From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V2 #190 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Tuesday, October 14 2003 Volume 02 : Number 190 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 12:50:49 -0500 From: "Thom Duncan" Subject: RE: [AML] Negative Themes and Artistic Value - --- Original Message --- From: "Eric Samuelsen" To: Subject: RE: [AML] Negative Themes and Artistic Value >I would love to know which contemporary films "glamorize adultery and >murder." I can hardly think of a single film I've seen in the last five >years which does either. > >I can think of lots of pop culture which DEPICT adultery or murder. I >can think of plenty of films which show enough skin that those who watch >them might be TEMPTED to commit adultery. But I can't think of a single >one which glamorize murder or adultery. > >Specifics, anyone? "Pulp Fiction?" No, that shows that murder is a horrible way of life and those who dabble in it get their comeuppance. And damn that redemption scene wher Samuel Jackson gets a "revelation" and decides to give it up and "walk the earth." "Reservoir Dogs?" Surely that's a film that glorifies murder, as bloody as it is. But, dang it, now, all the bad guys get their just desserts in the end by an undercover cop. "Fatal Attraction?" Wait, doesn't the adultress get killed in the end? Surely, there MUST be some films like Eric is talking about. - -- Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 13:31:06 -0500 From: "Thom Duncan" Subject: Re: [AML] Women in LDS Film, or Not Pretty Enough, Part 1 Using attractive actors seems to be something that only we here in America are worried about. Take a look at some of the best British Television, and, except for those programs which obviously mimic American television series, the people in those are real people, every one. Is there anyone all that gorgeous in "Keeping Up Appearances?" So films CAN be made with normal looking folk. But because we are all so brain-washed in this country about what is what is not beautiful, we probably can't be financially successful with films about Ordinary People. (And it is also a factor in our film industry that you must make a profit, and massive ones at that. Small profits which can be made from the smaller films are still happening but with our studio system, they are necessarily few and far between. Thom (who hopes to see a hooker in a movie who actually looks like the skanks on Cops instead of like super model in between gigs.) - -- Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 14:36:07 -0700 (PDT) From: Mary Aagard Subject: Re: [AML] Work & Glory Movie or - --- Margaret Blair Young wrote: > I'm glad Eric Snider supplied the actual numbers for > the BOM[b] movie. > I had a sense it was failing miserably. My husband > still wants to see > it, but I think he'll have to take someone other > than me. (Please > volunteer to me personally.)=20 > When the movie was first announced, I had a sick > feeling about what it > would be--and apparently, from what Michael M. said, > I was pretty right > about the cardboard characters. What interested me > was that after a > scathing review of the BOMM appeared in BYU's _Daily Universe_, my > students began talking about it.=20 > Without exception, all were appalled that the movie > had ever been made. > One student was really upset over a preview she'd > seen which depicted > Nephi KISSING a woman. This simply did not fit into > the YW Handbook and > can anyone really believe that our heroic Nephi > would actually engage in > some Hestonesque kissing?=20 > Did they kiss back then? Anyway, not a single one > of my students had > any desire to see the movie. One offered to see it > if the class would > pay for his ticket--just so he could report. I was > genuinely surprised > by this reaction and, I admit, heartened. Mary says: You're heartened? It sounds like they don't want to see the movie because it looks like crap but because of the subject matter. Ask your students what they think Nephi looked like and I'll bet a lot of them will think that he looked exactly like the Freiburg painting in the Book of Mormons and trying to convince them otherwise will break their little heads. And, if you want to see a movie that will break your head, it did mine (I had a very thoughtful time trying to put it back together) is Carl Dreyer's, Ordet. I remember when I was at BYU they showed it at the International Cinema quite frequently, and you can probably rent it from the Orem Pub Library. I don't know if Richard mentioned that on his list of movies that he gave at his talky talk there. Mary Aagard - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 