Posts published in “Reviews”

(Archive March 2016) Boston Sports Mid-Season Review: Celtics – Boston Getting Offensive

By editorialteam on August 23, 2024

By Andrew Hoenig | Assistant Editor

Boston, Mass – TD Garden has been hopping lately. And with good reason, as the Boston Celtics are molding into a true contender for the NBA playoffs this year. 55 games into their 82-game season, the team has 32 wins and 23 losses (32-23).

The Celtics last win before the NBA’s All-Star break in February was a thrilling offensive showdown with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics came out on top in overtime 139-134. Point guard Isaiah Thomas was the team’s leading scorer in the game with 36. Thomas is leading the way for the Celtics this season having scored a team leading 1,185 points with a field goal percentage of 42.3%. After Thomas, the next closest points scored by a single player on the team is 773 by forward Jae Crowder. Not far behind him is guard Avery Bradley with 756 who’s been “money” from behind the three point line as of late, highlighted most recently in a game against the number one team in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James. Bradley aired out the game winning three-pointer with seconds to spare on Friday, February 5 to lift the Celtics to a 104-103 victory. read more

(Archive March 2016) Boston Sports Mid-Season Review: Bruins – Defense Must Improve

By editorialteam on August 23, 2024

By Andrew Hoenig | Assistant Editor

Boston, Mass. – Bruins fans bleed black and gold and pride themselves on the ol’ saying “Don’t poke the bear”. This usually refers to the team’s defense which has been its staple, especially since clinching their last Stanley Cup Championship in 2011 against the Canucks.

But halfway through this season, the team’s defense is just not getting it done consistently. They’ve had some inconsistency on the back end due to trouble finding solid defensive pairs. Long time players like Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid, and Dennis Seidenberg have been defensive staples since their 2011 Stanley Cup win and with last year’s up-and-comer Torey Krug, these veterans and this group of defensemen had high expectations coming into the season but just haven’t been as good as they might have hoped; injuries have played a part in some of the inconsistency, as well. Other key defenseman this season such as Kevan Miller, Joe Morrow, and Zach Trotman have all seen leads be blown or games start off all too quickly with goals by the opposing team. read more

(Archive March 2016) Super Bowl 50: Game in Review – Broncos Defense Shines, Panthers Falter

By editorialteam on August 23, 2024

By Andrew Hoenig | Assistant Editor

Levi Stadium, Cali. – The Broncos earned their third Super Bowl trophy after the vaunted Denver defense did its job.

The Broncos defense was ferocious all season long with its consistent blitzing and stifling secondary play. The defense lead the way for the team, being 1st overall in yards allowed per game and pass yards allowed per game. The team was 4th in points allowed and 3rd in rush yards allowed. Stars like defensive ends Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Aqib Talib, and safety T.J. Ward highlighted the most fearsome group in the NFL this past year. Lead by their defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who was in his first year with the team, the group grew into a powerhouse that stifled the likes of quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers this season. read more

(Archive March 2016) Funny or Die’s “The Art of the Deal: The Movie”

By editorialteam on August 23, 2024

By Jason Greenough | Arts & Entertainment Editor

Right now in history, you are seeing the greatest walking punchline running for President in Donald Trump. The man is a goldmine for satire, and Will Ferrell’s website, Funny or Die(.com), is just the most recent outlet to get in on the joke, with “The Art of The Deal: The Movie”.

Parodying the best-selling book of the same name, written by Trump in 1987, the film features none other than Johnny Depp (weird, right?) donning pounds of make-up to emulate the real-estate mogul-turned-presidential candidate. The only difference between the book and the 50-minute short film is that film, in no way, really follows the book. The basis is only used to poke fun at the Republican frontrunner, and that they did. Quite masterfully, I might add. read more

(Archive March 2016) New England Patriots: 2015 Season in Review

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By Andrew Hoenig | Assistant Editor

Despite numerous injuries, the Patriots prevailed against many odds this season.
blogs.denverpost.com

New England, U.S. – The Patriots 2015 season came to a close after the team fell to the eventual Super Bowl 50 champion Broncos in the AFC Championship game in Denver this year.

The game came down to some questionable decisions, poor offensive line play, and ultimately a failed two-point conversion that sent the Patriots home for good in a stunning 20-18 loss to the Peyton Manning-led Broncos with an attack dog defense.

