Dreambiscuit

Super Cub. This anime series is so subtle it’s almost non-existent, and yet I find myself unable to turn it off or wrest my eyes from the screen. It’s beautiful, peaceful, charming and real, about a girl with no family or friends, who gets a Super Cub scooter that opens up her whole world. It makes me want to get a scooter too!

I like anything that has 'Making Of' documentaries, like the Special Edition of Beauty and the Beast (1991). All of my Star Wars dvds are pretty loaded with stuff too. And The Incredibles has an ‘incredible’ amount of bonus materials, including Jack-Jack Attack and even an episode from a fictional TV series. These are among the outstanding candidates that come to mind.

@ZiggWheelsManning No I haven't seen it. I'll wait till it gets on streaming before I tackle it. It probably won't take long. My latest: Titanic (1997) I know this movie is popular, and I have seen it many times myself, but to be honest I think it’s time to deposit this one at the bottom of my dvd collection. James Cameron has skill as a director, but as with so many directors, writers and producers he gets so caught up with promoting his own personal politics that it damages the art he’s trying to create. This movie could have, and should have, been so much better. But in using a historical backdrop to promote modern social proclivities, it demeans the real people involved, many of whom died heroically, and reduces them to unflattering caricatures. The fictional modern characters placed in the historic setting stick out like a sore thumb and constantly distract from the setting and any semblance of watchable narrative. In short, art and politics don’t mix, and James Cameron ought to know better. 4/10 Inside Out 2 (2024) The only really good Pixar movie in a long time, and recapturing some of the magic of the original. It’s not as sad as the first one, which can be a good thing. Solid and fun with some great new characters. 8/10 Wreck It Ralph (2012) When I watch the original ideas for this movie its amazing to see how perfect the final product came out. They trimmed a lot of junk from the original script and what they kept was pure gold. It’s smart, well-paced and tight. 9.5/10

This man is such a star. I say ‘is’ rather than ‘was’ because he lives on in the great legacy of his career, and we get to keep that and enjoy it forever. He was a great wrestler, yes. But he was also a great celebrity personality and truly a great human being. So much charisma, star quality and good humor! He was a good man who will be missed, and loved forever.

‘Big and Loud’ from Cats Don’t Dance springs to mind. Lots of fun lyrics, strong melody and Darla Dimple has some great pipes! And a great reprise too. Also ‘I Need to Know’ from Barbie as the Island Princess, ‘Flying Dreams’ from Secret of NIMH. And while we’re at it, let’s toss in ‘Open Up Your Eyes’ from My Little Pony: The Movie.

No. The closest I’ve come across are some guests at work in their mid-90s, who were still as sharp as a 20 year old. And my late grandpa who got to 89 and a half.

Conversationally speaking I’d say people who answer in monosyllables; just one word replies with a minimum of information or embellishment.

I use Tello, which runs me about $15 a month. I bought my phone, a Moto G Power (2020), from the same company and I’m happy with it. I don’t have enough experience with cell phones to compare other providers, but it does what I need and I’d recommend it.

I was playing Trivial Pursuit with my family and we were all being such bad sports (in a good-natured way) and it was getting so funny because the insults and attitudes were so creative and out of control. Must do more of that in future.

I haven’t tried edible flowers. I’ve always been curious about them but never had an opportunity to order them off a menu or have them as a garnish. I’d love to, because they sound interesting.

I resuscitated some leftover sirloin steak. I added @TheRockAReader's signature mushroom/onion medley, an extra dash of garlic powder, some crumbled bacon and drizzled some Japanese barbeque sauce over it (which blended marvelously with the melted butter). Nuked it all in the microwave and added salt and coarse ground pepper for the win. Tasty! Sorry, no pictures. It lives on only as a happy memory and contented burp.

I bought a memory foam neck pillow with sleep mask and earplugs. It’s a very nice set; the neck pillow really conforms around the neck and head, and has a drawstring for added snugginess, and the sleep mask has a convex shape so it doesn’t sit right on my eyes. The earplugs are…earplugs. What else can ya say about earplugs?

Diet cola; my old stand-by. But I’m about to crack open a zero calorie sports drink to sustain life for the remainder of the night.

When I was around 17. I was emotionally awkward, nervous and desperate. I was too shut in and had no outlet for my energies. Hence I was messed up and probably acted in a way that was less than optimal for myself or others.

