All Manner of Plugs: Issue 16 (12.11.2010)
a weekly informing and recommending email
Written by J.S. Lewis
* * *
PLUG IN
How ya doin'? Thanks for doin' what ya do. You're welcome for doin' what I do. Let's both just keep doin' what we doin'. Dude.
Firstly, I want to thank my sister Mandy who gave both AllMoPs and The Film Tome a snazzy makeover, including original designs for each blog's title. This is the start for better and better. Thanks sis!
* * *
MVOTW
Remember last week when I featured the a cappella covers of "Dynamite"? Well, here's yet another version by the lovable hosts of the Today Show (as part of their "Today Goes Viral" series). It's surprisingly good and just all around light-hearted fun. Al Rocker is the bee's knees! It's worth mentioning that Mike Tompkins help them pull this off. Check out the making of this video.
* * *
A LIST*
*My love for lists marches on with this new addition to AllMoPs.
Each year Time magazine unveils their list of the best photos of the year that graced their pages. 2010.
* * *
NEWS TO ME
Think Nativity programs at the local church are a safe and harmless activity? Watch this and think again.
* * *
MONKEY DO
Late Monday night a baby orangutan was born, a welcome addition to the Melbourne Zoo. See attached storyfor an adorably silly pic.
* * *
RANDOMONIA
If this unsettling video does not exhort you to keep both eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel, I don't know what will. It is disturbing. It is dramatic. It is quite beautiful. I apologize for the poor quality, it is the best I could find. Please drive safe.
* * *
GAMERAIN
"Pac-Man Championship Edition DX" is getting a lot of love. I really wanted to know why and after just watching 3-minutes of gameplay during Gamespot's video review I think I do know. Can't wait to try this one for myself! It has totally reinvented the classic "Pac-Man" in a welcome way. The game currently boasts a 95% on Metacritic. It's available for download on Xbox 360 and PS3.
* * *
THE FILM TOME REPORT
THE TRAILER ROUND-UP
The third trailer for "Tron: Legacy" came out a month ago. This link will take you to them and a few clips Disney has released. The trailers make this film look like the coolest thing since "Inception." However, the clips (especially the one with Castor) left me worried, especially about the dialogue. Might we have another "Avatar" on our hands? A gorgeous film with spectacular special effects and exciting action sequences, but a script in need of work (namely the spoken word). "Tron: Legacy" comes out next week.
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" has an interesting trailer until we actually see the transformer. At that point all excitement left me. I've seen the first and frankly, that was enough. Again, special effects do not make a movie... they make tech demos.
You've been forewarned, the second and latest trailer for "Rio" decreased my eagerness to see it. It is a little distracting to have who I now associate as Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) voice the main bird. On top of that, movie trailer man rattles off a bunch of other famous people who have donated their voices to the cause. That's dandy and all, but that's not necessarily going to make a fine flick. The narrative will, which has a good enough premise. The animation looks very nice, but that's not hard to come by these days.
THE TRAILER ROUND-UP
The third trailer for "Tron: Legacy" came out a month ago. This link will take you to them and a few clips Disney has released. The trailers make this film look like the coolest thing since "Inception." However, the clips (especially the one with Castor) left me worried, especially about the dialogue. Might we have another "Avatar" on our hands? A gorgeous film with spectacular special effects and exciting action sequences, but a script in need of work (namely the spoken word). "Tron: Legacy" comes out next week.
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" has an interesting trailer until we actually see the transformer. At that point all excitement left me. I've seen the first and frankly, that was enough. Again, special effects do not make a movie... they make tech demos.
You've been forewarned, the second and latest trailer for "Rio" decreased my eagerness to see it. It is a little distracting to have who I now associate as Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) voice the main bird. On top of that, movie trailer man rattles off a bunch of other famous people who have donated their voices to the cause. That's dandy and all, but that's not necessarily going to make a fine flick. The narrative will, which has a good enough premise. The animation looks very nice, but that's not hard to come by these days.
