MY COMMUNERDY DEBUT

 Hey all,

It’s been a minute (or a year and a half) since an update… I have been busy! 

I am pleased to announce that I am a new contributor to CommuNERDy! It’s an online blog dedicated to all things pop culture with a special emphasis on Disney. I am the newest post as CommuNERDy admin Craig Barton is launching it anew. I will link the article I authored for you to click on below.. 👇 

https://www.communerdy.com/disneys-tron-bits-bytes-and-family-insights?fbclid=IwAR1Gt4eavfzLgeZr2PWGQ1hfEsMGIFLnyDY7QhdY8jQLjzDLpJCLWHB0S9g

Thank you for your support and interest! 

-DBrink 

-end of line-

MARS AND BEYOND

"Mars and Beyond" Walt Disney Productions (1957, TV-G) Directed by Ward Kimball 8/10 stars ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Science Factual Presentation

Positive: Mars and Beyond is a delightfully wacky space exploration film that first aired on television and was later released theatrically.

The film starts with an introduction from Walt Disney and our robot friend Garco.

Paul frees narrates a fantastic animated sequence of the history of astronomy and man’s theories about it. The aliens shown from various planets in our solar system is a favorite sequence of mine for its creativity and surrealism.

HG Wells’ war of the worlds story is brought up as an example of people’s hysteria and fear about aliens and invasions. Barsoomians from John Carter of Mars are also mentioned as examples from pop culture of that time.

UFO’s and your typical Martian comic and soap opera are explored next. The Martian Robot in that scene is a favorite character of mine, who sometimes makes a rare appearance in Mickey’sHouse of Mouse. Donald Duck’s appearance in the soap opera segment is one of his funniest cameos ever on screen. Incidentally, director Ward Kimball was the man behind this gag and Walt banned it's use in the film. To his surprise, the gag remained in the film during its premiere at the studio. Animator Floyd Norman was there and remembers seeing Walt and Ward having a small discussion in the lobby... Despite Walt feeling it was inappropriate use of "the duck", the gag has remained.

The history of the theory of evolution and how life began is then explored as is the history of telescopes and observing Mars.

We then lead into Percival Lowell and his study of Mars. His observatory is in my hometown of Flagstaff Arizona on it’s appropriately named “Mars Hill”. EC Slipher discusses the observatory and his thoughts on the stars, their telescopes and photographing Mars. Slipher was actually invited to the Disney studio to film his segment.

A spooky sequence follows and we then see a proposal for a device that would allow a trip to Mars.

Overall it’s a wild film with a lot of science and facts but also creativity and speculation. 

#disney #wardkimball #mars #marsandbeyond #flagstaff #arizona

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

"Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice" Warner Brothers Pictures, DC, etc (2016, R Extended Cut) Directed by Zack Snyder 4/10 stars ☆☆☆☆ Action, Crime, Fantasy

Mediocre: Loads of potential wasted here. Batman V Superman never seems to be able to keep my attention for long. It has a decent storyline but it’s extremely convoluted and slow. Lex Luthor is so cringy that it ruins the whole thing for me, despite his clever dialogue. The actors are decent but not ideal in all cases and this film tries too hard to be edgy and push the limits. That just comes off weird. The CGI and cinematography in this film in comparison to the Marvel Universe is pathetic and almost laughable. At the end of the day it’s still watchable but definitely not a favorite.

#batmanvsuperman #batman #superman #wonderwoman #zacksnyder #warnerbros #christophernolan #benaffleck #henrycavill #galgadot #jesseeisenberg #hanszimmer

WHAT DID JACK DO?

"What Did Jack Do?" Absurdia, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain (2016, TV-14) Directed by David Lynch 6/10 stars ☆☆☆☆☆☆ Short Subject, Crime Noir, Comedy

Mediocre: There isn’t much to this short that thrilled me but it was certainly creative. In a nonsensical way it entices the viewer to wonder what is going on, ultimately to realize this is pure satire and fun. It’s an enjoyable short for fans of David Lynch and his work but be prepared for WEIRD!

