THE MT VOID
Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
02/25/22 -- Vol. 40, No. 35, Whole Number 2212
Co-Editor: Mark Leeper,
mleeper@optonline.net
Co-Editor: Evelyn Leeper,
eleeper@optonline.net
Sending Address:
evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com
All material is the opinion of the author and is copyrighted by the
author unless otherwise noted.
All comments sent or posted will be assumed authorized for
inclusion unless otherwise noted.
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send mail to
eleeper@optonline.net
The latest issue is at <
http://www.leepers.us/mtvoid/latest.htm>.
An index with links to the issues of the MT VOID since 1986 is at <
http://leepers.us/mtvoid/back_issues.htm>.
Topics:
Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups, Films,
Lectures, etc. (NJ)
My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments
by Mark R. Leeper)
REACHER (Season 1) (television review by Dale Skran)
Mini Reviews by Evelyn, Part 2 (MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR,
THE LAST DUEL, MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS (2005), and
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (2016)) (film reviews
by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Holmdel Bell Labs Building (letter of comment
by David G. Leeper)
Star Trek Economics, THE PLANETS, and THE END OF ETERNITY
(letter of comment by John Purcell)
This Week's Reading (THE DISPOSSESSED) (book comments
by Evelyn C. Leeper)
===================================================================
TOPIC: Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups, Films,
Lectures, etc. (NJ)
Alas, both groups have returned to Zoom meetings, due in part to
COVID, and in part to unpredictable weather. Movies for the
Middletown meeting will be ones people can watch on YouTube,
archive.org, or other free services.
March 3, 2022 (MTPL), 7PM: UNDER THE SKIN (2014) & novel
by Michel Faber
movie: <
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12454572>
ebook: <
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12325827>
audiobook: <
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/10024296>
[links are for MTPL card holders only]
March 24, 2022 (OBPL): TERRA INCOGNITA by Connie Willis,
containing three novellas: "Uncharted Territory", "Remake",
and "D.A."
(The first two are also in FUTURES IMPERFECT, and all are
available in stand-alone volumes.)
===================================================================
TOPIC: My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments by
Mark R. Leeper)
There have been amazing number of film adaptions of Robert Louis
Stevenson' s mystery THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. It
is a story that gives a bit of a chill without requiring much
beyond makeup effects. There is one version that seems preferred
over all the others. That is the 1931 version starring Frederic
March doing both title roles: Jekyll and Hyde. It features the use
of a makeup trick that allows Jekyll to become Hyde on screen (or
stage) right in front of the audience. His Hyde is a really
effective and ape-like.
[THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE, March 8, 2:15AM]
March being "31 Days of Oscar" month, there are not a lot of
science fiction or fantasy films on Turner except for those that
got nominations for things like visual effects or make-up, or
marginal films such as HAMLET (1948). (Trivia: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT
DREAM, running on March 7 at 10:30AM, won the Oscar for
cinematography, and is the only Oscar-winner ever to win on a
write-in campaign; after it, the Academy prohibited write-in
votes.) TCM is, however, running the infrequently-seen "The Dot
and the Line" on March 10, at 6:15AM.
[-mrl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: REACHER (Season 1) (television review by Dale Skran)
Amazon has stepped up to the plate and corrected the errors of the
two Tom Cruise "Reacher" movies by casting Alan Ritchson as Jack
Reacher. Unlike the fairly short Cruise [5 foot 7 inches],
Ritchson stands a s full 6 foot 2 inches, and with a little bit of
movie magic looms over everyone else like the character from the
book, where Reacher is described as being 6 foot 5 inches. Also,
Ritchson, whom you may know from his portrayal of the DC superhero
"Hawk" in TITANS, is totally ripped, bringing more believability to
the character.
Unlike the two Cruise films, which condensed and twisted the plots
almost beyond recognition, REACHER sticks fairly closely to the
first book, with the addition of a few elements from later books,
notably the character of Neagley and the scene where Reacher's
mother is dying of cancer. The final battle in the series is less
cinematic in terms of how it looks in the book but more Hollywood
in the way it breaks down into less than realistic one-on-one
fights between our heroes and the bad guys.
