From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V2 #234 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, December 23 2003 Volume 02 : Number 234 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 16:07:40 -0800 (PST) From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] SL Tribune: "Groundhog Day" Theology SATURDAY December 13, 2003 'Groundhog' theology, 1993 film is a favorite of spiritual=20 leaders of many faiths=20 In "Groundhog Day," Bill Murray plays a sarcastic TV=20 weatherman forced to live one day of his life, over and=20 over. He accepts his fate and sets about helping people.=20 By Alex Kuczynski=20 The New York Times=20 A new movie series from the Museum of Modern Art, "The Hidden God: Film and Faith," features some pretty brooding=20 stuff. There's a 1955 Danish movie about a man who thinks he=20 is Jesus Christ, an Ingmar Bergman pastiche about a tormented=20 pastor, a Roberto Rossellini movie about monks. These are, of=20 course, the "intellectual with a capital I" films that audiences might expect at a religious-theme retrospective=20 organized by a major museum. Subtitles and all that fancy=20 stuff.=20 With one exception. On Thursday, the opening-night feature=20 at the Gramercy Theater, where the series is being presented,=20 was "Groundhog Day," the 1993 movie starring Bill Murray as a=20 sarcastic television weatherman forced by a twist of fate and=20 magic to relive one day of his life, Feb. 2, over and over.=20 Since its debut a decade ago, the film has become a=20 curious favorite of religious leaders of many faiths, who all=20 see in "Groundhog Day" a reflection of their own spiritual=20 messages. Curators of the series, polling some 35 critics in=20 the literary, religious and film worlds to suggest films with=20 religious interpretations, found that "Groundhog Day" came up=20 so many times that there was actually a squabble over who=20 would write about it in the retrospective's catalog.=20 Harold Ramis, the director of the film and one of its=20 writers, said last week that since it came out he has heard=20 from Jesuit priests, rabbis and Buddhists, and that the=20 letters keep coming. "At first I would get mail saying, 'Oh,=20 you must be a Christian, because the movie so beautifully=20 expresses Christian belief,' " Ramis said during a=20 conversation on his mobile phone as he was walking the streets=20 of Los Angeles. "Then rabbis started calling from all over,=20 saying they were preaching the film as their next sermon. And=20 the Buddhists! Well, I knew they loved it, because my=20 mother-in-law has lived in a Buddhist meditation center for 30=20 years and my wife lived there for five years."=20 In the movie, which enjoys its own seemingly endless cycle=20 of rebirth on cable television, the character played by Murray=20 is in Punxsutawney, Pa., covering Groundhog Day -- Feb. 2 --=20 for the fourth year in a row. Frustrated because his career is=20 stalled and by the fact that he can't seduce his producer,=20 played by Andie MacDowell, he sees his assignment -- waiting=20 for a groundhog (or a rat, as Murray's character calls it) to=20 see if there will be six more weeks of winter -- as the final=20 indignity. But it isn't quite. The next day he awakens in the=20 same bed in the same bed-and-breakfast, to the sound of the=20 same tinny clock radio with Sonny and Cher singing "I Got You=20 Babe" and the babblings of the frighteningly cheerful local=20 DJ, to discover that it is Feb. 2 again.=20 At first, he uses the repetition to his advantage -- he=20 learns French poetry, for example, as part of his scheme to=20 seduce the producer. Then he realizes that he is doomed to=20 spend eternity locked in the same place, seeing the same=20 people do the same things every day. It is not until he=20 accepts his fate and sets about helping people (saving a=20 homeless man from freezing to death, for example) that he is=20 released from the eternal cycle of repetition.=20 Of course, this being an American film, he not only=20 attains spiritual release but also gets the producer into bed.=20 Angela Zito, a co-director of the Center for Religion and=20 Media at New York University, screens the film for students in=20 her Buddhism class. She said that "Groundhog Day" perfectly=20 illustrates the Buddhist notion of samsara, the continuing=20 cycle of rebirth that Buddhists regard as suffering that=20 humans must try to escape.=20 "Groundhog Day," Zito said, is a cinematic version of the=20 teachings in Mahayana Buddhism, known as "the greater=20 vehicle."=20 "In Mahayana," she said, "nobody ever imagines they are=20 going to escape samsara until everybody else does. That is why=20 you have bodhisattvas, who reach the brink of nirvana, and=20 stop and come back and save the rest of us. Bill Murray is the=20 bodhisattva. He is not going to abandon the world. On the=20 contrary, he is released back into the world to save it."=20 Some theologians see much less Buddhism in the story than=20 Judaism. Niles Goldstein, rabbi of the New Shul congregation=20 in New York's Greenwich Village and author of Lost Souls:=20 Finding Hope in the Heart of Darkness (Bell Tower, 2002), said=20 he finds Jewish resonance in the fact that Murray's character=20 is rewarded by being returned to earth to perform more mitzvahs -- good deeds -- rather than gaining a place in=20 heaven, which is the Christian reward, or achieving nirvana,=20 the Buddhist reward. He has not used the movie as an allegory=20 for his congregation, he said, but he might now.=20 "The movie tells us, as Judaism does, that the work=20 doesn't end until the world has been perfected," Goldstein=20 said.