The 2021 film “Black Widow,” based on the Marvel comics, is deserving of critical acclaim. Released in theaters on July 9, the film saw around an eighty-thousand dollar profit during its opening weekend. In movie theaters alone, the film has grossed more than three-hundred-million dollars so far. 

“Black Widow” is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is considered by film critics to be an action and adventure movie. However, given the nature of the plot, there are many sci-fi and mystery elements incorporated into the film as well.

The film was directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige. The music, done by Lome Balfe, deserves critical acclaim on its own as it keeps impressively well with the tone of the film. The film stars a number of famous actors including Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh and David Harbour. 

Although the film didn’t win any awards, it was nominated for two Women’s Image Network Awards: the Outstanding Feature Film award and Scarlett Johnansson for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film award.

This film fleshes out the details of the character of Natasha Romanoff’s life prior to when she, also known as Black Widow, became an Avenger. In this movie, Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her upbringing, including her broken relationships and her history as a spy. Most of the action in the movie centered around having her face a dangerous conspiracy in relation to her past. Unfortunately for Black Widow, the antagonistic force that was against her didn’t stop at anything in regard to bringing her down. 

The highlight of the movie is the side conflict between Black Widow and her sister, Yelena Belova. The evident chemistry between the actors on–screen was impressive and realistic. In the end though, the audience is left focused on her sister more than Black Widow in her self-titled movie.

The hardship Black Widow and the other characters face throughout, as well as the historical hardships seen in the beginning of the film, made for a compelling experience. 

Additionally, the main filming location, Budapest, Hungary, made for a more all around compelling experience, as it allowed the set to be quite realistic. If the film had been shot somewhere else, in the United States for example, it would’ve been much less convincing.

At this point in time, audiences shouldn’t expect anything more or less from Marvel. Though there were a number of disappointed viewers who did not enjoy how the intense and nuanced plot weaved in a dysfunctional, comedic family, “Black Widow” can be considered an audience success story.

Kion Tupper of Searsport, Maine brings a great sense of complexity to what being a student means. Tupper attended Searsport District High School in his hometown where he received a worthwhile and extensive high school education while participating in multiple extracurriculars. After taking the PSAT/SAT standardized tests that are often used by college admissions decision teams, he was “recognized as the first National Merit Scholar ever to attend Searsport District High School.” 

It is often believed that high school teachers try to challenge their students, and students just do the school work they are assigned. In Tupper’s world, it was much more than that. For example, he explained how his science and math teachers were astounded by his ability to comprehend these two subjects.

“I recount many times when I would have to speak up in class to tell the teacher that they answered their sample problems incorrectly,” Tupper said, flashing back on his times in high school. 

Tupper is just one example of how students can challenge the minds of their teachers, and that it’s not always the other way around. People have also been impressed with Tupper’s ability to essentially play devil’s advocate, and with his ability to reason in conversations relating to important political, social and other societal issues. 

From a young age, Tupper has been interested in robotics and technology. He was an active and influential leading member on his middle school’s robotics team, and did the same on his high school’s robotics team.

Tupper fell in love with the University of Maine campus, as well as the staff members he met during his time at the Consider Engineering program hosted by UMaine while he was in high school. Although he applied to a number of other select colleges and universities, after considering his financial situation, his career interest and which place had the most desirable location, he chose Maine for his undergraduate degree. 

Tupper’s interest in technology and computer science hasn’t wavered, leading him to declare his major in computer science. However, Tupper is also considering double majoring in political science, leaning on his early interest in politics.

Given his National Merit Scholar status, Tupper has had to pay a minimal amount to attend UMaine, and it granted him a place in the Honors College. Even though the Honors

College has their own specific housing, he wasn’t initially placed in it during his freshman year as he was more interested in living on the engineering floor in Oxford Hall. However, he did end the year living in Penobscot Hall, an Honors College residence hall. 

