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[saltystudenttraveler-us-blog]

I really agree with the face that whoever directs the third film, its gonna be hard to do and its going to feel different than the last two films. I honestly think Waititi would be the best for the third film if they wanted to keep the same pace as the last 2 movies or the Russo brothers if they want it to be a bit darker.

I do not agree that fans and news outlets should give up on Gunn. Its kinda Scary that something dumb he said half a decade ago are being used against him now, Especially when Disney isn't holding everyone to the same standard. Sarah Silverman has sad some terrible things about kids and men in her standup, yet she still has a place in Disney. 

I think one of the reasons that the stars of GOTG stood with Gunn is because they don't think its fair for a company to choose whilly nilly who has to follow certain rules and who doesn't. 

Who Will Replace James Gunn?

In the middle of July 2018, the media personality and conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich, among several other like-minded individuals, drew attention to a series of old tweets from director James Gunn’s Twitter account. The tweets in question, which were written between 2008 and 2012, joked about dark subjects such as child abuse, pedophilia, and rape. Subsequently, Disney, who Gunn worked with to direct the widely acclaimed 2014 MCU film Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2017 sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, fired him from directing the third film in the series, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, set to be released in 2020. Gunn has been cited as one of the largest reasons that both films turned out to be commercial and critical successes.

When news of this got out, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fandom got up in arms and was nigh-unanimously against Disney’s decision. Numerous news outlets, as well, criticized the company. Days later, several main members of the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, including Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, and Zoe Saldana, spoke in Gunn’s favor in a joint statement through social media. To the dismay of them all, however, Disney stuck to its guns, firmly denying any hopes of rehiring Gunn. As Disney has not yet released a statement about who will direct the movie, fans who have begrudgingly accepted the possibility of Gunn never being rehired have now moved on to discussing who exactly should replace him as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The same news outlets who covered the firing have followed suit.

Thus far, the most popular choice for director is Taika Waititi, famous for directing the widely-acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok, another MCU movie released in late 2017. By loading a silly sense of humor—something the previous two Thor movies severely lacked—into the film, he brought the character into the spotlight, making him more of a fan favorite than he ever had been. As such, many fans have been clamoring for him to replace Gunn, as comedy was a key element in the previous two Guardians of the Galaxy films. Additionally, Thor: Ragnarok features nice helpings of outer-space adventure and effective world building, something the Guardians of the Galaxy movies are known for as well. As seen with 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which Waititi directed, he is also well-versed in creating effective drama, which Guardians of the Galaxy is more focused around than Thor: Ragnarok was. Waititi, however, often seems to be a more independent director, opting to take films into his own hands more often than not. Seeing as Gunn’s script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still going to be used for the film, Waititi would likely have difficulty trying to direct the film without adding enough of his own elements into it. The only other problem seems to be that Waititi’s humor is, in some ways, rather different from Gunn’s. A significant portion of Thor: Ragnarok’s humor was based around the wacky situations that the main characters got themselves into, and had more of a light-hearted tone. Guardians of the Galaxy movies have a more character-driven comedy with darker subjects and a more sarcastic tone. However, the less sarcastic tone may be a good thing for the third film, and may act as a breath of fresh air relative to the other two movies.

The second most popular choice has been the Russo brothers, who have already worked with Disney on the MCU films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and an untitled 2019 Avengers film. Seeing as Avengers: Infinity War included most of the cast of the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, the Russo brothers presumably have some experience working with the characters they portray and know them quite well. As seen in the same film with how they worked with Thor, who had recently been reinvented into an entirely new and undeniably unique character by Taika Waititi, they are somewhat competent in taking characters created by other people and improving upon them while still maintaining their recognizability and overall aesthetic. They aren’t shown to always stick with this, however. Fans have pointed out that Captain America when in a film directed by the Russo brothers, tends to be treated rather differently than when he is not. Whether the Russo brother version of Captain America is better or not is a different story, but it shows that they aren’t afraid to take another character and change them somewhat. So, it may be a bit of a gamble of whether or not they will change the Guardians of the Galaxy protagonists or not if they are set to direct the third film. Even if they were to decide to change them, of course, the changes made wouldn’t automatically be deemed bad. They could go either way.

Another popular choice is Edgar Wright, who was slated to direct 2015’s Ant-Man until he abandoned it and was replaced by Peyton Reed. As shown in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Wright is competent in comedy, especially the zany kind that is seen in both Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the Guardians of the Galaxy series. Wright also directed the critically acclaimed 2017 action film Baby Driver. The film’s action scenes were fueled with, amplified by, and set to the rhythm of the music the music that the film’s protagonist listened to while driving. Guardians of the Galaxy, too, is well-known for its unique soundtrack, which is integrated not only into some of the action scenes but also into important character development scenes. The songs serve as a sentimental piece of the backstory of Peter Quill, one of the series’ protagonists, and provides more emotional backing than action-oriented. However, this doesn’t mean Wright can’t use his experience in integrating music into the action scenes of Baby Driver to learn how to effectively use music to enhance the emotionally resonant scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Although all of these are indeed excellent choices for replacements for Gunn, they all have one problem: stylistically, their movies are usually far from being like any Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Additionally, their ability to direct in the style that Gunn directed in the movies varies from director to director. Tonally, they all tend to stray away from the tone seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. This is not the case, however, with Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

The first thing that comes to one’s mind with they think of Lord and Miller is their goofy sense of humor, something which can be found in heaping amount in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Their humor can range from the silly, light-hearted yet witty kind seen in The Lego Movie to the lightspeed stream of wackiness which courses through Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and its sequel. They also have taken a liking to make their movies tongue-in-cheek and undercut with sporadic sarcasm, something which would likely spice up Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Another trait the two of them carry that would help them make an excellent addition to the series is their apparent ability to work with improv actors. While Lord and Miller were directing Solo: A Star Wars Story, Disney fired the two of them and replaced them with Ron howard. This was apparently due to the twos’ directing style, which was rather heavy on improvisation, being too close to Guardians of the Galaxy. This should serve as very sound proof that the two of them are, in fact, cut out to direct a competent third entry in the series.