=20 But wait. Michael Bronski, a film critic for The Forward=20 who teaches a course in Jewish film history at Dartmouth, said=20 he sees strong elements of not only Jewish but also Christian=20 theology. "The groundhog is clearly the resurrected Christ,=20 the ever hopeful renewal of life at springtime, at a time of=20 pagan-Christian holidays," he said, adding: "And when I say=20 that the groundhog is Jesus, I say that with great respect."=20 The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and an associate=20 editor of America, the National Catholic Weekly, didn't quite=20 see the groundhog as Christ-like. Referring to the Murray=20 character, he said, "You do, however, very clearly see the=20 deadness of his life at the beginning of the movie." After the=20 self dies, he added, "what is reborn is this new person=20 resurrected from his comatose way of looking at the world."=20 Ramis, who was raised Jewish, said he feels like a=20 Buddhist, but does not practice any religion. "Although I am=20 wearing meditation beads on my wrist," he said. "But that's=20 because I'm on a Buddhist diet. They're supposed to remind me=20 not to eat, but actually just get in the way when I'm cutting=20 my steak."=20 The connection between Judaism and Buddhism, he said, is a=20 strong one, adding that many Buddhists in the United States=20 started out as Jews. "There is a remarkable correspondence of=20 philosophies and even style between the two," he said. Yogis, Jesuits and psychoanalytic practitioners have told=20 Ramis that they feel a strong spiritual kinship with the=20 message they see in the film. In the case of the=20 psychoanalysts, he said, "it's the 'we keep reliving the same=20 old patterns over and over again until we gain the right to=20 free ourselves' thing."=20 And in Washington, a branch of the Chinese spiritual=20 movement Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, has used the=20 movie to instruct members in its belief that the spiritual=20 self is not allowed to move to higher levels until it learns=20 from past mistakes. (Zito said that makes sense, because Falun=20 Gong draws many beliefs from Buddhism.) Some Wiccans also=20 point to the film as particularly important to their beliefs,=20 because Groundhog Day -- the day itself -- is one of the four=20 "greater sabbats" that divide the year at the midpoints=20 between the solstices and equinoxes. Several Web sites devoted=20 to Wicca call the movie required viewing.=20 Scott Prendergast, a 32-year-old actor and director who=20 said his film career was inspired in part by movies like=20 "Groundhog Day," said he noticed the spiritual element in the=20 film from the first. (Prendergast has two short films=20 currently showing on the Sundance Channel.)=20 "No one comes down and issues this formal command, and so=20 he doesn't know, and the audience doesn't know, why this day=20 is repeating, but it is," Prendergast said. "And that's why it=20 is appealing to so many different religions. He faces this=20 existential test, but he does not know it's a test, and he=20 doesn't know what the results will be."=20 A survey of religious leaders in Punxsutawney turned up=20 little excitement about the movie's message. One, Charlene=20 King, the director of the Child Evangelical Fellowship of=20 Jefferson County in Punxsutawney, said her organization does=20 not use the movie to teach spiritual values. "We stick pretty=20 much to Scripture," King said.=20 Zito couldn't think of any other obviously Buddhist movies=20 off the top of her head. How about the original "Star Wars"=20 trilogy, with its message of redemption? "Lord of the Rings"?=20 Or, say, "Shampoo," whose main character -- a Lothario hairdresser played by Warren Beatty -- makes the same mistake=20 over and over until he recognizes it and considers changing=20 his ways?=20 "'Shampoo'?" Zito said. "I don't think so. Warren Beatty=20 probably knows he'll never be saved."=20 =A9 Copyright 2003, The Salt Lake Tribune.=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 10:56:02 -0700 From: Margaret Young Subject: RE: [AML] Call for Chicken Soup African American Stories >From Margaret Young: I have officially seen the request for African = American stories for "Chicken Soup." I'll forward this to my co-author, who has = more experience being African American than I do. I'm hesitant to admit that = I do not know the "Chicken Soup" genre. Isn't it a "feel good" thing? So probably we shouldn't have a lynching, right? Or could the lynching be = only one plot point before everybody unites together Capulet and Montegue style--since the guy who gets lynched is actually the mayor's daughter's secret husband, and the mayor is really black but has been passing for = white for several years and now reveals his blackness by doing a tearful, repentant rap/sonnet? (Shakespeare meets _Imitation of Life_.) Or = maybe the lynching could be a fake lynching, done only to teach others not to = do it. Seriously, these are true stories with morals, right? Somebody = tell me what "Chicken Soup" stories are and Darius and I will see if we know any that fit. