The Music of Bionicle

LEGO's Bionicle is something that I like very much. I remember first getting into the comics, then the movies, then the books, then the web serials and everything associated with them, not to mention the guidebooks, online games, and toys. The entire point of the story was to sell those toys, Bionicle being a merchandise driven storyline in the same vein as G.I. Joe and Transformers. Bionicle may not have been turned into a gazillion dollar movie and television franchise, but it is incredibly versatile and in-depth, combining complex plotting and storyline with richly detailed world building. But there's one thing that brought it all to life in its various media: the music. The music of Bionicle is as rich and diverse as its media outlets, if not more so. We've got everything from electronic techno-funk to traditional orchestral music. I don't by any means consider myself a music critic, but I do know that the developing stages of the Bionicle storyline is reflected in its changing music, and that understanding the changing music is key to understanding the changing tone of the storyline.

In the early years of Bionicle, during 2001-2002, the music used in the commercials for the toys was composed by Paul Hardcastle and Simon Fuller. This music was electronic-techno stuff which was meant to evoke the techno-fantasy tone that the the then creative team of Bob Thompson and company was looking for. The success of the toy was in due in no small part to these commercials, including the music. In the original Mata Nui Online Game, this mood was also used in the music, produced by the fellows at Templar Studios. The music in MNOLG was minimalist, yet deep and contemplative. It nicely set the mood for all of the scenes and locations in the game, and provides an generally great soundtrack. This electronic-techno feel was used for the commercials and animated shorts produced in connection to Bionicle in these early years, right up until 2003.

It was in that year that everything changed due to one deciding factor: Bionicle: Mask of Light. The first Bionicle direct-to-DVD movie marked a new era in the Bionicle saga. More personality in the characters, changes in the dialogue, a whole new tone, and with all those things, new, different music. Nathan Furst was the guy that LEGO tapped to compose the score for all three of the original Bionicle films (Mask of Light, Legends of Metru Nui, and Web of Shadows), and I'd say that he did a darn great job. The classical orchestral score was something altogether new to Bionicle, changing the feel from a techno-fantasy adventure story to science-fantasy epic. Everything was bigger in scale in Mask of Light, everything bigger than anything seen previously. This included the music. Furst's score was what defined the original trilogy's tone from start to finish, and completely redefined the entire saga. This new music gave the Bionicle saga an aura of mystery and majesty which hadn't been there previously. It would retain that general tone until Bionicle: The Legend Reborn.

However, Nathan Furst's score was not the only influence on the Bionicle saga in the 2003-2005 years. LEGO also contracted the rock band All Insane Kids to do promotional material for the sets in the commercials. Gone was the electronic-techno music of the 2001-2003 era. The marketing of the Bionicle toys became dominated by rock music, with the songs "Hero" and "Caught in a Dream" by All Insane Kids being composed especially for the franchise. The latter of theses was played during the end credits of Bionicle: Web of Shadows, reflecting the darker tone of that film. This shift from electronic-techno to alternative rock marked a drastic change in the saga which continued past the era of the original trilogy all the way to the very end of the Bionicle saga.

After the era of the original Bionicle movie trilogy, the music of Bionicle took a darker turn. 2006 heralded the arrival of the depressingly tacky and overly edgy period of Bionicle from 2006 to 2007. We had the hilariously awful Piraka Rap, for one thing. Even the comic book art changed with the arrival of Stuart Sayger, which I remember vehemently disliking back in '06. One good thing did come out of this period, however. I was introduced to "Move Along" by the All American Rejects, the song having been used to promote the Toa Inika. I still really like that song.

But it wasn't until 2007, with the Toa Mahri and the Barraki, that the Danish band Cryoshell was recruited to do several songs for Bionicle, up until the very end of the franchise. The overly "edgy" tone (it was more of a gimmick than anything else) left, but Cryoshell stayed. This was quite possibly the best idea that the Bionicle marketing team ever had. Cryoshell, an alternative rock band, put out some really cool and epic songs, such as "Creeping in My Soul" and "Gravity Hurts." Aside from "Crashed" by Daughtry, also a good song, Cryoshell pretty much dominated the Bionicle musical spectrum until the franchise's official conclusion in 2011. Their final song for the saga was "Bye Bye Babylon." The music was very well received by the fandom and created an indelible impression on the series from 2007-2010.

