The rise brings an end to Skywalker

OPINION

The ninth film of a ninology and the third in a trilogy has the massive task of concluding the space opera epic of Star Wars — a task harder than any that has come before in the world of film.

Spoilers ahead. I also recommend watching the movie before reading this.

https://ghpost.wordpress.com/2019/12/20/review-star-wars-episode-ix-the-rise-of-skywalker/

Unlike Avengers: Endgame or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — other franchise-ending mega blockbusters — there is no comic book or novel to follow or be inspired by. When Disney rightfully destroyed the pre-2014 chaotic, but much-beloved canon, they set out alone in the galaxy to, for the first time in forty years, create new Star Wars films that could go any direction and take on any form.

Disney wanted it fast. Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, as well as many others, admitted as such. George Lucas handed the Star Wars IP to Disney and it was go time. So here we are four years later with another trilogy and the end of the Skywalker Saga. Did we get what we wanted?

The best part about the ending is that it exists. Now, Lucasfilm is free to move on without being held to the bedrock of a franchise and explore new stories, places, beings — untethered to the expectations of legions of fans worldwide. It’s an exciting time, the future has arrived.

If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you’ve read other reviews already as well as seen the film and made your own decision. This was originally intended to be a spoiler review of Episode IX — and while below you’ll find a summary with some commentary — it’s mostly a look to the future and what will come next, because that is the best part of this film.

Sure, the redemption and sacrifice of Kylo Ren — who turned out to be the most interesting character of this trilogy — and the eventual defeat of Emperor, were quite predictable. But it was the relationship of Rey to the Emperor and the truly fun adventure of Poe, Rey and Finn that were pleasant surprises.

Some critics are taking issue with Rey being related to the Emperor as it takes away from her independence as a woman and her identity as a “nobody” that could still have impact in a galaxy where everyone powerful is related to someone.

I dispute this for two reasons.

One is that, yes, this is the Skywalker Saga and these movies are about the Skywalkers and the influence of Palpatine. It’s not like you need to be related to someone to be powerful. Yoda is arguably the most powerful and wisest being and is not related to the two families. Ashoka is a woman, independent and strong as well as unrelated to the families.

Secondly, Rey, after growing in herself in the last two movies and casting aside doubt to fight the First Order without hesitation because she knew what was right, found out she was from the worst possible thing — a dark Sith who had committed atrocities across the galaxy — and yet still held strong to defeat him, giving her own life in the process.

It was Ben Solo, played by Adam Driver, that was the most interesting in the end. Despite a movie that aimed to fix the middle of the trilogy — which only happened because of poor advanced planning and not because of the risks Rian Johnson took — Kylo was one of the few characters that felt like a complete, coherent story arc from start to end.

And he was interesting. His turn from the dark side back to the light was sparked by a sacrifice of Leia — a powerful, respectful end to her character if there ever was one — and a memory of Han Solo.

All-in-all, The Rise of Skywalker was a strong, vibrant conclusion that, for me, remained true to the Star Wars I loved — fun, adventurous, new and epic — and presented a satisfying conclusion to a story 42 years in the making.

You can read our entertainment editor’s review for a more robust critic of the film, along with our official rating of 7/10, but it was here that I wanted to make the point that the final film was good, but it is the excitement of a new frontier in this galaxy far, far away that I already have begun to anticipate.

December 23, 2019 0

Review: ‘El Camino’

Vince Gilligan’s epilogue to one of the greatest shows of all time brings the story of Jesse Pinkman to a close.

9/10

Trailer for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie from Netflix

It’s been over four years since the hit series Breaking Bad left television, and it would be accurate to say that very few shows have filled the gap for thrilling and tension-filled television.

Series creator, writer and producer, Vince Gilligan, teamed up with Peter Gould to produce the spin-off show Better Call Saul with Bob Odenkirk reprising his role, detailing the beginnings of the criminal lawyer leading up to his fateful encounter with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.

While that show certainly kept fans content, the question remained: What happened to Jesse Pinkman? Freed from captivity by White in the series finale, Pinkman sped off in an El Camino with tears streaming down his face from joy, but what came after? This movie answers that question.

We pick up exactly where the series ended with Pinkman speeding away from Uncle Jack’s compound. From here, he seeks to gather enough money to buy his way out of New Mexico and towards a new life.

What really helps this movie along is Aaron Paul’s performance. By this point in the Gilligan universe, he is a broken, tortured man, and Paul is able to channel the character flawlessly even after the five year gap.

Returning characters include Badger (Matthew Lee Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) who get a chance to bid their close friend farewell before cutting ties with him completely, and while the roles are short and minimal, both Jones and Baker bring the goofy, emotional support back from the main series to help ground Pinkman.

Vince Gilligan returns as writer/director for the film and it’s very apparent that he has grown as a creative force. His signature dark and gritty visual style helps to reinforce the desperation that Pinkman faces.

The score is provided by none other than Dave Porter, the man who provided the score to the main Breaking Bad series. While his iconic theme from the main series isn’t present, his minimalistic score does provide a reflective backdrop to the visuals.

The story itself may not provide a lot of action or guns-a-blazing moments, but it never sets out to do that. This is a world where Heisenberg’s reign has come to an end and this is the slow crawl to a halt for these characters. There is a tense shootout towards the end of the film that provides a classic Breaking Bad fake-out, but don’t expect the film to be a wall-to-wall action movie.

Despite the positives that this movie provides, both as a movie and an epilogue to the series, it is completely unnecessary. It doesn’t add much to the character of Jesse or anyone in the Breaking Bad world, and really only serves as a buffer to the true end of the story. That itself isn’t a bad thing, but one could leave Jesse’s story as is at the end of the finale.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie does well to close out the story of Pinkman, even if it wasn’t exactly needed. It gives fans a chance to live in that story and universe one more time with a character who has helped redefine dramatic television.

October 14, 2019 0

Review: The Addams Family

Starring a near perfect cast, The Addams Family tells the story about an unusual family in an unusual (for them) new town.

