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Murderball: a hell of a game

"Murderball" is a documentary about the Quad Rugby Paralympic team. Injured by accidents or birth defects, the team plays one of the most brutal and intense sports around, able-bodied or not. Divided into teams of 12, Quad Rugby players use all their upper body strength as they maneuver their Mad Max-styled wheelchairs against each other. Part soccer, part rugby, and part demolition derby, the game earns the nickname "murderball." As one player mentions, they don't get a pat on the back just for showing up.

King Lear and Kurosawa

Director Akira Kurosawa made "Ran" in 1985 after a strong renowned career in the '50s and '60s, followed by a slump in the 1970s. While the film isn't his final contribution to the world of cinema, it's safe to say that "Ran" is his final masterpiece.

'Pickpocket' steals your attention

In his 50-year filmmaking career, French director Robert Bresson only made 14 films and one could say that all of his work is equal in importance. "Pickpocket," featuring a cast of non-professional actors, is easily Bresson's most accessible film and one of his finest works.

Holidays with the Griffins

It's that time of year again! The time where Seth MacFarlane realizes he needs to buy his family Christmas presents so he puts out a new Family Guy DVD. Released much quicker than previous sets is the new "Family Guy: Volume Three" collection, which features three discs of episodes from as recently as September and spans back to the triumphant return of the show to television in May.

First from local rockers...rocks!

Sporting a cover that closely resembles a "Grand Theft Auto" game case, Emerson Rose introduces a new sound to the rock & roll lineup of this millennium. With lyrics, sounds and an attitude that cleverly mix music from the days of classic rock and the days of now, Emerson Rose gives the listener a feeling of familiar nostalgia -- of his or her days as a child, growing up with parents who listen to rock music on the radio. With 12 great songs, this album is a must-have for anybody interested in new rock.

Get your hands offa my new CD

As if the pressures of the dreaded sophomore release weren't intimidating enough, The Darkness have had a lot on their plate since the stunning Permission to Land debuted in 2003. Lead singer Justin Hawkins has made a name for himself by spending much of 2004 in a drug rehab clinic, and in October he called Coldplay frontman Chris Martin a "diva." After leaving the band, citing musical differences, bassist Frankie Poulain was replaced by guitar technician Richie Edwards.

Somewhere, Jane Austen is mad

With the exception of the BBC's 1995 version of "Pride and Prejudice," I have never seen a film adapted from a Jane Austen novel that was quite worthy of the author's original work. The smart adapters realize they can not duplicate the original Austen and instead reinterpret the material into something of an Austen tribute, combined with their own take on the material. Emma Thompson's "Sense and Sensibility" achieved just this.

Witty New Yorker's memoirs perfect for all sexualitites

Augusten Burroughs' compilation of true stories titled "Magical Thinking" is truly compelling. His personal stories are filled with the unique humor of a homosexual male trying to make a living in New York City, first working on advertising campaigns and then by becoming a writer who shares his personal life stories without hesitation for fear of judgment or criticism.

We need a ticket to another world

Have a dark holiday with John Cusack

"The Ice Harvest" is the most recent film to take on the genre of dark holiday comedy. Following in the footsteps of successes such as Ted Demme's "The Ref" or Terry Zwigoff's "Bad Santa," "Harvest" sets out to show the obscure, and often realistic, side of the holiday season, but somehow manages to fall short.

IU brings home 'Blood Bucket'

Participants in this year's IU-Purdue Blood Donor Challenge set an all-time record, with donors from both universities giving a total of 7,669 pints of blood. The total amount beat last year's record of 5,164 units. This year's competition marked the ninth annual challenge between the two universities, said IU Alumni Association Senior Vice President and Chief Operation Officer John Hobson. Winning by a margin of 1,473 units of blood, IU prevailed for the first time in three years. IU donated 4,571 pints of blood, while Purdue gave 3,098.

IU receives $25,000 for global education

The Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Asia Society selected IU to receive this year's Goldman Sachs Foundation Prize for Excellence in International Education. Patrick O'Meara, dean of the Office of International Programs, will accept the award on behalf of the University in Washington, D.C., tonight. The award, which was granted to IU because of its Center for the Study of Global Change, East Asian Studies Center and School of Education's Overseas Student Teaching Project, includes a $25,000 prize.

Jordan River Forum

The IU Student Association Educational Affairs Committee, the committee in charge of writing the resolution to raise admissions standards, was saddened by the opinion of the IDS editors that the IUSA has somehow "fallen short" on the issue. The assertion made in the editorial about the IUSA "rubber stamping" the issue is simply untrue. The committee spent months talking to faculty members and students alike about the issue. We reviewed the same data the Bloomington Faculty Council was looking at in considering the issue and finally decided that it would be in the student body's best interest to raise admissions standards.

Where have all the presents gone?

Christmas just isn't what it used to be. I remember the stringed lights flashing on the brightly decorated plastic tree that dropped glossy, multicolored ribbon on the maroon carpet of my crowded living room. The smell of delicious ham and tamales emanated from the kitchen. All the while, the scratched pink boom box on top of the television played Christmas songs, like "Feliz Navidad," on tape. Now that I'm older, I still see all the decoration and festivity every December. But there's one thing missing, besides the pink boom box, that is. The thing that Christmas has always been about -- the thing that puts hope in the hearts of young children. The things we worship every Christmas. Presents!

Justice deferred

What ever happened to Saddam? We dragged him out of that spider hole, and there was that little gaffe with Saddam in his undies. But since then, where has that genocidal maniac been? Well, in case you didn't know, he's currently on trial, in what can only be described as one of the weirdest courtroom proceedings ever.

It ain't easy

What's the easiest thing you can think of? This is a great opportunity to take a cheap shot at Tara Reid. Taking tests, finding love, planning your future, getting out of bed. It's all so hard. Surely easy things exist and they deserve a special tribute. But, what's the easiest thing you can think of? The first example that pops into my head (pun intended) is microwavable popcorn. However, I remember a tragic popcorn incident from my freshman year that was rather complicated.

Minds and more

Here's the thing about revolution: as romantic as the popularized images of Che Guevara, Chairman Mao or Vladimir Lenin might be, if the government that's installed is as despotic as the government that fell, then there has been no revolution at all. It's merely a civil war and mindless chaos. Such is the case in Iraq.

The faculty have spoken

When faculty votes were finally tallied, the message was clear: IU-Bloomington professors want a review of IU president Adam Herbert. By a three-to-one margin, faculty members voted in favor of the resolution for the IU board of trustees to formally and publicly conduct a midterm review of Herbert's performance as University president.

Bush defends Iraq war, says citizens have seen 'tangible progress in their lives'

WASHINGTON -- Defending his strategy in Iraq, President Bush said Wednesday that reconstruction has been "uneven" but spreading economic progress is giving people hope for a democratic future. In particular, Bush cited Najaf, 90 miles south of Baghdad, and Mosul in northern Iraq -- once the sites of some of the bloodiest battles of the war -- as two cities where headway is being made, giving Iraqis more of a stake in their country's future.

Saddam absent from court

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The trial of Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants was adjourned Wednesday until Dec. 21 after two witnesses testified in a truncated session that the ousted president did not attend. After two prosecution witnesses described beatings and torture by the regime, Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin adjourned the proceedings and said the court would reconvene six days after the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections.