Archive for the ‘Asian Films’ Category

What can any of us say of the things that are just cool to us?!? We are what we are. And we like what we like.

Everyone of us is a Hero. We only have to let it out………………

Another kung fu film that will be filled with corpses by the rolling of the credits. I myself can never get enough of these types of films. And I am so pleased to see John Woo doing another period martial arts films. Red Cliff was a work of art. Watch. Love it.

After two amazing films, Donnie Yen takes a seat to starring in the third Ip Man film. This 3rd movie is a prequel. Chronicling Ip Mans early years. and how he had been trained to become the phenomenal martial arts master we all know. New comer Dennis will play the young Ip Man. He is a true Master of Wing Chun.

I am Clueless about who this guy is or even what this move is about. But it has to things I love. A superhero and martial arts. After those two everything else falls into place. Well it’s a foreign, superhero, martial arts film. And that is why it is HERE!!! Description taken from Twitch:

A nuclear power plant is about to be commissioned upon the signing of corrupt and power hungry politicians. The citizens are in frenzy, as they oppose this plan but they cannot do a thing about it. And so, a hero was born, chasing down the criminals and the corrupt, killing of whatever threatens the city’s well being. He leaves a card with his name simply as “THE RED EAGLE”. However, the hero becomes the hunted, when the politicians send out their best defense, known as “THE BLACK DEMON”.

There is something in all of us, that reaches for the “All Powerful”. The Legendary. The Heroic. Hero worship in all it’s various forms has always been a part of our society. For every race. For every age. For every culture.We all have our favorites. And we have all at one time wished of being one our selves. It doesn’t matter where you come from. What language you speak. Or how old you are. From the beginning of story telling in caves, there have been heroes.

Over here at From Heroes To Icons,we only want to have fun. To allow your imaginations to run free. To enjoy hero worship in all it’s glory. Here you can be who you really are. Love all those geeky, nerdy things that you know you love. You’re sitting in front of a computer. No one can bother us about our hobbies now. Sit back. Relax. Do you like super heroes? Cool! Do you like cartoons and anime? Great! Are you addicted to video games? Fantastic. All that and more is here and right at your finger tips. We the crew at FHTI are here to let you know about all that and more. All the things that keep us Old guys young. Super Heroes. Action Heroes. And we can’t forget any guys favorite. Heroines.

We are not building articles at this site to offend anyone. It’s all good clean fun. It’s for EVERYONE. Yes, including me. FHTI is made by the people. For the people. Just us non profit guys having a good old time, hashing it out about thew things we love the most. HEROES. Everything we post is for the knowledge and enjoyment of the different things we blog about. We let you know how it really is. We don’t do this because we’re paid for it. We don’t get paid for it. We do it, because we love it.

All my life I’ve been fascinated with nearly every type of adventuring hero. Old school stuff like, Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, Zorro and the Lone Ranger. Super heroes such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Batman and the Justice League. Video game characters; Samus from Metroid, Nathan Hale of Resistance and all the great characters of the Final Fantasy series. As I broaden my scope for entertainment, I discovered the wonder of martial arts films and anime. Following the adventures of Wing Chun and Ip Man. Watching young heroes fight for family and justice. The Elric brothers of Fullmetal Alchemist. Or the kids from Neon Genesis Evangelion. All these larger than life characters that are so human. The women my daughters can look to. Wonder Woman, Lara Croft and Storm. There are so many you can’t name them all.

I love this crazy world of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The world that we live in is crazy enough. We all need a break every so often. And that is why I have decided to create this little blog. Who can say that they didn’t cry when William Wallce screamed freedom as he lay dying? Whose heart didn’t bleed when Obiwan had to cut down Anakin? Who didn’t fell satisfied when Red XIII and his cubs ran to the mountain, after the credits of Final Fantasy VII? This is what FHTI is all about. This is what heroes are all about.

