I’ll admit it: video games have become somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. When I pick up the controller, I do it hastily and with little thought. Yet there I was, contemplating the metaphysical implications of Super Smash Brothers just the same.

It's a new year, which means avid film fans everywhere are already busy picking out their most anticipated releases for 2015. And while it's easy to get caught up in the next Hollywood blockbuster and the next big-budget Oscar sensation, we at Revue would like to remind our readers to keep an eye out for independent and local films.

Most college kids who get a fake ID use it for one thing, and one thing only: to obtain copious amounts of alcohol. Of course there is the occasional oddball who has ulterior motives, and comedian Don Friesen is one of them.

A few beloved characters sweep into the area to liven up January. Get excited for Disney royalty, a child wearing red, an orphan and someone on a journey—all strong, female characters in the lead with stories to tell. Fall in love with these favorite figures and feel like a kid again.

Christmas is a time of joy, peace, togetherness... and strange traditions. Every family has at least one quirk that would lead most of us to cower in the corner with confusion.

The holidays can be overwhelming. The parties, the constant food coma, the music — OH GOD, THE MUSIC! — the mall — OH GOD, THE MALL! — and finding gifts for what seems to be the pickiest people you have ever met. Think outside of the gift box and take them to a local event, restaurant, bar or whatever fits their taste.

Screw reindeer games, New Belgium Brewing Company has Ranger Games. And, in the spirit of the holidays, the beer company is intertwining booze and general Tom Foolery. On Dec. 4, New Belgium Brewing Company hosts its Ranger Games in Grand Rapids. This event follows the successful New Belgium Clips Beer & Film Tour that came to downtown Grand Rapids this past summer.

• Grand Rapids
• Mulligan's
• New Belgium
• Ranger Games
• Billy's Lounge
• Tavern on the Square

The holiday season is upon us, and many in West Michigan have undoubtedly joined in the mad scramble to find the perfect gifts of 2014. Were this 1950 however, all that time spent browsing Amazon in our underwear or road-raging out on 28^th Street would have instead been spent downtown Grand Rapids, where retail once reigned supreme.

With last year's infamous polar vortex looming fresh in West Michigan's collective conscious, it's safe to say some locals are entering into the winter season with a sense of apprehension. Sledding and making snowmen are fun and all, but so is being able to actually get out of your driveway in the morning. To soothe your worries about the impending blizzards, why not take a trip to the theatre and lose yourself in some seasonal cinema? 

If you need living proof you don't need a foul mouth to be funny, look no further than comedian Mike Green. Sure, he may not be quite as squeaky clean as when he first got onstage at age 14 to MC a church talent show and crack a few jokes, but he certainly drops far fewer f-bombs than most of his contemporaries.