#davidlynch #absurdia #jack #toototabon #whatdidjackdo #netflix #crime #comedy

TICKETS TO MY DOWNFALL

"Tickets To My Downfall: Sold Out Deluxe" Machine Gun Kelly (2020, Explicit) 7/10 stars ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Punk Rock

☆10 Stars☆

7. Lonely (E)

15. Play This When I'm Gone

☆9 Stars☆

19. Can't Look Back (E)

☆8 Stars☆

1. Title Track (E)

5. Forget Me Too (E)

6. All I Know (E)

10. Concert For Aliens (E)

18. Split a Pill (E)

☆7 Stars☆

4. Bloody Valentine (E)

11. My ex's Best Friend (E)

12. Jawbreaker (E)

13. Nothing Inside (E)

17. Hangover Cure

21. Bloody Valentine (acoustic, E)

☆6 Stars☆

3. Drunk Face (E)

9. Kevin and Barracuda (Interlude) (E)

20. Misery Business (Cover of Paramore)

☆4 Stars☆

2. Kiss Kiss (E)

8. WWIII

14. Banyan Tree (Interlude)

☆1 Star☆

16. Body Bag (E)

#machinegunkelly #ticketstomydownfall #punkrock #travisbarker #meganfox #yungblud #halsey #trippieredd #blackbear #ianndior #berkmccracken #paramore

LEAD THOU ME ON

"Lead Thou Me On: Hymns and Inspiration" BYU Vocal Point (2014, Clean) 9/10 stars ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Hymns, Pop, Spiritual

☆10 Stars☆

1. Lead, Kindly Light

2. All Creatures Of Our God And King

5. He Is Born

7. I Stand All Amazed

11. Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing

13. Nearer My God To Thee

☆9 Stars☆

3. I Need Thee Every Hour

8. Be Still My Soul

12. Savior, Redeemer Of My Soul

☆8 Stars☆

4. Danny Boy

6. Noyana/Come Come Ye Saints

10. Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

☆7 Stars☆

9. We All Need Saving

#byu #vocalpoint #hymn #churchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints

TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET

"Take Off Your Pants And Jacket" Blink 182 (2001, Explicit) 7/10 stars ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Punk Rock

☆10 stars☆

3. First Date

7. Stay Together For The Kids

☆9 Stars☆

1. Anthem Part 2 (E)

5. Story Of A Lonely Guy (E)

10. Every time I Look For You

☆8 Stars☆

6. The Rock Show (E)

11. Give Me One Good Reason (E)

12. Shut Up (E)

☆7 Stars☆

2. Online Songs (E)

8. Roller Coaster (E)

☆5 Stars☆

4. Happy Holidays, You Bastard (E)

9. Reckless Abandon (E)

13. Please Take Me Home

#blink182 #takeoffyourpantsandjacket #tomdelonge #travisbarker #markhoppus #rock #punk #mattskiba

WANDAVISION

"WandaVision" Marvel Studios, Disney+ (2021) Directed by Matt Shakman 7/10 stars. Action, Adventure, Romance 

Positive: Wandavision is a pretty good show from Marvel Studios. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I really enjoyed their travels through the history of television. It wasn’t super impressive but I did have fun along the way especially for its parodies of classics like the Dick Van Dyke Show. Some episodes were very slow and I was left a bit confused sometimes. Heavy CGI is never super impressive but the show did look very polished and seemed to have a decent budget. My favorite aspect of the show was definitely the characters and being able to see a deeper aspect of these characters and their relationships. The show had a great cast also which added to the fun.

#marvel #disney #disneyplus #wandavision #wanda #vision #avengers #dickvandyke #elizabetholsen #paulbettany

US AGAIN

"Us Again" Walt Disney Animation (2021, G) Directed by Zach Parrish. 9/10 stars ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Short Subject, Romance

Positive: “Us Again” is beautiful. It’s a look at the past and how to come to grips with the present. Though we all love things of the nostalgic past, it’s sometimes a challenge to find the fun and happiness in everyday present life. This short nearly brought me to tears and reminded me of my own life and relationship with my wife. For those of you who are fans of Disney’s California Adventure, there is a fun Easter egg in this short also.

#disney #usagain #rayaandthelastdragon #zachparrish #romance #animation #2021