Sidney Blaylock Jr.'s Blog, page 5

Movie Review: Ghostbusters Afterlife

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters:_Afterlife

I’ve been purchasing quite a few movies lately. Most of them have been copies for my film class, for the ones that I did not already own, but many of them have been science fiction and fantasy movies that I’ve not yet had a chance to see. I’ve not really watched them because of the pressure of the semester, but I decided last night that the pressure was really getting to me (this post was almost a “Bear Eats You” type of post and I really didn’t want to go there), so even though it was later than I liked, I went ahead and watched Ghostbusters Afterlife. I have to say that I really enjoyed the film and that there was a lot to like about the movie.

The Good

I thought there was quite a bit of excellent work in terms of both writing and characterization inside the movie. The script, while not always working, was charming and endearing. Mostly, the movie was smart enough to do what most movies won’t do when they are trying to “revive” a mostly dormant franchise: it appealed to nostalgia in a way that wasn’t disrespectful of the old movies, but changed the premise just enough that one could see a “new” group of heroes take on the role/mantle of the older generation. This movie isn’t revelatory, but it doesn’t have to be: the only thing you want is to not “tick off” the fans of the original/older generation, while at the same time have the new generation not think it is “old” and “not relevant” anymore. I think GB Afterlife accomplishes this mission. It includes more than enough nods to the original in tone, structure, plotting and cameos to satisfy those of us who were around when the original GB was a thing, but also enough new characters (with their motivations and goals) and a plot that recalls some of the greatest ideas from the movie without being a straight one-to-one “copy” (beat for beat) of the original. This, I think, is what the Disney Star Wars sequels were going for, but didn’t manage to do, at least not for me. There was a “heart” to this movie that was missing in the Star Wars sequels. I think that if you are a fan of the originals or if you’re a Millennial wondering what all the fuss was over GB, then I think this movie is a good one to check out.

The Bad

Okay, for me, not much outside of the fact that you essentially have six characters that pair off for approximately 3 separate storylines. The main storyline gets enough time, but the two “B” and “C” stories (with the brother and mother) don’t really feel as fleshed out as they could be. Yes, I’m glad they didn’t do the whole teenage “angst” thing with brother disbelieving sister or mother who thinks her kids are in her way type of thing with this movie (and I appreciate it), but the character arcs for those to characters feel slightly stunted when compared with the arc of the main character (who, in this movie, is the sister as we follow her POV for most of the movie).

The Nostalgia

So, I won’t go too far with this one, but nostalgia is really at the heart of this particular movie. It gives closure to the movie in a way that none of the other GB movies or the GB game in the PS3 does. The game is considered canon and is considered the “unofficial” 3rd movie in the GB franchise. I may be mistaken, but I believe the game was done before Harold Ramis passed away and everyone reprised their roles, but the movie was definitely done after Harold’s death and there is very much an “In Memory of” quality about the movie. It also earns brownie points for the way in which it treats the cameos of the original cast of the film. I always like when movies treat the originals with respect and this movie does so. While The Incredible Hulk and Race to Witch Mountain aren’t remembered fondly, I have a soft spot in my heart for the way they included the original cast members from the original television show/films for both projects. Knowing that “Lou Ferrigno” (the actor who originally was “the Incredible Hulk” from my childhood) played a security guard in the Marvel movie always bumps up my internal score for it (even if it isn’t as good as later Marvel movies).

Overall Score: A (95)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

As you can tell, I liked this movie quite a bit! I thought that the characters were great, the story was good, the appeal to nostalgia was great, and the special effects were great. While I would have liked more time on the secondary stories, it would have probably been a bad idea to focus too much on the mother/brother storylines, but I did notice that they seems a little “stunted.” Still, for me, there’s not too much to complain about for this one. I really liked pretty much everything they did with one. My only hope is that they keep this set of characters together if they do a sequel and not just choose to “cherrypick” and keep the brother and sister characters and then go with other “GB” companions (which is typical of many Hollywood) sequels/follow-ups. I think this group of “six” (sister/friend, brother/friend, mother/teacher) is a great set of characters–I might just like them to even out the storylines just a little bit more than they did for this movie. Otherwise, stellar movie!

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 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 (February 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
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The Book of Boba Fett: Season 1 Review (No Spoilers)

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13668894/

Okay, rather than a straight review, I’m going to talk more in terms of impressions and generalities as I don’t want to spoil the series for anyone reading who hasn’t yet had a chance to see it. So, if I seem like I’m not being very specific in the reasons behind certain opinions, well, I”m trying to be very plot/spoiler conscious–something that I wish was more common online.

