THE MT VOID
Mt. Holz Science Fiction Society
02/25/22 -- Vol. 40, No. 35, Whole Number 2212

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:
Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups, Films,
Lectures, etc. (NJ)
My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments
by Mark R. Leeper)
REACHER (Season 1) (television review by Dale Skran)
Mini Reviews by Evelyn, Part 2 (MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR,
THE LAST DUEL, MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS (2005), and
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (2016)) (film reviews
by Evelyn C. Leeper)
Holmdel Bell Labs Building (letter of comment
by David G. Leeper)
Star Trek Economics, THE PLANETS, and THE END OF ETERNITY
(letter of comment by John Purcell)
This Week's Reading (THE DISPOSSESSED) (book comments
by Evelyn C. Leeper)

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

TOPIC: Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups, Films,
Lectures, etc. (NJ)

Alas, both groups have returned to Zoom meetings, due in part to
COVID, and in part to unpredictable weather. Movies for the
Middletown meeting will be ones people can watch on YouTube,
archive.org, or other free services.

March 3, 2022 (MTPL), 7PM: UNDER THE SKIN (2014) & novel
by Michel Faber
movie: <https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12454572>
ebook: <https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12325827>
audiobook: <https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/10024296>
[links are for MTPL card holders only]
March 24, 2022 (OBPL): TERRA INCOGNITA by Connie Willis,
containing three novellas: "Uncharted Territory", "Remake",
and "D.A."
(The first two are also in FUTURES IMPERFECT, and all are
available in stand-alone volumes.)

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

TOPIC: My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments by
Mark R. Leeper)

There have been amazing number of film adaptions of Robert Louis
Stevenson' s mystery THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. It
is a story that gives a bit of a chill without requiring much
beyond makeup effects. There is one version that seems preferred
over all the others. That is the 1931 version starring Frederic
March doing both title roles: Jekyll and Hyde. It features the use
of a makeup trick that allows Jekyll to become Hyde on screen (or
stage) right in front of the audience. His Hyde is a really
effective and ape-like.

[THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE, March 8, 2:15AM]

March being "31 Days of Oscar" month, there are not a lot of
science fiction or fantasy films on Turner except for those that
got nominations for things like visual effects or make-up, or
marginal films such as HAMLET (1948). (Trivia: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT
DREAM, running on March 7 at 10:30AM, won the Oscar for
cinematography, and is the only Oscar-winner ever to win on a
write-in campaign; after it, the Academy prohibited write-in
votes.) TCM is, however, running the infrequently-seen "The Dot
and the Line" on March 10, at 6:15AM.

[-mrl]

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

TOPIC: REACHER (Season 1) (television review by Dale Skran)

Amazon has stepped up to the plate and corrected the errors of the
two Tom Cruise "Reacher" movies by casting Alan Ritchson as Jack
Reacher. Unlike the fairly short Cruise [5 foot 7 inches],
Ritchson stands a s full 6 foot 2 inches, and with a little bit of
movie magic looms over everyone else like the character from the
book, where Reacher is described as being 6 foot 5 inches. Also,
Ritchson, whom you may know from his portrayal of the DC superhero
"Hawk" in TITANS, is totally ripped, bringing more believability to
the character.

Unlike the two Cruise films, which condensed and twisted the plots
almost beyond recognition, REACHER sticks fairly closely to the
first book, with the addition of a few elements from later books,
notably the character of Neagley and the scene where Reacher's
mother is dying of cancer. The final battle in the series is less
cinematic in terms of how it looks in the book but more Hollywood
in the way it breaks down into less than realistic one-on-one
fights between our heroes and the bad guys.

Overall, though, REACHER is a great adaptation of the first book in
the series, THE KILLING FLOOR. Some of the things that REACHER
gets right include:
- The small-town, backwoods ambience of the books
- Brutal, realistic, well-choreographed fights that show the kind
of techniques a really big, strong, well-trained fighter would use
- Lots of elbow strikes, punches, and head butts, with no fancy
kicking or jumping. I was particularly pleased to see a large
number of elbow strikes, which is probably the most powerful move
available with your upper body, and far more directionally flexible
than is generally understood.
- Honestly showing that Reacher has zero interest in a "fair fight."
- Showing clearly that Reacher is a great detective, on the level
of Sherlock Holmes or Patrick Jane
- Communicating that although Reacher may not be steeped in book
learning, he is almost always the smartest person in the room
- Highlighting the plain-spoken ex-military man of honor that
Reacher is in the books
- A sense of how Reacher is quite different from your typical hero
as he wanders the byways of rural America, seeking to experience
firsthand the country he has spent his life fighting for overseas

Malcom Goodwin [iZombie] plays Oscar Finley, a black Boston cop who
has moved to Margrave, Georgia for his own reasons, and Willa
Fitzgerald has a turn as Roscoe Conkin, one of the few honest cops
in Margrave. Finley and Conklin aid Reacher in his quest to find
his brother's killer and bring Reacher-style justice to Margrave.
The three have great chemistry, and I found their interactions
believable. Goodwin is a very talented actor who is great fun to
watch.