Through his second year, he stayed in his previous home in Penobscot Hall. This past summer, given his work and personal situations, he stayed on campus in Hancock Hall. He has now returned to Honors College housing for the current fall semester to surround himself with like-minded and focused individuals. 

He has worked on a number of personal computer science related projects throughout his time at UMaine, and this will likely remain the case. Tupper works for Network Maine on campus as a Student Network Technician. He has been doing this work for about a year. 

Tupper has been trying to push himself out of his comfort zone in regard to being more social on campus. He had entered the rush season for fraternities last academic year a bit late, but showed interest in SigEp and TKE. This fall, he plans to rush TKE officially. He hopes joining a fraternity will help him find a group of interesting and passionate people to call friends.

There is no doubt the Tupper will continue to thrive and play an active role in the UMaine student body and community. His successes have taken him this far, and they will surely take him even farther.

5/5 Stars

The “Pitch Perfect” movie series consists of three silly, relatable and family-friendly movies following a group of diverse college aged girls who participate in a cappella. Jason More directed the first of three movies in 2012. Three years later, Elizabeth Banks directed the second film, both producing and starring in all three films as an a cappella competition spokesperson. Trish Sie produced and directed the third movie in 2017.

The story revolves around a first-year at Barden University, Beca Mitchell, who is played by Anna Kendrick. When entering college, Mitchell had her eyes set solely on producing music. However, when she met Aubrey Posen and Chloe Beal at the campus activities fair, as played by Anna Camp and Brittany Snow, she became a part of the Bellas, an all-female a cappella group. Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy, Hana Mai Lee as Lilly Onakuramara and Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose Adams all join the Bellas alongside Mitchell in the first film. 

The writers make a strong effort throughout the film franchise to ensure that the Bellas and the TrebleMakers, the male a cappella group at the same college, stand apart from each other. Benji Applebaum, played by Ben Platt, and Jesse Swanson, played by Skylar Austin, join this group at the same time as Beca joins the Bellas. Bumper Allen, played by Adam Devine, leads the TrebleMakers. 

Rotten Tomatoes gave the first movie 81% and IMDb gave a rating of 7.1 out of 10. The second and third movies in the series follow the same set of characters in addition to a few extra a cappella singers and are rated lower as the franchise goes on. 

The Bellas go international in “Pitch Perfect 2” (2015). The Bellas feel disappointed in their unsuccessful performance for President Barack Obama on his birthday — Obama actually starred in the movie during this scene.

During the World’s competition, the Bellas bring a bunch of surprises that really blow the minds of everyone in the audience. Hailee Steinfeld joins the group in this movie and shines light on how important it is to support one another. Personally, the end scene of the second movie where the Bellas perform is the best scene in all of the three movies. It’s really a must-see! 

The third movie verges more on action than comedy. “Pitch Perfect 3” (2017) starts out with a complication of scenes that express how everyones’ lives have been since college when Seinfeld tricks the girls into a reunion. At this point, the girls take on a tour journey where, one could say, all hell breaks loose. The girls still manage to share quite a few quirky, laughable moments with the audience throughout the film. The plot was also considerably more developed, a main reason why the audience enjoyed the third film.

There are rumors that a fourth film will be released in the near future, however, the date is uncertain due to production challenges. “Pitch Perfect” can currently be streamed on HBO, Hulu and Amazon Prime video platforms.

The week of March 29, 2021 is National Cleaning Week and National Second-Hand Shopping Week. National Cleaning Week is always the last week of March. 

Monday: National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day

March 29 celebrates a treat, as it is National Lemon Chiffon Cake. Feel free to bake, taste, and learn more about this delicious dessert. Although we should appreciate veterans every day of the year, this day also specifically appreciates Vietnam War veterans. Combine the two days by making a Lemon Chiffon cake for a veteran in your life.

