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From: "Evelyn C. Leeper" <evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com>
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Subject: MT VOID, 06/21/24 -- Vol. 42, No. 51, Whole Number 2333
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THE MT VOID
06/21/24 -- Vol. 42, No. 51, Whole Number 2333

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
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To subscribe or unsubscribe, send mail to eleeper@optonline.net
The latest issue is at <http://www.leepers.us/mtvoid/latest.htm>.
An index with links to the issues of the MT VOID since 1986 is at
<http://leepers.us/mtvoid/back_issues.htm>.

Topics:
         Star Trek Movies (film reviews by Mark R. Leeper)
         BOYNTON BEACH CLUB (film review by Art Stadlin)
         Ted Chiang Wins 2024 PEN/Bernard and Ann Malamud Award
         Smaug's Net Worth
         "A Subway Named Mobius" (letter of comment by Someone.Else)
         Spilt Infinitives (letter of comment by Peter Rubinstein)
         This Week's Reading ("The Circular Ruins" and
                 translations) (book comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)

===================================================================

TOPIC: Star Trek Movies (film reviews by Mark R. Leeper)

This month is the 40th anniversary of STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH
FOR SPOCK, the 35th anniversary of STAR TREK V: THE FINAL
FRONTIER, and the 15th anniversary of STAR TREK (the 2009 reboot).
So here's a comparison of excerpts from Mark's reviews when each
of the three of them came out.]

STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK: No other science fiction
series ever succeeded in providing ideas, action, and drama as
often as STAR TREK.  Up to the present, neither have the "Star
Trek" films.  STAR TREK III by far comes the closest of the three
to what made a good episode of the TV series.  Leonard Nimoy's
direction start a little maudlin and hammy, but soon takes on a
darker tone.  In retrospect, it seems like there was not a lot of
plot for the screen time, but the tale never drags and the
characters are interesting and empathetic.  At this point, it was
no small feat to make Kirk once again a sympathetic character.  In
the previous two films he seemed a pompous incompetent whose
correct decisions never seemed to compensate for his blunders.
Welcome back, STAR TREK.

STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER: This is the most flawed of the
Star Trek movies.  But it also has the courage to say something
controversial and for once something that is not pat.  For reasons
I cannot say here without spoiling plot, I see this as a film of
subversive ideas.  For that reason I have surprised myself by
liking the film a lot.  Rating: +2 (-4 to +4).

STAR TREK (2009):  The new film STAR TREK (the title is just the
two words) is J. J. Abrams's restart of the "Star Trek" series.
While nobody is going to give it any awards for great new ideas,
it does tell a good action-filled adventure story and makes a
prequel and origin to the original TV series that is almost
consistent.  The viewer does see and hear the 1966 characters in
their younger incarnations--no small feat for the filmmakers.  One
almost wants to go back and watch the original series to see what
happens next.  A new fan of the series--and there are more that I
would have expected--can enjoy STAR TREK, but a veteran "Trek"
devotee will get a lot more out of it.  I rate the new movie a +2
on the -4 to +4 scale or 7/10.

[-mrl]

===================================================================

TOPIC: BOYNTON BEACH CLUB (film review by Art Stadlin)

[A discussion of The Villages and other retirement communities in
Florida on our retirees' mailing list prompted this review.  -ecl]

Okay, I watched this one over the weekend.  Married couples retire
and move to paradise to live out their golden years in an active
community with lots of activities.  This could be Boynton Beach,
The Villages, Del Boca Vista, or hundreds of senior communities in
Florida (or elsewhere).

In the world of aging, eventually men and women lose a spouse and
find themself alone in paradise, grieving.  And this is the
central theme of BOYNTON BEACH CLUB: losing a spouse, joining
others to grieve with in weekly meetings, and searching for a path
forward.  In this movie, that path forward means finding a new
love interest.

So how does a faithful, loving husband or wife move forward after
losing his/her spouse to cancer after a 45-year marriage?  As you
might imagine, there are many awkward moments.  Also touching
moments.

This movie follows a few residents, each very different in how
they grieve and how they move forward.  In that way, this movie is
a kind of two-hour soap opera.  I wouldn't be surprised to see
this played on a Sunday afternoon on mainstream TV.  No nudity, no
foul language, no violence any worse than THE WIZARD OF OZ.

If you were hoping to be entertained by some of the politics of
HOAs, this is not the movie.

I watched it on Peacock, with my lower cost subscription that
contains ads.  For me, Peacock showed several ads before starting
the feature.  Then somewhere in the middle was another batch of
ads (which was enough time for a bio break).  Otherwise,
uninterrupted.

Now playing free or with subscription on Peacock, Tubi, Roku
Channel, Pluto, Prime Video, Hoopla.  [-as]

[Mark's review of SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, about The Villages, ran in
the 04/02/21 issue of the MT VOID and can be found at
<http://leepers.us/somekind.htm>.]

===================================================================

TOPIC: Ted Chiang Wins 2024 PEN/Bernard and Ann Malamud Award

"The PEN/Faulkner Foundation announces that Ted Chiang has been
selected as the winner of the 2024 PEN/Bernard and Ann Malamud
Award for Excellence in the Short Story.  Given since 1988 in
honor of the late Bernard Malamud, the award recognizes writers
who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the short story
form."

Full story at:

<https://www.penfaulkner.org/2024/06/11/ted-chiang-wins-the-2024-
pen-malamud-award-for-excellence-in-the-short-story/>

===================================================================

TOPIC: Smaug's Net Worth

In an article updated on 04/09/24, Forbes's 2011 calculation of
Smaug's net worth is discussed:

<https://www.cbr.com/lord-of-rings-smaug-net-worth-explained/>

===================================================================

TOPIC: "A Subway Named Mobius" (letter of comment by Someone.Else)

In response to Evelyn's comments on the film MOBIUS in the
06/14/24 issue of the MT VOID, "Someone.Else" writes:

Evelyn wrote, "The story is, of course, 'A Subway Named Mobius' by
A. J. Deutsch.  This may have achieved its greatest fame when it
was included in Martin Gardner's FANTASIA MATHEMATICA."  [-ecl]

An understandable mistake, but FANTASIA MATHEMATICAL and THE
MATHEMATICAL MAGPIE were both edited by Clifton Fadiman.  [-se]

Evelyn responds:

And as proof that I'm not paying attention, I originally read this
as saying I had named the wrong book, went to the shelf to check,
and looked under Martin Gardner to try to find it!  [-ecl]

===================================================================

TOPIC: Spilt Infinitives (letter of comment by Peter Rubinstein)

In response to various comments on word use and mis-use in the
06/14/24 issue of the MT VOID, Peter Rubinstein writes:

Jim Susky wrote, "Sometime last century I read a New Year's review
in which certain non-standard (mis-) usages were cited.  One I
remember--to NOT use "impact" as a verb."

And Evelyn wrote, "'Namesake' is another tricky one.  It
originally meant someone named after someone else, but now seems
to also mean the reverse.

When I was a child, it was verboten to split an infinitive.  When
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