Also, so that you’ll know right off the bat where I’m coming from, I really liked this show. It has its fair share of detractors online, but like most things these days, its detractors are really loud and vocal, but don’t really represent a majority of opinions (although it often seems that way because the online discourse).

The Good–Star Wars is Back!

More Star Wars goodness! The Book of Boba Fett takes place on Tatooine again, but it pays off several really cool storylines that fans have either wondered about or wanted to see. There are tons of more in-depth characterization, cameos, and cool moments that really make the series a must-watch for the Star Wars fan. I really like the way that the series is structured. This is where I deviate from many of the people online because many say that it is too slow. It isn’t really, but quite a bit of the early story, necessary for us to see why Boba is a different “creation” from the ones in the movie, happen in flashback. In this hyper-needy Western culture, we want everything now and don’t want to wait (I’m not just being facetious here–I watch tons of reaction videos and watching reactors, mostly Millennials, wanting to know now or trying to guess what’s going instead of just watching the action unfold is probably one of the most irritating trends that I see that is common to far more than you might believe). I loved the way the story unfolded and felt that it paid off/rewarded the viewer’s patience in a meaningful way.

The Bad–Star Wars is Back . . .

So, the only real negatives are some of the silliness that Star Wars sometimes brings in unintentionally. While I personally was okay with Modded Biker Gang (many were not fans), I was less enthused by their actual bikes. Sometimes, when swinging for the fences, Star Wars creators (including George Lucas) don’t always hit it out of the park. Most of the time they do, but not always (the “hanging dice” in the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars Ep. IV (New Hope) that “disappeared” for Empire (V) and Jedi (VI). Every time those particular speeder bikes came on-screen, I just had the image of the old animated show, The Biker Mice from Mars pop into my head. I can’t go into any more details without delving into spoiler territory, but just know that many weren’t a fan of the people riding the bikes, but I wasn’t a fan of the bikes themselves.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biker_Mice_from_Mars_(2006_TV_series)The Ugly–No Spoilers?

I don’t really have an “ugly” here (or a beautiful) or any other detraction/superlative. This was, to me, a good show–a good, solid eight episodes of entertainment. I guess the one thing I can remark on is that this show, unlike Hawkeye, wasn’t spoiled for me. There were a couple of smallish spoilers in various thumbnails around my YouTube feed of reactors, but I basically unsubscribed from the most offending ones and resubscribed after the series concluded. Yes, YouTube still feed me a lot of the content in my Recommendations tab, but, for the most part, I was able to avoid spoilers and enjoy the show (again, unlike Hawkeye). So, I guess that’s a win?

On a quick tangent/rant: Disney loves the boost it gets by debuting shows on Wednesday and its shows don’t then take away from its Friday theatrical premieres, but I got to say, it sucks trying to duck social media feeds for more than 24 hours to watch on the weekend for these “event driven” shows. I usually have to watch sometime that very same day if I don’t want major plot reveals spoiled. I’m sure Disney loves this, but I do not! The whole point of “streaming” is to watch it on my schedule, not someone else’s schedule. The old Friday release schedule was so much better from a viewer’s standpoint in that I had time to watch it before the spoilers really became too prevalent–not so much now. Okay, rant mode off.

Overall Rating: A- (90)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This one, for me, is right there at a 90 which would be an A- if I were grading it. It does nearly everything right, but there are a few minor flaws that kept it from being a top-flight, perfect experience for me. With a few little tweaks (especially around designing some of the vehicles that inhabit the world), I think this could take its place beside Disney’s other major Star Wars shows. I’m looking forward to a Season 2 of the show (which, at the time of writing, Feb. 2022, hasn’t yet been announced). If there isn’t one, it definitely sets up nicely as a “springboard” to Disney’s upcoming Star Wars shows as well.

Well, that’s all I have time for today! Have a great week!

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 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 (February 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
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Platinum Journey: Horizon Zero Dawn (Playstation 4)

Source: https://www.guerrilla-games.com/games

Today is the release date for Horizon Forbidden West, sequel to the 2017 hit for the Playstation 4 game, Horizon Zero Dawn. As I work on grading and assignments, I will delve a little into the newest game over the weekend, but probably not a lot as I have quite a bit of work to do. However, as I’ve earned the Platinum Trophy for Horizon Zero Dawn just a few weeks ago, I wanted to take a moment just to talk about the 1st game and my experiences with it now that I’ve completed it.

Horizon Zero Dawn

I’m not 100% sure, but I think Horizon Zero Dawn is the longest game it has taken me to achieve a Platinum Trophy in on the Playstation consoles that I’ve owned. The game is brilliant, make not mistakes about it–and it has recently been ported to PCs, so now others outside the Playstation ecosystem can see what all the fuss is about it. It is a 3rd person, open-world, action adventure game with stealth elements, much like the Assassin’s Creed series. It has a science fiction premise with “robotic animals” as its central hook. The game is graphically amazing and the story really drew me in.

