Sidney Blaylock Jr.'s Blog, page 10
February 1, 2021
CES 2021
Image Source: https://gadgets.ndtv.com/tv/news/lg-2021-oled-tv-lineup-announced-4k-monitor-launch-specifications-ces-2351177“Where does he get those wonderful toys?”
-The Joker, Batman (1989)
Okay, this is only a week and a half behind schedule. Actually, compared to last semester, I’m doing pretty good. Last week I couldn’t really write like I wanted to because I needed to get my class ready and at the beginning of this week, my students were concerned that we weren’t having Zoom class meetings as we did last semesters (which we’ve worked through), but this means that I was answering a lot of email early in the week. Now that the craziness of school and beginning of classes has settled down, I finding (some) time to get around to blogging about the topics that I’ve really wanted to talk about for the past couple of weeks.
Consumer Electronics ShowI’m a fairly late convert to CES. I only started paying attention to it in the past 5-6 years (actually longer, but only for a subset of products which I’ll get into in the next section). While I like technology, so many things (it seemed) from CES were rarely brought to market, or those that were failed to make a true impression into the technology market. However, in the past few years I’ve been watching more and more coverage of CES and the various products that are being released and are truly viable thanks to initiatives like Apple’s Homekit, or Alexia and other smart devices that are enabling true home automation. These products now actually make it to market and work where you use to get as many conceptual ideas or prototypes looking for funding/distribution outlets at the show rather than being ready “for the consumers.”
This year, due to Covid, the show was virtual. It meant that I got to see most of the major brands’ press briefings/showcases/digital events, but also meant that I missed that “man/woman on the ground” where a reporter for a digital platform, traditional or new media, would go around the show floor and highlight some of the coolest tech, gadgets, and devices, in addition to covering the more mainstream offerings. So, while I got more information, it didn’t really feel as “cool” as it did in past years, but it’s Covid, so what are you going to do?
TVs, TVs, and more TVsI’m not going to lie: this is what I tune into CES for and I suspect that this is true for the majority of people. Every since High Definition became popular, TVs have become the go-to technology platform to see what’s new and innovative and to see where all the trends are happening. Remember the push for 3D and 3D content? Yes, that faded away for bigger, ever more immersive screens (as did the curving screens of the 2012-15 years), but still you can see where entertainment is headed by the TVs that are produced.
While I liked the presentations by all brands, the 3 major players (Sony, LG, and Samsung) all had TVs with features that captivated me. I like that Samsung (I think) has a TV that will try to identify and tweak the picture based on a game’s genre and I like the fact that LG has a TV that puts gaming controls front and center when there’s a console available. My primary gaming display is a Samsung but it is ancient (2008). However, I use my display for games, movies, and (occasionally) sports (I would do more sports if the streaming packages for them weren’t so outrageously expensive). Currently, the Samsung and LG are my top picks for a display, with Sony behind. The technology in the Sony TVs is awesome, but the styling is less than impressive. I personally do NOT find TVs with “feet” a good look.
If we could lose the feet, they’d be up there with the Samsung and LG models. While I’m not going to give specific model numbers, I’m interested in the LG for their OLED models, but Samsung has made great strides with their QLED panels too. I guess, like everything, it will come down to my (oh so limited) budget and the reviews that are out there. Right now, I would say the LG G1 Evo is the TV to beat, but because the Evo is only in the G series this year (and not the more mainstream C series), they may have priced me right out of their market–only time will tell. Still, this for me, is where the real magic of CES lies: in these wonderful TVs and getting to see how these technological marvels operate.
AVRs and Other TechNext on the list would be Audio/Video Receivers: those pieces of technology that interface with your TV, game system, and speakers to create a highly immersive environment. I didn’t actually see any AVRs at the show this year, so I don’t know if I missed them or if they just weren’t featured in the various keynotes (or if they are shown at a different conference). Regardless, I hope to see more of them later in the year.
I did see something cool that I liked and wondered what the price might be: LG’s washer and dryer combination. It looks really neat, it doesn’t take up a lot of space (as it is in a vertical configuration). My own washer/dryer unit is on its last legs. I think I have a space small enough for the unit to fit. If it isn’t super expensive, I might see what the price is and who sells it later on this year.
I won’t go on into the other, more speculative, tech like LGs transparent tvs because there’s no way to know if they will really come to market and be a reality or if they are just like many of the cars–cool concepts to look at, but never really have any practical influences on the market. However, it is always fun to “geek out” once a year and look at all the nice shiny new products (even if I’ll probably never truly have the money to actually get any of these cool looking things)!
SidneyPlease consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric SpecPurchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindleCurrently Working On (January 2021):Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketProject Seas (Fantasy Story)
Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a first draft: In Progress
January 15, 2021
Mini-Movie Review: Tenet
Image Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6723592/Over the Christmas holidays, my family watched Tenet. There was actually some debate as to whether we should watch the movie as one of Christopher Nolan’s other movies, Interstellar, which we saw in the theaters was one that my mother disliked intensely. He also has an iffy track record with me as I did NOT enjoy The Dark Knight (when I saw it on streaming last year). However, our choices of movies (due to the pandemic) were extremely limited, so we decided that I should watch it first and then decide if it was a good one to watch for the holidays.
I got about an hour into it before an unknown error kept me from finishing it completely, but based on the first hour, I thought that it was good enough and had enough action to be both engaging and suspenseful. Based on the first hour or so, I suggested that we watch it on New Year’s Day as the discussion on whether or not we should watch it took place early on Christmas Day. So we watched it and together and my parents liked it. I liked it to and felt that it might be, so far, my favorite Christopher Nolan movie.
I should note that I’d planned to watch it regardless, as I’d referenced it in my Prospectus discussion and fielded a question on it from my committee–so you could say that this was both for me and for school, but having John David Washington in a leading role in Science Fiction movie made it an essential watch to see what (if any) nods to Afrofuturism that it might possess.
The GoodI really liked about the movie was that it had both a strong science fiction narrative and that it had action that made sense based on the conceit of the movie. Too often, Looper I’m looking at you here, we hear of a science fiction movie that is supposed to be genre defining, but really could have been a movie in ANY other genre rather than science fiction (or fantasy) and that it only uses the central premise of science fiction (or the fantastical) to initiate the story and to get the action rolling. Once the action is going, the movie could have been in any other genre (action, romantic comedy, thriller, etc.) and proceeds in that fashion. Sometimes these “pseudo-science fiction” narratives will wrap up/return to the science fiction (fantastical) plot device at the end of the movie and sometimes not.
