Star Wars, Lucifer, Life, Love

I’ve a lot to discuss in this post:

First of all, I suppose I owe all of you an explanation for my last post. I posted a link to the song And So It Goes by Billy Joel, and I typed up the lyrics to the song. I was going to write some sort of introduction and/or conclusion for that post, but I decided to just let you think about it without my opinions influencing you in any way. So, what did you think? Let me know in the comments (and write a comment about your thoughts on the song BEFORE reading on).

Now, here’s my opinion on the song: I was introduced to the song by a friend who I won’t see for two years because he is Mormon and about to head off on his mandatory mission (for the record, I’m not Mormon). It is an INCREDIBLY powerful song. The lyrics themselves are a poem, which is beautiful enough in talking about the longing for love and the complex nature of love between two people. Add in the longing tone with which Joel performs the song and the minor tonality of the song, and…wow. It’s one of those very few songs that is so beautiful and powerful that it brings tears to my eyes when I listen to it. EVERY time I listen to it.

Second of all, have you ever heard people say that they’re bad at life? I know I have. I have probably even said it before in the past, and maybe you have as well. But, after some very serious thought on the matter, I have decided that people are not bad at life. Rather, life is bad at life. Think about it. So many people say that life sucks when something gets screwed up, but many people say that sort of thing, and each person says it about different somethings getting screwed up. That means that life being bad is the only constant in there. So, life is bad at life. Somehow that all makes sense in my head. 🙂

Third of all, today was the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Blu-Ray and DVD release day. So, being the massive Star Wars nerd/geek/fanatic (pick whichever one(s) you like the most) I am, I of course purchased the movie. Just to throwback and shout-out to a couple of my old posts: here is my no-spoiler review and my spoiler review for the movie. So, I was watching the bonus content for the movie when a quote that I heard caught my attention. I didn’t hear it clearly enough to remember it the first time I heard it, so I reversed to take a second crack and write it down when it was said. One of the Lucasfilm reps that worked on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story said, “What makes something a Saga film is: it’s related to the Skywalker family in some way.” Basically, she revealed once and for all that Rey is a Skywalker. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is a Saga film, therefore it’s related to the Skywalker family. Now, Luke and Leia are both still alive, but remember, Leia is essentially an Organa…or a Solo now (basically, she’s never known as Leia Skywalker) and her son, Kylo Ren, is definitely a Solo. This means that the only way that Rey is NOT a Skywalker is if Luke continues to be the focal point of this new trilogy. The logical assumption is that Rey is the Skywalker because she was the main protagonist in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. But don’t forget, the whole movie was about the search for Luke, which would make it very much related to the Skywalker family in some way. Futhermore, the title for the next movie in the trilogy is Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. We know from Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi that Luke is a Jedi Knight, while Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens never declared Rey to be a Jedi. So Luke may very well be that name sake “Last Jedi”. We are down to two possibilities, so what do you think? Will Lucasfilm go predictable and make Rey a Skywalker, or will Luke regain the focal point in this new trilogy?

Fourth of all, Timothy Omundson is joining the cast of Lucifer! The man who played Detective Carlton Jebediah “Danger” Lassiter or “Lassie” on the greatest television show of all time (Psych) (side note: Happy Birthday to Psych star James Roday who played Shawn Spencer!) will be playing God in the second greatest television show of all time (Lucifer). I’M PSYCHED! (See what I did there?) Also, apparently he voiced some rebellion characters in Star Wars Battlefront II. He is one of those very few actors/actresses that can act the phone book.

That’s all for TheHaysWay today, make sure to leave a comment on your thoughts about And So It Goes and/or on life being bad at life and/or on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and/or on any Star Wars conspiracy theory and/or on Timothy Omundson and/or on Lucifer and/or on whatever is on your mind, along with a much-appreciated like. If you are not yet a follower, become a follower for Star Wars‘ sake! 🙂 Have a pleasant tomorrow.

Rogue One Review #2- SPOILERS GALORE!

Now that I’ve seen the movie three times, I feel well-versed enough to do an in-depth analysis. This in-depth analysis is the Spoiler edition, for those of you who have seen the movie. If you have not yet seen the movie, here is the link to the NO spoilers edition.