Of course, this does not automatically mean that their time directing Solo: A Star Wars Story went down smoothly aside from the firing. Reportedly, the duo often did twenty to thirty takes for each scene, each time vaguely demanding that the actors simply deliver the scene “differently”. The tone and feel of a Star Wars movie, even the more western-like Solo, is quite different from that of a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Star Wars movies are relatively more slower-paced, at least a bit more grounded, and much less goofy than both of the movies. As previously explained, Lord and Miller would thrive and soar with a more comedic tone rather than flounder like they did with Solo’s seriousness.

As such, with Disney highly likely to stay stuck to its word and refuse to rehire Gunn, fans should not support petitions demanding that he be somehow rehired. Instead, they should petition for Phil Lord and Chris Miller to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 the best they can with their aptitudes in improvisation and comedy, along with their apparent ability to make a similar movie.

https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/james-gunn-firing-alt-right/

https://www.vox.com/2018/7/30/17630988/guardians-of-the-galaxy-james-gunn-support

https://screenrant.com/disney-james-gunn-guardians-galaxy-3-fired-director/

https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/992307/James-Gunn-fired-Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-3-Marvel-James-Gunn-petition-James-Gunn-tweets

http://whatculture.com/film/why-marvel-need-to-hire-lord-miller-to-direct-guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3

https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/solo-actor-phil-lord-chris-miller-werent-prepared-star-wars-alden-ehrenreich-not-good-1201943599/

https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/07/24/guardians-of-the-galaxy-who-should-replace-james-gunn-as-director-of-volume-3

[saltystudenttraveler-us-blog]

This.Was.Beatiful. Everything I wanted to say in my essay you said in yours. It was so well put and you covered everything! From the movies to the video games! The video games is what gets me the most. I remember when that infamous reddit comment was posted. The idea that someone would sink in a full forty hour work week to unlock characters, that still would need more hours to fully update them. They thought no one would question that? Especially on Reddit!?!? 

I remember all the cool games that were announces before Star Wars was sold. Knights of the Old Republic 3, A real Battle Front game and that cool game about Darth Maul! All got the axe by Disney. 

Also, you are 100% right about having a united voice the star-wars community needs in order to enact change! If everyone could untie behind this essay, I bet we could get a real response from EA and Disney!

Star Wars: The great divide between fans and Disney

Since Disney purchased Star Wars in 2012, Star Wars movies and video games have not been meeting fan expectations. The displeasure of fans, particularly since Episode VIII, has been fueling a divide between the fans and Disney, a divide that has been getting worse because of misunderstandings of what fans want, and Disney releasing products that are falling well short of fan expectations. Disney has had problems with miscommunication, misleading information, and an overall misunderstanding of what fans want.

In what follows, I’m going to argue that, despite what the fans say, this is not all Disney’s fault (just like it wasn’t all Lucas’s fault when it was all Lucas’s fault) even though the majority of the blame lies with Disney. I’ll argue that the fans’ finicky nature makes them hard to please, and that, if we’re ever to love Star Wars again, the fans need to be realistic in their expectations and be patient with Disney. We need to give them multiple chances to get it right. And we need to trust that they can. But ultimately it is Disney’s job to solve this problem.

Star Wars Fans:

To fully understand this divide, we must understand the fanbase. The fans are very passionate; some fans even name their kids after heroes from this universe. They search for books, movies, and fan films to further explore the Star Wars Universe. The Fans bring Star Wars to life. They kept the franchise alive during the decade long hiatuses between trilogies. This intense passion makes high expectations for new film and video game releases. The fans believe that their concerns are not being heard and their expectations are not being met. On the contrary, Disney feels like meeting all of the fans expectations is unrealistic. But the responsibility to fix this problem lies mostly with Disney because they, as a company, are supposed to please customers. Disney will need to be creative in their storytelling but keep in the back of their minds what the fans really want, and if they don’t know, they need to do the research to find out what the fans want. Most of Disney’s Star Wars film and video game sales are sold to Star Wars fans and by listening to the fans, Disney will be more profitable and will repair this relationship. It is Disney’s job to earn the fan’s trust back.

Star Wars Movies:

Disney has felt the wrath of Star Wars fans, particularly with Star Wars episode VIII The Last Jedi (warning spoilers below, skip to the end of the paragraph if you do not want spoilers for episode VIII). Fans were excited with the announcement of a new Star Wars Trilogy starting in 2015. But Disney had the difficult task of meeting up to 30 years of fan expectations and theories of what happened to Luke, Leia, and Han. Luke was a broken, defeated man in episode VIII and fans were expecting him to be more invested in the galaxy and more powerful. They felt that Luke did not behave like he would have after episode VI. In episode VII, Snoke emerged as a mysterious villain without any backstory. The creators killed Snoke in episode VIII without offering any information about who he is. The fans felt let down that this mystery wasn’t solved and isn’t likely to be solved. The biggest mystery from episode VII was Rey’s parentage. Fans spent time pouring over footage trying to determine who her parents are. There were theories about her being a granddaughter of Obi-Wan, Palpatine being her father, Luke being her father, and there was even a theory about Rey being a reincarnation of Anakin. Episode VIII revealed that her parents were nobodies. The fans felt like her parents were going to be anyone from the list of fan theories and they were disappointed that her parents were not. Some fans were so angry that they started a petition to remake episode VIII. Rian Johnson, the director of The Last Jedi, said this about listening to the fans:

I feel like every Star Wars thing that ever gets made has a loud response, because Star Wars fans are passionate, and that’s awesome, I don’t think it’s possible if you’re really telling a story you care about, it’s just not possible to be intellectually processing… what everyone else wants. Nor would it be a good thing, a healthy thing. I don’t think that’s a good way to tell a story.

Rian Johnson was basically saying that it is not a good idea to listen to the fans. The fans had so much lingering unhappiness from episode VIII that they started a movement to boycott Solo, the Star Wars movie that came out after episode VIII. Realistically the directors of Star Wars will not please everyone, but they should keep in mind what the fans want when creating Star Wars stories.