If a baby orangutan wasn't enough... "Nenette" is a 40-year-old orangutan! She is the oldest resident in a Paris zoo. That could be a fascinating premise of a new Pixar film, but it's not. It is a documentary, but it still looks fascinating! This brings back memories of "Koko: A Talking Gorilla," another primate-y documentary (from 1978) that I love.
Add some testosterone to your weekend with the first trailer for "Thor." This superhero's backstory is especially unique. Anthony Hopkins (who plays Odin) looks great with more hair than ever! Kenneth Branagh, yes, Kenneth Branagh, directs.
None of these trailers left my jaw dropped or mind bewildered. So, no awards this week.
ENLISITED
Stephen King likes putting his Top 10 Films of the Year list out early. He says he considers the years from November to November. He is a compelling writer and this is a compelling list (his Top 10 Films of 2010).
THE GOOD
This is good news to me because, unlike many humans, I thoroughly enjoyed each installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. They were entertaining movies, each with its own grandiose set-pieces. Johnny Depp's performance was a revelation and the antagonists in each film delivered brilliant performances. The stories were wild adventures on the high seas, set against a historical era, but steeped in mythologies. I deem the trilogy a huge success. It is with this forward that I share with you some production stills from the fourth installment "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." The film is due May 20th and I am optimistic again for one of the better series coming out of Hollywood's gates. the brilliance of Depp and Geoffery Rush (who is making a splash this year with his performance in "The King's Speech") return with some new faces. The biggest change is the man in the director's chair: Gore Verbinski has been replaces with Rob Marshall ("Chicago" and "Memoirs of a Geisha"). Does that mean we can expect a few musical numbers? Bring it on! I'm guessing we can look forward to a trailer in the next or month or so.
THE BAD
THE GOOD
This is good news to me because, unlike many humans, I thoroughly enjoyed each installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. They were entertaining movies, each with its own grandiose set-pieces. Johnny Depp's performance was a revelation and the antagonists in each film delivered brilliant performances. The stories were wild adventures on the high seas, set against a historical era, but steeped in mythologies. I deem the trilogy a huge success. It is with this forward that I share with you some production stills from the fourth installment "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." The film is due May 20th and I am optimistic again for one of the better series coming out of Hollywood's gates. the brilliance of Depp and Geoffery Rush (who is making a splash this year with his performance in "The King's Speech") return with some new faces. The biggest change is the man in the director's chair: Gore Verbinski has been replaces with Rob Marshall ("Chicago" and "Memoirs of a Geisha"). Does that mean we can expect a few musical numbers? Bring it on! I'm guessing we can look forward to a trailer in the next or month or so.
THE BAD
I was looking VERY forward to the new Farrelly Brothers film, "The Three Stooges." Unfortunately the three wonderful leads they had casted (Jim Carrey, Sean Penn, and Benecio Del Toro) all jumped ship. I easily imagined the greatness that trio would deliver... Well, the Farrellys aren't giving up. They are looking to cast three new stooges. JoBlo.com covers the story in their humorous "Cast This" segment.
AND THE WEIRD
AND THE WEIRD
Emma Stone (from "Zombieland" and "Easy A") is staring as Peter Parker's initial love interest, Gwen Stacy, in the "Spider-Man" reboot. Proof. The role was played quite well by Bryce Dallas Howard in the "old" one. It still leaves me scratching my head that we're getting an all new "Spider-Man" film franchise this soon... Do you know the other roles? Andrew Garfield (Eduardo in "The Social Network") is the main man. Martin Sheen is Uncle Ben. Sally Field as Aunt May. Rhys Ifans (?) is going to play the first villain, The Lizard. Of course, his character was once a doctor. Marc Webb (who was pointed out to me as having a fitting last name) snags this as his second feature directing (after "(500) Days of Summer").
KEEPIN' IT SHORT
This is a powerful animated short. An interesting and inspiring take on the Greek myth.
* * *
UNPLUG
Fluffy moose! 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. Remember, all previous AllMoPs are available at my blog, All Manner of Posts. Keep it chill and thanks for plugging in!
* * *
No comments:
Post a Comment