Path: ...!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Cryptoengineer Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom Subject: Re: MT VOID, 02/28/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 35, Whole Number 2369 Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2025 18:16:21 -0500 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 163 Message-ID: References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:16:22 +0100 (CET) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="2de0ca65c78669a5994e3a041345a105"; logging-data="1051767"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18YjpWxUM8UNki6ZtXWQwgROSniWA4EQsU=" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:Qn11Xniz3/6dxUGS+Nxj/CbYKYM= In-Reply-To: Content-Language: en-US Bytes: 9121 On 3/2/2025 8:12 AM, Evelyn C. Leeper wrote: > THE MT VOID > 02/28/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 35, Whole Number 2369 > > Editor: Evelyn Leeper, 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 >     evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com > The latest issue is at . > An index with links to the issues of the MT VOID since 1986 is at > . > > Topics: >         Mark R. Leeper (1950-2025) >         Middletown (NJ) Science Fiction Discussion Group >         Mark's Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March >                 (comments by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper) >         Questions and Answers Quotation (letter of comment >                 by Steve Milton) >         This Week's Reading (DEATH ON THE NILE) (book comments >                by Evelyn C. Leeper) > > =================================================================== > > TOPIC: Mark R. Leeper (1950-2025) > > [I have already sent this sad news to all of you, but I want to be > sure it is also in an official issue of the MT VOID, so that it is > archived somewhere.  -ecl] > > Mark R. Leeper passed away on February 22, 2025.  His end was very > peaceful; one moment there was a breath, and the next there wasn't. > > Mark was born in Chicago in 1950, and has lived in Chicago, West > Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, California, Michigan, and for the > last 47 years, New Jersey.  He received a B.S. in mathematics from > the University of Massachusetts in 1972, an M.S. in mathematics > from Stanford University in 1974, and an M.E. in electrical > engineering and computer science from Stevens Institute of > Technology in 1982.  While at Stanford, he had a paper published > in aequationes mathematicae (Vol.  10, Fasc. 1, 1974) on which he > had begun work as an undergraduate, “An Odd Solution to the > Functional Equation P((x+1)/2)=exp P(x)”.  He was employed at Bell > Laboratories in Holmdel and surrounding locations for 23 years > until his retirement in 2001.  After retiring he ran a free > drop-in math tutoring session twice a week for a dozen years at > the Old Bridge Public Library, and when he had to leave for health > reasons, it was continued by some of the students he had tutored. > > For many years, Mark had been the longest-running film reviewer on > the Internet, regularly publishing reviews since 1984, and being a > member of the Online Film Critics Society since 2014.  His first > science fiction convention was Boskone VI (1969) and he attended > dozens of conventions, serving on panels about film, and also > leading origami workshops at many of them.  In 1978, Mark and his > wife founded the science fiction club at Bell Laboratories in New > Jersey, which existed until their retirement in 2001, and then > continued to produce THE MT VOID, a weekly zine featuring Mark's > editorials and film writing.  It was published continuously over > 46 years, with over 2300 issues.  Mark traveled to about five > dozen countries and published several lengthy travelogues on-line. > He leaves behind him his wife of 52 years Evelyn, sister Sherry, > brother David, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, godchildren, and > friends. > > [-ecl] > > =================================================================== > > TOPIC: Status Report (comments by Evelyn C. Leeper) > > Clearly my status report in the 01/17/25 issue was tempting fate. > Mark went to the hospital a few days later with a twisted colon. > He seemed to be recovering after they operated, but then he > started having swallowing difficulties (common to Parkinson's) and > a loss of appetite.  Eventually he was unable to swallow anything > (even water), and they were unable to insert a feeding tube, and > he passed away just a month after going to the hospital. > > Thank you to all who sent condolences.  It is good to know he was > appreciated by so many people. > > As for the MT VOID, I will continue as long as I can (since > clearly one cannot tell the future).  There will continue to be > mini-reviews of films, and a book column, but probably not TCM > picks.  As we say below, after fourteen years, most of the good > stuff has been picked already.  I will mention if there is > something wonderful available for the first time, though. > > As for the schedule, I plan to still publish every Friday, and > neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stay it > from its swift delivery, blah, blah, blah.  So far it's managed > through Hurricane Sandy, a broken hip, Hurricane Isaias, another > broken hip, several miscellaneous local power outages, and now > Mark's passing. > > I still have an exit strategy, but it still involves no change for > the next couple of years. > > Now your letters of comment are even more appreciated, since I > doubt I can maintain the word-count of the MT VOID on my own. > [-ecl] > > =================================================================== > > TOPIC: Middletown (NJ) Science Fiction Discussion Group > > March 6, 2025: STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE (1977) >     play: "William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope" >         (2013) by Ian Doescher >     audio/text:libby: > > =================================================================== > > TOPIC: Mark's Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments > by Mark R. Leeper and Evelyn C. Leeper) > > [This was written before Mark passed away.  It's fitting his picks > finish with one of his favorite films.  -ecl] > > After doing picks on TCM for fifteen years, it's getting harder to > find films I haven't already recommended.  This month, I will pick > John Huston's THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING.  You cannot do much > better than that.  TCM appears to agree, since they seem to run it > just about every other month.  I first recommended it in 2012, and > have mentioned it in passing since, but I'll give it another > full-blown recommendation. > > I give THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING my top rating of +4 (on the -4 to > +4 scale).  This was the last film that Allied Artists made.  It > just did not earn enough at the box office to save the company. > It is a pity because the film is nearly perfect.  Allied Artists > could not even pay off its stars, Michael Caine and Sean Connery. > Yet I would say it is pretty much the best film either of them > ever made.  And that is going some.  During the age of the British > East India Company two likable scoundrels, formerly soldiers of > the British Army and now at loose ends decide to travel north of > India to Kafiristan where with the aid of army guns they figure > they should be able to set themselves up as kings.  And the scheme > almost works.  Almost.  Originally this film was to be made with > Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart.  It was a project that John > Huston planned for decades before the film could finally be made. > THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING is adventure writ large.  This is a > smart, enjoyable, exciting adventure film, superbly written. > Christopher Plummer is perfect as Rudyard Kipling.  Also on hand > is popular Indian actor Saeed Jaffrey.  The dialog between Caine > and Connery is priceless.  I give this film a very strong > recommendation. > > [THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, Tuesday, March 25, 5:30PM] The film is closely based on a novella by Rudyard Kipling of the same name. There's a strong thread of Freemasonry in the plot. Kipling was a Brother, and Masons will recognize various references, as well as deliberate obfuscations. pt