Star Wars Video Games:

While Disney works on the movie aspect of Star Wars, Electronic Arts works on the video game aspect. In 2017, Electronic Arts (otherwise known as EA) released a trailer for Star Wars Battlefront 2. The trailer showed new characters and different eras of Star Wars. This game seemed to be an improvement from the original Battlefront game EA released in 2015. Shortly before the release of the game, fans found out that main heroes such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader were locked in the game and the time it would take to accumulate the in game currency to unlock one hero would be around forty hours . Fans and gamers expect when you buy a sixty dollar game that they would have access to all iconic characters. Electronic Arts countered with a statement on Reddit: “saying that the high unlock requirements were meant to give players a sense of accomplishment,” this comment became the most downvoted comment in Reddit history. EA then lowered the cost of heroes by 75 percent.

Not only did they lock heroes behind walls of time, they also had loot boxes,  (loot boxes is a reward system where you can spend real currency or fake in-game earned currency to get random rewards) which have a “chance” of unlocking these heroes. To make it worse, the progression system, where you can level up certain abilities for gameplay was based on the loot box system. This was frustrating for fans because they could not choose certain abilities which they preferred to be upgraded because it was randomized. EA is promoting a pay to win system where the more currency you spend the more likely you are to win in a shameless cash grab. The fans wanted a progression system where they can choose which abilities to upgrade. EA has since replaced the progression system about six months after the game came out.

Recently Electronic Arts announced that they would be releasing new Clone Wars content for Star Wars Battlefront 2, much to the fans delight. EA then posted gameplay pictures and the fans scrounged the pictures looking for clues. The fans found what looks to be a droideka. A droideka is a droid from the prequels, that folds into a ball to move around then opens up to walk and fight. Droidekas are formidable enough to even stop Jedi. The fans were ecstatic. 

Pcgamesn reported EA’s response:

Electronic Arts denied that it was a Droideka at all, suggesting that it was merely environmental clutter. Eventually in a post on reddit the developer admits that they loaded up the scene and discovered that it was indeed a Droideka – although it was an unused static asset that somehow made its way into the backdrop. It has zero integration into the game, with no active plans to put Droidekas into Battlefront 2.

The fans felt deceived, and to make matters worse the droideka was a character the fans had been wanting and asking for, for some time. EA needs to communicate better with the fans.

Battlefront 2 isn’t the only Star Wars game created by EA that has been met with controversy. Star Wars Battlefront, Battlefront 2’s predecessor, according to most fans’ opinions, is not a complete game. Star Wars Battlefront was considered incomplete because there wasn’t a lot of content upon release. When the game was released there was only four different locations, six heroes, and nine multiplayer game modes. There wasn’t a single player campaign or much offline single player content. EA then announced that they would be coming out with a season pass (a season pass is where a company comes out with a bundle of new content, usually separated into three or four releases at a few different times for a price). The season pass included eight new heroes, four different locations, along with four new game modes. The season pass fractured the gamers into 2 groups: people who have the season pass and those who do not. The people who have the season pass would play on the new maps and the people without wouldn’t have access to the new content. The separation of gamers would lead to longer wait times for matches and it would make the matches less full. Gamers and fans were disappointed because they felt that in order to get a full game you would have to pay 110 dollars. Fans would have wanted a complete game upon release, with more single player modes, and a fanbase that was not fractured into two groups.     

Since Star Wars was bought by Disney six years ago, there has only been two video games released and both have been controversial. Before this change in ownership, Star Wars video games came out almost every year. Not all video games released before the sale of Star Wars were received well, but the creators took risks in gameplay and storytelling. They looked to explore the Star Wars Universe. Fans want games that explore different parts of this Universe. They want games that have compelling heroes, interesting storylines and gameplay that allows fans to live out their fantasies. But fans have received games that aren’t creative and they miss the frequency of Star Wars video game releases. Disney and EA’s repeated failure to meet expectations has been increasing this divide.  

Star Wars fan’s passion have also increased the divide:

Some critics are stating that the fanbase is to blame for the divide between fans and Disney. They would say that Star Wars fans are toxic. They would point out the death threats sent by fans to Rian Johnson and Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks). They’d show the many careers Star Wars has destroyed such as Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker in episodes II-III) and Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker in episode I). They’d display the harassment of people who are associated with Star Wars such as Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Kelly Marie Tran (Rose), both of whom decided to leave social media because of fans bashing them and their characters. George Lucas, the father of Star Wars eventually decided to leave the franchise by selling it to Disney. George did this because he felt that the world was against him, particularly after the backlash of the prequels. Let me be clear, it is never permissible to bully someone and that respect of opinions, respect of persons should be our priority. It is okay to dislike a character or an actor’s performance, but we should not attack the actor/actress. The critic’s argument appears to be incorrect because the people that are doing the bullying are the minority of Star Wars fans. Critics might also be ask, do the fans truly know what they want? Star Wars episode VII was criticized by fans for being too similar to episode IV and relying too heavily on nostalgia. Disney responded by making episode VIII radically different, and the fans replied saying that it was too different. Two explanations can be stated for this. First the fans might not know what they want but they need to figure that out, or fans might not be united enough for their desires to be heard, or maybe both.

Star Wars is big because of its fanbase. Not many franchises could survive three movies that terribly underperformed. But Star Wars fans need to be patient and realistic in their desires. We need to become more united so that Disney can easily hear us. Fans would like movies about Knights of the Old Republic with the Sith Triumverate, Darth Vader hunting jedi’s before episode IV, Kylo Ren’s backstory with Luke and the fall of the Jedi and subsequent turn of Kylo Ren. This is not supposed to be a bash on Disney and EA, if it wasn’t for you the fans wouldn’t be getting new movies, video games, or stories. But listen to fans and take into account their feedback and opinions. It is not realistic for Disney to appease all of the fans, and that is understandable. Listening is enough and would help Disney make more money and by doing this; Disney would close the divide.

[saltystudenttraveler-us-blog]

I really enjoyed how you laid out specifically what makes a “Boy/Girl Scout” hero so interesting. I agree that it has to do with there kindness and there dedication to what is right. You really see that with Captain America when he stops working with the US Government to go on his own, that he isn't owned by an organization but by a set of ideals.

