TV

Sunday 9th of April 2023

Peter Germany Cat, Editing, Gaming, Horror, Horror Writer, Life, Lifestyle, Outlining, Planning, Sci-Fi, TV, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Howdy, folks! How are we all?

I wrote 980 words today on War Child. I’ve come to realise I’m essentially working on a second draft. Not quite writing it from scratch but I have rewritten the first couple of scenes. It’s a case of it being easier to do this than it is to add in the details I need to. Starting War Child during last years NaNoWriMo was a good idea as it got the story off the ground, but it has also hampered it. Where I was writing a bit here and a bit there a lot of the time I wasn’t able to be as deep with it as it needs to be. At the moment it feels like NaNo served as an in-depth outline for the story. It helped me get an idea of the story I want to tell, and how broad it is turning out to be. I think I’ve said in previous posts that I was loosely planning three books, a trilogy that would tell this story. Well, where book one was originally meant to end is a long, long ways off. At the moment I think this is going to be a good five book series, which I think I got overwhelmed by. Even now I feel like the scale of this is too big for me to get my head around. I think this has led to me not working on it too much since the start of the year, but that time has given me time to process what I need to do to get this first book done.

Dizzy doing what cats do 🙄

Watching the science fiction I have recently has given me a lot of ideas, as has diving back into the Halo video game series. I spent a fair chunk of yesterday afternoon replaying the first game, and boy had I forgotten how good it was. I’m playing the Master Chief collection which is remastered and damn it looks good. Plays fantastic too (I’d forgotten how hard those damn Warthogs are to drive though!). I’d not really played any game aside from GTA for quite some time, so I was worried the different game mechanics would have a negative effect. But thankfully they didn’t and I really got stuck in. It was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to playing it again in the next few days.

To make sure I don’t get distracted by it, I won’t be gaming until I’m done with any bits and pieces at home I need to do, and I’ve written. I’m going to be starting kind of small with it, a scene a day for example. But I’m hoping that I’ll get into a flow with the story and this will increase each time I sit down to write.

4th of April 2023

Peter Germany Horror, Horror Writer, Insperation, Movies, Sci-Fi, TV, Video Games, Writing , , , , , , , , , ,

Good evening, folks! I’ve written 476 words on War Child today. First words this month. I was a little disheartened after I accidentally deleted 1200 words from the story last week. My own mistake and one I won’t be repeating.

I feel like I’ve got a decent path to travel at the moment with this story. I can see what needs to be done and hopefully I’m going to be able to get well stuck into it over the next few weeks.

I am getting into some research for War Child. Watching military science-fiction shows and films, and listening to them too. I’m focused on the Halo world at the moment. I’m also about to start a rewatch of Battlestar Galactica. Although I’m taking ideas from these it’s more a vibe I’m hoping I get from them. I feel I’ve got a decent tone for War Child building. So I want to be careful with how I proceed.

Right, I’m off for the night. Have an awesome one, folks!

7/2/23 – Flash Post

Peter Germany Editing, Life, Lifestyle, TV, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good evening all, just a quick post tonight.

I’ve edited almost 10000 words on Black Blood over the last couple of days. This was despite work today, and a lot of errands yesterday morning.

I’m rewatching Orange Is The New Black, I’ve not seen it in a year or so. It’s easy to forget how good a show is. This is one of the best tv shoe out there in my opinion. Definitely worth a watch.

Right folks, have an awesome evening all ☺️

Indiana Jones 4 & Zootropolis+

Peter Germany Movie Review, Movies, Random Thoughts, TV , , ,

Howdy folks. Something a little different tonight, a few thoughts on a movie and a streaming show.

I recently watched Indiana Jones and the Kingsom of the Crystal Skull for the second time, and the first time since shortly after it came out. I had a negative impression of it and watching it again I’ve come to feel that, it’s not as bad as I’d let myself think it is. Is it as good as previous instalments? No, but that doesn’t make it a bad film. I’d have liked a different ending, honestly not sure about the wrap up of the mystery but hey ho. Overall though, it was decent. Harrison Ford was good, John Hurt was awesome. Cate Blanchett was soils as always and I love Karen Allen’s energy and her chemistry with Ford. And Shia Labeouf was good. I’ve seen a few headlines about him over the last few years, which unfortunately seem to just be negative. Which is a shame because, damn. That dude can act.