Characters

The characters were masterfully done. The biggest complaint I have heard about Rogue One is that the character development is lacking. I COMPLETELY disagree (especially given that the characters of Rogue One only have one movie to develop as opposed to the usually three movies for most Star Wars characters), and here is why for some of the characters:

Jyn Erso- This was my favorite character by a wide margin. Disney inserted their typical female lead without going full-on feminism (like they did with Rey by giving her ALL of the abilities required in the Star Wars universe). She is HIGHLY relate-able because she really grows through her relationships in the movie, particularly her relationship with her father. When he gets taken from her as a young child, she loses her direction in life. That’s why she starts the movie as a criminal. She is also asked by Saw Gerrera, “You can stand to see the Imperial flag reign over the galaxy?” Her response is simply, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t look up.” That is the ultimate statement of ignorance and indifference that could easily be developed by a lost child, who grows up without a father figure to guide her. When she goes with Cassian Andor to Eadu, she goes simply to find her father. However, when she holds her dying father in her arms, he tells her to stop the Death Star. That is when she gains focus and joins the rebellion. This newfound purpose is so strong within her that she sacrifices herself for the rebellion. The story of Jyn Erso in itself develops the character so well, but when you add in the performance of the character by Felicity Jones, which was EASILY the BEST and MOST PASSIONATE acting performance I have EVER seen in a Star Wars movie, I would argue that Jyn Erso is the most well-developed character in the entire Star Wars universe.

Cassian Andor- The character of Cassian is almost entirely developed by Jyn Erso. While Cassian holds the rank of ‘Captain’, at the beginning of the movie, he is entirely a soldier. In his first appearance, he meets up with a man who informs him of the defection of an Imperial Pilot. When Stormtroopers interrupt the meeting, Cassian shoots them and his informant to avoid any witnesses ‘For the Rebellion’. When he teams up with Jyn’s caring character, he learns that sometimes, orders shouldn’t be followed because they are the wrong thing to do. Doing the wrong things for the ‘right reason’ is what makes him a soldier. His shift in perspective begins when he opts not to shoot Jyn’s father, and is completed when he completely disregards the Rebel Council’s decision in favor of trusting Jyn, and accompanying her to Scarif to retrieve the Death Star plans. I particularly like Cassian’s character because he highlights the dark side of the Rebellion. While the Rebellion may be the ‘good guys’, they are still committing acts of war against the Empire. War leads to many dirty deeds committed by all sides of the conflict, and it was nice to see that highlighted even amongst the ‘good guys’. It really begs the question: Is is acceptable to do wrong things for the right reason?

Bodhi Rook- Bodhi was the defecting Imperial Cargo Pilot. His character was also well-developed. He actually reminds me a little bit of Finn from The Force Awakens. When the movie begins we are told that Bodhi has defected, much like TFA opens with Finn’s realization that he is on the wrong side of the war. When Bodhi’s character actually shows up on-screen, he is scared and confused about what he is doing as he is trying to deliver Galen Erso’s message to Saw Gerrera, as if he still is conflicted about which side of the war he should really be on. However, when he is united with Jyn and Cassian and sees what they are doing, he realizes that he made the right choice after all, and becomes more confident about what he is doing. This is exemplified in two particular instances: the first being when he shoots at and kills several Stormtroopers during the departure from Eadu, and the second being when he runs through the firefight on the landing pad on Scarif to get to the shuttle and relay a message to the Rebel fleet.

All of the main characters in the movie compliment each other well. In addition to the connections between the three characters I’ve mentioned above, the other three characters which are ‘main’ characters in the story also add a very important aspect to the story:

K-2SO- Is the reprogrammed Imperial droid. Not only does he provide the necessary role of being able to plug into information terminals (like R2-D2 is able to), but he also provided comic relief and showed extreme loyalty. He follows Cassian almost everywhere, including following him into Jedha City to protect him, despite being told otherwise. He also sacrifices himself to allow Jyn and Cassian to complete their mission on Scarif.

Chirrut Imwe- Is the blind Kyber temple guardian. The character of Chirrut kept Rogue One grounded in the Star Wars universe. While there are not Jedi in this movie, he reminds everyone that the power of the force still flows through ALL living things. Few characters symbolize the Star Wars story as well as Chirrut Imwe.

Baze Malbus- Is another Kyber temple guardian. His character is similar to Jyn’s in that he has lost his way. Chirrut says of Baze at one point that, “He was once the most dedicated guardian of us all.” When the Imperials started raiding the Kyber temple, Baze had nothing left to guard and therefore, he lost his dedication to anything. As he makes friends with Chirrut, Jyn, and Cassian, he finds a new dedication in being the guardian of the people around him.

