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Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
Club Notice - 11/27/92 -- Vol. 11, No. 22
MEETINGS UPCOMING:
Unless otherwise stated, all meetings are on Wednesdays at noon.
_D_A_T_E _T_O_P_I_C
12/09 HO: A FIRE ON THE DEEP by Vernor Vinge (HO 4N-509)
12/30 Location TBA: The Best of 1992 (room TBA)
_D_A_T_E _E_X_T_E_R_N_A_L _M_E_E_T_I_N_G_S/_C_O_N_V_E_N_T_I_O_N_S/_E_T_C.
12/12 SFABC: Science Fiction Association of Bergen County: TBA
(phone 201-933-2724 for details) (Saturday)
12/19 NJSFS: New Jersey Science Fiction Society: TBA
(phone 201-432-5965 for details) (Saturday)
HO Chair: John Jetzt HO 1E-525 908-834-1563 hocpb!jetzt
LZ Chair: Rob Mitchell HO 1D-505A 908-834-1267 hocpb!jrrt
MT Chair: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 mtgzfs3!leeper
HO Librarian: Nick Sauer HO 4F-427 908-949-7076 homxc!11366ns
LZ Librarian: Lance Larsen LZ 3L-312 908-576-3346 mtfme!lfl
MT Librarian: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 mtgzfs3!leeper
Factotum: Evelyn Leeper MT 1F-329 908-957-2070 mtgzy!ecl
All material copyright by author unless otherwise noted.
1. Our next Leeperhouse film festival should be something of a
treat. We are showing 19 different films and they are all of some
interest. On December 3, at 7 PM we will be showing:
Short Stuff
"The Time Element" (1958)
The 22nd Tournee of Animation (1990)
"The Time Element" is something of a collector's item among fans of
fantasy video. It is a segment of the anthology series _D_e_s_i_l_u
_P_l_a_y_h_o_u_s_e broadcast Monday night, November 24, 1958. It was sort
of a strange story and was actually a pilot to test if the public
would be interested in a series about strange fantasy stories. On
the basis of its good public response, the writer, Rod Serling, was
given the go-ahead to produce more stories in a similar vein. "The
Time Element" is an hour-long story that is a "Twilight Zone"
episode in all but name. Martin Balsam and William Bendix play a
THE MT VOID Page 2
psychiatrist and a patient who is having puzzling dreams.
Elsewhere this issue is a review of the 22nd Tournee of Animation.
Mark Leeper
MT 3D-441 908-957-5619
...mtgzfs3!leeper
The problem with people who have no vices is that
generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have
some pretty annoying virtues.
-- Elizabeth Taylor
PUTTING ON THE RITZ by Joe Keenan
Penguin, 1992 (1991c), ISBN 0-14-014989-9, $10.
A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
Copyright 1992 Evelyn C. Leeper
Life in New York will never be the same. First there was
Gilbert and Moira's wedding. Not that they actually loved each
other, or could even stand the sight of each other, but they did
have a lot of rich step-relatives who could be counted on to be
generous with the presents and they had one trait in common--greed.
But that story was all told in _B_l_u_e _H_e_a_v_e_n (which you should run out
immediately and read), so I'll stick to _P_u_t_t_i_n_g _o_n _t_h_e _R_i_t_z here.
Philip Cavanaugh (Gilbert's best man) and Claire Simmons have
just had a Broadway flop--through no fault of their own, I should
add, though since Philip is the narrator his opinions should perhaps
be viewed with some suspicion. But Gilbert, ever helpful, has found
them a new job--writing and arranging the music for a rich social
matron's singing debut. That it is al a cover for having Philip try
to dig up some dirt on the matron's husband for the editor of a
rival culture magazine to use in their feud is a minor detail, as is
the fact that what the matron makes up in money she lacks in talent.
Philip knows he shouldn't get involved--as he says, "I ... said [to
Gilbert] that, while I had no desire to hurt his feelings or mar his
delight over his new project, I felt nonetheless compelled to remind
him that he was born under a malignant star, that everything he
touched ended in sorrow and weeping, and that any person so bereft
of reason to assist him in one of his ventures should first consult
a good dentist, as prolonged and intense gnashing of teeth might be
confidently expected." Then Philip meets Gilbert's sponsor for all
this, and sanity flies out the window as love (or at least lust)
comes through the door. Of course, this makes him Gilbert's rival
for this man, so their teamwork in this somewhat dubious plot is
made even shakier by each of them attempting to outdo the other and
so gain the prize.
I had claimed that _B_l_u_e _H_e_a_v_e_n was the funniest book I had read
in years, and _P_u_t_t_i_n_g _o_n _t_h_e _R_i_t_z is every bit as funny as its
predecessor. I wholeheartedly recommend both of them.