Tenet, however, commits to its science fiction premise (for good or bad) ALL the way through the movie. The script is written in such a way as to follow the premise all the way through the story/movie. Yes, it can get confusing–see the section on “confusing” down below for more information, but the movie at least “leans” into its science fiction premise the entire way through the story in a way other science fiction movies (again, Looper springs to mind) doesn’t. I also like the action–while there is quite a bit of dialogue and exposition going on, there are at least 4 or 5 really cool action sequences–one of which (the freeway scene) is featured in the trailer. Still, the action is really good for such a “heady” science fiction movie.
The BadIt’s the confusion, right? Actually, no. The really bad part of the movie is that it does what I do as a writer–it doesn’t imbue the characters with a strong backstory. Now, there’s a reason for this that I won’t get into because of spoilers, but it doesn’t allow the audience to get to know the characters. My favorite expression when I create characters (old way) is that they, like the creation of Athena, “form fully from the mind of Zeus–aka, me, the writer, and I’ll give you everything you need to know about them in the story.” Unfortunately, what I’ve learned is that modern stories/audiences don’t really like that–they prefer their characters to already have a “life” before the story starts and to connect the story with some facet of that life. Tenet doesn’t do that–Tenet very much starts “in media res” and tells you the audience to find some facet of the characters presented on screen to get interested in and then to follow them through the story.
For instance, as an African American male, I “bonded” with John David Washington’s character (whose name I’ve already forgotten) and watched as he interacted with various elements of the society in the story, seeing where his experiences diverged from my own. There is also another main character (Robert Pattinson’s character) that is similar in tone to the “helper” character from Wild, Wild West (I’m thinking of the old TV show, but the movie version works too as an analogy). Once I made that connection, I was fine with both actors and their characters. However, as I said above, that’s not good enough for modern audiences, and I feel that they needed more of an introduction to the characters and the motivations as to why they chose to do this “mission.” Without that set-up, it is really hard to get into (The Mandalorian started out the same way, but they took an episode to show his “covert” and how he interacted with other members of the clan and how taking the mission put them all at risk. You NEVER see a scene like this in Tenet which is one of the things that keeps audiences at a distance.)
And the Confusing?Okay, so is this movie confusing? Yes and no.
I’m going to careful here because of spoilers. It is confusing in that the revelations don’t happen in the CHARACTERIZATION, but rather in the PLOT. Everything makes sense based on the plot of the movie, but those character moments that you expect to “seal the deal” don’t happen in the movie (at least not in the way you’re expecting). For instance, in Star Wars, Episode IV A New Hope, even though Luke and Han don’t part on the best of terms before the pivotal Death Star fight, Han still reaches out an olive branch and Luke, while resentful, doesn’t completely repudiate Han (and Leia gives him useful advice to essentially “let Han go and be Han”). So, when the climatic event happens and turns the ending of the movie, we are prepped for it by the foreshadowing of that scene.
To my mind, none of that happens in Tenet. Every revelation is driven by the plot (what happens on the screen). Only in the final minutes of the film, do we get dialogue that explains and clarifies the character relationships. Again, this isn’t normal–we’ve had Luke and Han (and Leia) sparring with each other for the better part of an hour by the time the final minutes of Episode IV come around, so we know who they are and what they are about.
Tenet is confusing–if you’re not interested in plot (and many, many people aren’t). From reaction videos and student analysis, many can tell you what happened, but NOT why it happened or the ramifications of it happening. Where I can’t remember character names, there are others who can’t remember or are fuzzy on story events (not me though!!), so I can totally understand why many think this movie is confusing. So, if you’re going to watch it–pay attention to what you are shown on-screen AND what the characters are saying about the events playing out and you should be fine.
Overall Rating: A-
I think this is one of those movies that you have to be a life-long genre aficionado to really love. And liking action and not characterization also helps. The characters seem to exist to allow the director to play out a fairly complex IDEA in movie form–but it is the IDEA that is important, not the characters and this is something that most modern audiences don’t really like. While they like action, what they really like are “character dramas” where they can tell you how they felt about a character like Tony Stark/Iron Man or Steve Rogers/Captain America in a Marvel movie (but I’d bet significant money that if you asked them to do anything more than a plot summary–and even then I’m stretching it–many would be hard pressed to tell you the events that defined those two characters and made them who they are as characters). Modern audiences want characters to be PRIMARY and that’s not what Tenet does–it makes the plot PRIMARY and only you, the viewer, can say if that’s a good or bad thing.
For me, being a life-long fan of Science Fiction and a lover of plot and plotting, I found it enjoyable. Your own mileage vary from mine considerably here.
SidneyPlease consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric SpecPurchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindleCurrently Working On (January 2021):Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketProject Seas (Fantasy Story)
Planning: Completed, Rough Draft: Completed, First Draft: In Progress
January 13, 2021
State of Writing in 2021
Image Source: https://chass.ncsu.edu/news/tag/nc-state-fiction-contest/So, one of my reasons for starting a blog was to talk about my writing. I’ve gained many new subscribers, mostly from my mini-movie reviews, it seems (as that is where I usually get one or two new blog readers per post according to the stats on Word Press). Yes, I do other things besides movie reviews, such as going through my bookcase and doing some book reviews, video game reviews and analysis of video game culture, and some films, this is largely because of my narrowing of focus for my school work.
I have a Master’s Degree in English: Rhetoric and Writing. While I’ll go more into detail about that in a later blog post (in comparison to what I’m doing now in my PhD work), I have two abiding loves: 1) reading and writing and 2) science fiction and fantasy (yeah, I know this is technically 4 items–hey, I’m an English major and not a Math major for a reason–but you get the idea. To me reading and writing are two sides of the same coin and the same goes for science fiction and fantasy).
This blog is an outgrowth of the first two and tend to cover topics of the second two. Of course, I do deviate from these quite often. Video games are a major part of my life (although it is what is read the least on the blog based on the stats), but I still cover them and trust that readers will either ignore the posts as necessary or skim some of the more Fantasy/Science Fiction orientated games when I do them. I’m also very interested in technology (I got this from my late uncle who was an audiophile and while I’m not an audiophile per se, I am an amateur videophile–who is a student on a budget and so must maximize my technology “budget”–unlike those who are able to spend massive amounts of time and money buying the highest tech available). I have neither the time nor the money to invest in the latest/greatest technology).
