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The reviews are in fans love the new Star Wars because it reminds them of the original
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There are a lot of reasons to love Star Wars, but many reviewers of the popular series seem to agree on one thing. - photo by Herb Scribner
There are a lot of reasons to love Star Wars.

And for the new movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens that comes out this weekend, the top reason, at least for Star Wars fans or anyone who has seen the previous movies, might be nostalgia.

Directed by JJ Abrams (Star Trek), the new film takes place 30 years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, released in 1983. It stars Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn, the two new Star Wars heroes who set out on a journey across the galaxy, bringing them together with stars of the original Star Wars trilogy Han Solo (Harrison Ford), General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca, among others all the while avoiding the series new villain, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a Darth Vader-like proxy who works alongside the villainous First Order, this movies group of baddies.

And thats the simple version of the story.

A variety of early reviews of the film that came out Wednesday morning have one overwhelming theme tying them together the new movie is packed with feelings of nostalgia.

The Washington Post said the movie gets the nostalgia-novelty mix just right. The Daily Beast said the film had plenty of deja vu, and New Republic excitedly reported that the gangs all here, a reference to the characters of the original films returning for this new movie.

Filled with incident, movement and speed, dusted with light layers of tarnished used future grime, it captures the kinetic energy that made the first film, from 1977, such a revelation to filmgoers who marveled at Lucass mashup of B movies, Saturday-morning serials, Japanese historical epics and mythic heft, the Post reported.

In a spoiler-free review, Mashables Chris Taylor similarly points out that the new film not only blends witty dialogue, puppetry and action scenes together, but also finds a way to bring Star Wars promise of mystery.

And more than just feeling like the original films, they also look like them, too, the Post reported. Unlike the prequels that came out in the early 2000s, which were more CGI and animation, the new film, like the originals, relies on real sets and puppetry like the originals.

The Force Awakens also brings back some of the older characters and actors who were absent in the more recent Star Wars film. The Posts review praised director Abrams for his ability to mesh the old with the new.

Hes gotten the band back together in a perfectly balanced performance of oldies and new riffs, respecting all thats come before but never getting mired in minutiae or fatuous nostalgia, the Post reported.

This is good news for Star Wars fans, especially since nostalgia was (and still is) a big selling point for the new films, as The Atlantics David Sims noted back in April after one of the movies new trailers released.

Thats because Star Wars fans have been waiting almost 10 years for a new film and 30 for one that harkens back to the original trilogy, released in the late 1970s and early 80s, Sims wrote. Marketers and Abrams himself relied on nostalgia to bring viewers back and hold their interest.

Research shows that nostalgia has been known to benefit people in a number of ways, The New York Times reported in 2013. The feeling helps people feel less lonely, bored and anxious. It can also increase one's level of generosity and make people more tolerant. Married couples even feel happier with each other when theyre being nostalgic about their memories, the Times reported.

But nostalgia also has some negatives mainly it makes people feel a sense of loss for past events they once enjoyed, the Times reported.

And that was a danger that Sims noted about the new film peoples love for Star Wars might impact how good the film would be, especially since Abrams himself is a self-professed Star Wars fanboy.

Familiar faces, stormtroopers, X-Wings swooping around, all set to John Williams' score; this is the stuff of nostalgia, not the breath of fresh air the original Star Wars offered in 1977, Sims wrote back in April. Whatever new formula Abrams might be adding, it's certainly not apparent from the advertising, which is instead designed to remind everyone of the first time they saw Han and Chewie in the Millennium Falcon.

And in fact, the actual film does suffer at points from the nostalgia. As The New Republics Will Leitch notes in his review, Abrams use of nostalgia in the movie is mostly fan service of which, there may be too much and, at points, hinders some of the viewing experience, Leitch wrote.

But, Leitch later explains, the film finds a way to avoid too much fan service and shows viewers a world nay, galaxy that makes them feel nostalgic without straying away from placing importance on the future stories to come.

Its a near-perfect bit of alchemy: To create, and re-create, at once, Leitch wrote. It scratches the itch youve been waiting 30 years to scratch and make sure to get you on the hook for more. It is precisely the Star Wars movie that you want it to be. This is the one you were waiting for. You may be waiting just as intently for the next one.

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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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