I do not agree that These Hero’s are the most interesting, they may be popular but how many times has someone that superman caught broke out of prison and killed more people? The hero’s who are the most interesting are the ones who recognize that there are some people, whose existence provides an existential risk  to innocence and that these Hero’s are willing to trade there innocence and purity for the lives of innocent people

The Goody-two-shoes Superhero is the best kind.

We as humans crave excitement and vigor. We live in a world that is pretty mundane in comparison to what the human mind can create meaning our imagination is an outstanding resource for making things more fun and interesting. When an individual or group creates and shares something really great using their imagination then people will take a quick break from their boring lives to sit back and admire what imagination creates. All of us are invigorated by that nostalgic “BANG!, BOOM!, SMASH! And KAPOW!” from a superhero comic or movie. Nothing was better during my childhood than hopping on the couch with a bag of popcorn cheering Superman on while he saves a whole train load of people while my little brother hangs out the window with an antenna trying to get the best signal. Now that cinema has evolved, technology and CGI has paved the way for great works of cinematic art that brings millions and millions of people across the world to the theaters to root for their favorite superhero. DC and Marvel Comics are worth billions of dollars outfitted with armies of specialists and professionals working to create the greatest superhero movies. But what I have found to be the most important part of what makes a great superhero movie is the nature of each superhero. Specifically the goody-two-shoes type also known as the “Boy Scout” Superhero.

The persona of a superhero can really make or break a hero movie because of the appeal they have on the majority, their positive influence on the world, and the ease of incorporating that type of superhero into a story line allows for better films. Having a Goody-two-shoes superhero as a main character in a movie is definitely what makes for a great cinematic work of art. The Goody-two-shoes type is the kind of superhero that consistently displays idealism, courage, and morality, a person with superpowers that has those conventional superhero characteristics like the old style comics. Every good movie in this genre needs an idealistic hero for the audience to root for.

I would like to bring Wonder Woman to the spotlight as one outstanding example of a Goody-two-shoes superhero. In this case, Goody-two-shoes is a compliment. Wonder Woman was raised on a Utopian island by other pure women, without the “corrupting” influence of barbaric men. She was fashioned out of clay and taught since birth about moral justice and purity, she is insanely intelligent and not only does she make the perfect feminist icon but she makes for a great “Girl Scout” type superhero.

In the movie starring Gal Gadot, Her character learns of the wrath of Aries and immediately goes out to free the world from his destructive might. During her conquest she displays her courage, determination, and innocence throughout the movie. When she saw someone in trouble she went to help them whether it was convenient for her or not. Being an icon for women, she was definitely a guardian for her gender and their children. This Amazon was trained to be the unconquerable warrior and when Steve Trevor crash lands on her island,she saves him. Despite the reaction of the other Amazon warriors Wonder Woman (Diana) saves him making the audience fall in love with her because of her kindness and compassion. These characteristics appeal to the good side of the audience making the movie more comfortable and exciting for the audience to watch. One example of a great scene that pushed the audience to root for Wonder Woman was the scene called “No Man’s Land” where her and her colleagues find themselves blocked by a trench war. The distraught and tired American soldiers are on one side and the German soldiers were blocking the way on the other.  Instead of giving up and trying to find a way out of that situation, Wonder Woman majestically takes on the whole German Army helping the soldiers take control of No Man’s Land while at the same time liberating the people of the town nearby.  No matter the type of person watching everyone, has human nature to root for the good guy as long as the hero gives the audience a cause to believe in. In connection to a Superhero with a righteous cause and a true talent for being the good superhero just like Wonder Woman.

Superman is definitely the most well known for being the stereotypical perfect Superhero of doing good to all and standing for the “American Way”. According to Rotten Tomatoes reviews, Superman didn’t do as great as Wonder Woman but the thing that did generate the positive feedback and what has carried Superman through the decades in overwhelming popularity is his utmost goodness and “Boy Scout” personality.

These types of characters allow for the greatest stories to be told following the monomyth structure that the human race has been following for hundreds of years. A Monomyth or a Hero’s Journey type story laid the foundation for the modern hero films that we know today. In old mythology the Protagonist receives a call to an adventure or challenge, he or she then obtains some supernatural or divine help such as an ability or weapon of some sort after they then get started on their journey and experience a few road bumps along the way, a helper or mentor (sidekick) comes along to make it easier to discover their newly obtained abilities and provide relief in difficult situations.  After they make it through the long road of tests and trials and mini quests normally orchestrated by or connected to the protagonist  we reach the final showdown. In the beginning of the finale it seems the odds are definitely not in favor of the hero. But through strategic methods the hero gains the upper hand and triumphs over evil. This type of storyline with the exception of a few deviations makes for the foundation of all of our favorite actions movies. This type of storyline allows the the frame or shape of the story but the demeanor of the characters are what keeps the story going. By following this story and utilizing the characters personalities and reactions to certain events has outstanding effects on the quality of a film. Taking a closer look at how the producers strategically use the Avengers to build a successful film is very beneficial in understanding how  the “good” heros do such holding an intensely action packed film together.

Starting with Captain America, we had the opportunity to follow his story from the beginning of his life up to the point that the Avengers were created. His experiences of being the “little guy” and wanting to make a difference in the world made him a revered superhero which in turn made it easier for screenwriters and producers to use a character like him to create the The First Avenger. His experience of being the underdog, his kindness and mental strength allowed him to be the perfect candidate as the leader of the Avengers and a very likable, non-controversial representative for superheros. Because of his “goody-two-shoes” demeanor, it created the balance needed to deal with heros less “boy scout-like” such as Iron Man with his spoiled, snobbish attitude, Thor with his prideful and entitled demeanor, and Black Widow with her dark assassin toughness. Although Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, are obviously heros and not villains they don’t necessarily fall under the “boy-scout” criteria. They still have that type of personality that can be overpowering without a character like Superman or Captain America to balance out the scale. Even in the movies Captain America confronts Tony Stark by asking him,

“Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”