6.5/10

Trailer for The Addams Family from Universal

“They’re creepy and they’re kooky…” as the theme song goes. After a few years off of television and movie screens, The Addams Family, a gothic family with horror elements within their circle, are back in a new animated feature for a new age. With a cast that could not be more perfect, good animation and some decent jokes, the film is indeed enjoyable, although it has many flaws that pervade this edgy (but not edgy enough) movie

The film concerns the titular family Gomez, played by Oscar Isaac and Morticia (Charlize Theron) having just gotten married, before being chased out of their traditional home by an angry mob for being “weird” according to the locals. To escape from the torches and pitchforks of the “regular people,” they move to the most hideous place they can think of: a converted abandoned insane asylum in New Jersey. From there they live “peacefully” with their hand servant, Thing, and the asylum’s lone living resident turned butler, Lurch, played by co-director Conrad Vernon and later having their 2 children, their solemn and blunt daughter Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) and their explosive loving son Pugsley (Finn Wolfhard).

13 years later however, as the family is planning for a family celebration that would see Pugsly become a man in the eyes of the whole family, they discover a small town called “Assimilation” built by HGTV-esque reality show host Margaux Needler for her next big project right at the foot of the hill their house is. And when the town meets the reclusive “creepy” family, tensions begin to boil, both from within and without both sides.

Impeccably animated, the films style mimics that of the original New Yorker cartoons. Despite being cgi, the animation is given similar rules to 2d, such as the utilizations of squash and stretch for certain comedic moments. Whatever plastic look objects within are deliberate, as the town of Assimilation feels creepy in its own way, with vibes of artificiality and conformity that makes the Addams Family, despite their (sometimes literal) creature comforts, seem natural by comparison.

The cast is probably the best part of the film. It’s good to the point where they could have easily played these characters in live action and be non the worse. This especially goes to Issacs and Theron in their roles, convincingly portraying a couple who very much care for each other (in their own way). Nick Kroll also deserves some spotlight as Uncle Fester, the adorably naive uncle, who has his own lovable but odd quirkiness.

The comedy also works very well, although not 100% of the time. Certain jokes involving Thing were definite causes of laughter, as well as some very funny sight gags throughout. Thankfully the film doesn’t loose all of its edgy morbid humour, though it has noticeably dulled, possibly to accommodate a more family oriented audience that the film appears to be targeting.

The dullness of The Addams Family does come across in its story. The film is rather warm hearted, at times contradicting the tone the family displays across other media. Certain characters will do something wrong or reprehensible, but will receive a proper happy end to it regardless.

The message of the film, while it may be more personal for some than others, is not exactly subtle and can be easily seen coming if you are above the age of a teenager. This also means the story is predictable, following similar beats and motions to some other animated movies, even if the style and timing is different.

Some of the reactions of the characters can be a bit out of touch with who they are, such as the certain times the family will get hurt and they will either act with glee/nonchalance, or react negatively. And in some cases moments where they shouldn’t react negatively.

The Addams Family might not have a complete grasp of the tone that these characters are usually associated with, and may need to polish its script and characters a bit more, but for an animated family film involving slapstick, light morbid humour and colourful designs and animation, you could definitely see a lot worse, especially with a property like The Addams Family.

It just perhaps needs to be more creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky.

October 11, 2019 0

Review: ‘Gemini Man’

Ang Lee brings us the next step in de-aging technology through Gemini Man, but does the rest of the film reach that high bar?

4.5/10

Trailer for Gemini Man, by Paramount.

As filmmaking technology advances, the ability to re-create actors and de-age them crawls further and further out of the uncanny valley and into a more believable reality.

While the technology itself is breaking barriers and bringing us closer to a completely digital form of filmmaking, it’s being used to mask over lazy screenwriting.

Gemini Man opens with a prologue that serves well to set up our main character, Henry Brogan (Will Smith), as the trained killer that he is. The movie then continues to try and build on this world where Brogan is a renowned soldier and how he’s gone through all of these events that led to him being as good as he is, yet it fails to resonate with the audience because it’s all talk and never seen.

The story is nothing new. At all. It’s your typical sci-fi, military story that has a corrupt military bad guy who claims to be in service of the United States and their beliefs of freedom in the most backwards way.

There’s very little suspense or surprise in the story as everything they try to spring on you can all be seen coming from a mile away, and it’s made even worse by the fact that the biggest twist in the movie is given away from the marketing.

What does keep the movie engaging in some capacity, however, are the performances. Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong are all very enjoyable to watch. This is a movie that Smith could have very easily phoned in for the sake of a paycheque, but he does bring some emotional weight to the role – I’d even go so far to say that he does better in this movie than as Deadshot in Suicide Squad.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong play Danny and Baron, respectively, and are able to riff off of Smith effortlessly and it makes the interactions between the three characters very enjoyable.

Lorne Balfe composed the score for the film, and it’s incredibly forgettable or completely unnoticeable, which is disappointing because I found his score to Mission: Impossible – Fallout absolutely incredible, so it’s a step down for him.

Ang Lee manages to make the movie look nice despite the lacklustre script. I saw the film in 3D/HFR (high frame rate). If you’re unfamiliar with HFR, it means the movie is shown in 48fps which gives it a ‘sped up’ look. I don’t think it added much to anything outside of a select few action scenes which I find disappointing as I greatly enjoyed HFR when I saw it used on The Hobbit trilogy in theatres.

In the end – Gemini Man is a very “middle-of-the-road” movie. It’s not the worst movie in the world, but there are far better movies you can see in theatres this weekend. Good performances and an interesting look at the advancement of technology don’t make up for a boring and over-used story that doesn’t try anything new.

October 11, 2019 0

Review: ‘Joker’

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Joker tells the story of man doomed to fall into insanity.

3.9 / 10

Joker is a Batman spinoff of our favourite cackling, murderous and perhaps a little overplayed comic book super villain. A standalone movie that acts as a possible origin for the eponymous clown, about a man’s dive off the deep end as he experiences a bad week and a particularly bad day.

It’s just unfortunately disappointing that despite a game cast and cinematographer, Joker really has nothing say about it that hasn’t already been said before in other movies it’s inspired by, and even other better movies about him.

In the film Arthur Fleck, Played by Joaquin Phoenix, a depressed mentally ill man living with his mother Penny Fleck, (Frances Conroy). He’s living a fairly unhappy life as a clown for hire, constantly breaking out into uncontrolled laughter at inopportune times due to a mental condition.

He dreams of being a stand up comedian and admires TV show host and comedian Murray Franklin, played by Robert De Niro. Unfortunately, due to various hardships across Gotham City, his week only gets worse and worse, until he begins to tear at the seems and becomes an icon to be remembered.

