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Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
Club Notice - 08/27/93 -- Vol. 12, No. 9
MEETINGS UPCOMING:
Unless otherwise stated, all meetings are in Holmdel 4N-509
Wednesdays at noon.
_D_A_T_E _T_O_P_I_C
09/15 WORLD AT THE END OF TIME by Frederik Pohl
(Modern Stapledonian Fiction)
10/06 SARAH CANARY by Karen Joy Fowler (Nebula Nominee)
10/27 THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert A. Heinlein (Classic SF)
11/17 BRIAR ROSE by Jane Yolen (Nebula Nominee)
12/08 STAND ON ZANZIBAR by John Brunner (Classic SF)
01/05 A MILLION OPEN DOORS by John Barnes (Nebula Nominee)
01/26 Bookswap
Outside events:
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.
HO Chair: John Jetzt HO 1E-525 908-834-1563 holly!jetzt
LZ Chair: Rob Mitchell HO 1C-523 908-834-1267 holly!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 quartet!lfl
MT Librarian: Mark Leeper MT 3D-441 908-957-5619 mtgzfs3!leeper
Factotum: Evelyn Leeper MT 1F-329 908-957-2070 mtgpfs1!ecl
All material copyright by author unless otherwise noted.
1. Evelyn is something I have to call "politically iridescent." It
is one of the things that makes living with her a constant shower
of the unexpected. Sometimes she will rail against political
correctness; sometimes she will pull up a piece of foolish dogma as
if it is as foundational as Euclid's Elements. We both read _S_i_g_h_t
_o_f _P_r_o_t_e_u_s by Charles Sheffield, a club discussion book, and Evelyn
recommended to me the Hugo-nominated story "Even the Queen" by
Connie Willis. That was the background for the interchange.
THE MT VOID Page 2
We were discussing _S_i_g_h_t _o_f _P_r_o_t_e_u_s and she asked me if I noticed
something wrong with it. Well, I noticed several things wrong, but
she picked out one I hadn't noticed. "There are no major female
characters."
"Yes?" I said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"No, that's it. Sheffield didn't put any women in." Now I know
that a Shakespearean sonnet is a poem in iambic pentameter that has
a rhyme scheme a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g. One of the guys in
11-grade English class asked my teacher what you call a sonnet with
the right number of lines and the right meter, but a different
rhyme scheme, and he said, "A lousy poem." But this is the first
time I have heard that a novel with only male characters is a lousy
novel. It is as if there is a quota system for novels that major
characters should be half-male, half-female (the mix, not
individually, though in _S_i_g_h_t _o_f _P_r_o_t_e_u_s, even the other
interpretation is possible).
Actually here Evelyn was not quite correct. Oh, at least not
factually correct. She was politically correct, which I am sure is
the more important, but she was factually incorrect. I later
pointed out that in _S_i_g_h_t _o_f _P_r_o_t_e_u_s the characters were only in
male phase but could also be in female phase. "well, they read
like men. They have the shallowness of men." I guess in science
fiction the rule has to be extended to say that half the characters
behave in shallow stupid ways and have names that are male. Then
you have the characters who are heroic and noble and they have
names that are female. Why am I reminded that in Imperial China if
you were making a piece of art that was going to the emperor, the
dragons could have five toes. If they were going to lesser
mortals, they could not. Now if I were there I would see what
would happen if I had the dragons on my porcelain have six toes!
Of course, I probably would not have lasted long in Imperial China.
Emperors, like other staunch advocates of political correctness,
have very poor senses of humor.
So anyway, then I started "Even the Queen" and guess what? There
is one very minor character named Bysshe and all the rest of the
characters are female. So I went to Evelyn in shock and alarm over
the fact that she is actually recommending stories that do not have
an equal-opportunity mix of genders. And I got hit with the
amendment to the first rule: "Even the Queen" is only a short
story. _S_i_g_h _o_f _P_r_o_t_e_u_s is a whole novel." So like quota systems
don't apply to very small businesses, I guess they don't apply to
very short works of fiction.
"There are no women in _J_o_u_r_n_e_y _t_o _t_h_e _C_e_n_t_e_r _o_f _t_h_e _E_a_r_t_h. Does
that make the film version an improvement because they put women
in?"
THE MT VOID Page 3
After a moment she came back with, "Well, Verne is a better writer
than Sheffield." Amendment B to rule 1 of gender quotas is fiction
must say that good writers are exempt. I asked Evelyn if I had
that right. "That's it. Political correctness is the last refuge
of the incompetent." Right.