Captain America understood that being a hero is not just your abilities but by who you are. He knew that Tony Stark definitely wasn’t a “goody-two-shoes” type of hero. And he knew that his attitude bothered him enough that he had a need to challenge him.  When these types of Superheros display that kind of character, we as fans can’t help but feel that heroic intensity grow within ourselves. That is the reason why it’s common to see that child dressed up in a superhero costume with the the red cape with running around the house. Not only is it awesome to have superpowers but because every kid (and adult) really does want to have those “boy-scout” qualities in one way or another. Even if you look at an anti-hero like Deadpool, he doesn’t do so great in being the good guy; which the audience may enjoy for a while but by the second movie even Deadpool grows a conscience and begins to clean up his act and follow more closely to the “traditional” superhero psyche. This is proof that having a “goody-two-shoes” superhero as a main character in a movie is definitely what makes for a great cinematic work of art. The next time you watch a superhero movie see if you find exactly which character displays those traits and pay attention to how the writers of the movie use that character to make the film more balanced and how their actions make you feel as a fan.

[saltystudenttraveler-us-blog]

I totally agree with your assessment of the movie! It had some great ideas but the struggle was the actors! Hayden Christiansen was super unbelievable to me as someone who had the potential to be either the most powerful hero or the most evil villain because Hayden portrays this guy as a big whiner. It gets old real quick.

Its funny to me that George Lucas has this immense vision of the Star Wars Universe and that  he created it from the ground up, that his storyline work is so fascinating, but that what he can't do is create a dialogue that sounds organic. Robert Egberts critique hit the nail on the head

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

George Lucas has created once again, a Star Wars movie that speaks for itself. With the same cast as episode 2, the acting is below average. When the prequels came to theatres, Star Wars super fans were ecstatic because of their love of the original films. The prequels have proved themselves to be less than super fans imagined them to be.

    The movie starts out with Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and his Jedi trainer Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), flying through space in the middle of a battle. There were no hints to what they might be battling about, so right off the bat, fans are already confused as to what is happening. They blow some things up, etcetera etcetera, then head back to the Jedi temple. In the second movie, Anakin secretly married Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), and in this movie, she tells him that she is going to have a baby Anakin starts having bad dreams about Padme dying in childbirth. He seeks a way to keep her alive. He goes to Chancellor Palpatine, who is also Darth Sidious, for help. The Chancellor slowly creates Anakin into Darth Vader, who then is the villain in the original Star Wars films.

    This movie’s storyline is genius. George Lucas was able to connect all of the movies together in a fantastic way. The thing that is making this movie so disappointing to fans is the awful script and the actors who say the script. When coming up with the script, George Lucas didn’t have any help with the writing, it was all on his own. It could have been great, but since George Lucas decided to write it all on his own, it doesn’t have the same effect as the original films. The actors in this film are not great actors, but part of the reason that they were so hard to watch was because of the script.

    The other thing that is making this movie so bad, are the actors. In the first and second episodes, we see that the actors are hard to watch. The acting in this episode is particularly bad compared to the other prequel movies. Some of the scenes are even comical, although they are supposed to be serious. For example, the last fight scene between Anakin and his master Obi Wan. This specific part in the film is supposed to be the climax, and the most serious part. The acting almost makes you laugh out loud. Roger Ebert says on his blog on rogerebert.com: “The dialogue throughout the movie is once again its weakest point: the characters talk in what sounds like basic English, without color, wit or verbal delight…”. The actors do not do a good job with trying to make the script sound good, but it is partly the script, and the writer of the script’s fault. 

    The Star Wars trilogy has proved itself to be one of the greatest movie series of all time, but the prequels definitely have many faults. The overall storyline is great, but the way it is portrayed is nothing to brag about. The script written by George Lucas by himself is hard to watch, and watching the characters trying to act out the script is almost painful. The movie definitely provides some laughs for super fans, but we can only hope in the future there will be another Star Wars movie that with exceed our expectations.

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Kanye west has done so much for Rap music. lots of media outlets and individuals just seem to remember him for being arrogant. He wasn't arrogant for no reason. The man has sold over 32 million albums!  He made beats for some of the music worlds most prolific rappers! 

I love that you point out at the end, that regardless how you feel about Kanye, that this is a song for everyone to enjoy. For me it ushers in a new area for Kanye that shows why he acts like such big shot, and the reason for that is, because he is a big shot.

Kanye West’s Critically Acclaimed Masterpiece

After Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 Video Music Awards, the artist Kanye West became the biggest joke at the time. Katy Perry, who, at the time was on of Swift’s many celebrity friends, famously tweeted “F*** you Kanye it’s like you stepped on a kitten.” President Obama even took time out of his busy schedule to call Kanye a “jackass”.  After all of this , Kanye moved out of the country and stopped creating music.  These events all lead up to the creation of Kanye’s West’s nine-minute critically acclaimed masterpiece, “Runaway” where Kanye tells his story from the side of the bad guy and how it has affected the his career and future.

This piece starts off with a powerful repeated piano note.  These 15 notes automatically captivate your attention and leave you intrigued for what comes next.  They are compelling, constant, and continue throughout the entire piece.   This beat leads from one verse to the next and is they become the “heartbeat” of runaway.

The hook of this song comes when Kanye says “let’s have a toast for the douchebags”  and continues to name the multiple crude names that Kanye has been called throughout his career.  Kanye is referencing himself in this and is admitting to who he is. This is repeated multiple times throughout the piece and connects each verse.   Runaway is Kanye’s most intimate released song because of this. He comes clean to the point where it is almost dark and brutally honest. Anyone can relate to Kanye  calling himself out.   Whether they have been “one”, or have been surrounded by “one”, this song speaks out to any listener.  This is so impressive because Kanye is finally admitting that he was in the wrong.  Many of artists attack others in their music, but Kanye makes the choice to look upon himself and point out his own issues and that is what makes this song so unique and impressive.