The cast is exceptional here, especially Phoenix, who plays Arthur Fleck/Joker with a subtle sadness and viciousness. Any moment he could snap and it would feel completely in character. He’s able to make the role his own, standing along side Jack Nicholson and the late Heath Ledger, one of the great Joker actors.

The rest of cast also act the heck out of what they’ve got, leading to some compelling performances by De Niro, Conroy and Zazie Beetz, who plays Arthur’s “love interest” of sorts.

However, other than additionally gorgeous cinematography by Lawrence Sher, the rest of the movie suffers due to its direction, story, dialogue, message and setting.

Throughout the ordeal, the film cannot decide whether Arthur’s actions are to be sympathized with or not. There will be scenes where something clearly awful is going on, but from moment to moment, the tone and attitude of the film will shift on wether or not The Joker was heroic in his actions.

Sometime into the film, Arthur commits a gruesome act of violence after getting abused, the film waffling back and fourth on wether or not he was in the right afterwards

Certain characters will behave in ways that might seem to be rude or just wrong, but given the circumstances these scenes happen in where someone may have done soemthing inappropriate, the message is again, confused.

In addition to the problem with its message, Joker also hits a snag: it’s story incredibly mundane and unoriginal. The ideas the film communicates have been done in other films many times before. Taxi Driver springs to mind, which was allegedly an inspiration for the film.

Joker even takes from other Batman comic stories and movies staring the Joker. The Dark Knight constantly springs to mind throughout, but rather as a pale imitation, missing the nuance and originality of that films portrayal of the villain.

Instead, the standalone movie opts to basically lift the feel and outlook of Christopher Nolan’s film wholesale without the subtleties, even if the performances are something new and commendable. The Joker’s face painted look even takes cues from Heath Ledger, right down to him using it to scare people. It’s one thing to be inspired by a movie’s tone and style, it’s another to copy someone else’s and not even pick a point to come too.

There was one other issue that came up unexpectedly: the setting. It appears that in an attempt to make Gotham city look rundown and mundane, it ends up feeling generic. No discernible landmarks, no sense of history and no sense of style. Just a generic city that appears grimy and depressed. Or at least the parts of it we see.

If it were to have lifted anything from previous Batman films, perhaps it could have lifted from Batman Begins, where Thomas Wayne explains to a young Bruce the significance of the monorail line and the history behind it. Joker has nothing in the way of this, making Gotham appear to be just another city, when settings are characters in and of themselves, and serve as reflections to our protagonists emotional state.

Joker is a joke that we’ve all heard before. A once funny joke told with enthusiasm and drive, but now being told by a bland, inferior comedian, lifted from other talented people and confused at what the punchline was meant to be, or even if he wanted a proper punchline at all.

October 4, 2019 0

Review: Ad Astra

Set an unknown time in our future, Ad Astra tells the story of a family bond that spans the solar system.

7.5 / 10

The setting in which the story is told tries to replicate the feeling of space travel as realistically as it possibly can. It’s rather bizarre then that without the proper context, the basic premise itself sounds more at home in a pulp era story.

In the future, astronaut Roy McBride, played by Brad Pitt, is informed by his superiors that his father, H. Clifford McBride, played by Tommy Lee Jones, a legendary astronaut himself, may in fact be alive, after supposedly dying during a mission to Neptune to find alien life in the galaxy.

Despite Roy’s complicated past with his father, he is tasked with heading to Mars in order to communicate to his father to help unravel mysterious lightning storms occurring across the solar system via encrypted laser message in a top secret mission, but slowly realizes he is being kept in the dark as well about what it exactly is.

Despite how easily summarized and simple the plot actually is, Ad Astra is quite a slow burn, though this choice is intentional.

The journey is not just through space, but through Roy’s character, performed by a simultaneously monotone and compelling Brad Pitt as he contends with the true antagonist of the story, space itself.

The character has an emotionless disposition, but unlike many actors who’s monotone performance is born from lack of direction or talent, this one is born out of the character’s need to keep calm and focused under such extreme conditions.

While the plot is not the most complex one written, it’s less about nitty gritty plot details and more about the journey itself, testing the strength of Roy’s bond and the lengths he goes in order to accomplish his mission.

Throughout said mission, we get to witness the gorgeous cinematography of space and space travel, thanks to both some great shot direction from director James Gray and the various uses of lenses, which can be observed in the opening shot.

The sound design also deserves some praise, as when intense moments, such as a gun fight on the moon, occur in environments with no atmosphere, the only sounds that play are from impacts on the space suits, or sounds that can feasibly be made. This rule is broken every so often, but it’s only in very certain and poignant moments.

There are some points where it does get unintentionally silly, like where Roy has to tangle with a baboon on a space station or the the fact that these bases that Roy finds himself on have normal earth-like gravity despite being acting naturally while outside said base and on space stations.

There is some concern for originality, as it feels like we’ve explored paths that have been shown in the film before before. Certain themes and ideas from similar films like Gravity, Interstellar and The Martian do, while certainly not repeated beat for beat, carry similar view points an even conclusions that these past films have stated before.

It varies wether or not they improve upon it or do a better job at conveying them. Additionally, as previously stated the movie is a slow burn, and that can prove trouble for some who may not be aware of this.

Indeed, the pacing can be a drag in certain areas where it need not be. The last third of the movie is also unusually positive, comparatively, as certain things happen that almost ignore what has been set up in scenes past.

Ad Astra offers a pleasing exploration of a man’s psyche put under extreme conditions that, while not totally original or without its own flaws, does offer some great visual panache, a nice performance by our lead star and some great sound design.

Just make sure you can stand movies with a slow burn.

September 20, 2019 0

Smartphones and students: What to buy?

On Sept. 10, Apple held their annual keynote event which showcased their upcoming devices and services.

Just as the sun rises and sets, Apple steps into the spotlight every September to unveil their new and shiny technology ranging from the newest iPhones to iPads to Macbooks to Watches.

For technology lovers, it’s like an early Christmas, but for most, it’s a question of “how much will this cost me?”

It’s no secret that while we would love to have the newest and prettiest devices, companies like Apple don’t exactly offer new phones for friendly prices. If you’re looking for a new phone for the school year, or in general, let’s take a look at what the market has to offer!

