As many of you have noticed, it has been a rather quiet time at BrightestDaycare.com…

This comes as a surprise even to myself, with my new full-time overnight job taking a lot more energy than originally expected (plus an over-eager five year old at home) and it has made keeping up with the podcast rather unwieldy, an untenable task.

So, it is after weeks deliberation, and days of writing this out in my head (most of those rough drafts were probably better written than this) that I announce Brightest Daycare is going on an indefinite hiatus.

It sucks to put those words down and make them official, but I just haven’t been able to balance my new work/life schedules as they are PLUS add in the time each week to read, write and collect things for a podcast AND THEN notch out 2+ hours to record/edit/upload said podcast.

November and December are the most busy times of year for most people, myself included- and with my new job it is a 24/7 staffed position, so holidays off aren’t something I can expect to have. So with Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year rapidly approaching, and settling into my job/home situation, maybe in 2018 I will be able to revisit things here at BDCHQ and figure out a way to make things work.

But for now, I am turning out the lights and locking the door behind me, and I hate it.

I do not enjoy letting this happen, and I do not look forward to the coming weeks when this decision becomes more concrete.

I am sorry to do it like this, because I feel like I’m giving up (and that isn’t something I enjoy) but, my work/life situation takes precedence over my hobbies, so for now, I have to hang up the mic and step back from things for a while.

I HAVE discussed possibly writing more reviews again- since that is something I can do without a schedule and without needing hours of time to devote to it all at once. But for the time being, things will go dark here at BDCHQ, and I MAY be back in some capacity at a far flung and as-of-yet undiscussed and undisclosed future date.

Thank you all for your support- reading and listening all this time,

-Ryan “Brightest Daycare” Clark

Rogue One, without getting too spoilery- I really loved the score, and the overall dark vibe. The missing opening crawl was something I wouldn’t really have chosen personally, but it sets a tone, and I think the movie stays consistent with that tone. I really liked the way the characters were portrayed, and how certain characters were brought back. The big “final fight” sequence seemed to be right up the alley for the composer as well, since the setting is a beach fight and the composer worked on Lost (which is still a show I really, REALLY like- and I wish I had the time to do my Lost: Retrospective podcast with my wife… I think that would be SO fun!). all the planets looked really vibrant and well flushed out. The look of the fallen Jedi statues with the planet that was once a Jedi Temple was another really nice, dark touch to the movie, showing that even though things have changed and there are new powers in play, you cannot entirely erase the past, and you cannot forget the Jedi.

The main cast were very dynamic, and having a female lead works really well for this movie. The fighting was frantic and epic, and an utter melee. The more talkative moments were packed with stuff, and there wasn’t a whole lot to really tie this movie to being Star Wars short for a few scenes that feature prominent characters from someplace within the timeline of the films that act as Rogue One’s buffer.

The fan service was good, subtle but easily defined. It popped up, made a brief smile flash across my face, I would nudge my wife’s arm slightly, and we would move on. This happened quite a few times MORE than I expected, I will say that much. There wasnt a TON of humorous moments for the film, mostly just nods and small moments, human moments and interactions that make even the most dire situations even the least bit brighter, which I appreciated.

I really liked the tone of the film, the character’s personalities were really well fitting for this story as well. The breakout star, in my opinion, was K2SO, the droid voiced by Alan Tudyk. His dry wit and expertly inserted pauses in his dialogue just really help to punctuate the scenes and specifically his lines, to make them that much more memorable- not unlike the gold plated protocol droid that made his way into our hearts and minds with his curmudgeonly ways and his need to voice the odds in any given situation.

Saw Gerrera was another great piece to the Rogue One puzzle, and I really hope we get more from his past than the stuff we (apparently. I didn’t watch much of the Clone Wars series) got from him. I would love a Saw origin film, and I think that there could and would be a lot of parallels to another certain Star Wars character who he seemed to roughly be the antithesis of.