So, to cut this very long preamble short, creative writing is a key reason why I wanted to write this blog and discuss some of the things that I loved about creative writing. So this blog post is going to be about some of the writing “milestones” for 2020.
State of Writing 2020 According to DuotropeSo, I used to use a “pen & paper system” to track my submissions (reminder: one of these days, please remind me to discuss one of the worst interactions that I had with a library patron when I had the temerity to suggest a paper tracking system for keeping track of library books that had been checked out since our system–at the time–couldn’t handle that option–regardless of the fact that both my late uncle and myself kept a paper system for just that reason). Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled post: now I use Duotrope to track submissions.
For 2019, I managed four total submissions for the year. That’s right: 4. Now at the beginning of 2020, I really wanted to do better. Looking at Duotrope, I didn’t manage any submissions in the first two months of the year. I attribute this to the fact that I had two conferences to go to and so I focused on academic writing for those two months. However, because of the pandemic, which happened (for me) in the 2nd week of March, I started to revise and submit creative projects as I switched to “online teaching” for the remainder of the semester. My first submission of 2020 was in March and I managed sixteen (16) submissions for the year. That’s a massive improvement for the previous year. Anything above 10 submissions is probably good for me as I’m a slow writer, so 16 submissions is very good.
Not so good, however, was the Acceptance to Rejection ratio which stands at an abysmal 0 to 16. That’s right, I whiffed 16 times on ALL 16 markets. However, according to Thomas Edison, that’s not failing: it’s finding 16 places that didn’t want to publish those stories. Again, according to Edison, it’s about finding the one that does want the story, and so my quest continues into 2021. Right now, I seem to average 1-2 acceptances every two years or so, (last one was 1 in 2019), so this year will hopefully be my year should the average hold.
I wrote two (2) new stories in 2020: The Independent and Unhallowed (both of which are currently still under consideration at their respective markets). The Independent was a science fiction story about a space ship (my longtime story idea that I finally finished about “space truckers.”) Unhallowed was a “weird west” fantasy story with gunslingers and monsters and was written to explore the theme of “vengeance” vs. “justice.” Starlight, Starbright takes a similar theme, but it was a revision of an older story that dealt with the theme of injustice; I plan on a “revision pass” before submitting it again. I also brought HawkeMoon back out of “retirement” for a “Year’s Best” anthology for stories published in the previous year (2019), but that one fell apart as I just marked that as Lost/Never Responded (a bunch of stories were selected in July/August for the anthology according to Duotrope, but I never heard back from the anthology as to the fate of my submission so I withdrew it formally a few days ago).
State of Writing in 2021So, this is where I’m going to be a little vague as I’m wanting to stick to my/get back to my love of doing things rather than talking about doing things.
As mentioned, I intend to send out Starlight, Starbright again, but I’m going to do a pass over it and revise it. I used to do that for ALL my stories, integrating any relevant feedback that I received from editors and generally, going through making changes to length, word choice, cutting/adding as necessary, all to try to make the story the best that it could be. I intend to do that this year for all 3 stories that I have until they sell, so I assume that my submissions will probably go down to about 10-12 this year (depending on how long it takes markets to respond–that’s really the hold-up. Most revision passes only take about a week or two to do).
I am working on other projects–some longer than I’ve attempted before, but I have no idea how long it will take me to complete them as I have school and school related responsibilities in addition to the primary project on my plate for this year: my dissertation. Dissertation comes first and any creative writing that I’m able to do comes second.
In Closing: State of WritingSo, to close, I feel the state of my writing is overall a middling grade. I would give it a 6 out of 10. I greatly improved on the number of submissions. I’m sitting at 199 total submissions tracked on Duotrope. This, in addition to the over 100 submissions tracked via my old “pen and paper” system gives me over 300 total submissions of stories. I have approximately 9 fiction publications (this doesn’t include my non-fiction article or my comic book story that was illustrated in 3 parts) nor any other non-fictional “published” writing that I’ve done.
I also was able to get two stories written. I usually struggle to get one story a year written, so to have two done was pretty impressive. While I’m proud of both The Independent and Unhallowed, I feel that Unhallowed really did a good job of characterization, world-building, setting, backstory, and theme integration, so I feel a bit disappointed that the story has not sold yet–I feel that it is my most mature and complex story to date.
I think the lack of Acceptances this year is the real failing for the year. I think I came close a couple of times, but in the end, no one wanted to buy any of my stories this past year and so, even though I put a lot more effort and energy into building my writing career, it was ultimately not fruitful and did not payoff. While that is largely out of my hands (only the quality of the writing and taking the chance to actually submit are variables that I can control), I did at least try, but the lack of Acceptances really kept this past year from being any higher than a 6 in terms of the state of my writing in my eyes.
Here’s hoping 2021 is an 8 or above!
SidneyPlease consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric SpecPurchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindleCurrently Working On (January 2021):Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketProject Seas (Fantasy Story)
Planning: Completed, Rough Draft: Completed, First Draft: In Progress
January 11, 2021
2021: New Year, New Goals
A person drawing and pointing at a Dream Big Set Goals Take Action chalk illustration. Image Source: https://holisticlifebykate.com/2019/09/05/a-holistic-goal-setting-method-improve-in-every-sphere-of-your-life/
Welcome 2021!
I’m personally glad to be writing in this brand new year, although I’m just glad to have made it through 2020 when so many did not. I want to take a moment (if you’ll indulge me) to honor those who did not make it through the year, for whatever reason, and who are no longer with us–from celebrities, to family members, to regular citizens of all nations, to (yes, sadly) even my next door neighbor–who were not able to see 2021. All of them will be missed.
However, as is traditional, I did want to talk about some of the changes I’m making this year, both to the blog and in my life in general. This first post of the year is as good of a place to do that, so without further ado, here they are:
Hoping to Blog More
So, I’m hoping to blog more. I felt that I did a credible job blogging until the summer. Once the summer of 2020 hit, I found blogging to be a bit hard as many of the social issues that were happening were important enough (in my mind) that I wanted to let them have a voice. I also didn’t want to participate fully for fear of minimizing important issues, so I mostly let those issues take center stage.
