a weekly recommendations email
Written by J.S. Lewis
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PLUG IN
We have officially rounded the first month of this glorious weekly highlight. On August 19th the AllMoPs email began. May this be a continued pattern in the months to come is my wish. Enjoy the plugs!
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MVOTW = MUSIC VIDEO OF THE WEEK
This video left a HUGE impression on me when I first saw it back in junior high. It still holds up remarkably well today. The climactic rendition of the chorus in the third act is one of the most powerful moments I've seen in music videos.
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RANDOMONIA
2. Here is further proof that you never know what is going viral or will prove to be an internet phenomenon. A rather silly picture of Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of "Inception" (still #4!) was released. Believe it or not, this provided dozens (if not hundreds, if not thousands) of people with endless amounts of creative fun! Take a gander at these 64 photoshopped hybrids (#6 and #21 are personal favorites). It has coined a new term, "Leo Strut," which if typed into Google will lead you to even more altered images.
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GAMERAIN
The only thing I care to mention this week is the wonder that is "Halo: Reach." I was outside the GameStop in Springville on Tuesday at 12:00 am (along with hundreds of other Xbox 360 owners in the area) to get my own copy of the game. It was well worth it. I am far from having adequate experience to give a full review at this point (I'm only on the 4th mission in the Campaign), but I can and do declare the online multiplayer to be one of the funnest activities under the sun (furthermore, I doubt there is much if anything above the sun that is more fun). Capture the Flag, Invasion, and classic Slayer are downright satisfying. The new Forge World mode is a revolution, allowing one (and one's friends) to switch from "editor" to "player" on the fly. Basically, you can make your own levels and then play them instantly. Xbox Live used to run a slogan, "It's good to play together." That's exactly what a game like "Reach" can accomplish. I've played it with my friends (both in my apartment and over Xbox Live) and we all finish our time together satisfied. Xbox 360 owners around the world are also enjoying Bungie's latest (last) and possibly greatest game. My friend reported seeing over 1.2 million people playing the game online at one time (the highest I've seen being around 750,000 gamers). And remember, that's just those who have or chose to use Xbox Live. I just came across this photo essay on CNN.com fromTime, "A Brief History of 'Halo'." As the photo essay will tell, the sales figures for "Reach" haven't been release quite yet, but "Microsoft expects [it] will surpass the $600 million generated by 'Halo 3' in 2007." However, it was announced that "Reach" garnered $200 million dollars on day one. The game has been receiving extremely high reviews with a current average of 92% on metacritic. You can read and/or see Gamespot's review here. I will conclude with this: "Halo: Reach" makes me think and say "Wow."
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THE FILM TOME REPORT
A score of new trailers came out this week and most of them I don't even deem worth sharing (admittedly, some I didn't even bother viewing myself). The trailer for "Today's Special" was one I almost skipped, but I didn't and I'm glad. This looks to be the most promising food flick since "Julie and Julia" and capable of the humor and heart that one served up last year. It's due in theaters in two month's time, but whether that's a theater near you is something I wouldn't promise. Nearly every film with a preview comes with a "In Theaters" date, but for most theaters in most areas only the most mainstream get screen time. Unless you live in a big city that has a joint willing to lend the spotlight on the indies, docs, and "smaller" movies, chances are most films you'll have to wait and see when their on DVD. Granted, most films most people never hear about. My Film Tome is working on fixing that one step at a time.
There's a few I have to mention, otherwise I will lose credibility as a valuable "film report:"
Ron Howard's got a new movie, "The Dilemma," starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. It's a crude comedy and I'm not providing a link because it looks beyond bad. If you want to see it for yourself you'll have to find it for yourself.
"The Fighter" stars two guys who are always interesting, Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, playing brothers. (Warning: this is one of those many trailers that seems to give the whole plot away.) Also, it looks like Amy Adams gets to add Marky Mark to her ever-growing list of onscreen flings.
Then there's "The Tourist" with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp (hot couple eh?). It's actually a British film. Who knew?
Okay, now two I want to mention:
"Red Hill" looks like my kind of movie! (Disclaimer: This film is labeled as a "thriller" and the trailer contains action and violence). Just a sample of Steve Bisley's performance within this trailer awes me. This one was news to me.
Perhaps my biggest surprise on the Apple Movie Trailers website this week was "Carnies" (also a violent trailer). It looks low-budget and pretty poor (but hey, who am I to talk?) - that's why I was surprised. I would bet big money this is NOT coming to a theater near you.
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UNPLUG
And... cut! If you have any comments, questions, requests, complaints or threats please let your voice be heard by allmops@gmail.com. If you wish to be removed from the AllMoPs send-list, let me know. If you wish to add someone, let me know. Until next time, enjoy "Reach" or don't and thanks for plugging in!
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