nerdvsreality-blog

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Balance to the Force

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, there was a prophecy of one who would bring balance to the Force. “The Last Jedi”, the eighth episode in the Star Wars saga, did a perfect job bringing balance to the Star Wars franchise. (Spoiler warning! This post will be full of spoilers but if you want to know whether or not you should go see “The Last Jedi” you need to.) Balance has always been a heavy theme throughout Star Wars and I believe “The Last Jedi” goes above and beyond in depicting it.

From the opening credits of the film one could see the immediate similarities between Episode VIII and Episode V. I mean there’s a group of rebels fleeing from an imperial ship, but there are so many nods to Episode V throughout “The Last Jedi”. Yoda appears to Luke in his Force ghost form but Yoda’s appearance is more like his puppet style in the original trilogy instead of his animated style in Episodes I-III. The events that happen to Rey on Ahch-To are extremely similar to what happens to Luke when he goes to Dagobah. Both are seeking out a hidden Jedi master, Rey and Luke learn the ways of the Force and other Jedi arts, both are mysteriously led to areas where the dark side of the Force is extremely prominent, and both Rey and Luke leave their Jedi master to go help their friends and face their adversaries (Kylo Ren and Darth Vader). “The Last Jedi” also brought up many important points from past films about the flaws of the Jedi. I thought it was very interesting how Luke explained to Rey that the Jedi council was blind to the rising of Darth Sidious. It seemed that Luke had come to terms with something that so many Jedi before him couldn’t even fathom which really shows how wise Luke has become. Episodes I – III show how blind the Jedi have become to the dark side of the Force and “The Last Jedi” does an amazing job showing all aspects of the Force and how balance is restored to the universe. Rey has also become wise and very in touch with the Force. She recognized the conflict within Kylo Ren and was willing to try to turn him (much like Luke towards Darth Vader). Rey even saw through Kylo’s feeble attempt to rule the galaxy together, which is of course another very common theme throughout Star Wars. After watching “The Last Jedi”, I felt that the film did a good job of balancing what fans love about the old Star Wars and melding it with the excitement of today’s new Star Wars.

There are so many things that I enjoyed about “The Last Jedi” that its hard to put it all down to words. I loved seeing how both Rey and Kylo Ren have grown in their studies of the Force to become essentially Yin and Yang of each other. It was a great way to visualize the concept of the light and dark sides of the Force. I had noticed the circular hair pin worn by Vice Admiral Holdo made it appear that she was wearing a halo which I thought was kind of poetic when she sacrificed herself to save the Resistance. I liked how the casino of Canto Bight gave of vibes of Monaco and the fact that the Cantina Band song was playing in the background was a really nice touch. It was important to me that they showed how the arms dealers on Canto Bight sold to both the First Order and the Resistance, it was a good way to show how not everyone is perfect including the Resistance. My favorite new creatures were the porgs and the caretakers of Ahch-To. I loved the fish/nun-like appearance of them and they reminded me of something from the Jim Henson universe. The porgs are adorable and I hate that they were designed so people would want to buy stuffed animals because I want them all!

I do have a couple questions that I hope will be answered in Episode IX. In Episode I, Yoda says “Always two there are, a master and an apprentice” so will Kylo Ren get an apprentice? Also, will the little boy who we see use the force at the end of the film become Rey’s apprentice? Will the films show any more Force sensitive people and will Rey become their teacher? And like everyone else, I wonder what will happen to General Leia after the passing of Carrie Fisher? Fisher did an amazing performance in “The Last Jedi” and she will be treasured forever for her role in the Star Wars franchise.

