THE MT VOID
01/27/23 -- Vol. 41, No. 31, Whole Number 2260

Co-Editor: Mark Leeper, mleeper@optonline.net
Co-Editor: Evelyn Leeper, eleeper@optonline.net
Sending Address: evelynchimelisleeper@gmail.com
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Topics:
Science Fiction (and Other) Discussion Groups, Films,
Lectures, etc. (NJ)
Online Film Critics Society Annual Movie Awards
Mathematics and Lambada (letter of comment
by John Kerr-Mudd)
This Week's Reading (book and Chengdu Worldcon comments)
by Evelyn C. Leeper)

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

Meetings are still fluctuating between in-person and Zoom. The
best way to get the latest information is to be on the mailing
lists for them.

February 2, 2023 (MTPL) ALPHAVILLE (1965) & "You'd Be Surprised"
(a.k.a. "Don't Be Surprised") by Peter Cheyney (not SF)
<https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/14748408>
<https://tinyurl.com/Cheyney-BeSurprised>
<https://tinyurl.com/Cheyney-Complete-99c>

==================================================================
TOPIC: Mark's Picks for Turner Classic Movies in February (comments
by Mark R. Leeper)

Fans of Michael Crichton's techno-thrillers might take a good look
at Hank Searls’s stories. Both authors wrote novels using
near-future science fictional premises. Searls's 1960 THE PILGRIM
PROJECT was about a 1960 government program to put the first man on
the moon. TCM will be showing his film on a different premise THE
CROWDED SKY (1953), which has Dana Andrews as a government
inspector trying to find the causes of a string of plane crashes.
Dana Andrews had previously starred in the 1957 airline disaster
film ZERO HOUR!, later remade into the parody film AIRPLANE!
(1980), and in AIRPORT 75 (1974).

[THE CROWDED SKY, Wednesday, February 1, 2:30PM]

[-mrl/ecl]

==================================================================
TOPIC: Online Film Critics Society Annual Movie Awards

BEST PICTURE - EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO
BEST DIRECTOR - Daniel Kwan, DANIEL SCHEINERT -
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
BEST ACTOR - Colin Farrell - THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
BEST ACTRESS - MICHELLE YEOH - EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Ke Huy Quan -
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Kerry Condon - THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
BEST EDITING - EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - TOP GUN: MAVERICK
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
BEST COSTUME DESIGN - BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
BEST DEBUT FEATURE - AFTERSUN - Charlotte Wells
BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE - DECISION TO LEAVE
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - FIRE OF LOVE

Technical Achievement Awards:
3D EFFECTS DESIGN - AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER for 3D Effects Design
ORIGINAL SONG - "NAATU NAATU" - RRR for Original Song
SOUND DESIGN - TAR for Sound Design
STUNT COORDINATION - RRR for Stunt Coordination
STUNT COORDINATION - TOP GUN: MAVERICK for Stunt Coordination

Top Ten Films of 2022 (in ranked order)
- EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
- THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
- TAR
- THE FABELMANS
- NOPE
- RRR
- TOP GUN: MAVERICK
- AFTERSUN
- WOMEN TALKING
- EO

Awards Tallies:
6 - EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
4 - THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
2 - AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, RRR, TOP GUN: MAVERICK
1 - AFTERSUN, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, DECISION TO LEAVE,
FIRE OF LOVE, GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY,
GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO, TAR

Special Achievement Awards:
- Geena Davis - actor, producer, Oscar and Golden Globe winner,
founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media,
winner of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
- Maya Cade and the Black Film Archive
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum -
For providing a site where all aspects of cinema can be displayed.

Lifetime Achievement Awards:
- Ruth E. Carter, costume designer
- Claire Denis, director
- Pam Grier, actor
- Barbara Kopple, documentarian
- Bruce Willis, actor

Best Non-U.S. Releases:
CONTINENTAL DRIFT (South) (Switzerland) (dir. Lionel Baier)
EVERYBODY LOVES JEANNE (France) (dir. Celine Devaux)
KIMMAPIIYIPITSSINI: The Meaning of Empathy (Canada)
(dir. Elle-Maija Tailfeathers)
LOVE LIFE (Japan) (dir. Koji Fukada)
LULLABY (Spain) (dir. Alauda Ruiz de Azua)
MET MES (Netherlands) (dir. Sam de Jong)
MY GRANDFATHER'S DEMONS (Portugal) (dir. Nuno Beato)
MY SMALL LAND (Japan) (dir. Emma Kawawada)
PARIS MEMORIES (France) (dir. Alice Winocour)
RUN WOMAN RUN (Canada) (dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins)

Founded is 1997 by film critic Harvey Karten, OFCS is a
professional association that comprises of online film critics,
film journalists, historians and scholars from around the world.
The membership is dedicated to its mission of furthering the growth
of the informed film audience by utilizing the Internet as a
valuable source of news and commentary. OFCS provides a forum for
its members to communicate and discuss ideas about journalism and
cinema and encourage a high standard of journalism across online
media platforms.

[Mark is a member of the OFCS.]

==================================================================
TOPIC: Mathematics and Lambada (letter of comment by John Kerr-Mudd)

In response to Mark and Evelyn's review of MARRY ME in the 01/13/23
issue of the MT VOID, John Kerr-Mudd writes:

[Mark and Evelyn write,] "But at least they use a math competition
as the climax rather than a lambada contest." [-mrl/ecl]

Lambada->Lambda with one easy subtraction. [-jkm]

==================================================================
TOPIC: This Week's Reading (book and Chengdu Worldcon comments by
Evelyn C. Leeper)

Why are the last ten books I've added to my reading list from James
Davis Nicoll's recommendations all in the bottom two boxes of the
five-box stacks of our books?

And now that I've made a book comment, let me give some of my
thoughts on the Chengdu Worldcon:

1) Chengdu has finally enabled people outside of China to buy
memberships, but given that happened only ten days before the
deadline to be able to nominate for the Hugos, this will
undoubtedly have some effect on the awards, and may affect
memberships in general.

2) Airfare to Chengdu from outside Asia was always expensive, but
has gotten even more so.

3) Chengdu changed their dates in mid-January. People *probably*
had not bought plane tickets yet, but those who had are probably
now stuck with their non-refundable tickets. They may be able to
change them for a fee, but for those who had vacation time in
August, but not in October, this won't help.

4) Chengdu also changed the venue to one that isn't finished yet
(which presumably is why they changed the dates). This does not
fill people with confidence about the convention.

5) They also claim one room in the new venue is named the "Hugo
Awards Hall", ignoring that "Hugo Awards" is trademarked.

6) All the above makes me think that the availability of a Hugo
packet this year is somewhat iffy. Do they have the staff who know
how to pull one together, and has time to pull one together, and
can actually get buy-in from the nominees?

Add to all those problems the previously existing ones:

7) Many people are boycotting Chengdu because of the Chinese
government's record on human rights.

8) This is exacerbated by the Chengdu Worldcon choosing Guests of
Honor who have supported the Russian invasion of and war crimes in
Ukraine, or the Chinese imprisonment of the Uyghurs.

9) Reports of tourists being arrested for posting negative comments
about the Chinese government on social media while in China have
made even more people decide to skip this one.

10) COVID-19.

I have not seen a breakdown by country of people eligible to
nominate and/or vote for the Hugo Awards. I would hope that all
the Chicon 8 members would nominate in order to make sure that the
ballot is not determined by a relatively small number of Chengdu
members. As for Site Selection, I suspect China will not bid for
2025.