Movie Review: The Dark Knight

07-19-08
Well bOoGiE and I got together and took our better halves to the newest Batman movie "The Dark Knight." It was a lengthy movie with a lot of exciting drama and unexpected twists. They pulled off some things that I didn't expect, which in most cases was very good. It definitely lived up to it's title of being "Dark" at the same time not messing up the core of the Batman character. Ledger's performance of the Joker was impressive. I honestly didn't think anyone could stand a chance against Jack Nicholson's version of the character, but Ledger went for a different angle instead of a re-hash, which makes it very interesting. I think that both Ledger and Nicholson were both great at it, but just from two different approaches. They did honor Ledger's memory in the credits, an honorable thing. There are a lot of twists and turns that make you keep guessing during the movie, and several scenes that are not expected. Bale did a great job as Batman, I think he plays the role very convincing. I would not recommend this film for small children, it is violent, gory, and has some demented villains. But for adults who enjoy modern takes on comic book characters, epic drama, and action films; it was very good. On the Woo-Dig-It scale from "0" to "10", i'd have to give it an 8. Very good job! What's next after Watchmen, DC? We need some Green Lantern, WonderWoman, Flash, and JLA. Let's get 'er done!

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809271891/details

Christian Bale Reinvents Terminator Franchise

07-17-08
In 1984 James Cameron directed a science fiction film called "The Terminator" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold apparently decided he wanted to play the villain of the movie instead of the hero. The villain was a robotic killer cyborg programmed to "terminate" human kind. The story involved a dark future where these cyborg terminators are hunting mankind to extinction as they fight a human resistance movement. Arnold's Terminator is sent back in time (1984) to Terminate the mother of the man who leads the human resistance in the future. The Terminator is a classic scifi action film with a strong fan following. It is rated R for a sex scene, large scale death tolls, language, horror, and violence. It is not "family friendly" but for an adult audience that likes sci-fi action films, I give it a "8.5" out of "10" on the WOO-DIG-IT SCALE.

Arnold also acted in both of the Terminator sequels: T2 and T3. There has been the first season of TV show called: "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" with a new cast playing both familiar and new characters. The original film and all the sequels so far have dealt with modern day characters that know about the danger that awaits their dark future and try to destroy Skynet, the computer system that controls all the terminators, before it destroys the world.

Now, on the internet they have posted a teaser trailer of a new movie "Terminator Salvation." It show's Batman's Christian Bale playing the character of John Connor, the heroic leader of the human resistance, fighting to save the human race from deadly machines. This appears to be set in the future where John Connor is now an adult taking on his role as leader of the human resistance fighters. This appears to be the first film to be actually set in the future. Christian Bale has done a great job re-inventing the Batman character in Batman Begins, and I can't wait to see what he does in "The Dark Knight." Now Christian Bale steps up again to "bat" (I know TERRIBLE pun), this time at another famous science fiction franchise. It will be interesting to see what he does with the role of John Connor. So far I'm really pleased with the acting that I've seen him do, he seems to bring some good depth to his characters. Check out the teaser and get ready because the Terminators are coming!
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810025211/info

Quote Me: Iran and Cigarettes

07-16-08

"Maybe that's a way of killing 'em."

Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, responding to news that a tenfold rise in U.S. exports to Iran was largely due to cigarette sales.

Naturally, Catapult People Are Orange

07-16-08
Bored? Check out this addicting game I came across called People Bucket:
pplbucket.com
It's a physics-based adventure created by Dominik Hofmann. The purpose of the adventure is to get people into buckets. Good luck!

To Throw Out Of A Window

07-16-2008
Since 1997, the building sitting at the corner of 6th street and Howard street in San Fransisco, California has been a sculptural mural. The piece consists of tables, chairs, lamps, and even a grandfather clock; all hanging precariously out of the building’s windows. Known as ‘defenestration’ (a word meaning to throw out of a window), the sculpture’s various pieces are all fastened to the abandoned building to create the illusion of falling. The piece was conceived of by local artist Brian Goggin.
See more:
designboom.com
metaphorm.org

Quote Me: G8 Summit

07-16-08

"Goodbye, from the world's biggest polluter."

President George W. Bush in his closing remarks to fellow leaders at the final G8 summit. Bush reportedly punched the air and grinned widely after making the joke.

Netflix on Xbox 360

07-14-08
From PCWorld.com:

Microsoft and Netflix are jumping into bed today, it was announced at the annual E3 Media and Business Summit in Los Angeles, via an exclusive partnership which will bring select streaming content to the Xbox 360. This is an expansion of Netflix's plans to bring movies to home theaters via the Internet, which it already does via its Web site and the Roku Netflix set top box.
This new partnership will let Xbox 360 owners who are also Netflix subscribers stream "thousands of movies" to their game console. To use this service, much like the current Roku player, you'll have to initially select the movies via the Netflix Instant Queue feature on its Web site so you can later view them on your Xbox 360.
Still Netflix is only making a small fraction of its titles available for download through this partnerships with Roku and now Microsoft. The lack of titles appears to only be a minor complaint of the Roku offering, considering the player is apparently out of stock. Xbox 360 already have access to some movie titles and video content through the Xbox Live Marketplace Video Store.

Wii MotionPlus Revealed at E3

07-14-08
From multiplayerblog.mtv.com:

Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.

A Shared Experience Of Art

07-14-08
I read this in Relevant magazine, July/August Issue 34, and it expresses exactly the way I feel about the strict separation between Christian culture and mainstream society. It was written by Jeffrey Overstreet...

.....I've found redemptive insights and moments of piercing brilliance in places that I'd been told were off-limits.....I have a strange compulsion to sit down between Christian culture and secular society, trying to help them understand each other-and, ultimately, God-better through a shared experience of art.
The more I apply myself to this, the more I realize that this compulsion grows from having learned that my own assumptions were wrong and my view too narrow. Now I want to understand more and apprehend beauty wherever I can find it. It's amazing to see how the power of art has led me to growth and understanding.....

Matthew 25 Network

07-14-08
From Matthew25.org:

Matthew 25 Network is a community of Christians - Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal and Evangelical—inspired by the Gospel mandate to put our faith into action to care for our neighbor. We believe that people of faith should actively participate in the political process as an important avenue for social change.
We come together as individual believers to support candidates for public office who share the values of the Matthew 25 Network: promoting life with dignity, caring for the least of these, strengthening and supporting families, stewardship of God's Creation, working for peace and justice at home and abroad and promoting the common good.

It looks like the full website isn't up and running yet, but they have a sign-up form to be notified of when it is. Might be worth keeping an eye on...