Actors such as Christian Bale and Benedict Cumberbatch were considered for the role of Dumbledore. (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures) Owen Johnson Connector Editor Magical spells and fantastic creatures might sound fun and interesting, but they are nowhere close to being enough to save “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” from being a dull…
Taylor Swift dove “Fearless” into fame 10 years ago
“Fearless” was Swift’s second studio album. (Photo courtesy of Big Machine) Troy Lafond Connector Staff On Nov. 11, 2008, a little over 10 years ago, now-world renowned country and pop superstar Taylor Swift released her sophomore studio album “Fearless.” At the time, Taylor Swift was fairly well known in the country industry, but not necessarily…
‘Civilization 6:’ From sticks and stones to nuclear apocalypse
The first major expansion for “Civilization 6” was released in Feb. 2018. (Photo courtesy of 2K Games) Vernon Gibbs Connector Staff There are countless genres of video games in today’s market, yet one of the least represented is the 4X strategy game: explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. “Sid Meier’s Civilization” series has a long running…
Little Mix spread their wings on experimental “LM5”
“LM5” is Little Mix’s fifth studio album. (Photo courtesy of Billboard) Troy Lafond Connector Staff Little Mix is one of the last English-speaking girl groups left standing. With Fifth Harmony recently split and extremely little competition in this regard, it stood to question whether or not they still had a place left in the industry.…
Imagine Dragons look back on ‘Origins’
Lead single “Natural” has peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. (Photo courtesy of Billboard) Troy Lafond Connector Staff Imagine Dragons need little introduction. The Las Vegas-based rock band burst onto the music scene in 2012 with three of the defining hits of that year: “It’s Time,” “Radioactive” and “Demons.” Since then, they…
Macbeth: Killing it as usual
UMass Lowell Theatre Arts students performing “Macbeth.” (Photo courtesy of the UMass Lowell Theatre Arts department) Vernon Gibbs Conector Staff When one first thinks of Shakespeare, their first memories with his works often come in the form of a confusing read and a paper due on Monday. The UMass Lowell Theatre Arts program disproves this…
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is not killer Queen
Rolling Stone magazine noted multiple historical inaccuracies in the film. (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox) Owen Johnson Connector Editor For a personality as idiosyncratic as Freddie Mercury and a band as revolutionary as Queen, their biopic is incredibly lackluster and surprisingly uninspired. From the early days when he first met his band mates to Queen’s…
One-hundredth article extravaganza: ’21 Jump Street’
“21 Jump Street” was the sixth most illegally downloaded film of 2012. (Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures) Owen Johnson Connector Editor With this article, I reached the milestone of having 100 articles, mostly movie reviews, published with the UMass Lowell Connector. Over the past three years of me doing this, I know I have garnered…
