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Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
Club Notice - 01/23/98 -- Vol. 16, No. 30
MT Chair/Librarian:
Mark Leeper MT 3E-433 732-957-5619 mleeper@lucent.com
HO Chair: John Jetzt MT 2E-530 732-957-5087 jetzt@lucent.com
HO Librarian: Nick Sauer HO 4F-427 732-949-7076 njs@lucent.com
Distinguished Heinlein Apologist:
Rob Mitchell MT 2D-536 732-957-6330 rlmitchell1@lucent.com
Factotum: Evelyn Leeper MT 3E-433 732-957-2070 eleeper@lucent.com
Back issues at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824
All material copyright by author unless otherwise noted.
The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County meets on the
second Saturday of every month in Upper Saddle River; call
201-933-2724 for details. The New Jersey Science Fiction Society
meets on the third Saturday of every month in Belleville; call
201-432-5965 for details. The Denver Area Science Fiction
Association meets 7:30 PM on the third Saturday of every month at
Southwest State Bank, 1380 S. Federal Blvd.
1. URL of the week: http://www.avonbooks.com/Eos/conv/index.html.
"Eos Convention Front Page" to celebrate the launch of Avon Books'
new SF imprint. [-ecl]
===================================================================
2. I was amazed. It all came together this morning. Everything
fits together into a neat package. Perhaps Jung was right. Let me
tell you about my last few months. I am involved at work in
rolling out a package of tools that a central organization at my
company has decided is the best thing for the company. I won't go
into details because that would be unprofessional. Suffice it to
say that I have certain reservations about how good this package of
tools really is. And even if it is good it may not be good for our
organization. And certainly even if it is good for some of our
organization, it does not work for me. But it was more or less
decided that this one package would fit our whole section of the
company. And they have previously made one-size-fits-all decisions
that pretty much everybody agrees was a mistake.
In the middle of this roll-out my vacation time came. This year
instead of going to someplace exotic in a foreign country, we
decided to see a little more of our own country, specifically the
Southeast. Now most people don't think of going places like
Arkansas for a vacation. Nobody but Bill Clinton, I guess.
Generally the people who vacation in Mississippi also happen to
live in Mississippi. But surprisingly there was more than enough
to see here to fill five weeks of accumulated vacation time. Now
what we started to discover on the trip is an amazing number of
coincidences. I will not list them all, I am not sure I even
remember them all. The sort of thing was we would go to the Space
and Rocketry Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and I would be
particularly interested in a biographical tape they showed on the
life of Werner Von Braun. Then just a couple days later there
would be a program on TV we would see in our motel room on the
German rocket and Von Braun. Earlier in the trip I was reading
about the battle of Midway, then we would visit the U.S.S. Yorktown
which was not at Midway, but it was named right after the battle
since the Yorktown was the major American aircraft carrier sunk at
Midway. And they would have a long discussion about that battle.
One of the major points of the trip was to see Civil War sites and
without ever picking out our route that way, several of them we
visited in chronological order so in my log the descriptions of the
battles could be one continuous history of the war. These are what
Jung called "synchronicities." I think Jung would have seen a
mystical force behind them. There are a lot of strange
coincidences that occur. Actually, I think that there need be no
mystical explanation. On a trip like this you see a lot of
different things and every aspect of something you see could
potentially be one end of a coincidence. If you watch educational
channels in the motel rooms at night you get a lot more potentials.
It would be surprising if with all these "incidences" every one was
on a totally different subject. Statistically you would expect
that there will be a whole bunch of pairs of incidences on similar
subjects. And that what a "coincidence" is all about. We expect
some coincidences. I don't know if we expected as many as we saw,
but you certainly expect no small amount.
Now I get home and back to working on getting people to adopt this
software package and suddenly I realize the issues I am seeing at
work are the issues that led the South against the North. I get a
much better view of what was going on in the Civil War. Well, we
are not going to go to war, but the whole States' Rights issue vs.
