Devoted to covering the ever-expanding world of Multi-Player Online Games (MPOG's).

House Forsaken
Quest For Yap
TDZK
OMGN
The White Sox Reporter
Reds Roundup

 
FESTIVAL PASS GOES TO DENVER
==============================
The latest episode of "Festival Pass with Chris Gore" takes
viewers to the Denver International
Film Festival. Interviews include William H. Macy, Campbell Scott
and even Francis Ford Coppola.
Airing on Starz Cinema on these dates:
Premieres Friday, November 28 @ 7:30pm eastern
Saturday, November 29 @ 9:35 am eastern
Wednesday, December 3 @ 10:15 pm eastern
Thursday, December 11 @ 4:05 pm eastern
Wednesday, December 17 @ 5:10 am eastern
Monday, December 22 @ @ 10:45 pm eastern
Tuesday, December 30 @ 5:30 am eastern


BACK TALK AT FILM THREAT!
==============================
What are they talking about this week on Film Threat's BACK TALK?
Top Ten Guilty Pleasures
Master & Commander
USC Program - Yay or nay?
Unreleased DVDs
New Matrix thread!
These are just some of the hot topics being discussed now in Film
Threat's new BACK TALK section!
So sign up, read what's on the minds of your fellow Film Threat
readers and post a rant, a
review or start a discussion thread of your own. Check it out here:
http://www.filmthreat.com/forums/index.php


FILM THREAT.com
"Truth in Entertainment"
-- The leading source on REAL Independent films since 1985 --
==============================
Take 46 : November 17, 2003
==============================
http://www.filmthreat.com
==============================

"There's a big rap concert in the Bronx tonight. Somebody's
gonna die."
- Down to Earth (2001)

RIGHT NOW on FilmThreat.com:
==============================
Plus! Finally! For real! Later this week:
THE MAKING OF "MY BIG FAT INDEPENDENT MOVIE" by Chris Gore
--> INTERVIEWS!
--> FEATURES!
--> And, as always… TONS OF INDIE FILM REVIEWS!
Visit the site for these stories, tons of reviews and more!
========================================

THIS ISSUE "Right here, right now"
==============================
--> FILM THREAT POLL: Voting is your right
--> BOX OFFICE: Who's number one?
--> BIG SCREEN: Brutally honest reviews
--> INDIE THREAT: Indie and Underground reviews


FREE SCREENING FROM YOUR PALS AT FILM THREAT
==============================
FILM THREAT invites you and a guest to an advance screening of GIRL
WITH A PEARL EARRING in
CHICAGO, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO. Download your
screening pass at
http://www.campuscircle.net/girlwithapearlearring



CLASSIFIEDS "If you advertise, they will come"
========================================
ADVERTISE IN FILM THREAT! As low as $175 for a 50 word classified!
Reach 100,000 film fanatics in
our newsletter and 300,000 readers on our site generating 15 million
hits a month. Indie
filmmakers and festivals get discounts. E-mail advertise@filmthreat.com
or get more details at:
http://www.filmthreat.com/Advertise.asp

DV FILM FEST - DEC. 10-11, 2003
For the fourth straight year, the DV FILM FESTIVAL will highlight the
talents of digital
filmmakers from around the globe. It's an opportunity to view short
and feature-length films with
your industry peers at Digital Video Expo West 2003 in Los Angeles,
California. Hosted by Chris
Gore of Film Threat! Secure your DV FILM FESTIVAL seat at
DVexpo.com/west by December 3rd, and
save $5.00!
http://www.dvexpo.com/filmfest/

"GOD, SEX & APPLE PIE" DEBUTS IN STORES NATIONWIDE THIS
WEEK!
"God, Sex & Apple Pie" is a critically acclaimed indie
movie that traveled the film festival
circuit winning 6 top awards. After a limited theatrical release,
wider distribution was
ultimately secured, with Warner Bros. releasing it throughout the
U.S. & Canada on Home Video &
DVD!
http://www.GodSexApplePie.com/in.html

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST FILM 2004
SXSW is planning some of the biggest events ever for March 2004.
Visit the site for information on
submitting films (DEADLINE: Dec. 1, 2003) or registering to attend.
http://www.sxsw.com/film

