Review – The INSIDER

Emo, Scene, Goth or Punk?

November 7, 2020 newspaper Review0 comment

If I had a penny every time people confused these genres… First of all, scene is not a music genre, it’s just a fashion. It’s characterized by bright colours, whereas emo, which is also a music genre, is often associated with the colour black. In other words, scene kids will often have brightly dyed hair and neon clothing, which is why they are nicknamed “neon-emos”, whereas emo kids will often be dressed in black and have black hair. This, of course, are the extremes of the two…

Voices

Immigration Nation

October 12, 2020October 12, 2020 newspaper Activism, Review0 comment

Netflix’s newest docuseries, Immigration Nation, gives a behind the scenes look into the secretive world of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency, most commonly known as the ICE. As Canadians, we are used to American-centric news and media. You may be thinking, “What does this have to with me, a Canadian?” To which I respond, it may not affect you personally, but being silent and uninformed about this subject is complicity. Despite being difficult to sit through, this docuseries is a necessary watch to anyone who even fathoms…

Voices

Dead to Me, a Feminist Masterpiece

October 11, 2020 newspaper Activism, Review0 comment

“What kind of feminist am I? I can’t picture a woman driving a car!” Normalize women casually calling themselves feminists in TV shows! One of the issues with this line, spoken by Jen, one of the main characters, might be how this could encourage viewers to think “Oh she’s a feminist, no wonder she’s crazy”. (I wrote that in the voice of a certain anti-feminist Sagittarius I know, or knew rather). This article will actually disprove that claim. For starters, no one in the show attributes the…

Entertainment

What’s The Deal With: Super Mario Odyssey – First Impressions

January 4, 2018 BeNjamyn Upshaw-Ruffner Nintendo, Review, Switch, Videogame0 comment

Not long after picking up the controller and starting to play Super Mario Odyssey, does one realize how insanely fun it is. It’s abundantly clear that Nintendo has crafted another masterful example of the platforming genre of games, which Mario himself helped create back in the 1980s. Even after playing for 10 hours, there’s no end to the collecting of Power Moons in sight. Odyssey represents a continuation of the more openended 3D Mario games such as 64 and Sunshine, and there are many more layers on top…

Entertainment

Watch Marvel’s Daredevil – Find The Product Placement

December 16, 2017 newspaper Review, Savings0 comment

Daredevil is a series available to watch, alongside a wide variety of movies, through Netflix, which is saving people time and money. With Netflix, one may stream films and shows directly to a TV, computer, or tablet, all at the press of a button. Visit the website for a free monthly trial. As it turns out, many of the characters in Daredevil just so happen to have the same, or perhaps similar-looking, Samsung phones. Did you know that Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 is water resistant? That’s very handy making…

Entertainment

Sonic (Deviant Art) Forces & Knuckles

December 12, 2017 newspaper Friendship, Review, Sci-Fi, Switch, Videogame0 comment

This is an action-packed game! My character has a backstory that is too broad to mention, being an ally with all the protagonists known in the Sonic universe which I’ve written about. I’m a notable member of a prestigious art community on a website that I will not mention for the sake of anonymity. For years, many of my literary works in the form of fiction have been published online and positively received by thousands of scholarly partisans worldwide. Most comments consist of remarks such as “Wow! Awesome! Amazing!…

Entertainment

What’s The Deal With: Pit – A “Kid Icarus Uprising” Retrospective

November 29, 2017 BeNjamyn Upshaw-Ruffner Review, Super Smash Bros., Videogame0 comment

I begin playing Kid Icarus: Uprising and the very first line of dialogue has Pit saying: “Sorry to keep you waiting.”, as he dives into the first level. Pit’s statement is acknowledging the fact that the previous Kid Icarus game in the series was released over twenty years ago, as of 2012, on the Game Boy in 1991. I’m pleased by the reality that this game would have been worth the long wait for someone growing up in the early nineties. Uprising is the direct sequel to Kid Icarus,…

Entertainment

My experience with Tamagotchi

November 21, 2017 newspaper Review0 comment

Most of us remember Tamagotchi being a popular craze from our elementary school days. All your classmates had them, and they were a fun way to connect with friends. For those who don’t know about them, they are a virtual pet originating in Japan, that you must feed and care for. They are small and portable, so you can care for your Tamagotchi on the go. Unfortunately, the toys are no longer sold in stores outside of Japan due to decline in popularity. However, Tamagotchi turned 20 years old this…

Entertainment

What’s the Deal With: Abed Nadir – Community

November 16, 2017November 16, 2017 BeNjamyn Upshaw-Ruffner Friendship, Review0 comment

Before Dan Harmon teamed up with Justin Roiland to unleash Rick and Morty onto the world, he had another hit show: Community, a sitcom based around the eccentric antics of a Spanish class study group in a community college. While each character in this show had unique personality quirks, one stands as more quirky than the rest. He is obsessed with pop culture, aspires to be a filmmaker, and will reference a comparable moment from film or television no matter what his situation. He is Abed Nadir, a beloved character…

Entertainment

What’s the deal with: Lucifer Morningstar – “The Sandman Presents: Lucifer”

October 31, 2017October 31, 2017 BeNjamyn Upshaw-Ruffner Review0 comment

In the comic: “The Sandman Presents: Lucifer” (three issue mini-series from 1999), Mike Carey presents an intricate, and at times, empathetic portrayal of the devil. The basic plot is that the once-lord-of-hell Lucifer has resigned from his post, in order to retire as a jazz bar owner in L.A. until one day, the Angel Amenadiel offers Lucifer a deal to work as a third-party on behalf of Heaven. His ensuing adventure on earth tasks him with destroying ‘the voiceless gods’: born from the minds of proto-humans without language or…