I have been a fan of this game since its initial reveal trailer all those years ago. Everything from the world, the mystery, the story, and the protagonist really intrigued me and I bought it right away.

2017 – 2022

However, this was just before I really started having financial issues brought on my graduate school and I didn’t have a lot of time to devote to it due to my classwork and teaching duties, so it kind of faded to the background as other games would get released.

I would pick it up and play it periodically, making progress is fits and starts. Part of the issue is that I really like action games and want to play games in that fashion. However, HZD has a heavy stealth component and rewards players who are stealthy in their gameplay, especially at low levels. High level players can pretty much play how they want, but at low levels, games like this are pretty punishing.

I had to learn how to play this game effectively by playing through and “Platinuming” (getting the Platinum Trophies) for other 3rd person open world action/stealth games like Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I used strategies learned in those games to help me with this one.

I also learned a bit from a student who I had in my Themes in Literature: Science Fiction class. He had completed the game and gave me tips on taking out a creature that I was stuck on (the Thunderjaw) and his tips really helped me develop a strategy for reliably taking out the creature and getting past the place where I had been stuck.

Outstanding Story

I’m not going into any story spoilers here because this is a game where you really want to learn and enjoy the story for yourself. The story in this game is incredible! It really is something special in the terms of normal video game narratives and deserves to be explored and experienced by the player.

One thing that I really like is that they tell the story in multitude of ways: traditional cutscenes, main quests, side quests, conversation trees, “codex” like entries, audio “codices,” and “interactive” in-game holograms. Each one of these methods have a piece of the story and you put the story together and form a whole after interacting with these various story “pieces.” I really like this design and feel that it is a great way to tell the story.

Game Rating/Platinum Rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This was both an enjoyable game to play and experience as well as a fun one to do all the in-game “trophies” and get the Platinum Trophy. There was only one really frustrating trophy (doing the trials), but it was more irritating that truly frustrating, as you had to do them all to get the corresponding trophy. I enjoyed playing the game and I hope that it doesn’t take me another 5 years or so to play and complete (and hopefully Platinum) the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West! Great game!

Great work, Guerrilla Games and Sony Playstation!

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 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 (February 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION

Superhero Movies Aren’t The Problem; Poorly Written Screenplays Are

Source: https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/worst-movies-of-all-time/

In the past 2-3 years, the success of superhero movies has not gone unnoticed by the film industry. And just like anything that has become popular, critics have emerged to try to knock down the leader because it doesn’t fit their aesthetic of a good movie (Martin Scorsese) or now, and the reason for this post, because their own movies can’t get traction in the marketplace (i.e., make money/find an audience) anymore due to the shift in the audience’s tastes (Roland Emmerich). Now, I respect both Scorsese’s and Emmerich’s opinions–they are welcome to have different opinions than I do. I also respect that they are accomplished directors–in Scorsese’s case, one of the greats of the last half century. However, as a writer, I understand something that they don’t seem to for all their accomplishments–it isn’t just about the tale, but also about how the tale is told.

Martin Scorsese

Let’s take on Scorsese’s point of view first as it is the quickest. Basically, Scorsese loves the crime drama and I do not. There, simple. Now, of course, I’m going to complicate it a bit, but fundamentally Martin and I see the world in two different ways. I see the world as mundane and look to movies for fun, spectacle, and excitement. He sees the world as a “knot to be untangled” through understanding what drives people (especially criminals as he’s known for Crime/Gangster films). I don’t see the world that way, and I don’t like his movies (the worst movie I’ve ever watched is the one that the Academy gave him an award for: The Departed).

He and I don’t agree and that’s okay. We’ll (well, I will at least) agree to disagree. The Oscars thinks that his work is brilliant, while I vehemently disagree, but at least someone thinks he’s doing a good job, even if I don’t. However, he also wants commercial success along with the critical success without understanding that people don’t spend money, time, and energy to go to the multiplex to watch people untangle their problems. That’s like going to an amusement park and never riding the rides and only “people watching.” There are only a limited number of people who are going to find that at all entertaining.

Roland Emmerich

Now, Mr. Emmerich is a different beast. My tastes do often align with Emmerich’s tastes. So, then, why am I passing on his latest movie, Moonfall? In a word, not only is he using the same “formula” that he slams Marvel and Star Wars for with his own movies (Mr. Emmerich–you do know that the genre of the “disaster movie” is full of tropes that aren’t “original anymore” right?). However, he’s even “cribbing” from his own movies. Looking on IMDB, I’ve seen about 1/3 of Emmerich’s output and so, you’d think I would be the target audience for Moonfall.