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Revved up for the Second Grand Tour

  Cars have always been fascinating to me and I have always wanted to learn more about them. I was recently introduced to a show called “Top Gear” and I immediately fell in love with the three sassy British men explaining, driving, crashing, and building cars. I now know what makes a super car, that a dune buggy chassis is the same as a VW Bug, and how loud a v12 engine roars and it’s all thanks to Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. These three men are known throughout the world as car experts, the “Top Gear” guys have traveled to over 30 different countries on the show. Even now Jeremy Clarkson is the celebrity endorser in a new Jaguar commercial. However, sadly in 2015 Jeremy Clarkson left “Top Gear” and the BBC after a fight with a producer and Hammond and May left with him.  Things looked dismal for their fans across the globe until the trio was picked up for a new show on AmazonPrime. This new show is called the Grand Tour (GT is TG [Top Gear] backwards) and the second season premieres online on December 8, 2017. With Clarkson, Hammond, and May no longer restricted by the BBC they finally had a chance to spread their wings and let their automotive passion fly. Amazon has a budget of $1.2 – 4.9 million per episode of the “Grand Tour” which means more cars, more destinations, more crazy challenges, and most importantly more explosions! Amazon knows that Clarkson, Hammond, and May are worth every penny and Amazon stated that the number of Prime subscribers substantially increased after the “Grand Tour” pilot aired. I am very excited to see what the second season of “The Grand Tour” has in store. I loved watching the three test out the newest electric cars from Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari, build “environmentally friendly” cars, and drive around Namibia in dune buggies. The show has a different format than the original format Clarkson developed for “Top Gear” but the change is good and the show has even more good qualities than “Top Gear”. For those of you who need a little more convincing to check out “The Grand Tour” it has a 95% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (86% critic rating). So, if you want a fun way to learn about cars or watch three grown men compete to be the biggest idiot, I highly recommend that you check out “The Grand Tour”    

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Marvel times Infinity   

After the first time I saw Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, I have been in love with the Marvel Universe. Marvel has not only brilliantly brought comic book characters to life for the past 10 years but has also changed Hollywood. Marvel has changed how superhero movies are made, how they are marketed, and created the post-credit scene sensation. It’s hard to believe that there are currently 17 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that at least five more films are on the way, but one of the most anticipated Marvel movies is Avengers: Infinity War. Avengers: Infinity War is the third installment of the Avengers saga and will feature over 60 Marvel characters that we’ve come to know and love. The two-minute long trailer for this movie was released on November 29th and within 24 hours had over 230 million views! That’s an average of almost 10 million views an hour. This just shows how much anticipation there is for this movie that won’t even be released until May 4, 2018. Marvel fans have been crowding movie theaters since the release of Iron Man in 2008 and their numbers have constantly increased. The Marvel franchise has grossed more than $13 billion worldwide and that number will only grow with Black Panther coming out in February and Infinity War in May of next year. I watched the trailer twice as soon as I woke up on the 29th. It was super exciting, in my opinion, to see Captain America walk out of the shadows with a beard, wearing a darker suit. It is kind of surprising to see Captain America run into battle without his shield but I’m more worried about the fate of some of my other favorite characters. Rumor has it that someone is going to die and I have a feeling Vision will be one of them but I don’t think I can handle anything happening to Captain America. If you would like to watch the Infinity War trailer you can check it out here.

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Thanksgiving’s Time to Shine

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is waking up early to eat cinnamon rolls, help my mom cook, and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Dog Show. This has become a time-honored tradition for us and we enjoy every minute of it. This will be the 91st Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and it will feature 12 marching bands, 27 parade floats, and 31 balloons.  Both as a child and as an adult, I love watching my favorite characters take balloon form and seeing the intricate parade floats but as I have grown older I have realized that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a PR stunt. I know that sounds kind of cynical but I don’t see the marketing motives behind the parade as something negative at all. Macy’s has given the country a chance to come together and celebrate things that make our culture great! This is a celebration of creativity and passion and a unique way for people to share their gifts with the community. I always enjoy learning about what is up and coming on Broadway and it is fun to see how big organizations like Delta Airlines, Ocean Spray, and KFC show their creativity. This year some new organizations have gotten involved with the celebration. Bimbo Breads, Green Giant, Sour Patch Kids, and Sprout/Universal Kids will bring new floats to the parade. There are also new balloons that highlight what is popular in our culture today. Jett from Super Wings, Chase from PAW Patrol, Dr. Seuss’ Grinch, and Olaf from Frozen will all be featured as balloons in this year’s parade. I’m excited for the return of the SpongeBob SquarePants, Red Ranger, and Pikachu balloons and the Sesame Street float. Who doesn’t want to see a 78 foot long Power Ranger? These balloons and floats remind me of my childhood and its cool to see how popular children’s characters have changed. Since the world is constantly changing its great to have such a fantastical tradition to celebrate the changing times and to remind us of things that have brought us joy in the past. I love watching the parade with my mom and I will do my best to carry on this tradition for as long as I am able! If you would like to learn more, Macy’s has an interactive website where you can learn all about the Thanksgiving Day Parade and you can check it out here. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