Note to the local board of censorship: To save your checking, this
article is about one male and one female. It concerns two authors,
one of whom is male and one is female (as far as I know). I accuse
myself of writing about only Western Caucasians. I accuse myself
of writing only about heterosexuals, but give the excuse that I am
writing about a married couple and I wanted to maintain gender
balance. I have left open the possibility that the character
Evelyn is a man, as the name could apply to either gender. I
accuse myself of writing about a male-written novel and only a
short story written by a female. I hereby make amends. _W_u_t_h_e_r_i_n_g
_H_e_i_g_h_t_s.
===================================================================
2. Scott McQuin shares the following with us:
"Sky and Telescope" magazine of August is sponsoring a contest to
rename the Big Bang. Timothy Ferris at Berkeley writes a two page
essay on why it should be renamed using both scientific, historical
and literary arguments. However, the most persuasive argument was
the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon in which Calvin Proclaims that
scientists are unimaginative and should rename the Big Bang to "The
Horrendous Space Kablooie." Such testimonial evidence clinched the
matter for me.
So, if you can't do any better than Calvin, no need to submit. I
imagine that the entire scientific community will give
consideration to anything over Calvin's offering, however. If you
want to have your suggestion considered send your name and
suggestion on a postcard (with a brief explanation) to: Sky and
Telescope Magazine, P.O. Box 9111, Belmont Ma 02178.
The panel of judges includes Carl Sagan, Hugh Downs and Timothy
Ferris.
Let's see, my this should be easy, how about: The Kosmic Krakatoa?
The Primaeval Pimple Pop? Gushing Gravitons from the Galactic
Goose? Gelatinous Genesis goes Gonzo? Hmmmmm. Maybe this isn't
so easy after all. [-ssm]
===================================================================
THE MT VOID Page 4
3. HEART AND SOULS (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule review: In some ways similar to _A_l_l _o_f _M_e
or _A _G_u_y _N_a_m_e_d _J_o_e, _H_e_a_r_t _a_n_d _S_o_u_l_s turns out to be
a likable and endearing metaphysical fantasy and a
real showcase for the physical acting talents of
Robert Downey, Jr. If this one catches you in the
right mood, it works well. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4).
The light "life after death" fantasy is still with us. You know
the sort of film: _T_o_p_p_e_r, _A _G_u_y _N_a_m_e_d _J_o_e, _S_t_a_i_r_w_a_y _t_o _H_e_a_v_e_n, _H_e_r_e
_C_o_m_e_s _M_r. _J_o_r_d_a_n, _D_e_f_e_n_d_i_n_g _Y_o_u_r _L_i_f_e, even _G_h_o_s_t (though it had
darker tones mixed in). They all have a nice, cushy, "death is
just a change of state" feel. They were particularly popular
during World War II when a comforting view of death was needed.
The latest entry, _H_e_a_r_t _a_n_d _S_o_u_l_s, has a surprising degree of
charm. We are introduced to four people, each working out his or
her life but having unfinished business. Destiny puts them all on
the same ill-fated bus which falls off the side of a bridge to
avoid crashing into a car. The car just happens to contain a woman
giving birth. All four are killed along with the driver, but the
souls of the four passengers survive and are somehow metaphysically
attached to Thomas Reilly, the baby. They are compelled never to
leave Reilly's side. For a while they are visible to the young
boy, but when this appears to do more harm than good, they follow
him invisibly.
When Reilly becomes a man (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) the souls
suddenly find they each have a mission and must appear to, and
sometimes physically possess, Reilly.
Our four spirits are Charles Grodin as a singer with stage fright,
Alfre Woodard as a woman torn from the children she loved, Tom
Sizemore as a small-time hood with an attack of conscience, and
Kyra Sedgwick as an overly diffident lover. But Downey outdoes
Steve Martin's performance in _A_l_l _o_f _M_e, being in turn possessed by
the four spirits. Downey prior to _C_h_a_p_l_i_n never seemed to have
much screen presence. Now he is showing an amazing flair for
physical comedy and a tremendous versatility.
There are some problems with the script. All too often American
businesses are shown as having one conscienceless cut-throat and a
bunch of executives living off his kills. This film falls into
that same trap. What is more, the company that Downey's character
seems to be liquidating is apparently never save. But in spite of
that loose end, this is a likable fantasy with some of its kooky
special effects and its phantom bus. It might be a little sugary
for some tastes, but it also has its share of touching moments. I
rate this a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
THE MT VOID Page 5
===================================================================
4. THE SECRET GARDEN (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule review: _T_h_e _S_e_c_r_e_t _G_a_r_d_e_n is an
artistically perfect rendering of a horribly cloying
Edwardian children's story. The Transcendentalist
view of the perfection of nature sops right through
and saturates this story. It tells how one little
girl is able to redeem three people's lives through
the magic of a wonderful garden full of bunnies and
lambs and foxes all playing together. The film is
supremely crafted but for someone else's taste.
Rating: low +1 (-4 to +4). An artistic +2; an
entertainment -1.