16:06:16 -0600 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: Re: [AML] Harry Potter I enjoyed many of the things in the Harry Potter books which Linda mentioned as being cut-worthy. But while I agree with Melissa that the details are half the fun of Harry Potter, I have to agree with Linda on the editing. It's not the details and extra story stuff that I have a beef with, it's the actual line editing. So many sentences were filled with dead wood--extra words, adverbs, redundancies, and so on. And what was the deal with all the screamers (all caps and exclamation points) that littered the first several chapters? They got so old that after a while it felt like the text itself was screaming--and I got numb to the sensation, so the emotions they were supposed to convey were lost. And with this last book, the plot did seem to meander a bit; it wasn't propelled forward by anything more than the calendar. That said, I'll still preorder #6 when it comes out. Annette Lyon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 16:06:31 -0600 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: Re: [AML] Stock Emotions and Sentimentalism "can you write a scene where Hitler comes across as sympathetic to the families of Holocaust Survivors?" I am sick of this argument, and I've heard it a thousand times. How many of us are really going to attempt this kind of thing? Hitler was so over the top evil and bizarre that it isn't a fair question. I can wager a good guess that I'll never write anything with such a character, and yet I hope the characters I do write--all of them--are real, sympathetic, and not "stock." Annette Lyon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:36:37 -0600 From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: [AML] "Day of Defense" (Review) >Eric Sn., why do you tease us? Please post your review of Day of=20 >Defense,=3D20 The Work and the Story, and The Book of Mormon Movie on = the >list for us! OK, here you go. As the single worst Mormon-themed movie so far -- a record that I=20 hope stands for a long time -- "Day of Defense" should be considered=20 an embarrassment not just to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of=20 Latter-day Saints, but to film-goers in general. In fact, even=20 non-film-goers -- even obscure humans who have never set foot in a=20 movie theater -- ought to be dismayed that a movie of this caliber=20 was created by their fellow man. A national day of mourning ought to=20 be set aside, and then there ought to be mass suicides. Sorry, I go a little too far in my hyperbole sometimes. But the movie=20 is bad. Based on an unworkable premise, written with an irredeemably=20 bad ear for dialogue, enacted by seemingly untalented performers, and=20 shot in many too-dark rooms on cheap-looking digital video, this is a=20 film of astounding badness. It is jaw-droppingly, paralyzingly,=20 laughably bad. It ranks not just as the worst Mormon film ever, but=20 as one of the two or three worst films I've seen all year. And I saw=20 "From Justin to Kelly"! It is based on a book by A. Melvin McDonald that uses a courtroom=20 setting to present a series of basic arguments and refutations=20 regarding LDS doctrine. Someone says, "Well, what about THIS apparent=20 contradiction," and the Mormon replies, "It can be explained THIS=20 way," and so on, eventually "proving" the LDS Church is true.=20 Missionaries like it because it helps them with the sort of=20 discussions they get involved in on a daily basis. Well, someone decided to expand this plot-free book into a movie.=20 This meant either continuing to exist without a plot, or coming up=20 with one. The problem is, how do you arrange to have two Mormon=20 missionaries on the stand in a United States courtroom, charged,=20 essentially, with believing a religion whose doctrines are false? In=20 real life, in the real United States, such a trial could not occur,=20 as there is no such thing as a doctrine so untrue that it is against=20 the law to believe it. The book is fine as a rhetorical exercise, but=20 to try to work it into a story set in modern-day America? Impossible. Yet the film tries to do just that, putting two missionaries --=20 stubborn, road-weary Elder Burke (John Foss) and young, inexperienced=20 Elder Davis (Allan Groves) -- in a little picket-fenced town called=20 Marysville. To proselytize here requires a license, and to get a=20 license, you have to prove to the Christian Town Council -- a Legion=20 of Doom-style board consisting of ministers from the five accepted=20 local religions, dressed at all times in their preaching costumes --=20 that you represent