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Arts & Life

Re-release of “Miami Connection” proves to be guilty pleasure

Andrew Marvin

Contributing Writer

There’s an odd, undefinable allure to the idea of a movie being so bad that it’s good. Why do we enjoy some bad movies but not others? For that matter, why do we enjoy some bad movies at all? Why “The Room” and not “The Lone Ranger?” I think that I have the answer: heart. If a movie has heart, we can enjoy it. A horrible movie can become a cultural landmark if it is made with the best intentions, even if it is not well-made. Maybe that is why “Miami Connection” is such a good “bad” movie: it was made as a passion project, and that passion shows. If our appreciation of certain movies is a measure of the degree to which they affect us, then this might accidentally be the worst masterpiece in the history of cinema.

The title can be a bit misleading. Let’s ignore the lack of articles and go straight to the first word: “Miami.” This movie doesn’t take place in Miami—at least, I don’t think it does. It takes place in Orlando, which in the scheme of things is close, but still not Miami. “Connection” implies some sort of coherence, which this movie also lacks. I’m not sure that you need coherence when the synopsis contains the phrase “roundhouse wreck-wave of crime-crushing justice.” The official summary isn’t much help past that, so I’ll try to decode the plot for your convenience:

A gang of motorcycle ninjas are terrorizing Florida and peddling what one character calls the “stupid cocaine.” They are somehow connected to a gang of bikers who are recruited by a band of newly-unemployed rockers to take down Dragon Sound: a synth-rock band comprised of Taekwondo-practicing college students. When Dragon Sound is attacked by the biker gang, they find themselves wrapped up in the conspiracy and must unleash the aforementioned roundhouse wreck-wave of crime-crushing justice on the syndicate. Looking back on that paragraph, I think that the most astounding thing about it is that I didn’t make any of it up. Even better, it takes itself completely seriously despite the bizarre story.

The plot isn’t important, though. What is important is that when “Miami Connection” gets rolling, it rolls off the rails, past the moon, and into the stars. People fight not because it makes sense for them to fight, but because this is the kind of movie where people should fight for no reason. These fights are all gloriously cheesy. For instance, the scene where Dragon Sound’s token black guy pops out of a barrel and brains a thug with a piece of rebar in a move worthy of Scooby-Doo, or when a hillbilly dances around one band member only to have his jaw pulverized. Grandmaster Y.K. Kim (the star, co-director, co-writer, and producer) takes great pride in the fact that the fights are all live-action, as are the two songs that Dragon Sound performs. One is called “Against the Ninja,” and the other is called “Friends,” and both are worth the price of admission alone.

When everything is so low-quality, why is “Miami Connection” worth watching? I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because of the infectious positivity pervading the movie. There’s no way to watch this and not appreciate the sheer amount of effort that Kim put into it as well as the message that he tries to convey without much success. As a helpful title card informs us at the end of the movie: “Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace.” “Miami Connection” is fundamentally a feel-good movie even though it features a body count somewhere in the hundreds. There’s something stupidly endearing about it, something charmingly naïve, and against all odds, it is a truly enjoyable movie.

This movie was released in 1987 and recently re-released after 25 years of obscurity. Since I doubt that this will play at any local theater, you can either stream it on Netflix or order it from Drafthouse Films on DVD.

Categories
Uncategorized

University attracts record number of international students

By Rachel Chou, Contributing Writer

The 2013 fall semester will include the highest number of international students in University history.

A total of 89 new international students, a number that includes first-years, exchange and non-degree students, transfers, and language teaching assistants, will join the student body this semester, according to Jennifer Figueroa, director of International Student Services.

These new students represent 31 countries from around the world, from places as close as Canada and as far as Zimbabwe.

Fifty-seven of the 88 participants in International Orientation were undergraduates, including dual citizens and permanent residents. Of those 57, three were transfer students, Figueroa said.

As far as demographic representation, China and Brazil make up the largest percentage of new students this year. This year’s International Orientation hosted 31 Chinese students, to make a total of 86 Chinese students on campus this fall.

