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From: "Evelyn C. Leeper" <evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom
Subject: MT VOID, 11/08/24 -- Vol. 43, No. 19, Whole Number 2353
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THE MT VOID
11/08/24 -- Vol. 43, No. 19, Whole Number 2353

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 <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:
         Mini Reviews, Part 6 (THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL
                 NEGROES, 42, THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1983))
                 (film reviews by Mark R. Leeper
                 and Evelyn C. Leeper)
         THE ACID HOUSE (letter of comment by Arthur Kaletsky)
         Italian Architecture under Mussolini (letter of comment
                 by Paul Dormer)
         Languages in STAR TREK (letter of comment by Gary McGath)
         This Week's Reading (SNOW CRASH) (book comments
                 by Evelyn C. Leeper)

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

TOPIC: Mini Reviews, Part 6 (film reviews by Mark R. Leeper and
Evelyn C. Leeper)

This is the sixth batch of mini-reviews:

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES (2024): Do not be misled
by the very low rating for THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES
in the IMDb--it is almost entirely due to an exorbitant number of
"1-star" votes, which in turn indicates a lot of people with an
agenda.  (An exorbitant number of "10-star" votes in a small
number of total votes usually indicates the cast and crew are
boosting the score.)

That is not to say it's actually a great movie.  It has its flaws.

It goes on a bit too long, and some of it seems a bit
heavy-handed at times, but I like the premise.  "Magical Negro" is
a concept at least five hundred years old; the term was
popularized by Spike Lee in 2001.  The Magical Negro is a Black
character who is there to help the white character(s (often using
magical powers) and has no purpose other than that.  Spike Lee
cited THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE and THE GREEN MILE, by it goes
back much further, including THE DEFIANT ONES.  (Other examples
are GHOST and DRIVING MISS DAISY.  I might also claim that Big Sam
in GONE WITH THE WIND pre-dates all of these.)

The premise of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES is that
Magical Negroes are real, and that there is a secret organization
that trains and supervises them.  Subtlety is not this movie's
strong point, though according to the commentary a reference to
Crispus Attucks apparently went over most audience members' heads.

(This made me wonder whether he was also the inspiration for the
"Black guy dies first" trope in horror films.)

And the end is not just tacked on--it's actually signaled several
times in the film, but so subtly (okay, there is more subtlety)
that you won't notice it until the second viewing.

I would definitely recommend this if you are interested in modern
racial (and gender) tropes in films.  [-ecl]

Released theatrically 15 March 2024.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30007864/reference>

What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/
the_american_society_of_magical_negroes>


42 (2013): I'm assuming it goes without saying that "42" is more
accurate than the older biopic (THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY), just
as "De-Lovely" is more accurate to Cole Porter's life than "Night
and Day" was.  But I do wonder if the scene in Rickey's office
with PeeeWee Reese and the letters is accurate, or fictional?

SPOILER: Maybe it's because I just saw THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF
MAGICAL NEGROES, but it does seem that Robinson is a bit of a
Magical Negro for Rickey's personal issues.  Of course, the big
difference is that Robinson is a full character with his own
motivation and arc, as is Wendell Smith, rather than just there to
serve Rickey.  END SPOILER

I will say that by the end of the film, seeing that Ben Chapman
never managed again somehow didn't seem punishment enough.  (Not a
spoiler, anymore than saying Titanic sunk is a spoiler.)

Note 1: In SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, the "42" is a
reference to Jackie Robinson, not to THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE
UNIVERSE.  (And though someone has even propounded the theory that
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE's "42" was inspired by
Jackie Robinson, Douglas Adams was British and it's pretty much
agreed that he had no interest in baseball.)

Note 2: In the movie SMOKE, reviewed in the 09/13/24 issue of the
MT VOID, the viewer needs to recognize that the baseball player
wearing the number "42" and seen only from behind is Jackie
Robinson.

I will probably read THE TEAM THAT FOREVER CHANGED BASEBALL AND
AMERICA: THE 1947 BROOKLYN DODGERS (a collection of articles
published by the University of Nebraska Press), especially since I
can apparently get it through interlibrary loan through my
library.  However, given I have several thousand pages in the
books I just got at Second Time Books, I doubt it will happen
anytime soon.  [-ecl]

Released theatrically 12 April 2013.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453562/reference>

What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/42_2013>


THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1983): This TV movie of THE HOUND
OF THE BASKERVILLES has a lot of differences rom earlier (and
indeed most later) versions.

[SPOILERS]

For starters, in earlier versions the girl Sir Hugo chases usually
dies of fright (if her death is mentioned at all), while in this
version it is explicit that Hugo catches and rapes her.

In this version, Laura Lyons's husband shows up, and apparently
loves her even though he abuses her.  And then Laura Lyons is
killed.

Holmes disguises himself on the moor as a gypsy, and interacts
with various main characters in this disguise.

Stapleton tries to kill Sir Henry in London.  Beryl is revealed as
the one who sent the warning letter to Sir Henry.

Holmes follows Stapleton into the mire and tries to save him.
This is as opposed to the versions in which our heroes hear
Stapleton apparently fall into the Mire and drown, or one in which
Beryl has purposely moved the flags Stapleton used to mark the
path so that he would fall into the Mire and drown.  [-ecl]

Released on television 03 November 1983.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453562/reference>

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

TOPIC: THE ACID HOUSE (letter of comment by Arthur Kaletsky)

In response to Evelyn's comments on THE ACID HOUSE in the 11/01/24
issue of the MT VOID, Arthur Kaletsky writes:

Pedant-in-Chief respectfully begs to differ about the ACID HOUSE
film.  Welsh's demonstration that he can do a conventional
literary short story as well as, say, Alice Munro or Raymond
Carver is not in the film AFAIK.  The story is "The Last Resort On
The Adriatic", strongly recommended.  [-ak]

Evelyn responds:

I'm not sure what you're differing on, since I merely said, "THE
ACID HOUSE was made into a film incorporating all four stories in
[the book THE ACID HOUSE].  It is available on Tubi."  I didn't
comment on the style or quality of any of the book, the story, or
the film.  I did make a mistake, however, in that the book THE
ACID HOUSE (at least my edition) has twenty-two stories in it, not
four as some reviewer of the film claimed (or implied).  [-ecl]
========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========