Tuesday: National Walk in the Park Day and National Virtual Vacation Day

March 30 is National Walk in the Park Day and National Virtual Vacation Day. Given that the weather is becoming warm and sunny, we should all try and take a walk on this day. Due to COVID-19, likely we all are yearning for an out-of-this-world vacation, but within safety guidelines, it isn’t possible. Today is the day to take a virtual vacation. Explore where you may want to vacation in the future and set your sights on your own backyard or tabletop zen garden. Today is also National Doctors’ Day, so we should appreciate our health care and essential workers. Given these times, we should remain appreciative of these people who have a positive impact on our health and well-being on a daily basis. 

Wednesday: National Prom Day

March 31 is National Prom Day. The best way to celebrate this day is to turn your home into a dance floor and let loose. Have fun. Another way to celebrate this day is to eat clams on the half shell and celebrate National Clams on the Half Shell Day. This may require going on a family adventure, but take this opportunity to support local coastal restaurants and maintain social distancing guidelines by opting for outdoor seating and enjoy the fresh air. 

Thursday: April Fools’ Day

April 1 is April Fools’ Day. Today is the day to prank our friends and family members by cling-wrapping the toilet seat and rubber-banding the sink sprayer. This day also celebrates a couple of delicious foods: sourdough bread and burritos. If it’s possible, be sure to enjoy some toast in the morning, or a sandwich in the afternoon and a burrito for dinner — whatever works for you. Just make sure no one has pranked the toaster!

Friday: National PB&J Day

April 2 celebrates a childhood favorite — peanut butter and jelly. Whether or not there are kids in the house, be sure to eat one of these sandwiches on this day and throw it back to simpler times. If someone is allergic to peanut butter, feel free to use another nut or substitution butter to celebrate.

3/5 Stars

If you regularly enjoy waking up and tuning-in, but are sick of the doom and gloom of pandemic news, Apple TV’s “The Morning Show” might be for you. “The Morning Show” is a wake-up America type show in New York City centered around the lives of the people who are the cast and production members of a big-time production. Co-produced by Jay Carson and Kerry Ehrin through Apple TV, the show was filmed solely in Los Angeles, California, and released in 2019. 

Throughout the first season, the characters become both relatable and dislikeable as they face hardships and drama while attempting to keep their television news program afloat. The show may be considered controversial given that the show highlights a character who is suspected of sexual assault, however, many characters are relatable and enjoyable, such as Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon, who exemplify female power in the workplace.

The first season of the show earned a number of nominations and was the first Apple TV show to be nominated for a Grammy. “The Morning Show” was nominated for outstanding main title design and a Golden Globe for best television series in 2020. Aniston, starring as Alex Levy, won the Screen Actors’ Guild Award for outstanding performance by a female in a drama series. Additionally, she and co-star Witherspoon were nominated for Golden Globes in 2020. Martin Short earned the show a nomination for a primetime creative arts Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor in a drama series. Billy Crudup also won two awards for the show. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ehrin said a week after the first release date during an interview with Variety, “We’re writing the show now. We’ll film it this summer, and we’ll be on next November.” However, given the unpredictability of these times, the show has been amidst season two production for almost a year​. 

​If all goes as planned, the show will be ready for the season two release in October of 2021. ​Season two will feature all of the actors and actresses from season one, as there’s a lot of unresolved tension from the end of the first season.​ ​

Given that it was produced by Apple TV, the platform is the only place that has “The Morning Show” available for streaming. With 10 episodes so far, “The Morning Show” is easy to binge, so for all those looking for a weekend activity, gather the family or friends and stream “The Morning Show.”

University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy hosted “The Women in Leadership and Social Justice: The Importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” talk on March 15 at 4 p.m. This talk was a part of Women’s History Month and focused on discussing women’s issues and the importance of diversity. 

The talk featured three female panelists: Angela Okafor, a Bangor City Council member, attorney and business owner; Leigh Saufley, the dean of the UMaine School of Law and a former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and Shontay Delalue, the vice president for institutional equality and diversity at Brown University. 

The panelists spoke about inclusion and diversity in a professional setting, also touching on what inclusion and diversity means to them on a more personal basis. The panelists spoke of their own personal experiences and perspectives regarding social justice and equity in society.

