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2022 was the year of Pinocchio

By Andy Ottone · Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023

Who doesn’t love Pinocchio? Whether it’s Carlo Collidi’s original novel or Walt Disney’s 1940 feature film, many know the story of the wooden boy with the growing nose. In 2022, three film adaptations were released, and I took it upon myself to watch all three. I would be remiss to not mention an influence on many “Pinocchio” adaptations: Walt Disney’s ideas to make the talking cricket Pinocchio’s friend, and the Blue Fairy bringing Pinocchio to life, both details not in the original text. 

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Observer Spotify Wrapped 2022: In our Taylor era

By Aidan Thomas · Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022

Ladies and gentlemen, kids of all ages, we’re back with the Observer Spotify (and other music platforms) Wrapped. Our team of student journalists, frequently found at major campus events or hunkered in our office in the basement of South Dining Hall, listen to a lot of music. Maybe even more music than the average listener, as we blast it away during late night production shifts, while traveling to cover Irish athletics or while writing a story. 

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Gay love laid ‘Bare’ in PEMCo’s fall show

By Claire Lyons · Monday, Dec. 5, 2022

As Congress was passing the Respect for Marriage Act last week, members of Pasquerilla East Musical Company (PEMCo) were hard at work preparing for their fall show, “Bare: A Pop Opera,” which features a closeted gay couple. 

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How does Arctic Monkeys’ ‘The Car’ fare after a month’s journey?

By Anna Falk · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

Arctic Monkeys is one of the most well-loved rock bands of the 21st century. Hailing from Sheffield, England, this quartet has reached international fame over the past two decades. They’ve garnered a loyal fan base, put out albums relatively consistently and have created high expectations for the quality of their work — so how does “The Car” measure up?

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‘DUM-de went my trochaic heart’ after watching the ‘My Policeman’

By Ananya Dalmia · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

There are movies that make you feel something. Then, there are the gut-wrenching movies that shatter the very expectations that you have about love and leave you and your group of friends crying for 20 minutes after the credits have rolled. “My Policeman,” written by Bethan Roberts, does a phenomenal job of shifting the viewers not just physically to Brighton, England, but mentally into the 1950s. The atmosphere of lost dreams due to societal oppression — since being gay was illegal at that time — mixed with desires of having an ideal life that seeks validation from that very society sets up a conflicted tension throughout the film. The movie took place in the past and present, showing the younger versions of the policeman Tom (Harry Styles), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin) and the museum curator Patrick (David Dawson) for the majority of it. The three characters are intertwined in a hopeless love triangle where Marion is unaware or purposely shielding her eyes to the obvious truth that her husband Tom is gay.

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‘Glass Onion’: A layered mystery

By Andy Ottone · Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022

As the sun starts setting later and the wind gets colder, we all need a sunny, summer escape. “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” centers on private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig; “Casino Royale,” “No Time to Die”), returning from the film “Knives Out.” Blanc finds himself on a private island getaway with a billionaire and his influential, famous friends. The only issue? Benoit was never meant to show up. When people start turning up dead, the investigation begins.

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‘The True Cost’: A powerful critique of the fast fashion industry

By Rose Androwich · Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022

On Nov. 28, the “Fashion Ethics” class at Saint Mary’s showed a movie titled “The True Cost,” which showcases the negative impacts of fast fashion in a number of ways. The countries that are most affected by the industry are developing countries who fall victim to the unethical practices of corporations. 

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Winter Scene Selections

By Rose Androwich · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022

The holiday season is in full swing! Here are some of Scene’s reflections and suggestions to begin this holiday season.

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‘Black Panther’ two, in a theater near you

By Peter Breen · Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

Little did I know, when I took up a suggestion at my favorite Observer department meeting on Sunday to write a review for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” I’d be enjoying almost four hours of my Monday afternoon, time I ought to have spent doing ethics homework, at the Cinemark in Mishawaka. Though I’m quite sure this was the first time I have ever gone to a movie theater alone, it’s not that I’m in any way movie theater adverse. I enjoyed watching “Minions: The Rise of Gru” in theaters with my friend Nate over the summer as much as the next 20-something-year-old. So, when I came across the opportunity to review a sequel who’s antecedent, 2018’s “Black Panther,” I had yet to watch, I jumped on the chance. It just didn’t cross my mind that they still released movies that weren’t on Netflix.

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Was ‘Zootopia+’ what we expected?

By Nicole Bilyak · Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022

In 2016, Walt Disney Animation released its 55th animated film, “Zootopia.” Many fans of the film have been patiently waiting for a sequel to the movie to pick up right where the film left off. However, Disney decided to take a different approach to the “Zootopia” world and announced they were going to release a web-television series that is simply titled “Zootopia+.”

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Book Nook: The infamous and upcoming Percy Jackson adaptations

By Caitlin Brannigan · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

I recently watched the 2005 film “Pride and Prejudice,” based on Jane Austen’s 1813 novel of the same name. It was excellent. Many movie adaptations of books struggle to convey their lengthy events in a completely different medium, but this is not the case with “Pride and Prejudice.” The writing succeeds in staying true to the book and creating an enjoyable movie. Readers of the novel will appreciate the actors’ interpretations of their respective characters. However, you could watch the film without reading the book and immensely enjoy it.

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Remembering Stephen Sondheim

By Andy Ottone · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

On Nov. 26, 2021, the theater world mourned the loss of composer Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim, 91, passed away due to cardiovascular disease at his home under the loving care of his husband Jeffrey Scott Romley. One year after his passing, we look back at his career through his works, those he inspired and the legacy he has left behind.

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‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season five: Never giving in

By Sophia Michetti · Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

Any fan of the Emmy Award-winning, “The Handmaid’s Tale” could not deny their anticipation for the premiere of the show’s fifth season on Sept. 14. Streamed on Hulu, “The Handmaid’s Tale” expands upon Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, telling the story of June Osborne’s life after being forced to become a Handmaid under the theocratic country of Gilead. As a Handmaid in this dystopian world, June Osborne was faced with bearing children for the Commander whose house she lived in under the guidelines of his wife. I think it’s safe to say the show is set on a pretty wild premise, but fans have shown dedication to watching the characters’ strength against a belief structure that sees them as property.

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Not-so-Royal Shakespeare Co. gives incredible performance

By Marcelle Couto · Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Not-So-Royal (NSR) Shakespeare Co. performed an only slightly abridged “The Winter’s Tale” (circa 1609-1611), which, with its almost symmetrical split into two halves of dark tragedy and comic romance, illustrates — perhaps more clearly than any other Shakespearean play — the genre of tragicomedy.

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