By ANDREW 'DICKIE' SCOTT
Film Reviewer
A 85203 ©PSU.EDU
The Gridiron Gang
The Gridiron Gang is one of
the most heartfelt and meaningful
movies I’ve seen in a long time.
The film is based on the true story
of Sean Porter, a juvenile correction
officer at Camp Kilpatrick, a
detention facility in southern
California. Porter is fighting a losing
battle to change the lives of the kids
sent to Camp Kilpatrick, where
75 percent of the released end up
back in jail or dead on the street.
Realizing the system is flawed he
takes a radical chance and forms
a football team out of a group of
misfit ‘gangstas’ and delinquents.
Some of the players are from enemy
gangs, but under Porter’s watch
they must work together in order to
finally become winners both on the
field and in life.
At first, the movie seemed like
another underdog story. A group
of trouble-making punks forced
to band together to overcome an
Ze Ida move over: Okami is
By OLIVER EISLER
Staff Reporter
OPESOOO@PSU.EDU
For a long time, The Legend
of Zelda series has entirely
dominated the adventure/
fantasy videogame market.
At long last, here is a game that can
give the Hero of Hyrule a run for his
money! Okami is rapidly stealing the
hearts of Play Station 2 owners with
the ferocity of a wolf.
The first thing that strikes the player
is the game’s intro, which is over ten
minutes long. While it is possible to
skip through it, the vivid graphics
and intense story line make it nearly
impossible to hit that tiny start-button.
From the get-go, the player is
hooked by the intense vividness
of this world. He shudders in
anticipation as each new character
and plot element is masterfully
introduced into this newly
bom world.
LINEBACKER
PASS
OFFSIDES
OVERTIME
REFEREE SPIKE
overbearing authority figure and
learn valuable life lessons, blah blah
blah, however, in this film, this is
not the case. True, the story does dip
into some predictable and played
out plot points but also directly goes
against the age-old “bad boy turned
good” rap.
The film is based on a true story
and takes turns that only real life
would take. Not everyone rises
to the challenge, not everyone
develops spectacular athletic skill,
in fact, for most of the film rivalries
within the team create volatile
conditions that threaten to make
the entire experiment a failure. It’s
not only the players bringing the
team down, camp administrators
also want to see it fail because they
believe these kids are unable to
change their ways and the whole
thing is a waste of money and time.
Despite all the adversity and words
of discouragement, Porter pushes
on, pushes the kids, and pushes his
employers to the point where he
might lose it all.
The filming isn’t spectacular and,
as stated before, some of the story
has been played out in Hollywood
way too much. However, there are
things in this movie that I’ve never
seen before. For one, there really
isn’t a main character outside of
Sean Porter, played by Dwayne
“The Rock” Johnson. Though the
film does focus on a handful of
players, as compared to the entire
team, it never shows one truly rise
above the others.
The quarterback isn’t a natural
bom leader, defensive players get
knocked on their asses, and there
are more fumbles in a single game
then I’ve ever seen. This all adds
to the realism of the story. When
The following is merely a brief
glimpse at the intricate plot this
game contains:
“As the sun rises over the village of
Kamikimura, its brilliant rays shine
on a lone statue sitting in the middle
of town. This work of art was created
in the loving memory of Shiranui,
a white wolf that had once saved
the village from utter destruction a
century before.”
Of course, everyone should expect
what is coming next: after nearly a
century of peaceful existence, Orochi,
the demon that terrorized the village
in the days of old, is released from
the netherworld and back into our
own. It is now up to you, the player,
as the divine goddess Amaterasu, to
put an end to Orochi’s reign of terror.
But there’s a catch — the goddess
must do it while in the body of a
mortal wolf! Do not fret, however,
for even in the body of a wolf, the
sun goddess draws upon the divine to
paint with nature —literally!
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TIMEOUT
RUNNINGBACK
FOUL
PICK'S
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MORELLI
GRIDIRON
POSLUSZNY
the team does start to pull together,
practice on their own, put the team
above their hood, and actually
start winning, there is a feeling of
pride. Even from the theater seats,
adrenaline is pumping when a play
is snapped, the ball is in the air, or a
hit is about to be made.
This film shows how people are
not victims of nature and given the
right outlet and direction, normal
punks can develop skills they
never knew they had. They can
also fight the troubles of their lives
in a constructive way on the gridiron
rather than with violence on the
streets.
The film rolls credits alongside
footage from the documentary film
done on the real Gridiron Gang.
It shows the real life people that
the film follows and how the film
held true to the actual events of the
Kilpatrick Mustangs. It’s a nice nod
to those involved that lived this
story and narrates what happened to
several members of the team after
their release,
Anyone who has been on a team
can understand what this story is
about, what accomplishments were
made and how difficult it really
was for someone like Sean Porter
to pull it off. For those people
who have never been on a team,
athletic or not, this film tugs on the
human spirit, the desire to be part of
something greater than oneself. It is
a true lesson in the human heart to
overlook differences in skin color,
background, and personal tragedy.
Definitely a must see film.
I give this movie 4 out of 5 nuts
0000
The graphics are cell-shaded in the
same way as The Legend of Zelda:
The Wind Waker. However, it should
be noted that Okami' s tone and plot
are substantially darker
than its counterpart. That is
not to say that Okami lacks
in charm, but its overall >
impact on the gamer is less
child-like.