In addition to leading the discussion of equity and social justice, President Ferrini-Mundy was able to provide insight from a more educational context as both the UMaine and UMaine Machias president. 

Saufley graduated from law school in 1980. “The number of women in law was about equal to the number of men,” she explained, saying how incredible this statistic was, as it was the first time that she had heard of these numbers being equal. 

Saufley also works for the University of Maine System. Saufley’s main focus in the talk was advocating for equal access to education. Saufley also noted that despite some demographic shifts for the better concerning women’s involvement in higher education, cost remains a “frequent barrier,” citing her experience in law school during the 1980s.

She recommends the educational system provide a larger, more varied pool of scholarships for education than what is already available to help mitigate this barrier. 

“There hasn’t been investment in this regard,” Saufley said. She noted this type of investment would make a huge positive impact and would therefore be worthwhile for the future of our country, but finding the money to implement systematic change can often be a challenge. 

“There has to be access assistance…[and that allocating resources for education] is something we [UMaine] can be intentional about,” Ferrini-Mundy said, in response to Saufley.

In a similar light to Saufley, Delalue explained how a longer discussion is necessary in order to really address financial barriers, but understood that a substantial shift in resources will be required to fulfill a meaningful discussion to further progress. 

Delalue then spoke of the difference between equality and equity as advice to students and young adults. First, she emphasized how important it is to find allies with patience and respect. 

“[One] undoes one-hundreds of years of an unhealthy and unfair system,” Delalue said. 

Okafor explained that we need to be inclusive in relation to one another and that purpose is an important aspect of diversity and inclusion. Noting the important role of empathy in cultural awareness, she explained how only when we enter conversations with openness about vulnerability and about our system, then we will be productive. 

“We all have limits to our own knowledge [so it is important that] diversity [be] an access point,” Okafor said. 

On Feb. 25, Wendy Kasten, the chair of Aging Well in Waldo County sponsored a talk regarding violence in education as part of the Waldo Reads Together Project. “Using Technology to Document Racial Violence: On Finding History We Don’t Want To Remember” featured guest speaker Karen Sieber, digital humanities expert at the McGillicuddy Humanities Center. Sieber attempted to answer the question, “How can we better connect the public given history and context?” Sieber took the audience on her personal journey to place an emphasis on how important this question truly is. 

Sieber began by explaining her interest in the intersection between travel and education as her primary motivator for her interest in her career. Sieber gave reference to Maurice Mayes’ Knoxville, Tennessee murder, the Red Summer and the Tulsa Massacre, Race Riots and the St. Louis Race Wars as significant historical events in the United States concerning violence and recognized as a cause for study. 

Sieber noted that these occurrences are widely not discussed and when searched online, she found that there were only fragments of information rather than whole perspectives. Additionally, she found that most of the information available to people about these events isn’t digital, which emphasizes issues of accessibility and drove Sieber to attempt to document all of the information available in something known as a digital archive. 

The digital archive that is now available uses an interactive timeline format which makes it a great resource for teachers across all grade levels to better utilize primary resources in the classroom. Similarly, this interactive timeline format makes learning about these instances in history more engaging and worthwhile for students. 

To accurately compile a digital archive, Sieber took a year-long road trip in 2015, traveling 7,500 miles, visiting 25 institutions and collecting over 700 documents in a variety of forms, including: court reports, photos, news clips, telegrams, cartoons, coroner’s reports, souvenirs and even meeting minutes relevant to the instances of violence she was interested in learning more about and about those she was interested in bringing attention towards. 

Sieber learned an immense amount from analyzing these documents by using an interactive geographical map to pinpoint similarities, differences and trends while analyzing the riots and was able to gain an understanding of the similarities and differences that had taken place throughout the country. 

From her information, Sieber noticed certain social trends which carried through multiple historical events. She thought it was important to note that the police and other enforcement authorities either tended to oppose riots or weren’t involved in any capacity. Additionally, she noted that the rioting crowds were overall “insensitive,” meaning that the people participating in these riots were of varying socioeconomic class, race and gender. 