a Christian faith. (Heaven help the Jew in=20 Marysville!) The CTC says Mormons aren't Christians; hence, no=20 license, and the missionaries have to get out of town. But not so fast. The town judge, a woman who I believe may be an=20 android, thinks it would be interesting to run a test case on the=20 CTC's rules. (She's only been judge there a month, and already the=20 locals don't cotton to her way of doing things.) JudgeBot instructs=20 the district attorney, James Radner (Brooks Utley), to prosecute the=20 missionaries, and public defender Thomas Bryant (Andrew Lenz) to=20 defend them -- not on charges of preaching without a license, mind=20 you, but of not being Christian. Somehow, Radner and Bryant -- lifelong friends whose families have=20 dinner together each week -- made it through law school and passed=20 the bar exam without ever realizing that being non-Christian is not=20 against the law in the United States. At no point in this film is the=20 First Amendment invoked, mentioned or referred to. So you can see how already I am having trouble with the movie, when I=20 can't even accept its basic premise as being remotely plausible. In a=20 backwoods town 50 years ago? Maybe. MAYBE. But in 2003 in a town=20 that, albeit small, has cops, a judge, indoor plumbing and what=20 appears to be a normal level of sophistication and intelligence among=20 its townspeople? No. This trial simply couldn't happen in the real=20 world. (Oh, I forgot to mention: This is a JURY trial, too, composed=20 of locals, even though it's well-established that the locals hate=20 Mormons, making them the least impartial jury in recent memory.) So somehow, the trial happens. Radner lets the town's pastors and=20 ministers grill the missionaries for a day, except the missionaries=20 aren't really allowed to defend themselves, making the film's title a=20 bit of a misnomer. They just have to listen while the prosecution=20 cites one scripture after another to demonstrate that Mormon doctrine=20 is false. Elder Davis puts on his defeated, uncomfortable face, while=20 Elder Burke remains stoic. They then have a week to prepare their=20 defense. I don't know why a lawyer is even necessary; Bryant is=20 certainly no use assisting them in the organization and explanation=20 of their beliefs, since he thinks Mormons are as wrong as everyone=20 else in town does. So the film's plugging away, slowly and dully. The acting is=20 uniformly flat and unconvincing, with many awkward, silent pauses in=20 the dialogue. A lot of Peter Breinholt songs play on the soundtrack=20 while the missionaries and Bryant talk and try to convert each other.=20 The elders try to ingratiate themselves among the townspeople, who=20 throw rocks at them. (Where is this strange, magical American town=20 where EVERY SINGLE CITIZEN is THIS passionate about religion?) A=20 local tramp (Lillith Fields) commits vague, unsexy acts of flirtation=20 with Elder Davis. It is all tedious and poorly acted and awful, and=20 you think it can't get any worse. And then -- and this is really something special, some kind of=20 hell-spawned miracle -- somehow, the film GETS WORSE! Yes! A major=20 plot event occurs that causes the bottom to drop out altogether,=20 quality-wise. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that=20 it's really, really funny and isn't supposed to be. At that point,=20 the film abandons all hope of salvaging itself. It is lost forever to=20 the realm of bad filmmaking. We loved it, we tried to help it, but it=20 had its free agency, and it chose darkness. What amuses me most about "Day of Defense," which was directed by=20 first-timer Adam Lawson, is that, despite being made by LDS people=20 about LDS missionaries, it exhibits an alarming lack of knowledge of=20 how LDS missionaries work. Missionaries haven't been in Marysville in=20 a while, yet the elders already have an apartment there, waiting for=20 them. (Evidently the mission has been paying rent on an empty flat=20 all this time.) And there's no local LDS ward or branch, which means=20 the elders wouldn't have been sent there anyway: They'd have been=20 sent to wherever the nearest congregation was and simply included=20 Marysville in their working area. (Maybe they're living in Marysville=20 but covering a neighboring town, too, where the local ward is. But in=20 that case, they'd need a car, or at least bikes, and they have=20 neither.) And how did the mission office not know about Marysville's=20 anti-preaching law? They're paying for an apartment in a town that=20 won't even let their elders pound the pavement? Those are some=20 seriously wasted tithing dollars, my friends. Where