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The Floor is LEGOs!

Few things on this Earth are as painful as stepping on a piece of LEGO but can you imagine staying in a house made entirely out of the amazing children’s toy? The LEGO Group has teamed up with Airbnb and has launched a contest for LEGO fans to win a night in a house made completely out of Legos! The 25 million LEGO brick house is located in the same town as The LEGO Group’s headquarters, Billund, Denmark. When they say everything in this house is made out of LEGO they mean everything: alarm clock, couch, TV, beds, books, and even a pet cat. The beds are in a giant pool of LEGOs located under a six-meter-tall LEGO waterfall and there are armchairs made out of DUPLOs. The number one rule of the LEGO House is that play is mandatory! Guests can create all the comforts of home, build robotic cars, direct their own LEGO movie, and hangout with LEGO Masterbuilder Jamie Berard. There is even an official LEGO brick molding machine in the house’s lobby so the possibilities are endless! To enter the contest and learn more about the LEGO house, LEGO fans must go to this link and answer the following question “If you and your family had an infinite supply of LEGO bricks, what would you build?” All entries must be completed by November 16 and winners will be flown into Denmark from all over the world. The contest winners will arrive at the LEGO House on November 24 and you must be able to spend the night in the house. For more photos and videos of the amazing LEGO House click here.

The LEGO House could be your private playground. Brickfast included. Enter for a chance to win this #NightAt: https://t.co/PkMFrHehWo pic.twitter.com/fgdwuUeSAP

— Airbnb (@Airbnb) November 2, 2017

I think this LEGO house campaign is an excellent way to highlight what both Airbnb and The LEGO Group stand for; having magical adventures and building memories. LEGO’s popularity has increased in recent years due to the LEGO movies and video games. I think this campaign is an attempt to get The LEGO Group’s audience to get back to basics and play, think, build, create with LEGOs. It was very smart of The LEGO Group to team up with Airbnb because Airbnb has changed the way people plan and book vacations. James McClure, Airbnb’s GM for UK and Nordics, stated “Airbnb is all about helping people find magical and unforgettable travel experiences. What could be more magical than having the brand new LEGO House all to yourselves for the night? This really is a dream come true for any family with a passion for LEGO!” This campaign has opened up the possibilities to travel with LEGOs and hopefully more LEGO houses will pop up all over the world. I know as a kid I always wanted to build a life-size house of LEGOs so you better believe that I will be entering this contest!

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“Coco” Stands Strong

Disney Pixar films are usually received with excitement and anticipation but Pixar received some backlash on their latest film “Coco”. The film “Coco” brings the beautiful culture behind the Dia de los Muertos to the world however there are some who would disagree. Some people have said that “Coco” is basically a rehash of the movie “The Book of Life” released in 2014. But most of the critics of “Coco” are concerned about Disney’s motives behind making this movie. Many in the Latinx community feel that Disney is just trying to make a profit off of a very personal and family oriented holiday. In 2013 Disney attempted to trademark the phrase “Day of the Dead” so they could use it in merchandising. This trademark attempt lead to a huge outcry against Disney saying they were disrespecting the holiday. Even though this incident was four years ago many people in the Latinx community have not forgotten and Pixar has had to work double time to resolve this conflict and to show that “Coco” is a homage to Dia de los Muertos.

