August 25th, 2008
1. National Lampoon’s Animal House
This is one of those movies that works for all the wrong reasons–disgusting, lowbrow, base humor that we are all far too sophisticated to find amusing. So, just don’t tell anyone you still think it’s a riot to watch John Belushi as the brutish Bluto slurp Jell-O or terrorize his less-aggressive fellow students. This crude parody of college life in the ’60s spawned many imitations, but none could match the fresh-faced talent or bad taste of this huge box office success. (Remember all those toga parties in the ’80s?) The first of the National Lampoon movies, this was originally released as National Lampoon’s Animal House. Keep an eye out for a very young Kevin Bacon in his first credited screen appearance. –Rochelle O’Gorman
2. Revenge of the Nerds
Nerds without computers may seem a contradiction in terms, but life was simpler back in 1984 and the geeks seemed to get along fine with just a slide rule and a plastic pocket protector. A variation on the fraternity-farce plot of Animal House, the picture celebrates the triumphs of a gang of geeks, led by Robert Carradine and a pre-E.R. Anthony Edwards, as they get back at a rival frat house full of jocks and preppies. Although the brains-over-brawn theme ought to be sure-fire, the movie gets by mostly on charm; there are very few explosively funny sequences. The supporting cast includes some surprising familiar faces, notably James Cromwell (Babe, L.A. Confidential) as Carradine’s look-alike dad, pants hoisted proudly to his armpits. The director, Jeff Kanew (Gotcha!), went on to the 1991 private-eye belly flop V.I. Warshawski and has not been heard from since. –David Chute
3. Old School
When three thirtysomething friends with woman troubles (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn) decide to form a fraternity, it’s supposedly to save Wilson from losing his house, which the nearby college is trying to claim for academic purposes. But really, Ferrell and Vaughn are desperate to return to the reckless, feckless days of beer bongs and hot chicks, and they drag Wilson along with them as they throw themselves into gathering frat pledges of all ages. Old School could have been just another string of bad jokes hanging on a flimsy plot, but the script and the cast have a jovial energy and just enough grounding in reality–at least, up until the obligatory beat-the-system ending, but by that point you’ll forgive the excesses of this silly, cheerful, and frequently funny movie. Featuring Jeremy Piven and Juliette Lewis, with cameos by Snoop Dog, Andy Dick, and others. –Bret Fetzer
4. Road Trip
Road Trip is a mostly agreeable, by-the-numbers teen flick with a handful of inspired sequences, most of them involving MTV’s resident disturbed soul, Tom Green. It concerns a sleepy University of Ithaca student named Josh (Breckin Meyer) who accidentally mails a video of his sexual encounter with an infatuation (Amy Smart) to his longtime girlfriend (Rachel Blanchard), who’s seemingly avoiding him while at school in Austin, Texas. Naturally, he recruits some buddies–Seann William Scott as the lech, D.J. Qualls as the hopeless nerd, and Paulo Costanzo as the doper genius–to hit the open highway and intercept the package. Even more naturally, mayhem ensues: A car explodes, a bus is stolen, a nerd is deflowered, French toast is horribly violated, and an elderly man bogarts both pot and Viagra.
The film’s humor is more democratic than politically correct, as everyone–women and minority characters, not just the hipster white guys–have a hand in the high jinks. Green plays Barry Manilow (no, not that one), a professional student (eight years and counting)–he relates the film’s story to skeptical prospective students while leading them on a tour of the college–and thrill-seeking dork extraordinaire. In particular, in an already justly famous sequence of scenes, he sadistically anticipates and endeavors to accelerate a mouse’s demise at the jaws of a python. It’s very much in the vein of American Pie, perhaps a smidgen tamer, but at least its characters don’t really learn any dopey lessons in the end. Director and coscreenwriter Todd Phillips, who earlier made the much-questioned documentary Frat House, again proves he’s more adept at staging fictional comic sequences than real ones. –David Kronke
5. Van Wilder
To Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds), college doesn’t get you ready for life, it is life. So when his father puts a stop to his cash flow, 7 years into his time at college, it looks like the party might finally be over for Van. Down, but not out, Van, and his team devise a way to make money from partying. However that soon come to the attention of the college magazine, who send out sexy college reporter, Gwen (Tara Reid) to do a feature on the infamous Van Wilder, Party Liaison for the graduation front page. But when things start to go wrong for Van, he realizes that this time he may need to do something really crazy… GRADUATE! Written by Ryan Farrow
2:56 PM on Mon Aug 25th, 2008
Having a bicycle while you’re in college is a great idea. They’re convenient, cheaper than cars and you can cruise right up to your classroom rather than finding a parking spot for half an hour and then walking another fifteen minutes to your classroom. Here’s a list of some must have accessories for your campus cruiser.
Strip and Go Naked could very well be the greatest jungle juice drink EVER. I wouldn’t even classify it as a jungle juice type of drink, just because it tastes so good, and the ingredients are much better than the average jungle juice. Drink with caution. Strip and go naked can be your best friend, and your worst enemy.
While it’s quite true that there are big parties just about every weekend during the college, there are a few exceptional weekends that have the biggest parties of the year. Each school has it’s own big nights as well, but these are some that go across the board and are big no matter what college you go to.
If you’re like most college students and either can’t afford a TV or you can’t afford to pay for cable, there are plenty of options for streaming online TV and Movies. In fact, you pretty don’t have to ever watch TV on your TV anymore, you can just watch your favorite shows and movies streaming over the Internet.