of voices were excellent and the entire premise of a TV star canine believing that his own exploits were real….astounding! It came as no surprise to me that John Lasseter (Pixar) was the executive producer on another good showing from Disney. When it comes to Lasseter, can he do no wrong? I also recently saw the direct-to-DVD Disney production of the much awaited, and nearly never released, Tinker Bell movie which he was also involved in salvaging.

Bolt (John Travolta) is the epitome of “ignorance is bliss” until his human Penny (Miley Cyrus) is “kidnapped”. With the help of an alley-cat named Mittens (Susie Essman) and a hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton), Bolt has to make his way to Hollywood from New York City. Along the way, he learns to be an ordinary dog when his super-powers stop working and he realizes that he’s just like every other animal.

The trailer is here! I felt ripped-off when I was promised this trailer in the previews of the Quantum of Solace and it wasn’t delivered. It didn’t take away from that movie though. I did see this trailer last night during Fringe though. It is now available in many formats, by going to StarTrekMovie.com but I have a medium version available for viewing right here!

Well I have my picks and I have my reasons. I get so tired of stuffed shirts, that call themselves critics, but have no talent whatsoever of their own. That’s why they’re critics! It usually boils down to either jealousy of someone else’s talent or attempting to make up for one’s own shortcomings.

I feel that anything, if it truly should be judged, ought to be judged fairly by its peers. The judging should have required parameters and specifications to be met, even if only in the slightest. So reading or watching a movie critic, who is not involved in the movie making industry, criticize someone’s work is ridiculous if you ask me.

Now if you want make some form of opinion based on loose criteria, I’m OK with that. Which is really all that I do. I like to think that I enjoy a movie because it kept me interested in following the story to its conclusion. Or maybe it just made me feel something that I was not expecting. What about a movie that just lives up to the hype or preconceived expectations of its genre? This post will cover my slant on the “Best Films of 2008″, including The Dark Knight, Quantum of Solace and WALL-E. Continue reading »