Tuesday, February 22, 2011

AllMoPs 21

All Manner of Plugs: Issue 21 (2.20.2011)
a weekly informing and recommending email

Written by J.S. Lewis

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PLUG IN

I am happy to report this is just a week after our last issue! Prepare to be informed and recommended.

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MVOTW


Just a plain nice song with a simple video to showcase it in. The song, band and genre are all pretty new to me. Jared Hess directs.

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A LIST

Dear readers, whether you were born in the 1920s or the 1930s, have I got a list to share with you: "All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys."

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NEWS TO ME

Breaking news just doesn't get better than "the naked sausage thief."

And, in regards to those who break such news, check out anchors and co-anchors in brief verbal feuds.

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MONKEY DO

Last October a baby gorilla was born in the London Zoo, these days he is just taking his first steps, a video of which has just gone viral this week. It is darling. I had no idea that gorilla infants waited months until walking.

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POLICE BEAT

Disorderly Conduct

Feb. 10: A Heritage Halls CSA reported being followed by a red laser dot while roving the area. Police located the source of the laser, and confronted a female resident who had been shining the laser out her window. Officers warned the student about her actions.


Suspicious

Feb. 8: Custodians discovered a suspicious-looking male reading magazines in the Maeser building before the building opened in the morning. The man told custodians his wife worked in the ESC and he came to the building in the early morning to read periodicals. He was ushered out of the building


Theft

Feb. 9: A male student was caught on security cameras removing a class packet from the bookstore. The student was followed into the HFAC where he was confronted and confessed to having previously taken an additional class packet. The student was cited and both packets were recovered


Threats

Feb. 8: A female student reported feeling threatened after she refused to eat with a man who sat next to her on a bus and followed her to the CougarEat. When she told the man that she did not want to eat with him, he reportedly told the woman that she had better watch her back.

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RANDOMONIA
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GAMERAIN

One of the games I am most looking forward to this year (third to "Skyrim" and "Portal 2") is "L.A. Noire." Made by Team Bondi and published by the ever-reliable Rockstar, it is shaping up to look stellar. Check out this interview with Rob Nelson of Rockstar juxtaposed with plenty of gameplay action. The technology behind the game (especially the secret behind those state-of-the-art facial animations) is legit. The "L.A. Noire" equation in my head? Take "Mafia," set it in Los Angles and you play as a detective instead of a gangster.

I did not even know of the video game series "You Don't Know Jack" until now. GameSpot gave the latest a 8.0 (for "great") in their video review. It is a trivia game that gets a little a flippant about its duties (as one might suppose from the title). GameSpot is not alone in heralding the zesty game, it currently has an 84% on metacritic.

Check out the powerful announcement trailer for yet another zombie video game, "Dead Island." It is beautiful and it is disgusting. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but see it and you will know what I mean. It left me pondering if the only way a zombie tale can have a happy ending is if you are telling it in reverse. Personally, I am sold based on a few words in the description for the game: "open world... survival on a zombie-infested island." Well, I guess the correct phrasing would be it is an "open island" game. Some dedicated journalists at IGN have recut the trailer to chronological order and analyze it in this 8-minute video. "Dead Island" is made by the folks at Techland who are otherwise noted as the makers of "Call of Juarez" series, which I have not yet played and will therefore not comment on. "Dead Island" is due sometime this year.

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THE FILM TOME REPORT

THE TRAILER ROUND-UP

"Apollo 18" bears the tag-line, "There's a reason we never went back to the moon." I never knew that we had stopped sending men to that rock, but according to the synopsis the last time was 1972. The synopsis goes one to claim that Apollo 18 went to the moon a year later and apparently the two-man crew never returned. The "actual footage" that makes up this film is the reason for that tag-line. Essentially, this looks to be "Paranormal Activity" (a series a really like) on the moon. The '70s look and feel, especially as seen through their myriad cameras, is a nice touch. It is interesting how alike products always seem to emerge at the same time. Compare this with the impressive teaser for "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (which, by the way, got a 30-second spot earlier this month during the Big Game) and Duncan Jones's indie masterwork "Moon" from 2009.