Now, into the spoiler-y part of the review…

**SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** **SPOILERS**

I thought that Jyn’s origin story was a bit thin, and the whole part about Galen leaving the Empire’s Science Corps to become a farmer was a bit TOO much of a nod towards the moisture farmers of Owen and Beru Lars, the adoptive parents of one Luke Skywalker. It wasn’t a terrible thing, and like I said before, I don’t think any of the subtle nods, cameos or anything like that really took away from the film, I just would have liked to see him running a junk shop, or working as a pod racer mechanic, something that actually utilized his skills and provided for his family, not just gave them a remote location to live in in the HOPE that nobody would come looking for a farmer with a wife and daughter who just dropped out of the sky one day (I would imagine that kind of story would be MUCH less obvious in a bigger city on a more centrally located planet- y'know, “hiding in plain sight”?)

I liked that Cassian was basically unlikeable at first, but that through his actions as a “reluctant rebel” much like a scruffy-looking Nerf herder we all know and love, he did his level best to endear himself to us before the end. Chirrut and Baze are a pair of HIGHLY OUTSTANDING characters, people I was unsure if I could really like when they first appeared on screen, but who in short order, made themselves indispensable to the ragtag group of rebels.

Krennic was a character that I didn’t expect much of in this film- he seemed to play the role of a petty man, in a supporting role in the Empire, who would, **SPOILERS** as Darth Vader pointed out to him, “choke on his aspirations”. YES! There is Vader, and I thought it actually worked quite well in this framework. His suit is much less permanent, and he doesn’t have the capability of seeing just how thin the veil really is over his more human and frail Anakin visage. I liked the red lenses a lot, it gave a more sinister close-up look at Vader, and his mask not quite having the full on “hsss-tch” when he breathes showed that it was still early in his suit’s design.

speaking of that classic “hsss-tch” breathing apparatus sound- Saw Gerrera’s look in this movie was that of a perfectly opposing look at Vader. Like a “Mirror, Mirror” version of himself, he is fighting alongside the rebels, he is trying hard to cling to his humanity in spite of losing so much of his ACTUAL human form, and his stature is that of a lead-footed, clunky and lumbering robot man. But Saw’s personality shines through in his final moments, showing that he, unlike his Dark Side counterpart, doesn’t relish his detachment from humanity, but seems to hold quite a bit of jealousy for those who are more “whole” than he is.

I think there was a lot of good about the final battle of the film, but that of course, any Star Wars movie isn’t complete without an all-too-simple solution; and in Rogue One, that solution presents itself in the form of a Master Switch, that allows transmissions to be beamed freely from a remote landing pad instead of from the broadcast tower directly. This was a bit silly, but in an ancient universe like this one, where plans and documents of any and all sorts are stored in thousand foot tall towers of SATA disc drives, truly anything is possible. The final fight between Jyn and Krennic played out very well, with Cassian’s intervention timed out perfectly (of course, this IS a movie). 

The final scenes on Scarif really hit home for me, and in a strange and circuitous manner, indeed. I watched the War for the Planet of the Apes trailer this last week, and told my wife about how my favorite Planet of the Apes movie is Beneath the Planet of the Apes, because of the ridiculous and over-the-top sci-fi elements (underground dwelling humans that worship an atomic bomb, those same humans are telekinetic, pyrokenetic and have a myriad of other abilities, not to mention their gross faces hidden by realistic human skin masks, and their hymns they sang to the bomb itself). but what really endeared Beneath to me, was the thing that hit me at the end of Rogue One- **SPOILERS** **SPOILERS** when Scarif is bombed by the Death Star, and all the rebels AND Imperials on the surface are killed, it harkened back to that moment at the end of Beneath, where Charlton Heston has succeeded in blowing up the Earth, destroying the Apes and the mutated humans alike, The voice over in the last scene that said “In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe, lies a medium sized star, and one of it’s satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead…” that was what I felt in that moment, seeing Scarif wiped out and Jyn, Cassian and Krennic all meeting their ends unceremoniously, and certainly unable to come back for any Star Wars Anthology Film sequels…

I also thought the poignancy of Krennick’s death, the realization at the end of his life was one of emptiness, failure and wasted ambition. He focused all his efforts on building the Death Star, on securing his “legacy” and in doing so, lost sight of what he was really doing, and what the true cost of such ambitions were. He died on that small, insignificant planet, while he looked up at his single greatest accomplishment, the longest standing achievement of the Empire, to be usurped by another, more conniving and manipulative than himself. He died at the hands of his own dream of glory and greatness, and his attempts to reach too high caused him to fall that much further down.