the film seems to be heading is to convince us the LDS Church's=20 doctrines are true doctrines of God. You expect it to end with the=20 jury being converted and baptized, or the CTC bursting into flames,=20 or something like that. Such a preachy outcome would have been=20 heavy-handed, true, but at least then the movie would have had a=20 point, serving as the celluloid version of a Mormon missionary=20 pamphlet. Instead, it ends ambiguously, with a resolution that makes=20 you think, "Well, what fetch was the point, then?" At least that's=20 what I thought, though my exact words might have been slightly=20 stronger. I don't believe there is a single event in this film that is=20 plausible, likely or even possible. It exists on some other plane, an=20 entirely different reality from the one we know, where the laws of=20 the United States are meaningless, where LDS missions are governed=20 entirely differently, and where no one notices the quaintness of=20 Mormon actors doing a poor job acting in a film where all they have=20 to do is act like non-Mormons. Grade: F=20 [Eric Snider] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 19:51:16 -0500 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] If you could have your wish... At 06:47 AM 10/10/03, you wrote: >1a. Urinetown. I can't reccomend it enough, actually funnier then >The=20 Producers, about as good of music, and much more interesting Thank you so much everyone for writing in with your opinions. As "Urinetown" is the overwhelming favorite so far... can any of you explain a little of what it's about? Uh, besides the obvious? '-} Linda - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 19:14:06 -0600 From: "Jongiorgi Enos" Subject: Re: [AML] Hooray for "Holywood" Zion Films: "Holywood" Halestorm: "Mollywood" Okay? Or is that still worthy of sponteneous vomit? J.E. [Jongiorgi Enos] - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 11:11 AM Subject: [AML] Hooray for "Holywood" > If you want to watch me spontaneously vomit, just say "Mollywood" in=20 > my=3D20 presence. If for some horrible, self-hating reason we decide = to=20 > actually apply this=3D20 label to LDS film, then I'm getting out. > > "Holywood," fine. "Mollywood," I'm gone. > > Richard Dutcher - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 20:03:47 -0600 From: "Marianne Hales Harding" Subject: Re: [AML] Hooray for "Holywood" >For one thing: nobody outside the white American LDS population would=20 >even=3D20 "get it." >"Holywood," fine. "Mollywood," I'm gone. Well, Holywood doesn't rhyme with Hollywood, thus killing the "joke" (for me=20 anyhow) AND it sounds terribly terribly pretentious. As far as anyone=20 outside of the American LDS population "getting" Mollywood, well, since=20 we're talking about a monicker used within that group then what does it=20 matter if, say, the Japanese don't "get it"? I mean, people aren't going to=20 be putting this on their business cards. I, for one, think the term=20 "Mollywood" is hilarious and great. Marianne Hales Harding - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 03:36:22 GMT From: "Jeffrey Needle" Subject: [AML] Carl B. ANDERSEN, The Hidden Path (Review) Review Title: The Hidden Path (Book of Mormon Sleuth 3) Author: Carl B. Andersen Publisher: Deseret Book Year Published: 2003 Number of Pages: 214 Binding: Quality Paperback ISBN: 1-57008-988-4 Price: $9.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle "The Hidden Path" is the third volume in Andersen's popular "Book of Mormon Sleuth" series. It continues the adventures of the Andrews family, in particular their bright and courageous children. The series is aimed toward the younger generation. The first entry in the series introduced us to the Andrews clan, a Latter-day Saint family strong in faith and devotion to the Church. The plot involved a Dr. Anthony, an evil man out to steal a rare edition of the Book of Mormon owned by an aunt of the Andrews children. He is ultimately apprehended and imprisoned. The story was well written and cleverly crafted. The second book takes an entirely different course. The family is awarded a free Alaskan cruise, but things go horribly bad, and they end up in a strange land when their airplane crash-lands in a remote region where they meet up with a "lost tribe," befriending many of them and leaving copies of the Book of Mormon with their leaders. Their airplane, piloted by a man named John, spills fuel onto a salt flat. Salt is central to the life and primitive worship of these people; the loss of the salt gives rise to anger and resentment. The third volume follows from the second. A year has passed since their