I’m glad that I focused on social issues and asked my students during that winter/spring semester to find and work on a social issue project that was important to them. I think that my class (English 1020 Argumentation) really helped to ground them in how social issues are an important component of the “real world.” I genuinely hope that, even if they didn’t agree with the issues raised during the summer of 2020, my students were at least prepared for them and understood the context and argumentation taking place based on the class. This is one area where I wished that my students would let me know whether or not the class helped them in seeing this real world version of what we did in the classroom (and online after Covid hit).
From there, prepping for class (as mentioned in a previous post) took the bulk of my time and energy. However, I feel the best when I’m writing, so I would like to blog more. I’m folding my blogging time into my writing Tim (more on this below) so I doubt they’ll be a new blog entry every day, but hopefully I can manage one 2-3 times per week (perhaps more on those weekends that I can “bank” 1-2 entries as I’ve been trying to do for the better part of a year).
More Writing Time
So, I’m dedicating a specific time to write. It isn’t much, but my hope is that over the years it will grow. The difference is that I’m not going to say what time that is or how much time it is–I know what I’ve set and you should see the result of it via more blog posts, more finished writing projects (or more projects in various writing stages), more submissions, etc. If I’m keeping to my writing time, then you should be able to see it, but conversely, if I’m not, you should also be able to see it with a year that looks suspiciously like last year with very few blogs and a ton of projects started, but not finished.
Unlike past years, I’m making this writing time do for ALL my creative writing endeavors. On the days that there aren’t any blog entries, I should be working on creative writing projects. On the days I’m not working on creative writing, I should be working on my blog.
Dr. Rhonda McDaniel, currently serving as Head of the Graduate English Department at MTSU, sent out this awesome link just before the holidays and I hope that I’ve internalized it (but I plan to keep rereading it until I do). This was so timely and so helpful that I just have to give Dr. McDaniel a “shout-out” for sending this out (and “props” to the author Manya Whitaker as well). Here is the link: https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-find-a-writing-routine-that-works.
Doing Instead of Talking About Doing
And so this is the last great change that I want to talk about–in the past couple of years, I’ve really put the “cart before the horse” in wanting to talk about all the great projects that I’m working on in their various stages of completion.
However, I want to do them–not talk about them. So, I’m going to limit myself to discussing projects (especially writing ones) to those I’ve finished. I’ll do a Writer’s Memo on them and reflect on their genesis, their creation, and the problems and successes I had with them, but until I finish them, I’m not going to really talk about what I’m doing in the moment. This will probably go for movies, TV shows, and other genres as well, but I find that talking about things before I finish them really saps a lot of the enjoyment I get from doing those things.
In order to make up for this, I will probably do more and varied posts–there’s one that I want to do on a “BookTuber” who is making great content on Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings, for instance. I’d like to talk about what she’s doing and how it is really helpful that she is doing it. This type of thing is what I’ll be adding in to take the place of what project I’m working on at the moment. I do hope that the Writer’s Memos that I talked about above become commonplace (because that will mean my creative writing/writing time shift has worked), but there will be (initially) less “real-time” peeks into what I’m currently working on (and my signature line may change slightly to reflect this going forward–although I may list one of the works that I’m really determined to finish–I’ve not yet fully decided).
Okay, so I should wrap this up–I’ve done three (fairly lengthy) sections. Another non-stated goal is that 3 sections is the maximum that I’m going for and that anything else will require another blog post later. I hope this is a happy and successful New Year for you (and myself as well) and I wish you all the best!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
Currently Working On (January 2021):
Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketProject Seas (Fantasy Story)
Planning: Completed, Rough Draft: Completed, First Draft: In Progress
December 29, 2020
Back to Basics: AKA Back to Blogging
Image Source: https://imgur.com/gallery/nD2LWjOHi Everyone,
Sorry for being gone for so long and not blogging consistently for at least the last 4-5 months. This blog post will be both an explanation of what happened and what I’ve learned over this period.
I didn’t intend to stop blogging on a (mostly) daily basis, but it is something that just happened as I was teaching during Covid. Every post took longer and longer to write and more and more time was taken by the requirements of school. I found that the more I wrote, the less time I had for grading and preparing for the next week’s lesson. So, while I tried to continue to blog, it just made my life harder and harder, so I finally had to stop. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t have topics to blog about (oh, boy did I have topics), but instead of helping me by allowing me to coalesce my thoughts, it hindered me from getting my work (school or otherwise) done in a timely manner.
However, here are the biggest factors/reasons that I stepped away from blogging at the end of 2020.
School (Online)
So the biggest issue was school. Now, most of you are aware that I’m a graduate student working on my PhD. Generally speaking, school is my largest time-sink in that, even though I’m finished with my course work, I often have to teach in order to stay in school. Well, with Covid this year, most classes were held online. I had two sections of an English Literature class (English 2020: Themes in Literature) and I chose to do Science Fiction. This is a course I’d not taught myself before (even though I’d been mentored in another professor’s class), so I had to choose my own assignments, books, etc. for the class. Even though we had weekly Zoom meetings, I still had to set up the online class distribution platform (for us, it is Desire 2 Learn or D2L), upload any additional videos/PDFs, read the books for the class and make notes on them and then teach them–for 14 weeks straight. This was in addition to prepping my own Prospectus (outline of a dissertation) and then defending it towards the end of the semester. And all this doesn’t include the absolutely MASSIVE amount of email that I had to answer as we did classes remotely. Questions that might normally have been answered before or after class or in the Graduate Student Office, now had to be handled via email, so instead of answering 1-2 student emails per week, I was average 1-2 student emails per day/every other day. Multiply that times 2 (x2) as I was teaching two sections of the course–and well, now you see where the overwhelming majority of my time was spent each week.
As you can see–what would normally be a fairly average semester in-person ballooned to a massive amount of work to make sure everything was ready for class and I still ran into quite a few hitches along the way.
I’ve learned 2 things from this area: 1) try to get as much done and in place before school starts, so that most everything is ready and posted and all I have to do is make “course corrections” along the way. Technically, MTSU is closed this week for the holidays, but I’m already working on my syllabus and planning my schedule and assignments (while reading sources for my dissertation) with the goal of having 95% (or more) of the class uploaded to D2L by the time class starts, and 2) working on things in small increments. I’ve already done a blog post on this earlier this year, but will do another one again as I “re-learned” the lesson again during school.