Given the recent protests over police brutality throughout the country, this talk was especially relevant and meaningful. If people are interested in learning more about Sieber or her work, she may be found at www.ksieber.com. To access her digital archive, please visit www.visualizingtheredsummer.com. For more information on The Waldo Reads Together Project speaker series, visit https://agingwellinwaldocounty.org/waldo-reads-together/events/.

In 2003, the Black Eyed Peas collaborated with Justin Timberlake on the single “Where Is The Love?” after years of drafting portions of the song independently. The lead single from the group’s third studio album “Elephunk,” the song is a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The release ultimately peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Top 100. 

Over a decade later, the Black Eyed Peas released a second version of “Where Is The Love?” The song was revamped in 2016, this time addressing terrorist attacks happening worldwide, as well as the Syrian crisis, the ambush killings of police officers in Texas and the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Additionally, the revamp also reunited the members of the Black Eyed Peas, mirroring the unity the song came to be known for.

Lead member will.i.am. said in an NPR interview that he and the rest of the band members felt as though the world needed this song to arise again, as there were crises springing up throughout society that needed to be addressed. 

True to the original, Justin Timberlake contributed vocals. However, this time many others offered guest vocals, including Mary J. Blige, Nicole Scherzinger, Audra Day, Jessie J, The Game, A$AP Rocky and Usher. Although the arrangement and melody differ between versions, there are still some familiar aspects such as Justin Timberlake’s chorus during the song’s outro. 

Similar to the original, the revamp release addresses a wide variety of worldly issues. From terrorism, racism, gang crime and pollution to war, intolerance and violence toward the LGBTQ community, the Black Eyed Peas cover a wide range of political topics. The group was ahead of their time, as it was uncommon for mainstream artists to shed light on world issues in their music. 

Musically, “Where Is The Love?” is an upbeat anthem reflective of the group’s hope and optimism for the future. More specifically, the song shows us that the world needs to look forward toward our future with hope in mind, and that to reach a peaceful state we need to both trust and enforce systemic change. 

The accompanying music video for the 2016 “Where Is The Love?” is a masterpiece in itself. Aside from the band members from the Black Eyed Peas, a host of celebrities make cameos, such as DJ Khaled, Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg, Randy Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Vanessa Hudgens and Wiz Khalifa, among others. 

Proceeds from the release of the 2016 “Where Is The Love?” go towards the i.am.angel Foundation. The i.am.angel Foundation is a nonprofit founded by will.i.am which works to improve the lives of people around the world through education, inspiration and opportunity.

Jen Bonnet, Madelyn Woods and Anila Karunakar co-designed Fogler Library’s Racial Justice Challenge, one resource of many for celebrating Black History Month at the University of Maine. Bonnet is a social sciences and humanities librarian at the Fogler Library on campus, Woods is a Ph.D. student in earth and climate sciences and Karunakar serves as the director of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. The Racial Justice Challenge first launched in August of this past summer. 

“With the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks and other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) at the hands of police officers, we recognized that we were witnessing unprecedented numbers of people from all walks of life join the longstanding efforts by BIPOC to address and dismantle systemic racism in this country,” Bonnet explained. 

The goal, according to Bonnet, was to create a program that allowed as many people as possible to participate and commit to this work. The three went on to then create the Racial Justice Challenge. 

“[The program] is an asynchronous, online program open to anyone willing to and interested in doing this work,” Bonnet said. 

What’s great about the challenge is that students aren’t the only ones in the community who can participate. Students, faculty and staff on campus, as well as anyone with an internet connection and an email address, can participate in the program. 

An important fact to note about the Racial Justice Challenge is that it is a “self-paced program,” which remains online. This means that those who participate can engage with the material on their own time and at their own pace rather than requiring people to make a time and date commitment each week. 