Apple

We may as well begin with the company making news right now. The iPhone 11 was just announced and it was met with lukewarm responses. To compare, I’m going to look at the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the iPhone Xs Max. Both phones have a 6.5″ display screen but the 11 Pro Max has a super retina XDR display as opposed to the super retina HD display on the Xs Max. The Xs Max has a 12MP Wide and Telephoto Lens, however the 12MP Ultra Wide, Wide and Telephoto Lens with a night mode on the 11 Pro Max.

If you’re looking to record video, the Xs Max has a 7MP TrueDepth camera which can record 1080p HD video up to 60fps while the 11 Pro Max as a 12MP TrueDepth camera with 4K video recording up to 60fps. The Xs Max’s battery lasts 1.5hrs longer than the iPhone X and the 11 Pro Max lasts 5hrs longer than the Xs Max.

If you’re the type to drop your phone in water (which I don’t recommend regardless of build) the Xs Max is water-resistant to a depth of 2 metres for up to 30min and the 11 Pro Max is water-resistant to a depth of 4 meters for the same length of time.

Truth be told, unless you are planning to invest heavily in your career as a social media icon on Instagram and need the highest end camera, the iPhone X and Xs models offer better bang for your buck. I myself just bought an Xs Max back at the beginning of Aug. and it has served every purpose thus far.

If the above text is a bit too much jargon for you, you can follow this link and scroll down to select and compare iPhone models for yourself to better see what version offers what. You can preorder an 11 Pro Max from Apple’s main site for $1,499.99 (which will be unlocked and not restricted to a carrier)

If you’re not an Apple fan, let’s take a look at some other options that won’t break the bank.

Huawei

The Huawei P30 runs on a 2.6GHz Octa-Core processing chip and comes with 6GB of built-in RAM plus 128gb for data storage.

The front camera has 32MP and on the rear is a 40MP camera with features like optical zoom, auto flash, face detection and touch to focus.

Of course the big concern with Huawei is the fact that the phones have been known to send user information to the Chinese Government, but how much you buy into that and how much that bothers you will vary from person to person.

The P30 runs for a retail price of $940 without a contract.

Samsung

Samsung is the leading smartphone company (as far as units produced and sold worldwide) and that’s because their products are more affordable. The latest device is the Samsung Galaxy A70.

The phone comes equipped with a 2.7GHz Octa-Core processor, 6.7″ super AMOLED display, 32.0MP camera equipped with UHD 4K video recording at 30fps. The phone itself will cost $629.99 which is a massive step down from Apple and Huawei’s asking price.

Now for those of you who are, in fact, looking for something more fancy and can afford to shell out the extra cash – Samsung’s Galaxy Fold is expected to launch in February 2020. It’s a wide phone that will have a folding screen to become more compact. It features a 7.3″ QXGA+ dynamic AMOLED display and a 16MP ultra wide angle rear camera. The phone itself comes at no easy price with a tag of $1,980.00.

So – what do I buy?

In the end, it can’t hurt to look at Samsung or older models of Apple iPhones such as the X, Xs Max; or even 8 and 8 plus. Gone are the days where Apple’s latest devices are the must-have mobile devices as soon as preorders go live on the website. The iPhones are far from terrible smartphones, despite the constant internet bickering between fanbases, but overpriced is the correct term in any case.

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly device, of the 3 listed companies and devices above, Samsung is the best option which is a win-win for you, the buyer – it’s the cheapest option and eco-friendly.

In the end – choose the device that’s best for you. Nobody knows what you need better than you do!

September 15, 2019 0

This fall, students may break up with Netflix

While “Netflix and chill” has become a common term, it may only be a verb for some students come November with the launch of competitor Disney Plus, which will be priced at only $8.99.

The media company announced on Monday that its anticipated streaming service would launch on Nov. 12 alongside the United States and the Netherlands, with other countries to join in down the road.

Disney Plus will be accessible via Apple, Google’s products, Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s Playstation, and Roku’s TV box. It will also be available to bundle with Disney-owned ESPN Plus and Hulu for under $20.

Though Amazon Prime Video, CBS All Access and other streaming platforms have existed as competitors for several years, there has not been one service that dramatically shifted audiences away from Netflix.

Disney Plus, however, will have Star Wars, Marvel, fairytale animated classics and everything that Disney acquired when it bought out 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets earlier this year, bringing properties such as Deadpool and the Simpsons under one roof.

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Someone asked us to formally introduce ourselves so of course we made a video.

A post shared by Disney+ (@disneyplus) on Aug 19, 2019 at 5:46am PDT

Disney’s introductory video.

Disney on Monday released a video on social media that gave a highlight reel of the properties that would be included come November. The company also became active on social media for the first time.

Netflix’s most popular standard plan, one level up from the starter plan that costs $9.99, is priced at $13.99, putting it $5 above the starting plan for Disney Plus. The plans are differentiated by the number of screens one account can play on at one time.

However, the competitive edge does not stop there. The ESPN Plus and Hulu bundle, which is priced at $13.99 in the United States, will offer live programming all in one place at a low cost in comparison to competitors.

Where Disney Plus, will lack, according to chief executive Bob Iger in 2017, will be content. Netflix produces its own shows and movies alongside the blockbusters it brings onto its service, and Disney will take some time to catch up to Netflix and Amazon Prime in this respect.

In the end, students may have to make a choice between the established and familiar Netflix or make the jump to the new but blockbuster-stocked Disney Plus. Only time will tell.

August 19, 2019 0

Star Wars teaser trailer breakdown

Eli Ridder | Review

The first teaser trailer of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker was played at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago on Friday afternoon after a panel of the movie’s stars discussed the last film of the Skywalker Saga.

Official Star Wars Episode IX Teaser Trailer

Breakdown

Let’s break down the trailer frame-by-frame and find out what we can discover and what it means.

It’s made by Lucasfilm.

It’s a main character on a desert planet. Where have we seen that before? At this point Luke Skywalker has a voiceover saying “we’ve passed on all we know”.

We get a wider shot where eagle-eyed fans can spot an object appearing to come towards Rey as the sun reflects off of it. Luke continues, saying: “a thousand generations live in you now”.

There is a title card reading “every generation has a legend”. Then a sweeping shot of the desert which could be Tatooine, Jakku or a new planet.

The shot goes back to Rey, who ignites her lightsaber, turning around away from the TIE fighter coming towards her. Now this is where it gets confusing. The wings of this TIE fighter are very similar or exactly the same as Kylo Ren’s in The Last Jedi. We then get a shot of purportedly inside the cockpit where black gloved hands clearly accelerate the fighter, and one might immediately think this is Kylo Ren but it is not necessarily.