Well, you’d be wrong. Just take a look at this review from noted critic Mark Kermode:

Roland Emmerich Slams Superhero And ‘Star Wars’ Films: “It’s Ruining Our Industry A Little Bit”

This review intimates that Moonfall is one of those movies that it is so bad that it has to been seen believed. Well, I’ve seen enough Emmerich movies to know that this one is not for me. After watching good sci-fi like The Expanse and Foundation, I’m not interested in “wavy-hand science” (as in waving the hand whenever what the director wants to do for spectacle doesn’t make science scientifically, but is waved away by pseudo-science/no explanation). I want stories that make sense. Star Wars makes sense (at least when Rian Johnson isn’t writing it). Marvel movies make sense. Heck, even DC movies (when Warner Brothers executives don’t interfere) make sense. Why can’t yours, Mr. Emmerich?

The second thing I’ll take issue with is that according to Grace Randolph from Beyond the Trailer (who looks at the business of movies) the polled reaction to the movie–it’s “Cinema Score“–is low: C+. It is very rare for a movie to receive such a low score because, according to Randolph in past videos, people paid for the movie and are reluctant to say negative things about movies they’ve spent money on. This is one of the lowest Cinema Scores that I’ve seen featured on her Movie Math videos (not the lowest, just one of the lowest).

This tells me that it isn’t Star Wars or Marvel that’s the problem, but the script. Having a “conspiracy theorist” as an integral part of the story is a “hard sell” for me (and he’s done it before with 2012, by the way). Add to that what seems like paper thin characterization and plot that exists only string together VFX sequences, and well, that’s a hard no–even for me.

You’re Not Obligated to My Time or My Money

Again, Scorsese and I just see “art” having a different purpose. And again, I’ll simply agree to disagree with his point of view. He can go make his “crime” movies and I’ll write my sci-fi/fantasy stories (& hopefully scripts). However, Emmerich has no excuse. Just because I like the genre of sci-fi/fantasy, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to give you a pass because you directed a movie in the genre. Like any other medium, you have to compete for my money and time by putting out a compelling product that I want to see not that you want me to see. In other words, you have to earn my time and money.

And based on what I’ve seen through the trailer and through reviews, Mr. Emmerich, you didn’t do that with your latest film. So please, for your next movie, look at some of the science fiction that people are enjoying (books, films, and yes, video games) and use that as a basis for your next movie/movies. If the trailers look good and the reviews are good, then, and only then, will I perhaps consider purchasing a (metaphorical) “ticket.”

It isn’t Marvel’s fault, it isn’t Star Wars fault. I respectfully submit that the fault lies elsewhere.

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 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 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION

Coming Soon: The Independent in Mythic Magazine

Source: https://www.mythicmag.com

So, I was wondering what the status was for Mythic Magazine after seeing that Duotrope re-listed the magazine and showing their status as “open” for accepting new stories. I cruised the site and was so pleasantly surprised when I saw the above image! Since the days of Dragonhawk, when I first saw the practiced used, I thought it was so cool to have authors names featured on the cover, letting readers know whose stories are inside. Now, while Dragonhawk was a fine story, for me, it marked my transition from writing and publishing as something of a “hobby” into more of an “avocation.” However, I was new enough and their were more seasoned writers, that I was just happy to have a story inside the magazine. I have to admit, however, their is a certain thrill when your name is featured on the cover!

Mythic Magazine Issue #19

Originally, I think my story was to appear in issue 18, but I more than okay with the delay as there was a period when I didn’t think it was going to appear in Mythic at all. For those who don’t know, over the holidays, the editor of Mythic decided to close the magazine. However, thanks to the alternative funding methods of Patreon and Kickstarter, it looks like Mythic is back on its feet and is moving to a monthly publishing format. As I’ve said in another blog post, I’m planning on also helping out by donating a portion of my earnings back to him by buying a subscription. In fact, Mythic’s plight was driven home to me, as a lowly writer, by this particular scenario. So much so, that I intend to do this from now on with ALL of my future publications. I do this with books, I almost always buy 1-3 copies of anthologies (even if I’m gifted one as part of my “fee”) to 1) make sure I have a copy of my publication but 2) to help out the author. I sometimes buy one for my mother who wants a copy and on occasion, I’ll buy a 3rd for someone who has expressed interest in my work. I sometimes only get 1-2 copies of a small press publication (usually for myself and my mother), but I really want to support small presses. While I’m still a student and much of my money goes for other things: mortgage, utilities, bills, etc., I now realize how important it is to support the arts in a way that makes sense for my limited budget. I can (and should) take the time to support those venues who have taken an interest in my works so that they too can survive and thrive.

