THE MT VOID
Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
07/02/10 -- Vol. 29, No. 1, Whole Number 1604
C3PO: Mark Leeper, mleeper@optonline.net
R2D2: Evelyn Leeper, eleeper@optonline.net
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Topics:
Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups (NJ)
The Story of My Life (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
July B-Movie Recommendations for Turner Classic Movies
(comments by Mark R. Leeper)
TOY STORY 3 (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
THE CITY & THE CITY, by China Miéville (book review
by Joe Karpierz)
This Week's Reading (Hugo short fiction--novelettes and
short stories) (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
==================================================================
TOPIC: Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups (NJ)
July 6 (Tue): THE ILLUSIONIST (2006) and "Eisenheim the
Illusionist" by Steven Millhauser, film at 5:30PM,
discussion of film and story after film
July 8 (Thu): RICHARD III by William Shakespeare, Middletown (NJ)
Public Library, 1995 film at 5:30PM, discussion of film and
book after film (and, yes, it is science fiction!)
July 22 (Thu): THE PRESTIGE by Christopher Priest, Old Bridge (NJ)
Public Library, 7PM
August 12 (Thu): THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas
Adams, 2005 film at 5:30PM, discussion of film and book
after film
August 19 (Thu): THE SURVIVAL OF THE SICKEST by Sharon Moalem and
Jonathan Prince, Old Bridge (NJ) Public Library, 7PM
==================================================================
TOPIC: The Story of My Life (comments by Mark R. Leeper)
Evelyn tells me that every time I make chocolate pudding there are
chocolate stains on her good dish towel. My life has always been
hounded by bizarre coincidences like that one. [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: July B-Movie Recommendations for Turner Classic Movies
(comments by Mark R. Leeper)
[Note: I write a monthly page of recommendations of upcoming
B-Movies on Turner Classic Movies.]
The schedule is at http://tinyurl.com/july-tcm-bmovie.
I went to write my monthly commentary on the upcoming month on
Turner Classic Movies. It looked to me like a really lackluster
month. Then I saw I had entered April's movies as July. I removed
them and replaced them with the real movies for July and realized
that the real July schedule was excellent. Probably it was the
best lineup for several months. It includes a 24-hour marathon of
SF/horror/fantasy, starting 8 PM on July 18.
What films do I recommend?
For starters this film has what is considered to be one of the best
B-movies ever made. THE NARROW MARGIN is a good suspense film that
really was made for the bottom halves of double bills. But it was
good enough that it was remade with (with Gene Hackman). This film
stars Charles McGraw, best known as the sadistic instructor at the
gladiator school in SPARTACUS. THE NARROW MARGIN involves him on a
train trying to protect a woman whom the syndicate wants dead
before she can testify against them.
For those who have been waiting for it, TCM shows THE GREEN SLIME
this month. The short electrified monster is cute, but the film
overall does not live up to its repute.
On July 10 there are two excellent British films. Those who missed
BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW when it showed earlier this year will get a
second chance. Set in the 1700s, this is the story of what happens
in a small village when a piece of a demon is turned over by a plow
(or is it a plough). Director Piers Haggard has very good period
feel. That same day they will also be showing FIVE MILLION YEARS
TO EARTH, a.k.a. QUATERMASS AND THE PIT. This is one of the most
intelligent SF films ever made. Like 2001 (also showing this month
together with 2010) it deals with uplift and the origins of the
human race.
BLACK ORPHEUS was at one time considered a major prize-winning
international film. You do not hear about it much any more. It
is a retelling of the Orpheus myth against the background of
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Then at the end it turns out to be
something more. The music was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
Speaking of international fantasy films TCM is also showing Jean
Cocteau's surreal BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. It is also a very well-
respected film. Some of it is a little pretentious for me, but
Cocteau gives it a real dreamlike feel.
If you have never seen the western MACKENNA'S GOLD it can be a lot
of fun. It was over-blown and silly before over-blown and silly
were cool.
TCM is showing both the Lon Chaney and the Charles Laughton version
of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.
I cannot actually call THE MANSTER good, but it is a rare film and
some fun. The victim of a mad scientist becomes a two-headed
monster who eventually splits in half to form two people.
It had nothing to do with B-movies, but Michael Ritchie's SMILE is
a one of a kind comedy and quite funny. It is a very cutting
satire about a teenage beauty contest.
