The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The student-run community news site of Vermont State University - Johnson

Basement Medicine

The Self-Guided Missile

One man’s trash is another man’s sculpture

Alli McLaughlin, Staff Reporter September 23, 2021

Just inside the Dibden Center for Fine Arts within the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, local artist Matt Neckers has constructed nostalgic, playful sculptures in an exhibit titled “The Self-Guided Missile.” The...

My desperate search and love for “Grass”

My desperate search and love for “Grass”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Managing Editor September 23, 2021

For my last semester of Reel Bad, I want to focus mainly on movies that mean something to me. To kick off, I figure I may as well start with “Grass,” a movie about two girls smoking a backpack full...

“In Secret,” secretly amazing

“In Secret,” secretly amazing

Samantha Brodzinski, Contributor May 3, 2021

Everyone can enjoy a sweet romance story every once in a while, even those who think they are rather cheesy. However, what happens when the sweet story turns sickening in the blink of an eye? I recently...

Piecasso’s nice, but the price...

Piecasso’s nice, but the price…

Samantha Brodzinski, Contributor May 3, 2021

Over this past year, we have all grown accustomed to being inside and remaining distant from others. Sadly, this meant not being able to enjoy going to our favorite restaurants, where we most likely had...

Is immortality worth it?

Is immortality worth it?

James Mello, Contributor May 3, 2021

“What if death was the only thing left to control?” Death is the one enemy no one can defeat in the end. In Neal Shusterman’s “Scythe,” we see what happens to society if that enemy does in fact...

Murdered for wearing shoes

Murdered for wearing shoes

Marcus Allen, Staff Reporter May 3, 2021

What does it take to survive in a dystopian hellscape where you can be murdered for simply wearing shoes? This question, among others, is posed in Octavia E. Butler’s stellar 1993 novel “Parable of...

Burgers, booze and a bargain: blissful Blackbird Bistro

Burgers, booze and a bargain: blissful Blackbird Bistro

Opal Savoy, Web Editor May 3, 2021

I’ve lived in Craftsbury, Vermont since before I could walk. As long as I’ve lived there, the town has never seen a true restaurant established in its limits—until now. In the winter of 2019-2020,...

The dude abides

The dude abides

Rebecca Flieder, Copy Editor May 3, 2021

Sometimes when you’re down and out, it’s just nice to watch a nice family movie about pissing on rugs, German kidnappers, and a case of mistaken identity. Of course, you won’t find a new family-friendly...

Reel Bad? No, I said Reel BAT

Reel Bad? No, I said Reel BAT

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor May 3, 2021

There’s no arguing that 1997’s “Batman and Robin” was cinema’s greatest failure to present the caped crusaders on screen. That said, there’s a special place in my heart for Batman’s first...

A much maligned magnificent masterpiece

A much maligned magnificent masterpiece

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor April 12, 2021

Oatmeal raisin cookies! For anybody who hasn’t run screaming, let’s talk about these delightfully packaged sources of... oatmeal and raisins. I’m not exactly the most food-oriented person in the...

telegraph.co.uk

Del Toro has a bit of Gothic fun

Samantha Brodzinski, Contributor April 12, 2021

Everyone loves a good ghost story, especially one that takes place in a beautifully enticing and spooky location. The idea of dancing in a mansion where snow is falling through the roof to light yet striking...

vocalist Lila Ramani

“Trophy” wows

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor April 12, 2021

“Trophy” is the latest single by Brooklyn-based indie rock band Crumb, and have I been waiting for it--Crumb is far and away my favorite band, and they’re one of the only modern musicians I actively...

The time of takeout

The time of takeout

Opal Savoy, Web Editor April 12, 2021

It’s not easy to get out of the house these days, and when it comes to finding safe opportunities to indulge in the finer things in life, there aren’t a whole lot of options. However, there is something...

Burger Barn: an old favorite during this new normal

Burger Barn: an old favorite during this new normal

Marcus Allen, Staff Reporter April 12, 2021

Burgers are about as American as Hulk Hogan. The classic American cheeseburger was always a favorite of mine and has always been my go-to when judging a dining establishment’s quality. I have this rule:...

“The Last Chase”

“The Last Chase”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor April 12, 2021

“In the near future, evil fascists have forced everyone to recycle and drive electric cars.” That’s the first sentence on the back cover’s description of “The Last Chase,” which came out in...