The increase in students from Brazil is due to the nation’s Scientific Mobility Program Scholarship, which has already provided 18 students with an opportunity to study at the University for one year as non-degree students. Eight current University students take part in the program.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey drops to 0-2 with loss to Lock Haven, Iowa

Lauren Boone

Sports Editor

Women’s field hockey suffered a 1-0 loss to Lock Haven on the Eagles’ home turf thanks to Kiersten Cepeda’s first-half goal. The loss marks the fall of the Bison’s overall season record to 0-2, following a loss at their opening game against No. 13 Iowa last weekend.

Although the Bison had many advantages on penalty corners (6-1), they were unable to muster a successful offensive drive. In just two games, the Orange and Blue clenched a 12-5 lead in penalty corners, but only managed five shots on goal.

The Eagles managed six shots, three courtesy of Cepeda. Goalie Erica Perrine ’14 had two crucial saves, and Liz Wills ’15 and Amie Pritchard ’15 each made a defensive save.

The Orange and Blue will compete next against Missouri State tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio.

Categories
Sports

Mike Muscala ’13 finds success in NBA draft

Alex Wagner

Senior Editor

When most college seniors graduate in the spring, they enter the job market. Mike Muscala ’13 is no different. It just so happens that the market he entered is the selective one of professional basketball. Simply put, there are only 30 teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with only 15 maximum roster spots on each team. Making a team is never easy because it is the goal of nearly every college basketball player in the country, as well as that of international players, to reach this highest level of basketball in the world.

In order to make his NBA aspirations possible, Muscala had to put in a lot of work this summer.

“I went to 14 different cities, so there was a lot of traveling,” Muscala said. “There were a couple times when I had a day or two in between workouts, but there was one stretch where I had seven workouts in nine days in all different cities. It got pretty tiring, but there is no other experience like that. I made sure to give it my all.”

Muscala travelled around the country for the entire month of June, visiting many locations including Los Angeles, Houston, Detroit, and Washington D.C.

Although he is the most decorated player in the history of the University, and arguably the Patriot League as well, there was still a lot for him to prove.

“You go into these workouts so that they can see how you do against guys from high major schools. It was frustrating at times. I put a lot of pressure on myself in the beginning because I really wanted to do well and prove that I could play. But I knew that if I go out there and play my game, everything will even out to where I want to be,” Muscala said.

Before long, the day of the 2013 NBA Draft was upon him.

“I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be, to be honest,” Muscala said. “I had done all of the workouts and all of the scouts had evaluated me, so I felt like I was done at that point. I liked having a lot of family and friends at the gathering.”

Bison basketball head coach Dave Paulsen and teammate Bryson Johnson ’13 were among those at the draft day celebration in Muscala’s native Minnesota.

After much anticipation, Muscala was the 44th overall pick in the draft. He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks, but his rights were traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately, being drafted does not guarantee any player a roster spot. In addition to the drafted players, the Hawks acquired Elton Brand, Paul Millsap, Pero Antic, and Gustavo Ayon to fill positions in their frontcourt. The addition of these experienced players left little room on the roster for a rookie.

As a result, it was decided that Muscala would play in the Liga ACB, the top tier professional league in Spain, which is widely regarded as the second best league in the world. While there, he will play for Blusens Monbus Obradoiro, which is based in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela.

It is common for draftees to spend a season abroad in order to refine their game before entering the NBA. In fact, Atlanta’s first-round pick Lucas Nogueira will also be playing in the Spanish league in the coming season. During his season abroad, the Hawks will still own the rights to Muscala, keeping his connection to the NBA alive.

As far as Muscala is concerned, he’s not quite sure what to expect from the highly-competitive Spanish league.

“I’m not sure how it’s going to be different. It’s going to be grown men playing, so more physical and more experience on the court. We’ll see,” Muscala said.

In addition to learning and growing stronger on the court, Muscala has a lot to look forward to in Spain. He majored in Spanish in addition to management while at the University, giving him an appreciation for the Spanish way of life.