Finally there is KING KONG (1933). What can I say? The big guy's
still got it. [-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: TOY STORY 3 (film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: Some of the most serious films being made today are the
comedies from Pixar Animation Studios that the whole family can
enjoy. Pixar has another hit returning to the "Toy Story"
franchise. In TOY STORY 3 young Andy who always loved his toys is
going to college and his toys are going into storage. As a last-
minute reprieve they go instead to a day-care center where they can
play until they break. Unfortunately that fate may not be as far
away as they had hoped. The writing quality is what makes this
film work as a comedy, an adventure, and a film with some serious
affecting human drama. Rating: high +2 (-4 to +4) or 8/10
Pixar Animation Studios turn out films that are real audience
pleasers. But what really is special about their films is not the
animation, nice as it is. Pixar has some of the best writers
making films these days. Films like UP and TOY STORY 3 are great
not because of the animation or even the situations, but because of
the writing. The stories they made are genuinely affecting in ways
that one does not expect from animated films. These films speak to
very human worries of abandonment, rejection, disappointments and
regrets. These are very adult concerns but with humor and
animation these fears can be discussed in a film that both children
and adults can appreciate. What is marvelous about Pixar's
animation is not that it is pretty and accomplished, it is what the
animation lets them put into a story.
TOY STORY (1995) was Pixar's first feature film. They proved the
concept that a feature film could be made from digital animation
and turned into a big hit for Disney Studios who released it.
Disney commissioned an hour-long sequel to be released only on
video. Instead, Pixar made a second feature film of TOY STORY 2.
Though this caused legal disputes between Disney and Pixar the film
was another big success, being released in 1999. That was eleven
years ago and now with more grown-up characters the third "Toy
Story" film has been released. Flying in the face of the principle
that sequels decrease in quality, the "Toy Story" films become more
profound and intelligent with each new chapter. TOY STORY 3 looks
deeper into the relationships between toys and humans. The issues
it faces can be seen as a view into the moral implications of
slavery or of the relationship between humans and God.
As we join TOY STORY 3, Andy is having a big-screen adventure with
his toys. Then we bridge to the present. It is many years after
the time of the last chapter and Andy (voiced by John Morris) is
now a young adult ready to go off to college. He has not played
with his toys in years. The toys are aware that the order of
things they knew us coming to an end. Andy plans to take Woody
(Tom Hanks) to college with him and the other toys are destined to
end up in a plastic trash bag in the attic. Through the standard
sorts of mix-ups the toys instead are taken to be donated at a
local daycare center. At first this seems to be the best of all
possible worlds. But the toys are going to discover that some
humans are better than others. And so are some toys.
This story is a proper sequel to TOY STORY 2. It is not just a new
story with the same characters and certainly not a retelling of a
previous story. Instead it resolves issues that came up in the
previous film. In TOY STORY 2 Woody realized that Andy was going
to grow up and become too old for the ageless Woody. Woody came to
realize that his relationship with Andy was only temporary. That
was what happened to Jessie when her owner grew too old for her.
TOY STORY 3 is the story of that actually happening and Woody has
to make some tough choices. A "Toy Story" film is an allegory
every bit as much as George Orwell's ANIMAL FARM. It creates
complex human situations beyond what its younger audience can
appreciate. That is what sets it apart from the classic Disney
films prior to the Pixar films or most studio theatrical films
these days. Someone has given thought to the depth of these
characters. Even the villain has good reason for what he does.
This is a film with comedy, action, adventure, horror, and some
very affecting human drama. It is an understatement to call it
simply remarkable that it does all that it does. As good as films
like FINDING NEMO are, more recent Pixar films show greater
sophistication in their writing. For such a complex film to seem
on the surface so simple is no mean feat. Credit should be given
to Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich
who wrote the film. I rate TOY STORY 3 a high +2 on the -4 to +4
scale or 8/10. Some scenes might be scary for younger children,
but did not seem to be with my audience. Perhaps young children
are harder to scare today.
Film Credits: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/
What others are saying:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/toy_story_3/
[-mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: THE CITY & THE CITY, by China Miéville (copyright 2009,
Ballantine Books Del Rey, $15.00, trade paperback, 336pp, ISBN
978-0-345-49752-9) (book review by Joe Karpierz)
[SPOILERS ahead]
I'm having way too much fun trying to find ways to describe these
books that leave me speechless with regard to them being on the
Hugo ballot. First there's BONESHAKER, which is horror with a bit
of steampunk thrown in, or maybe it's steampunk with a bit of
horror thrown in. Then there's THE WINDUP GIRL, which is a
beautifully written novel that is indeed SF but I found a dreadful
chore and bore to read. And now there's THE CITY & THE CITY, which
I actually enjoyed--but in my opinion has no elements of the
fantastic in it whatsoever. At least with THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S
UNION, if the reader squinted tightly enough that book could be
seen as alternate history (it should be noted that *I* didn't see
it that way). This book, I don't see here whatsoever.