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:55:36 -0700 From: "J. Scott Bronson" Subject: [AML] Sam PAYNE, _Angels in the Snow_ Folks-- Sometimes I try to write a review of something but I just can't seem to manage it. It always turns into an essay of some kind where I make an attempt to intellectualize on some larger issue than the presentation of my mere opinion of a given work of art. I have about one-third of just such a review sitting in a folder somewhere in this computer that I started several weeks ago but haven't looked at for just shy of several weeks. It's a review of Sam Payne's CD, "Railroad Blessings." I will not get into that here because I fully intend to finish that essay. Let me say this, however, on the strength of our love for that album, my wife and I hesitated about a nano-second when we saw that Sam had a Christmas album on the rack at Media Play. Buy it. Some day I may wax poetic about its merits, but not here. Here and now I am only going to do some cheerleading. There are ten songs; four traditional and six original tunes. The only drawback to this is that it's at least four songs short of what it should be. I want more. And as much as I love the original tunes, I want to hear Sam's interpretation of some of the "traditional" songs I'm already familiar with. I'll make up a list, Sam. Let me know. J. Scott Bronson "People do not love better by reaching for perfection, they approach perfection by loving better." - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 13:20:13 -0500 From: "Tony Markham" Subject: RE: [AML] The BoM Code On the History Channel this past weekend, sandwiched between Soviet UFO Conspiracies and Nostradamus, was an intriguing, if sensationalized, account of the Bible Code. It's a cross between using Kaballa and computer matrixes in order to discover word combinations that have an apparent coded link--or not. Most of you will have heard of the Bible Code, and if not, a Google search of the same will surely tell you more than I possibly could. But my burbibg question is have the geniuses up at FARMS or the BYU Math/Computer Science Department tried anything like this with the Book of Mormon? Since it is the scripture written "For Our Day" and since it was translated with divine methods directly into English (bypassing the need to learn Hebrew), it would seem a natural project for someone. Has it been done? Would anybody be willing to admit doing it if it has? Inquiring minds want to know. Tony Markham Delhi, NY - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 13:06:53 -0700 From: "Eric Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] The Envious Critic Someday, somehow, someone is going to write a history of Mormon art and criticism. When that happens, I hope with all my soul that the title of said history is 'Sticky Dot Over Adam's Penis.' =20 In regards to this controversy, I'm with Sam Brown in his wonderful comments about nascent Iranian cinema. I think we're all likely to cut something some slack if it is indeed a genuine attempt, however clumsily handled, to create a work of art. We do look, however, for some sense of a personal statement or cultural criticism. =20 In that regard, as I said in my original review of the film, it's possible to see The RM as being something potentially rather interesting. I don't know if this is what they're trying to do, but it's possible to look at that film as potentially a blistering Swiftian satire of Mormon culture. One way of looking at The RM is as a film exploring an utterly appalling sociopathic lack of genuine human connection or communication in Mormon culture. A family moves, and doesn't tell their son, who's serving on a mission? That could be read as offering a devastating commentary on Mormonism. We have these large families, and all these callings, and we're always on the verge of being sort of broke, and all that gets in the way so that we don't actually love our children. Oh, we sort of love them in a vague distracted sort of way, but we lose track of them easily, and we certainly don't have time for whatever irrelevant emotional traumas they may be going through, like, say, broken engagements and the like. And we sort of have 'friends,' but not really; actually we have these people we hang out with every once in awhile, who we're mostly trying to sell worthless crap to. Instead of actual friends, we have these people we need to cultivate for our multi-level marketing opportunities. And we're emotionally prepared for that, because we have to visit those same people every month so we can get our numbers. We don't actually care about them, of course (we're too tired to care about anyone or anything), but we can prove we sort of care; we're 100% home teachers. =20 Seen in that light, The RM is about as funny as Swift's A Modest Proposal. And less hateable. Now, if that's what Halestorm was trying to accomplish, power to 'em. They screwed up the tone and they screwed up the resolution, but they could be seen as inept but savage satirists. That's not a bad place to be. But again, I don't think they actually were trying to make that ferocious a satire; I think they were just stringing a bunch of riffs together, loosely connected gags on the theme of 'random stuff that happens to this one kid.' =20 Still, I can read that film either way. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 13:36:03 -0700 From: "Eric Samuelsen" Subject: [AML] _Johnny Lingo_ (was: Box Office Figures Nov. 28) Can't help but notice the disappointing figures for Johnny Lingo. I finally saw it. It was attractively filmed, a very pretty film, reasonably acted, with the story expanded and deepened. And it's still Johnny Lingo. And I don't get it. Why would someone go to see this film? That's an interesting question, isn't it, why would someone go to see this film? Or read this book, or attend this art opening; why? I went to Temple Square last night, to hear a high school choir sing in the Assembly Hall. A lovely Christmas concert, very well sung, got me in the Christmas mood. Why did I go, why drive 45 miles through a blizzard both ways to hear a high school choir sing? Because I wanted to feel the Christmas spirit? Because I felt the need to hear good choral music well sung? Because I feel