adventure described in the second book. The company that awarded the first trip has given them another opportunity to enjoy a vacation aboard an Alaskan cruise ship. On the eve of the journey, several of the children wander to the pier to take a look at the ship, and meet up with John, the pilot from their previous adventure. He explains that a team had volunteered to bring supplies of salt to the "lost people," after having inadvertently ruined their salt supply in their last visit. The children, curious to learn about this effort, board the vessel. But things go horribly wrong. One of the men involved in this "salt-delivery" mission is none other than Dr. Anthony, the villain of the first volume, who was released from prison due to a technicality.. The children run and hide, not wanting to be spotted by the evil man, and as a result find themselves trapped on a luxury yacht. Before they know it, they're on their way back to the land of their previous adventure, leaving behind their hapless and worried parents. If it all seems a bit contrived, one need only think back to the old Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew stories. Read from a child's point of view, they were exciting and entertaining. Contrived plots never seemed to bother us when we were children. And, to be honest, they don't bother many adults these days, either. When one is reading fiction, one is helped by suspending rational powers, leaving the reader to just enjoy the story. And when it comes to exciting stories for young people, this book is the real deal. I was somewhat critical of the second book, feeling that it lacked some of the coherence and imagination of the first book. Happily, Andersen is back on track, telling a story that stays on track, knows where it's going, and draws the reader into the intrigue. His characters are more fully fleshed out, the story line more consistent. As the story progresses, Andersen takes the time show draw from the Scriptures, showing how their teachings are pivotal in the childrens' survival. And one cannot but be impressed with how the "lost tribe," under the tutelage of the Book of Mormon, developed a system of ethics and Christian values that would be welcome in any setting. Drawing on two previous volumes, it would have been easy for Andersen to leave the new reader behind. But he is careful to re-tell those parts of the previous stories that are relevant to the current story line. This was very helpful. I do have two comments. First, in a narrative beginning on page 69, there is a touch-and-go, and not entirely accurate, discussion of Roman Catholicism. It goes on for several pages, and when you're done, you believe the following: the Catholics don't think that Mormons are Christian. But how can this be, since we both believe in the New Testament? Yeah, but the Catholics add a lot of stuff that's not scriptural. But we add stuff, too. Yeah, but we add it by inspiration. Leaving aside the simplistic nature of this dialogue, I couldn't figure how it fit into the storyline at all. It seemed a bit gratuitous, and would have been happier had it been omitted altogether. And second, a minor quibble, whenever the men in the "lost tribe" refer to the Book of Mormon, they call it "The Book Of Mormon -- Another Testament of Jesus Christ." Inasmuch as the Andrews children rarely called it by this name, but rather simply "The Book of Mormon," I wondered why they didn't simply adapt to the childrens' preference. Instead, there is a constant repetition of the entire phrase. I wasn't at all clear why this was necessary. "The Hidden Path," like the previous volumes, is aimed toward families with young children. Andersen teaches principles involving the importance of family rituals and trust, the centrality of Scripture study and prayer in the life of the Latter-day Saint, and the value of faith in Christ, even when things look very bleak. My minor quibbles aside, this is a wonderful book. Older children will revel in the adventures; parents will appreciate the underlying messages of love and trust. I gladly recommend this latest entry in the "Book of Mormon Sleuth" series, and look forward to the next volume. Who knows? Perhaps Dr. Anthony will appear yet again! - ----------------------------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 00:54:23 -0600 From: "Jongiorgi Enos" Subject: Re: [AML] Negative Themes and Artistic Value Kill Bill. The murder part anyway. The adultery part is usually not glamorized in US film, I agree. But that's because we're more sexually prudish as a culture, and more prone to accept violence. So adultery gets moralized, and violence becomes indulged