“I always liked the culture as a kid and the language,” Muscala said.

But as far as traveling to Europe goes, this will be a new experience in many ways.

“We went to Italy as a team after my freshman year, but that is the only time I’ve been to Europe,” Muscala said.

As Muscala moves into a new chapter of his life, he still holds on to many memories he made at the University.

“Being back this weekend, I realized how nice it is to have the guys on the team around me, being able to live with them and doing everything with them,” Muscala said. “You can’t really get that in a professional setting. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just special here.”

Those who wish to keep up with Muscala during his time in Spain can do so by following his “mikejawz” YouTube channel. He promises to give an “MTV Cribs” style tour of his Spanish apartment for everyone’s viewing pleasure.

While Muscala certainly has much to be proud of in his career thus far, Bison fans everywhere will watch on eagerly as he continues to reach new heights and succeed in the professional basketball job market.

Categories
Bison Athlete of the Week Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Stefan Aleksic ’16

Lauren Boone

Sports Editor

Imagine this: you are sitting in the stands at the Navy Invite watching the men’s water polo team compete against Notre Dame (Ohio) in the squad’s season-opening match. The Bison have been fighting hard in this nail-biting game, and they are tied 14-14, with only seconds left on the clock. Just when you think all hope is lost, a Bison breaks through, scoring the winning goal.

This is not the first time that Stefan Aleksic ’16 has made a clutch play. In fact, despite his sophomore status, he is one of the squad’s strongest players.

Aleksic had a monster rookie season. He was one of only three Bison, and the only non-senior, to start all 31 games of the season. He led his squad in almost every category possible: assists (50), points (101), steals (44), and field blocks (30). He was also third in goals (51). He netted at least one goal for the Bison in 26 games, with 14 multiple-goal matches. After posting six goals, three assists, seven steals, and seven field blocks in just three games at the Eastern Championship, he was selected as the Rookie of the Tournament.

Aleksic was an accomplished athlete in high school, as well. As a member of his native Serbian National Team, he competed in several championships and world cups. He was also a 10-year member and starter for WC Partizan in Belgrade, assisting them to win tournaments in numerous countries such as Croatia, Greece, and Hungary, among others.

Keep an eye on this Bison athlete this season, as he is off to a strong start.

Player Profile

Hometown: Belgrade, Serbia

Position: RAT

Major: Computer Science & Engineering

Season Stats

Games started / total number of games: 3/3

Goals: 3

Assists: 6

Points: 9

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: “That’s all there is to it?”

Julian Dorey

Senior Writer

Well that didn’t take long. 

Chip Kelly and his dynamic football acumen took the National Football League (NFL) by storm on Sept. 9 with a breathtaking offensive performance. On a night that was supposed to be a media-driven moment of honor for Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin III, it was the wily-old veteran Michael Vick that took the bull by the horns.

Vick was sensational, throwing for 203 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a running score in the first half. As it would turn out, that was all the Eagles would really need. A quick Griffin interception in the second half led to one more Eagles touchdown, and a 33-7 lead that the Redskins had no hope of overcoming.

For months now the NFL has been anxiously waiting for and debating about what would become of the mad scientist, college coach Kelly’s collegiate “track meet” style of football.

After just one game, Kelly has everyone and their mother hopping on his bandwagon. His team’s first-half offensive explosion featured 53 plays from the scrimmage. 53. The entire NFL averaged 64 plays per game last season. 

Not only did this tempo seem to fuel Vick’s game, but veterans LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson looked absolutely rejuvenated after injury-riddled seasons a year ago. McCoy was making video-game moves from the first snap last night, and the Eagles’ speed of play only made tackling him all the more difficult. He had 115 rushing yards at the half and finished with 184 for the game.

Jackson seemed to be running alone in space the entire first half. Not only could the Redskin defenders not stay with him, but the range of routes he was running was something else. For most of his career, Jackson was poorly misused by former Head Coach Andy Reid, and Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Despite Jackson’s small figure, he has strengths in route running and good hands in addition to his speed. For the first five years of his career, his coaches were so dead-set on using him as a deep ball decoy every play that the poor guy has not consistently been able to use his speed in five-yard slant situations since college.