I really hope the Star Wars anthology films can continue this trend of good, solid filmmaking, helping to deepen the mythos of the Star Wars Universe, and to bring new stories from a Galaxy Far Away and a Long Time Ago to the adoring fans…

This was a great movie, with some fantastic moments, some awesome and hilarious (depending on the situation) cameos, and a tone that sets itself apart from the main series of Star Wars films, while doing what it set out to do well enough to cement it’s own place in the pantheon of Star Wars lore. There were moments that stuck out, for good or bad, and there were moments that I surely missed (or omitted because I honestly don’t want to spoil EVERYTHING) but overall, I think that Rogue One is a great film, and a highly enjoyable moviegoing experience, and I definitely recommend it for any and all Star Wars fans!

I may have to walk back my Force Awakens rating a little bit here, because I feel like Rogue One may have surpassed it by a little bit. I don’t like to get into decimal points, but i think that they could give a bit more clarity into the rating of those two films- while TFA was originally a 9, I think that after many home viewings, and getting more time to think critically about the film, it is probably closer to an 8.5, while I think the rating for Rogue One should stand on it’s own and I would hope my score reflects that…

I am one with the Force, the Force is with me. and may the Force be with you!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Season two has been peppered with action, but this episode has the first major throw down, and it plays out pretty well. Plus, we get more globetrotting, which is to be expected, with how much Mari’s home country is name checked AND the fact that her powers are based on her heritage in Zambezi. I really enjoyed this episode, and I am ALSO glad to be back on track with Vixen (it only took me two weeks…).

This episode starts off with some big fighting visuals, and the introduction of the Snake totem that i was so hopeful to see last episode! I like how the fire totem works, it seems to utilize power the same way that the Firestorm character creates flames from it’s hands, so that feels like a nice nod to it’s shared universe vibes. I didn’t particularly like how the fight ended, because it felt like the bad guy should have known, since he fought a bear, snake and leopard, that by knocking Mari into a pool that she wouldn’t be defeated, because she could (as she did) take on the attributes of a fish, and breathe under water to survive.

After that scene, Mari goes back to confront her historian friend, and to get more answers about who this Big bad is, and to get more answers about the totems. Of course, they can’t do this on their own, and the story takes a jump across the globe back to Africa, to reunite (however unwarm) Mari and her sister. The exchange is very cold and harsh, but that would be expected when your sister used your dirty tricks against you and robbed you of your magical powers.

The story gets a good flashback here, showing us the origin of the Big Bad, and his first (and last) run in with Mari’s mother. Then Mari’s sister tells our pair (Mari and the professor) that she can lead them to the Water totem, only if she can accompany them on their mission. So, I don’t know if this means Mari’s sister is good now, or if she just plans on getting the water totem and using it for her own ends, but at least Mari has a few more people to fight alongside her now. If I was a betting man, though, I would wager that Mari’s sister DOES want the water totem for herself- but that, in a cruel twist of fate, the totem will chose the professor to wield it instead of her. But we will have to wait and see on that one, won’t we?

Overall this was a better episode than last, and i enjoyed the high-impact visuals a lot more, and the end of this episode teases a lot more direct action to come. Though, I wish that this episode made mention of the guy who looked just like Doctor Strange from last week, but beggars can’t be choosers, now can they?

Rating: 8 out of 10

Episode two is a shorter offering than expected, but since I’ve fallen behind in my reviewing of these episodes (partially because this episode didn’t actually come out when expected) I’ll take it! This chapter of the story is a short one, yes- but it offers up a lot of action, and solid visuals, plus we see more of the big bad for season two.

