A closer examination of the movie “Music,” the controversial directorial debut of singer Sia. Photo from firstshowing.com. “Music,” the directorial debut of singer-turned-filmmaker Sia, has received backlash for its offensive and insensitive portrayal of a character on the autism spectrum. The film follows a newly-sober drug dealer Zu, played by Kate Hudson, as she becomes…
A closer look at the American rock group Greta Van Fleet. Photo from npr.org. Greta Van Fleet. Three words that either spark feelings of happiness and appreciation or intense hatred. For those who don’t know, Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan. Formed in 2012 by twin brothers Josh and Jake…
The 2015 movie “Dope,” starring Shameik Moore. Photo from imbd.com. It’s important to honor history and educate ourselves through our media consumption as we near the end of Black History Month. Still, it’s also about celebration, so why don’t we look at some Black films and television shows that feature more than just the brutalization…
Some adaptations of songs are simply better than their original versions. Many artists work to improve their sound and influence the popularity of their music through remixes and rerecordings, or even covering another artist’s work. Here are some of my favorites. All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan 1967 vs. Jimi Hendrix 1968) The fourth song…
Turning back the clock half a century to the year of the Cigar’s founding, and what entertainment looked like then. Photo from vectorstock.com. To celebrate The Good Five Cent Cigar’s 50th anniversary, let’s take a trip back 50 years, to the week of Feb. 25, 1971. During this time, the United States was heavily involved…
A Cigar writer’s ranking of the team members of Marvel’s Avengers from “Avengers Endgame”. Photo from calendar.syracuse.edu. So, let me preface this ranking by saying that I have watched “Avengers: Endgame” more times than I’d like to admit. I don’t know why, but it just never gets old. Last year, my family and I watched…
An introspective piece by a former 5 Seconds of Summer stan. Photo from amazon.com. I was first introduced to 5 Seconds of Summer when I saw them open up for One Direction at the Take Me Home Tour in 2013. I wish I would’ve known then how much of an impact they’d have on my…
A look at Chanel Miller’s “Know Her Name,” the memoir by Brock Turner victim. Photo from penguin.com.au. Trigger Warning: This book mentions suicide, school shooting/violence and sexual assault. If you followed national news back in 2016, you might have heard about the Brock Turner case: A student-athlete from Stanford University sexually assaulted an unconscious woman…
Student Organization Leadership Consultants holding a retreat with Rhody Ridiculousness. Photo by Kayla Laguerre-Lewis. Over the past year, the University of Rhode Island’s Student Organization Leadership Consultants (SOLC) have had to make some changes to the way they go about conducting business. SOLC is a group of students that have received advanced leadership training from…