The Old Inspiring the New

To be honest, even though I have what I feel is a good foundation for a story for Citizen X, my new story that I’m working on, I’ve not really been inspired to work on it nor do the hard work that has allowed my writing to get better, such as Character Sketches, going through a “Writing Cycle,” using a simple story map, etc. This is crucial for me to do the “deep thinking” about my stories that have allowed me to grow them into better stories. However, just from this one cover image alone, I now feel renewed as an “author” and I feel ready to dive in and do the hard work required to make this next story, Citizen X, a success. For me, I guess that’s the real power of publication. Not for the vanity of seeing ones work “in print,” but to remind and inspire you on to your next work–where you may do even better as you will be a more “experienced” artist.

Well, that’s all I have time for today. I’ll do another blog post when the issue is actually released celebrating the issue’s (and stories) release. Have a great day!

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 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 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION

Review: Foundation Season 1

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgbPSA94Rqg

On my commute I’ve been listening to old podcasts that I missed last year (I listen to Apple’s Podcast app and it presents newest shows first and then plays them in reverse order). Some of the ones on the Mac were talking about Apple TV+ shows and one of them felt that Foundation was slow and stopped watching after only 2 or 3 episodes. Having watched the entire season, I find that I must respectfully disagree. This post explains my reasoning.

The Good: Three Stories, One Outcome

The key to watching Foundation is to understand that there are 3 interlocking stories that weave into 1 cohesive whole at the end of the season. This is one of those series that demands that you finish it. It isn’t going to hold your hand, it isn’t going to have brother and sister having “questionable” relationships with each other (looking at you Game of Thrones), and it isn’t going to give you all the answers inside the narrative–you’re going to have to go in and figure some things out based on clues and hints that they give you. However, when I finished the series, I felt that all that work was rewarded and I had a satisfying conclusion to Season 1. Yet, unless you’re willing to finish the whole work, it won’t make sense nor will the character arcs and drama that the story is trying to build work. This isn’t like a Disney show like The Mandalorian or Loki–it doesn’t have episode resolutions where everything builds to the end of the episode for a cliffhanger and then the next episode does the same. The episodes do build, but there building to the end of the season, so that once the end comes, you can clearly see the journey (literal and emotional) that each of the major character arcs has taken them throughout the episodes. In many ways, to me, Foundation Season 1 seems a lot like a “chapter” in a greater whole than a complete season of episodes building to a cliffhanger for next season. I can’t wait to see what the next “chapter” in the story looks like.

The Bad: Character Dramas Depend on Characters that You May Not Like

So, here’s the issue that I (personally) had with Season 1. What happens if the narrative depends on you liking certain characters/being interested in the journey of certain characters, but you aren’t? Of the 3 characters, I only really cared about the journey of 1 of them. There are 3 main characters that we follow for extended periods of time: Gaal, Salvor, and Cleon. The only issue is that I only cared (initially) about Gaal’s story. I was annoyed whenever we cut away from Gaal’s storyline to focus on the other two. Eventually, more than halfway into the show, I began to tolerate Salvor’s character. Without spoilers, Clean became more interesting and you understood his conundrum much better by the final 2-3 episodes, but mainly, to me Gaal’s storyline was the most interesting and the one I wanted the show to follow all the way through–which is what it does not do. In other words, for much of the show, I wanted to see more of Gaal and her story, but was frustrated by the narrative choices made. While I think that they ultimately paid off, I can understand why some critics/audience members might have found the show “slow.” To be totally candid, many of the best storylines and characters were the supporting characters like Hari Seldon, Eto Demerzel (the android), and Zephyr Halima. Their dialogue always sparkled and their scenes were always emotionally charged that wasn’t always the case with the main characters (even Gaal).

The Ugly: Heading into the Unknown

Even though I found the Foundation books by Asimov quite recently at a used book store, I’ve not had a chance to read them, so I don’t know how closely they have aligned with the source material. I’d really to know how far/close the creators of the TV show are hewing to the storyline, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise of “not knowing” where the plot is heading–it causes too much cognitive dissonance when I know the story too intimately and then the creators change things too much without there seemingly a reason. This is what I think is the greatest weakness with the whole “season as a chapter” paradigm–that you can’t know what the direction of the narrative is likely to be unless you know the source material, and as such, you don’t know if you should be excited/pensive for the next season/”chapter.” Still, even without knowing where the next season is headed, I feel like this was a very strong start to the show.