I suppose that before we conclude, we should address the music used in Bionicle: The Legend Reborn. It must first be understood that The Legend Reborn had a completely different tone than the original Bionicle film trilogy. In addition to the song "Ride" by Canadian band Presence, the film's score was composed by John D'Andrea, and helped contribute to the film feeling like yet another bargain-bin sci-fi adventure flick. The flaws of The Legend Reborn, however, are beyond the scope of this article. The point is that the feel was very different, and it was the music that helped contribute to this. Instead of mystery, we are given melodrama. Instead of majesty, we are given mediocrity. It was, in a word, cheap. Substandard. Wholly lacking in any degree of quality. If anything, the score reflected the steadily declining state of affairs in the Bionicle franchise, as did the badly flawed The Legend Reborn.

The music of the Bionicle saga is replete with examples of excellent craft, from Templar Studios' work with the Mata Nui Online Game to Nathan Furst's original film score to Cryoshell's cool alternative rock music. The musical diversity of Bionicle mirrors the various creative minds behind the story as well as the different marketing approaches used throughout the years. With the exception of All Insane Kids, the Piraka Rap, and the soundtrack of Bionicle: The Legend Reborn, I definitely recommend all of the music listed in this video. I also advise readers to check out the other musical works of composer Nathan Furst, who recently composed the score for the film Act of Valor. I got it off Spotify, and I gotta say, it's pretty awesome.

Image courtesy of bioncle.wikia.com

Review: Superman (1978 film)

Frequent readers of The Stuff of Legend may have noticed that I frequently distinguish my friend Nate with a parenthetical indicating his admiration of the 1978 Superman motion picture, as, to paraphrase my dear friend, the best superhero film ever made. My long and storied friendship with dear Nate aside, it is now that I must disclose my own opinion. That is to say, I could not disagree with him more. 

"Why?" you may ask. For many comic book fans, and general aficionados of popular culture, this film, directed by Richard Donner, is up there with the absolutely horrid 1989 Batman film as, to quote Chris Sims and David Uzumeri of Comics Alliance, "a sacred cow." Indeed, I respect both of those films' statuses as "cultural monoliths," to borrow another phrase used by Sims and Uzumeri. However, that does not diffuse Superman's status as an ultimately substandard piece by both the standards of mainstream film and as a comic book adaptation. But again, the question remains: "Why?" We will get to that soon enough.

Superman is your basic origin story for the world's first and most iconic superhero, the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, the Last Son of Krypton, etc. And really, does the story really need to be told again? In the words of Grant Morrison: "Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple." My point here is that Superman's origin story has been told literally dozens of times (the Grant Morrison quote was from All Star Superman) and hardly needs to be told again. We've got Superman: Secret Origin, Superman: Birthright, Superman for All Seasons, the aforementioned All Star Superman, and the tragic monstrosity that was Man of Steel. But before all of that, there was this movie, and even then the story was old. But I digress. But what's Superman's basic plot? Kal-El is sent to Earth by his father Jor-El (Marlon Brando) to escape Krypton's impending doom, Kal-El is raised as Clark Kent by a pair of human surrogate parents in Smallville, Kansas, Clark discovers his powers, Clark becomes Superman (Christopher Reeve) and begins operating out of Metropolis, and Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) shows up to make life miserable for him. Oh, and Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure) and Perry White (Jackie Cooper) show up too.

See? I told you you'd know it.

To get to the point, if this film is notable for anything, it is for one thing only: It is the earliest example of a superhero film which takes the source material seriously, the "straight take" to quote Sims and Uzumeri again. Gone is the aura of camp and flagrant silliness that characterized Superman and the Mole Men and the 1960's Batman TV show. Whether or not this is a good thing does not matter, as it all depends on whether you like your superheroes one way or another, both of which are legitimate interpretations. That does not mean that this film does not stray into the hokey, bizarre, ridiculous, and, dare I say it, cheesy, for no superhero story can escape from that. It does mean, however, that it was approached by the filmmakers as worthy of putting worthwhile effort into it, of making the film more than a "kids" movie.

What else is noteworthy about Superman? I'm sorry to say that I can only think of three things: The acting, the humor, and the musical score. Despite Superman being the first serious take on the genre, it is unabashedly shoddy as a film, and remains one of the most fundamentally puffed up, self-important motion pictures of all time. Having watched the film with my friend Nate, I have a vague idea of why so many people insist on showering this film with praise. It probably has something to do with a.) The really catchy John Williams score b.) The incredible acting, and c.) It's flipping Superman. But on the whole, Superman is dragged down by its problems to an irreparable extent. 