Least Favorite Things

Now that I’ve gushed about the perfection of the characters, it’s time to be critical. Here were the things I didn’t like about Rogue One, in no particular order:

1. Darth Vader’s pun. Are you ****ing kidding me!? This is STAR WARS!!!! There aren’t supposed to be puns in STAR WARS!!!!!! ESPECIALLY coming from a SITH LORD such as Darth Vader!!!!!!!! “Don’t choke on your ambitions.” Was Vader REALLY referring to Director Krennic, or was he talking about Disney? You better check yourself Disney! That was an even worse mistake in the Star Wars franchise than Hayden Christensen’s acting! Yeah, it was THAT bad.
2. The music. This definitely wasn’t the worst of the bad things in Rogue One. Don’t get me wrong, Michael Giacchino is a phenomenal composer, but he’s no John Williams. The good news is that he is the only composer who is even remotely close to John Williams’ league. But why couldn’t the title of Rogue One be accompanied by the traditional Star Wars main theme. It may be a standalone movie, but it still isn’t special enough to be worthy of its own theme song.
3. Galen Erso. I didn’t like this character at all. It’s not that the concept for the character was bad, necessarily, but Mads Mikkelsen just couldn’t pull it off. It was actually sad to see arguably the biggest name actor in the movie struggling so much with a background role. His performance just wasn’t passionate AT ALL. The words he was spewing to Jyn when he was telling her about how he thought of her were not accompanied by the emotional depth that should have been there. Essentially, his words felt empty. Mikkelsen is definitely better at playing the villains in movies.
4. The side-effects of Borgalik. I probably butchered the name, but I’m referring to the caged creature that Saw Gerrera uses as a lie detector on Bodhi. Saw says that, “Borgalik will know the truth,” and that, “an unfortunate side effect is…one tends to lose one’s mind.” Shortly after this, when Cassian, Chirrut, and Baze first meet Bodhi, he actually does seem to have lost his mind, as he is generally unresponsive when they speak to him. However, 30 minutes later (in real time), he’s back to having all of his pilot skills and he remembers all of the details about how the Empire works. If you’re going to include the line about the side effects, you’d better show the side effect. However, in this case, the entire scene with Borgalik probably could’ve been cut out. It wasn’t really useful for any reason in the grand scheme of things.
5. Saw Gerrera’s oxygen mask. I was repeatedly distracted by the fact that it kept moving randomly up and down Saw’s torso every time the camera cut to and from him during the same scene. I know this is kind of a ridiculous complaint, but it was a minor continuity error.
6. The cameos. This movie was allowed to have its own story, but it still couldn’t resist tying itself to the other Star Wars stories. I was fine with the Darth Vader, Bail Organa, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Princess Leia cameos, but there were still three that bothered me: the blue milk (which was in the Erso’s house at the very beginning of the movie even though they weren’t even on Tatooine!), the cantina patrons (Jyn bumped into them on the street in Jedha City and they were the same ones that Luke got into a fight with in the cantina in A New Hope. They must have been headed to the spaceport when they bumped into Jyn because that is about the only way they could’ve made it off-planet before the Death Star destroyed Jedha City), and C-3P0+R2-D2 (They were totally unnecessary. Though, I suppose Disney wanted to continue the trend of those two being in every Star Wars movie. The question is: Did they really deserve a place in Rogue One OVER the Star Wars main theme?).

Favorite Moment

The Darth Vader ending scene. That scene made me SO excited because we finally got to see the full extent of the dark side in him. That is the ONLY time in the franchise that we get to see him mercilessly slaughter a group of people, as a Sith Lord should. He never does that in the original trilogy (probably in an effort to keep the ratings down) and, while it is stated that he slaughters many Jedi and younglings in Revenge of the Sith, that never really gets any screen time. It was refreshing to finally see the truly evil, dark side of Darth Vader. My favorite part was when he forced one of the rebel soldiers to the ceiling and sliced through the soldier while he was still forced to the ceiling. He did that with such ease! The lightsaber ignition lighting up his shadowy form was a nice beginning to that scene as well.

That’s all for the in-depth analysis and TheHaysWay now. I might add some more when I find more to talk about in future viewings. As always, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts, along with a much-appreciated like. Become a follower to avoid Darth Vader’s wrath. 🙂 Have a pleasant tomorrow.

Rogue One Review #1-NO Spoilers

So, I mentioned it briefly in my last post, but I want to talk about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with more depth now. Why? Well, I saw it for the third time today, so I feel far more qualified to talk about it. This is the non-spoiler edition for those of you who have not seen the movie. If you have seen the movie and you want to check out the spoiler edition, I will link it here when I have finished writing it.

So, as I said before, this is the best Star Wars movie to have come out since Return of the Jedi came out in 1983. While this cast may not be as star-studded as the prequel trilogy (which featured actors like Liam Neeson and Samuel L Jackson), the acting was vastly improved due simply to the fact that George Lucas was not the director. Also, the movie relied more on a stellar story than loads of CGI (though there is a fair amount of that, too, and it’s well-done), which was also vastly different from the prequel trilogy. So, essentially, I rank Rogue One above the entire prequel trilogy because it avoided the stupid mistakes that were made in the prequel trilogy.

