ScribeFire: A Quicker Way To Blog

This is my first attempt at using ScribeFire for Firefox. Thanks to Digital Achiever for turning me onto this cool blogging tool. I am always looking at ways to save time and be more productive when making blog posts. ScribeFire allows you quickly begin blogging as you are surfing the web because it is an add-in to Firefox. Let's say you are on a cool website that you want to share and blog about just hit F8 key and ScribeFire pops up and you are off and writing your new blog post. It is that simple. There is a a few configuration steps to complete the very first time you use it so have your blog username and password handy. Now let's see how easy it is to post. I will be back to update this article and share my experience with you.

...five minutes later...

I'm back! It successfully posted as a scheduled post which gave me an opportunity to make any final changes prior to posting live. For some reason the graphic didn't load and I had to go back in and fix it which was easy to do. I think I know what went wrong to avoid the same issue in the future. It seems to be best to upload your graphics to a photo sharing site like Photobucket and then copy the link location in ScribeFire and it should work fine. I will confirm that it works with my next post using ScribeFire. I highly recommend ScribeFire as it is easy to setup and begin using immediately and for the most part seemless in uploading a post to Blogger. Have fun!

The Saga Continues

George Lucas promised us there will be more Star Wars and we are less than a month away from another theatrical release. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will release in theaters on August 15. This is not your typical Star Wars film. It is completely animated. For the first time we will see a version of Star Wars on the big screen not with real physical actors but with animated characters. We will see old foes and new friends. We will get another glimpse into the Star Wars Universe that will keep us engrossed in one of the most successful movie franchises of all time for another couple of years. The good news is that with this new release we are embarking on a new trend for Star Wars. We will be getting a steady dose of Star Wars over the next year. This new release is serving as the kick-off to the new TV animated series that starts this fall. I definitely can't wait.

Review: The Dark Knight ***1/2

The only bad thing about this movie is that I didn't get to see it in IMAX. I will warn you now and save you time. There are no bloopers, surprises or future movie tie-ins at the end of the credits. But if you still want to sit through them you will enjoy the score. It is very moving.

The big question on everyone's mind is will Heath Ledger win an Oscar for his performance as the Joker. The answer is a resounding no. On second thought it is too early to tell. I won't be surprised if Heath Ledger does get a nod. Also, I will go so far to say that The Dark Knight may get an Oscar nod as well for best picture or best screenplay. You heard it hear first. Only time will tell.

There was no doubt that the Joker and the Batman lived up to the hype. My concern was that the Joker would dominate the silver screen and over shadow Batman. The supporting cast made up of Harvey Dent, Rachel Doss, and Commissioner Gordon and of course Bruce Wayne/Batman balanced out the Joker's great performance. Overall The Dark Knight was an excellent movie. Great story, great acting, great action, and a great score.

The Dark Knight being a sequel it sure didn't feel like one. There were some surprises and twists and turns which kept you on the edge of your seat. So did the Joker's performance. As mentioned prior to the movie coming out someone compared his performance to Hannibal Lecter by Anthony Hopkins. I wouldn't go that far right now but perhaps after some time that discussion may need to be revisited. Heath Ledger's last performance is one for the ages and his family should be very proud of him. It is sad he is no longer with us to see all the buzz about his performance.

Go see The Dark Knight early and often. Bravo! Enjoy!

Preview: The Dark Knight

One of the most anticipated movies of the year The Dark Knight promises to deliver after 3 years from the release of Batman Begins. Already The Dark Knight was released in over 4,000 theaters at midnight and has pulled in $17 million already. A healthy weekend opener for any movie but The Dark Knight did it in 6 hours in the middle of the night. Will it hit over $100 million this weekend or will it top $150 million? I am betting on the latter.

There is so much buzz around this film it is hard to know where to begin. I don't know which is the biggest story the death of Heather Ledger or his performance as the Joker. This past week Oscar buzz is already brewing leading up to the release today. There hasn't been a film in recently memory that got Oscar this buzz this earlier especially for a summer blockbuster. Ledger's performance as the Joker has been spoken in the same sentence as Hannibal Lecter played by Sir Anthony Hopkins. Now that is saying something. Check back later this weekend when I post my review and I will let you know what I think.

Here are some interesting facts about the movie. It was completely shot in IMAX film. The highest film resolution you can achieve today. The cameras are 4 to 5 times the size of regular movie cameras. Special vehicles were constructed in order to mount the cameras to film very complex scenes. One of the highlights of the film was a stunt where a tractor trailer goes head over heals with no help from CGI. The City of Chicago played the role as Gotham City. Finally, one interesting little tidbit surely to take your breath away. In the trailer when the camera pans around the rooftop and you see The Dark Knight standing on the edge of a building looking over Gotham City that is Christian Bale standing on top of the Sears Tower. Gives me chills.

My expectations for The Dark Knight are very high. I remember vividly in 2005 when I saw Batman Begins in IMAX how awesome it was. It definitely exceeded expectations. The challenge for this movie is can the Cape Crusader match the character of the Joker or will the Joker overshadow the Batman? Check back later this weekend for my full movie review of The Dark Knight.