The main problem with Superman isn't its central characters, though they are structurally flawed and poorly developed, nor its story, though it is ill-paced and badly written. No, the problem lies within the plot, in that there is no central plot, until Lex Luthor shows up to carry out his hilariously stupid plan. Even after that, and well before that, the pacing is all over the map, being horribly frenetic, yet at the same time painfully slow. Clark's transformation into Superman, for instance, is ludicrously handled and equally abrupt. He apparently goes to the Fortress of Solitude in the arctic before spending 15 years in stasis learning super-physics from a computer simulation of his dead father. He spends of the rest of the movie doing standard superhero stuff and flirting with Lois. Despite sounding compelling and interesting, don't think for a minute that this is the case. All of these problems coalesce to result in a film which is, at its core, terribly and woefully boring. I've seen Charlie Chaplin films with more color than this flick.

Lex Luthor's motivation and origin in this film are just as inexplicable. He is the personification of Diabolos ex Nihilo, "Devil from Nothing." There is no explanation given to his villainy at all, which is as over-the-top and exaggerated as possible. He's already there with the secret underground base and henchmen and everything. Otherwise, he's well acted by Gene Hackman and is a pretty decent portrayal of what I imagine Silver Age Lex Luthor to have been like.

Speaking of acting, that's one of the two good things about this film, aside from the music and humor. Christopher Reeve is brilliant as Clark Kent and as Superman, playing them both with the characterizations unique to the two sides of the same character. Marlon Brando is great as Jor-El, for some reason getting first billing above Donner, Hackman, Reeve, and the flipping title, despite only appearing for five minutes. The whole cast is great, in fact. Heck, even Terrence Stamp, who appears as General Zod for even less time than Brando in what amounts to a cameo, makes a more of an impression in two minutes than most of the rest of the cast does in the whole movie. It basically amounts to an in-film commercial for Superman II, but hey, good acting is good acting.

The only other good things about this film are the humor and the score. Most of the gags are pretty funny, especially the bits with Clark, Lois, Jimmy, and the rest of The Daily Planet staff. And the score, oh man, the score. It captures the mood perfectly, being composed by the great John Williams. Hans Zimmer really had his work cut out for him when he composed for a very different Superman film. That opening theme is just too good for words.

However, despite these few redeeming values, Superman remains, on the whole, a largely mediocre superhero film. From the glaring plot structure flaws to Lois's stupid poem, to the ridiculous Superman-as-space-Jesus/Moses/what-have-you thing that Donner, Bryan Singer, and now Zach Snyder are so infatuated with, my judgement remains. I see it as being about equal in quality to Man of Steel, only for much different reasons. Indeed, it really isn't very fair to compare the two at all, as they are both incredibly different movies. Superman is optimistic, with a faraway look in its eye. Man of Steel is dark and gloomy, with its eyes starring off into space, or at the ground, as it were. But in the end, despite its self-importance, Superman has an (admittedly infinitesimal) degree of fun to it that Man of Steel couldn't ever possess in all its ballyhooed seriousness and realism. For that, and that attribute only, I'll rate Superman just a little better over Man of Steel any day. It may not be very fair to compare them, but really, what else do you expect from a fanboy?

RATING: 7.5/10

Fun fact: Terrence Stamp, who played General Zod in this movie, debuted as the titular character in Billy Budd, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He also played Chancellor Finis Valorum in Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and voiced the High Prophet of Truth in Halo 3. Woof! What a filmography!

Image courtesy of geektyrant.com

New Year's Eve 2013

Tonight is the final night of 2013. Tomorrow will be 2014. New year celebrations have been celebrated by all cultures around the world, whether they used our Gregorian Calendar or not, such as the Jewish new year celebration The Feast of Trumpets, or the Chinese new year (which also goes by a lunar calendar) celebration, which takes place next year on January 31. New Year's Eve/New Year's Day celebrations are typically celebrated by holding parties where people engage in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, sometimes accompanied by loud music and dancing. There are also fireworks in some areas, including the one in Dubai this year which aspires to be the biggest fireworks display ever to go on record.