I also watched Zootropolis+ on Disney+ and I’m a little disappointed. It was a series of adjacent stories that run alongside the movie, which was okay, and a some of them were really good. Especially the Mafia boss’s backstory, but I’d love to see a series following the police in that world, not like the central precinct like in the film, but another smaller district. I think that could really open up that world where it felt like we only scratched the surface.

Good Evening, 8th February 2022

Peter Germany TV, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hey Folks, how are we all doing this evening?

I got 400 words written today, I’m still not sure how this story will go. Part of me thinks it’s near a conclusion but another part of me feels like there’s something bigger going on with this one. I’m not sure yet, I’ll keep ploughing on and see how it plays out.

Just a short post tonight, I’m going to finish this episode of The Man In The High Castle and then get my head down.

Good Evening, 7th February 2022

Peter Germany Health, Life, Lifestyle, Men’s Mental Health, Mental Health, Movies, Sci-Fi, TV, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hey Folks,

How are we all doing tonight?

I’m going through one of those periods where my sleep is all over the shop. So I’m working on trying to adjust my evening routine so that I hopefully get some sleep. Part of that is watching an episode of a tv show or a movie I haven’t seen before. Something that’ll relax my mind a little. I’m also hoping it’ll help me get through some of my backlog of TV shows and movies that I need to catch up on.

I’ve fallen into the rut of rewatching a lot of shows and movies I’ve seen before, so pushing me out of a comfort zone which is toxic. It is comforting to know what happens in a show, but it can also suffocate us a little because we’re not experiencing new things. We’re not feeding our souls, and as creatives it leads to us stagnating. (Some, not all of us). We need those new tales to fuel our own creativity.

That’s what I’m working on. I’ve recently watched the newest adaptation of Nick Hornby’s book, High Fidelity. Now, I’m a fan of the original film (am yet to read the book). Okay, it has its faults and has some great examples of double standards when it comes to genders. It’s still a fun watch though. When I heard that not only was it being remade but with a gender flipped main character I was curious as to how it would come out. I was a little unsure about Zoe Kravitz in the lead role, and I’ll admit those first few seconds I feared that concern was going to have truth to it. I was wrong though, as soon as she started talking I was in. She had it down, perfectly. The rest of the cast was pretty spot on, and I liked the changes they’ve made from the original movie. I will read the book one day, because it’s a story I’ve always enjoyed.

Right now though, I’m watching The Man In The High Castle. I’m about three episodes into season three, after having a couple of years away from it for a number of reasons. Which I regret. I wished I’d watched these last two seasons sooner. I enjoyed the first two seasons immensely, and so far season three is proving to be as intriguing as the previous two. It’s very different from Phillip K. Dick’s original novel, but I like what they’ve done with it.

Let’s end with a little writing update. I wrote 300 words today on the short story I’ve been working on, it’s taken a turn I wasn’t expecting and what was going to be a secondary character has become the protagonist of the piece. I’m not sure if I can weave it and the original story together, but I’m going to move forward with the intention of the original story being a part of it.

My editor wasn’t very helpful, like normal 🙄🤣

Good Afternoon 11th March 2021 & Filling The Well

Peter Germany Editing, Horror, Horror Writer, Life, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Movies, TV, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good afternoon, folks. Yes, I overslept till gone ten and then had personal correspondence to write. But now I am ready to work!

First up is a read through of Ashes with a red pen and then I’m going to dive into the Vampire book and get this episode done! Then I’ll paste the next episode into the drafting file and read through it so I’m going through as blindly as I did the last chapter.

I also want to get cracking on the ending to Black Blood, and figure out exactly how I want it to end. I’ve got ideas but I think those could change as I write. But we’ll see.

My desk is Still messy!

I did get some good ideas from the Netflix series, Pacific Rim: The Black. Overall it was a good seven episodes and I’m looking forward to see what they do in the future with it, but from a creative point of view it gave me some good ideas, which leads me on to talking about keeping the creative well filled up.