The music is in the
game is amazing and
sometimes breathtaking.
Professionallyimplemented
orchestral melodies are
combined flawlessly
with contemporary and
traditional Japanese tunes.
It is a shame they did not put
more effort into character
voices. In an attempt to
be original, Okami had
characters speak their own
fictional language, which
unfortunately can be nauseating
at times.
ACROSS
1. PSH event areness ID
4. Domestic Violence month
7. Number one Jackass (lasname)
9. Documentary filmmaker
11. Cancer danceathon (abbr.)
13. Thinks that “Your Body is a
Wonderland”
Picks
Jackass 2
Jackass 2 delves into the depraved
humor of Pennsylvania’s own West
Chester natives. The Jackass crew
reunites for another installment
of the silver screen version of the
popular [and canceled] MTV series.
Complete with Bam Margera, Chris
Pontious, Steve-O, Ryan Dunn, and
of course Johnny Knoxville, Jackass
2, much like its predecessor, is a
compilation of pranks, stunts, and
disgusting acts of insanity. Half of
the film makes you wonder why any
human being would subject himself
to this kind of treatment and the
other half generally makes you sick
in the stomach. Then you realize,
“Hell, I could do that and get paid
for it?! Sign me up!”
Traveling the world for exotic
locations and meeting new and
interesting people is just another day
of work for these fellows; that and
wrangling Anacondas, fishing for
sharks (when they’re the bait),
and riding a rocket propelled
shopping cart.
Really, there isn’t much to say
The game play in Okami is one
of its finest selling points. Using
the powerful Celestial Brush, the
brush actually being the wolf’s tail,
courtesy ot GOO9L
The goddess Amaterasu, in the body of a mortal wolf, is the
main character in a tale about restoring the village to peace
a player can control the elements
of nature and unlock new ways
It's AH Inside
14. Newest PSH sports team
15. Radiation absorber (chemical)
THE CAPITAL TIMES
about the film. Clearly, there is
no plot or morality to the film,
and there are no characters being
acted out, just a bunch of idiots
beating the hell out of each other
and themselves for that sake of
entertainment (and money). I
will admit the movie is funny as
hell. You’ll definitely be laughing
throughout the film and occasionally
gag during some scenes.
However, it’s played out, we’ve
seen it all before; maybe not as |
much nudity (which we won’t
get into) but you can only take a !
man getting hit in the testicles or
getting shot with anti-riot pellets
so many times.
Knoxville, who has the most
potential of the group, should work
on his real acting career. He wasn’t
bad in The Dukes of Hazzard and
both The Ringer and Grand Theft
Parsons were good stepping stones.
Bam might as well stick to his show
Viva la Bam and keep wreaking
havoc in (my home town) West
Chester. Chris Pontious and Steve-O <
are grasping at straws in their show j
Wild Boyz and will probably end up
like the late Steve Irwin if they’re
not careful. The rest of the crew
can carry on as usual and no one :
will really care. This movie, though
hysterical, seems more like an
attempt at a feature length television
series for the theaters. !
I’m afraid I can only give the j
film the same as what the cast can i
give it,
2 very bruised and swollen nuts out
of 5.
to implement them as the game
continues. If there is one thing that
Okami does not let the player forget it
is this: you are a goddess— the world
is your playground to
do as you please with.
Even while incarnate
as a wolf, Amaterasu
can do anything to
any mortal creature
or object (defeating
demons takes a bit
more work). If the
player wants to help a
villager grow plants, he
can do so. If the player
wants to set a market
stall on fire and watch
the owner scream, he
can do that as well.
From wiping out entire
sections of the forest
in a single swipe of the
tail or helping a little
girl in danger, anything is possible in
this game.
October 9, 2006
Coming Soon
On a lark, Tom Dobbs (Williams), the
host of a late-night political talk show
decides to run for president. The
thing is, he never expected to win.
A group of New Yorkers caught
up in their romantic-sexual milieu
converge at an underground salon
infamous for its blend of art, music,
politics, and carnality.
The son of an alcoholic father and
an unstable mother, young Augusten
Burroughs is handed off to his moth
ers therapist, Dr.. Finch, and spends
his adolescent years as a member of
Finch’s bizarre extended family.
Another innovative feature of
Okami is its combat system. In a
world crawling with different kinds of
demons, it is the player’s job as the sun
goddess to bring peace. This involves
setting demons on fire, launching
bombs, and countless other methods
of exterminating those pesky foes.
It would not be fair to judge Okami' s
replay value in comparison to other
games because it would make them
look bad. The main story will take the
average player approximately fifty
hours to complete; but completing all
of the side-quests can easily take over
one-hundred hours. Some parts can be
tedious when trying to maneuver, but
such parts are usually nonessential
or greatly reward the player upon
completion— often both.
Okami is an excellent game that
introduces a whole new, previously
unavailable gaming experience for
Play Station 2 owners. One would be
doing himself a disserv ice to deprive
himself of this masterpiece.
October 13, 2006
October 20, 2006
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DOWN
2. Chocolate covered contest
3. Dual semester PSH sports team
5. Oldest Division 1-A football
coach
6. A meek or timid person, unas
sertative
8. Soda-like SGA senator
10. Caffeine born professor
12. Diablo accusing political leader
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