HellNinjaCommando

Dark Knight

2008-07-20T17:18:10Z

So, I'm a couple days behind posting this, but I did see the Dark Knight on midnight release, as I've been waiting a long time. I guess, technically, we've all been waiting the same amount of time, but you know what I mean. I plan to see it again today, since I was really tired by the time I even got halfway through it, so I want to make sure I see it with my full attention.

However, here are some initial thoughts:

It's going to be said time and again, by everybody: Heath Ledger's joker is amazing. Credit should go to both the writers and Ledger. The Joker persona is not meant to be funny or amusing - he is a sick individual who has taken on this persona. Ledger, defying initial expectations, does a great job. It's hard to even see that it's him; he really became the Joker. It's funny to look back at the comments on message boards and such from when he was first announced in the casting. What exactly does crow taste like?
In an attempt to avoid spoilers for anyone who may not have seen the film yet, I'll just say that one of the "gadgets" is a little over-the-top/unrealistic for my taste. In a series that has built itself on being more credible than other comic films, it was hard to swallow. Not enough to ruin the movie, mind you, but it did take me out of it for a moment.
They definitely defied some cliches and broke some mass-market, summer-blockbuster rules in the film (I mean that in a good way).
.... okay, this is hard to do without spoilers, I'm about to quit - even though there are more things to talk about.
One more note: I'm still not sure if I like it better than the first. Not that we should have to choose, but everyone is saying it is, by far, better. Awesome, yes - better, not sure. My second viewing should shed more light on this. It does have the disadvantage, thus far, of me having seen Batman Begins a shit-ton of times and having been able to dissect its subtleties.

Regardless, go see it. It's Batman - specificially, Christopher Nolan's Batman. He has done such an amazing job of re-imagining this franchise. As much as I loved Batman '89, and trust me I was fanatical about it, it's a lot harder to watch after the new Batman franchise.

A bit behind

2008-06-20T03:24:54Z

Gotta keep up on things. I let myself get behind on entries here. Well, I'll make this one worth it. How about some pictures from last night of myself and some folks I was hanging out with getting bullfucked at the Saddle Ranch. Terminology courtesy of the young lady serving us behind the bar.

Ahhh... Nice Weather

2008-04-21T05:01:28Z

'Tis the season to be jolly

Not christmas of course. As festive as christmas is - the weather sucks. At least here in KCMO. It seems that start of spring and summer is upon us. Today was probably about a 75 degree day - beautiful.

I've always liked grilling out in the summer, having a couple beers, so on and so forth. Hell - I actually grilled in the winter too, but summer was the best. However, my grill got fucked up in a T-storm last fall. Knocked over, handle broke, important looking pieces falling out of place. I've been told by a few people that I should try fix it. They were free to try if they wanted to be the first to fire it up afterward. Sorry, but fix-er-upper and gas and fire do not go together for me.

Anyway, I got a new grill the other day. This time, I'll be grilling out front rather than on the deck so I can pull it into the garage when I'm not using it. Furthermore, I'm not fucking around this year. I'm serious about enjoying the experience this summer. So, I've got the grill. Got some lounge chairs and portable tables. Got a wiffle ball set and a washers set. I'll be keeping the fridge stocked with some beer. This summer is going to be awesome. Enjoying the simple things - good weather, good food, and some simple but classic entertainment.

KCMO'ers - post some comments or email me and we'll hook up for some summer grill outs.

Ikaruga is bloody hard!

2008-04-15T04:03:18Z

Got a couple new games in the past week. I'll start with the most recent, Ikaruga.

Been wanting to play Ikaruga for a long, long time. Originally a Japanese-only Dreamcast game, then ported to the Gamecube, where it was first available in the U.S., it is now available on Xbox Live Arcade.

This game is all it's hyped up to be. From just an hour of play, I'm convinced that it really is one of the top shoot 'em ups of all time. It's hard as hell, though. I thought I could do, at least, relatively decent. I'm getting my ass whooped on just the first boss.

The game has an interesting mechanic that sets it apart. You can reverse the "polarity" of your ship from black to white. You can shoot enemies as either color, but get double damage if you are shooting enemies of the same color. You can also absorb bullets of that color. So, managing your ships polarity while fighting a mix of black and white enemies adds a real extra element of strategy. In good shooters, you're already using all your wits just to find that little space of safety in a screen full of bullets. Now, you have to do that and be concerned with your ship's polarity at the same time.