the mandates of a central Federal Government is recapitulated in
our own problem with this software package. I am not saying it is
nearly as serious and we are not going to start firing on each
other. Not yet anyway. But what we have is a central governing
body trying to make decisions for a large organization. And
personally we do not have a whole lot of confidence that they are
making the best decisions for our local area. Now the decisions
they are making may be the best thing for the overall organization
since there are certain advantages to having everybody using the
same package. But I may feel that it is so far from our needs that
I do not feel we locally need to be bound by their decision. This
whole process is giving me more sympathy for the Confederacy. Not
that I am condoning slavery I hasten to add, but of course that was
not what the South was fighting for and for the most part it was
not what the North was fighting about either. But the South felt
it needed a certain autonomy and that the decisions made by the
government of the North were not in the best interests of the
South. I have exactly the same feeling here. This is a great
object lesson about the Civil War. Let us hope it turns out a lot
better. [-mrl]
===================================================================
3. ALTERNATE SKIFFY edited by Michael Resnick and Patrick Nielsen
Hayden (Wildside Press, ISBN 1-880448-54-8, 1997, 123pp, US$9) and
INSIDE THE FUNHOUSE edited by Michael Resnick (AvoNova, ISBN 0-
380-76643-4, 1992, 246pp, US$4.99) (book reviews by Evelyn C.
Leeper)
In their introductions, Resnick and Nielsen Hayden tell two
different stories of how this anthology came about. Both are
obviously from alternate universes. But Resnick has cruised these
waters before--see the comments on INSIDE THE FUNHOUSE at the end
of this review.
This seems to me to be a sort of cousin to Resnick's ALTERNATE
WORLDCONS and AGAIN, ALTERNATE WORLDCONS. The main difference to
me is that these stories seem more professional and less "fannish."
In fact, one had already appeared in INTERZONE: Dave Langford's
excellent G. K. Chesterton pastiche, "The Spear of the Sun."
There are a few other stories which stand well on their own.
Gregory Feeley's "Scatchophily" has Samuel Beckett and James Joyce
in an unlikely situation, but Feeley's writing style, including
subtle literary puns, compensates for that.
Nick DiChario, who burst upon the science fiction scene with his
Hugo-nominated "Winterberry" in Resnick's first alternate history
anthology (ALTERNATE PRESIDENTS) turns in "Mission 51-L," in which
a science fiction author rather than a teacher is chosen to go into
space. It has a realistic feel as a possible history, in addition
to examining several famous (and infamous) science fiction authors.
Anthony R. Lewis's "Plus Ultra" has Hugo Gernsback heading up the
League of Nations rather than AMAZING STORIES (a fairly low
probability event, given Gernsback's background) with results more
colored by wishful thinking than likelihood. Still, this at least
tries to stay in a serious path rather than straying into the
cutesy byways that some of the stories head down.
Barry N. Malzberg can always be relied on to produce a good story,
and his "Science of the Mind" delivers, with Theodore Sturgeon
attempting to invent a religion. (Well, at least he had the name
for it.) And eluki bes shahar's "My Object All Sublime" makes some
interesting observations on media fandom and book publishing and
marketing.
The rest of the stories vary in quality from passable to real
groaners. Some seem to have been created by saying, "Let's take
author A and move him arbitrarily to situation B." Some seem to
throw in gratuitous comments about science fiction authors who have
nothing to do with the story.
Let's face it, either you were interested in this book as soon as
you heard about it, or you're still not interested. It's quirky
and focused enough that the function of a review is more to
announce this than to review it.
If you are interested in this, the best way to get it is by
ordering directly from Wildside Press, 522 Park Avenue, Berkeley
Heights, NJ 07922. Add US$3 for postage in the United States, and
6% sales tax if you live in New Jersey.
Resnick previously edited INSIDE THE FUNHOUSE, a reprint anthology
of "SF stories about SF." Not all of those were alternate history,
but a few were and are worth mentioning here: Patricia Nurse's "One
Rejection Too Many," Frederik Pohl's "The Reunion at the Mile-
High," Allen Steele's "Hapgood's Hoax," and Barry N. Malzberg's
"Corridors."
===================================================================
4. ILLEGAL ALIEN by Robert J. Sawyer (Ace, ISBN 0-441-00476-8,
1997, 292pp, US$21.95) (a book review by Evelyn C. Leeper):
Robert Sawyer has changed gears a bit for this novel. Rather than
an analytic look at the existence of souls or the implications of
genetic testing or a tour of the cosmos, he gives us a here a
classic first contact situation that rapidly becomes a murder
mystery. I found myself thinking of Isaac Asimov's science fiction
mysteries, and this is a worthy successor in the genre.
We start with a spaceship that lands in the Atlantic Ocean. It
turns out to be disabled and, after communication is established,
arrangements are made for the Tosoks to exchange their advanced
technology for our help in making repairs. All is going along
splendidly until a human turns up dead, and it appears as though he
was killed by a Tosok.