For New Year's Eve this year, I decided to take the day off from school, plotting out my schedule for the rest of the week and editing the final chapter and the epilogue of my book. I plan to do much the same tomorrow (that is, take the day off), only tomorrow I'll be going over to my buddy Caleb's house to watch Empire of Dreams. Anyhow, in the late afternoon, we, two of the Rajaos, and my cousin Noa went down to the theater and watched Frozen, after which we went out for dinner. We pigged out on pizza at a certain establishment named after a tobacco using primate. I for one am still full.

All in all, I think that 2013 was, in the words of Frank Sinatra (and later Ray Charles), "a very good year." I got my cell phone, returned to Appalachian Bible College, enrolled in Bellevue College, earned my second degree black belt, got baptized, and got my purity ring sized. I'd say it myself, but I think that Ray Charles can say it better:

Yeah, it was a very good year. Here's hoping that 2014 will be even better! Happy new year, one and all!

Addendum: Also this is my 200th post! How convenient!

Music

One thing I really like to do is listen to music. It's one of my favorite pastimes, up there with reading and
writing. I have a wide range of tastes when it comes to music. I like listening to everyone from the Newsboys to Ray Charles, to every genre from alternative to soundtracks to classical (except for death metal). I don't know how I became interested in such a diverse range of music, but it probably had to do with watching a lot of musicals growing up. I just like music. Granted, I don't feel like I have the insight or ear to be a music critic, but I love listening to it. I have almost 24 hours of music in my collection, and I'm steadily adding more to it. I hope to finish someday.

The most pervasive genre in my collection is by far soundtracks. Soundtracks are a rather peculiar genre. They can range from anything from rock to classical, but still be counted under one category simply because they were released with a film or a video game. As such, soundtracks make for a diverse selection. In particular, I love Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori's soundtrack from the Halo franchise. It's so emotional, so heart-melting, so incredibly splendid. It really puts you in the mood for the story, and truly sets it apart from any other story. All of their stuff is brilliant, but some of my favorites include "Wake Me When You Need Me" and "Unforgotten." Ditto for the works of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard on the Dark Knight Saga, Nick Arundel for Batman: Arkham City, John Williams for the Star Wars saga, Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Nathan Furst for the original three Bionicle movies, and Klaus Badelt for Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Sometimes a movie's music is one of its few redeeming values, such as with the otherwise atrocious The Last Airbender (Howard Shore) and the cosmically overrated 1989 Batman film (Danny Elfman). "Flow Like Water" remains a favorite of mine to this day.

I also like other genres, such as Christian rock. My favorite band is the Newsboys, with their catchy tunes and clever lyrics. My two favorite songs from them are "Belly of the Whale" and "Born Again", for when they switched lead singers. Also of note is their cover of "In Christ Alone" and "Wherever We Go." The Newsboys are my only particular favorite Christian rock band, come to thing of it. I usually scrounge around for whatever is handy when selecting other Christian rock music for my collection. I've got chunks of Jeremy Camp, Joe Poppino, Jars of Clay, and a sprinkling of individual, one-off entries from various Christian artists like Mark Schultz and Jaci Velasquez. I am also a fan of ApoligetiX, a Christian rock group who describe themselves as a cross between Weird Al Yankovic (who I also like) and Billy Graham. Some of their songs include "The Devil Went Down to Jordan" and "YHWH".

One Christian artist that I have a lot of that's not rock is David Klinkenberg. My dad picked up a couple of his CDs when they were on sale at my church, and I've listened to his strings over and over again. He's a great artist and singer. His "Rich Mullins Medley" and "Immortal Invisible" are particularly good. Other non-Rock Christian artists that I have on in my collection are a series of covers done by Bill Anderson and Brenda Lee, plus a series of highlights from Handel's Messiah.

Other rock and alternative groups I like that aren't Christian rock groups are Cryoshell and Queen, though most of the songs from these genres are individual songs from different bands, with no long stretches of songs from specific bands. These songs have a good tune and memorable lyrics. Such songs included "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2, "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, and "Short Change Hero" by the Heavy. I really love Cryoshell for the music they provided for the Bionicle saga.

Then there's music which appeals to my sentimental side, like R&B and pop singers like Ray Charles and Rick Astley. I love a good love song, and Ray Charles album Genius Loves Company provides just that. I really dig Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," and I was given a disk of some of his pop songs (Portrait, to be specific) by my cousin Hudson, which I still enjoy. I currently have plans to purchase albums by Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. I love Ray Charles' covers on "You Don't Know Me" and "Sweet Potato Pie" and Rick Astley's "What the World Needs Now."