Now, why do I think it’s better than The Force Awakens? Simply put, I believe it had more freedom than TFA had. TFA was the first Star Wars movie since 2005, so it had to make a splash in order to reestablish the franchise. The prequel trilogy also complicated matters by being such a disaster. Not only did TFA need to reestablish the Star Wars universe, but it also needed to remind audiences across the globe of what they liked about Star Wars in the first place. This resulted in a movie dragged down by the mandatory inclusion of the original trilogy cast (RIP Carrie Fisher. Star Wars will never be the same without the wonderful actress who so perfectly portrayed Princess Leia.) and the many ties to the story of A New Hope, which was the original Star Wars movie to establish the whole franchise. These expectations were non-existent for Rogue One. The franchise was just reestablished last year, so they didn’t need to worry about that. Also, this was the first standalone Star Wars story, so there were no expectations regarding making a trilogy-long story. This allowed the screenwriters to be more creative with their story (which was completely original) and pack more action in with less standing and talking (which is a frequent complaint about the two trilogies).

All-in-all, Rogue One is a must-see because of an original, action-packed story with a talented group of actors and actresses, who put on stellar performances.

#16: Faith, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Ranking ONLY! NO spoilers, I promise!), and More…

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” -Martin Luther King Jr, Civil Rights Activist

Faith is probably one of the most tricky concepts I have ever experienced. Faith is why there are so many different religions on Earth; We all put our faith into different things and different people. Personally, this analogy basically encapsulates the reason that I typically don’t exercise faith. I live my life with far too much logic and doubt. What if there is no whole staircase? What if you take that first step, and the next step is off the cliff. I have put my faith in people many times. More often than not, I ended up falling off the cliff. As I write this, I realize that I haven’t entirely stopped putting my faith in others, but I generally expect that my faith will not pay off. However, faith is also the reason that friends and family are so important to me: they are they less often that leads to a whole staircase. Faith is one of the riskier endeavors in life.

What kind of experiences have you had in which your faith did (or didn’t) pay off?

Into the West. This Lord of the Rings-ian concept is a curious one. I don’t know a ton about the subject because I’m more of a Star Wars buff, but I’ll give it a shot. The song “Into the West” accompanies the ending of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, when multiple characters (including Elrond, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Frodo) all sail into the west (shocking, right?). The action of sailing into the west in Middle Earth was created to access Valinor, which was essentially the home of the Gods. Originally, all species in Middle Earth were invited to Valinor to live with the Gods because the Earth was flat. However, many rebelled against the Gods and left Valinor to return to Middle Earth. Following the betrayal, the Gods bent the Earth and removed Valinor from the surface to prevent mortals from sailing there. The newly bent Earth still allowed immortals (such as elves) to sail a straight sea to get to Valinor, though they were no longer permitted to return to Middle Earth upon reaching Valinor. It is commonly referred to as “the afterlife”, because sailing into the west was what gave species (like the elves) their immortality, as they left behind the mortal life of Middle Earth. Curiously, this ties in quite nicely to the topic of faith. Those who sail into the west don’t see the whole staircase because they don’t know what lies in wait for them in Valinor. It seems very Adam & Eve-esque to me. The mortals get kicked out of a heaven-like place for rebelling. Also, it’s interesting how in both stories, the mortals betray the faith of the Gods, only to be forced to reciprocate the faith following their betrayal. Like I said, faith is a tricky subject. This whole discussion has thoroughly confused me. This is my source for all of that LOTR lore.

I saw Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, yesterday. PHENOMENAL. I don’t want to spoil the story for any of you who did not see the premiere because you do not feel the force as strongly as I do, so I will simply tell you that it was high on my ranking of all Star Wars movies. I have it neck-and-neck with Return of the Jedi for 3rd best Star Wars movie. Obviously, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are 1st and 2nd, respectively. I HIGHLY recommend that you go see it. Preferably, before I see it for the 2nd time this weekend.

How would you rank the nine Star Wars movies in canon (Episodes I-VII, Rogue One, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars)?