The episode opens with Mari in the hospital after the fallout from the end of episode one. She promises to stick to her street level crime fighting to her father, but I think we ALL KNOW, that will not actually be the case. I really like the interactions she has with her father in this show, mostly because it feels so real, so honest. i like that her dad, even though he knows Mari’s personality, and her need to use her powers to help people, still tries to convince her to stay out of harms way- to give fashion design as a career path another chance. It seems like what I would do if MY kid were to find an ancient talisman that gave him the power to become an animal-powered avatar for good.

Then we see Mari chasing down leads as to the whereabouts of the stolen jewels from last episode, which gives us a chance to see more, new animal powers for Mari. I really wish we could have seen more from the snake- that is a power I’m sure comes in VERY handy in the urban landscape (as it did in this episode) but we don’t get a great view of her snake-powered self, so I will have to wait and hope for more in the future.

Then we see a guy who looks an AWFUL lot like Dr. Strange giving our big bad his stolen jewels, and a nice attempt of cutting off some PG-13 language 85% the way through the word. Which is where this episode confused me. I understand that this is a digital platform, and the “rules” and “ratings” are much more flexible than on network television, but do we really need to have someone try and call someone else an A-hole, only to be choked off at the last minute? It’s like when i just re-watched Rookie of the Year, and they drop a four letter word in a PG kids baseball movie. like, WHAT!?!? Okay, enough of that tangent.

The end of the episode teases big things coming in the confrontation between Mari and our big bad. Mostly because the Big Bad mentions Mari’s mother, which leaves her in a pained and stunned silence. I am very intrigued by where this season is headed, and if things keep up the frantic pace for the slower episodes, i think it will work out just fine. just, maybe, cut down on the language, because without a true ratings system, and an open-access portal for viewing this content, it kind of skews this show AWAY from a younger audience who, I would think, would be the main draw for this sort of thing, since it is free, and open availability content involving DC Super Heroes and connects directly to the DC/CW TV Universe.

Overall, this was a decent episode, just a few moments felt a bit unnecessary or clunky, but still a good, brief outing for Mari and company.

Rating: 7 out of 10

BDCPodcast 053:  Rebirthed Visions of the Old, New, Super, Six Million Dollar Slayer of Skull Island - listen here.

Episode fifty-three is on the books (figuratively speaking) and yes, I know, it is a whole day late- but I am finally kicking out this despicable summer cold that has hit me like a truck the last few days, and with the weather being as wet and still somehow oppressively hot, my sinuses are in a complete state of disarray. But that is neither here nor there- COMICS are the order of the day! I am here to talk about them! Two hours of comics, news, sports chatter and MORE! Also, if you are reading this- next week’s episode may be on about the same schedule, because of SDCC, and all the things coming out all weekend long from it. So rather than attempt to just work with the Friday and Saturday news, I will most likely aggregate and put off recording the news until Monday night, then upload the podcast immediately following. Just to give you the heads up. Books reviewed: Birthright 17, Civil War II 3, Conan the Slayer 1, Daredevil 9, Deadpool 15, Goldie Vance 4, Hal Jordan - Rebirth 1, Kong of Skull Island 1, New Super Man 1, Nightwing Rebirth 1, Old Man Logan 8, Powerpuff Girls 1, The Six Million Dollar Man - The Fall of Man 1, Ultimate Spider-Man Infinite Chapter 5, Wonder Woman 2 and Monstress Vol 1: Awakening. Thanks for listening, as always, and enjoy!