Computer Keyboard
Thanks to Covid, I had to get a new computer this semester. It wasn’t that I wanted to, but that I had to. My first day of class was an absolute disaster as my Chromebook completely crashed trying to host my first class of the semester via Zoom. It was laggy and unplayable for the students and I had to end the session after about 11 minutes of trying to get students to hear me/see me. It was so bad that I had to use my phone for the 2nd class. I went looking for a computer that could handle Zoom and finally found one powerful enough to host a 20+ person Zoom call (which isn’t easy on a computer, btw).
However, this computer (that I will also be using for my dissertation), was a necessary expense between Zoom and my dissertation, but it’s keyboard isn’t the greatest. The key travel on it is a bit too shallow for the way I type and surprisingly enough, the Chromebook keyboard feels–if not better–at least lest “hard” when I hit the keys too hard. So, it is pretty hard to type on for extended periods of time–or at least it was. I now get a case for all my electronics and this was no different. With the case came an unexpected bonus–a keyboard cover that is has a soft “gell”-like coating. While the key travel is still “harsh,” the cover softens (most) of my keystrokes and I don’t feel the hardness of the keyboard with every keypress. However, the cover has its own problems: I can’t feel the keys the way I’d like and I end up with many more miskeys than I used to make, so I end up mis-typing something quite frequently and have to go back and erase it and then correct it, so my words-per-minute have gone WAAY down. And I was already a fairly slow typist to begin with. Also, because the “gell” doesn’t feel natural, I have to hold my fingers differently (high off the keyboard) and I find that my hands tire pretty quickly in this (unnatural) position.
What I’ve learned is that I work best on this computer when I limit myself to short sessions (for heavy typing sessions, at least–normal web-browsing tasks and other non-typing tasks are a dream). This is where working on things in small increments daily is going to pay dividends as it will allow me to get the things I need to do done, but without the dread of having long painful and fatiguing stints at the keyboard, typing until my fingers cramp up. This problem may be endemic to me as I have fairly long fingers, but I can tell you from experience (typing in feedback to 40 odd students’ papers) that if the keyboard doesn’t feel perfect for me, then any amount of typing that I need to do will be met with a certain amount of mental resistance on my part–I just can’t help it. Good keyboard travel is essential to a happy Sidney.
Conclusion
There are also other reasons why I didn’t blog, but I’m going to stop here. One of those reasons is the internal need that I have for a 5 paragraph essay structure (An introduction, 3 body paragraphs/topics/, and a conclusion). However, I’ve already been writing this blog post for an hour (1) and a 3 point would take at least another 15-20 minutes of drafting at my current typing speed. So, no, I’m stopping here (without the 3rd body paragraph/topic–although you’ve just gotten a preview of what it would have been).
Going forth, I will try to do better with the blog and blogging, but until Covid is much less of a thing (which I’m hoping will be true in 2021), I can’t make any promises. I’ve put other things in front of school before and payed the price. School has to be my primary goal–and if it sucks all the oxygen out of the air for other things that I want to do, then until I graduate, that’s just the price that I have to pay.
Thanks for listening!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
Currently Working On (11/2020):
Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketA Spell in the Machine (Science Fantasy Story)
Rewrite (Planning): In Progress Project Seas (Fantasy Story)
Planning: Completed, Rough Draft: Completed, First Draft: In ProgressKnightWatch Graphic Novel (Fantasy Graphic Novel)
Planning: In Progress
December 15, 2020
Missing in Action Video Games–The PlayStation Edition
Image Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/799459371338916598/I hate to do this, but I’m going to have to call out one of my favorite YouTube channels, Eurogamer. I generally find the Eurogamer’s video game coverage, especially on their YouTube channel to be very fair and mostly unbiased. They have a love for all the systems and (generally speaking) don’t play favorites, although it often appears that PC is their platform of choice (and while not appearing on the channel a lot, I can tell the the Switch is near and dear to most of the team). However, what actually gets the views are the Playstation and X-Box games even though they generally are considered second-fiddle to the PC & Switch (Switch, while popular, doesn’t really seem to get the same level of views as PCs, Playstation, and X-Box.)
However, in one of their latest videos (of this writing), they focused on games that have been missing in action for a while. That’s not what got my dander up–it is good to point out games that have been announced, but not actually released, especially when that goes over the normal 2-3 year development cycle for most games. No, my problem is that Eurogamer chose games that were either X-Box/PC specific and completely left out several, super interesting games from the Playstation side. There is at least one game for the Playstation that have been missing in action for the ENTIRE 7 year life-cycle of the Playstation 4 and yet it didn’t receive a mention. Two games that are then ENTIRE reason that Microsoft (aka Micro$oft) bought Zenimax (the parent company of Bethesda, the game publisher) are EACH ON THE FREAKING LIST, taking up two slots. To imply these two games are “missing in action” is disingenuous at the least, and (if I’m not in a gracious mood), more of a marketing move than anything else. These two games ARE COMING OUT and they are coming out for the X-Box. Microsoft/Micro$oft bought the company for these two games! There is NO WAY that Microsoft/Micro$oft would have purchased this company had those two games been in distress.
So, this is my attempt to correct the imbalance and discuss some very intriguing games on the Playstation side that should have made the list and we, as customers, should inquire about at every opportunity.
Deep Down (2013, Capcom)
Yup, that’s right. This one is in the announcement stream for the Playstation 4, a full seven years ago. Now, normally when you don’t hear about a game for this long, it generally means it has been cancelled along the way. However, the last time the creator spoke about it, he specifically said that it wasn’t cancelled. I don’t believe there’s been any significant information since that last interview, but here we are–in the giddy honeymoon period for the Playstation 5 seven years later, and a game that was announced for the previous generation of game consoles STILL hasn’t been released. And this one wasn’t worthy of finding out more information on, but Elder Scrolls 6 was, even though E.S. 5 was ported to every major (and minor) system since its release (with the running joke that if Bethesda could find a way to port it to your refrigerator, they would).
Below is the trailer for the game, but in essence, it is a medieval role playing game that had some insanely impressive graphics (especially for 2013), but which still hold up decently well with 2019/2020 games. I’m not sure that it will hold up in 2-3 years time, so if Capcom does have plans of releasing this game, I would hope they do it fairly soon because, to me, in about 2-3 years graphics will have probably surpassed the innovations in the trailer and the game will need a graphical overhaul (which means more time and expense) for a game that is already 7 years late.
