Silent Witness - North Shore Community College

Page 10 – NSCC Pennon
“The Last House on the Left”
vs. “The Haunting in
Connecticut”
BY: NELSON BAKER
Both of these movies
are superior depictions of horror.
They are two very different
stories that resonate longer than
others because of their shock
value and unpredictable endings.
Not only that, aside from a
lot of the other movies out there,
these two keep you into it every
step of the way, as long as you
can handle it.
The Last House on the
Left begins with a young girl
hanging out with her friends.
Without any warning, a trio of
strangers enter the scene, led by
a man who has just escaped
from prison. Director Dennis
Lliadis brings to the screen a
terrifying sense of realism in
knowing life should never be
taken for granted. They are
cold, hostile, and cannot be convinced
of anything outside their
homicidal ways of thinking.
The girls suffer a series
of attacks that will inspire in
you the need to jump into the
film and help them out in any
way you can. It becomes
increasingly violent and emotionally
wrenching, but soon the
tables are turned as revenge
becomes a factor. The battle
rages on until some of them are
dead. In the end, you feel some
sense of satisfaction through the
madness of what has happened.
The Haunting in
Connecticut also begins so that
you get a feel for the actors and
the atmosphere as a family is
settling into a new home in a
quiet town. Their son is battling
cancer, with things not looking
so good for him. At an almost
perfect pace, the story plays out
provocatively with just the right
amount of clues given to you
from time to time about why
strange things are happening.
The house that they have moved
to has many secrets, and these
secrets would make you want
out of that house as soon as possible.
They stay, but as death
draws near to the one dying of
cancer, he wonders if what he is
seeing is real or just in his mind.
When they find out their home
was once a mortuary, he knows
that he is not crazy, and he
needs to do something about the
evil that is taking over their
home, or die trying.
This film is directed by
Peter Cornwell, who seems to
know exactly how to build up
your fears, and then surprise
you when you least expect it.
Without giving anything away,
near the end of the movie, you
will see dozens of bodies that
have been dead for many years,
be covered with flames. Even
though this may sound tragic or
disgusting to some, it actually
strengthens the meaning of the
story.
Nobody likes to have
horrible things happen to them,
though they happen every day.
In watching a film like these,
your stomach may feel funny
from all the brutality. You may
jump in your seat or have to
cover your eyes for a couple of
seconds. Sometimes even, the
bad guy wins. As long as you
feel for the victims, there is
nothing wrong with enjoying
the action.
You may even learn something;
think of ways you would react
that may have been more effective
than what was in the movie.
You can’t hide from horror your
whole life. You might as well
take a look once in a while.
After all, a movie is often a
replica of a true story. It is life.
It is here with us, whether we
like it or not. If by chance something
happens to you, will you
have the brains and the will to
try and save yourself and maybe
someone you love, or will you
not be ready for something like
this? The sad part is that people
are being killed in this country,
and you never really know
when someone could tap you on
the shoulder with a weapon, and
a rage that has been surging
inside of him since he was a
teenager. You need to have the
mindset where you can be ready
for anything. Everyone is vulnerable
at times, but acting
when you know you have to
could mean the difference
between life and death. We all
can agree that this is precious,
and should not easily be given
away, not to anyone.
Talent Show Review
BY: NELSON BAKER
The pressure was on.
The night had finally arrived.
The talent show performers
were locked and loaded. The
lights came on, illuminating the
stage from within a dark room.
Announcers Nicole Giunta and
Matthew Liggiero walked onto
the platform along with Mike
Watt, who is running for
Student Government president,
while the judges remained seated
close by. The show was
underway.
With so much variety
coming from the performers, the
night definitely had its
moments. Popping is a unique
style of dance that Marcus
Canastaro and Sarto Yun has a
love for. Though they were very
different from one another, both
did a solid job with their routines.
Dancing to a Batman
soundtrack, Rachel Sawyer had
the most unique idea. There was
no nervousness coming from
her. She even found ways to
make us laugh during her routine.
There were two students
who played instruments.
Tanya Green performed
Beethoven on her violin while
Derek Bonia, who taught himself
how to play, performed a
piano medley.
Singing was a popular
act on this night. Nicole
Broussard gave a heartfelt performance
with her song “Send
Me an Angel”. During Wade
Sutherlands’ song, a young lady
walked on stage, giving her
hand to him. Regina Sayers
sang the popular song by Taylor
Swift called “Love Song”, with
13 year old Olivia using sign
language alongside her. They
received a third place award.
Also singing was
Daniel Joseph, with two reggae
songs that he sang with a vigorous
and motivating energy.
The only band to perform,
named “A City Asleep”,
exploded with their own vivacious
force. Definitely in sync
with each other, they played like
a band with a desire to punch
PHOTO BY:
KYLE DONAHUE
through into stardom without
looking back. They got the second
place nod.
Winning first place
was Jose Rivera and Sabrina
Delance with two combined
styles of salsa dancing. They
mesmerized the audience with
an almost perfect routine. Jose
stayed focused and in control,
while the beautiful Sabrina followed
his every step. It was
hard not to watch their every
move because this kind of performance
deserved its attention.
Judge and
Dean of Students Lloyd
Holmes stole the show
offstage. He gave his
perspective on each performance,
explaining in
detail what he thought
of their routines. People
in their seats chanted
“Simon” when he
spoke, referring to
Simon from American
Idol. Though he said
exactly what he felt to
each of the performers,
at the same time, he was
fair.
Not a fan of rock music,
Lloyd said to the second place
winners “For the first time in
my life, I listened to that kind of
music and didn’t think it was
just noise”. For someone that
has never liked this style of
music, this was a huge compliment.
It isn’t easy to change
someone’s opinion. He also said
that they were “true performers”.
Of course he had plenty to
say about the winners, including
how great of a performance it
was.
On April 17th, the
Talent Show was a Friday night
that was well worth its time. The
performers had a forum to display
what they’ve learned with
the things that they love to do.
The crowd was into it, the
judges gave their genuine opinions,
and the winners went
home with cash. Money is
always something that will raise
an eyebrow, but knowing that
you have excelled in something,
maybe even inspired a few people;
this is the kind of prize that
you will remember.