In sum, my musical tastes are very diverse, reflecting my diverse interests. I love listening to music while I read, and am listening to music as a write this article. Most of all, I feel that music is a gift from God. Music is its own language, expressing emotions and feelings in a way that words cannot convey. Thusly, we are encouraged to use music in worship, and I feel that it is a valuable tool for that purpose. I myself have dabbled in making music in the past (I used to take piano lessons). Perhaps one day I will return to that. But for now, I am content to listen. And listen I shall.

Image courtesy of picsandsticksmusic.com

God's Not Dead

The following trailer is the upcoming film God's Not Dead. It's a Christian film based off of a book of the name, and features the Newsboys, my favorite band. It tells the tale of a Christian college student who is put on the spot in his Philosophy classroom when his teacher bluntly declares that "God is dead." How will he defend himself? Can he be an example to others? And why does his misanthropic philosophy teacher, who looks like a cross between Tony Stark and Dr. House, hate God so much? (I'm guessing that it has something to do with the speech he gives at the beginning of the trailer about the 12-year-old boy who had to watch his mother slowly die of cancer) I'm anticipating this film, but I remain wary of the quality of explicitly Christian films such as the absolutely awful Courageous or even Seven Days in Utopia (review forthcoming). Anyhow, feast your eyes on the trailer! The movie is due out Spring 2014.

9/11 - 12th Anniversary

Fellow Americans and internet users, it is that time of year again. Twelve years ago today, several al-Quaeda
members hijacked four American airliners and directed them against four targets in New York City and Washington, D.C. These targets were the Pentagon, the White House, and the Twin Towers of which consisted the World Trade Center. All are and were powerful symbols of western society & prosperity and capitalism. It is for that reason that they were attacked.

Nineteen al-Quaeda members hijacked four planes. Of the four, three succeeded in striking against their targets. The fourth was diverted thanks to the heroic actions of the passengers, who managed to cause the airplane to crash land in Pennsylvania, far from the White House, the terrorist's attempted target. However, that was but a small consolation compared to the damage wrought by the other terrorists. One airplane was flown into the Pentagon, causing much damage and killing 125 people, including 55 military personnel. The remaining two airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers, almost completely destroying them. Casualties from the New York attacks included 2,606 civilians, which, combined with the 246 airplane passengers, the 19 hijackers, and the casualties from the Pentagon attack, added up to a total of 2,966 dead.

Three years later, in 2004, Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Quaeda, took credit for the attack, although he had initially denied being involved. al-Quaeda's motives for the attack were religious as well as political, bin Laden citing the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia and sanctions against Iraq as some of his motives behind the attack. It was not until May 2011 that he was tracked down and killed by American soldiers in Pakistan, having occupied the number one spot on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for several years. His place was eventually taken by Eric Justin Toth, a child pornographer. I remember listening to the breaking news on the radio in my house, amazed at the announcement.

The September 11th attacks are significant not only for resulting lives lost, but because of its far reaching political and social effects. Because of these attacks, the War on Terror began, organized crime was given less attention by the FBI in favor of focusing more on terrorism, and airport security became the mild (but perhaps necessary?) annoyance that it is today. Many nations, as a result of this attack, pledged their efforts in aiding the United States in its War on Terror and toughening anti-terrorist legislation. After twelve years, it remains debatable whether these approaches were completely effective, the death of Osama bin Laden notwithstanding (although a certain black politician who currently occupies the oval office spun the victory as somehow being proof that he was a sufficient leader).

After these many years, America has come back stronger than it was before. We are a very different society now, but we have learned to be resilient in the face of danger. The Twin Towers have been rebuilt, further symbolizing America's capacity for endurance, for toughness, for healing. Though some have forgotten why we still fight abroad, I will not forget. I was a mere lad when the attacks happened, but I learned of it in my later years. I've seen the pictures, the documentaries, and one day I will read the books and watch the films.

I could go on and write about how this event was handled in a certain Marvel comic book, or how the creators of Adventures in Odyssey had to live through the attacks in the middle of recording of the Novacom Saga. I could go into the songs and films inspired by or having even a little to do with the events of September 11th, 2001. But out of respect for the occasion, I will refrain. Instead, I will say this: Remember. Always remember.