After just one game that seems to be a thing of the past.

Some are worried that the offensive linemen will not be able to hold up throughout games this season because of the game speed. Kelly acknowledged that they will certainly get tired, just not as tired as the opposing defense.

Based on the evidence, he might just be right. There are 15 games to go this season and 12 new teams that will have their shot at slowing down the Eagles. Time will tell if Kelly’s mentality is a fad or a new football virtue.

One thing’s for sure, though—every week is going to be pure entertainment in some form of the word.

Categories
Golf Men Sports

Men’s golf takes fifth of 14 at Colgate Invitational

Jen Lee

Contributing Writer

The men’s golf team took fifth place out of a 14-team field at the season-opening Colgate Invitational at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. on Sept. 7-8. Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15 both went low for the Bison, leading the team to a strong finish.

The Orange and Blue started off their season with a bang, posting a 906 total for the 54-hole tournament. After a slow start in the first round, the Bison rallied in the afternoon to post an impressive 294, led by Pogust’s one-under 71.

“After struggling a little bit in the first round, I think the team did a nice job of bouncing back with a solid second round on Saturday and posting one of the lowest team scores on Sunday as well,” Pogust said.

All five players improved on their score from the morning round, and Pogust’s 71 was his first career sub-par round.

Led by Stitzer’s 1-over 73 in the final round, the Bison totaled 303, one of the lowest team scores posted that day. This strong finish allowed the Bison to hold onto their fifth place position, beating more than half of the field.

The men look to follow this impressive tournament with a victory at home this weekend at the Bucknell Invitational.

Categories
Golf Sports Women

Women’s golf places sixth in season-opening tournament

Claudia Silvers

Contributing Writer

The women’s golf team placed sixth in its season-opening Bucknell Invitational from Sept. 7-8. They proved victorious over the three other Patriot League teams that attended.

The Bison previously won this Invitational in 2010 and 2011, but William & Mary stole the title this time.

“Beating out the other Patriot League schools, including Boston University and Lehigh, was exciting,” Kasha Scott ’14 said.

“Defeating the other league teams in the field showed that we are the team to beat in the Patriot League,” Lauren Bernard ’14 said.

Scott and Bernard, along with Bridget Wilcox ’14, scored in the 70s on the final day of the Invitational. Bernard achieved the Bison’s top score for the tournament, with a 54-hole total of 233, placing her 14th overall.

Emily Timmons ’15 shot 81 and Emily Larson ’17 shot 83 in her debut, helping the Bison earn team totals of 310 and 323 on Sept. 7.

The Bison ended with a 946 composite, nine strokes below defending champion Boston University. Lehigh, last year’s Patriot League Champion, placed ninth with 976 and Navy placed 16th with 1,112. Head Coach Kevin Jamieson was “pleased to see all of student-athletes working hard over a long weekend.”

The Invitational proved to be a strong start for the team, showing the four first-year players what college-level competition is like.

“With most of the players doing internships over the summer, I thought we came out pretty rusty mentally,” Jamieson said. “With that said, I think we had a heck of a finish in a tough field,”

Jamieson and his players look forward to the Yale Intercollegiate Tournament in one week, hoping that they can, as Jamieson said, “knock off some of the rust” during the allotted preparation time.

“There will be good competition, and it is a great golf course,” Scott said in regards to the tournament at Yale. 

“Everyone will take the next week and a half now to focus on the areas that we struggled in during the Bucknell Invitational to prepare for our next tournament at Yale,” Bernard said. 

After a successful fall-opener, the Bison women’s golf team looks ahead to the Yale Intercollegiate that takes place Sept. 20-22.

“I believe that our team will continue to work very hard and greatly improve while building team confidence on the way,” Bernard said.

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo shines with 3-0 season start

Billy Tyler

Senior Writer

The men’s water polo team opened its season this past weekend with three wins at the Navy Invite. This is the team’s third 3-0 start in its three years under Head Coach John McBride.