When it comes to film, I have no guilty pleasures. A common game
among film fans is to say what films are bad, but that they enjoy
anyway. I just do not accept the concept that a film is bad but I
like it in spite of its obvious faults. If I like a film, it
really is a good film, to my mind. I may be one of the few people
who enjoys a film such as _L_i_f_e_f_o_r_c_e or _E_x_o_r_c_i_s_t _I_I, but to me that
is just because others simply do not appreciate that these really
are films with positive qualities. On the other hand, I do accept
that there are good films I just cannot appreciate. I recognize
quality but I still cannot bring myself to like this wonderful
piece of art. Ingmar Bergman is probably a really good filmmaker
and I admit it, but _T_h_e _S_e_v_e_n_t_h _S_e_a_l is his only film that I find
enjoyable, and then only if I am in the right mood. _C_h_a_r_i_o_t_s _o_f
_F_i_r_e is very well made, but it does nothing at all for me. _T_h_e
_S_e_c_r_e_t _G_a_r_d_e_n is a beautiful and near-flawless adaptation of a
gawd-awful Edwardian children's story that would have done better
to remain in a dusty box in the attic.
Kate Maberly plays Mary Lennox, a ten-year-old born in India around
the turn of the century. She hates India and she hates her
parents. When an earthquake kills her parents she is sent back to
England to find more things to hate. She goes to live in her
uncle's mansion which seems larger than Yankee Stadium and somehow
feels dead wherever you go. Of her uncle there is little sign. He
mourns for the death of his wife, a twin to Mary's mother. The
mansion is ruled over my Mrs. Medlock (played by Maggie Smith), who
has no use for little Mary. Mary is more or less expected to sit
around all day and ignore the sobbing coming from someone about
whom nobody will tell her. But our adolescent Jane Eyre discovers
on the grounds of the mansion a garden that was kept by her aunt
and has since been locked up. In this garden there are bright
colors, nature seems to be alive, and it's the only truly alive
place on the whole grounds. Mary discovers the garden and
discovers her sick, apparently dying cousin. Through her love of
nature and the garden and with the help of two wonderful servants,
THE MT VOID Page 6
little Mary saves her cousin's life, makes her own life worth
living, and pulls her uncle out of his miasma of self-pity. But
none of that is remotely surprising when you see the magic of
nature in the hidden garden. Here robins understand and love
children. Sweet little bunnies play with chubby little foxes and
get along perfectly well. Little new-born lambs test their wobbly
legs for the first time. It is a place where there can be no
doubts that God is an Englishman and this is his own personal
petting zoo.
_T_h_e _S_e_c_r_e_t _G_a_r_d_e_n is a project of American Zoetrope, who in 1979
produced _T_h_e _B_l_a_c_k _S_t_a_l_l_i_o_n, the first half of which is a truly
wonderful piece of filmmaking. And some of _T_h_e _S_e_c_r_e_t _G_a_r_d_e_n
captures some of the same feel. It was directed by Agnieszka
Holland, who previously directed _E_u_r_o_p_a, _E_u_r_o_p_a and _O_l_i_v_i_e_r,
_O_l_i_v_i_e_r. (I wonder if she wanted to rename this one _G_a_r_d_e_n,
_G_a_r_d_e_n.) The photography (by Roger Deakins) is wonderful, even if
what is in front of the camera is exaggerated and unctuous. When
the house should looks dismal, it looks really dismal. The grounds
are gray and depressing. Inside the garden all of a sudden every
detail jumps out at the viewer--every corny bunny and lamb.
Holland just perfectly captures a mood so dismally ugly or so
cloyingly sweet that I, for one, felt like gagging. I admit what
she did, she did well. Artistically this is a +2 film; for my
experience it is a -1. Let me split the difference and give this
film a low +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
===================================================================
5. THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule review: Mel Gibson's directorial debut is a
film that will be hard for him to beat in the
future. It is a sensitive story of a boy and a
teacher. It is a story about curiosity and about
bigotry. It is about big minds and little minds,
about a platonic relationship between a man and a
boy. I never had a lot of respect for Gibson even
after he played Hamlet, but in one film he shows he
is a better director than an actor. Rating: high +2
(-4 to +4).
"Is this all you see?" asks Mel Gibson, playing Justin McLeod. He
is referring to the horribly disfigured right side of his face.
"Because if this is all you see, then you don't see me." Gibson is
also referring to all the action roles he has played in
exploitation films. He usually plays an action figure or--in the
case of _h_a_m_l_e_t--an inaction figure. Now he is getting old for all
the action roles and he wants to break that image. He wants to be
thought of as a serious actor and a talented director (reportedly
THE MT VOID Page 7
more the latter than the former). So he directed himself in _T_h_e
_M_a_n _W_i_t_h_o_u_t _a _F_a_c_e and proved his point by giving us what will
likely be one of the best films this year.