There is one thing binds these individuals together. They do not stand for just themselves. Not just one person. Not just one people. Or one country. Or one time period. But they stand for all of us. For anyone who has felt oppression and sought freedom. For all those who can not stand for themselves. That is what these heroes are about. And that is what we have forgotten. Regardless of Race. Culture. Or Origin. Heroes were meant to inspire. To give hope. And to have us look into ourselves, to find some of that hero in us. The books we read. The films and TV shows we watch. The anime and cartoons we enjoy. The hero is all compassing. He/She can be anyone. Anything.  Heroes are about sacrifice. About the struggle. About redemption. The heroes journey is what we love. The places they go. The friends the meet. The enemies they vanquish. The power of a hero is not in what nationality he/she is. But what they stand for. And what they accomplish. Only when a hero doubts himself. Makes mistakes. Fails. Only then, when they overcome all that has pushed them down. After the Crucible. Only at the precipice, when all is lost does a hero; a man/woman truly become a hero. And when they have done the impossible time and again. That is what makes them an Icon.

I hope that you will continue this journey with us. There are so many stories to be told. And so many to share. Thank you all.

Special Thanks To JPCDezines for doing what no one else could or would do. Put up with me. LOL

Well even though Hollywood has made a New Green Hornet film soon to be released. I personally believe that the film will be trash. And is the gospel truth. As in the past what……?! Then movies Donnie Yen has done all of them have been FANTASTIC. Seth Rogen is a great actor. And an even greater comedian. But the Green Hornet is more like Batman than Spongebob. Hollywood really needs to star looking to the hardcore for help adapting these old school heroes into the 21 century. But as always if you want something done right……………..

By: Vicious

A crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, should you see The A-Team?

The Good:
The over the top action, that’s right anyone who has a problem with mind blowing, physics defying action, this is not for you.  This is what A-Team of the 80’s was, an unapologetic, violent, guy show.  And that is exactly what the movie is; it captured the essence of its predecessor to a Mr.T (Sorry for the pun, just channeling the 80’s).  The casts’ performance was dead on. Bradley Cooper’s take on the role of Face was excellent, Liam Neeson was terrific as always, Sharlto Copley was hilarious and insane, after his performance in District 9 I knew he could act but I didn’t know he could be funny. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his first role did BA justice and the move he put on the bad guy at the end was not to be missed.

The Bad:
Even though I stated the over the top action fit the move like a glove the more computer generated sequences were cheesy and plain crap. Even with the long history of great cheesiness the A-Team possesses, I found that it took away from the enjoyment of the movie.

Conclusion:
The A-Team was a bit of a surprise, as a fan of the original I was both looking forward to seeing it and dreading the horror that is most remakes.  But what I got was a pretty good origin story; it was fun from beginning to end.  Not the greatest story but an ideal summer action flick worthy of that very hard earned buck.

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*8.0/10.0*
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They say time flies when you’re having fun. I can attest to that. Out of everyone that knew or helped with my blog, I was the most pessimistic. From day one I had no idea what this would become. Or even if I’d be around for another year. Day after day I tried to make sense of what I’d write or post. You can say that I was pretty lost when it came to internet journalism. but after awhile I became a bit more comfortable. Things to seem to just fall into place. With every little victory came more questions as to how to keep this place cool to the people that visit it. Because lets face it…without you guys I’d be writing and posting to the digital air. My first E3. And I wasn’t even in California to cover it. And man, oh man did I mess up so much. Through all that you the people of the web showed support. For every video, picture and sentence. You were there. All my little mistakes and blunders. You guys came to see what I’d do next. That is what kept me going. knowing that someone was actually looking to hear and see what I posted.  Thank you guys so much for just taking a chance. Spending just a few precious minutes to poke around. It makes it all worth while.

My wife was the best support. Although she didn’t get it at first. She began to see exactly what was going on. And showed alot of interest in what I put up as well as what you guys wrote back. Time really does move too fast. I can still remember blogging so many nights while rocking my baby to sleep. What a struggle that was. But always worth it.

And really who can forget the guy who is responsible for the birth of From Heroes To Icons. Johnathan Paul. My close and dear friend. He said that this is what I should to. He alone designed the logo. And the site itself. All the stuff you see on the side bars. The build of the site and maintenance of the site I owe all to him. Thanks JPCDezines. Your the best.

I’ll review some of the cool things we covered this year. But I want you to look forward to much more. As Jim Lee said when he worked on X-Men with Chris Clarmont. “The Best Is Yet To Come”.