While the game isn't pushing any boundaries of the 360's hardware graphically, it's a nice looking game. It is just like the DC/GC games, but rendered in high-def, so it looks a bit cleaner. The moving 3D backgrounds are quite epic, though, and the music adds to that feel.

If you're a fan of 2D shoot 'em ups and are willing to deal with some severe frustration (which you should already be used to if you are a fan of the genre), definitely pick this up. Awesome at ten bucks.

Earlier last week, I also picked up Williams Pinball Hall of Fame for the Wii (It's also available on PS2 and PSP, I believe - though missing a couple tables). Another cheap game that you'll get more than your money's worth out of. It's just pure pinball - in all it's glory. No new gimmicks or additions, just the original tables exactly as they were. As far as I can tell, the physics are accurate. One particularly nice touch is that the game offers a walkthrough of each table explaining all the scoring opportunities and how to achieve them, so you can play knowing what you're doing rather than simply trying to keep the ball in play (though, you generally ought to do that, too).

Pinball seems to be a lost art these days. For those of us that appreciate it, though - this is a nice gift. It also proved to me that my memories were not rose-tinted. Pinball is still fun.

Ankiel, McClellan

2008-04-03T04:29:46Z

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! The Cards are back and, as one sign said during the '06 playoffs, "the experts are idots!" Last place in the NL Central? Forget about it. I thought we had a potent offense and tonight was just a taste. Pujols anchors an offense that features power from Ludwick, Ankiel, and Duncan. Skip Shumaker should be solid in batting for average, making him a decent leadoff guy. Adam Kennedy is showing that he is back to his old self, forgetting that .219 average. Though, I think Miles could pick up the slack if necessary. Izturis is really the only major question mark in this offense, I believe. They're young, so they may lack discipline, but they have potential to be a powerhouse.

]]> Ankiel.... man, what a terrific game. 3 hits, including one home run. An amazing catch to save a run early in the game. Really, the big hero of this game. He's proving his worth as an offensive threat.While he's no Jim Edmonds defensively, that catch shows that he's more than capable of handling the center fielding position. If Skip stays in the lineup most nights, we only have to worry about the Duncan/Ludwick/Barton position on outfield defense (infield defense is a whole different story with Kennedy and Izturis holding the middle infield).

Kyle McClellan - a top pitching prospect with the Cards who, almost surprisingly, won a spot on the 25 man roster, is very exciting. Only adding to the excitement is that he's a St. Louis native. His first inning of work this game was a thing of beauty. It was over almost as quickly as it began. While he gave up a run in his second inning of work, it's because a grounder found a real lucky hole in the middle infield (again, see the question marks around Kennedy and Izturis holding the infield). He's the real deal.

So, our offense is looking great and the defense is mostly serviceable, while less than spectacular. Pitching is the big concern. I don't understand why this is such a big deal. We have so many options. Wain-O is a given. Lohse is solid. I'll even say Looper is a given somewhere in the rotation. Right now, Wellemyer and Thompson are the fill-ins in the rotation. At worst, they seem to keep us in the game. With Reyes and McClellan in the bullpen and on the roster, though - we always have options if we feel our existing starters aren't pulling their weight. That's not even considering that Piniero is going to be back soon and Clement and Mulder are just over a month away. I have to think that, while it's wishful thinking to believe all of these pitchers will be good, we have a lot of options from which to pull a decent five-man rotation. And when Carpenter is back mid-year... our rotation is locked in at that point. Carpenter, Wain-O and all those other potential starters to choose from for the three other spots? How can you really think we're in trouble. It's the first few weeks we have to worry about, and even then we still have a couple options.

This is Cardinals baseball. Tonight is what I hope is the true sign of things to come.

What a surprise

2008-04-02T03:10:55Z

Told 'ya we'd get fucked over after yesterday. Rockies get a pass on a terrible start. Cards play a hard game and take a loss. All of our pitchers were great except for one bad innning from Franklin. To be shame.

On a slightly humorous note - by the time Yadi took his ninth inning at bat, they were showing his "season" stats. 333 average, 1HR. Way to be!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2008-03-31T23:03:17Z

...you've ruined the Cardinals' opening day.

This sucks. This sucks hard. Winning 5-1, Pujols already jacked his first home run. Too bad, doesn't count. Think they could've waited a bit longer to try get it in? It's still early in the evening. I hope this isn't a sign of our luck to come this season.

Tomorrow, 7:15, we'll try it again. Supposedly Kip Wells vs. Kyle Lohse. Sounds like good odds in the Cards' favor to make up for today - but again, with how our luck is starting, Kip won't pitch like he did in St. Louis.