One of the things I do is rewatch what I’ve seen many times before. Sometimes it’s a comfort thing, other times its laziness. Sometimes I’ll watch something new like Superstore, which is good but doesn’t add much to my creative well. That needs filling to keep the ideas growing. I think when we’re young it gets a lot of ideas thrown into it, and it gets more filled the longer we don’t start pulling from it. I watched Pacific Rim: The Black yesterday and it gave me a ton of ideas, then I watched a movie called Surrounded about a group of YouTube type content adventurers whose seaplane crashes and leaves them in shark “infested” waters. (There’s only three sharks) and they have to survive being adrift and getting to this small island station thingy. Firstly, I don’t know why I watched this as anything with Big Water freaks me out! I hate the thought of being stranded in the middle of a huge late, or ocean, sea. Anything like that, which is probably why I like watching that stuff, but anyway. It was something new that I hadn’t seen before and aside from a number of eye rolling moments (I doubt sharks swim in an attack formation, or dead straight; and there was a few cliche moments and plot details there just to add conflict), it wasn’t too bad. I can always live with cheaper CGI if the story and actors grab me, and for the most part they did. I didn’t get a huge amount of inspiration from it, but it was enjoyable.

I need to watch more new content. I retreat onto what I know far too often and I need to change that. I’m not going to make a grand declaration that I’m only going to watch new things for the rest of the year because that’s crap! But What I am going to do is make more effort to watch new, or thing I’ve not seen in a long time or only once from here on out. I’ll talk more about them here as well, even if it’s just a passing mention.

I also have series to continue with as well. The Last Kingdom, The Punisher, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Jack Ryan, Altered Carbon, Game of Thrones, and no doubt a few more. I want to rewatch a couple as well. In particular Sense8 and Battlestar Galactica (the reboot). I’ve not sat down and watched Battlestar from start to finish in one go and feel it’s nearing time to do so. As for Sense8, it is my belief that Sense8 is the best TV show of the last thirty years. It’s years ahead of its time, and doesn’t hold back in so many areas and would never have been made if it wasn’t on somewhere like Netflix. It’s so ahead of its time in my opinion that it suffered for it and was cancelled after only two seasons, but due to fan demand Netflix gave them a two hour special to wrap the loose ends up. It’s not a series for the faint hearted, but I think it’s very much worth a watch.

Right, I’m off to get to work! Have a fun day, folks!

NaNoWriMo 2020: Day Eleven

Peter Germany Cat, Editing, Horror, Horror Writer, Life, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Nanowrimo, Planning, Preparation, TV, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wow, it’s hard to believe we’re at day eleven already. In some ways the last eleven days have flown by but in others it feels like its dragged out. I’ve been off from work as well, which I think plays a part in that weird time displacement that’s been going on the last eleven days.

One of my guest appearances on Stefan’s Daily Gaming 🙂

I’ve written 2002 words for a total of 21423 words. I was aiming for 1667 words every day, regardless of what I wrote the day before. I’ve failed at that. I’ve had three days where I got under that target, and that’s not good enough when I look at the why I haven’t written 1667 each day. I know the why, and I’ve got to figure out how to stop it from happening again. I’m looking at trying a few things in the next few weeks to see to it that it doesn’t happen again. My biggest hindrance is I’m not as disciplined as I could be. That’s what I need to get a handle of. I can’t let my wondering mind destroy my concentration. I need to focus better and make the most of the resources that I have in place to get these stories done.

Today, I feel like I did good. I wrote those 2002 words and then made some red pen edits on a short story (only a couple of thousand words), and I prepared for a Zoom appointment this evening and did a little gaming.

Dizzy wasn’t interested in gaming, but made herself comfy.

After the Zoom call I’ve put my feet up, had some dinner and am now watching Daybreak on Netflix. Tomorrow I’m going to (try) to get up at about 8am like I did today, and get some words done nice and early because you know what? I’ve had a productive day. I’ve felt more relaxed today than I have done in a few weeks. I know that’s not just the writing, but that is a good percentage of it. If I can keep being productive, I have better days.