in to the point of totally amorality. (In the case of KB.) Jongiorgi [Enos] - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Samuelsen" To: Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 3:14 PM Subject: RE: [AML] Negative Themes and Artistic Value > I would love to know which contemporary films "glamorize adultery and=20 > murder." I can hardly think of a single film I've seen in the last=20 > five years which does either. > > I can think of lots of pop culture which DEPICT adultery or murder. I > can think of plenty of films which show enough skin that those who=20 > watch them might be TEMPTED to commit adultery. But I can't think of=20 > a single one which glamorize murder or adultery. > > Specifics, anyone? > > Eric Samuelsen > > - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 00:43:04 -0700 From: "Travis K. Manning" Subject: [AML] Re: [AML-Mag] Stepping Up to the Plate - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jonathan Langford" To: Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 6:28 PM Subject: [AML-Mag] Stepping Up to the Plate > I want to issue a challenge here--hoping that the spirit of my=20 > challenge comes across as invitational rather than confrontational,=20 > but that also if some of you (like me) tend to need a little prodding=20 > from time to time, this will provide a poke or two. ****AND**** > And now we come to the challenge. Folks, there are simply not enough=20 > hands to do the work. AML is much bigger now than it used to be.=20 > There's more going on. The stalwarts of the past, who created the=20 > original organization, have largely moved on to other things. Many=20 > are retired. They gave way gracefully to a broader, more populist=20 > approach to the organization. Now, it's our job to make sure that the > work continues to get done--at least, if we care about the results=20 > that come from it. ******************************************** I suggest that all of us ALSO consider actively doing more to reach out to the old "stalwarts" to keep them engaged and involved in AML, as they have soo much in experience to offer the rest of us. Perhaps we can recognize former "stalwarts" more actively, or utilize their talents, or encourage them with specific tasks or assignments. But I think Jonathan is right. For example, as Irreantum Essay editor myself, there is only soo much I can do from my home in Washington State. For example, I can't sit behind the table at the AML writing conference to give participants their nametages--when I'm not there--so it has to be someone attending the conference. On the other hand, I did happen to be in Utah in mid-August this year, so I did sit at our booth at the LDS Bookseller's Association convention. It was a kick in the pants. I think Jonathan is asking us to do what we can, which also includes (though he didn't mention it) doing things like: (1) invite close friends, who might be interested in a supportive literary organization like AML, to participate--I need to do a better job of this, though I've been working at it, including sending copies of Irreantum for their perusal, then following up to see what they thought. Quick tangent: I received an email just today from a close family member who wrote the following, rather biting, critique of the AML after perusing the AML website, specifically Benson Parkinson's editorial titled "Three Kinds of Appropriateness: http://www.aml-online.org/irreantum/3-kinds.html (I've been telling this person about AML for years, yet they misunderstand Benson's intent): **************** "Travis, "Here we go again! Another so called LDS publication trying to fit the "square peg" of Mormonism into the "round hole" of intellectualism. Irreantum's stated purpose sounds innocent enough, as a voice for writers to expound on Mormonism and it's unique religion, culture and values. I have not read any of the editions of Irreantum and therefore cannot comment on its content, however, I do take issue with the publication's deceptively simplistic objectives. "One could get the impression that the editors of Irreantum are placing more value on freedom of the press and freedom of speech and other forms of self expression than they are on the Ten Commandments and other gospel principles. When freedom of speech crosses over the line of a gospel principle, it is freedom of speech that must give way, not the laws of God. It is in the gospel where true happiness and fulfillment lies. "Mormon readers and movie goers are hungering for films, books and literature that espouse their values and belief system. They are not interested in Mormon film makers and authors running around as literary wolves