What THE CITY & THE CITY is is a terrific crime story with an
intensely interesting angle. Most of you probably know that angle
already, but for those who don't, the setting is a physical
location that has two cities--countries, actually--occupying it at
the same time--Beszel and Ul Qoma. Some event occurred in the past
that caused the schism. The area is broken up in various ways
(crosshatch and alter come to mind - don't ask me to explain them),
but the idea is that a person in one city may not notice or see
anyone in the other city. If they accidentally notice someone in
the other city, they must "unsee" them--act as if they didn't see
them at all. If they fail to unsee, or purposely look at or notice
someone in the other city intentionally (and don't get started on
how all this works when there's an automobile accident), an act of
Breach occurs. Breach is an act that is against the law, a group
of people that enforce Breach laws, and a location. When an act of
Breach occurs, "Breach" (the people) come and take away the people
committing the Breach, who are typically never to be seen again.
Children get special dispensation, as they are learning how to live
in their city, and foreigners actually have a lengthy training
course to go through before they are allowed in one city or the
other, and they get a little leeway as well, because no amount of
training can be the same as a lifetime of learning and living. Can
you imagine how difficult it would be *not* to Breach when you're
walking next to someone on the street who is actually in the other
city--especially if you know them?
There is one way to legally travel between the two cities. There
is a place in the middle of the physical location that functions as
a gateway between the two as well as a meeting place for government
leaders of both cities. Essentially, you can enter in one side of
the place, pass through security, and turn around and be physically
where you were at before, except in a different country.
So, this is a crime story, as I said. In fact, it's a murder
mystery, and the victim is an archaeology student who is working at
a dig in Ul Qoma. Apparently she has made many enemies because of
her believe in a *THIRD* city, Orciny, which supposedly resides in
between the other two cities. She's raised the ire of all sorts of
folks everywhere. So, her body is found in Beszel, but it appears
her murder occurred in Ul Qoma, thus making it a case of Breach.
However, evidence arises that it's not Breach, and thus a detective
from Beszel must travel to Ul Qoma to investigate the killing.
This is actually a quite clever book, and the story is well
executed in the context of its setting. I couldn't find any
logical flaws in the way things were laid out and handled. I
really didn't get attached to any of the characters in anyway, but
that was more than made up for by the good writing, excellent
storytelling, and interesting concept. SF? No. Fantasy? No.
Hugo nominee? Why, I have no idea.
If you want a good crime story, read this book. If you want good
science fiction, skip it. [-jak]
[For what it's worth, in an article in "The Guardian"
(http://tinyurl.com/367tcbs) they write, "Miéville said that some
people had questioned whether THE CITY AND THE CITY was really
science fiction or fantasy. 'I think these debates are silly--
genre is a moveable feast, but some people do ask these questions,'
he said. 'What I don't want to do is disavow the fantastic
tradition I come from. This is a book from within the fantasy
tradition, which hopefully can also be a perfectly faithful crime
book--and a good book.'" -ecl]
[Miéville misuses the term "moveable feast." I have seen others
misuse the phrase, but it does not mean just something that is
inconstant. A moveable feast is a (usually Christian) holiday that
is not on the same date each year. Easter is a moveable feast, but
Christmas is not. It has come to be used to mean a portable feast
of food. -mrl]
==================================================================
TOPIC: This Week's Reading (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Last week I discussed the Hugo-nominated novellas (as well as
making some comments about this year's Hugo nominations in
general). This week I will cover the novelettes and short stories.
Novelette:
"Eros, Philia, Agape" by Rachel Swirsky (tor.com 3/09) is about a
robot learning about love. While the topic is interesting, it is
not exactly new.
In "The Island" by Peter Watts (THE NEW SPACE OPERA 2), the
protagonists are building gateways through space when they find
themselves apparently in contact with an alien intelligence and
become pawns in something they do not understand. Again, it just
did not do much for me.
"It Takes Two" by Nicola Griffith (ECLIPSE THREE) has similarities
to a lot of Greg Egan's work, particularly "Reasons to Be Cheerful"
and "Oceanic". But where Egan focuses on the idea of how the
biochemistry of the brain works, Griffith seems to concentrate on
long descriptions of sexual activity. The idea may have been good,
but I cannot rate the story very highly.