Overall, though, REACHER is a great adaptation of the first book in
the series, THE KILLING FLOOR. Some of the things that REACHER
gets right include:
- The small-town, backwoods ambience of the books
- Brutal, realistic, well-choreographed fights that show the kind
of techniques a really big, strong, well-trained fighter would use
- Lots of elbow strikes, punches, and head butts, with no fancy
kicking or jumping. I was particularly pleased to see a large
number of elbow strikes, which is probably the most powerful move
available with your upper body, and far more directionally flexible
than is generally understood.
- Honestly showing that Reacher has zero interest in a "fair fight."
- Showing clearly that Reacher is a great detective, on the level
of Sherlock Holmes or Patrick Jane
- Communicating that although Reacher may not be steeped in book
learning, he is almost always the smartest person in the room
- Highlighting the plain-spoken ex-military man of honor that
Reacher is in the books
- A sense of how Reacher is quite different from your typical hero
as he wanders the byways of rural America, seeking to experience
firsthand the country he has spent his life fighting for overseas
Malcom Goodwin [iZombie] plays Oscar Finley, a black Boston cop who
has moved to Margrave, Georgia for his own reasons, and Willa
Fitzgerald has a turn as Roscoe Conkin, one of the few honest cops
in Margrave. Finley and Conklin aid Reacher in his quest to find
his brother's killer and bring Reacher-style justice to Margrave.
The three have great chemistry, and I found their interactions
believable. Goodwin is a very talented actor who is great fun to
watch.
This is a violent, cable-style series, is plenty of beefcake and
some female upper torso nudity, but it is true to the spirit of the
books in a way that the movies were not. The series length--8
episodes--is plenty of time to fully adapt the novel w/o weird
character mergers or gross over-simplifications of the plot.
As a Jack Reacher adaptation, REACHER is a must-watch for any fan
of the series. Those who haven't read the books will find that the
series stands on its own. As a fan of the books, it's hard for me
to give an objective rating. REACHER is not as good as something
like THE AMERICANS or BOSCH, but it is not that far below them
either - a solid +2 on the -4 to +4 scale. With the graphic
violence and sex, as well as post-torture viewing of bodies,
REACHER may not be for everyone, and certainly is not for kids.
[-dls]
===================================================================
TOPIC: Mini Reviews by Evelyn, Part 2 (film reviews by Evelyn
C. Leeper)
MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR: MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR is not science
fiction, but as a historical drama it veers towards alternate
history. It is based on the novel by Robert Harris, who is best
known (to me, anyway) as the author of FATHERLAND, which definitely
*is* an alternate history. In MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR, the biggest
change is in Neville Chamberlain, who is portrayed, not as being
taken in by Hitler, but rather working a longer plan to prepare
Britain (and America) for the war that he knows is inevitably
coming. The rest is fairly accurate, if at times a bit hard to
follow, but obviously of interest to those who like historical
dramas.
Released on Netflix streaming 01/21/22.
Film Credits:
<
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7475578/reference>
What others are saying: <
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/munich_the_edge_of_war>
THE LAST DUEL: Ridley Scott is no stranger to historical dramas,
and so the quality of the visuals of THE LAST DUEL are not
unexpected. But what we have here is basically RASHOMON, and while
it is instructive to see how the characters' actions, expressions,
and intonations are subtly different in each of the three versions,
it does make for a long film. Fans of Riley Scott and historical
dramas will want to see it; others should probably skip it. (The
inquisitor at the trial seems to be a 14th century version of Rep.
Todd Akin, and that and other aspects emphasize the attitudes
towards women at that time.)
Released 10/15/21; available on various streaming services and on
DVD.
Film Credits:
<
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4244994/reference>
What others are saying:
<
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_last_duel_2021>
And rather than just another couple of isolated mini-reviews, I
also have a double feature to recommend: MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
(2005) and FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (2016). Both are about music
and musical theater during World War II, though the types of
performances are a bit different, both are based on true stories,
and both are about women. MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS is about the
woman who bought the Windmill Theatre in London and used it to
stage musical revues which eventually included nude tableaux.
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS is about a woman who loved music, supported
it as a patron in New York, and had absolutely no talent, but never
realized it.
