| Vol. 19 Issue 11 - November 1, 1999 | Copyright 1999 |
The Electronic Edition
Robin R. Brunner, Publisher
David Henninger, Editor
The Circular of Janus is a publication of the Circle of Janus Science Fiction Club of Central Indiana. Subscription is included with membership, $15.00/year. For information write to Circle of Janus, P.O. Box 68514, Indianapolis, IN 46268-0514. Web Page: http://www.inconjunction.org/coj. E-mail: webmaster@inconjunction.org.
In This Edition:
- MEETING INFO
- INCON AND CoJ WEB SITE
- MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY'S OBITUARY
- THE GAME ADVOCACY MOVEMENT
- DO YOU HAVE MAIL? (EARTH AND GOD)
- MOVIE CLIPS
- THE RAVEN by Edgar Allen Poe's Cat
Meeting Info
The next meeting of The Circle of Janus will be November 6th at the Children's Museum.
The meeting will begin at the usual time.
[For information regarding the private club areas of the web site contact the web-master. JNT.
From http://www.mzbfm.com/mzb_bio.htm:
She was a science fiction/fantasy fan from her middle teens, and made her first sale as an adjunct to an amateur fiction contest in FANTASTIC/AMAZING STORIES in 1949. She had written as long as she could remember, but wrote only for school magazines and fanzines until 1952, when she sold her first professional short story to VORTEX SCIENCE FICTION. She wrote everything from science fiction to Gothics, but is probably best known for her Darkover novels.
In addition to her novels, Mrs. Bradley edited many magazines, amateur and professional, including Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine, which she started in 1988. She also edited an annual anthology called SWORD AND SORCERESS for DAW Books.
Over the years she turned more to fantasy; THE HOUSE BETWEEN THE WORLDS, although a selection of the Science Fiction Book Club, was "fantasy undiluted." She wrote a novel of the women in the Arthurian legends-Morgan Le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and others-entitled MISTS OF AVALON, which remained four months on the NY Times best seller list, and she also wrote THE FIREBRAND, a novel about the women of the Trojan War. Her historical fantasy novel, THE FOREST HOUSE, is a prequel to MISTS OF AVALON, and LADY OF AVALON fits between them.
She died in Berkeley, California on September 25, 1999, four days after suffering a major heart attack. She was survived by her brother, Leslie Zimmer; her sons, David Bradley and Patrick Breen; her daughter, Moira Stern; and two grandchildren.
DAH
"This would be a full-time operation, that would eventually claim members from all over the country (and in other countries as well, given enough time), working for gaming advocacy, research, education, and doing charity work in the name of gaming."
Bill invites response and suggestions for such an organization as well as inquiries from those interested in joining. He can be e-mailed at waltonwj@aol.com or you can visit his web site at http://members.aol.com/waltonwj. Unfortunately we don't have a snail mail address for him.
Well, he thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a male angel; to get both points of view." So God called a male angel and sent him to Earth for a time. When the male angel returned, he went to God and told him, "Yes, the Earth was in decline, 95% was bad and 5% was good." God said that was not good. He decided to e-mail the 5% who were good and encourage them -- a little something to help them keep going.
Do you know what that e-mail said?
Oh, you didn't get one either?!!!
Nov. 5
THE MESSENGER: THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC
Nov. 11
SLEEPY HOLLOW
Nov. 17
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
Nov 24
THE END OF DAYS
TOY STORY 2
Dec. 3
VIRTUAL SEXUALITY
Dec. 12
STUART LITTLE
DIAMONDS
GALAXY QUEST
Dec 17
THE BICENTENNIAL MAN
THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN
MAN ON THE MOON
RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA is still listed on the Corona site as being released New Year's Eve but little other information is available and that date doesn't look too reliable.
Rumored to be released this fall, possibly as soon as October 29, is THE PRINCESS MONONOKE. This is a stunning fantasy epic released in Japan in '97 and continues to be the second biggest money maker in that country. (Some of you have seen the Japanese language version at Jeff and Kathy's.) Jeff reports that it isn't likely to show up in Indy. We may have to wait for video. "Princess Mononoke is due out at the end of this month (October 29th) but it looks like there are no showings in Indy, there are shows in Chicago, IL and unconfirmed shows in Columbus, OH. (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mh/release.html). I've read LOADS of stuff on http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com, and on http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mh as well You can also look at http://www.princess-mononoke.com (the trailer is in the "media" section).
Also expected soon is HEAVY METAL 2: F.A.K.K. The animated film is supposed to come out January or February of 2000.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
The Web sites are:
http://mrshowbiz.go.com/news/Todays_Stories/991008/blanchettrings100899.html
Tipsy and a bit unshaven
"Raven's very tasty," thought I, as I
Soft upon the rug I treaded,
While the Bard and birdie chattered
For his house is crammed with trinkets,
Still the Raven never fluttered,
While this dirge the birdbrain kept up
Soon he was a heap of plumage, plus a
"Ah!" my pickled poet cried out,
How I've wallowed in self-pity
Back atop the door I clambered, eyed that
Contributed by Pam Barker
Accessing the InCon and CoJ Web Sites
from Jeff Thompson
[Look for updates on this in later issues. DAH]
MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY
by David Henninger
As most of us have heard by now, Marion Zimmer Bradley died last month after a long illness. Linda Dunn sent us this obituary from the author's official web site.