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT ALMOST BLANK
22ND INTERNATIONAL TOURNEE OF ANIMATION
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1987 Mark R. Leeper
Once again it's time for a release of an _I_n_t_e_r_n_a_t_i_o_n_a_l _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e
_o_f _A_n_i_m_a_t_i_o_n. Each year a feature film is edited together from
award-winning short animated films and from other films judged to be
deserving by the producers. The resulting film then tours the
country where typically it will show only in major cities and play
in one theater at a time. For all I know there may be only one
print that tours the country. Generally once I publish a review of
a _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e I get asked by people if it will be coming to their city
or if the films are available on cassette. I am sorry, but I cannot
be very helpful with the first question. Sometimes before or after
I see the _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e I hear that it has played in another city, but I
have no advance information. You can, however, get the best of the
last two _T_o_u_r_n_e'_es on video. An ad given out at the _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e offers
cassettes of "the best" of the _1_9_t_h and _2_0_t_h _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e (no telling
how long the selections are). Each is available for $44 (including
shipping and handling) from Animation, P.~O.~Box 25547, Los Angeles
CA 90025.
The quality of the films chosen is spotty with the worst
selections being "just okay." The best are often very impressive.
I am, for example, a great admirer of a short made for the BBC
called "Skywhales" and I saw it for the first time at the _1_9_t_h
_T_o_u_r_n_e'_e _o_f _A_n_i_m_a_t_i_o_n.
Surprisingly absent from the _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e was Pixar, Inc., who do
nice work with computer animation. In general I find that the films
that have been nominated for Academy Awards are not the best films
and the Academy Award winner is the weakest of the nominees. This
year the two best films were the Academy Award nominees. They were
"The Cow" and "Balance." I have a minor preference for "The Cow,"
but "Balance" was the Academy's choice. It is a much more
intelligent film than they have chosen in the past, and I do not
fault them for the choice.
That is probably sufficient for general comments; let me get to
discussion of the films themselves. I will rate them on a scale of
-4 to +4, though my lowest rating here is -1 and the highest is +3.
Unadvertised, and punctuating the _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e at various points,
are a set of enjoyable little sketches from MTV called "Plymptoons."
These are little animated films about twenty seconds in length that
start with a caption and then show about fifteen seconds of scene.
The humor is much like that of Gary Larson's "Far Side" cartoons and
are often just as funny. We saw three groups shown at different
times with about four in each group. These have no great animation
22nd Int.Tour.Animation April 29, 1990 Page 2
techniques, but they certainly are enjoyable. Rating: +2.
- "Kakania" (Karen Aqua; First Place--New York Film & Video Expo;
USA; 3:53): The title apparently refers to a dance and that is
all there is to this film: figures dancing. Mixed in are
Amerind images but that purpose is obscure. Rating: 0.
- "A Touch of Deceit" (Michael Gagne; Canada; 2:04): This is sort
of a gag on film, but much longer than a Plymptoon and not as
funny. It is just not substantial enough to rate very high,
though there is some feel of a send-up of Disney traditions.
Rating: +1.
- "The Cow" (Alexander Petrov; Academy Award nominee 1989; USSR;
10:00): I found this a very moving film. It is apparently the
narrator's memories of a cow on his farm when he was a boy.
Life was hard for him but, as he thinks back with some guilt,
much harder for the cow who was treated as if she were a piece
of machinery. Her calf was taken away and sold as meat. She
was forced to give her milk to people. She was harnessed to a
plow. In the end she is killed in a vain attempt to find her
calf and she is eaten by the family that owned her. The film
could have become maudlin or ridiculous, but doesn't. The
animation technique is very unusual, but well-suited to
illustrating memories. It starts with a painting, then the
artists paint over those parts that have moved and they fade
from one picture to the next. I consider it to be the best
piece in the entire _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e and rate it a +3.
- "Cat & Rat" (Jim Richardson; Student Academy Award Winner; USA;
3:46): This film uses several kinds of animation, from line
drawings to three-dimensional models, but the ideas can all be
found in old Warner Brothers cartoons and if you have seen
those you don't really need to see this. Rating: +1.
- "A Very, Very Long Time Ago" (Olive Jar Animation Studios; USA;
2:38): This is a very short film that seems as if it is going
one way and then takes a sharp right turn right out of Monty
Python. What the film is about is the first attempt of a sea
animal to crawl onto the land. Amusing. Rating: +1.
- "Sand Dance" (Richard Quade; Student Academy Award Winner; USA;
3:53): Like "Kakania," this is just figures dancing to music,
but what sets this film apart is that the individual frames are
sand paintings. And surprise! sand paintings turn out to be a
very inappropriate medium for animation. The figures are hazy
and without the needed definition. Nice try, but somebody
should have realized early on that this was not working.
Rating: -1.