TV Review: Love, Death + Robots 3/3

Peter Germany Horror, Sci-Fi, Short Fiction, TV , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Love, Death + Robots is an anthology series from David Fincher and Tim Miller that is available on Netflix.

Lucky 13

Directed by Jerome Chen

Animation Studio: Sony Pictures Imageworks

Based on the Short Story by Marko Kloos

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

Lucky 13 is about a military transport that is considered jinxed and given to a rookie pilot who quickly bonds with the vehicle.

This is another favourite of mine. Again, fantastic visuals here. The character’s are all but photo realistic. I quickly recognised the main character by voice as well as looks. It was like watching Samira Wiley on screen! That’s how good the animation is in this episode. I’d be interested to see if they used motion capture on her face as it is that good. But that’s not just why I like this episode. The story is told at a solid pace and has some fantastic action keep the episode really interesting. I got invested in the bond the protagonist, ‘Cutter’ Colby has with Lucky 13 pretty quickly. You feel the emotion of this episode pretty heavily as it comes to its conclusion.

Definitely one of the strongest episodes for me.

Zima Blue

Directed by Robert Valley

Animation Studio: Passion Animation Studios

Based on the Short Story by Alistair Reynolds

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

Zima Blue is the story of an experimental artist. It is also the one in the entire anthology that doesn’t really do anything for me. It’s beautifully animated, although the character designs weren’t my cup of tea. The story was way but never grabbed my attention. I did like the overall message of the story, but as a whole it didn’t do a lot for me.

Blindspot

Written and Directed by Vitaliy Shushko

Animation Producer: Elena Volk

This one is a super fun heist movie with robots. What more do you need to know folks?!? It is a fast paced, action filled thrill ride with ups and downs, entertaining characters and like the rest of this series, beautiful animation. It’s a really nice change of pace and just good fun!

Ice Age

Directed by Tim Miller

Animation by: Digic Pictures, Blur Studio, and Atomic Fiction

Based on the short story by Michael Swanwick

Script Adapted by Phillip Gelatt

This is the only episode which isn’t fully animated. It stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Topher Grace as a young couple who move into a new apartment which has a very old fridge in it. They soon discover there’s a civilisation living in the ice box.

It’s a fun story that has a good pace and Grace and Winstead are good on screen. The animation is good and the story zips by at a decent pace.

It’s an interesting episode, but doesn’t stand out a lot. The change of visual styles, like having actual humans in it, does change it up a little from the rest of the anthology.

Alternate Histories

Directed by Victor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres

Animation Studio: Sun Creature Studio

Based on the Short Story by John Scalzi

This one is a series of examples of what would have happened to the world if Adolf Hitler had died earlier in life than he did.

This one was okay, albeit a little long. Like all of these episodes, the animation is great and the design suits the story well.

The Secret War

Directed by István Zorkóczy

Animation Studio: Digic Pictures,

Based on the Short Story by David W. Amendola

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

The Secret War is a World War 2 era story that is set in a Soviet wilderness. Soviet soldiers are fighting an enemy that is revealed as the story goes on. It’s a very sombre piece that has some fantastic action and an animation style and design that fits the era it’s et in as well as the tone of the film.

The big bad in this story I really liked. The design they had really got my imagination going. The final confrontation is epic. It gave me what I wanted from the and finishes the anthology off on a high note.

 

TV Review:Love, Death + Robots 2/3

Peter Germany Horror, Sci-Fi, Short Fiction, TV , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Love, Death + Robots is an anthology series from David Fincher and Tim Miller that is available on Netflix.

Beyond The Aquila Rift

Directed by Léon Brélle, Dominique Boidin, Rémi Kozyra, and Maxime Luère

Animation Studio: Unit Image

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

Beyond The Aquila Rift is the story of a space freighter that goes off course and ends up a long way from where it’s meant to at a remote space station.

Each one of these episodes has really good animation, but with this one they hit the nail on the head throughout the episode. There are a few moments where it is extremely stunning. There are a few moments in it where it’s almost like watching live action.