Rating: Above Average (B; 85-87 Range)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really liked this show despite its flaws. This is a smart science fiction show with interesting ideas and characters. You know, like the type of show everyone says they want (as opposed to other shows that don’t follow real world “space” parameters). Yet, the moment one comes along, everyone compares it to Game of Thrones as if that’s the end-all, be-all of television and dismisses it out of hand. If you like sci-fi, then you owe it to yourself to see this one through to the end. While the journey might not be the most exciting, the actual destination is filled with some pretty intriguing ideas and the arc of the characters will be fully explained once the season reaches its conclusion.

Have a great day!

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 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 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION

Mini-Post: Watching the Winter Olympics, Grading, and Dissertating

Source: https://gradschool.duke.edu/professional-development/blog/highly-recommended-workshop-surviving-your-dissertation-writing-groups

So, this is the 2nd mini-post of the week. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get 3 full posts done this next week, but if not, I’ll continue this mini-post format for the days/posts that I’m not able to do. Without further ado, on to the post:

Watching the Winter Olympics

I have quite a few things to catch up on today. I’m watching the Winter Olympics today. I’ll have it on in the background as I try to catch-up on all of the many things that I need to do today. While I like the Winter Olympics, I have to say that, on the whole, I’ve always preferred the Summer Olympics. My uncle was the real Winter Olympics fan with figure skating and the like. I got into sledding and luge sports (& some speed skating). While that hasn’t changed, I’ve “warmed up” to some figure skating/ice dancing, but it’s still not a fav. I have loved skiing, though, so I have plenty to get excited about. However, sports are a great background distraction when I have work to do, so I’ll definitely have it on in the background for the next two weeks.

Grading

I’ll be catching up with my grading. I’ve had two weeks of presentations and I’ve gotten behind on grading, so I’ll be using some of today to catch up and to get some assignments caught up. I’ll probably be using most of the weekend for this, but I can definitely grade one or two smaller assignments today.

Dissertating my Dissertation

My main focus today is to work on my dissertation. I’ve been working on it, but thanks to the start of school and my presentations, I’ve slacked off, but I need to get back on to it, so I’m planning on making today a “dissertating” day–where I work on my dissertation and really use today to get back into the “flow” that I had before school started back. I’m really enjoying my dissertation. What I’m realizing is that I just need to be consistent in my writing and my drafting of the work. This is really helping figure out how to write longer creative works (novels and such) because here’s the secret to writing long:

DON’T WORRY ABOUT MAKING IT PERFECT; WORRY ABOUT GETTING IT DOWN ON “PAPER.”

That’s a key! Too much worrying about making it match your vision rather than getting it down and working on it later to get it “perfect.” This is a crucial lesson for me personally, as I simply want to get my writing perfect–which may be the very reason that, while I’m a published writer, I’ve not yet written, let alone published, a novel.

Lessons for me to learn–which what school is all about!

Have a great weekend!

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 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 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION

Mini-Post: Citizen X

Today’s blog is going to be a super short one–I wasn’t able to work on 3 full blog posts over the weekend. You can expect these mini-posts to pop up whenever circumstances prevent me from getting all 3 posts done over the weekend. The goal is to 1) continue to make sure that I write/create content for the blog even when I don’t have a whole lot of time and 2) to make sure I don’t have any long gaps where I’m not going months without posting because of . . . life and stuff. Now on to the topic!

Rewriting Citizen X

So, today’s mini-topic is that I’m in the process of rewriting an unpublished story that I’ve previously sent out, but haven’t had any luck with selling. The story, Citizen X, is a short story set in an Alternate World/Future. Without going into too much detail, civil liberties for American citizens have been seriously curtailed and America is controlled by a technologically advanced and repressive regime. Only a few dare to speak out, but most are silenced. However, one person, a mythical “Citizen X,” whose figure is hidden under a disguise and obscured from all tech./surveillance is able to speak out against the government.

Reception to Citizen X 1.0

When I sent it out, I got rejections, but not a whole lot of comments. However, the last submission to a market, while still a rejection, gave me really good feedback. Basically, they liked the character and felt the first 1/3 of the story (it is broken up into 3 parts) was really good, but they didn’t like the direction of parts 2 & 3. They also didn’t care for the use of real world names (even though it was supposed to be an alternate history story).

Working towards Citizen X 2.0

I’m rewriting the story. I planned out a new outline over the weekend. I’m keeping most of the 1st part, but will revise it so that it matches the newer sections. Will be completely rewriting sections 2 and 3 and will move it in more of a “what happens if the hero is followed back home by the antagonists” storyline. Now, not only is the protagonist in danger, but potentially family, friends, and neighbors. While I won’t post this on my Signature Feed until I finish it, this is the story I will be working on for the next month or two.