Deep Down YouTube Video
Biomutant (2017, Experiment 101)
This one is a particular “bug-a-boo” of mine. This game was shown off in 2017 and really seemed like a game right up my alley. I kept my eye on it and the preview coverage gave the impression that it was far along in development and that it would only be approximately another year/year and a half of normal development time before it would be released (generally games get preview coverage at the 1-2 year mark.) Sometimes, if development is particularly fraught, it often slips to 2.5 to 3 years after the game as been initially shown to the public for the first time. However, this has been (for the most part–especially where Sony is concerned–become less frequent due to fan backlash).
This game is post-apocalyptic game that takes a squirrel-like creature and pits it against the many different creatures to survive in this new post-apocalyptic world. Biomutant features an open world and a “kung-fu” weapon-based combat (martial arts and guns). I thought this one looked awesome and kept an eye on it as time passed and passed . . . and passed. And here here we are in 2020 and about to go into 2021, and so far, no Biomutant. This one has actually a bit of an update as the developers released a trailer (3rd, 4th, 5th) for the game in the middle of the year with a cheeky update that said the release date would be “when it’s ready.” Now, normally I don’t mind that sentiment as I would prefer a well made game rather than a rushed release (Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem I’m looking at you). However, I don’t believe that the developer should have shown their game that early–as it was an extensive gameplay demonstration. See for yourself and judge if what they showed looked like a polished game that was only a year or so out from release:
BioMutant YouTube Video
Project Awakening (2018, Cygames)
So, this is the game that I really thought that Eurogamer was going to cover in their video as this game caught the attention of the gaming public (although most of its thunder was undercut by Elden Ring–a game in the over-popular Souls-Born series that includes a collaboration with George R. R. Martin which is enough to make games media and gamers alike salivate.) However, for the brief time before the ER trailer was released, Project Awakening garnered massive amounts of attention and generated massive amounts of hype. This game is one that really resonated with many gamers–me included, especially after the success of Monster Hunter World.
Basically, this game’s video (linked below) puts me in my of a cross between Elden Ring and Monster Hunter World. However, it is the animation and textures that really set off this particular project and makes me think that it really could be an awesome game. However, like all trailers, I’m aware that it is something that is a project that is in-progress, but the idea of playing a fantasy warrior going up against fantasy monsters (without the “dark world”/”grim dark” that the Souls-Born games fall into).
Project Awakening YouTube Video
Final Thoughts
So, to be clear–these are not the only games out there that have been announced, but have gone MIA. These are just 3 that I’m interested in and want to know more about — I don’t need the entire development cycle, but having periodic updates would be nice (even a yearly/bi-yearly update would be helpful). I wanted to point these out as Eurogamer should have featured these three games in their roundup. Elden Ring, Starfield, and Elder Scrolls 6 aren’t really “M.I.A.” games (instead they are just games with popularity and internet cachet.) The latter 2 will eventually come out (and will have a sizable coverage on Microsoft’s/Micro$oft’s stage–as probably will Elden Ring knowing Micro$oft’s penchant for having “the MOST POPULAR” game series on their systems — the same Halo/Gears of War strategy that they’ve been using since the late Xbox/early Xbox 360 era). I had hoped that we would hear more about these games that I discussed earlier in this post during the 2020 Video Game Awards, but that wasn’t the case. Hopefully, in the upcoming year, we’ll get an update on all 3 of these games as I feel like each one has significant potential (especially over the hype-generating games that were originally covered the Eurogamer article).
Until next time!
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
Currently Working On (11/2020):
Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketA Spell in the Machine (Science Fantasy Story)
Rewrite (Planning): In Progress Project Seas (Fantasy Story)
Planning: Completed, Rough Draft: Completed, First Draft: In ProgressKnightWatch Graphic Novel (Fantasy Graphic Novel)
Planning: In Progress
November 29, 2020
Mini-Movie Review: The Grinch (2018)
I’d planned on watching the animated/anime version of Ghost in the Shell last night as I had recently seen the live-action version with Scarlet Johannson. However, Netflix is scheduled to lose The Grinch shortly, so I decided to prioritize that movie and see it first before it left streaming. I’m not so sure that was a good choice as I really didn’t enjoy the movie. I hate to say it, but I’m going to get all “grinchy” on the movie, so if this movie is your favorite, you may want to pass on this review–you have been warned.
The Good
There’s not much that I liked from this version of the movie, if I’m honest. I did like the quality of the animation and I thought that the animation was of high quality. However, even the animation couldn’t distract me from the myriad of problems that I felt that this movie had. I also liked some of the musical selections. Sometimes I thought they were inventive arrangements of the old songs; the new, more hip-hop version of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” was mostly effective and at least, different, but I didn’t like the addition of new lyrics. It was best when they kept the old lyrics, but rearranged them in a new and different way. Also, I liked the character of Max. I thought they kept most of what made Max such an endearing character in the movie as both accomplice and loyal friend to the Grinch, but hated how they made him a “willing accomplice,” unlike the original version where he was decidedly perplexed by the Grinch’s anti-Christmas antics.
The Bad
Where do I even begin? There’s so much wrong here that it would take nearly a lifetime to catalog it all. While I did like some of the music, some of it was awful. I don’t mind rap, per se, but some of the music wasn’t even good and only had a tangental Christmas time theme made by the lyrics reference Santa Claus or the like. The music seemed forced to try to appeal “hip” to today’s youth (like a bad Christmas play updated for modern times), and I, personally, just didn’t like some of it. The aging up of Cindy Lou Who, which I understand was also done in Jim Carrey’s version, still didn’t sit well with me. One of the best things about that character is that wild-eyed wonder that she exhibits coming down the stairs and seeing Santa with the tree and being mollified by the “Grinchy Claus” answer. Aging her up takes away the wonder and majesty of being a child and not having to worry about “grown-up” problems. Again, in trying to modernize the story and have Cindy Lou carrying for her younger brothers and trying to help out her single parent mom, the writers give her a rationale for meeting “Grinchy Claus” that undermines their very intention (see the scene where her “friends”–don’t even get me started on them–are called “home” by their respective parental units as to how aging her up defeats the purpose of her believing in Santa Claus as a child with her acumen would known, or have guessed, the “Grinchy Claus'” identity. I could go on and on, but I’ll move on to the movie’s biggest sins.
