Finally, what has been the highest anticipated film in decades has been released across the world. Even before its release, it's breaking records. In just a few days of sales, it has received $6.5M in pre-order tickets. It blew away big movies like the Dark Knight Rises, Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and the Avengers, which only had $1M in pre-sales.

   There has been an awakening. Can you feel it? Those are the things that bind The Force Awakens together. After thirty years of battling the galactic empire, the rebellion searches for help. With their only Jedi, Luke Skywalker, gone, they can only hope for his return.
Before we dive into the plot I would like to point out many nods towards the first film, Star Wars: A New Hope. For starters, the movie begins with renowned rebel pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) in search of Luke Skywalker. After running into a squadron of stormtroopers, Poe is captured. But before his capture, Poe gives a section of a hidden map to Luke Skywalker's whereabouts to a BB-8 droid. In order to avoid capture, BB-8 must get as far away from the empire as possible. Sound familiar. Further along in the movie we find out that the Empire (also known as the First Order) has constructed a planet destroying base called the Starkiller Base. Before turning its power towards the rebellion, the First Order demonstrates the base by demolishing a neighboring planet.

   As far as character development goes the movie suffered. In the original Star Wars George Lucas and his team did a great job with setting the tone for the movie. Since it was the first in the series, the characters needed to be well developed. And that's exactly what George Lucas did. Since thirty years have passed since the defeat of Lord Vader, J. J. Abrams and his team had to invent new characters. In order to make them shine they had to have the same development as the old characters from the earlier films.

   After Poe Dameron's capture on Jakku, the BB-8 droid try's to get as far away from the empire as possible. While eating lunch in her abandoned home female scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) rescues the BB-8 droid from a dessert dweller. At that same time, former stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) arrives just in time to warn Rey about what danger the droid brings with him. Forced to flee Jakku due to an attack from the First Order, Rey, Finn, and BB-8 make their way across the galaxy in search of the rebel base. Along the way they encounter General Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his sidekick Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). In order to save the rebellion, the group must defeat the First Order's commander Kylo Ren, and destroy the empire's secret weapon.

    For the most part, Star Wars: the Force Awakens was a serious disappointment. I came into this with high anticipation, and when it ended I felt let down. I'm not saying its a bad film. I'm also not saying you shouldn't go see it. To me it definitely redeemed itself from the prequel films. But bare in mind that it probably won't be as good as the original trilogy. That way if you end up not liking it as much as the first trilogy you won't be disappointed. Hopefully the eighth film will bring with it more of the galaxy far far away with it. I guess you can never fully return to the galaxy far far away.

   After much anticipation in the Kyker household, most of which came from the three younger boys, Christmas morning has come. At 7:30am the anticipation broke out when Jack woke Mom up saying, "Momma, if you were a little boy would you like the presents you and Daddy picked out for me?" Sure enough, only a couple minutes later we were gathered together in the family room leisurely handing out the packages we had purchased/made during the month of December.

   This year, like many others before it, we visited the Grove Park Inn for lunch on Christmas Eve. Along with our cousins we paraded through the building admiring the ginger bread houses built by kids, teens, and adults. Every year, the Grove Park Inn hosts a National Ginger Bread House competition. The judges sort through the houses deciding which house deserves the title of Best Overall. When our tour was complete, we headed back to the restaurant for lunch. When it comes to lunch with fourteen people, ten of which are kids, the table is usually very loud. But since this restaurant is a buffet, everyone can get whatever they want, whenever they want. There's at least one thing I can be sure of, nobody left with an empty belly. 

Since Dad gets Christmas week off, our days have been filled with watching Christmas movies, long games of Monopoly and games in general. Tonight Mom and Dad surprised us with a trip to the bowling alley. Bowling is one of those things that I forget about doing but have really wanted to do for a while. It turns out that I wasn't as bad as thought I was going to be. Especially considering the fact that I wasn't using bumpers like my Mom and younger brothers. At least I didn't bowl a nine like Uncle Ron did when he was eight years old. My mom said that he stormed out of the building mad that she had beaten him when what he should have been crying about was his score. 

   Even though it's the middle of December, the temperature is just the same as it was four months ago. So much for a white Christmas. About two months ago, we did an Autumn poetry and tea get together with the Keigley's and the Woods. To welcome the "cold" weather, our friends the Bursches are hosting a Winter poetry and tea gathering. The only rules are to bring a poem and wintery treat.

   

   
   What started just seven years ago has now grown into an international phenomenon. In 2008, author Suzanne Collins published the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Set in a futuristic country, the Hunger Games series begins when the main character Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her younger sister's (Primrose, played byWillow Shields)  place in the seventy-fourth annual hunger games. On March 23, 2012, the Hunger Games hit theaters across the globe. 

   Many will argue that the Mockingjay was the worst out of the three books. Which is probably why Mockingjay Part 1 faltered so badly. The failure made it even harder for director Francis Lawrence to pull off the final movie.

   Now, just three years later, the final installment to the series makes its debut to the big screens. Leading up to the release for the final Hunger Games, the headlines weren't as they should be. No one was anticipating the release like so many were a year ago. Instead news of the return to the galaxy far far away was roaring across the media. Even before its release Star Wars: The Force Awakens was smashing records.

   Mockingjay Part 2 begins where Part 1 left off. Katniss Everdeen is experiencing another one of Peeta Mellark's (Josh Hutcherson) feverish attacks on her. After his rescue from the capitol in the first part, Peeta is delirious and uncontrollable. Using Tracker-Jacker venom, the capitol managed to completely change his mind. Making it almost impossible to change him back to his normal self.

 
   As the war against the capital progresses, the rebels draw closer to overthrowing the totalitarian dictator President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Towards the beginning of the film, President Coin (Julianne Moore) sends Katniss, Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Peeta Mellark, Boggs (Mahershala Ali), Finnick O'Dair (Sam Claflin), and Cressida (Natalie Dormer) on a mission to destroy the capitol once and for all.

   As they draw closer to the capitol, the team face several intense obstacles like flame-throwing torches, armies of armed Peace Keepers, a giant wave of boiling tar, and vicious man-eating creatures.

   With its strong cast, this movie relays the emotions of every character with Katniss Everdeen leading the way. Personally I found this film very thought-provoking and moving. As for the ending, I found that it was slightly less like the happy ever after ending than the one I was hoping for. Only for a tragic series like this one, it would have been weird to have everything turn out perfectly. I guess it just shows you how fallen our world really is.