I really don't understand why they couldn't suspend games rather than restart them. I know the game can't be the same as if it was played in a day, but realistically, it wouldn't be anyway if it restarted after a 1 hour rain delay, as the starting pitchers probably wouldn't be back out. And, it's not as unfair as taking away all the work that was already put into the game.

I'm afraid this may come back to haunt us....

A Cryin' Shame

2008-03-31T04:49:25Z

I popped in my Unreal Tournament III disc just a little bit ago. While it was fun, it's also giving me some heartburn becuase the community, at least on the PS3 version, is damn near non-existent. You can count the number of populated servers on your fingers, and the number drops even more if you're looking for those populated with a reasonably large number of people. I mean, c'mon, Capture the Flag isn't exactly fun with just two people. Reduce that further by servers that allow keyboard and mouse and you're lucky to find even a handful of servers across all game types. The best game type, Vehicle CTF, is pretty much dead at this point.

What happened here? When did people stop liking fun games? Why, why, why does Halo have millions of users and a classic, genre-defining franchise like UT3 can only draw hundreds? I have a few guesses. For one, the franchise has been dormant for four years. On top of that, the last iteration(s), UT2003/2004, didn't hold the weight of the original, and therefore didn't command the long-term community to hold it over until the next iteration. Finally, I have to blame Midway for timing the launch of the game so poorly. Releasing it right up against games like Call of Duty 4 was a terrible move. Plus, advertising started as the game was released. There was little hype building up to the release, so only older fans were prepared for it. They should have been able to build some pre-release hype if they played the "from the makers of Gears of War" card.

I can always play with bots if nothing else, but it's not the same as playing with real people. The game is so good in so many ways. It "feels" more like UT Classic than 2003/2004 did, while keeping some of the newer ideas in a more refined fashion and adding some of its own. I don't know what's not to like.

I'm afraid this may be the end of the Unreal Tournament franchise. It's was a good ride while it lasted.... I think I'll re-install UT Classic on my PC and see if there is still a community of old-schoolers there. It's still one of my favorite games of all-time.

Happy Monday!

2008-03-25T00:27:01Z

Whaaa??!!

That's right. "Happy Monday!" - and to prove it, I submit the following:

(Click for larger image)

Apparently, four 12-packs of Coca-Cola (caffeine-free, of course) and 11 packs of Cadbury eggs, in addition to the two bags of mini eggs I already have at home, weren't enough. I just had to throw in that bag of Easter Whoppers at the end.

Oh, and how did I feel standing behind a fat guy at the checkout who's buying lettuce and vegetables and stuff and here I am with my soda and pile of chocolate?

Hey - I have to stock up. They don't sell Creme Eggs all year. What better time to do so than during the day after Easter fire sale?

On a completely different note - having the wax flushed out of your ear at the doctor's office feels really wierd. At least I can hear out of my left ear now. Just sayin'....

Lust, Caution

2008-03-23T05:59:38Z

I finally got around to watching Lust, Caution this evening. I've had it sitting here since its release - but this particular style of film requires a certain mood to ensure that you'll really let it sink in and, with all that's been going on recently, it's taken until tonight to find the right time.

]]> We'll get the obvious out of the way first. The film earns every bit of its NC-17 rating. It was just a slight camera angle shift away from moving into the hardcore realm. I assumed that the sex was just very well faked, but I saw some definite ball action at one point that makes me question that. Nonetheless, this isn't, nor is it meant to be, spank material. One could argue that it didn't need to be as explicit as it was, and he may very well be right. It's hard to say. The scenes are, though, used to show something about the characters, particularly Yee (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai). It is where his cautious, borderline paranoid personality has to face his vulnerabilities. It also expresses what Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei) is giving of herself.

Backing up - Lust, Caution, for those unfamiliar, takes place mostly in Shanghai during World War II as Japan is extending it's reach into China. Wong Chia Chi ends up studying at a Hong Kong university, where she gets involved in a seemingly innocent patriotic drama group. However, the drama group doesn't limit themselves to drama for long, as they begin plotting a way to assassinate a Chinese official, Yee, that is under the influence of the Japanese. Chia Chi takes on the persona of Mak Tai Tai as she becomes romantically involved with Yee in order to draw him from his guard.