Well, that’s all I have time for as I have grading and assignment sheets to work on for my classes! Have a great day, everyone!

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 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 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION

Gaming Disappointments

Source: https://makeameme.org/meme/disappointment-disappointment

A YouTuber that I sometimes watch by the name of Mortisimal Gaming recently did a post describing the most disappointing game experience that he’s had as a gamer. I liked the video and it got me thinking about some of the gaming experiences that I’ve had that were disappointing in some way, so I put together this post just to (briefly) talk about some gaming disappointments that I’ve had as well. I generally don’t have as many disappointments these days because I now generally wait on reviews, and thanks to school and work and all of my many responsibilities, I now end up getting games generally around Christmas time even though they are released during the year. In other words, it has to be a special game for me to purchase it during the year–most of my gaming purchases are now within the last 3-4 months of the year, so I have a pretty good consensus of what the game is like, what the reviews for the game gave it, and whether it is in my “wheelhouse” as a game I would probably enjoy. Basically, I’m pretty much always “late to the party” on all but a few of the “top tier” releases that I would enjoy. This has helped to greatly cut down on gaming disappointments for me (looking at you Cyberpunk 2077).

Sword of Sodan (Sega Genesis; published by Electronic Arts (EA)) Source: https://archive.org/details/sg_Sword_of_Sodan_1990_Electronic_Arts_Innerprise_EU-US_en

My #1 gaming disappointment of all time is Sword of Sodan published by EA (then Electronic Arts before it shortened its name to be more “hip”). Sword of Sodan was a game that I bought for my birthday and it was such a disappointment because I was really into Golden Axe at the time (beat em ups were extremely popular) and based on the back cover artwork and copy, it looked like a bigger, more intense version of Golden Axe, which is what I was looking for at the time. However, the game was a simple side-scroller, and worse yet, it was a mess of half-implemented ideas and terrible controls. It was ridiculously difficult to play and getting off of the very first level was both difficult and tedious. Worse yet, it was a birthday game, meaning it was the game that I spent birthday money on and so wasted that money for that year. And when I was a child, money (for games especially) wasn’t something that could easily be obtained, so I had to make every dollar count. Spending money on this game was a bitter lesson in advertising vs reality. And the final insult? I had to wait until Christmas to get any new games after I got my “birthday game.” Since my birthday is early in the year, that meant months and months of waiting–with only this crappy and poorly designed game as my only new experience for all those months. I learned the value of video game magazines and reviews and made buying issues of magazines a priority after purchasing this game. I still have the cartridge–to remind myself that “all that glitters isn’t gold.”

YouTube Longplay of Sword of SodanMass Effect Andromeda (Playstation 4; EA) Source: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1238000/Mass_Effect_Andromeda_Deluxe_Edition/

This game is one of the few times that I let my “hype” get in the way of my good sense. I had so enjoyed the original Mass Effect trilogy (especially Mass Effect 2) that I was completely “sold” on the idea of going to another galaxy and having an “open world” Mass Effect style of game, but that’s not what we got. To be fair, the ideas were there, but it needed another 6 months to “bake” to get rid of the bugs and another 1 – 2 years to “bake” to iron issues with narrative and story. This game had the potential to be something special, but was handicapped by EA’s need to release “under-finished” products to satisfy their investors and upper management. They’ve released too many products like this for my tastes (as if getting burned by Sword of Sodan wasn’t enough), so while I do still buy EA products, they go onto an “automatic waitlist” now. I will NOT buy an EA game without reviews/significant discount in price.

Evolve (Playstation 4; 2K) Source: https://www.pcinvasion.com/evolve-failed-because-4v1-didnt-work-pricing-and-more/

The final game for this post (don’t worry, there have been others that I could have talk about and I may revisit this topic again) is Evolve from 2K Games. Now, I could talk about 2K Games as its own separate post because none of the games from this publisher that I’ve purchased have been ones that I’ve enjoyed and the others in its catalog (Grand Theft Auto) are not ones that I care to play (despite their enormous popularity). Evolve was especially painful as the Playstation community never got the Left 4 Dead (L4D) games during the PS3/ Xbox 360 era, and I was especially looking forward to a sci-fi version of this (with aliens instead of zombies). However, their decision to make the “alien monster” a human player really robbed this game of any tension. Most of the time players chosen weren’t good monsters/enemies (myself included) and the few that were were “god-like.” This idea to have humans as monsters was great for the developer as they 1) didn’t have to come up with complex enemy AI and 2) 5 people had to buy the game instead of 4, but in terms of gameplay, this decision basically “knee-capped” the game and really robbed it of the chance to become as popular as their L4D games. I basically had written off this developer, but they’ve managed to redeem themselves with Back 4 Blood which I bought based on the strength of reviews and a demo. Without that, I probably would have passed the series up as I had been burned by the developer in the past. Still, Evolve could have been the series that brought them back, if they hadn’t chased “industry trends” and put the work and effort in to have developed an AI system for their sci-fi monsters. They ended up having to do it for Back 4 Blood, so imagine what a game like Evolve could have been if they’d been willing to do it sooner.