[-ecl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: Holmdel Bell Labs Building (letter of comment by David
G. Leeper)
In response to Evelyn's pointer in the 02/18/22 issue of the MT
VOID to a movie trailer featuring the Bell Labs building in Holmdel
(NJ), David G. Leeper writes:
That's pretty cool for a nearly 60-year-old building. I still like
seeing pictures of the interior because it brings back a flood of
memories! [-dgl]
===================================================================
TOPIC: Star Trek Economics, THE PLANETS, and THE END OF ETERNITY
(letter of comment by John Purcell)
In response to comments on Star Trek economics in the 02/11/22 and
02/18/22 issues of the MT VOID, John Purcell writes:
Many thanks for the latest installment, and I really must tell you
how much I enjoyed the back and forth letters between
correspondents. Both exchanges (re: Star Trek Economics and THE
TIME MACHINE) made me chuckle, especially Scott Dorsey's timeline
of CLAMS -> PEOPLE -> CRABS. Definitely amusing. I have yet to
mutate into a crab as I advance in age, but welcome the eventuality
of being a qualified curmudgeon in a couple years. As for the Star
Trek Economics, I completely agree with Gary McGrath's assessment
of the Ferengi working very hard to appear honest while taking
advantage of their customers. That always livened up ST:TNG and
DSN episodes for me. Great characters, those Ferengi.
In response to Greg Frederick's review of THE PLANETS and Evelyn's
review of THE END OF ETERNITY in the 02/18/22 issue, John Purcell
writes:
As for the books reviewed herein, THE PLANETS is one I would enjoy
reading and staring at the pretty pictures of our solar system's
planetary wonders. The price for this book is likely
astronomical--see what I did there?--but I'm sure it's well worth
the investment. As for re-reading Asimov's THE END OF ETERNITY,
Evelyn's conclusion is totally true. A few years back I was on a
re-reading kick of Asimov's novels of the early 1950s, and pretty
much didn't care for them as much as I once did. Well, considering
I was in my mid-teens when I read this book and all the FOUNDATION
books (as of the late 60s, that is) and the Daneel Olivaw books,
they definitely do not age well, except for the Olivaw novels.
Those were still fun to read as detective stories, but the others
didn't tickle my imagination as they once did. So it goes.
Thank you again for the issue, and keep the fires burning. [-jp]
===================================================================
TOPIC: This Week's Reading (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
THE DISPOSSESSED by Ursula K. LeGuin (Harper Voyager, ISBN
978-0-061-05488-4) postulates that the Odonians on Anarres do not
use possessive pronouns, particularly in the first person. But
there are some inconsistencies.
LeGuin writes, "The singular forms of the possessive pronoun were
used mostly for emphasis; idiom avoided them. Little children
might say 'my mother,' but very soon they learned to say 'the
mother.' Instead of 'my hand hurts,' it was 'the hand hurts me,'
and so on; to say 'this one is mine and that's yours' in Pravic
[the artificial language constructed for Anarres], one said , 'I
use this one and you use that.'"
But why *would* little children say 'my mother' unless they hear
not just one person, but everyone around them saying it? And for
that matter, why would Pravic--an invented language--even have the
words "my", "mine", and so on?
There are many uses of "his" in sections told from the main
(Anarresti) character's point of view. The ones in narrative can
be passed over, but there are also ones in dialogue, e.g., "He was
in terrible pain, mostly from his hands." At one point he says
something is "in my head", though at another he says, "The head is
heavy." He also refers to "my teacher".
It's true that some of these are after he has been on Urras a
while: "He was accustomed to the constant use of the possessive
pronoun by now, and spoke it without self-consciousness."
Still, "I will do my own work for a while now!" seems an incredibly propertarian assertion for a lifelong Odonian.
One problem is that the "possessive" pronoun does not always
express possession. Another is that they can express possession in
a non-propertarian sense. For example, "my house" expresses
possession in a propertarian sense . "My age" does not express
possession. And "my head" express possession, but in a
non-propertarian sense. [-ecl]
===================================================================
Mark Leeper
mleeper@optonline.net
He seems to have seen better days, as who has not
Who has seen yesterday?
--George Gordon, Lord Byron
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)