Riker’s Block

  • NFL Preview: Playoff + Super Bowl LII Predictions

    My predictions for the 2017 postseason and Super Bowl VII in Minneapolis.

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  • NFL Preview: NFC runs through strong East division

    NFC East New York Giants 2016 Record: 11-5, lost in Wild Card Round to Packers Outlook: Under first-year head coach Ben McAdoo, the G-Men returned to the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl XLVI run. The same team returns with a couple of additions, most notably 6-time Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall…

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  • NFL Preview: Patriots, Raiders kings of the AFC

    AFC East New England Patriots 2016 Record: 14-2, won Super Bowl LI Outlook: The reigning Super Bowl champions had a busy offseason and return to defend their title with a roster that might be even better than last year’s. Quarterback Tom Brady (28 TD, 2 INT) will get a new Pro Bowl receiver to throw…

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  • To Infinity and Beyond: How Pixar Uses Film Techniques to Drive Emotion

    Note: The following post is based off a presentation that I gave in my Junior Seminar class last week. Since its inception in 1979, Pixar Animation Studios has revolutionized the movie industry. The studio started its work as a special effects branch of Lucasfilm and in 1986 was purchased by Steve Jobs. By that point,…

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  • Movie Review: Spiderman: Homecoming gives us Spidey we deserve

    Note: THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW Superheroes have taken over the box office in the 21st century and, despite all of the movies that have come out recently on the topic, I find superhero movies to be one of the most entertaining genres around. I count movies like The Incredibles, Batman Begins, and The Dark…

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  • Chasing Her Dream: UNC soccer star aims for championship

       This article was written at the UNC Sports Journalism Camp. All quotes are from press conferences with Megan Buckingham and Julia Ashley, unless otherwise noted.        Every morning, Megan Buckingham wakes up in her Chapel Hill dorm with her dreams fresh in her mind. While her groggy roommates reluctantly pull themselves from the allure…

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  • For Reigning NCAA Champ, the Roller Coaster Continues

    This article was written at the UNC Sports Journalism Camp. All quotes are from a press conference with Theo Pinson. College basketball is a roller coaster. Case in point: the whirlwind career of North Carolina shooting guard and rising senior Theo Pinson. During the 2015-16 season, Pinson, then a sophomore, and his Tar Heel teammates…

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  • Who are the potential superteams of the NBA?

    I’ll be honest- the most recent NBA season didn’t capture my attention. But in the weeks following the Golden State Warriors’ convincing NBA Finals victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the drama that is the National Basketball Association has been must-watch TV. Stars have been traded, the draft had as much talent as it has had…

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  • Cars 3: Third Time’s the Charm?

    NOTE: Spoiler-Free Review As a big Pixar fan, I count any movie that they produce as a must-watch film. Even Cars 3, the last installment of an underwhelming trilogy. Coming in, I was expecting visually stunning and entertaining racing scenes and not much else. I wasn’t blown away by the movie, but I enjoyed the…

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  • Title Vaunts Warriors into Dynasty Status

    The Boston Celtics. The Los Angeles Lakers. The Chicago Bulls. The San Antonio Spurs. And now, the Golden State Warriors. By defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 in this year’s Finals and claiming their fifth title, the Warriors proved that they are one of the elite franchises of the National Basketball Association and the dynasty of…

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