Well, that’s all I have time for today–have a great week!

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 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 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION

2021 Playstation Wrap-Up

Source: https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/how-to-get-your-2021-playstation-wrap-up-on-ps4-ps5-1744940/

So, I’m trying to get back into blogging in a small way as hopefully you all can see through this week’ posts. Today, I’m going to focus on the games that I played over the past year. Playstation is doing a yearly wrap-up of the games, by allowing players to log in and see their yearly stats. I will use screenshots from the Wrap-up to show what my year was like in gaming. I won’t do all of them, just a few of the ones that I think are the most important. I’m going to keep this introduction short, so without further ado, here are my Playstation 2021 Wrap-up Stats.

Top Games of 221 https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/dragon-quest-xi-s-echoes-of-an-elusive-ageDragonQuest XI

My number one played game of 2021 was, according to Playstation, DragonQuest XI. I put in nearly quite a bit of time playing the game and beating it. It was a fun experience that I thought I’d “finished,” only to discover that I was only approximately 50%-60% through the game. I persevered and finished it right around September of 2021 (just as I was beginning my new job approximately). I haven’t yet gone back to see if I can get the Platinum Trophy yet, but I will give it a go when I finished my current playthrough of the games I working on right now. I do know that I’m not really a JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game) fan, but for some reason, I really enjoyed my time with this game. I feel like it helped me get to grips with some of the conventions of the JRPG genre.

https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/dragon-quest-xi-s-echoes-of-an-elusive-ageCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

So, this game is the one that I spent the majority of time with during 2021 for my online gaming. Now, obviously, I won’t be doing so now that Microsoft has bought Activision, but before that time, CoD was a favorite (mostly because my mother enjoyed watching me play). CoD has been slowly losing its relevance because they have refined the gameplay in such a way as to want to cater to those who will purchase their “battle pass.” I like the CoD shooting experience, but I no longer like the way the campaign is rendered (with stealth/stealth-like elements). I feel that I got fairly good with the game, but mainly because the time that I put in was in service to my mother so that she could watch the game. By myself, I probably would have put only “half” the time that I did for this game. While much better than Vanguard, this game started some of the egregious ideas that were fully featured in Vanguard.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/812140/Assassins_Creed_Odyssey/Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

The reason why this game is so high is that I basically played it over the tail-end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 (1st 3 months approximately). I did the bulk of the game in 2020, but finished the game and worked for a Platinum trophy during the beginning of 2021. I don’t have the stats for my 2020 gameplay handy (I wrote them down in a notebook), but I felt that I spent quite a few hours building up my character and finishing the game, and then doing all the work for the Platinum trophy. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, but I thought AC Origins had a slightly better story. Both focus on family, but there are more choices in Odyssey which means that it couldn’t be as narratively focused as Origins.

Source: https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1151640/Horizon Zero Dawn

So, this one is complicated. I stared this way back in 2017 when it was released, but I kept trying to play it as an action game, when it is a “stealth” game first, action game second. While I played it on and off from 2017-2020, I finally figured out how to play the game late in 2020 after playing through Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I went past the place in the game where I was stuck and I’ve pushed through, saw the story, and finally finished it (although this happened late in 2021 and early 2022). I enjoyed the story and feel that I’m now ready for the release of the next game, Horizon Forbidden West, a game I’m looking forward to when it releases in February.

https://www.codemasters.com/game/grid/Grid (2019)

This is, unfortunately, one that I spent far more time with than I should have based on how much fun I had. This game is a good looking game, but is very shallow. The cars don’t handle that well, the tracks are quite limited and repetitive, the AI is a bit suspect (sometimes they seem “god-like” and sometimes they seem fairly inept). Unfortunately, this is a game that looks better than it plays. The reason why played it for so long is that I bought it on sale and I got the game and all the extra content that came with it. I felt like I needed to finish the game and the DLC. While I did it, the game was simply too repetitive and I ended up stop having fun playing it halfway through the base game. I had to finish the game and then finish the DLC, all while disliking the game more and more with each passing day. I managed to finish my goal, but I’m not all that proud as I played a game to completion simply to say I had rather than having a fun and enjoyable experience.

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 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 2022):The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
2022 Revision; Out to Market.Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
2021 Revision:  ACCEPTED   FOR PUBLICATION