Legion

The release of the 2010 feature Legion, directed by Scott Stewart, was, if anything, a bust. This movie, though entertaining, failed to harness a coherent plot and made little to no sense in its entirety.

However, the overall idea of this film was in fact quite interesting, and would have worked well had it not failed on so many levels. The movie begins with the Archangel Michael (played by Paul Bettany) arriving on earth and stealing a police patrol car to drive out to a small diner, located in the middle of nowhere, called Paradise Falls (a rather stupid and random name for a diner, even considering its less than subtle biblical allusion). This restaurant then becomes the central keep of the patrons as they battle, alongside Michael, to defeat various enemies, including people who have become possessed, angels, and finally the Archangel Gabriel.

Little information is given about why this apocalyptic event is taking place, and what is told about the recent occurrences is vague and senseless. There comes the scene where the patrons, including Dennis Quaid as Bob Hanson, ask Michael about why the world is ending and why they are being maliciously attacked by angels. Michael calmly and silently replies that God has lost all faith in humanity and has decided to send angels to “exterminate” the human race; as opposed to a massive flood which he sent hundreds of years ago the last time he “lost faith.” Furthermore, the only hope humanity has of surviving is if the pregnant waitress, Charlie (played by Adrianne Palicki) gives birth, for her child is the next messiah…maybe. I say maybe because none of this is really explained, and there is no detail to why this is all happening. Why has God lost faith in humanity? Is it because of what we have done to the environment, or our warmongering, or our selfish behavior? Your guess is as good as mine. Also, why is this unborn child the only hope humanity has? Who knows? These are vital details about the plot that are never dealt with. When confronted with the question about his decision to help the diner patrons, Michael responds that he, unlike God, Gabriel, and all the other angels, still has hope in humanity, and he feels that it is his duty to see to it that Charlie’s child is born. Once again, we ask similar questions: why does Michael still have faith in humanity? Is it because he can see the best in people? Why does he have this connection to Charlie and her unborn child? Maybe it’s because, biblically speaking of course, Archangel Michael helped the Virgin Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus, but at the same time, one can only assume, for it is never revealed. Why is this all happening? Obviously the film writers Paul Schink and Scott Stewart where too focused on the what, and forgot about the why.

These lapses in the plot are large and frequent. The fight scenes keep the viewer entertained, but they fail to make-up for the lackluster performances, plot and dialog.

Additionally, there is a small side-plot between Archangels Michael and Gabriel, who are two of God’s favorite angels. Michael claims that Gabriel is making a mistake by fighting for God, and should instead rebel and encourage God to stop his plans for ending humanity. Gabriel refuses and thus the audience witnesses a semi-enjoyable fight scene between the two angels as they sort out their personal vendettas towards each other in the greasy, dirt ridden kitchen of the diner. SPOILER ALERT: The fight comes to an end when Gabriel defeats Michael, and right before he has a chance to kill Charlie, the heavens open up and rays of light beam down as Michael comes flying from the sky (obviously because he was sent back to heaven after his death) and saves the day. How predicable, good always triumphs.

The movie overall, as previously stated, made almost no sense. It was an interesting idea that could have done very well if it were not for the shoddy writing. There were some appealing shots and some interesting visuals, but the poorly executed plot, along with the mediocre acting, made this movie a complete waste of time. Thumbs down.

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Three Kings

Taking place during the 1991 Iraqi uprising against Saddam Hussein, Three Kings follows the efforts of four American soldiers who attempt to steal seized Kuwaiti gold bullion from Iraqi bunkers. Uniquely photographed, and refreshingly experimental, Three Kings provides viewers with a visual masterpiece that not only communicates a riveting plot, but does so with an immense sense of style. The performances from George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze are natural, the cinematography is gorgeous, the plot is well layered, and musical score rounds out a visual and auditory masterpiece that is sure to entrance viewer.

The College Dropout

The debut studio album of hip-hop artist Kanye West is one of the most refreshing and pioneering albums in recent hip-hop history. Revamping the approach to hip-hop for subsequent albums, The College Dropout not revitalized Chicago hip-hop, but created an entirely new sound for future hip-hop releases. Loaded with samples from old soul tracks, and taking full advantage of existing vocals intertwined with new rap lyrics, The College Dropout surprises first time listeners upon contact. It’s unlike anything anyone had ever heard, and the album’s freshness is complemented by its old-school roots in blues and soul. A must hear for anyone unfortunate enough to miss it.