Image courtesy of theblaze.com

Bible Verse Sunday #37, High School Camp 2013, and Upcoming Reviews

After spending the previous week at my church's High School Camp (more on that later in the post), I am happy to announce my return with Bible Verse Sunday #37. Today's verse is one that we studied in one of our camp sessions. Today's verse, courtesy of biblehub.com, is John 3:17:

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

The ESV Study Bible has this to say on the verse:

"send his Son. John's favorite designation of Jesus is that of the Son "sent" by the Father (see also vv. 34-36; 5:19-26; 6:40; 8:35-36; 14:13; 17:1). There was a familiar concept in Jewish life that the messenger is like the sender himself (Mishnah, Berakoth 5.5; cf. John 13:15, 20). Jesus is the Sent One par excellence (cf. 9:7), and in 20:21-22 he in turn sends his disciples (see note there). Being sent (in the case of both Jesus and his followers) implies that the commission, charge, and message are issued by the sender rather than originating from the one who is sent. This verse refers to Christ's first coming. He will return to judge the world at his second coming (5:17-29)."

Today at church the pastor in the main service talked about the importance of confession, about the different types of guilt, and how we shouldn't be tempted to run up the bill on sinning by abusing God's grace. He spoke about how confession leads to reconciliation. In the High School service, packed to the limit by guest attendees, our guest pastor from Northern Ireland, a guy named Paul Bowman, who was the guy who gave the sermons at camp, came to preach to the Highlands group one last time before going home. Pastor Bowman spoke about the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector, and how even the worst people can repent and be saved.

And now... camp. High School Camp is an event I have never before attended, despite my status as a technical senior. I now say that I am glad to have attended. After a long bus ride down into Oregon, we went to the camp, spending a week there. We attended moving sermons given by Pastor Bowman, worshiped with the band Everfound, played games by day and by night, went to the beach, went to the lake, divided into small groups, played other odd games before session, ate, and slept. I participated in a game of Ultimate Frisbee on Monday with several others, including my good buddy Nathan. My team narrowly lost, I'm afraid, but we put up a good game. As for the rest of the week, we did all of the things that I listed, and then some. This included watching about ten people get baptized, including my friends Stephen and Jeff. There was also a concert by Everfound on Thursday night, which attended, and I am so glad they were handing out ear plugs! On the final day, we the seniors went on a hike on this trail to a picturesque waterfall, and got to see it up close. Davis, Westerling, and some others even stood inside of the water pouring down! We had to climb underneath and past this log to get to it, and then over some rocks, but it was well worth it. While on the hike, we had some great conversation between us. It was easily the best day at camp. And that night, after the final session, many people shared what they thought were the best of funniest moments at camp, and how God has worked in them this week. It was all very emotional. We then came home on the bus on Saturday, arriving at about 6:45 P.M. We were finally home.

During camp, I stayed in a large upper room in the lodge building with several other people, mainly freshmen. My small group's counselors were Larry Maison and Sam Piehler. My favorite thing that happened at camp was getting to know all sorts of people (you know who you are). But honorable mention goes to something we did on Friday evening. We had two guys and a girl put on plastic ponchos and hairnets, and then had twenty other people hold these buckets of ice cream Sunday toppings. They held them on top of their heads, and each bucket had a number on it. The three victims had to choose what numbered bucket they would have dumped on their head. The results were pretty gross- and hilarious. One guy got ketchup and relish dumped on his head, mixed with two buckets of chocolate syrup and then potato chips. The girl had to suffer through maple syrup and various cereals. The last guy got chocolate ice cream dumped all over him. I remember bucket holder number seven went first, and bucket holder number sixteen went last. My buddies Nathan, Davis, and Kristin were all bucket holders, and Kristin was the girl who held bucket number sixteen. All in all, it made for a good laugh from the rest of us at the expense of the victims.

Now, here are some upcoming reviews: Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Long Walk, The Old Man and the Sea, Star Wars: Knight Errant, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia, Second Edition, and Batman and Robin Volume 1: Born to Kill.

Also, I am still lobbying for questions for a potential Ask Levi! series, which never materialized after I posted about it a few months ago. Please, ask away in the comments section! I crave things to write about! Speaking of which, I also plan to write future posts on reality television, music, Tintin, Artemis Fowl, comic books, Spider-Man, Comics Alliance, and whatever it is you, dear readers, may request. Please, feel free to ask away about what you would like me to write about!