Twelve-year-old Chuck Norstadt (played by Nick Stahl) is confused
and unhappy. He is the only male in his family. His mother, who
keeps marrying and divorcing husbands, has had two daughters and
Chuck my three different men. Chuck's mother and older sister are
twin harpies who hardly speak except to criticize him. Chuck's one
dream is to escape home and go to a military academy. But at the
beginning of this summer of 1968, Chuck failed the entrance exam.
He will have a second chance at the end of the summer if he can
learn enough over the summer, but he needs help. The good news is
that there is somebody who can help him. The bad news is that it
is the local recluse, a man with a face that was horribly scarred.
Justin McLeod is a human conversation piece. There are all sorts
of rumors about what he does for a living and how he got that face.
So Chuck begins a relationship with the mysterious recluse, and he
opens Chuck's mind to the wonders of the intellect. The film is
many things, but one is a tribute to intellectual thought.
Malcolm MacRury's script is a study in contrasts. It is a story
about excellence and it is a story about prejudice. It is about
big minds full of questions and little minds that are sure they
know all the answers. McLeod is one of an increasingly rare breed
of techers who are desperate to open minds and to share a sense of
wonder. This is a film that will probably be compared to _D_e_a_d
_P_o_e_t_s _S_o_c_i_e_t_y by Gibson mentor Peter Weir. That film, however,
tries to be a dramatic audience-pleaser and _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_i_t_h_o_u_t _a _F_a_c_e
is more under-stated. I do not know if Gibson is someone who can
cut it as a great director film after film, or if he just had one
really good film in him. But he did have at least that one film.
I give _T_h_e _M_a_n _W_i_t_h_o_u_t _a _F_a_c_e a high +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
===================================================================
6. ROAD SCHOLAR (a film review by Mark R. Leeper):
Capsule review: Poet and humorist Andrei Codrescu
drives a big new used Cadillac across the United
States and shows us slices of American life as it is
rarely seen. While the film is not original,
Codrescu's outsider's view is never dull. Rating:
+1 (-4 to +4).
Andrei Codrescu is a Romanian-born Jew, a fact that explains many
aspects of his personality. His acerbic sense of humor is a
survival trait when one lives in a background radiation of anti-
Semitism from both the neighbors and the government. It also
trains one to expect the worst and hope for the best from
THE MT VOID Page 8
institutions and the bureaucracy running the country. At the same
time, having come to the United States and finding conditions
better, he clearly likes this country and has an affection, if
somewhat bewildered, for Americans. And he sees America as an
outsider. Because of these different perspectives, he has become a
commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." In
_R_o_a_d _S_c_h_o_l_a_r Codrescu brings these perspectives to bear on various
aspects of American life seen during a trip across the country.
_R_o_a_d _S_c_h_o_l_a_r is not so much a film as a news magazine in cinematic
form. It is supposedly inspired by the book _O_n _t_h_e _R_o_a_d by Jack
Kerouac, but it is closer in form to a stringing together of
segments of "Charles Kurault on the Road" or "Jean Shepherd's
America." It is also comparable to Michael Palin's short
television series "Around the World in Eighty Days" and "Pole to
Pole." Codrescu drives from Manhattan to San Francisco commenting
on the passing parade. He visits Ellis Island and comments on the
immigrant experience. He also visits a Romanian restaurant, where
his compatriots make up for years of extreme poverty in the old
country by eating pornographically large cuts of meat. He is
served a steak so long he has to fold over the end so that it does
not drag on the table. Detroit and its hard times remind him of
Romania. In Chicago (if I remember correctly) he visits a sausage
factory and discovers a new sensuality in the packing of sausages.
Also in Chicago he visits a McDonald's restaurant exactly as they
were when they were first open. It is an educational exhibit for
McDonald's Hamburger U. Codrescu mixes in a private war between
the city council and a junk artist who is half burying a car in her
yard.
Westward he continues to report on New Age crystal religion and a
healing shrine in New Mexico, and a drive-up window in a kitsch
matrimonial chapel in Las Vegas. We visit Biosphere II, a sealed
and totally self-contained community to which inhabitants have
exiled themselves for two years. This is supposed to prove people
can live in similar confines in space, though presumably in space
there will not be a constant stream of tourists to chat with at the
windows. Codrescu dubs Biosphere II a "Disneyland for the
Millenially Disabled." According to Codrescu, America seems to be
discovered over and over again and never definitively. Definitive
discovery seems to have eluded Codrescu also, but at least his
commentaries and slices of life are never dull. I rate this a +1
on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark Leeper
MT 3D-441 908-957-5619
leeper@mtgzfs3.att.com