Observer Department: Arts and Entertainment
Father of Parnassus speaks
Poet Tom Sexton shared his insights with students Parnassus literary magazine founder 78-year-old Tom Sexton spoke to a gathering of students and faculty Nov. 8 in the Top Notch Theater. “It’s a delight to be back” Sexton says as he pulls out his own first copy of Parnassus, published 53…
Give the gift of art
Add a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts to your shopping list The Holiday season is upon us. The time of year where shopping centers are flooded with crowds and greedy hands, stomachs are fed, stories repeatedly shared, and gifts wrapped in kinds of ribbons, bows, and papers. A…
Performances stand out in Top Notch production
‘Stupid F*cking Bird’ production The Top Notch Players Theater performed their fall 2018 production of “Stupid F*cking Bird” by Aaron Posner. Under the direction of Professor Brianne Beatrice and Sarah Durning, it ran opened on Oct. 5 and closed Oct. 13. With the theater’s past productions such as “Almost Maine”,…
Remembering an icon
Oct. 2 marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Tom Petty October 2, 2017, just one week after The Heartbreaker’s took their final bow at the Hollywood Bowl, Tom Petty would be found collapsed on the floor of his home in Malibu, CA. It has nearly been a year…
2016’s ‘The Jungle Book’ outshines original
Some people are absolutely militant when it comes to the idea of remakes. “Why bother trying to fix what isn’t broken?” they roar, spittle flying from their mouths as they work themselves up into a futile rage. “Is nothing sacred?” These people are probably disgusted with Disney’s recent idea to…
Sy Montgomery speaks at NECC
Sy Montgomery, the author of The Soul of an Octopus, naturalist and author of “The Good Pig,” spoke at the STEM Speaker’s Series at NECC on April 6. Montgomery based her lecture on her book, and her incredible experiences working with octopuses at the New England Aquarium. She began her…
Dance students light up the stage
The annual NECC Dance Recital took place April 22 and 23 at Lawrence High School. Opening the show were the students in the NECC Dance Club, shaking and grooving to the funky beats of “Feel Good Inc.” by the Gorillaz. The electric feel of the dancers lithely moving across the…
‘Batman v. Superman’ a painful film experience
★ (out of four stars) Remember when superhero movies used to be fun? Wait, wait, wait. Before you make any assumptions, let me be the first to say that I have no problem with DC and Marvel’s characters taking themselves more seriously. I absolutely loved the high-stakes, tense political thriller…
Student aspires to be art therapist
By: Emily Marsden, Correspondent Helen Shiepe, 22, is an art student at NECC aspiring to combine her interests in both the arts and the medical field to become an art therapist. Having a passion for art since her elementary years, Shiepe aims to help both the young and old express themselves…
Movie Review: Deadpool
★★½ (out of four stars) I have to be honest: sometimes being a critic makes me feel like a curmudgeon. Sitting in the movie theater watching “Deadpool,” I must have laughed out loud — hard — more than three dozen times. And yet, trying to analyze my overall feelings with the…