THE 37TH ANNUAL WORLDFEST-HOUSTON 2004 - CALL FOR ENTRIES!
WorldFest takes place April 16-25, 2004. Seeking Indie Features,
Shorts, Documentaries, Music
Videos, TV Production, TV Commercials, Film & Video Production,
Screenplays, Student Films,
Experimental and New Media. More than $50,000 in cash, equipment,
film stock and awards. Discount
Deadline: Nov. 15 2003; FINAL DEADLINE: Dec. 15 2003. WorldFest -
Fiercely Independent! Spielberg,
Lucas, Lynch, The Coen Bros, Ang Lee & Ridley Scott won their first
honors here! PO Box 56566,
Houston, Texas 77256 USA
http://worldfest.org/filmthreat/

SELL YOUR USED DVDS
For cash!!! No hassles, no gimmicks!
http://www.sellmydvds.com


ADVERTISE ON FILMTHREAT.COM -- THE TOP INDEPENDENT MOVIE WEB SITE
========================================
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http://www.filmthreat.com/Advertise.asp


FILM THREAT POLL "Voting is your right"
========================================
Go to http://www.filmthreat.com to cast your vote
on the following question:
Who else would you have liked to see appear on our Frigid 50 list?

1) Quentin Tarantino
2) The Wachowski Brothers
3) Ben Stiller
4) Jerry Bruckheimer
5) Clint Eastwood

Jerry Bruckheimer is currently leading at 32%! Cast your vote on the
site and check the results!


BOX OFFICE "Hollywood's horse race"
========================================
Weekend of Nov. 14 - 16, Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.

1/2 Elf $27.2/$71.2
2/0 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World $25.7/$25.7
3/1 Matrix: Revolutions $16.3/$114.1
4/3 Brother Bear $12.0/$63.0
5/0 Looney Tunes: Back in Action $9.5/$9.5
6/6 Love Actually $8.8/$19.0
7/4 Scary Movie 3 $6.1/$102.3
8/5 Radio $5.0/$43.7
9/0 Tupac: Resurrection $4.6/$4.6
10/8 Mystic River $3.3/$45.6


BIG SCREEN "Coming to a theater near you"
========================================
From five stars "Perfect! * * * * *" to one star
"Crap! *" totally honest movie reviews.

TUPAC: RESURRECTION (R)
By Eric Campos
* * * *
Before seeing this film I thought, “Why?” Look up Tupac on IMDB and
about five different
documentary titles come up and that’s not including the VH1 “Behind
the Music” episode or any
specials MTV have run on the late rapper. So once again…why? I
realize the guy had talent, but so
did GG Allin and there’s only one documentary on him.
Well, to separate “Tupac: Resurrection” from the rest of the pack,
this is supposedly the first
“official” documentary on Tupac, Mama Shakur approved. So knowing
this, you can expect more
information in this film than any of the others, along with the same
old stories we’ve heard over
and over again for the past several years.
“Resurrection” gives you the whole story from the day of Tupac’s
birth to his untimely death in
Las Vegas. It’s a full two hours of Tupac, filled with interviews,
news footage, old photographs,
all the good stuff a proper interview needs and there’s even clever
interview footage edited
together to serve as narration for the entire thing. I haven’t seen
the other docs, but I imagine
that this one blows the others away. Filmmaker Lauren Lazin has
created a loving tribute to this
late star as if he was her own son. Fans will approve.
As a non-fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and didn’t even feel the
two-hour running time. I have
never really had anything against Tupac; I just never got into his
music. And quite honestly, the
only thing I knew about the guy was from various news reports about
his arrests and displays of
assholism. But after seeing this film, I gotta admit I see the guy in
a different light. He’s very
articulate and makes several great points explaining his behavior as
well as why gangsta rap is so
brutal and in your face. There are still several points in this film
where you’ll see the rapper
as a jerk, but hey, we’re all jerks at some point. Sometimes we’re
jerks for a day because we got
a parking ticket or maybe you caught the wife cheating on you with
the gardener. Tupac had the
cops fucking with him on a constant basis, many times for nothing at
all, and on top of that, he
was granted a giant pedestal to voice his anger. If this were you,
you’d probably come off as a
jerk sometimes, too.
Fortunately, the whole Biggie and Tupac war is kept to a fair minimum
because there was a
documentary released just recently on just that whole segment of his
life. “Resurrection” takes a
look at the man’s entire life and grants us an eye-opening look
inside his brain. And now that the
supposed be-all-end-all documentary has been made, let’s let the guy
get some fuckin’ rest, okay?