After this, Kanye has Pusha T come in with a verse from the assholes point of view. This part has a lot to do with how the people see Kanye.  It talks about all of the things he has done to earn the reputation he has.  Whether that was his nude pictures trending on social media, his issues with women, or his feud with Taylor Swift.  If anyone has kept up to date on social media or anything in pop culture, they know of Kanye and what this song is about.  He is commonly a “hot” topic on social media and you either love or hate him.  While many would be embarrassed if anyone called them these terrible names, Kanye makes the brave move and says these things about himself.  That is what makes this song so intimate and relatable.

After this verse the song continues the heartbeat of the constant piano notes.  This piece grabs the audience back in.  Kanye adds in a few classical instruments such as the cello over the piano which recreates the beginning with a twist.  On the top of the cello and piano, Kanye’s muffled, compelling voice comes in.  In interviews Kanye says he tried to recreate a guitar with his voice. He does this by with distortion and autotune.  He hums the notes and creates a powerful moving performance.  Although there are not any words in this verse,  this part of the song is the most emotional and abstract piece and really speaks differently to each listener.

While recording this song, Kanye just started on the piano and freestyled as he went.  He sat down with the piano keys and let his mind take over.  This song is impressive, powerful, and compelling as it is.  The fact that he created this piece on the spot make it that much more remarkable.  Even if you are not a fan of Kanye,  any listener can enjoy, relate, and respect this song and that is what makes it one of Kanye’s best songs.

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Moral Analysis

Star Wars The Last Jedi is an extraordinary piece of propaganda. In this essay we are going to answer the questions, how was propaganda used in this movie? Was it ethical? What were the audiences reactions to this movie? What was described by the  dialogue and actions of characters? Also, what was the cost of the tactics employed in this movie?

So before we get into the Moral Analysis, lets do a quick review of this movie. Star Wars the Last Jedi was a movie that came out and was received  with varying degrees of love or hate. The movie had many claims stacked for and against it. Claims that it was creating a new starwars universe on the grave of the old one and that this was a movie to push social agendas. Other claims were that the movie was a brave new step for the Star Wars universe. In addition to that claims, Many people have claimed that individuals who don't like this new Star Wars movie are old, chubby misogynistic nerds, who can't handle the fact that there favorite childhood universe is being overrun by femminist.

The most prominent propaganda piece used is that of Feminism. Feminism is not a bad thing! They want the world to know that women are equal and have as many rights as men. This is an important message for the world to here. Its the way they do it though is what causes drastic problems. The movie manipulates the message of Feminism from one of equality to one of reverse sexism, with women on bottom and men on top.

The biggest example to me of this to me, Is the interactions between Po Dameron and Vice Admiral Hodo. Vice Admiral Hodo is a fleet admiral who is  put in charge after Princess Leia almost dies. She is put in charge as the Rebel Fleet is being closely chased and shot at by the First Order. She gives a rousing speech about how everything is going to be all right but discloses nothing about her plan.

Po and several other pilots and rebels are curious how this is all going to work out. She rebukes him for being rash and getting people killed and doesn't answer his question. This is the movie trying to subtly point out that rash male type heroes are not what's going to save the universe. Po , acting like a normal person in this situation, wants to know why she is hiding her plan from him and everyone else.

Admiral Holdo spends the rest of her time on screen not sharing any info with Po and  not telling him,or anyone on screen, her plan. He makes a huge ass of himself causing a revolt because he thinks  she’s a spy trying to get everyone killed. When she explains her plan, he agrees wholeheartedly that that plan could work. If she had told him what the plan was initially, none of that time wasting craziness would have happened.

The movie is filled with countless examples of the reverse sexism talked about earlier.. Ray being a more Faithful Jedi than Luke Skywalker. Rose being better at everything then  Fin! Nothing Fin does with Rose goes correct. He tries to save his friend, she tell him to stop being a coward. He fearlessly goes to sacrifice himself to kills the bad guys, she  sabotages his attempt and tells him he should focus on protecting the good guys.

Every move the boys make is wrong, dumb or lacking in conviction. While all the moves the girls make are filled with passion, wisdom and courage.

The movie delivers this backwars idea of feminsims  by destroying the old star wars. They show Han Solo being a bum of a father, Luke Skywalker becomes a fallen Jedi. All the heroes from the Original Trilogy are not what they were shown to us as in the Original Trilogy. The message  sent to the audince, is that the old movies were sexist and that these new movies intend to build a new politically perfect universe on the  grave of the old one.

The message  the movie conveys was perfectly crafted for our society. The people who don't like the movie are branded as bigots. The movie encourages society to caste them aside and ignore there comments. Anyone who watches these movies are being manipulated to believe that the old starwars is bad and anyone who says differently is sexist. Any message that has to convey a message about equality by showing inequality in favor of a sex and proclaiming that anyone who recognises this is sexist is unethical.

Any message that has to resort to demonizing an opposite view to proclaim its validity is one that is wrong. Messages with that type of manipulation  echoe tactics used by dictators of old and devils of varying religions.  These tactics of manipulation deserve nothing but scorn from the individual.

The cost of this movie is high. Its kinda rough for star wars fans to live in the time of the great revival. They get to see Marvel come back from the brink of death, with breathtaking movies that are loved by Marvel nerds and the average movie goer. They get to see awesome Star Trek movies come back that bring the Trekies tears of joy. All movies that are filmed to entertain the  audiences worldwide and for there fans.  

It's hard to see that in time when all these good movies are being rebooted well, that Star Wars fans are left with a movie that panders to the world, instead of the Fandom. The people who go to the conventions, Who buy everything from the R2-D2 fridge to the ewok toilet paper, all the books, games, toys and merchandise. The people who kept the spirit of starwars alive and well.  They get to be left in the dust and be ridiculed for asking the simple question of why.

[saltystudenttraveler-us-blog]

A New Dawn in a Galaxy Far Far Away

Have you ever eaten something that you thought would be sweet and turned out to be sour? At first, it's offensive and you are repulsed.  However, as you give yourself time to think about it you realise it only tasted so bad initially because you expected sweet and that sour isn't such a bad taste after all. The Last Jedi, is one movie that fits this bill. It is filled with cinematic moments that fill you with such feelings of eating a large helping of the infamous sour patch kids. At first your not sure if you like what you taste, but with some time you grow to enjoy the flavor

The  opening sequence fills you with a sense of urgency as you see the rebels running away and a hot shot pilot, humorously bidding time for the last of the transport ships to make it back. This beginning scene sticks out to me because of the quick transition from witty banter to the feelings of sadness you get seeing these slow bombers  get demolished on there suicide mission towards the ship. The images invoke memories and feelings associated with World War Two. The way the bombs fall, the courage in the face of impossible odds. Even the sacrifice of all the pilots.The movie is chuck full of scenes artfully designed and beautifully poignant.