This is a violent, cable-style series, is plenty of beefcake and
some female upper torso nudity, but it is true to the spirit of the
books in a way that the movies were not. The series length--8
episodes--is plenty of time to fully adapt the novel w/o weird
character mergers or gross over-simplifications of the plot.

As a Jack Reacher adaptation, REACHER is a must-watch for any fan
of the series. Those who haven't read the books will find that the
series stands on its own. As a fan of the books, it's hard for me
to give an objective rating. REACHER is not as good as something
like THE AMERICANS or BOSCH, but it is not that far below them
either - a solid +2 on the -4 to +4 scale. With the graphic
violence and sex, as well as post-torture viewing of bodies,
REACHER may not be for everyone, and certainly is not for kids.
[-dls]

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

TOPIC: Mini Reviews by Evelyn, Part 2 (film reviews by Evelyn
C. Leeper)

MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR: MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR is not science
fiction, but as a historical drama it veers towards alternate
history. It is based on the novel by Robert Harris, who is best
known (to me, anyway) as the author of FATHERLAND, which definitely
*is* an alternate history. In MUNICH--THE EDGE OF WAR, the biggest
change is in Neville Chamberlain, who is portrayed, not as being
taken in by Hitler, but rather working a longer plan to prepare
Britain (and America) for the war that he knows is inevitably
coming. The rest is fairly accurate, if at times a bit hard to
follow, but obviously of interest to those who like historical
dramas.

Released on Netflix streaming 01/21/22.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7475578/reference>

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

THE LAST DUEL: Ridley Scott is no stranger to historical dramas,
and so the quality of the visuals of THE LAST DUEL are not
unexpected. But what we have here is basically RASHOMON, and while
it is instructive to see how the characters' actions, expressions,
and intonations are subtly different in each of the three versions,
it does make for a long film. Fans of Riley Scott and historical
dramas will want to see it; others should probably skip it. (The
inquisitor at the trial seems to be a 14th century version of Rep.
Todd Akin, and that and other aspects emphasize the attitudes
towards women at that time.)

On 2/27/22 9:23 AM, eleeper@optonline.net wrote:

> TOPIC: My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments by
> Mark R. Leeper)
>
> There have been amazing number of film adaptions of Robert Louis
> Stevenson' s mystery THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. It
> is a story that gives a bit of a chill without requiring much
> beyond makeup effects. There is one version that seems preferred
> over all the others. That is the 1931 version starring Frederic
> March doing both title roles: Jekyll and Hyde. It features the use
> of a makeup trick that allows Jekyll to become Hyde on screen (or
> stage) right in front of the audience. His Hyde is a really
> effective and ape-like.

I like the 1920 version. John Barrymore did the transformation without
makeup and without a cut, using just facial expressions and body language.

In the original story, the identity of Jekyll and Hyde was the shock
ending. I don't think any movie has ever done it that way. Today it
would fail to surprise anyone.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 1:52:06 PM UTC-8, Gary McGath wrote:
> On 2/27/22 9:23 AM, ele...@optonline.net wrote:
>
> > TOPIC: My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments by
> > Mark R. Leeper)
> >
> > There have been amazing number of film adaptions of Robert Louis
> > Stevenson' s mystery THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. It
> > is a story that gives a bit of a chill without requiring much
> > beyond makeup effects. There is one version that seems preferred
> > over all the others. That is the 1931 version starring Frederic
> > March doing both title roles: Jekyll and Hyde. It features the use
> > of a makeup trick that allows Jekyll to become Hyde on screen (or
> > stage) right in front of the audience. His Hyde is a really
> > effective and ape-like.
> I like the 1920 version. John Barrymore did the transformation without
> makeup and without a cut, using just facial expressions and body language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8i0U3nUi8E

Pt

In article <4c813fc3-34e9-41c8-b51a-8b5e997012c3n@googlegroups.com>,
Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 1:52:06 PM UTC-8, Gary McGath wrote:
>> On 2/27/22 9:23 AM, ele...@optonline.net wrote:
>>
>> > TOPIC: My Picks for Turner Classic Movies in March (comments by
>> > Mark R. Leeper)
>> >
>> > There have been amazing number of film adaptions of Robert Louis
>> > Stevenson' s mystery THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. It
>> > is a story that gives a bit of a chill without requiring much
>> > beyond makeup effects. There is one version that seems preferred
>> > over all the others. That is the 1931 version starring Frederic
>> > March doing both title roles: Jekyll and Hyde. It features the use
>> > of a makeup trick that allows Jekyll to become Hyde on screen (or
>> > stage) right in front of the audience. His Hyde is a really
>> > effective and ape-like.
>> I like the 1920 version. John Barrymore did the transformation without
>> makeup and without a cut, using just facial expressions and body language.

Without makeup or a cut on his face. There's both on the closeup
of his hand. Hardly necessary.
>
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8i0U3nUi8E

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/