Ridley Scott's daughter (Jordan Scott) will now get her film distributed in the states. Apparently filmmaking runs in the Scott family. "Cracks" does not quite seem to be my cup of tea, but it sure looks beautifully photographed. Might it be the "Picnic at Hanging Rock" of our generation?

The next trailer comes with a bit of a personal experience attached. I saw "I Saw the Devil" at Sundance this year. I knew then it would never merit an "R" rating (it is among the most violent films ever made, making the likes of "Saw" and "Hostel" seem like Saturday morning cartoons in comparison), so it makes sense that they are releasing it as "Not Rated." It is for that reason I cannot recommend "I Saw the Devil." Still, the filmmaking and acting was on another level of excellence that one truly does not see everyday. It is a mixed bag of fruits: wildly disturbing, ever-so-thrilling, sometimes inspiring, usually distressing and ultimately thought-provoking. I still contemplate the film's title and the decent of our protagonist. I took the experience as a self-evaluation and learned a lot about myself that evening in the Egyptian Theater and in the days after.

Toss of the Week: Ever since I first heard of "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" I have wanted to experience it. Uncle Boonmee is on his deathbed and his visited by family members, both living and dead. It looks chilling, bizarre and beautiful. It won the Palm d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival. (For those not in the know, that is the highest prize at one highest regarded film festivals in the world. Past winners include "The White Ribbon," "Elephant" and "Pulp Fiction.") Uncle Boonmee's tale surely will not hit theaters around here and Netflix says the DVD availability date is unknown. It appears I have some patience to implement.

THE GOOD AND THE WEIRD

I have already addressed the "Spider-Man" reboot (still a bewildering notion), but now there is more news. Sony Pictures has officially announced that it will be called "The Amazing Spider-Man." JoBlo has the story and here is the film's official site.

2011 will break the all-time record for most film sequels in a single year with 27. Wow. Box Office Mojo with the tale.

KEEPIN' IT SHORT

"The Monk and the Fish"
Written and Directed by Michael Dudok de Wit.

Excellent use of colors and underscoring of music to match the action in this silly yet poignant tale.

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UNPLUG

Falling slug cakes! 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. Have a jolly President's Day weekend and thanks for plugging in!

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

AllMoPs 20

All Manner of Plugs: Issue 20 (2.13.2011)
an weekly informing and recommending email

Written by J.S. Lewis

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PLUG IN

Twenty down! I have debated changing my description of AllMoPs... should it be "a weekly and sometime every-other-weekly informing and recommending email"? It has been three weeks since I last lambasted your email accounts with more links than you can shake a stick at. Time will tell how much AllMoPs will tell. Enjoy our twentieth issue!

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MVOTW


Al took "Lump" and made it into a brilliant tribute/spoof of "Forrest Gump." If the lyrics do not impress you, Yankovic's physical feats will. I wanted to shed some light on Weird Al after I discovered President Obama follows him on Twitter.

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NEWS TO ME

The world's oldest person died last week. She was 114 (born in the late 1800s!). CNN covers.

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MONKEY DO

On a somewhat, shall we say somber note, a recent study of chimps shows that they too grieve the loss of their own.
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POLICE BEAT

Suspicious Activity


Jan. 28: An individual was reported to be shouting profanities in Maeser Hall. The campus was searched, but no one was found.


Traffic


Feb. 2: A pedestrian walked across the street during a green light on West Campus Drive. An officer honked at the student, who then ran into the Tanner Building to hide. The officer found him and cited him for failure to stop at the command of an officer and ignoring a traffic device.


Disorderly Conduct


Jan. 29: Two bicyclists were reported doing tricks between the HBLL and the Wilkinson Center. When an officer arrived, the subjects rode away.


Jan. 31: Someone tried to drill out the locks on laundry units to get the money inside. They were unsuccessful.


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RANDOMONIA

Hand dancing? Hand dancing! (Thanks to my mum for showing me this.) Also, as a commenter pointed, watch how the guy only blinks once during his whole performance... rather creepy.