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (PG-13)
By Chris Barsanti
* * * 1/2
It’s hard to say which would be a more damaging outcome for the
strange triumvirate of film
companies (Fox, Miramax, Universal) that produced the $90 million
“Master and Commander: The Far
Side of the World”: if it bombs, then we might not be seeing another
costly historical epic for
some time, but if it succeeds, then somebody’s going to try and film
the rest of the series of
books it’s based on (some 20 titles at last count). And although what
we’ve got on screen this
first time is mostly good fun; 19 more of them would be a bit of a
stretch.
If you didn’t know, “Master and Commander” is set on a British
warship, the HMS Surprise, during
the Napoleonic Wars in the early nineteenth century. The ship’s
captain is Jack Aubrey (Russell
Crowe), nicknamed “Lucky Jack” by the crew, a ragged but pretty
fanatically loyal bunch. Aubrey’s
luck seems barely in attendance in the film’s opening salvo, when the
Surprise gets ambushed in
fog off the coast of Brazil by the Acheron, a French privateer they
were sent to intercept. The
Acheron’s guns make a hash of the Surprise’s decks and sails before
Aubrey slips off into the fog.

The rest of the film is basically a chase, as Aubrey drags his
damaged ship off after the Acheron
- a faster, stronger ship with more crew and twice as many cannon -
in an attempt to keep them
from reaching the rich and unprotected shipping lanes of the Pacific.
While “Master and Commander”
is for the most part commendable in what it doesn’t feel the need to
do - give Aubrey a love
interest, present the character’s histories in flashback, demonize
their enemies - the script
fails occasionally in that it dredges up some clichéd story elements
to keep the audience from
drifting in between skirmishes. There’s the officer who can’t keep
the crew’s respect, an attempt
at mutiny, and even a moment when Aubrey has to cut loose a drowning
sailor in order to save the
ship. And it doesn’t help that in all the hurly-burly of fluttering
sails and thrashing waves,
only a very small number of the ship’s crew ever register as
individuals.
The stars, of course, register. Crowe plays Aubrey as a slightly
sunnier version of Maximus from
“Gladiator”, the success of which this film is very much trying to
capitalize on with its talk of
honor and duty, and its gruesomely realistic approach to pre-modern
combat. While the role is not
exactly a huge departure for Crowe, his genial approach to playing
Aubrey, gentle and prodding one
moment, and iron-willed leader of men the next, gives this
more-than-occasionally-wandering film
just about as good an anchor as it needs. Balancing out Aubrey’s
happy martial behavior - this is
a man who enjoys what he does to an almost frightening degree - is
his best friend, the ship’s
doctor (and naturalist), Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), who has the
same, reasoned, philosopher’s
demeanor whether he’s studying a strange species of beetle or
amputating the arm of a
pre-adolescent sailor. It’s a scrappy relationship, the men fight
like brothers and only seem
generally calm when playing music together, Maturin sawing away on
the cello and Aubrey plucking
at a violin.
All criticism of its clichéd moments and wandering attention aside,
“Master and Commander” is
impressively handled by director Peter Weir (“The Truman Show”), a
director who, outside of the
World War I film “Gallipoli,” has never handled much in the way of an
action film. Weir’s camera
can’t get enough of soaring over the ocean and diving through the
Surprise’s cramped quarters, but
there are just as many moments of lyrical quiet where all we may see
are sailors clambering
through the rigging in pre-dawn blue. Weir keeps the viewers bottled
up just long enough on the
boat, that when they do make land at the Galapagos islands -
conveniently allowing Maturin to go
aground specimen-hunting. The battles, when they occur, are crashing,
smashing, symphonies of
destruction, and rendered all the more intense by the immaculate
sound design which not only gets
one uncomfortably close to those cannonballs blasting through solid
oak and sailor’s bodies, but
makes one very aware of just how delicate these vessels are.
It all might not amount to much in the end; again, this is in many
ways an exceptionally heartfelt
and pungent chase film. But in a season when studios can barely even
manage to muster a few decent
stock action flicks or thought-provoking Oscar-bait dramas, we may
have to take what we can get.
Strictly for fans of the high seas, history and stirring calls to
arms (yes, Aubrey gets a
rouse-the-men-before-battle-speech, and it’s an arm-hair-raising
doozy) - the best boy’s adventure
of the year.