The most incredible scene, however is the first lightsaber battle. The tension for the scene builds and builds and then, when you're expecting maybe a dream sequence or a something to stop the scene from happening, it actually delivers. Your mouth will drop as you realize this isnt the run of the mill Star Wars movie but Something new and different. You think you know the general direction the movie will take but this singular scene changes everything. It's also the coolest Lightsaber/laser weapon fight ever. After Snoke is dead, I have no idea where the movie is going and its something that a Star Wars movie has never done to me before! I have never been at such a loss as to where the movie was going to go. Speaking of cool scenes that left me at a loss, the lightsaber battle followed by the kamikaze Rebel transport ship that destroys half of the enemy fleet was just the one two punch I needed to convince that this movie was not only beautiful with its action but that it beautifully described action with visual effect and sound.

In reality the only problem the movie has is with its storyline. Some of the creative choices made will punch any lifelong Star Wars fan right in the childhood.  Turning Luke Skywalker from Faithful hero, To broken teacher who is willing to watch the galaxy burn made me lose faith in him as a character. Also the constant reminders that this war wasn't about fighting the dark or about hating your enemy, but about protecting the light and loving your...loved ones, was pretty arbitrary. They say it soooooooooo much buts never visualized! The whole movie is the rebels fighting a war of attrition against an enemy that wants to kill them and destroy any remaining memories of them.

So all in all the movie  looks beautiful. It has scenes that will  make you laugh, cry and just drop your jaws in awe. However if you have been building your expectations for this movie up since you first saw the phrase” In a galaxy far far away” get ready for something that may not taste good right now, but its flavor will grow on you over time.

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6 Reasons that the new starwars movies poop on your childhood and 3 reasons they might save the universe

1-.No background on the republic

If you were confused about why there was a rebellion at all in the Force Awakens, you weren't the only one. There is an organization that is based off the last remnants of the empire that is hostile towards the government you established and is harassing your citizens. What do you do? If you said, finish the job and establish a secure government, you were wrong.

Instead what is done, is they fund a terrorist organization to do the deed for them.  While we struggle to come to terms with the relationship between the First Order,New Republic and the rebellion, the movie gives you a solution to this problem! They just blow up The New Republic! So don’t worry about answering that question!

2- Politics over story

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having strong female leads in movies. Over the years we have been graced with such leads as Sarah Connor, Ripley  You know what's cool about the movies they were in? They also had male actors who had good strong scenes in there own right.  Michael Bien in Aliens was quick thinking badass marine! Arnold Schwarzenegger was the killer robot that could beat up bad guys and be somewhat of a role model! We could go on and on.

Unfortunately, Star Wars decides that in order to have a strong female hero, all the male leads ( specifically in The Last Jedi) become foolish obstacles in the way of our heros. Finn is shown to be a coward who ( According to how he is treated by Rose) doesn't understand that we win wars by not killing or that animals are just as important as people. Po becomes a foolish leader who gets people killed an causes inserection.

When in reality, if  Lauren Dern's character had just told Po what the plan was he would have been a help rather than a hindrance! When Princess Leia tells him the plan, he says that that's a good plan! When Finn conquers his cowardice and decides to drive his plane down the throat of the Death Star-esqe weapon, Who stops him? Rose, crashes his ship and tell him he is doing it wrong. That wars cannot be won by killing the enemy only by protecting what you love. To bad everything the rebels love was blown up by Starkiller base or just killed in what appears to be the last stand of the rebels

3-.Forget all you know about the Starwars universe

For all intents and purposes, these new movies do not seek to build off the old ones. It's not about using the foundations of the original trilogy to propel the starwars towards a new future. It's about destroying that foundation for something new.  There is something beautiful about destroying the old to bring in the new. If your going to do that you have to do it in a way that pays homage to the original, not erase the purpose of the movie or even going to the extent of making the story the original was telling.

4- Goodbye Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker is not just any hero. He is THE hero. The Farm Boy who becomes a legend. Regardless of his heritage, He shows that anyone is capable of greatness! Showing him as a broken down relic is tacky and lazy. We already saw what broken down relics looked like Obi-wan Kenobi, a retelling of the story does little to reinvigorate it. Luke was suppose to learn from all the mistakes Yoda, Obi Wan and the rest of the Jedi order made. With the death of Luke Skywalker, you can see the death of the Jedi order as an organization, and  end to something that made star wars beautiful

5- Random animals>Friends and Allies

There are many claims made about this movies attempts at realism. From the space ships using gas, to a losing rebellion, this new star wars franchise if brimming with realism. One of the big ugly splotches in this movies claim to realism is the infamous casino-rich-people-who-hate-animals-and-poor-people-planet. After getting captured on this planet, Finn and Rose escape with the help of a  Fifth Element  character. While there escaping they decide to free these precious space horses from prison.  The scene starts with Finn questioning how wise it was to come to this planet and lamenting on there friends being chased down and killed by the first order, but ends with Rose saying all of that is worth it in in because they saved the Animals.

In the movie Patton, there's a scene where Patton's convoy is stuck out in the open because a farmer's donkey firmeley plants its bottom right in front of the convoy. This results in the convoy being strafed( Shot at) By a german plane, People die and patton runs to the front of the convoy to see what's going on, when he sees the problem he yells at the men who let the donkey get in the way and promptly blows off the donkeys head to save his men.

6- Worst Han solo movie

The Han Solo movie was heart wrenchingly bad. The only time Han Solo every has happiness is in the OG trilogy. In the New Trilogy he gets stabbed by his son after being divorced from his wife. In the Han Solo movie, he almost gets eaten by his best friend, has to shoot his mentor and gets dumped by his girlfriend for Darth Maul. Also the movie was like six youtube shorts glued together.