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GAMERAIN

"Stacking," the latest game from Double Fine (the mad team behind "Brutal Legend" and the masterpiece that is "Psychonauts"), just hit the electonic shelves earlier this week. You see, it is only available for digital download on Xbox 360 and PS3. I was looking quite forward to this game and have spent a little time with the demo. You play as Charlie, the smalls Russian nesting doll around. You can jump into dolls bigger than you, taking control of them and utilizing their special abilities to solve puzzles. The cutscenes are novel and the gameplay is jolly. Anything that hearkens to "Space Station Silicon Valley," where you play a hijacking microchip of robotic animals, is a pleasantry. That said, everyone speaking in text boxes left me a little overwhelmed in crowds. Running into frequent identical dolls also was a minor let down. Still, it is getting great reviews. Here is what GameSpot had to say.

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THE FILM TOME REPORT

THE TRAILER ROUND-UP

During last week's Bowl of Super proportions there were several TV-spots for some of this year's hottest flicks ("Super 8," "Cowboys & Aliens," and "Captain American" to name a few). Out of all of these, I am the most psyched for "Super 8." If it is about what I think it is about (a child takes advantage of a real alien encounter to make a movie)... it is right up my alley! (No wonder Spielberg wanted to produce this.) Many of these titles look great. Even though I have yet to see a 2011 film, I am starting to believe it can be a good year. To restate and for the record, I thought 2010 was a MARVELOUS year for film.

Here is the spot for "The Adjustment Bureau". Firstly, I will behold anything with Matt Damon. Secondly, this high concept is nutty enough.

"Limitless" looks like it just might have limits. Then again, it does have De Niro. What does any of this mean? Nothing.

Will "Hop" be worth the leap? From the director of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (oh... no...) and the studio that brought us "Despicable Me" (Hey!) come the best CGI-characters in a live action environment since "Yogi Bear" (ew...)! It could go up or down folks.

I know nothing about X-Men, I have not seen any of the previous films, but perhaps that doesn't matter. This is "X-Men: First Class." The visuals are stunning to say the least.

"Battle: Los Angeles" also got a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl. The second trailer came out last month. While offering some new visuals, neither are quite as compelling as the debut trailer set to Johann Johannsson's haunting masterpiece of a song. (Trailer 2 uses the same song eventually, but too eventually IMHO.) In any case, I am excited for 3.11.11.

I greatly admire the novel quirk found in "Beginners." It looks to be well-acted (huge fan of Plummer and Melanie Laurent, who was PERFECT in "Inglourious Basterds") and carefully filmed.

Toss of the Week: "Even the Rain" seems to be rather onerous for audiences, such fair often are our greatest films. The impressive conception of a director making a film about the discovery of America amidst contemporary challenges in his own country. Finally, if I haven't said it before, I swear it now: Gael Garcia Bernal ("Amores Perros," "Y Tu Mama Tambien," "Babel," and "The Science of Sleep") is one of our finest actors. Although, they really should change the hombre's IMDb picture. Seriously, that might be the worst picture ever taken of him. There you go ladies.
ENLISTED

Entertainment Weekly ran a gallery of "10 Movies that Changed Hollywood." A couple of these are among my all-time faves.

What better way to get ready for the big night (Feb. 27) than to complain about the nominees? EW here with "Oscars: 19 Snubs That Bug You!". IMHO: Nolan should not only have been nominated, he should probably win. Something I will surely address on my "Oscar Preview" article next week.

Another way to get ready for this year's Academy Awards is to recount "16 Memorable Moments" from last year's show. (Again, EW is there for you and for me.)

THE GOOD AND THE WEIRD

After Christopher Nolan makes his third batman flick ("The Dark Knight Rises") he wants to do a Howard Hughes biopic. But wait... Yeah, of course Nolan is aware of Scorsese's "The Aviator" (a Howard Hughes biopic and a rather recent one at that). Why then? Because Nolan's film will cover the rest of the story.

Few directors have tackled as many genres as the Coen Borthers (Comedies, Dramas, Thrillers, Rom-Coms, Noir and most recently the Western), so it both surprising and not surprising to hear the two are working on a script for a horror film.

KEEPIN' IT SHORT

Directed by Chris Vincze

The techniques are nothing revolutionary, but what Vincze and team have crafted is a lovely little picture that is sure to please.

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UNPLUG

Misunderstood raccoons! 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. Adore this month and thanks for plugging in!

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