The Racial Justice Challenge spans over five days. “Each day of the Challenge is comprised of several tasks designed to identify, unlearn, and undo systemic racism,” the website explains, which can be found here. The tasks present participants with a range of educational material and actions to take where they are invited to share their own insights and ideas so that everyone can learn from one another. Although this program functions in a remote capacity in order to keep everyone’s health a priority, participants are able to collaborate with one another. 

Here is a brief overview of the work that the challenge provides its participants. The goal of the first day focuses on beginning the conversation about racial justice. The key is that students are able to identify where they are “in their own anti-racist journey.” Day Two emphasizes the work of Ibram X Kendi regarding actionable approaches to being anti-racist, versus “not racist.” Day Three urges students to move beyond “the danger of a single story, in order to mitigate racist stereotypes and develop a more nuanced (and celebratory) understanding of BIPOC.” Day Four brings about the awareness of the media. Essentially, Day Four aims to “help participants identify ways to be critical and thoughtful consumers of media.” Day Five requires participants to create a personal anti-racism action plan. The goal of Day Five is to enforce the truth that anti-racism is a long-term commitment.

What’s astonishing to hear is the fact that “over 3000 people have signed up, including folks from the University of Maine, from the greater Maine community, from states across the nation, and even from some international locations,” Bonnet said. Given that February is Black History Month, the three co-designers are encouraging the campus community to visit (or revisit) the challenge, and to commit to doing this work. 

Karunakar and her staff in the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, have coordinated and designed a slate of programs for Black History Month. In a UMaine News article, the University of Maine provided a list of Black History Month related events. 

Additionally, the Black Student Union has planned a list of events. On Feb. 20, the Husson African Student Association is hosting Culture Night where diversity through performance art will be celebrated. Additionally, the Speaking LIFE Panel is being held on Feb. 22. The Speaking LIFE Panel is an interactive discussion with undergraduates, graduates and alumni from the University of Maine. For more information on upcoming news and events, visit https://umaine.edu/diversity-and-inclusion/.

5/5 Stars

Rotten Tomatoes rates “Black Panther,” directed by Ryan Coogler, as the No. 1 Black History Month movie on their top watch list. Sit down with the action and adventure film and enjoy jumping back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a way to passively take part in the importance of Black History Month. “Black Panther” is available for streaming on Disney+ with a runtime of two hours and 15 minutes.  

Like many other Marvel movies, the film, co-written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, was based on the classic Marvel comics written by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Starring the late Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, many other notable actors were cast such as Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Letitia Wright as Shuri and Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia. Regarded as a fantastic film for costume design, Ruth Carter designed the intricate costumes. 

The film is widely praised throughout the United States as it is a movie that’s accessible for all fans, whether you have or haven’t watched a Marvel movie, to enjoy. Dan Buffa of KSDK News (St. Louis) elaborates on this idea.

“Here’s the thing: you can enjoy Black Panther without having seen a single Marvel film beforehand.” He goes on to explain how Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, “has a confidence and ability to dig deep into a part that seems superficial on the surface, and makes it incredibly fun to watch.” 

Kelechi Ehenulo from Confessions of a Geek Mind touches on how this film relates to movements such as the Black Lives Matter and the civil rights movements. 

“Black Panther not only stands up as a Hollywood blockbuster but conveys an adult and chronological context that touches upon slavery, the Civil Rights movement, Black Lives Matter and the current African-American plight,” Ehenulo said. 

Additionally, in her review of the 2018 Black Panther film, she proves to audiences everywhere that this is Marvel at its best. 

Ricardo Gallegos, a popular film critic, went into depth on the power behind this film.

“Black Panther is not just a superhero flick, it’s a meaningful cultural hit that shows the power of diversity to tear down walls,” Gallegos writes via Rotten Tomatoes. 

Overall, on IMDb, the 2018 Black Panther earned 7.3 stars out of 10. The movie won three Oscar awards: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score), Best Achievement in Costume Design and Best Achievement in Production Design. The film was nominated for numerous other Oscar Awards, Golden Globe Awards, the BAFTAAwards and the Screen Actors Guild.