The Ugly
Giving the Grinch a “backstory” is an admirable, but ultimately, futile endeavor that misses the mark. Having the Grinch’s heart be “two sizes too small” is ALL that’s needed. He doesn’t “feel” the way the Whos feel. His heart can’t express or comprehend joy the way they do, so giving him an “orphan” backstory seems pointless–except that all “modern” heroes/villains now need a backstory. So we get this “lonely child” archetype in a story that already has a reason for why the Grinch is the way he is. [Spoilers] Worse, this movie robs the Grinch of any agency–having a reindeer, who he befriended earlier in the movie and set free to see his family, is the catalyst for saving the day rather than his triumphant epiphany and the revelation that his heart grew “three sizes that day.” It is as if the writers actively hate the idea that understanding gives you abilities beyond the norm. Have they never witnessed a mother/father perform superhuman feats in defense/protection of their child. They would rather have one of the worst plot devices (Deus ex Machina–“God from a Machine”) ruin their ending rather than allow superhuman strength gained through wisdom and clarity of the human condition to rule the day. Finally, the ending where he brought the toys back and apologized was both cringe-worthy and unbelievable, even for a movie about the inherent goodness of people. When Cindy Lou questions her mother about who would be “sick” enough to steal Christmas when everyone comes into the town square, both she and her mother (and Cindy Lou’s friends) all display an awareness of evil and badness in the world that they willfully ignore at the end of the movie in order to have the “happy ending” the movie desires. The writers can’t have it both ways–if you’re aware of the evil, then you must address the evil. Or you could do like the original animated TV special did–not have the Whos acknowledge the evil in the world and carryon as if no evil had been perpetrated.
And I think this is what bothers me the most. Without denigrating the writers, it feels like they denigrated the original. Based on my perception of the movie, it felt as if they found the original lacking and set out to flesh it out, but in doing so, to me, made the original stand out all the more because the choices that were made in this one seemed to lower, rather than raise, the storytelling bar and detracted greatly from the experience.
Overall Rating: D (65)
Rating: 2 out of 5.
To say that I didn’t like this one would be an understatement. Sure, there are some funny moments and the animation is excellent. However, the changes made the story worse, not better, and in focusing on the loneliness idea and that lonely people are sad and miserable, completely missed the mark as to what Dr. Seuss was trying to get across: that Christmas really isn’t about the presents and traditions, even though that’s what it looks like to outsiders. Christmas is about the innate goodness that is inside all of us and the realization that, for at least one time every year (Christmas time), we all have the potential to be better versions of ourselves, if we but have the courage to both listen and to try.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
Currently Working On (11/2020):
Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketA Spell in the Machine (Science Fantasy Story)Rewrite: Planning KnightWatch Graphic Novel (Fantasy Graphic Novel)
Drafting: 1st Draft (Issue 1)
November 19, 2020
Playstation 5
Wow! For someone who is so invested in Science Fiction (and Fantasy), I never realized how hard it would be to teach a “literature” class on the subject. I’d say 90% of my struggles are, of course, COVID-related as teaching virtually has a set of challenges that has really knocked me off course in terms of this blog. However, I do have an (unfinished) blog post about the difficulities of teaching during a pandemic still in “draft” mode, so I’ll “table” this discussion for another blog post.
I did want to use this time to briefly cover my experience with the Playstation 5, which I was lucky enough to pre-order and receive yesterday! Now, some of this is filtered through a 24 hour sinus infection that limited my time with the (oh so cool) device, so I’m looking forward to more playtime over this weekend to see how it stacks up and if it will be a good one (hint: I already think that it will be!)
Delivery and Set-Up
So, the system came before class time yesterday. Right after it came, I developed a sinus infection, but I think it was just coincidence and not from the driver or anything like that (we both wore masks). I sat the box down and went through the “student hours” portion of the class (an hour I set aside for students to log into D2L in order to asks questions, get help, or check on their grades), but no one did. Those hours usually fly by, but, of course, this time the hour dragged on (made worse by the incessant sinus pain and constant blowing of my nose).
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the hour was up and I turned my attention to the unopened Playstation 5 (PS5). Now, when the PS4 released, the delivery came late and my mother was already here, so she watched me unbox it and set everything up. I can’t remember if I actually got to play a game while she was over, but I do remember her being caught up the new console “hype.” However, this one came just before lunch, so after my “class” was over, I called her and asked her if she wanted me to wait to set it up or if she wanted me to go ahead, set it up, download any updates and then show her the games when she came over later in the evening. She said to go ahead and get everything set up and that’s what I did.
Most people are complaining about the PS5’s size, but really, until you put into your console, it isn’t that bad. Most people haven’t had a PS3 and in terms of weight and sheer heft, I’d say they are similar. Sure, the PS5 is taller (lengthwise), but when you’re handling it, there’s not really much difference between it and the PS3. My Entertainment unit is an “open” design, meaning that the shelves are very spacious and the top shelf is completely open to the room. I could put 3 PS5s on it and they still wouldn’t reach the (normal) ceiling, so as long as you aren’t trying to fit it into a small space, size isn’t really as much of a problem as reviewers are making it out to be–again, depending on the risers/overall configuration of your entertainment center.
System and Configuration
So, having had a Playstation for every generation (i.e., PS 1 – 5), I find the system software to be an “evolution” of the PS4’s system. It is different, but not so much that a PS4 player won’t be able to quickly and efficiently set up the system and have it ready to go quickly. For me, it took me a moment to figure out the stand, but that was because I assumed that one of the pieces went somewhere else and then had to refer to the Quick Start Guide to find out where it actually went. All in all, it took me 5 minutes total to install the stand. I had two small issues after that: 1) while the system recognized my Wi-fi password and looked like it was configured, something didn’t connect right and it didn’t get internet. A quick swapping out of my ethernet cable from the PS4 to the PS5 solved that issue. 2) Related to #1–I couldn’t sign in and that’s when I discovered the wi-fi issue. Once the ethernet cable was in, and it found the internet, signing in was a breeze. It took literally minutes to get the software downloaded, the games installed, and the options of the system configured the way that I wanted them. I was up and running in well under an hour (35-45 minutes). I was set-up so quickly that I decided to stop and go watch YouTube and wait on my mother before playing any of the games.