in sheep's clothing! Any book, poem, play, film or short story that doesn't encourage and motivate the reader to live gospel principles more fully should be tossed onto the funeral pyre. The world is full of Satanism what the Mormon reader is thirsting for is more literature and films that mirror gospel principles and validate the Mormon lifestyle." ******************* How wrong this person was. I was stunned after reading it. In fact, I just spent 90 minutes on the phone explaining to this person, in a mostly calm manner, what the AML is and does. The tone of the above email was such that I thought this close family member of mine may have thought I was somehow going apostate.... Which couldn't be further from the truth! But it took 90 minutes of soft discussion; of reading Orson F. Whitney's quote aloud; of quoting D&C 118:88 about seeking wisdom "out of the best books"; of bearing my own testimony; etc., etc. to help convince this very conservatively minded person that not "all Mormon artists are whackos!" Unquote.... ******************* (2) same as one We've all got to be more involved. If you want to do something, or might want to do something, but don't know how, or feel shy, or embarrassed, simply call or email someone in the know. Jonathan Langford and Chris Bigelow are two such people; as are all Irreantum editors; AML board members; former AML presidents; those that have published in the AML Annual (that is, those who have presented papers at the yearly conference); those that have received any kind of AML literary award; former Irreantum editors and board members. Simply ask someone how you can help, as there is much to be done, much to contribute to the dialogue on Mormon arts and letters. I just returned from the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (RMMLA) in Missoula, Montana. I can't tell you how much fun I had there. Did you know that the AML is an affiliate member of the RMMLA, and has been for years, and that we (the AML) sponsor a chaired session on Mormon literature? Every stinkin' year, for nearly two decades now, as I understand it. Why was I there? Because I presented a paper. I submitted a proposal, I made the arrangements, and after much pain and suffering I gave birth to this paper on Thursday, the day before the conference.... But I gave birth!! I finished my stinkin' paper, and I loved it!! I contributed to the AML, and had extreme amounts of fun. (You'll never really understand our AML president, Gideon Burton, until you get to step outside the walls of BYU, and he takes off his tie (or at least loosens it)). I got to know great people. It was very enjoyable. So get involved! And as my senior seminar prof (Richard H. Cracroft) used to say at the Zoo, at the end of every class period: "And I say these things humbly...." Travis Manning P.S. Take Jonathan's challenge. (You don't want regrets do you?) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 01:41:31 -0600 From: "Jongiorgi Enos" Subject: Re: [AML] Acting/ Writing as a Teacup - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janelle Higbee" > * How does the physical state affect our writing? I think it does very much. I talk about my own theories of how much in my presentation about writer's block which I think I will be doing at the upcomming AML Writers Conference (not confirmed yet, but Melissa said she was intriged). But I take the idea of "physical state" quite literally. Not just your surroundings or working with pen versus computer, but the state your BODY is in. I have found a very interesting corrallary between writing and exercise. Not only that, but I find that there is a warm up period, a peak performance period, and a fatigue/cool-down period with respect to the body's ability to sustain writing over longer periods of time. As one who will write from time to time in multi-hour blocks (8 to 16 hour streatches sometimes; my two-day screenplay binges are the most extreme), I've made some interesting observations on physical state and writing. I've expiramented with time of day, too, which is interesting. > * Creating an empty space for the audience to fill. Writing=20 > enough to give your audience context, but leaving them enough space=20 > for their imaginations to fill. How is that done? How is it done WELL? > This explains why I can't stand to read someone like Grisham, even=20 > though the plot lines may be interesting. The OVER-writing makes me=20 > nuts. I do not need to know the color of this minor character's=20 > fingernail polish. Too much information! Please, write me a teacup.