The tournament and season began with a thrilling contest against Notre Dame (Ohio) on Sept. 7. Despite leading 6-5 at halftime, the Bison found themselves facing an 11-8 deficit entering the fourth quarter. A quick flurry of three goals in the quarter’s opening minutes eliminated this difference and posed a back and forth battle to the game’s end. With the Bison down 14-13 in the game’s final minute, Mike Kimble ’14 found the back of the net with 22 seconds remaining to tie the game. Then with the game seemingly headed to overtime, Stefan Aleksic ’16 took a shot with 1.6 seconds left on the clock that snuck past the Notre Dame goalkeeper to seal the win.

In addition to his last second heroics, Aleksic ended the game with three goals and four assists. Other key contributors to the big win for the Bison were Jack Else ’14, who had a team-high four goals as well as Ratimir Babic ’17 and Sean Daley ’17, who tallied two goals apiece.

The next game of the tournament against Gannon proved an easier contest than the season opener. The Bison had a solid first half, leading 8-4 at the break. But their strength showed in the third quarter, as they outscored Gannon 6-2. RJ Moore ’17 led this offensive explosion, as he scored six goals in only his third collegiate start. The Bison offense received production from Babic, Else, Julian Colina ’14, and Alex Nowlin ’14 with multiple goals.

The Bison succeeded in carrying the momentum gathered in the tournament’s first two games into its final one against Iona. This 12-7 victory followed a similar pattern to the victory over Gannon; a halftime edge of 6-4 was turned into a 9-5 lead, following a great third quarter. The star of this game was goalkeeper Keegan Williams ’15, who recorded a career-high 15 saves in only his fourth career start. This added to his total of seven against Iona to complete an impressive day of work between the pipes.

The Bison will now look to match last weekend’s strong performance this weekend. The team hosts the Bison Invite from tonight through Sept. 15 and will play five games during this three-day period.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey increases record to 2-2

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The women’s field hockey team had a successful weekend, handing losses to both Missouri State and Ohio State, while Leigh Hillman ’14 and Vickie Resh ’14 both earned awards for the week.

“After last week’s losses to both Iowa and Lockhaven, our team had a new resolve to work harder in practice and focus on our weaknesses with more intent and focus. As a result, practice this past week had been more competitive and everyone on our team began to realize our full potential. Based on this new team mantra, we went into this weekend with a new mindset and were able to challenge teams on a new level,” Erica Perrine ’14 said.

The Bison started off their weekend of play against Missouri State as part of the Buckeye Classic hosted at Ohio State. The team’s offense started out on the attack, led by Kiersten Sydnor ’16, who totaled two goals and one assist. Teammates Rachel Misko ’14, Hope Obernesser ’15, and Emma Fitzgerald ’17 also netted a goal apiece. The defense for the Orange and Blue was also strong, allowing only one goal for a final score of 5-1.

The squad continued its momentum when it faced off against a tough Ohio State team. The Buckeyes came out strong, netting two quick goals despite Perrine’s five saves. It was then Hillman’s turn to lead the attack for the Bison, netting two goals to bring the score to a tie at 2-2. Resh sealed the deal in overtime when she scored her third career goal eight minutes into the overtime period to propel her team to a 3-2 victory.

“Historically, our team performs very well in overtime, and we knew that playing against a team like Ohio State would challenge us like never before. We stuck to our basics and continued to apply pressure to their defense, so it was only a matter of time before we would be rewarded. It was an exciting game and it feels great to have our hard work over the past week translate into a win for us in the end,” Perrine said.

The 2-0 showing for the Bison last weekend led to a couple of the team’s seniors being honored for their efforts. Hillman’s assist in the first game and two goals in the second game of the weekend led to her being named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week. Resh was also honored for her game-winning goal in the second game, earning the title of Bison Athlete of the Week.

The Orange and Blue will compete tonight when they travel to Philadelphia for a game at Drexel.