The game ultimately highlighted the Patriots 2015 campaign in the worst way. Head coach Bill Belichick elected to not kick a field goal late in the game that may have actually allowed them to win the game. This was one of the things that surprisingly plagued the Patriots in the second half of the season. Belichick is widely regarded around the NFL and by fans as one of, if not the best coach to ever coach the game; but this year he seemed to get in his own way a little bit. After key injuries to many of the Patriots players, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Belichick made some questionable decisions against the division rival Jets and Dolphins in the final two games that may have cost the Patriots a chance to play at home in the AFC Championship once again for the 6^th time under the head coach. read more

(Archive February 2016) Review: Tom Segura’s Mostly Stories

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By Jason D. Greenough | Arts & Entertainment Editor

Courtesy photo / flickr.com/superseriousshow

God, I love stand-up comedy. I drink it in like a sick kitty drinks from a plastic needle. Num, num, num.

….Okay, that was a little weird. I’m sorry. Let’s continue…This never happened.

Where was I? Oh yeah! I love stand-up comedy!

My comedic taste ranges from George Carlin and his political and cultural observations to Dane Cook and his stock room full of d**k jokes. One comic that I have come to especially enjoy as of late though is Tom Segura, who just released his second Netflix-produced stand-up special, and it is absolute gold! read more

(Archive February 2016) Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Review

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By John Mossey | Editor-in-Chief

Introducing the new *Star Wars* villain, Kylo Ren.
Courtesy photo / flickr.com/David_Eckelman

I might receive some slack for this, but this movie was not all it was hyped up to be. Was it good? Absolutely. Easily one of the best Star Wars films ever. But why wasn’t it great? Well, here’s the thing: not even including the fact that this movie followed a very similar formula that Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope had, this movie’s storyline was dull and predictable. J.J. Abrams did an excellent job reviving the Star Wars series, but the story was his greatest (and only) fault. read more

(Archive February 2016) Review: Bill Burr’s F is For Family

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By Jason D. Greenough | Arts & Entertainment Editor

Who doesn’t go on an occasional Netflix binge from time to time? Don’t kid yourself, we just got back from almost a month off. You had to have watched at least a few days-worth of Netflix originals, and seasons of Network smash hits, which seem to accumulate like rabbits on streaming.

Master of None, Peeky Blinders, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation…the list goes on and on! But one show that stood out to me over holiday break was F is for Family, a Simpsons/Family Guy mash-up of sorts, created by Stand-up Comic and Massachusetts native Bill Burr. read more

(Archive February 2016) Tarantino Returns: The Hateful Eight Review

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By John Mossey | Editor-in-Chief

I’m going to start this review off by saying that The Hateful Eight is one of the best movies I had the pleasure of seeing in 2015. Quentin Tarantino, the mastermind behind this film, is one of Hollywood’s underdog directors that deserves more credit than is given to him, and his eighth film, The Hateful Eight, is no exception compared to his earlier masterpieces, which include Inglorious Bastards, Django Unchained, and Pulp Fiction to name a few.

Starring an superior cast from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson (Star Wars Episodes 1-3, The Avengers), Kurt Russell (Poseidon, Furious 7), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Weeds, Revenge), and Channing Tatum (Dear John, 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike), The Hateful Eight just glimmers from the performance of the actors and actresses in the film. Dialogue between characters is rich and enticing; unpredictable and alive. These characters seem like real people living back during the post-Civil War era, where the story takes place. read more

(Archive February 2016) Pink Floyd’s The Travel Sequence Track Review

By editorialteam on August 22, 2024

By Patrick J. Miller | Observer Contributor

“On the Run” could be one of the more uninteresting pieces of the Pink Floyd album “The Dark Side of the Moon.” Written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, it is a composition that was created by entering an 8-note sequence into an EMS Synthi AKS synthesizer and speeding it up with a white noise generator creating the “hi-hat” sound effects. Originally recorded in January, 1973, the song feels more like an experimental piece than an actual finished song. While I get the meaning of this song intending to be representative of travel pressures, as well as the fear of death at any point, I just kind of don’t get this song at all. At the very worst, it is just “there.” The overall composition feels a bit underwhelming overall, even considering what its original genesis was one year earlier. read more