Pixar has been doing a great job promoting their new film and melding it with Dia de los Muertos festivities. The world premiere of the film “Coco” was at the Morelia film festival and it was officially released in Mexico on October 27 timing it perfectly with the start of the holiday. This release date was done as a sign of respect for it does not premiere in the US until November 22. Pixar has also created a large public art campaign with outdoor ads, “Coco” inspired murals from local artists, and even a “Coco” float in Mexico City’s Dia de los Muertos parade.

Pepita joins the #DiaDeMuertos parade in #MexicoCity! #PixarCoco #CocoLaPelicula (via @RenetPinet) pic.twitter.com/4oXsUsuKcK

— Lee Unkrich (@leeunkrich) October 28, 2017

The film’s co-director also went to schools in San Miguel to teach young fans about how “Coco” is a celebration of their culture.

#PixarCoco co-director @AdrianTheMolina met some very excited Coco fans at a school in San Miguel! pic.twitter.com/m9Z3p0mG0J

— Disney•Pixar's Coco (@pixarcoco) November 2, 2017

 I personally think it is neat how Disney Pixar has embraced the importance of this holiday in the Latinx community and how they are using the holiday’s festivities to their advantage to promote the film. I wish they had publicized this fact more so more people could see Pixar’s PR brilliance. “Coco” will be released in the U.S. on November 22, the day before Thanksgiving, here is a link to the film’s trailer.

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Star Wars Advertising Fail

           As a kid one of my favorite treats was getting a Kid Cuisine meal for dinner. Nowadays I look at how tiny they are and think how did one of those possibly fill me up? But recently they caught my attention with an advertisement for their new Star Wars meal to promote “The Last Jedi”. Here is a link to the commercial but if you don’t want to watch here is the gist of it. A boy says to his sister “You know BB-8 communicates in seventh generation speak code, its hard to pick up but Rey gets it”. The sister then responds with “You know Luke Skywalker is Kylo Ren’s cousin”. Then the mom pipes up from the kitchen saying “Actually Luke Skywalker is Kylo Ren’s uncle. That’s right I know stuff and dinner is ready.” I’m sorry to me the writing in this commercial is so stupid. Kids are smart and I believe there is no way someone can confuse Luke and Kylo’s familial relationship like that. There is no conceivable way that Luke and Kylo could be cousins. Even if a kid has only seen “The Force Awakens” they would have seen the age difference between Luke and Kylo and General Leia even talks about how Luke is her brother in the film. I know that this commercial is trying to show off the mom’s knowledge and help her relate to her kids but there are so many ways this ad could have been written better. The boy discusses BB-8’s method of communicating so either the mom could have mentioned how C-3PO is fluent in over eight million forms of communication. Or the mom could say something along the lines of how Rey’s lightsaber belonged to both Luke and Anakin Skywalker. I feel like these statements still show off intelligence and help the mom relate to her kids. I think it is important to show parents relating to their kids but this is a poor way to do so and Kid Cuisine could have done a lot better.

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One day while I was perusing the aisles of Target, I noticed a combination of some of my favorite things: Lucky Charms cereal and Pokémon. They caught me with a Masterball and I had to buy the box of deliciousness. This magical box of cereal had become more magical with the addition of three Pokémon cards inside (I got cards of Pikachu, Yungoos, and Crabrawler). But there were some details on the box that also caught my attention as I ate my preferred cereal while watching cartoons one morning. The front of the box advertises the cereal (obviously), but thanks to my marketing classes I notice a lot more small details in advertisements than I had in the past. There is the Lucky Charms logo, the Pokémon promotion, and pictures of Lucky Charms’ three new marshmallows on the front of the box. I found it interesting that the Pokémon promotion took up such a large amount of space on the box but it shows the intelligence of General Mills’ Marketing department. They know that new marshmallows are white noise in the world of cereal advertising, since marshmallows are constantly being added or changed, and it is more important to focus on the promotion that will grab people’s attention. Even the back of the cereal box showed the Marketers’ creativity and attention to detail. There is a giant maze puzzle on the back and the object is to get all the Pokémon into the Pokeball, however one Pokémon will not make it there and players have to discover which one. Like any true Pokémon fan I started the maze on Pikachu and I couldn’t get Pikachu to the ball. I did the rest of the Pokémon puzzles just to be sure and sure enough Pikachu was the only one who couldn’t get home. At first I thought this to be odd since Pikachu is the one Pokémon known by most people, even my mother knows who Pikachu is, Pikachu should’ve made it to the Pokeball. But then I remembered episode one of “Pokémon, The Indigo League” and throughout the episode Pikachu refused to go into it’s Pokeball. So, some Marketing person somewhere is a huge Pokémon fan just like me. Hopefully this strategy will inspire more of today’s kids to check out Pokémon along with eating more Lucky Charms.