Nothing about the plot is particularly new, nor is it going to have any terribly surprising twists and turns. However, Ang Lee has a touch for creating a backdrop for a story, and placing this story into his vision of WWII-era Shanghai sets it apart and allows you to be drawn in to the world. The film is really about the characters as much as the plot, and the two leads put on excellent performances. Tony Leung has been my favorite actor for a long time and with good reason. He can put the most subtle touches on a scene to give you a hint of a character's real feelings or intentions. Again, this goes back to some of the sex scenes. In what could be a purely erotic scene, among all the moving and moaning, he shows glimpses of the character's vulnerabilities. Tang Wei puts on a breakthrough performance in her first major role. It's a daring role to take on as her first, but she handles it like she's a seasoned actress. She, too, can show very subtle signs of her character. Even just a slight quiver of her lower lip during a conversation can show the emotional dilemma she is in. Some might argue that the film is too long for the depth of the plot. While it likely could be done in less time, I personally enjoyed the atmosphere enough that I was not rushed to finish the film.

Overall, I'd give it a recommendation. While the plot itself is not unique or particularly deep, the characters themselves are, and the environment and mood draws it all together.

No, I haven't forgotten

2008-03-22T05:48:35Z

Ok - I haven't posted in a while. I'm here. Not to assume that anyone was worried. However, I'd like to not stay dormant too long. I've been way too lazy this week. Not just on this... in general. Probably because I haven't slept well this week. Luckily, I get to sleep in tomorrow. Every morning this week when I've had to get up, all I could think was how great it's going to feel Saturday when I can stay in bed until I'm ready to get up of my own choosing.

So, I got a new digital camera the other day. Nothing fancy, but a bit of an upgrade from my previous. Wasn't actually "in the market" for one, but stumbled on a great deal for this camera. Eventually, I'd like to get properly into photography but for now, I just need something I can take out with me and get some quick shots. I'm hoping this will do better with certain kinds of shots than my old one. Been playing with it, just taking stupid shots. For example, here's what I did after work today:

Yeah, I know - Uno's isn't the first place you'll think to have a drink and certainly not my favorite as far as atmosphere goes. We wanted to stick close to home today, though (I live in suburbia... sue me). Plus, they actually have a suprisingly cheap happy hour. Two bucks for those tall beers... if you're willing to settle for Bud or Bud Light (which, at $2 a pop, I am).

Anyway, don't know what the rest of the weekend will bring, but I'll be sure to update again before it's over. Hopefully with something of more significance than telling you I'm tired and showing you a picture of two beer glasses (I'll try make sure there's at least six next time).

Presidential Primaries, Hi-Def Format Wars, and RRODs. Oh my!

2008-02-16T20:51:49Z

Ok, so once again I got busy and didn't get to make the posts in the last couple weeks that I wanted to. That's fine, here I am now...

]]> Super Tuesday excitement is over, so I don't need to go over that much. McCain is pretty much set as the Republican candidate. That will be interesting, as the right can't stand him. What they don't realize is that if they did nominate someone too far to the right, they'd nominate them right out of electability. Obama has a narrow lead on the Democrat side, though superdelegates may keep Hillary out in front for now. It would be a sad day in democracy if Obama wins the most pledged delegates, but Hillary ends up winning through superdelegates. However, MSNBC's Tom Curry doesn't seem to think that will happen. We've still got some interesting months ahead of us here.

On to more important news :) Looks like HD-DVD is on its death bead. After announcements by Warner, Netflix, and Best Buy that they were backing Blu-Ray - Wal-Mart has landed what may be the killing blow to Toshiba by throwing their support behind Blu-Ray. That leaves few options for HD-DVD and Reuters is reporting that Toshiba is only weeks away from throwing in the towel. Obviously sad for early adopters, but for hi-def media as a whole, this will help boost adoption and let them focus on migrating people from DVD to Blu-Ray. It's much like politics. It's the point where a party nominee is established and they can stop fighting each other for the nomination and focus on running against the opposing party for the presidency.

On to local news - my Xbox 360 gave me the red rings of death for the second time, so once again it is off to Microsoft for repair. Luckily, it's covered - but I'm stuck this weekend without any Project Gotham Racing 4 to play. I could play my PS3, but.... well, actually, I just realized, I haven't gotten online with Unreal Tournament III in a couple weeks. Gotta jump on again. Unfortunately, gamers these days have terrible taste and UT3 is bombing. Hopefully there's at least something of a community that sticks around for a while. It's a sad day when Halo 3 breaks sales records and UT3 sales are only in the tens of thousands. Of course, Midway was pretty retarded to put UT3 up against Call of Duty 4 and some of the other games being released at that time. Seriously, though, buy UT3 if you have a PS3... and a keyboard/mouse combo to go with it. Yes, it supports keyboard and mouse. If only other console makers *cough - Microsoft* would let developers build in mouse/keyboard support to games.