There is a lot of "courtroom procedural" here as well, and I can't
help but wonder if this was inspired somewhat by the Simpson trial.
(Sawyer has his characters make reference to it, which seems to
support this.) On one hand, this gets a bit heavy-handed at times.
On the other hand, I think this could be made into a very
interesting movie. (Not that it would be, knowing movie-makers,
but it *could* be, a la WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION or even TO KILL
A MOCKINGBIRD.)
ILLEGAL ALIEN is an enjoyable mystery, a bit lighter than Sawyer's
recent works, but certainly worth a read. [-ecl]
===================================================================
5. FALLEN (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule: There are a whole lot of pieces of
other films in FALLEN, a sort of a police
corruption story with supernatural overtones.
Denzel Washington plays a sharp police
detective. He caught a serial killer and saw
him executed but unfortunately execution seems
to be only a minor setback for the killer, who
after death seems to be passing his mode of
operation to other killers. In spite of a few
good moments, the script is only so-so, but the
photography is very atmospheric and John
Goodman turns a minor partner role into a real
tour de force. Rating: 6 (0 to 10), high +1
(-4 to +4)
Things are indeed rather dangerous for police homicide detective
John Hobbes, played by Denzel Washington, who begins the film
saying "Let me tell you about the time I almost died." Hobbes is
the detective who caught the serial killer Edgar Reese (played by
Elia Koteas). Reese seems mightily unconcerned to be heading into
the gas chamber. Besides merrily singing "Time Is On My Side," he
wildly shakes Washington's hand and babbles in some gibberish
language. He may be the most cheerful soul who was ever strapped
into this gas chamber and executed. Then in an unexplained shot we
seem to see Reese's viewpoint rise from the body and settle into a
guard. Reese's murder spree should be over. Unfortunately the
killings stubbornly refuse to stop complete with Reese's particular
trademarks. Hobbes and his partner Jonesy (John Goodman) have to
figure out why. At the murder scenes now there start appearing for
Hobbes clues left in the form of riddles. The clues seem to point
at a previous case involving a policeman named Milano who turned
murderer and eventually committed suicide. Hobbes wants to find
out more about this case and questions the dead officer's daughter
(Embeth Davidtz) who has since become a religious fanatic,
surrounding herself with images of angels. Hobbes investigates the
cabin that was the site of the Milano suicide and finds the name of
a demon painted on the wall.
Some aspects of this film are done very nicely. Tom Sigel's
photography creates a nice somber mood of doom and dread. His
previous work includes THE USUAL SUSPECTS and BLOOD AND WINE.
Sigel creates a tone to his photography effectively. Nicholas
Kazan has a good ear for dialog which director Gregory Hoblit
brings out, most noticeable as Hobbes and Jonesy discuss the case.
But the story is really a patching together of familiar ideas from
other police thrillers and even some science fiction films. As is
all too frequent in films, the real killer is much to anxious to
strut his stuff and reveals much too much to the police.
Presumably the killer wants to give the police a handicap to make
the game more interesting for himself, rubbing their noses in the
fact that they cannot stop him, but it is too common a device to
advance the plot. Also too common are "false alarm" scenes
intended to make the viewer jump. These touches in the script are
signs of weak writing.
Denzel Washington does a competent job here, but he brings nothing
to his part any other capable actor could not have. On the
positive side, there in nothing in the script that draws attention
to the fact that the character is black. It is simply cast with a
black man; it is not a black role. But Washington could have done
a lot more with it. The real acting honors in this film go to John
Goodman who takes the role of partner and invests it with real
personality. Donald Sutherland is there being officious and just
slightly sinister, a role that he can manage in his sleep. Embeth
Davidtz gives her character a certain vulnerable courage. Davidtz
formerly played Helen Hirsch in SCHINDLER'S LIST and has
understandably not found a role of such substance since.
FALLEN is something of a hybrid film which probably falls more into
the camp of the horror film than that of the police drama, though
it rarely approaches anything really frightening. One very nice
sequence has the killer demonstrating his abilities to Hobbes
through the use of innocent bystanders. It is perhaps the most
effective scene of the film, giving the homicide detective and the
viewer a feel for how difficult the killer will be to catch. Not
everything in this film works as well as it might, but FALLEN does
build to a nice keep-em-guessing finale. I rate this film a 6 on
the 0 to 10 scale and a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale. [-mrl]
===================================================================
6. KUNDUN (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule: Martin Scorsese gives us what amounts
to an encyclopedia article on the Dalai Lama
from early life until his exile. The Lama is
always perfect and never human. The strongest
emotion Scorsese gives the Lama or evokes in
the audience for that matter, is bewilderment
at the mysterious culture of Tibet. The film
should have taken more chances and humanized
its subject a little more. Rating: 6 (0 to
10), +1 (-4 to +4) Spoiler warning: this review
will assume the reader has common knowledge
about the Dalai Lama.