Rey starts running away from the incoming TIE fighter, which slowly appears to be circular and not like the more blocky-style of Kylo Ren’s TIE silencer.

It gets closer.

It appears at this point, as it approaches and Rey backflips over the TIE, which reveals its real identity as having a more traditional spherical TIE cockpit, more as though it is a TIE Interceptor.

A note on this. A lot of people, including myself, initially thought that this was Kylo Ren trying to run Rey over. However, upon closer inspection, Kylo Ren flew with wingmates, even the strong Darth Vader did that in A New Hope. Where is the rest of the First Order? Also, most obviously, why wasn’t the TIE trying to fire its blasters at Rey? Oh, and, if it was Kylo Ren, why not just show that it is? This seems unlikely that it was Kylo Ren and more likely a training session, possibly with ally and fellow Resistance fighter Poe.

This fighter appears to match the colour scheme of another spatial object in this galaxy seen later in the trailer — more on that later.

The next shot is a sweeping one of a ship headed towards many lights on what appears to be the surface of a planet.

Then a fierce shot takes place with Kylo Ren and several stormtroopers fighting their way through trees with a strong red aura to the scene.

Someone, that I later noticed had furry arms, was working on Kylo Ren’s helmet, which was destroyed in The Last Jedi.

If Finn and Poe ever made a band and needed an album cover, this teaser trailer already set one up. That aside, they could be on the same planet as Rey was when she was jumping over the TIE hybrid.

They also appear to be watching something, not really in a battle pose and Finn is holding Rey’s staff, maybe that is a more permanent occurrence, I am not sure if she uses it much considering she has a lightsaber — more on that later — and a gun from the late Han Solo, that he gave her in The Force Awakens.

There is a shot of BB-8 and D-O, a new droid shown off on stage at Star Wars Celebration on Friday.

Hello, Lando and Chewie flying a Millenium Falcon that now has a circular disk again. There’s a title card that reads “the saga comes to an end”.

There is then another desert shot where people on a speeder that appears to be a sciff like in the style of Jabba the Hutt, but also markers around that reminds me of podracing.

A stormtrooper with a jetpack? There are two of them. There is also a precedent in the Star Wars universe of many, many factions having jetpacks. It’s neat but not new. There were clone troopers with jetpacks and Imperial stormtroopers with jetpacks so why not First Order jetpack troopers. As, as far as I am aware, the Battlefront II game is canon and there are First Order pistol-carrying jet troopers.

Poe, Finn and C-3PO are having an adventure running from what are likely First Order jet troopers. It appears like they are on a pirate ship.

An A-wing, a ship used by the Rebellion.

One of the more interesting shots here. There is an Imperial Star Destroyer from all appearances. This Star Destroyer has a red colour on it which is reminiscent first of the Venator-class Star Destroyer used by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars.

However, I don’t think this is likely because it does appear to be a standard ISD. Another idea, and what could be the most likely, is that this a Star Destroyer used by what remains of the New Republic or by another faction coming to help the Resistance in their fight against the First Order. It also could be an ISD, a model of ship over 30 years old at this point, that was or is under the command of an Imperial faction that splintered from the Empire before the First Order was formed.

From what I thought was taking place and what others have been saying, the next shot is Leia Organa, a Skywalker, looking at the medal from A New Hope, given to Han Solo and her brother Luke Skywalker after the first Death Star was successfully attacked.

Rey is hugging Princess Leia on a planet that I believe and others believe is new. Director J.J. Abrams said he repurposed some unused footage from The Force Awakens — something he said was powerful. This was maybe a scene after Han Solo was defeated by his son Ben Solo or Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens that was not used. Rey sheds a tear.

Here’s your hero shot. It brings together for the first time Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, C-3PO, Chewbacca and D-O. It is the first time that all three main characters are working together on an adventure, J.J. Abrams said.

The next shot is the most unexpected. It is almost definitely the same shot as the previous but from the other side. Rey is holding a bag in her new white robes, Finn with the blue pants and jacket the actor said made him feel like he was truly a Star Wars character and Poe giving the feeling of adventure.

They are staring at what is likely a chunk of the Death Star II. It is that one likely because of what comes next. The planet could be Endor that is orbited by the Forest Moon of Endor — which is the planet, or moon, that the Ewoks live on.

Then there is a laugh. One Star Wars fans recognized nearly immediately, the cackle of Sheev Palpatine, or Darth Sidious.

Then the blue Star Wars logo and the name is revealed: “The Rise of Skywalker”.

Image of Star Wars from Lucasfilm.

April 12, 2019 0

Apple TV, News and more announced from California

Eli Ridder | Report

From the Steve Jobs Theatre in California, Apple announced their new TV+ streaming service, a bundling news app and more.

Image of Apple TV from Apple.

March 25, 2019 0

EMERGE’s On Brand event a success

Casiah Cagan | Campus

EMERGE’s panelist and mix & mingle event On Brand, which focused on social media influencing and brand ambassadorship, took place on Friday.

EMERGE is run by the University of Guelph-Humber’s fourth year Media Studies students, with this year’s projects including web and print magazines, multimedia projects, documentaries, and the anticipated EMERGE Media Awards, which will celebrate and recognize student works and projects across Canada.

“I feel like EMERGE is a good introduction to the industry, especially since we’re in Media, you’re gonna beat things like this,” explained On Brand host and team member Trésor Gray. “So, it’s good to realize how efficient networking is and all things that could come from it.”

On Brand was just one of the many events planned to precede the spring award ceremony.

“I have always been very interested in social media, and that was kind of one of the things I was hoping to learn about in this program, but I found out that we did not have a dedicated social media course,” explained Adriana Gibowic, team lead of On Brand, on how she came up with the event. “I thought that with EMERGE, creating these events would be the perfect opportunity to combine social media with our program and have people who are interested to learn more come out, come to the panel, and learn firsthand from influencers.”

“I have a social media class, and we have a project where have to create our own blog and use it to build and promote our brand on two different social medias,” said Carissa Selbie, a Fashion Arts and Business student at Humber on why she decided to attend On Brand. “I found this event on EMERGE’s Instagram and thought ‘This goes really well with my project; maybe I can learn a little bit from it.'”

