(image: metacritic.com) By: J Engels email: jengels@umassd.edu Before I’d heard “Bite Me”- the lead single off of Love Sux– I’d brushed Avril Lavigne off as little more than a bonafide pop star, having heard only her radio hits. These newer songs introduced me to another side of Lavigne that I’d been a stranger to for far too long- the fiercely feminine punk princess who helped to define fashion … Continue reading Album Review: Love Sux
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu (warning: mild spoilers ahead for the first 3 Life is Strange games) Featuring the return of elements I’ve so fondly come to associate with the Life is Strange franchise- moody indie music, picturesque small town scenery, and (best of all) queer teen melodrama- the trailer for the series’ next installment invites me, like an old friend, back into one of … Continue reading Life is Strange shows it’s “True Colors” with Reveal of Trailer for New Game
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu When I heard that the UMD administration would be holding a student focus group, I was skeptical that it would not actually be a forum but another disappointing town hall where the Q & A portion was mere formality. I attended the focus group with low expectations- and I’m happy to report that they were surpassed. It seems, at last, … Continue reading UMassD’s Student Focus Group is a step in the Right Direction
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu There’s some celebrities I hear about and I wonder, what’s the big deal? Why is everyone so obsessed with this average looking goon? More often than not, to me, celebrity worship feels like a pointless waste of life. But there’s one celebrity I’ll make an exception for, one man whose reputation truly lives up to the hype: golden haired, cherub … Continue reading Timothy Treadwell is a mentally ill icon ❤ (The Torchure)
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu I’m convinced the term “MILF” was invented to specifically describe Vera Farmiga’s depiction of Norma Bates in Bates Motel. The same actress who brought to life such an independent, unconventionally feminine character as Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring movies, Farmiga is infectiously likeable. Every minute she’s on screen I find myself unable to get enough of her warm and caring … Continue reading Marry me Norma bates (The Torchure)
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu As I scroll through social media lately I’ve been noticing something: more and more users- (including, as of recently, a celebrity as big as Halsey)- are putting “they” pronouns in their bios. Seeing that people are comfortable enough to openly display these pronouns is a refreshing sign that non-binary gender identities are starting to be destigmatized, but there are those … Continue reading How COVID is Causing a Gender Identity Crisis
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu A roaring success with critics, Raya and the Last Dragon looks promising overall. Positive critical reception, however, does not excuse the fact that Disney, ever greedy corporation that they are, is getting away with charging subscribers of their streaming an additional just to watch it. Even if it did- even if I, personally, wasn’t morally against supporting this latest of … Continue reading Disney’s Latest Movie is A Dragon Designer’s Nightmare
J. Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu I’d known the email was coming, but that didn’t stop me from feeling a sinking sense of dread when I saw it in my inbox. Sent out by the Vice Chancellor, the email- strangely ecstatic in tone, sentences ending in an unprofessional amount of exclamation points abound- reads: “UMass Dartmouth anticipates resuming on-campus, in-person classes for the fall 2021 semester.” … Continue reading UMASSD Plans to Reopen- but is that the Safest Choice for Everyone?
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu (Warning: Spoilers ahead for Pokémon: The First Movie) When I was a kid, I was utterly enchanted by the stunning visual design of Pokémon: the First Movie. Even with the sometimes clunky 90s effects, the artistry of the film- its dreamy pastel color palettes, fantastical settings, and the graphic, fluid motion of the animation- captured my imagination. And although the … Continue reading Pokémon: The First Movie, Is Even Deeper than You Thought
J Engels Staff Writer jengels@umassd.edu Icon for Hire’s new album opens with lead singer Ariel Bloomer scream-singing that she isn’t “Brittle.” This rejection of fragility, accompanied by a dynamic electronic beat, is our introduction to Bloomer’s persona of an unbreakable rockstar- a persona that, within that same opening song, seems to come undone. Soon after the emotionally forceful chorus of “Brittle”, the music slows down … Continue reading “Amorphous” Album review
umassdtorch.com 