Get more reviews on the site including LOONY TUNES BACK IN ACTION!
Updated DAILY!
http://www.filmthreat.com/

Discuss these reviews and more on our BACK TALK section here:
http://filmthreat.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=29


INDIE THREAT "Reviews of REAL indie films"
========================================
Film Threat will review anything. Send us your indie feature, short,
DVD, underground video and
prepare yourself for acclaim or ridicule.

HOME ROOM
By Doug Brunell
* * * *
"Home Room" is an emotional picture that benefits from the
extremely powerful performances of its
stars. And while it deals with the aftermath of a school shooting, it
doesn't come across as a
message movie, and it definitely doesn't have an ending that lets
viewers off easy (though it
comes close). In fact, the movie refuses to even give an answer to
the problem of school violence,
instead choosing to focus on the lives of the people affected by it.
Victor Garber (from television's "Alias"), plays Detective
Van Zandt, the man who heads the
investigation into the shooting. The focus of his attention is Alicia
(Busy Philipps, who was also
on the incredibly underrated "Freaks and Geeks"). Alicia is
a hard girl to like. She doesn't fit
into any clique, and her sarcasm makes it hard for people not to
physically attack her every time
she opens her mouth. She is beyond the typical "difficult"
youth, and when her principal orders
her to spend time with one of the survivors of the shooting, Deanna
(Erika Christensen in a
performance even better than the one she gave in
"Traffic"), it's a good bet things won't go well.

Watching these characters (and the actors who bring them to life) is
a chore, but only because
their emotions are so raw. When Deanna tells her new companion that
she's "dying on the inside,"
you get a rare glimpse of what far too many kids are going through
every day. The film, however,
really does an excellent job of showing that these are young adults
who can't possibly cope with a
tragedy adults can't even comprehend. You have to admire
director/writer Paul F. Ryan for not
making his characters as two-dimensional as we've come to expect in
such films.
At its core, this is a movie that deals with just about every topic
(suicide, love, the will to
conform, rebellion, peer pressure, the distance between parents and
their kids, and so on) other
than the most obvious one. The more astute viewer will understand how
it all fits together,
though. Just don't look for the film to give you an answer as to why
this sort of thing happens.
That's up for you to decide on your own. And if you listen, you just
might get it.

FALL OF A SAGA
by Eric Campos
* * * * 1/2
(http://www.ifilm.com/filmdetail?ifilmid=2474284)

For all of the indie films that have been produced since the release
of the debacle we know as The
Phantom Menace, poking fun at dotty old George and the mess he’s made
of his Empire, “Fall of a
Saga” strikes the hardest, not because it’s the most venom filled
“fuck you” aimed at Lucas Ranch,
but because it presents a filmmaker’s rabid curiosity for just what
the hell happened. It presents
ideas and it asks the question - how could a father do something so
terrible to his child?
We open on George Lucas holed up in his bedroom, struggling with the
script that is supposed to
become “Episode 1.” Suddenly, he gets a surprise visitor, someone who
has helped him out in the
past, and they want to offer their helping hand once again. Actually,
they demand that they not
only lend a hand, but that they cast a major influence over the
entire production…all in the name
of Lucas. So begins the flushing of the Star Wars name straight down
the toilet as Lucas is forced
to tear his own creation apart.
Newton has obvious respect for Lucas and an undying love for
“Episodes IV-VI” in his “Star Wars”
series. “Fall of a Saga” is not mean-spirited in any way. It offers a
very “Twilight Zone”
solution to the “Phantom Menace” disaster. But at the same time, it
doesn’t take itself too
seriously. It just wants some goddamn answers and Newton has
concocted his own.
For “Star Wars” fans who feel betrayed, “Fall of a Saga” offers a New
Hope.

GOT DISTRIBUTION? FILM THREAT DVD!
Do you have a great feature? Has it played some festivals and maybe
even won an award or two? Has
your film gotten good press? Are all the rights to music, talent,
etc. cleared? And, despite all
of this, do you still not have a DVD/video deal?! Consider
distribution with Film Threat DVD!
We're seeking the best independent and underground films that have
been overlooked. Interested?
Please send a synopsis, festival history, and other relevant
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Acquisitions. For more information,
e-mail: mbard@filmthreat.com

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END CREDITS "Written, produced, and directed by..."
========================================
FilmThreat.com
-- The leading source on REAL Independent films since 1985 --
Publisher / Chris Gore
Deputy Editor / Eric Campos
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Associate Editor / Merle Bertrand
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FILM THREAT.com "Truth in Entertainment"
========================================
Read by Filmmakers, Movie Lovers and the Industry
--==========CUT-AND-PRINT==========--

posted by Charles Rector at 9:46 PM

 
Hey everyone!

