Path: ...!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "Evelyn C. Leeper" Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom Subject: MT VOID, 04/05/24 -- Vol. 42, No. 40, Whole Number 2322 Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2024 12:14:39 -0400 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 270 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2024 16:14:40 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="8d1e438c4669b6058abaa0361349e077"; logging-data="3032385"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1+OqDtx++IqT2J6mtx9iGO4" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:OP4paDroAQo6O6Kc50Vry1iuDbE= Content-Language: en-US Bytes: 12990 THE MT VOID 04/05/24 -- Vol. 42, No. 40, Whole Number 2322 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 . An index with links to the issues of the MT VOID since 1986 is at . Topics: Mini Reviews, Part 22 (DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, ROLLERBALL, KISSES FOR MY PRESIDENT) (film reviews by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper) Hugo Award Finalists Announced Blackface (letter of comment by Gary McGath) This Week's Reading (THE PENGUIN BOOK OF MURDER MYSTERIES) (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper) =================================================================== TOPIC: Mini Reviews, Part 22 (film reviews by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper) This is the twenty-second batch of mini-reviews, all older films. DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE (1960): DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE reminded me of THE WICKER MAN (1973). Given that DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE is a G-rated Disney film, and THE WICKER MAN is most definitely an R-rated horror film, this may seem like an odd statement. But both of them use attempt to fool the audience with a trick in the credits. In DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE, Disney credits King Brian, saying, "My thanks to King Brian of Knocknasheega and his Leprechauns, whose gracious co-operation made this picture possible. -Walt Disney" In THE WICKER MAN, the credits read, "The Producer would like to thank The Lord Summerisle and the people of his Island off the west coast of Scotland for this privileged insight into their religious practices and for their generous co-operation in the making of this film." Everyone comments on FARGO (and other films) which claim to be based on true stories but aren't, but DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE and THE WICKER MAN add a layer of subtlety which is rather charming. Released theatrically 22 June 1960. Film Credits: What others are saying: ROLLERBALL (1975): Our film and book group watched the original 1975 ROLLERBALL and read the short story of the same name. The themes were are pertinent now as then, but the film does have problems. There was (in my opinion) far too much of the sports aspect. Obviously one of the ideas behind the film was that the crowds like violent sports--and the more violent, the better. The uniforms and equipment purposely invoke gladiatorial contests, and the progression of rule changes to make the game even more violent seems to meet with the approval of the crowds. The message pushed by the corporations--that it is the team, not the individual, that matters, and hence employees are just interchangeable units--is one that still persists. There are times that I was reminded of ZARDOZ in some of the pastimes of the idle rich. The way women are treated seemed to be inspired by how they were called "furniture" in SOYLENT GREEN. And the use of sharp glass vanes to give the appearance of openness while actually enclosing a cage/trap was a nice touch. [-ecl] Released theatrically 25 June 1975. Film Credits: What others are saying: KISSES FOR MY PRESIDENT (1964): I just watched KISSES FOR MY PRESIDENT, and a painful experience it was too. It was the first film with a female President of the United States, but it was just as patronizing as you might expect, and with an ending that meets all one's expectations for a film like this made in 1960. Everyone seems totally clueless about having a "First Gentleman" instead of a "First Lady": the bedroom assigned to him was more feminine that anything outside of a farce, he is left to wander around the White House rather than being taken around to familiarize himself with it, and people still treat the President as if she's still a housewife. From the post-Hillary, post-Chastain era, this looks totally ludicrous. Actually, it probably looked fairly ludicrous even then. Polly Bergen is at times at least somewhat Presidential, though not consistently. Fred MacMurray is totally at a loss as "First Gentleman", even though Bergen must have had a long career in politics before she became President. And the Secret Service seems not just inept, but positively derelict in duty. (Yes, this was made before the Kennedy assassination, but even so the Secret Service would not have let the First Gentleman get in a car alone with a clearly unbalanced foreign dictator, or visit an ex-girlfriend alone without explicit instructions from him.) Released theatrically 21 August 1964. Film Credits: What others are saying: =================================================================== TOPIC: Hugo Award Finalists Announced We are not going to include the entire list here (it is over 200 lines long). It can be found at . We will list the two "major" categories, and will actually include all the info for them (in the Roman alphabet), rather than just the titles and authors: Best Novel: - THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI by Shannon Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager UK) - THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom) - SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh (Tordotcom, Orbit UK) - STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi (Tor, Tor UK) - TRANSLATION STATE by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK) - WITCH KING by Martha Wells (Tordotcom) Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: - BARBIE, screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, directed by Greta Gerwig (Warner Bros. Studios) - DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES, screenplay by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and Michael Gilio, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Paramount Pictures) - NIMONA, screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Annapurna Animations) - POOR THINGS, screenplay by Tony McNamara, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Element Pictures) - SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (Columbia Pictures / Marvel Entertainment / Avi Arad Productions / Lord Miller / Pascal Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation) - THE WANDERING EARTH II, based on the novel by Liu Cixin, screenplay by Yang Zhixue, Frant Gwo, Gong Geer, and Ye Ruchang, script consultant Wang Hongwei, directed by Frant Gwo (CFC Pictures Ltd / G!Film (Beijing) Studio Co. Ltd / Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communication Co, Ltd / China Film Co. Ltd) Glasgow reports: The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but declined nomination: Best Novel – SYSTEM COLLAPSE, by Martha Wells Best Novelette – "The Far North" by Hai Ya Best Related Work: Bigolas Dickolas Wolfwood’s promotional tweets for THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR Best Editor, Long Form: Natasha Bardon Best Fan Writer: Camestros Felapton The following nominees received enough votes to qualify for the final ballot, but were not eligible for specific reasons: Best Novel – COSMO WINGS by Jiang Bo – publication in 2024 Best Fancast - Discover X: interviews by Tina Wong – professional production; also qualified in the Best Related ========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========