On Brand began with a panelist discussion, hosted by students Trésor Gray and Gemma Mastroianni, and featured media influencers Daniel Reyes, Marlon Palmer, Dee Thompson, Rachel David, and Lianna Pitts, who shared their stories, advice, and opinions on what lead them to where they are today. A mix & mingle followed, where attendees could meet and speak with the influencers and ask more questions.

“I hope people left with more insight on the behind-the-scenes,” explained Marlon Palmer on what he hoped people learned from the panel. “It’s easy to all the fun stuff at the forefront, so I hope they took away that there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it. Just knowing that there’s a duality to it and not just one side.”

There were many people in attendance who seemed to enjoy the fun and informative event.

“I loved how [the panelists] were very raw and authentic; you could really scense their sincerity in their different stories and advice,” said Natalie Dixon, one of the team leads for the EMERGE Media Awards next month.

As for a crucial piece of advice she wanted attendees to take away from On Brand, Rachel David touched on the importance of being confident and unique.

“I want others to not be afraid to have an opinion, to be able to speak and tell your truth in a polite and concise way, and not feeling like you can’t speak up,” she said. “In order to actually change the world and make it a more positive place we can’t just go along with everything that we’re being fed. I believe in people being their own individuals…with everyone being different, the world’s a better place.”

EMERGE’s next event is Yoga & Paws for a Cause, which will take place on March 31 at Humber Lakeshore.

Image from The Avro Post.

March 22, 2019 0

Stadia: Google’s gaming service

Eli Ridder | Report

Google on Tuesday announced a video game streaming service called Stadia, its response to a $140 billion gaming industry dominated by Sony and Microsoft.

Stadia does not need a console. All of the work to render games is done in the cloud and will allow those interested to play them without waiting on long download times or purchase hardware such as a Playstation or Xbox.

Unveiling Stadia

“Our platform vision for Stadia is to reduce the friction between getting excited about a game and playing a game,” Google’s speaker said on stage at the 2019 Game Developers Conference — a much awaited announcement.

Google explained one scenario where if people were watching a video about a game on its video service YouTube, a digital button would allow them to quickly load and hop into the featured game.

The service will work on the Chrome browser on desktop, mobile and tablet operating systems as well as on TVs and Chromecast. Gamers can tap in with their keyboard and mouse or a Stadia controller sold by Google.

It is clear that a strong Internet connection will one of the only requirements.

google-stadia-controller — Stadia controller / Google on Mar. 19, 2019

The controller looks similar to those of other gaming companies such as Playstation and its Dualshock 4 for the PS4 and the controllers for the Microsoft Xbox One, who also profits off of PC gaming.

Stadia, however, includes the a Google Assistant button so users can access the voice assistant that runs on Android and Chrome products. The gaming platform will support 4K games at 60fps with HDR, and 8K in the future.

It will also change the way that gaming is captured. Users will be able to easily press the capture button found to the right of the Google Assistant icon on the controller and send their gameplay to YouTube.

In this, Google also challenges Twitch, which has risen up in recent years to be a dominant place for gamers to live stream and upload gaming.

Gamers can bring their own controllers via USB, Google said.

Publishers, competitors

The biggest struggle for Google now will be to entice studios to build games for Stadia and bring triple A titles to the service. The gaming industry has been largely focused on Playstation, Xbox and PC for the last nearly 20 years.

While Stadia is new for now, Microsoft will soon be launching a streaming video game services. Analysts say that it is “better poised” to offer such a service as it has the ties to major studios and a large fan base.

Microsoft will call the service xCloud.

“I’d favor Microsoft’s chances given it too has the scale and technology but has been successfully engaged in the gaming industry via Windows and XBox for over 30 years,” Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy told CNBC.

Playstation has not announced a competing service at this time, but both it and Microsoft are reportedly planning to launch the next generation of gaming consoles in the form of “PS5” and “Xbox Two” by 2019 or 2020.

Image of Stadia from Google.

March 19, 2019 0

Riverdale’s favourite dad dies after stroke

Eli Ridder | Life

Riverdale‘s favourite dad and Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry died after having a stroke, his publicist confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday.

Perry, 52, was hospitalized after emergency services rushed to his home in Los Angeles in response to a 911 call.

Perry moved to California’s Los Angeles to pursue acting after graduating high school, earning various gigs in commercials and music videos, with his first more substantial roles being in soap operas Loving and Another World, Comicbook.com reports.

His breakout role came in 1990 with Beverly Hills, 90210, in which he played Dylan McKay. Following that, Perry starred in a variety of films, such as 8 Seconds and Normal Life.

The actor also starred in TV projects like Jeremiahand John From Cincinnati. One of Perry’s more acclaimed performances came in HBO’s Oz, where he played the disturbed preacher Jeremiah Cloutier.

Many of his co-stars from various TV shows and movies have been giving their reaction on social media.

Image of Luke Perry from the Hollywood Reporter.

March 4, 2019 0

Reading week in the 6ix: Feb. 21

Madison Furness | Life

Take a look at the top events and activities to do during this reading week in Toronto.

New AGO Exhibition: Impressionism in the Age of Industry

Come check out famous impressionist artists such as Monet, Degas, and Renoir in the AGOs newest installment. Take a walk through the gallery and explore impressionism through the artist’s fascination with industry, technology, and labour during the industrialization of France in the 1800s.

Time: 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location: 317 Dundas Street West

The Rec Room

Enter a world of food, games, and entertainment all within 40,000 sq. feet! At the rec room, you can try virtual reality, ping pong, and redemption games where you can win yourself a prize! Suitable for all ages, but even better when you’re 19+, you can eat, drink and be marry while playing all of your favorite games!

Time: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.

Location: 255 Bremner Blvd.

The Ballroom Live Series (19+)

Come down to the Ballroom for live music, bowling, free ping pong and no cover charge every Thursday night. Dance, drink, eat, and bowl!

Time: 10 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.

Location: 145 John St.

Feature Image by Art Gallery of Ontario

February 21, 2019 0

A holistic approach: Eat healthy

Ashraf Dabie | The Dialog

Health Canada tossed aside the fixation on food groups and serving sizes and took a more concise look at what people should eat with its new food guide.

Released in January, the food guide retires the food group model, which recommended that meals should be served in careful portions of fruits and vegetables, grains, meat, milk, and any plant-based alternatives.

Instead, the new guide encourages people to eat plant-based foods, drink more water, and cook more at home.