Kansas City Chiefs

Founded: 1960

All-Time Winning Percentage: 51%

All-Time Record: (404-388-12)

The second half of the rankings of the NFL franchises by all-time winning percentage kicks off with the Kansas City Chiefs. One of the powerhouses in the NFL this season, the Chiefs have a tradition of being…well…average. That’s probably why they are in the middle of these rankings. They played in Super Bowl I and won Super Bowl IV, but they have yet to return to the biggest game in all of sports, since. They thrive of off past-their-prime veterans, such as C Mike Webster, QB Joe Montana, RB Marcus Allen, and QB Warren Moon. A modern-day example is current Chiefs QB Alex Smith. They also tend to have great LBs, like Hall of Famers Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, and Derrick Thomas. Current LBs include Pro Bowlers and All-Pros Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, and Justin Houston. After impressive inter-divisional victories over the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos, the Chiefs look like they may have the potential to get back to their first Super Bowl in 47 years.

That’s all for TheHaysWay today, make sure to leave a comment on faith and/or on LOTR lore and/or on the daily quote and/or on the daily song and/or on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and/or on the Kansas City Chiefs and/or on the daily questions, along with a much-appreciated like. If you are not yet a follower, become a follower to sail with me into wherever we want to go. 🙂 Have a pleasant tomorrow.

#18: Return of the Jedi, GIANTS!!!, and More

Well, it’s been far too long since my last blog post. In fact, this is my first blog post of December. I apologize, I got carried away being back home and got distracted by other fun things that I can’t do in Denver. Anyway, I’m ready to go now, and I’ve got A LOT on my mind right now.

My New York Giants swept the Dallas Cowboys in this season’s series! They defeated the ‘Boys in East Rutherford on Sunday Night by a score of 10-7! I was actually at the Jim Gaffigan stand-up show during the game, so I didn’t get to watch it live, but I was psyched when I checked the final score after the show! The Giants are still the only team to have beaten the Cowboys this season, and they’ve done it twice. It’s too bad they’ve already lost too many games to lesser opponents to come back and take the division from the Cowboys. 😦 But congrats to my Giants! This was especially meaningful to me because the Giants-Cowboys games are one of the highlights of my life. My three favorite moments in life: being with family, being with friends, and watching the Giants beat the Cowboys. I don’t ask for a lot, so it’s nice when I get what I ask for. 🙂

My dad is to thank for finding this, my new desktop background. Thanks, dad!

How has your favorite NFL team done so far this season?

I mentioned being at the Jim Gaffigan stand-up show yesterday. It was hilarious. That’s the first time that I’ve been to a live stand-up show. If any of you haven’t heard of Jim Gaffigan before, here’s one of his bits. That one is probably my favorite of his that I’ve ever heard. He performed that during the show last night and it made my year.

Who is your favorite comedian?

So I found my tassel from my graduation cap the other day. I sat and stared at the ‘2016’ emblem on it for a good half hour. I know I’ve mentioned before how I can’t wait for this year to end. I think I’m over this year because so much has happened to me. In fact, I have a nice list compiled for the numbers 2, 0, 1, and 6 that I’ll post on December 31. Graduating high school was an amazing accomplishment…but it feels nullified by all of the bad things that have happened to me this year. It really is a bummer that my greatest achievement came in what has really been the worst year of my life (to put it bluntly). I mean, this has been a DISASTROUS year at times. In fact, this year has made me dislike Saturday nights. The two most disappointing moments of the year for me have happened on Saturday nights. I’m probably the ONLY person EVER who does NOT like Saturday nights. I also realized that everything that has happened to me this year has confused me like crazy. Every time that I’ve thought I knew where I belong, what I want to do, and who I am, something changed in my life to dispel the illusion of clarity. #Life

To address the “Return of the Jedi” in the post headline: 1. I’m back at posting (I consider myself a Jedi, despite the fact that I was sort of lured to the dark side earlier this year. I guess I’m like Anakin; I briefly became Darth Vader, and now I’m back to the light side.) and 2. I’m going to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on Thursday! Me and my friends have our tickets to the premiere ready to go! Star Wars is back again!

Are you going to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on premiere night?

San Diego Chargers

Founded: 1960

All-Time Winning Percentage: 50.3%

All-Time Record: (399-394-11)

The first team on the list to come in with a winning percentage above 50% is the the San Diego Chargers franchise. Despite never winning a Super Bowl, the Chargers have been to one and have participated in four AFC Championships. Legendary Chargers include QB Dan Fouts, LB Junior Seau, RB LaDainian Tomlinson, and QB Philip Rivers (whose career has been completely wasted by an utter lack of talent and a plethora of injuries around him). The Chargers are the lowest ranked AFC West franchise.

That’s all for TheHaysWay today, make sure to leave a comment on the New York Giants and/or on Jim Gaffigan and/or on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and/or on the San Diego Chargers and/or on whatever is on your mind, along with a much-appreciated like. If you are not yet a follower, become a follower to help me finish a shaky 2016, strong. 🙂 Have a pleasant tomorrow.