"One of Our Bastards is Missing" by Paul Cornell (THE SOLARIS BOOK
OF NEW SCIENCE FICTION: VOLUME THREE) is one of those stories that
is based on such a complicated set of ideas that one gets the
feeling that only the author really follows it. (The same is true
of some of Grge Egan's work.) It is an alternate history (but not
too different--the ruling families of the Europe of its time seem
pretty much the same as in our timeline) based on the idea of
"folds" in the universe (wormholes, I guess, since they were
supposedly discovered when Newton watched a worm crawling on an
apple). These folds can be used for appearing, disappearing,
transporting to distant locations, hiding weapons and other items,
etc. Basically, they seem to be magic, albeit with rules, and the
story a basic court intrigue tale.
"Overtime" by Charles Stross (tor.com 12/09) is another possible
entry for my theoretical Christmas anthology. (To remind you, it
already includes China Miéville's "'Tis the Season", Frederik
Pohl's "Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus", and Timothy Esaias's "Newton's
Mass". Stross's story is much more tied to the present, though,
than either Pohl's or Miéville's. Though it seems to be a bit of
an alternate history--or maybe just set in a very near future--it
has far more cultural referents than the other two. Stross
mentions Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, has a
reference to Charles Dickens's CHRISTMAS CAROL, and has a spot-on
description of weather forecasters and other announcers who have
such boring deliveries that you always mentally tune them out
before they get to the part that you actually are interested in.
What can I say about "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask,
Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" by Eugie Foster (Interzone 2/09)? It
is a story that would not even have gotten published in the "Golden
Age", and even now, most magazines would put a cautionary warning
on it for language and adult themes. If I thought there were a
point to the language and adult themes, I wouldn't object to them,
but as it is I found this story both pointless and offensive.
My voting order would be: ""Overtime", It Takes Two"; No Award;
"Eros, Philia, Agape"; "One of Our Bastards is Missing"; "The
Island" by Peter Watts; "Sinner ..."
Short Story:
"The Bride of Frankenstein" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's 12/09) is yet
another riff on the Frankenstein legend, but fairly predictable and
nothing new or startling.
"Bridesicle" by Will McIntosh (Asimov's 1/09), in my opinion,
violates the "Rule of One": You are allowed one change, one
scientific discovery, one invention, one whatever. "Bridesicle"
has two: people can be effectively frozen and later thawed out (in
fact, even partially thawed out, and repeatedly frozen), but also
that personalities can "hitch a ride" in other people. You cannot
explain this by saying that These are related technologies, but
they do not seem to be. In addition, the story seems a bit
contrived.
"The Moment" by Lawrence M. Schoen (FOOTPRINTS) is frequently
unreadable: "A peer review chorus from the Trindle Journal of
Medical Profundities convened to hold forth on a particularly
truculent cantata by a novice gastroforensiologist. In itself this
failed to impress--truculence being a common feature of digestive
music, particularly among the newly initiated--but this specific
alimentarian had sung the ironies of the scion of vegetable royalty
succumbing to a fatal ingestion of long dead mnemonic ephemerals
during a period of obscure history." What I was able to figure out
was not exactly new or original either.
"Non-Zero Probabilities" by N.K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld 9/09)
is my kind of story. Suddenly, the laws of probability start to
fail and anything that is at all possible (i.e., has a non-zero
probability) will not just happen eventually, but will happen a lot
sooner than that. Not only that, but charms (such as crossing your
fingers or wearing a scapular) seem to work as well. I don't know
why this sort of thing appeals to me, but it does. Maybe it
reminds me of the Frederic Brown/Frederik Pohl/Robert Sheckley sort
of 1950s semi-whimsical, semi-serious fantastical science fiction.
What can I say about "Spar" by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld 10/09)?
It is a story that would not even have gotten published in the
"Golden Age", and even now, most magazines would put a cautionary
warning on it for language and adult themes. If I thought there
were a point to the language and adult themes, I wouldn't object to
them, but as it is I found this story both pointless and offensive.
(Sound familiar?)
My voting order would be: "Non-Zero Probabilities", No Award, "The
Bride of Frankenstein", "It Takes Two", "The Moment", "Bridesicle",
"Spar"
And all I can say in summation is that this year's selections seem
to represent a massive shift away from the sort of fiction I like.
Even in the novels, I would have rated only THE CITY & THE CITY and
JULIAN COMSTOCK above No Award. [-ecl]
==================================================================
Mark Leeper
mleeper@optonline.net
General and abstract ideas are the source of
the greatest errors of mankind.
-- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1762