The Great Gatsby

An American literary classic, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby through the eyes of neighbor Nick Carraway. Considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, Fitzgerald flawlessly communicates deep characters who are interconnected through a brilliantly layered plot. The novel which inspired a Broadway play and major motion picture is far better in print than in any other recreation. The classical writing style of the novel is a refreshing escape from modern fiction, and the Fitzgerald's fluid approach to storytelling makes The Great Gatsby a must read.

Hiphopgame.com

From Gucci-Mane to Pharell, from Drake to Game, everything hip-hop related converges on hiphopgame.com. It's your one-stop-shop for being updated on all of hip-hops newsworthy events and culture all at once.

At first glance, hiphopgame.com lacks many of the bells, whistles and bling that accompany most hip-hop related sites, but the lack of flashiness actually adds to the site, and lessens distractions.

The main attraction of the site’s massive collection of anything hip-hop is the mix-tape section. Hiphopgame.com releases any and every well-known artist’s mixtape. Given the strictly promotional nature of mixtapes (which, oddly enough, are unique to the genre of hip-hop), every download on hiphopgame.com is completely free of charge, and completely legal for that matter as well.

This is where hiphopgame.com differentiates itself from other hip-hop websites: it provides hip-hop lovers with a glance into the non-mainstream world of mainstream rappers. For example, most hip-hop fans would know that the rapper Game has released three studio albums over the course of his career. What many hip-hop fans might not know is that Game has released no less than fifteen mixtapes since his first studio album. With most mixtapes containing upwards of twelve tracks (many of which never gain airplay, and are not available for purchase either in stores or on iTunes), there are literally dozens upon dozens of tracks that the average hip-hop fan would have no way of accessing let along hearing.

Hiphopgame.com includes hip-hop fans in music that the average fan was never in the position to hear. The site brings the rare tracks to the listener, in addition to equally rare hip-hop news and pop-culture. It’s a hip-hop fan’s “must-bookmark” site, and a site that should be visited on a bi-weekly basis given the frequent updates with regard to hip-hop music and news alike.

Blue Mountain State

Just as silly as the American Pie franchise and twice as raunchy, Spike TV's new gross-out comedy Blue Mountain State keeps audiences entertained even while forcing them to shield their eyes. The brainchild of Chris Romano and Eric Falconer (producers of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Sarah Silverman Program), Blue Mountain State combines the blatant and audacious comedy of The Sara Silverman Program with the disunity between characters in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, all the while maintaining low-brow punch lines and over-the-top situational comedy.

Blue Mountain State follows the triumphs and failures of a fictional Division I college football team. The narrative closely follows Alex Moran (portrayed by Darin Brooks), the second-string quarterback who seeks the glory and perks of college football stardom minus the pressure, and Craig Shilo (portrayed by Sam Jones III), the straight-laced running back whose commitments lie with the team and his ultra-manipulative girlfriend. Throughout the series, we follow Alex Moran’s tireless existence in the overly stereotyped “college life” consisting of (but not limited to) sports, women, alcohol, drugs, partying and hazing. For comedic relief away from the already absurd behavior of all characters, Sammy Cacciatore (played by Chris Romano), also known as Mounty, the Mountain Goat Mascot, makes frequent appearances and is almost always on the search for women and alcohol.

Blue Mountain State makes absolutely no attempt at being sophisticated, and embraces the sheer raunchiness of all its episodes. As such, it is merely the gags that carry the show. As a narrative, there is little to no connection between one episode and the next, and there is certainly very little depth to any of the characters. Visually, the series maintains an interesting look, even on a cable budget, and manages to appear more cinematic than your run-of-the-mill sitcom.

Fast-paced and unavoidably in-your-face, Blue Mountain State succeeds and what it attempts to be; Animal House with far less class. If interpreted as a narrative sitcom with continuity between episodes and adequate character development, Blue Mountain State certainly fails to hold up, although this is most definitely something that the series avoids. The humor of Blue Mountain State exists in its willingness to sacrifice narrative elements for a humorous punch-line, and its ability to deliver sophomoric, sexually charged comedy on a consistent basis.

For a first season comedy series on Spike TV, Blue Mountain State abides by the “manly” sex, drugs and rock & roll theme that the network continually offers. While not the most profound comedy series, Blue Mountain State does manage to provide a relatively entertaining show through both highly provocative and highly suggestive material. Not that the show is anything to follow religiously, but its easy to hold onto when flipping through channels, even if you catch it mid-way through the episode.