The 2019 guide includes recipes, tips for people eating on a budget, and advice on how to implement healthy eating habits into your own life, which stemmed from extensive consultations with stakeholders from various communities across Canada.

It further suggests that people should eat meals with others, read food labels, practice mindful eating habits and be aware of food marketing campaigns.

The end result is a holistic approach to healthy eating by providing recommendations on food choices and habits.

“Over my career, I’ve had three different food guides and I can say of the three, this one was definitely my favourite,” said Dr. Linda Gillis, a dietitian and nutrition professor at George Brown College (GBC). “It’s very different than what we’ve seen before.”

The 2019 food guide recommendations will be integrated into the culinary programs offered at the college, Gillis said.

She noted that the GBC’s culinary school makes it a practice to familiarize students with Canada’s food guide and encourage them to think about how it differs from other international guidelines.

Here are the big takeaways from the newly revamped food guide.

Making healthy food choices

1. Eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and proteins

Rather than focusing on portions from each food group, the 2019 guide suggests eating meals rich in vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and plant-based protein.

Some new suggestions include swapping rice for quinoa and opting for whole-grain options when available.

Gillis doesn’t recommend processed grain because it loses fibre, which is essential for the prevention of diseases and optimizing our bowels.

Legumes such as beans, nuts, and peas are the recommended choice for protein options. Meat-eaters should opt for diverse sources of lean protein like chicken and turkey.

“We should teach people about the variety in meat and not something like having red meat every night, we just want more of that balance and that variety,” said the dietitian.

Gillis explains that cutting down on meat can prevent a variety of disorders and chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, and hypertension.

2. Limit processed foods

Highly processed foods include anything from french fries and pizza to bakery products, sausages, and sugary drinks.

The new guide reports that extra sodium is often added to foods for preservation and taste.

A high-sodium diet can lead to higher blood pressure, which is linked to heart diseases.

Processed foods are also rich in saturated fats, which is a leading cause of heart diseases. They should be replaced with healthy fats such as olive, canola, sesame seeds, and soybean oils.

3. Drink more water

Previous versions of the food guide suggested milk and fruit juice as suitable options for beverages. However, the new guide focuses on making water your number one choice.

The 2019 guide provided a number of suggestions on how to make drinking water more fun, such as adding flavour using fruits and herbs or drinking herbal teas.

Increasing water intake is known to boosts energy levels, combat hunger, and improves muscle function and the appearance of your skin.

The problem with passing up milk for water, according to Gillis, is that you are also passing up on calcium and vitamins. Consuming more leafy greens, nuts, and beans is the solution to that, she said.

Getting into the right eating habits

While making healthy food choices is one thing, the new food guide also stresses the importance of healthy eating habits.

Healthy eating habits are less about what you eat and more about how your food is made, where you’re eating and when and why you’re eating it.

Follow these tips for healthy eating habits.

1. Develop a routine and stick to it

Get into the habit of timing and spacing your meals properly. This will prevent you from over or under-eating. Know when you are hungry and whether you require a full meal at that time or just a snack.

2. Ditch the take out

The 2019 food guide encourages people to eat home-cooked meals.

By cooking your meals at home, you know exactly what you’re consuming and have more control about your food choices.

Planning your meals in advance can save you time and allows you to put some thoughts into balancing your meals.

If you are eating out, the new food guide encourages you to choose healthier options.

3. Enjoy your food

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a drag. The 2019 guide encourages people to experiment with flavours, new recipes, and new ingredients.

Health Canada suggests socializing at mealtime, trying different cultural cuisine and preparing your meals with others.

For more information, Canada’s 2019 food guide and suggested recipes can be found online at food-guide.canada.ca

With files from Kevin Goodger

February 16, 2019 0

Review: Super Bowl Half Time Show

Madison Furness|Life

You know when you’ve just witnessed something so bad, you don’t even know where to begin?

Let’s start with Adam Levine’s outfit. At first, the red striped windbreaker and silver Gina chain had me confused. He looked like he had just stepped off the F train in NYC, ready to get into a bar fight. But then, thinking it couldn’t get any worse … he unzipped it.

Some called it a chocolate bar, others compared it to their curtains from Home Sense. Whatever it was, it made a lot of people uncomfortable. The collage of dark and light brown squares that took over his tank top had my Instagram blowing up with memes.

Entertaining, yes, but also, very, very, confusing. Who was his stylist? Who designed that shirt? And why aren’t they both exiled from the fashion industry?

After refocusing my attention to the actual performance I was again left very, very, confused. It felt as though the band went, “No, we’re good for a choreographer, we’re just going to get up on stage and wing it.” The sound was a mess, his voice was off key, and it felt as if everyone was just running around the stage playing Rock Band.

And where the hell did the choir come from?

To be fair, once Travis Scott came on stage I thought the show was saved. …until he only played one song and then dipped. So I’m going to give my opinions on that appearance less attention in my article than it gave us.

He still should have proposed to Kylie though, at least that would have made the show more exciting.

When Big Boi came on and sang the infamous song “I like the way you move,” I was excited like I’m sure many other people were. It gave a sense of nostalgia… until pillow case wearing, Adam Levine joined in.

Giving me flashbacks to when Katy Perry performed with Migos on Saturday Night Live, I couldn’t help but shriek and hide my face in my hands.

And I’m sorry but has Big Boi been hiding under a rock? Wearing eight animals on your body hasn’t been cool since the 50s. No doubt, PETA will be all over that.

Nearing the end of the show — just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse — Levine does the unthinkable.

He rips his shirt off on national television. Exposing an interesting selection of tattoos like the “California” one placed across his stomach and a butterfly tramp stamp on his hip, my jaw dropped. And not in a good way.

I guess he couldn’t stand his shirt either.

I’m not going to get into a whole rant about this but I just think it’s funny how Adam Levine can rip his shirt off during his performance but Janet Jackson is still banned for barely exposing a boob. Besides the fact that Justin Timberlake was allowed to perform last year and he’s the one who exposed Jackson’s nipple yet she’s STILL banned, blows my mind.

adam-levine-maroon-5-super-bowl-halftime-show-2019-billboard-1548.jpg — Image by Billboard

Coming back to the fact that Adam Levine was running around a stage half naked with flames behind him as he sang “She Will Be Loved”, I couldn’t help but think… “Wow, he really thinks he’s throwing on a rock concert doesn’t he?” Sad.

