22 | December | 2023 | Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News

By: Addison Strack & Sophie Johnson

Now that we are approaching the holidays, everyone is in the holiday spirit, and they are preparing themselves for the happiest time of the year. We celebrate Christmas, but there are other holidays that are also being celebrated at this time. It is important to recognize and learn about different holidays and their traditions, so that you can understand how and why people celebrate the holidays they do. In this article we will be covering some different winter holidays, and their traditions.

The first holiday we will be covering is Christmas. This is a holiday we celebrate, and it is our favorite holiday of the year. One of the most important aspects of Christmas is the Christmas tree. Every year in December, Christmas tree farms are filled with people who are in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Once the best tree is found and taken home, people will decorate it with string lights, ornaments, and a star.

Another huge tradition that is practiced on Christmas is gift giving. People buy gifts for loved ones to be opened on Christmas Day, to show how much they appreciate them. Gifts slowly fill underneath the Christmas tree creating more and more excitement for Christmas Day.

A third tradition that many young children participate in is leaving out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. Young kids are filled with anticipation and excitement waiting for Santa to leave them gifts, and of course they need to return his favor, by giving him some fuel to finish his long journey around the world. These are only three traditions that many people participate in on Christmas, and there are so many more.

New Years is another holiday that brings a lot of excitement to the winter season. This holiday is celebrated worldwide and marks the start of a new calendar year. Traditionally, the celebration starts on December 31st and continues into the morning of January 1st.

Many people write New Year’s resolutions which are goals that they want to attain or achievements they want to make within the coming year. New years is the start of a new beginning for lots of people and it’s almost a reset or a refresh where people can start up new things or start over on things they need to try again.

One of the main New Year’s traditions in America is the countdown to midnight and then the New York Times Square ball drop. This period of counting down is also a way of saying goodbye to the past year and remembering the memories that happened. It is also a way of preparing for what is to come in the future.

Many different cultures celebrate this holiday differently while doing traditional things that will provide them with good luck and good fortune for the new year. Some of these include lucky grapes in Spain, smashing plates in Denmark and eating black eyed peas in the Southern US for good luck.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated from December 7 to December 15 this year. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting a menorah, which is a nine candle holder. On each day of Hanukkah a candle is lit.

Religious rituals are also a way that people celebrate Hanukkah, for example many people will do daily readings of Scripture.

A third tradition is gift giving. Many families will exchange a gift each night of Hanukkah, and these gifts are often smaller thoughtful gifts.

Throughout the winter season, there are many holidays and traditions that families and individuals can look forward to all over the world. These three holidays are only a few examples of what a lot of people celebrate during this time. These holidays all include fun, giving and thoughtful routines that have been developed for centuries and will continue to be practiced for many generations to come.

By: Joey Briseno & Cade Sullivan

Rating: 3⁄5 stars

*Warning: This review contains some spoilers

An interesting perspective on the future, ‘The Creator’ is set in a world on the brink of total annihilation. Former soldier Joshua, determined to find his wife, embarks on an adventure that spans multiple visually impressive locations, with well-worked action sprinkled throughout the film. However, the film doesn’t take full advantage of its potential and ultimately left us wanting more.

Starring in this thought-provoking journey are, to name a few: John David Washington as Joshua, Gemma Chan as Joshua’s wife Maya, Madeline Yuna Voyles as Alphie, and Ken Watanabe as Harun. This roster proves itself as seasoned and well-cast, and the actors fill their roles very nicely.

The villain of this film is General Andrews, a ruthless man who commands the U.S. Military and wants to wipe out all AI. He recruits Joshua to destroy the AI Supermind Nirmatas new weapon, known simply as Alpha-O. Andrews is an emotionally cold character who feels embarrassment for AI’s nuclear attack on Los Angeles. This motivates him to want to rid the world of AI so that his country can feel safe again. Andrews, while being the main antagonist, doesn’t feature much in the film and isn’t given any development; his character remains the same until the end of the runtime. Andrews meets his end at the climax following the explosion of the space station NOMAD. While he is a serviceable antagonist, we feel like his character was a missed opportunity to have a more memorable villain, which would have helped elevate the film as a whole.

‘The Creator’ boasts strong special effects and quality cinematography, which helps to hide some of the film’s weaker aspects (plot, side characters). The film uses CGI where it is necessary, but it isn’t overbearing, as real-life locations and sets are utilized to help give the movie a better sense of realism. We especially liked the scenes shot in the made-up country of New Asia, as practical effects and green screen effects were used very well for the environment

As for music, ‘The Creator’ brought in an accomplished composer in Hans Zimmer to do the soundtrack, and it shows. Zimmer seems to always have the right tune for a situation, whether it be slower moments of character development and context or faster moments of action and spectacle. Traditional Asian music is incorporated into the score as well, making it seem all the more authentic.

‘The Creator’ is a thought provoking study on both the usefulness of AI and the negatives it can bring. As shown in the movie, one of the main characters, Alphie, is a powerful AI being who can wipe out humanity if she wishes but instead teams up with Joshua and uses her gift for good. The negative effects of AI shown here is most notably the nuclear attack on Los Angeles, which is the cause for most of the conflict that happens in the film.

However, there are a few aspects that negatively affect the viewing experience. One negative thing about this movie is while it’s an original story, it takes a lot of elements from more popular sci-fi works.

Another negative is the somewhat sluggish pacing; there are points in the film where the characters don’t do anything and are just waiting for something to happen. The plot is also underdeveloped and often unoriginal, as quite a few plot elements feel recycled from better movies like “Star Wars” and “Blade Runner”.

‘The Creator’ is a decent blockbuster movie, but frustratingly falls short of its potential, and it’ great cinematography and interesting ideas are undercut by the derivative plot and slow pacing. The antagonist and side characters here are underutilized, as most of the runtime is spent with Joshua and Alphie. The score impresses, as do the action sequences, but unfortunately the film isn’t able to establish itself as something worth a rewatch.

We would recommend the movie for “Star Wars” fans or science fiction fans in general, as it offers redeeming qualities for those interested in the genre. For those who aren’t as interested in the sci-fi genre, this movie may not be for you.

(‘The Creator’ is streaming now on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video)