I bet you feel like it's been forever since you heard from your
buddy, Tooth & Nail, don't you? Well, here we are! Just like
always, Tooth & Nail is here in your time of need. This week we've
got a ton of awesome and exciting news, including the scoop on the
biggest and the best from Slick Shoes, how you can win a ton of shwag
by helping out Emery, what's up with Thousand Foot Krutch in Canada,
and much more. Get it while it's hot! It's the Nail News!

>>Slick Shoes "The Biggest & The Best" In Stores Now!
You wanted the biggest? You wanted the best? Well, now you can
have both! That's right, the new "greatest hits" collection
from Slick Shoes is in stores now! "The Biggest & The
Best" is chock full of 18 songs that spans the band's career
thus far. Not only that, but it includes 3 brand new songs! Head
down to your favorite local record store and pick up the hits today!

>>Promote Emery and Win
Emery's debut album, "The Weak's End," hits stores January
27th and we need your help to get the word out! If you run your own
website or blog, you can display an Emery banner on your site. In
exchange, you could win yourself a fatty huge prize pack which
includes a signed copy of "The Weak's End," a signed
poster, and other sweet shwag! For more info, go here!

http://www.toothandnail.com/emery/banners.html


>>Thousand Foot Krutch Rocks Canada!
Hey all you crazy Canucks! Trevor from Thousand Foot Krutch will be
appearing on the TSN network on "Off the Record" with
Michael Landsberg this Thursday, November 20th! If you live in
Canada, you don't want to miss it! Check your local listings for
showtimes! And if that’s not enough for you, that same day at 1:30
PM, the band will be featured on Much Music! Phenomenal? We think
so!

>>The Nail CD!
Our new sampler is in stores now! This sampler features 20 (yes, 20)
Tooth & Nail artists including Further Seems Forever, Thousand Foot
Krutch, Mae, Anberlin, and many others! You should note that this
sampler is SUPER cheap! $5.99 to be exact. Pick one up for you and
your best buddy today!

>>Twothirtyeight Forever!
The posthumous release from Twothirtyeight, "El Libro De
Recuerdos," or "The Scrapbook," is now available from
Tooth & Nail Mailorder! The release combines the first two
out-of-print releases and is a must have for any Twothirtyeight fan,
new and old alike! Pick it up here!

http://www.toothandnail-mailorder.com/merchant.cfm?step=4&pid=902


>>Limited Edition Poster!
You'll want one of these. Trust me. A mere $10 gets you a limited
edition silk-screened poster from the Tooth & Nail/Solid State CMJ
showcase. These are very limited in quantity and are going fast! To
hook yourself up, visit the Tooth & Nail mailorder site. We'll even
give you the link to speed up the process. What are you waiting for?

http://www.toothandnail-mailorder.com/merchant.cfm?step=4&pid=897


>>Download an mp3 from Emery!
Don't tell us you haven't downloaded the Emery mp3 yet! If you
haven't, we'll forgive you, but don’t tell anyone else. They might
not be as forgiving and we wouldn't want you to get hurt. Rock it
now!

http://www.mp3.com/emery

Phew! That was an earful, huh? Stay tuned for more news next week
about all things Tooth & Nail...and don't hesitate to head over to http://www.toothandnail.com for the latest
and greatest Tooth & Nail info! Talk to you next week!

Love,
Tooth & Nail
posted by Charles Rector at 8:58 PM

 
Latest News:


18. Nov. 2003: New highscore and extended FAQ

The WOP-Websites has been updated. Affected are the categories
Highscore
and the
FAQ
.
The Highscore is extended by personal statistics about fleet, skills,
sympathies and titles of the player himself.
The FAQ got a new chapter

Installation and First Steps

to make it easier for new players to access the game.



More infos and facts available at our website:

http://www.worldofpirates.com



Yours sincerely

Your WOP-DevTeam
posted by Charles Rector at 8:57 PM