By the end of it, I didn’t know if I should laugh that their performance made the 3-0 football game look more exciting, or if I should just feel really, really bad.

… It probably would have been better if Spongebob just did the whole show…

But hey, don’t worry boys, maybe if Nickleback performs next year, it will clear your record for worst Super Bowl performance of all time.

Feature Image by ABC7

February 6, 2019 3

Let’s talk: Get involved in Bell Let’s Talk Day 2019

Casiah Cagan | Life

Jan. 30, 2019 is Bell Let’s Talk Day, one of the most anticipated events for Canadians as they use the power of technology to help end the stigma surrounding mental health.

Bell began to plan the initiative back in 2010, when talk about mental health was still fairly quiet.

The main goal was to simply get Canadians to begin conversations on mental health, but Bell additionally decided to donate money to mental health programs whenever Canadians talked about mental health in order to make help more accessible to Canadians who needed it.

Once Bell Let’s Talk Day was launched in 2011, suddenly millions of Canadians, from athletes to media personalities to ordinary people began to open up about their own or a loved one’s struggles with mental illness in addition to messages of support for those struggling.

When the initiative first began, Bell was only seeing about 66,079,236 interactions on Bell Let’s Talk Day, but that number has multiplied to become 138,383,995 in 2018, and the amount of contributions only continues to grow.

Bell Let’s Talk states that they are built on four key pillars to promote awareness: fighting the stigma, improving access to care, supporting research, and leading by example in workplace health.

Nine years later, Bell Let’s Talk has been able to raise $93,423,628.80 to donate to mental health programs across the country, and they anticipate that this year’s Let’s Talk Day will break the $100 million barrier.

So, how can you get involved in Bell Let’s Talk Day 2019?

In the University of Guelph-Humber Atrium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. students can sign a poster to support mental health awareness, share a selfie and get themselves from free gear.

On the national scale, Bell will donate 5¢ to Canadian mental health initiatives every time you begin a new conversation on mental health.

If Bell is your service provider, every text message and call — local and long distance — will count towards a donation, but anyone, regardless of service provider, can tweet using the hashtag #BellLet’sTalk and use the Bell Let’s Talk Snapchat filter or Facebook frame to help contribute.

And if social media isn’t quite your thing, every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video goes towards the donation initiative.

https://twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk/status/1090452040118165504

So, what are you waiting for? Start the conversation, bring awareness to mental health, and let’s work towards a stigma-free Canada.

Featured Image from Bell Let’s Talk

January 30, 2019 0

First look at live-action remake of Disney’s Aladdin

Casiah Cagan | Life

Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday shared the first photos and behind-the-scenes stories of Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake of the classic Disney film Aladdin.

Set to hit the big screen in the Spring of 2019, this version of Aladdin stars Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, and Will Smith as the beloved Genie.

The entertainment magazine’s newest issue sports the film’s three stars on the cover in full character, and though many praised the casting and costuming of Massoud and Scott, there was undoubtedly something missing on Smith’s end.

Fixed it real quick. #Aladdin pic.twitter.com/FFs5oPLUUn

— Kevin Sparrow (@KevinSparrrow) December 19, 2018

Everyone ripping apart what genie looks like in the live action Aladdin but I’ll trust @willsmith till the day I die so I’ll rock with it pic.twitter.com/cv8d5F4uHS

— Sean O'Donnell (@TheSeanODonnell) December 19, 2018

It was later revealed that in the movie, Genie has the ability to switch from being blue into “human form,” which is how the Genie is portrayed on the magazine’s cover. Plus, the digital effects team was still playing around with the CGI effects.

This news made fans much happier, though they were already quite satisfied with the choice to give Will Smith such an iconic role, originally played by the late Robin Williams.

Gene Ritchie, the film’s director, knew it would be tough to find someone to fill the unique Genie shoes Williams had left.

“The great thing about the role of the Genie is that it’s essentially a hyperbole for who that individual actor is,” Ritchie said.

“It’s a wonderful platform and tapestry for an actor to fill his boots on.”

Ultimately, the director turned to Will Smith, who is arguably one of the funniest and most iconic people in the entertainment industry.

But even these labels couldn’t stop Smith from feeling just a little nervous about the role he took on.

“Whenever you’re doing things that are iconic, it’s always terrifying,” Smith had told Entertainment Weekly.

“The question is always: Where was there meat left on the bone? Robin didn’t leave a lot of meat on the bone with the character…I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different. Just the flavor of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete.”

Though the role of Genie seemed to fall quickly into place, Ritchie found that finding his Aladdin and Jasmine was not going to be as easy. Auditions for the roles lasted for six months before Ritchie finally decided on giving the roles to Canadian actor Mena Massoud and British actress Naomi Scott.

Massoud immediately began singing and dancing lessons as well as taking stunt classes in order to make sure he could play his role as best he could.

“The singing and dancing I had to really train and put in time for, as I’m predominantly an actor first,” Massoud says.

As for Scott, she had grown up drawn to the character of Jasmine for not only her kind spirit and intricate background, but the fact that the princess was someone who looked just like her.

“Having a Disney princess that looked something like me, I think was really powerful,” says Scott.

“Jasmine’s main objective at the beginning is to really protect her people and to do right by them. She definitely isn’t a finished article at the beginning of the movie, but she has this beautiful arc and progression, and she goes from asking for what she wants to just taking it, and displaying that she is a leader.”

Aladdin‘s official release date is for May 24, 2019.

All images from Entertainment Weekly.

December 19, 2018 0

Review: Figuring It Out by Cal Campos

Staff | Review

It’s real, it’s helpful, it’s all about life in Figuring It Out, by Cal Campos.

The web series is produced by Campos and is published in their role as a content producer for Student Life at Humber College. It walks you through their life, sometimes light-hearted, sometimes intense, but all with great, snappy production quality.

Why am I writing “their”? That’s on Campos’ request. Watch episode six of the series on YouTube and you’ll understand. Episode six is the best one, but watch it all, including the introduction.

Campos asks real questions. How do I prepare for midterms? Am I job ready? What’s my identity? Was that offensive? You already know there’s no magical, one-sentence answer for these things, but Campos arguably shows you how to tackle them.

The views on the videos don’t match the quality content, so share it if you think more people should get engaged.

As a side note, a lot of the other content created by the digital production team at Student Life is also engaging.

Our rating

9/10

Image of the show from YouTube.

December 16, 2018 0