Mobloggin’ Mobloggin’…

… we interrupt our regularly scheduled bikini posting to bring you this geek heavy complaint…

Moblogging is a simple enough idea – configure your blogging software to accept posts w/attachments via e-mail and DING! you can update your blog with your cell phone. At least that’s what I thought I’d be doin’ once I got a toy upgrade. Being the autonomous web guy that I am, I wasn’t about to rely on some outside hosting service to put up a moblog. No, I figured I have the savvy & the technology, shouldn’t be a problem.

Unless you consider the need for Procmail filtering on your webhost. Mine doesn’t have that nor do they have any similar mail technology installed. OK, so I did a search for services that would still allow me to keep my moblog on my webserver. Mfop2 looked promising. Setup an account through their service, send your e-mail to them and they’ll route the post to your Movable Type site. Did a test run over the weekend and ended up with this archaic entry. Drat… foiled again.

At the moment I’m more than just a little annoyed. You see, whenever I send an e-mail from my SprintPCS phone with a picture attachment my original message gets encapsulated in an HTML entry that they create. Sure looks pretty for an AOL user, but if I want to send a PLAIN TEXT MESSAGE from my SprintPCS phone I can’t.

Aarrrrgh!!!

If AOL & Sprint insist that Joe Consumer must have technology training wheels fine, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let us tech savvy peeps turn that shit off. As it is, I’ll have to find (or Lord help me write) a script that sifts through the Sprint generated code to find my message & attachment so they’ll post properly. My other option is to have my moblog hosted on a service like Text America or Buzznet, but I could still run into the same Sprint issue.

If you’re an early adopter using the SprintPCS service and you got your moblog workin’ drop this fella a hint please.

Movie Review – The Matrix Revolutions

You’d need a good punch to the face too after seeing this film.The Plot – When we last left Neo & company, he was in a bit of a coma following the rather unique display of power outside the Matrix. The Matrix Revolutions continues from that point with Morpheus & Trinity aboard “The Hammer” one of the few ships that survived an ambush from within the Zion fleet. While planning on how they will return to Zion the crew comes across Niobe’s ship which thankfully is only in need of minor repairs. It’s discovered that somehow Neo has been able to plug into the Matrix without any external equipment and after a brief recovery op, Neo tells everyone that he must make the journey to the heart of the machine city. Niobe volunteers her ship and with Trinity at his side the two crews go there separate ways.

Will Neo complete the tasks necessary to save Zion before the machines reach the heart of the city? Read on to see if you’ll even care…

The Review – Looking around the blogosphere there was quite the rush to see this film… I kid, I kid. Watching The Matrix trilogy is like seeing a great magic trick and then being told how it’s done immediately after. As groundbreaking as the first film was, the illusion was completely dispelled by the inept storytelling and reused ideas in the two sequels. It’s not that there are a lot of plot holes, but it felt like new ideas kept being introduced for the sake of having a new idea. Like a little kid who’s caught in a lie, the rambling continues on incoherently in hopes that eventually what’s being said will come together.

The climax of the movie is yet another kung-fu fight. But wait it’s not exactly like the first fight between Mr. Smith & Neo, there’s FLYING involved. Apparently the dramatic control Neo gained over the Matrix only allowed him to simulate ONE of Superman’s powers. Of course, he now has that freaky Matrix vision whenever he’s not plugged in.

Frankly, when it was all over, I really didn’t care. In fact, I found myself scratching my head wondering what really was so horrible about the Matrix? If it was a choice of living under the illusion of a world where I had a 9-5 job, friends, beer & regular nookie, why in sam hell would I want to know it was all a lie? Thanks for yanking my ass out so I can spend the rest of my adult life underground without online porn. It’s no wonder Cypher ended up a traitor, I know I’d kill for a good steak after a hard day’s work.

I know what you’re thinking – you really didn’t point out any specific details in this review. You are correct dear reader, that’s exactly the kind of impression the film left on me.

Grade: D (I am sooooooo looking forward to the final chapter of the Lord of the Rings trilogy)

Almost… ALMOST… the weekend…

Sitting at school, reading the captions y’all left me. Fun stuff, laughed I did, thank you. It looks like Tony Pierce graced my comments. It’s cool to think of Tony reading my blog, but then I’m happy to know that YOU are reading (and YOU and YOU and YOU).