I was enjoying a late night repast, and it was quite tasty.

Quite so, I guess I put my hoof in my mouth.

I've had height requirement that I had to conform to at work, but that was a matter of necessity. To call it 'discrimination' is just silly.

I almost always wear sunglasses when I drive. I'm a night person, so being around and about during daylight hours is very unnatural for me and I need all the light filtration I can get. Besides, my sunglasses match the color of my car; what could be more important than that?

I miss my grandpa. He passed away in 2023. We were very close; he was like a dad to me and I miss him.

I use Imgur although I don't like it. They keep messing up their site and it takes some serious digging just to find my own pictures on there.

I've never had my lunch stolen at work. It used to happen at school from time to time, but never in a professional setting among responsible adults. Besides, I have my own little cubicle so no one gets anywhere near my victuals!

Kermit. He’s such a nice frog. Fozzie. He's a good bear who tries so hard. Janice. She always seems to come up with a perfect line to fit any situation, even if that's all she really does. Sam the Eagle. Poor dignified Sam, always surrounded by so much insanity. Statler and Waldorf. They keep it all real. I love Gonzo and Rizzo when they’re teamed up, so as a team they get top marks.

Batman vs Two-Face (2017) Featuring the one and only Batman, Adam West, along with Burt Ward, Julie Newmar and William Shatner as two-Face. Batman, aka Batman: The Movie (1966) The movie based on the ‘60s TV show. Not as good as the series because it had too many villains, which is never as effective as just one main baddie. But still, it was quite good. Batman & Robin (1997) Not bad as the modern Batman movies go. Arnold Schwarzenegger was a great Mr. Freeze, but sadly Alicia Silverstone blew it as Batgirl. Batman Begins (2005) An interesting movie with some good stuff, even though it deviates from canon quite a bit. Many of the Batman movies have individual bits and pieces that are really good, but most fall short in the long run. So these are my best and brightest, so to speak.

Jack Jones: Where Love Has Gone. Another great album by the greatest male vocalist ever.

In my opinion movies can and do make me understand history better, but any responsible audience has to discern for itself what’s accurate and what isn’t. Hollywood loves to take creative liberties and re-write history according to what it’s trying to promote. Trying to name specific movies for historical accuracy is a complex task, and honestly I’m not sure I can offer any specific titles that are truly 100% accurate. ‘Schindler’s List’ (1993) is a strong example of historic accuracy, although in many cases the reality was probably even worse than the movie portrayed. War movies like ‘Midway’ (2019) show a lot of accurate material but not enough of it. So I wouldn’t call it a perfect representation. ‘Tora, Tora, Tora’ (1970) covers a lot of details about Pearl Harbor and seems to make an effort to keep it accurate, or at least a thorough portrayal of events, where ‘Pearl Harbor’ (2001) was such a mess of directorial gimmickry it was difficult to understand what they were trying to say. ‘The Man Who Never Was’ (1956) is a pretty close presentation of the British ruse to mislead the Nazis into acting on false information; it gives the circumstances and their outcome according to well-known history. ‘Enigma’ (2001) was a detailed story about the breaking of the Enigma code in WW2, and stuck to the facts without diluting them with unnecessary modern opinion, which is what made ‘The Imitation Game’ such a failure. ‘Fat Man and Little Boy’ (1989) is another good example of historical record related to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s story, and goes into the Manhattan Project in far greater detail, whereas the movie ‘Oppenheimer’ (2023) is more about character development, with many gratuitous scenes added merely to sell tickets. Lots of historical movies can cover basic facts, with the ultimate interpretation of those facts left to the viewer. ‘Spartacus’ (1960) tells a historic story but omits or alters many of the facts, like the fact that Spartacus actually did escape to freedom from Rome but kept coming back to fight, which is what brought him to an end. In the movie he just wanted to get out of the country and never return, but never made it. ‘The Passion of the Christ’ (2004) is an accurate depiction of the facts but takes a minor liberty (the crows on the thief’s cross) and added some scary thematic elements in a literal context. But at least it covers the historical information. So, all in all, movies can inspire the viewer to do more research on their own, or compare with similar respectable movies on a subject, but I believe they absolutely can teach history, even if they only kick-start inspiration.