News- 0:02:27

Books Part 1- 0:20:23

Sports Chat- 0:52:44

Books Part 2- 1:18:23

Digital Corner/Trades- 1:53:34

Pick of the Week: 2:01:14

BDCPod on iTunes: here

Episode fifty-two is here (a day late, I know, I know) and ready for you to put in your ears! I got a TON of reading done this week, so I review fifteen books, a bonus book, three digital books AND three trades! This was a crazy week outside comics and podcasting, too- the main reason (okay, ONLY reason) the podcast was behind schedule was because spent so much time playing Pokemon Go! over the weekend. I know, I’m a bad nerd… But still, a day late and a dollar short should be our new motto (y'know- since I do this for free, so “a dollar” is a pretty conservative estimate)! Books reviewed this week: Batman 2, Bob’s Burgers 13, Bounty 1, Deadpool V Gambit 2, Deadpool Too Soon Infinite Chapter 1, Doctor Who - Four Doctors FCBD 2016 Special, Doctor Who - Supremacy of the Cybermen 1, Empress 4, Future Quest 2, Invader Zim 11, Justice League - Rebirth 1, KFC - The Colonel Corps 1, Moon Knight 4, Star Wars - Han Solo 2, Superman - Coming of the Supermen 6, The Flintstones 1, The Sheriff of Babylon 8, The Walking Dead 156, Ultimate Spider-Man Infinite Chapter 4, Black Science Vol 2, Jessica Jones: Alias Vol 1 and Saga Vol 6. Thanks as always, and enjoy!

News: 00:01:16

Books Pt1: 00:14:39

Sports: 00:47:48

Books Pt2: 01:02:50

Digital/Bonus Books: 01:29:38

Pick of the Week: 01:53:33

BDCPodcast on iTunes- listen here.

Episode fifty-one is here for your American Independence Day celebratory listening pleasure! Blow up stuff and eat too much grilled meat while I babble on about comics, news and sports! This episode didn’t clock in TOO long, still a 90 minute podcast, so I think it’s worth your while! There was a lot of sports chat this week: NBA Free Agency news, baseball tidbits and a BUNCH of dudes getting in trouble in professional sports. There was also quite a few news stories to cover as well, and as we get closer to SDCC, there will be more exclusives and reveals to talk about- maybe with ComicCon-HQ (not a sponsor, not a plug) I’ll be able to actually get to see some panels or events and talk about them on the show… who knows??? Books reviewed this week: A Year of Marvels - July Infinite Comic, Art Ops 9, Black Panther 3, Captain America - Steve Rogers 2, Cryptocracy 1, Dark Knight III - Master Race 5, Darth Vader 22, Deathstroke Annual 2, Doctor Who - Ninth Doctor 3, Grayson Annual 3, Leaving Megalopolis - Surviving Megalopolis 5, Micronauts 3, Silk 9, Spider-Man/Deadpool 6, The Haunted Mansion 4, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl 9 and 3-D Cowboy’s Cosmic Convict Challenge(rs) FCBD 2016. Thanks, and enjoy!!!

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News: 00:01:52

Books Part 1: 00:16:27

Sports Chat: 00:38:19

Books Part 2: 00:57:45

Digital/Bonus Books: 01:18:16

Pick of the Week: 01:29:17

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Listen to the Brightest Daycare Podcast on iTunes here

The monumental milestone episode is here!

FIFTY EPISODES! ONE YEAR OF PODCASTING

Listen here.

Episode 49: Who Watches the Justice League??? is now live.

Listen here.

Episode forty-eight is done and on the books- coming at you this week with books, news and sports chat! It was a fun week of reading, plus getting caught up on a few issues from last week. It seems like the internet still isn’t over the Captain America and Rebirth issues from last week, but I try my darnedest to put them behind me! Books reviewed: All-New Wolverine 9, Batman Rebirth 1, Bobs Burgers 12, Civil War II 1, Daredevil Punisher - Seventh Circle Infinite Comic Chapter 7, Deadpool 13, Doctor Who - Fourth Doctor 3, Godzilla Oblivion 3, Green Lanterns Rebirth 1, Last Gang in Town 6, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers - Pink 1, Moon Knight 3, Nowhere Men 10, Superman - Coming of the Supermen 5, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Beebob and Rocksteady Destroy Everything 1, The Legend of Wonder Woman Chapter 27 and The Walking Dead 155. If you want to be featured on the listener Q&A portion of the podcast, you can write to me via email at brightestdaycare@gmail.com, or on twitter @BDCComics… Thanks as always, and enjoy!

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