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The Depth of RWBY

After much anticipation, I was finally able to watch Season Five of my favorite YouTube series RWBY. Fair warning this post will contain spoilers from the “Welcome to Haven” episode of RWBY. You have been warned! For those of you who don’t know, RWBY was created by Monty Oum, produced by Rooster Teeth Productions, and first aired online in 2013. The story takes place in the mystical world of Remnant and follows Ruby Rose, a young girl who is training to become a Huntress in order to protect the world she loves. But the story goes so much deeper than that! Many characters have roots in fairy tales and other stories. For example, Ruby Rose can be likened to Little Red Riding Hood due to her red cape and hood that she almost never takes off. Ruby’s sister Yang Xiao Long resembles Goldilocks with her long blonde hair. Weiss Schnee, a member of team RWBY, shares characteristics with Snow White - her white hair, pale skin, and beautiful singing voice. I have seriously enjoyed watching RWBY grow, season one started off with an interesting storyline and an animation style that left a lot to be desired. As the season opens to Ruby running out onto a balcony and seeing the kingdom of Mistral for the first time, one can feel the same excitement she feels while looking at the beautiful animation. The fourth season ended back in February and it is incredible how much better the animation has gotten in eight months! The lines are sharper, much more details can be seen, and there is a more seamless blend of 2D and 3D animation. Alright then enough synopsis here come the spoilers! I have a theory about one of the newest characters in the series, Professor Leonardo Lionheart the head master of Haven Academy in the Kingdom of Mistral. Professor Lionheart represents the cowardly lion as Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy in the Kingdom of Vale represents the wizard of Oz, and this will foreshadow Professor Lionheart’s actions throughout the series. As we have seen in the past Professor Ozpin is very wise and knowledgeable about the world of Remnant much like how the Wizard of Oz takes care of his city of Oz. General James Ironwood, the headmaster of Atlas Academy in the Kingdom of Atlas, was revealed to be part robot in the episode “Heroes and Monsters” so he is basically the Tin Man of RWBY. General Ironwood seems very stoic and methodical in his actions as a general should be but some could take his actions as almost heartless. Professor Lionheart even says, “I’m not sure what happened to James in Vale but it seems to have worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies” in the season five opener. Ironwood is responsible for the dust embargo and the closure of Atlas’ borders which has made it very hard on the Kingdom of Mistral. Even though he is a fairly new character, I believe that we have already seen some of Professor Lionheart’s cowardice. At the end of season four we see Arthur Watts, one of the antagonistic henchmen of Salem, sitting in Professor Lionheart’s office making some sort of deal. When Qrow and Team RNJR show up at his office, Professor Lionheart screams, nearly faints, and says, “Qrow for crying out loud you nearly scared me half to death”. Lionheart is ecstatic when Qrow announces he knows where the spring maiden is but this happiness is probably not because he is a guardian of a relic and his job just got a whole lot easier. It is more likely because of the deal he made with Watts. Watts’ logo can be seen and his voice heard from Lionheart’s computer after Qrow and RNJR leave saying “Leo we have got to work on your improvisation skills.” Its small details like these that truly show how deep the plot of RWBY has gotten. I am very excited to see where the series is headed and hopefully this cowardly lion won’t make it too hard for our heroes. I also wonder if we will see the Scarecrow in the Kingdom of Vacuo? If you would like to watch the season five opener click here. For more information about RWBY check out the RWBY Wiki page. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my insight into RWBY and be sure to lookout for more posts about how this nerd views reality.