My first video post: It’s crazy. You have no idea how long it took me to actually have thing running correctly. I didn’t have a clue. Thankfully John Paul was there to pull my but out of the fire. Frustrating, but well worth it. Sherlock Holmes was on of the best films in 2009.

Most Anticipated Games of E3 2009: This post was the first to give me more than just the hits from my friends. Here was my first real chance to see how viewers saw me and my sight. I great moment for me and my followers. I got to dig in and they could finally feel me out.

E3 2009: It was the best and worst week of my life. The amount of information coming out of that place is out of control. After the initial shock I was able to stream line the info into post that made sense. I got my feet wet. And it wasn’t a bad experience at all.

My Big Final Fantasy Post: I am one of the BIG fans of Final Fantasy. I wrote the article to just to see how people would react.So many people love the franchise that questioning if it is the greatest RPG is bound to ruffle some feathers. But it is good point. Thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII?!?!?

Dead Fantasy: What can anyone say when a fan takes two of the biggest franchises and makes his own miniseries with them? When it comes to Dead Fantasy’s creator Monty Oum….OMG!!!!!!!!! is all you’ll get to say. The guy is a genius.

PlayStation Slim: Sporting a sleeker look no backward compatibility, a bigger HDD and a cheaper price. It’s just what the doctor ordered for Sony. Buy it Play it. Love it.

GamesCom 2K9: More video games. More of the best stuff shown at E3. Gotta love those game trailers.

PSP Go!!!:Smaller, bigger hard drive and just plain cool.

ExSleepyInk Coming aboard: This guy is a beast. You have love him. He puts forth such zeal into his articles. And most of all he has fun with it.

Sick Pavarotti Coming aboard: My long time friend Nolan. You haven’t heard to much from him. He’s working on the Masters Degree. We won’t penalize him for that. Someone has to be the Master. lol

PlayStation Move: More than just Wii HD.

Welcome Our New Blogger Vicious: Me and this guy go way back. I’m so glad to have another one of the guys that love all this stuff come aboard.

There is just so much to talk about that has transpired. I would love to go into it all but that would be overkill. Truly I have been blessed with some cool people to work with this past year. I got a new computer to work on. And things over here at FHTI is perfect as independent blogging goes. For me this time of the year is great as an anniversary time in blogging. E3 is just around the corner and I can’t wait to see how this new computer is going to treat me. Once again Thank you so much for giving From Heroes To Icons a chance. We will continue to do our best to keep thing interesting around here. Maybe even as interesting as this video.

My Thoughts On A FF VII Remake: The greatest trick the Devil ever did. Was making the world believe he didn’t exist. Is Square Enix doing the same thing. To say that it will never be made. And yet it is in development right now. Well that may be a bit too much. Guess that was the fan boy in me talking. See ya in the funny papers.

Words aren’t enough to describe the visage of Donnie Yen Jumping, Kicking and just plain looking great in another martial arts film that is a must have for the new and old school fans. Many people wonder why Americans get excited over this type of thing. But I have a very cool and more precise view on these Chinese Superheroes.

It’s all a matter of understanding the culture of others. In America we have Spider-Man, and Superman. They either come from other planets or victims of circumstance that in turn transform them into heroes. In China and other countries of the orient. Martial Arts is a strong part of their culture. And the heroes of those places have great powers based on the limits of their Chi or Chacra.( Inner/Spiritual Power). So in fact these martial artist you see on the movie screen are similar to our superheroes. Beat ‘im up Chen Zhen.

For all my kung fu fans This is another big step for an already big martial arts actor. Once again Donnie Yen has made a very great and engaging movie. Chen Zhen the rebel that fought the Japanese in the movies The Chinese Connection and Fist of Legend. With both Bruce Lee and Jet Li staring as a lead each film. Now Donnie Yen a shinning star among martial artist will play Chen Zhen. Get ready for an extraordinary film that will jump from Chinese theaters to your DVD players in no time. You can see Donnie Yen In 14 Blades and Ip Man 2 now……. Also seeing how he’s doing a bit of his own super heroing in this film. Donnie Yen makes Kato from the Green Hornet look like a fool. Sorry, but so true.