I purchased a few of the accessories, and before I ended the session, made sure they were all in working order. At first, I couldn’t get the headphones (optional accessory that doesn’t come with the system) to work, but that was “user error.” I’d mistaken the “mute” button for the on/off button. The on/off button is actually a different type of switch just a bit farther down on the left headphone, and once I realized that, connecting was a breeze! This time, I really did have to go looking for the instructions because the “push in/push out” button in my mind screamed on/off and I never would have figured that out.
Games and Controllers (DualSense)
Once my mother arrived, I showed her the system and she liked the aesthetics of it–she’s always thought it looked good and distinctive, in a modern way, which is a again, yet another criticism of the system. I then showed her the controller’s defining feature of haptic feedback by showing her Astro’s Playroom, a PS5 game built to show how the controller can showcase the idea of immersion through feel and touch. She was absolutely amazed by the look of the game and the way the controller buzzed, plopped, and shook to replicate the various actions on the screen. We then moved on to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (AC Odyssey) where we were both stunned by the graphical improvement on the game. I hadn’t been keeping up, so I don’t know if there was a PS5 upgrade to the game, but it sure seems like it. The colors were greatly improved (especially on the bushes) and everything seemed sharper and crisper–and this is on a 1080p set–but it definitely looked better from the PS4 version. We were both blown away by how good it seemed! Next, I showed her Bugsnax and Spider-Man Remastered. Those two games, while good, really are ones where you can see there brilliance later, so I didn’t play these too much. Finally, we finished off with Spider-Man Miles Morales and wow, from the very first moment, that game was amazing! It loaded quickly, and even on the title screen, you could see the texture of Miles’ hair, something that video games, while getting better and better each generation, traditionally struggle with in terms fidelity, but this was on-par with the best I’d seen. Then the gameplay kicked in and I was both playing the game, while at the same time passing the controller to my mother during cutscenes and transition scenes so that she, too, could experience the feeling of immersion in the controller. I played the first mission and by the end, we were both really hyped for what the console has to offer.
Right now, I’m working my way through Astrobot and AC Odyssey. I hope that once school is out (class is done next weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday–although some may take my “extension” for extra time on their project which will end the first week of December), I’ll be able to put significant time into Spider-Man Remastered and Spider-Man Miles Morales before moving on to other games on my backlog.
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
Currently Working On (11/2020):
Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketA Spell in the Machine (Science Fantasy Story)Rewrite: Planning KnightWatch Graphic Novel (Fantasy Graphic Novel)
Drafting: 1st Draft (Issue 1)
November 2, 2020
The Great “Game Pass” Caper (“Buying” Loyalty Through “Cheap” Games)
Source: More Cherno: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSzUeoKtMHQ
Sidney
Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:
Read Skin Deep for Free at Aurora WolfRead Childe Roland for Free at Electric Spec
Purchase HawkeMoon on Amazon.com (Paperback) or eBookPurchase Dragonhawk on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase WarLight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Ship of Shadows on Amazon.com (Paperback) or KindlePurchase Faerie Knight on Amazon.com (Paperback) or Kindle
Currently Working On (10/2020):
Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketKnightWatch Graphic Novel (Fantasy Graphic Novel)
Drafting: 1st Draft (Issue 1)
October 26, 2020
Mini-Review: The Hunger Games
Currently, the free streaming service IMDB TV has The Hunger Games Trilogy (Quadrilogy as it four movies?) streaming for free. Having read The Hunger Games multiple times, but missing this movie in the theaters and not seeing it when it was on streaming on Amazon (?) a while back, I decided to go ahead and see it before it left the service. I’m glad I did–I actually liked it and felt that it was a good representation of the book.
The Good
There’s a lot to like about this adaptation, but probably the most important thing is that the movie is that it stays true to the spirit of the book. It is a fairly faithful adaptation of the story. Yes, there are some changes to the script–some fairly major, like the ending which doesn’t quite happen as described in the book, but the spirit and essence is still there (probably because Suzanne Collins, the book’s author, was listed as a writer on the movie).
Another thing that I think is really good is the fact that the actors don’t overshadow the characters. That was something that I feared knowing who the actors are in the movie. However, I can see the characters in the movie and not the actors playing a role. This is often a problem for me with movies staring huge actors like Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen–I was able to enjoy several of the X-Men movies with Jennifer Lawrence, but the last one she was in, I could only see her as the actor and not the character. This movie, happily, doesn’t have that issue. I see Katniss Everdeen in Jennifer Lawrence’s performance and I feel she does a great job!
The Bad
About the only thing that I can think of that’s bad for the movie is the compression that has to take place to fit the book into a two hour time frame. I like that the movie didn’t split itself into two parts for each movie (yes, I know Mockingjay does, but I’m assuming that’s because it is a longer, more mature book as it acts as a conclusion to the trilogy). However, some scenes are (necessarily) modified so that some of Katniss‘ inner dialogue has been given to other characters in order to get at her emotions and/or exposition.
The Beautiful
So, this is the first movie mini-review that I’m going to do that does not use “the ugly” paradigm, but rather the “beautiful” paradigm as the movie is gorgeously shot. The cinematography is excellent and the mise-en-scene for the various shots and locations is masterful. While I still think that The Lord of the Rings movies have the best book-to-movie adaptations in recent memory, I do feel The Hunger Games is close behind. I really like both the authenticity of the movie as compared to the book, and I love the choices made, from acting, to locations, to set and costume design, to story construction for the movie.
Overall Rating: A (95)
Rating: 5 out of 5.
In case you can’t tell, I really liked this movie. I thought that it portrayed the book accurately and fairly and didn’t make major alterations to the story–just smaller, minor ones. I wish that we could have gotten some of the exposition and character moments in that we either had to cut or give lines to other characters more closely adhering to the book, but again, time constraints would have made that almost impossible. An “extended edition” could have alleviated some of my concerns, but considering that the movie is as good as it is, I think the producers and directors went for a “well enough approach.” My late uncle’s advice is currently ringing in my ears: “perfect is the enemy of good,” so that’s something I need to remember–this is a good movie and trying to make it perfect might have caused something to have been lost. This is a very good movie and I really enjoyed it!
Sidney
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Currently Working On (10/2020):
Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
Out to MarketStarlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketThe Independent (Science Fiction Story)
Out to MarketKnightWatch Graphic Novel (Fantasy Graphic Novel)
Drafting: 1st Draft (Issue 1)
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