But it’s not just a short film that looks good. The story is first rate. You feel for the characters who’ve found themselves at the far end of the galaxy and as the story progresses you really get pulled into what they’re going through. Cinematically I think this is one of the standouts of the series.

Good Hunting

Directed by Oliver Thomas

Animation Studio: Red Dog Culture House

Based on the short Story by Ken Liu

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

This story takes place mainly in Hong Kong around the time when it was being colonised, but with a steampunk taste to it that grows as the story progresses. Stories from this region of the world rarely grab me, but this one did. The first few minutes felt a little slow at first, but that pace served the story well and it never feels rushed. As the story moves into Hong Kong I really got pulled in.

The animation style fits the story and adds to the humble feel of the story. By the end of the story I was invested in these characters and it didn’t escape me the message of the story.

The Dump

Directed by Javier Recio Gracia

Animation Studio: Abel & Baker

Based on the Short Story by Joe R. Lansdale

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

This is the star of an old man who doesn’t want to leave his home, despite a city inspector  telling him he has to.

This is one of my favourite stories in this season of Love, Death, and Robots. I love the vibe it has. The story is pretty straight forward but quite infectious. It drew me in really quickly. The animation is so perfectly fitted to the story that when you add the voice talent, especially Nolan North‘s Ugly Dave, it just works so beautifully.

This was my first real experience of Joe R. Lansdale’s work, and I really loved it. I’ve heard Brian Keene talking about Lansdale on his podcast (The Horror Show with Brian Keene), and after watching The Dump I am definitely checking out more of Lansdale’s work.

I will just mention that I was listening to a podcast where they were talking about the first season of Love, Death and Robots as a whole and they were not very complimentary about this episode. I won’t name the podcast, because they were just sharing their opinions, but it struck me that because this episode has this type of characters, and the tone of it they dismissed it. I just got this sense of it wasn’t worth their time, which is a shame because it is a super fun story. For me its up there with Suits as a favourite episode of this debut season.

Shape-Shifters

Directed by Gabriele Pennacchioli

Animation Studio: Blur Studios

Based on the Short Story by Marko Kloos

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

The short synopsis of this one is the U.S. marines are using werewolves in conflict zones.

Again, animation is stunning here, especially in the final fight. There was a great point of view short at one stage. The story itself it good, has a likeable protagonist and lots of underlying depth. It is a little predictable, but I’m a strong believer that the journey in more often than not more important than the ending.

There is a transformation moment that is stunning, I hope the person who did that got at least a pat on the back!

A good story that I likes, and added a different taste to the season.

Helping Hand

Directed by Jon Yeo

Animation Studio: Axis Studios

Based on the Shorty Story by Claudine Griggs

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

This one is about a woman who is working on a satellite and gets knocked into space by flying debris. Her air and propulsion are both damaged and she’s drifting away from both the satellite and the small spacecraft she’s used to get to the satellite. She goes to an extreme length to save herself.

Now, I do like this one. It’s a good atmospheric piece that really plays the tension card well. One part of it really made me flinch! I like the fact the story makes this woman job of fixing the satellite routine and a one person job despite the risks.

I do have a question or two about some of the physics and medical elements of the story, but they weren’t enough to stop me from enjoying the story. There is one safety precaution that would have solved all of the problems she has, but again, I can live with it.

Again, another episode with fantastic visuals.

Fish Night

Directed by Damian Nenow

Animation Studio: Platige Image Studio

Based on the Short Story by Joe R. Lansdale

Adapted Script by Philip Gelatt

Fish Night is about two travelling salesmen whose car breaks down on a road in the middle of an American desert. As night rolls in the ghosts of the fish and so on come alive as that area would have been an ocean once upon a time.

This story has a heart to it that gets shattered by the end of the story. You feel the elation and devastation in this story. The relationship between the older and younger men, how they handle being stranded differently and how they react to the ghosts coming out to play when the sun goes down builds a beautiful narrative. This is only strengthened by the strikingly beautiful animation.

This is another Joe R. Lansdale story and I’ve got to admit, it’s a totally different tone to The Dump, but still as good as it. Just on a very different level.

Check in tomorrow for part 3/3