New York Critics: 11 positive, 1 negative, 7
mixed
Seeing KUNDUN is a lot like reading a good article about the Dalai
Lama and Tibet from the National Geographic. It has great color
photography and it has a lot of facts. But it is an appeal more to
the intellect than to the emotions. And even as an appeal to the
intellect not everything that the viewer sees will be understood.
But neither what we see, nor what we hear in the dialogue fleshes
out the character. Director Martin Scorsese would almost have us
believe that there is nothing to the Dalai Lama but a bundle of
wise Buddhist aphorisms. Like a Magic 8-ball, whenever he is
shaken a different wise response comes floating to the surface.
The story begins in 1933. The 13th Dalai Lama is dead and in the
Tibetan tradition scouts have been sent out to find a young boy who
is the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama's soul. A two-year-old
child is found who seems to be the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha
of Compassion. The young child's parents are already aware that
their son is special due to favorable omens surrounding the child,
but we never find out what they feel when they have confirmed that
their child is, in fact, a Buddha of Compassion.
The boy is brought to the magnificent palace embedded in the side
of a mountain, one of the most majestic buildings in all the world.
And to the boy's bewilderment he is immersed in Buddhist wisdom.
Soon he begins to understand what is going on and begins to speak
with the insight we would expect of the Dalai Lama. Still, there
is much in the film left intentionally enigmatic for the audience.
In one scene we have a large hissing dancer performs for the Lama
and then slides across the floor up to the Lama. The scene ends
with no more message to the viewer than that this obviously means
something. The viewer begins an outsider at the beginning of the
film and remains an outsider right through to the end. Then, as if
there was not already enough in the film that is hard to follow,
Scorsese adds sequences of his own visual symbolism. Rather than
show us a big unexplained piece of Tibetan culture, Scorsese would
have done better to show us a smaller sample and explain his
understanding of it. We get a better idea of who the Dalai Lama is
as a person from SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET than we do from this
biography of the Lama.
As the story progresses, Tibet is invaded by China and the Lama has
to face the implications of the Chinese invasion of his country.
He is brought, a virtual prisoner, to China where he meets with a
surprisingly affable Chairman Mao. The Chinese leader is
apparently a man who can have a simple peasant charm one moment and
order the death of thousands the next. Mao politely but firmly
threatens the Lama to cooperate with the Chinese rape of his
country. The Lama appeals to the world for help, but not
surprisingly his pleas are to little avail. It seems Tibet's
natural isolation is a double-edged sword: over the centuries it
has been a natural barrier to invaders, but no military force in
the world will pierce that barrier just for the sake of altruism.
Eventually the Lama must decide if he will serve his country best
from within or outside its borders. The film lacks the scope of
history and the human values that the similar GANDHI had. Gandhi
was made much more a three-dimensional character than the Lama.
Scorsese tells the story of the Lama with a cast of unknowns, most
of whom are Tibetan amateurs. They all stand in the right places
say their lines, but there is no passion in the performances. The
Tibetans' seem as cold and distant as their land. Melissa
Mathison's screenplay conveys none of the emotion of her writing
screenplays for THE BLACK STALLION and for E.T., THE EXTRA-
TERRESTRIAL. Roger Deakins to create a believable Tibet in hues of
reds, yellows, and browns. (The real Tibet being inaccessible, he
shot instead in Morocco, British Columbia, and Idaho.) Philip
Glass provides a score hypnotic in its repetitious minimalism. It
seems well-suited to the splendor of Tibet but is perhaps not a
rousing as the film needed.
KUNDUN is like a very sincere tribute to a great man that just
would not come out the way it was intended. The Dalai Lama may
well be a great man, but KUNDUN is not a great film biography. I
rate it a 6 on the 0 to 10 scale and a +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
[-mrl]
Mark Leeper
MT 3E-433 732-957-5619
mleeper@lucent.com
There are no manifestos like cannon and musketry.
-- The Duke of Wellington