7- We got the best Star Wars of the series ( Rogue  One)

Rogue one EPITOMIZES what makes a star wars movie good! A hero with a tragic beginning who is far from perfect but redeems herself throughout the movie. People who aren't just good or evil but are in between. Good people who do evil things for good causes and VIce Versa.  The true meaning of sacrifice and legitimate organic change are also seen! Also, Darth Vader cutting down all those rebels was the scariest thing i've ever seen. I’m still having nightmares

8- Best lightsaber fight of the series

The Last Jedi can boast that it has the best Lightsaber fight of all time. Its one of the few that has no CGI People ( like Yoda in the fight between him and count dooku) or filled with older people who can't move quick ( darth sidious and the three jedi masters). It was cool to see fluidity and style involved in the fighting, the red guard in action and some unique lightsaber weapons!!!

9- Coolest self sacrifice scene of the series

In rogue one, where the rebels are handling the death star plans and trying to  delay darth vader from getting the plans, darth vader kills 15 rebels. It's crazy and scary to watch the rebels get wrecked shooting at darth vader, getting there weapons yanked away by the force, and in a dark room only illuminated by the blade that's cutting them down, you see soldier after soldier get in the way to give there guys as much time as possible to get the plans out of there

[saltystudenttraveler-us-blog]

Disneys take on Starwars

Star Wars the Last Jedi 

Tanner Martin

Having opinions on anything from art to politics will result in you being accused of ignorance, racism and  being lackadaisical. These accusations will intensify as you talk about parts of a person's life they hold dear to  the heart. We are going to be going over a subject that is at the center of many peoples nerdy hearts. Star Wars. We aren't going to be talking about just anything Star Wars, We are going to be talking about the most controversial Star Wars movie of all time, The Last Jedi.

In this paper we are going to discuss why The Last Jedi could and should have been better. We are going to specifically lay out the problems with the Last Jedi and we are going to list what starwars fans were expecting and what they deserve from a good star wars movie.

So,for the those of you who don't know, Star wars the Last Jedi is the most recent star wars movie of the new trilogy to come out. It came out and was met with a super mixed reactions. It's one of those rare types of blockbuster movies that  got super positive reviews from the critics and negative reviews from the fans.

The movie was very different from any other star wars movie, which felt like a major betrayal to the Original Fans. The average movie watcher loved it though. The critiques that  cut the deepest,were that this movie was largely politicized and that it sacrifices story, plot and entertainment for the sake of supporting  feminism and diversity.    These critics, included rubbing out old characters that fans loved like Luke Skywalked, Admiral Ackbar and

This led to many critics and people  who were just fans of that movie to fire back and accuse Original Star Wars fans of racism and sexism. This also led to many  critics invalidating the claims that the movie was bad because of the supposed racism and sexism

To be fair there were some instances of racism that caused a few of the actors and actresses to close there social media pages, however that was used as an excuse to not answer any of the claims listed by the starwars fandom.

The reason these claims of racism came about

Since the movie has come out there has been a fair number of Star wars fans that have come up with different twist and even one that came out with a video with plots more amusing and more starwarsy then this one. One is from a popular youtube channel called “How it Should Have Ended”. How it Should Have ended is a satirical channel, that calls out movies for weird or lame endings or plot holes and then fills those plot holes with what they think belongs in the hole.

The satirical commentary released for the Last Jedi is was recieved with aclaim with many fans. Some of the comments left on in the comments section of the yout tube video include” You fixed the movie! Yeah!!!!” and “Can we drop the film and make this cannon??”. This filled not only the plotholes, misdirections fromt he director and poor story telling right up. It also filled the hole left in fans  hearts from a garbage movie.

The  critics and producers of star wars have largely ignored these products. For them they see fans complaining.  Rians Johnsons to fans saying there willing to remake the movie was” Please Please Please Please Please Please Please PLease….”. They don’t take the ideas seriously, which makes sense, but it would be nice if they acknowledged it at all in an adult way.

The most promising result from fans complaints has been that Rian Johnson has been removed from the project of this trilogy and that J.J Abrams has been brought back to  finish it off.

The most important of these claims is the one of making star wars a message about equality rather than a non-political story that all people could enjoy together. Garrett Phillip Lewis, is one of those fans that wanted to go to the theatre to enjoy a good star wars flick. His review is one of the most depressing youtube videos I have  ever seen. It's like a  live stream of a child being told  that there is not Santa Clause, That the only the only thing in the North Pole is a vast desolate landscape of dead dreams and depression.

He is so depressed with what the film did with his Childhood Hero. Luke Skywalker. He goes from the hero of the resistance and someone who was responsible for ushering in a new era of peace and a new era of the ultimate peace keepers, The Jedi. Instead Luke not only makes mistakes, be he fails to rectify those mistakes which , causes his nephew to become disillusioned with The Jedi and his family. The worst crime Luke Skywalker commits however , is that he runs away. Does Batman ever let the Joker off scott free?Does Superman every runaway away from Lex luthor? Did God not cast Lucifer out of Heaven?

Luke Skywalker would NEVER runaway. Especially from the darkside and especially from a darkside that he created.  Garrett phillips, perfectly points this out. It makes the DC mistake, where they made batman a killer who branded people and shot people with his car guns. Batman doesn't kill people and Luke Skywalker never runs from a fight.

In my opinion , destroying Luke Skywalker's character was the movies most grievous sin, but it wasn't the only one.  For whatever reason,  the movie also decides that in order to let the world know that Disney supports equal rights  they had to revolve the movie around that.  The movie sacrificed realism in order to produce equality

I know its a Scifi movie, but realism in a movie to me, is how an individual would realistically act in a situation. It helps people become immersed into a movie. This movie lacked that because of the lack of realism and consistency

In the end it all comes down to this. Don’t hate all fans who didn't like this movie  because a minority are bigoted. Instead focus on what the bigots and none bigoted fans came together to say. Taking Star Wars and turning it on its head  to provide a story that only succeeds in making money  because it has star wars attached to it is bad.