Dibden puts on virtual show

Opal Savoy, Web Editor March 18, 2021

“The Monument,” written and performed by Northern Vermont University-Johnson students, brings small town life in the COVID age to the small screen. The homegrown project, done in collaboration with...

Green Mountains Review amplifies: “Black Voices”

Green Mountains Review amplifies: “Black Voices”

Jimmy Mello, Contributor March 18, 2021

The horrific murder of George Floyd in 2020 further fueled the Black Lives Matter movement across the nation as the issue of systemic racism in the United States gained greater prominence in the news media,...

Get your Viking on: “Valheim”

Get your Viking on: “Valheim”

Opal Savoy, Web Editor March 18, 2021

Now, I’m quite sure I’m not the only nerd out there that noticed the trend in popular media that has gripped the gaming, TV and literary scenes for quite some. I am, of course, speaking of the myriad...

Coke with coffee is a surprising success

Coke with coffee is a surprising success

Rebecca Flieder, Editor in Chief March 18, 2021

I imagine the Coca-Cola executives sitting in a big, fancy board room on a penthouse somewhere warm, wearing matching Coca-Cola ties and branded water bottles as they sip experimental versions of Coke...

When in doubt, assume it’s aliens

When in doubt, assume it’s aliens

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor March 18, 2021

I went into “The Faculty” about as blind as I could— I knew it had something to do with teachers and aliens, but that was about it. As a result, there was a moment which should not have come as a...

A herr-razing tale!

A herr-razing tale!

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor March 3, 2021

A lot happened in the ‘60s. Among the rubble from that trip of a decade, we find a film named “They Saved Hitler’s Brain,” the kind of title which prompts only one reaction--”I wonder what this...

Eat This!

Eat This!

Justin Robertiello, Contributor March 3, 2021

I grew up eating the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage every St. Patrick’s Day thanks to my mom’s devotion to her Irish descent. My only question, like with a lot of holiday meals, is, “why...

“Spider-Man: Miles Morales”:  a modern, community-minded hero

“Spider-Man: Miles Morales”: a modern, community-minded hero

Jimmy Mello, Contributor March 3, 2021

“A hero is just a guy who doesn’t give up.” I’ve loved Spider-Man for as long as I can remember, both the amazing powers and the incredible responsibility brought with them. Truly, he is one of...

New Fu Lins pre pandemic

New Fu Lin’s does cheap and greasy right

Marcus Allen, Staff Reporter March 3, 2021

Who doesn’t love cheap, greasy Chinese food? It’s filling until it hits midnight and you end up wanting more, the portions are immense and best of all, it tastes fantastic, hitting all the fat, sugar...

Trauma, pinball and cults: “Tommy”

Trauma, pinball and cults: “Tommy”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor November 28, 2020

Released in 1969, the Who’s fourth album, “Tommy,” was the album that coined the term rock opera. While “S.F. Sorrow” by the Pretty Things was released in 1968 and is widely regarded as the first,...

Investigating the CIA: “Wind of Change”

Investigating the CIA: “Wind of Change”

Emmett Avery, Staff Reporter November 28, 2020

From the ghostly whistling intro, the song “Wind of Change” by the Scorpions is weirdly riveting. It was released in 1990, and as Patrick Radden Keefe says in his recent podcast, also called “Wind...

“Sharknado”

“Sharknado”

Soleil Devyn Borthwick, Copy Editor November 28, 2020

When I finally got around to watching 2013’s bluntly titled “Sharknado,” I was expecting two things—sharks and tornadoes. What I was not expecting was family drama, uncomfortable romance and dialogue...

The Idiot Gamer: Death Coming

The Idiot Gamer: “Death Coming”

Rebecca Flieder, Editor in Chief November 28, 2020

I won’t lie; I love a good puzzle game. So when I saw that “Death Coming” by NExT Interactive was only $7 on the Epic Games store, I couldn’t resist. “Death Coming” isn’t just your run of...

The idiot gamer: Skyrim

The idiot gamer: Skyrim

Rebecca Flieder, Editor in Chief November 13, 2020

I am and have always been an idiot when it comes to gaming. Sure, I’m nerdy, but the games I’m usually drawn to make “proper” gamers turn up their noses: “Minecraft” and “Animal Crossing”...

Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) and
Abbie Hofman (Sacha Baron Cohen)

Drama in “Chicago 7”

Emmett Avery, Staff Reporter November 13, 2020

The war in Vietnam was not going well in 1968, and although some 16,000 police and national guard were deployed to the streets of Chicago, the Democratic National Convention in that city did not go well...

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