Happy to see the weekend is almost upon us. Not much planned, but then I take a great amount of pride in that these days. I’ll get two whole days with my baby and NFL Sunday.

On that happy note, let me once again take moment to recognize the folks in California who are not as fortunate as yours truly atm. Our prayers and happy thoughts are still with you, and no I’m not as fundamentalist as the crazy folks Melissa mentioned. (This story is a must read, oh the controversy, O the stupidity, I think I could scare that pastor straight no problem)

Movie Review – Shogun Assassin

You want gore, you got goreThe Plot – A loyal samurai, Itto Ogami serves as the Shogun’s official decapitator and leader of his royal armies. The burden of such a position and the stress it causes is washed away every evening when Ogami returns home to his wife & son. As the years pass the Shogun is rumored to have gone mad and his once peaceful reign becomes a paranoid & bloodthirsty campaign. Ever watchful of his enemies, the Shogun’s eyes turn to Ogami. Although a loyal samurai, Ogami is the one man that doesn’t fear the Shogun and this angers him. To teach the samurai humility the Shogun sends ninja to kill Ogami’s wife & son. Their mission is only partly successful and as his wife dies in his arms Ogami swears vengeance on the Shogun and all who align themselves with him. From this moment forward he is no longer Itto Ogami… He is now the “Lone Wolf” – Assassin with son.

The Review – After seeing Kill Bill last weekend, I was reminded of this movie which I first saw with my father back in the early 80’s. Shogun Assassin is actually an Americanized version of the Lone Wolf movies series. This 80’s film splices together the first two Japanese films to create one kung-fu slasher epic. I have not seen the original series, but this version stands up fairly well on its own. I sat down to rewatch the film and while it doesn’t have Kill Bill’s cinematographic flash, there were definitely some great moments.

One of the things that makes this movie work is the narration as told by Ogami’s son Daigoro. Having a gruesome tale repeated by a child creates even more impact when you witness the events onscreen. Throughout the film Ogami hardly ever speaks and his brooding silence is offset by Daigoro’s animated curiosity. I marveled at the similarities in sword play between “The Bride” in Kill Bill and the “Lone Wolf”. I’d be willing to bet Tarantino saw Shogun Assassin at some point as the sword flick Uma uses to whisk the blood of her sword resembled Ogami’s technique. The fight scenes were as graphic (if not a little 80’s cheese) as they were in Kill Bill. You’ll see the same number of limbs severed, tomato red blood spurting and probably a few close-ups Tarantino didn’t get to use in his movie.

I can’t forget to mention the baby cart. Not just a traveling piece, the cart has spring loaded blades and detachable swords which Ogami uses in the movie. In fact, Daigoro is purposely put in harms way armed only with this baby cart. You’ll also see plenty of badass female ninja. In one scene entitled “The Interview” the leader of the Shogun’s ninja clan makes the mistake of questioning the ability of his female counterparts. I won’t give anything away, but it becomes quickly apparent the ladies have no problem cutting down the competition.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a quality copy of this film. While I own a it on DVD there are a lot of defects which lead me to believe the master reels were lost a long time ago. Still it’s worth noting the cinematography which stands out given the decade of the film. Like any good film there are little nuances that slip past you the first time you watch it. In one such scene Daigoro is captured and suspended above a well. There’s hardly any dialogue just a moment where Daigoro kicks off his shoe and lets it drop. Seconds after the shoes splashes, Ogami bursts into action killing all the ninja. It hadn’t occurred to me until I watched the film again that Ogami uses the shoe falling to time the distance of the well. The scene is a powerful one, but very subtle in its delivery.

Well, needless to say I’m a fan of the film, but where does that leave the average viewer? Like Kill Bill, I think this film is appreciated by a certain audience. If you’re a kung-fu buff or want to get an idea of where some of Kill Bill’s inspiration may have come from or you simply want to be amazed by a samurai that fights with a child strapped to his back then this movie is for you.

Grade: A-/B+ (The movie targets a very specific audience and I’d be happier if I could find a quality DVD copy)