=20 > =3D20 Well, I think you've answered your own question. Poetic economy in prose has thousands of examples, and they don't all have to be Hemingway. The concept of "just enough" is a hard one, which we all struggle with. Over the last couple of years, I've become fascinated with reading Japanese novels (in translation, of course, sadly). They are masters of this; ironically, given the "teacup" metaphor. Yasushi Inoue; Masuji Ibuse; Yasunari Kawabata (one of my favorites); Kenzeburo Oe; Abe and others. Jongiorgi Enos - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 23:10:20 +0000 From: "Elizabeth Petty Bentley" Subject: Re: [AML] Literature on the Mountain Meadows Massacre Wasn't there a short story or a one-act play called God's Fool? I think I=20 read it in a collection. Beth Bentley >On Tue, 2 Sep 2003 21:59:45 -0700 "jana" writes: > > Hi folks: > > > > I am working on a list of fiction that mentions the Mountain Meadows > > Massacre--it could be a huge part of the storyline, it could be a=20 > > one-liner. So far my list is pretty short, and I'm not sure of all=20 > > of these are fiction: > > > > RED WATER, Judith Freeman > > THE FERRY WOMAN, Gerald Grimmett > > WINE-DARK SEA OF GRASS, Marilyn Brown > > THROUGH BONDS OF LOVE, Anna Jean Backus > > THE FANCHER TRAIN, Amelia Bean > > SATAN'S CARAVAN, Grace Conlon > > THE MORMON AND MR. SULLIVAN, Hugh Wynn > > TURN AGAIN TO MOUNTAIN MEADOWS, Chris Arrington > > > > Can ya'll help me with my list? I'm particularly interested in=20 > > knowing of any books prior to 1950 that deal with the MMM. > > > > Thanks!, > > Jana Remy > > UCIrvine > - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 17:14:24 -0700 From: "Clay Whipkey" Subject: Re: [AML] Work & Glory Movie or "Do The Math" >From: "Jongiorgi Enos" > >So you tighten your belt and do it the old fashioned way: ingenuity. Aaahhh. Ingenuity. I also like: Guerilla. >We've been brainwashed by Hollywood into thinking it's $50 million or nothing. As I have become acquainted with the LDS underground art world, especially=20 music, and it appears film to a certain extent, I am very surprised at this=20 delusion. It seems that in a lot of cases, LDS artists look at the biggest=20 of the big dogs as the example on how to pattern their very small business=20 models. Tiny LDS record labels look at Sony or RCA or Capitol and the kind=20 of money those labels spend on studio time, ession musicians, marketing, etc. Yet there is a whole industry that mostly flourishes in the college=20 cicuit using a much different MO. They record for less, sell cheaper=20 products, the artists are more approachable, they often have friends=20 contribute rather than paying expensive session players, etc. Guerilla=20 business tactics. You can do quite well with that kind of business model=20 even if your product has a small market, because you keep your overhead=20 really low. LDS art has a small market, and it always will. That fact must=20 be accepted, and your plan of attack based on that, before you can be=20 successful. Of course, along with accepting that your market is small and you have to=20 tailor your business approach to that size... you also have to realize that=20 you are not going to get filthy rich off of it either. The people who=20 attempt to become rich off LDS-targeted art are going to be the ones who fail in the worst way. If someone wants to become a pioneer in their chosen=20 medium of LDS art, it will be a labor of love, much like becoming a teacher.=20 You do it because its a career that brings you satisfaction, not for=20 fortune. There is just not a fortune to be made in it. I think there is a=20 lot more money (if you're lucky) than being a teacher [what a sad, sad=20 reality], but I just don't believe there will ever be a mormon Harvey=20 Weinstein. It just doesn't exist. cheers, Clay Whipkey - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 19:14:22 -0600 From: "Alan Rex Mitchell" Subject: Re: [AML] Women in LDS Film Dianna, Why do you expect Holywood to be any different in it's depiction of women? (Note the use of the PC Holywood) It's not the film-makers fault--it's the nature of the medium. Thank you for calling our attention to another reason to distrust film. I recall the scene from Schwarzenegger's *Last Action Hero* where the little boy finally figures out that he has left reality and entered into the movie--little boy points out to Arnold's character (who isn't convinced) that all the women in their world are between 18 and 30 and are HOT. Arnold's character, who is trapped in the movies, doesn't know what he is talking about because he has never seen an ugly woman. Alan Mitchell - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V2 #190 ******************************