22nd Int.Tour.Animation April 29, 1990 Page 3
- "Pictures from Memory" (Nedjelko Dragic; Best Animation--Golden
Gate Awards Competition; Yugoslavia; 11:58): Supposedly
animated photographs from the life of the artist's father.
They, in fact, piece together to show the viewer a quick
thumbnail picture of the history of Yugoslavia in the 20th
Century. There is surprising historic scope in this one short
film. The animation is not greatly original, but I would rate
the film a +2.
- "Shadrach" (Nathanial Hornblower, Chris Casady; USA; 4:05):
This is a rap song by the Beastie Boys with paintings on the
screen that are impressions of a rap concert. The paintings
are sequential but this is not really animation to any great
extent. It is just illustrated music with a lot of corners
cut. Rating: -1.
- "Vykrutasy" (Garri Bardin; First Prize--Los Angeles
International Animation Celebration; USSR; 10:15): This is a
parable illustrated in figures made from shaping wire from a
coil. The story deals with a man who builds a farm and then
must protect it from trespassers who would inadvertently and
carelessly destroy his crops. The man has to decide how far to
go to protect his farm. Not great but generally pretty good.
Rating: +2.
- "Gise`le Ke'roze`ne" (Jan Kounen; First Prize--Avioraz Film
Festival; France; 4:40): This is a fun piece of slapstick about
modern witches with mechanical flying brooms fighting it out
against the backdrop of a modern building complex. No
profundity, a little blood and a little bad taste. Still, it
is good-natured and fun. Rating: +1.
- "The Bedroom" (Maarten Koopman; Netherlands; 1:08): This is a
very short piece of animation with a non-humorous surprise
ending. Apparently in a small bedroom furniture is coming out
of the walls and moving itself into place. To guess the
surprise--and there really is no reason you should--you have to
look at what pieces of furniture are going where. An okay
little gimmick film. Rating: +1.
- "Balance" (Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein; Academy Award
Winner 1989; West Germany; 7:38): This is another parable but a
more intelligent one and also one with a good deal of suspense.
Imagine a platform floating in space (or on water?) with five
sepulchral men in grey coats standing on it. They stand in a
circle to balance their weight so that the platform does not
tip and drop them off. If one steps away from the center, they
all must in order to maintain the balance. Then one finds a
valuable box and they all want it. But how to get it without
tipping the platform? This is an Oscar winner and deservedly
so. Rating: +2.
22nd Int.Tour.Animation April 29, 1990 Page 4
- "Train Gang" (Paul Driessen; Canada, Netherlands; 2:01): Very
unoriginal animation techniques tell a story whose point I must
have missed. Rating : low 0.
- "Juke-Bar" (Martin Barry/National Film Board; Grand Prix--World
Film festival, Montreal; Canada; 10:15): A diner, infested with
cockroaches, gets a new juke-box. The cockroaches, have
humorous faces, see the juke-box as a great addition. They
play the juke-box and start really partying, led by one wild
and crazy cockroach, Three-dimensional animation is used to
tell a fun story. This is not profound or creative, but is a
lot of fun with partying cockroaches reminiscent of partying
little monsters in _G_r_e_m_l_i_n_s. Rating: +1.
- "Animated Self-Portraits" (David Ehrlich; Silver Plaque--
Chicago Film Festival; USA, Yugoslavia, Estona USSR,
Czechoslovakia, Japan; 7:56): This piece is itself an
anthology. An international cast of animators--at least ten--
each does a very short animated film including a picture of him
or herself. Almost as funny as the Plymptoons, this has not
much depth but a lot of off-the-wall ideas. Rating: +2.
- "A Warm Reception in L.A." (Vincent Cafarelli and Candy Kugel;
Golden Plaque--Chicago Film Festival; USA; 5:04): This was the
only piece I had seen before. It is a music video for the
ballad of the main character's attempts to sell some of his
writing to a film studio. The animation is in day-glow on a
black background. Just okay. Rating: +1.
- "The Arnold Waltz" (Craig Bartlett; USA; 2:51): Having amusing
animation in three dimensions, this story nonetheless goes no
place. The unoriginal story shows a misfit schoolboy with
fantasies of a more exciting life. Not really very funny or
very interesting. Rating: +1.
- "All My Relations" (Joanna Priestly; USA; 4:53): This is a
cartoon with a few amusing scenes but overall it is a pretty
lackluster piece to end the _T_o_u_r_n_e'_e with. It is really just
the story of a number of people going through the crises of
life. It has no real conclusion, and not much punch. Rating:
+1.
This was a very nicely rounded edition of the _I_n_t_e_r_n_a_t_i_o_n_a_l
_T_o_u_r_n_e'_e _o_f _A_n_i_m_a_t_i_o_n with some more substantial and serious pieces
than in previous years. Now I want to get "The Cow" on video.