Posts published in “Reviews”

Black History Month at MWCC: A Capella Singers Debut

By editorialteam on March 23, 2025

By Princess Yeboah | Assistant Editor

A capella singers went above and beyond by introducing essential black history to Mount Wachusett Community College Community on February 26, 2025 at 12:30 P.M. The performance, “And Now I See: Race, Racism, and American Music” was shown by a men’s a capella group, Ball in the House. They hospitably embraced the community with tunes originally sung by black singers and the history behind them such as “Hound Dog”, (Originally by Big Mama Thorton and sung by Elvis), “A Change is Gonna Come”, (Originally by Sam Cooke sung by Bob Dylan) “My Girl” and “This Little Light of Mine.” read more

Review: Into the Woods at TAM

By editorialteam on March 23, 2025

By Benjamin Heffner | Staff Writer

The cast of Into the Woods
Image provided by Theatre at the Mount.

Correction 3/25/25: A previous version of this article omitted that Melissa Gates was an Early Education major. This has been amended.

Theatre at the Mount’s (TAM) latest production, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, brings together several classic Brother’s Grimm fairy tales, including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel. Their stories are all tied together in a storyline about a childless baker and his wife seeking to start a family who fall under the witch’s curse. read more

(Archive May 2018) Get Inked: A Splatoon 2 Review

By editorialteam on February 20, 2025

By Alexa Nogueira | Observer Correspondent

Nintendo’s paintball-style squid sport is back. First released in 2015, the original installment redefined online multiplayer shooters with its child-friendly game play, lore, and colorful world and character designs. The ink had nearly dried on Splatoon when the company revived the well-loved shooter game with the release of Splatoon 2 for the Nintendo Switch.

In Splatoon 2 you play as an Inkling, which is a child that can change from kid to squid as fast as you can say the catchphrase, “Stay fresh!” read more

(Archive May 2018) Worst Company in America Finds A Way Out

By editorialteam on February 20, 2025

By Zach Pavlosky | Observer Correspondent

*A Way Out*, developed by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts.
Image from trueachievements.com

“Couch co-op gaming is dead!”

“Gamers are only interested in vast, open world experiences!”

“Character-driven narrative has no place in the gaming industry!”

Developer Hazelight Studios’ newest title, A Way Out, succeeds not just with eye-catching visuals, smooth controls, and a solid framerate, but by shouting “NO!” to all the false and hyperbolic statements above.

A Way Out is a third-person, multiplayer co-op, action-adventure title that features many of the expected accoutrements of a modern video game: white, male protagonists, revenge plot, quick-time events, and more. It is what is noticeably absent from the game that not only makes it stand out from others of its ilk, but also serves as a guiding light for an industry that is unfortunately mired in controversy, politics and doubt. read more

(Archive May 2018) The Strangers: Prey at Night Review

By editorialteam on February 20, 2025

By Jennafer Gonsalves | Observer Correspondent

The Strangers: Prey at Night, directed by Johannes Roberts
Image from Wikimedia Commons, by BRFZ1

The Strangers: Prey at Night, while flawed, stays true to the bone-chilling concept of the original while also having quite a bit more fun.

In the year 2008, horror movies were popular, particularly those that contained a lot of blood, guts and mutilation. With franchises like Saw and Hostel going strong, as well as classic slashers such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13^th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Halloween being remade for more modern audiences, a move like The Strangers seemed like it would go largely unnoticed, lost in the midst of more and more of the same. read more

(Archive May 2018) Poet Stuns Audience with Personal Anecdotes

By editorialteam on February 20, 2025

By Zach Pavlosky | Observer Correspondent

Some poets use word magnets in exercises to better stimulate ideas.
Image from Flickr, by Steve Johnson

Esteemed poet, essayist, and editor, Martin Espada, mused a packed audience with tales of racism, change, and baseball during a poetry reading in April, held in the North Cafeteria on the Gardner campus.

The poetry reading was sponsored by the MWCC Humanities Project, which is funded by a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Espada opened with one of his better-known poems, “The Trouble Ball,” from his poetry book of the same name. “The Trouble Ball” is about Espada’s father, Frank, whom the poem is also dedicated to. In it, Espada speaks of lack of inclusion and his parents being a mixed-race couple. read more

(Archive April 2018) Black Panther Claws Its Way to the Top

By editorialteam on February 5, 2025

By Maurisa Weld | Observer Contributor

Marvel Studios’*Black Panther*
Image via http://www.impawards.com/2018/black_panther_ver3.htm
Copyright Disney and Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has struck a controversial debate in the U.S. The blockbuster has become a Hot Topic, creating arguments especially on social media as some say the movie is racist. The movie set in a fictional land in Africa, Wakanda, and is said to be the first black super-hero movie. Fans argue that it is just that: a superhero movie. While others say there is a hidden meaning of racism towards the white community.

Joseph Hollenbeck, a student at Fitchburg University, shared his belief. His argument was that the only two white characters throughout the movie were portrayed in negative ways. The first being the main super villain, and the second being weak and ignorant. “Claus” (pronounced “Claw”) is introduced as an American and his duty as super villain is to steal the resource- Vibranium, from the people of Wakanda. Hollenbeck suggested that this course of action refers to the historians of America bringing slaves over, stealing their culture. read more

(Archive December 2017) Under the Sun Review

By editorialteam on January 28, 2025

By Meghan Doyle | Observer Contributor

Documentaries are intended to provide an audience with factual records and reports on the subject matter. However, when you’re filming in one of the most controlling countries in the world, you don’t always get a choice on what you can shoot. In this case, Zin-Mi and her family appear to be perfect example of an ordinary North Korean family. The only problem is that none of it is true.

Released in 2015, the documentary Under The Sun was filmed under strict government supervision. It was released by Icarus Films and directed by Vitaly Mansky, who was allowed only a small crew for filming. read more

(Archive December 2017) Arcade Fire Concert in Toronto

By editorialteam on January 28, 2025

By Rachel Aster | Observer Contributor

Arcade Fire had a strong finish to the North American leg of their current tour for their new album, Everything Now. The last two shows of the tour took place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario on November 3^rd and 4^th with opening band and local Toronto legends, Broken Social Scene.

The Montreal based band made quite the entrance setting up the stage as a wrestling ring and entering with the announcement of each member and their height and weight as done in a wrestling match. The core 7 members of the band had this entrance for every show of the tour to ensure they could interact with their fans, high fiving them as they entered the stage. read more

(Archive December 2017) The Adventure Suites Experience

By editorialteam on January 28, 2025

By Cassie Roy | Observer Contributor

Ever wondered what it would be like to spend a night in a cave, or a movie theatre?

That’s exactly what I was able to do when I visited Adventure Suites in North Conway, one of the top ten themed hotel rooms in the world according to their website page.

This hotel offers eighteen different themed rooms such as Victorian spa, roman rendezvous, and a wine cellar. All of these rooms range from $219 a night at their cheapest room all the way to $1,000 for a night. The price of the room also varies depending on the season, if it’s a weekend or weekday, and how big the themed room is. The hotel offers complimentary popcorn and fresh cookies every night, breakfast, and over two hundred movies that can berented out at no extra charge at any time. read more