Now, March... PS3 will really be giving me some love, then. MLB 08: The Show. Demo just went up the other day. Same basic mechanics as the last couple iterations (which means they're awesome) with some more finesse thrown in. Graphically, this is unbelievable - the player's faces finally truly do look like the real deal. You feel much more like watching a baseball broadcast than before. This is definitely a day one purchase. I'll try out this revamped Cardinals club myself before the season starts.

Obligatory Super Sunday Post

2008-02-03T17:25:01Z

I'm pretty sure I'll get fined by the internet police if I don't make a post about the Super Bowl today. I'll have the obligatory Super Tuesday post in the next couple days, if you're more interested in politics than sports. So, here goes.

My pick.... Giants. Okay, that's more of a hope than a belief. I think they can do it (they almost did in the regular season) but odds are definitely in the Pats favor.

So, am I a bastard for hoping the Pats lose when I have no actual ties to the opposing team? Part of me goes for the underdog. Part of me thinks Boston is getting a little too much love this year, with every single sports team dominating. I guess I probably am a bastard.

So... go Giants! Enjoy the support now - it's one of the few times you'll see me support a NY team. Next season is a fresh season - so let's hope the Rams come back in good form.

Do you ever....

2008-01-25T01:55:59Z

...worry that you are saying your thoughts out loud? Like, especially if you're in a quiet place. Maybe your brain is going a hundred miles an hour and you're thinking about all kinds of things. Do you ever stop and think to yourself "did I say anything out loud?"

Maybe that's just me. Of course, I'm obsessive and paranoid. It wouldn't be as bad if I didn't think of so much wierd shit. I can't imagine what people would think if they heard some of the things that go on in my head.

Thing is... I've heard a few people mumble things to themselves as they are thinking and I'm not sure if they know they do it. If they don't, then would I realize if I was doing it?

Coming soon... big night out in KC

2008-01-23T03:13:23Z

Alright, after a small (read: large) problem with my PC, I'm back online. I could explain what went wrong, but it'd be exceptionally geeky and a lot of people would probably stop reading there. So, I'll save that for later.

I just got back from having a nice couple drinks at Kona Grill, down on the plaza here in KC, along with some Spice Tuna sushi rolls and some potstickers. For those who aren't familiar, Kona Grill is a bar/restaurant that kinda does the whole pacific rim thing. It has sushi (for which it is probably most noted), specialty pizzas (best bbq chicken pizza around), potstickers, maui tacos, and so on. For me, it is most notable for it's sake bombs. A flask of sake and a large size (not like the kind you normally get) bottle of Kirin Ichiban, my favorite beer. During happy hour, they have pretty damn good prices on this stuff. They have a regular and reverse happy hour - both of which I'm happy to attend. Depending on the day, you may have to fight for a seat in the bar, but it's worth it. If you are a KC resident, definitely feel free to send me an invite to go, if you're interested. I have trouble turning it down.

On a somewhat related note, I've been thinking for a while about having a little gathering. I had originally debated about just having a house party - but I want something a bit more. I'm at my house all the time. I want to be out and about.

]]> While the idea had somewhat occurred to me before, it really took shape after a friend and I went out to Kona last week. We finished at the early Kona happy hour and, weather being nice, decided to walk from the Plaza to Westport to go to McCoy's, to which we hadn't been in a while. If you're from here, you're saying "that's a helluva walk". For our lazy midwest asses, yes. If you've lived on a large college campus before, this wouldn't be anything more than the worst you've seen. So, we went to McCoy's, had a couple pitchers of their "unfilitered" wheat beer. I put that in quotes because I could see through the goddamned thing. That doesn't look unfilitered to me (luckily, their rasberry wheat is still good, so I still recommend the place). We finished up at McCoy's, walked back to our car on the Plaza and I noted that it was just about time for the late Kona happy hour. I was expecting my friend to say no to going back to Kona. However, he was all for it. So, we went back and had even more there and talked to some people and whatnot. I was, of course, driven home that night (always be careful to get a driver if you've had too many drinks), but the point is that we let go a bit and had a great night. I want to take that to the next level and share it with a bunch of friends.

So, plans are still in progress. Many questions to go. When to plan this event? Where are the stops on this trip? What are the travel arrangements? I will, of course, invite all my friends. I encourage anyone else who reads this to let me know if they'd like to participate and include any friends you have also. I'll send info to everyone once I figure out what's going on.

Be prepared....