The Game Advocacy Movement
by David Henninger
Andy Andrews has forwarded a message from Bill Walton who runs a web page devoted to game advocacy. Bill is very interested in "defending the RPG and CCG hobby against attacks by the media and religious right." He reports that he has been approached by the CEO of a major gaming company about forming an organization dedicated to the protection of computer and role playing gaming. "and for the record, no, it is not Wizards of the Coast."
Do You Have Mail???
Earth and God
One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the evil that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out. So he called on a female angel and sent her to Earth for a time. When she returned she told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth, 95% is bad and 5% is good."
Movie Clips
by Dave Henninger (mostly)
Here are some of the movies to look for over the next few months:
The only living descendant of Jesus Christ is a woman working in an abortion clinic and she's on a Mission for God.
The classic tale with Milla Jovovich as Joan with Dustin Hoffman, Fay Dunaway and John Malkovich.
Directed by Tim Burton with Johnny Dep as Ichabod Crane. This time Ichabod is a detective trying to solve decapitation murders in rural Sleepy Hollow. Christopher Lee appears and Danny Elfman does the music.
James Bond combats an attempt to control the world's oil supply. Pierce Brosnan. John Cleese appears as R.
Satan is on Earth looking for someone to bear his child so that he can hurry up Armageddon. Arnold Schwarzenegger has to protect his intended. This is directed by Peter Hymes who did Capricorn One and 2010.
Woody the Cowboy is so old he's become a collector's item. When he's stolen, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang are off to the rescue. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return.
British film about a frustrated teenage girl who can't seem to shed her virginity. She creates a fantasy guy on a computer. When the computer explodes he comes alive a la Weird Science. Problem is he's got her personality not the one intended. This is supposed to be a comedy but it's getting very mixed reviews and may be hard to find.
E.B. White's classic children's story. Computer animation combines with live actors.
Ok, so this one isn't SF or Faantasy but it is Kirk Douglas' return after his debilitating stroke. Also stars Lauren Bacall, Dan Aykroyd, John Landis, and Jenny McCarthy.
Twenty years ago Galaxy Quest was a hot TV show about a daring Captain and his crew who crossed the galaxy in their starship solving crises and rescuing, well, everybody. Now the show is in syndication and the cast are at SF cons. Small problem: some aliens living under a repressive regime have discovered the show and are unaware that it's fiction. This all sounds like late 70s fan fiction but Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver are our intrepid space heroes. This could be real funny.
Robin Williams plays the robot on a journey to become human in the Isaac Asimov story. Sam Neill also stars.
Again not SF. This is a Chinese epic film about the man who would become the first emperor of China and the man who wants to kill him.
Not SF either. This is Jim Carrey playing Andy Kaufman.
The complex plot concerns the primal conflict between man and nature. A virgin forest is populated by intelligent creatures and supernatural forces that are now threatened by the encroaching civilization of man. The forest is protected by Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves. The leader of the industrial village is an ambitious woman who takes in lepers and outcast women. Into the middle rides a young hero who is trying to prevent his own death. This is not a simple good vs. evil story.
Mirimax will release it with a new English sound track.
Steve Bridge sent us information on three web sites about the new live action movie, The Lord of the Rings. This is actually three films, each based on one of the books by J. R. R Tolkien, now in production. They are primarily an Australian effort combining computer graphics and animation with real actors. It's as if Australia is trying to say "See, we can do Star Wars too." If they can pull it off , it will be truly impressive. The cast sure is. Here are a few of the principal players.
Elijah Wood/Frodo Baggins, Sean Astin/Samwise Gamgee, Ian McKellen/Gandalf, Ian Holm/Bilbo Baggins, Christopher Lee/Saruman, Liv Tyler/Arwen, John Rhys-Davies/Gimli, Orlando Bloom/Legolas, Sean Bean/Boromir, Ethan Hawke/Faramir, Uma Thurman/Eowyn, Cate Blanchett/Galadriel.
Computer special effects will be used to make regular sized actors look like hobbits, dwarves, and elves. Like The Phantom Menace, some characters will be entirely computer generated.
http://www.xenite.org/faqs/lotr_movie/press-release.html
http://theonering.net/movie/index.html
The Raven
by Edgar Allen Poe's Cat
On a night quite unenchanting
When the rain was downward slanting
I awakened to the ranting
Of the man I catch mice for.
Poe was talking to a Raven
Perched above the chamber door.
tiptoed o'er the floor,
"There is nothing I like more."
Calm and carefully I headed
Towards his roost atop that dreaded bust
of Pallas I deplore.
I made sure that nothing clattered,
Creaked or snapped, or fell, or shattered
As I crossed the barron floor,
curious and weird decor,
Bric-a-brac and junk galore.
Standing stock still as he uttered
In a voice that shrieked and sputtered
His two cents worth: "Nevermore."
Oh, so silently I crept up
Then I crouched and quickly leapt up,
Pouncing on the feathered bore.
little blood and gore-
Only this and nothing more.
"Pussycat, it's time I dried out!
Never sat I in my hideout
Talking to a bird before!
While my gallant, noble kitty
Put an end to that damned ditty!"
Then I heard him start to snore.
statue I abhor,
Jumped-and smashed it on the floor.