like good wholesome entertainment is good for my soul? No. All those things are true; none of them are sufficient. I went because my daughter was part of a string sextet accompanying the singers. I went to support my daughter. And, a nice plus, got to hear a great concert. Why did I go see Bad Santa? Lots of reasons. I like Billybob Thornton. I think the director is interesting. I read five reviews, all which said it was disreputable, gross-out, vulgar fun. I was in the mood to laugh. I love the title. The previews made it look funny. =20 Why would anyone want to see Johnny Lingo? Not because it's a clean family movie; that's never sufficient. People (Mormons included) generally don't want to see clean family movies. They want to see good movies, with entertaining and involving stories, well acted, well written, well shot. If it's also clean, great. If it's also appropriate for the family, great. But people would rather see Elf than Johnny Lingo, because there are lots of reasons to see Elf (the story looks intriguing, the actors are famous and famously funny, the previews are compelling, the reviews have been positive), and only one reason to see Johnny Lingo (beloved Mormon classic.) Now, in my circles, JL is NOT a revered Mormon classic. It's a much-made-fun-of Mormon classic. I teach at BYU, and I have never yet met a single BYU student (or anyone else, for that matter) who didn't think Johnny Lingo was funny; an embarrassingly bad film, with a terrible message, which is worth watching because it's campy fun. Kind of like, I don't know, Grease. =20 But, okay, here on the List, we talked about JL, and lo and behold, I learned something brand new--there are people out there who like that film. There are reasonable and intelligent people who think it had a good message, and who were able to look past its various aesthetic ineptitudes because the message resonated. =20 So, okay, I think it's got a lousy message (the 'value' of a woman is that value placed upon her by the patriarchy, based on physical appearance); others think it's got a great message (no matter how awful you feel about yourself, someone will see how great you actually are, and love you, and when they do, everyone else will see what they'd been missing all along.) Okay, we disagree; no problem. My point is, we've all already made up our minds. We've already decided what we think about the message of JL, and the main thing it's got going for it IS the message. So why go see the new one? No reason at all, as far as I can see. Or at least, we can say that since few people DID see it, it's because few people had a reason to see it. And that's too bad. 'Cause it's a nice looking film; I enjoyed the scenery, and put up with the story and the message. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 20:14:17 +0000 From: "margaret young" Subject: [AML] Standing on Promises Saga--Amazon.com >From Margaret Young: I think that my efforts to get more publicity for _Standing on the Promises_ will benefit others on the list, and so plan on keeping you informed on successes and failures. In this case, I need help. Unfortunately, I have given up on getting any help from Deseret Book. It could well be that they are simply overwhelmed or there might be another reason--regardless, requests I've made have not been answered. The latest (made several weeks ago) was to update our information on Amazon.com. When I looked at our listing a month ago, I saw that the first book was listed and had its cover displayed. It wasn't really a big surprise that the second book had no image, though it was listed. As I understand things (stemming from and what I've been told by Deseret Book marketers), our second book lost its marketing momentum and carry-through because of huge restructuring at Deseret Book. So it's logical that that's where we see a falll-off of marketing support. However, I want the image of the second book on Amazon.com (as well as Barnes and Noble) and I want reviews. I also want the third book included. (It's not even listed.) As of today, nothing has changed since I made the request. Here's the problem: When I go to Amazon.com, I can't see a place where I can submit book images and reviews. I tried e-mailing them information a couple of weeks ago and got an inadequate response. How does one do this? Surely people who have self-published must know all about this. But it's new to me. I'll bet many of us would benefit from someone else's experience. If you know how to get a book listed on Amazon.com and B&N, please send a step-by-step to the list. On my list of successes: Because I've felt a need to retrace steps I had thought were taken care of by Deseret Book, I was able to get books into several reviewers' hands. Things are starting quite slowly, but I anticipate good results over time. At the suggestion of a list member, I bought the book _Guerilla Marketing For Writers_. It has some excellent suggestions--some that would be of special help to self-publishers. _________________________________________________________________ Our best dial-up offer is back. Get MSN Dial-up Internet Service for 6 months @ $9.95/month now! http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 23:54:59 -0600 From: Sugar Beet (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] Sugar Beet Subscriptions Info If you're still wondering what to get somebody for Christmas, it's not too late to order them a Sugar Beet subscription. Simply give them your own card informing them of the gift, and they'll get their first issue in January. During 2004 they'll receive at least 96 pages of cutting-edge Mormon news, opinion, and advice. To order, click on the Santa below! < For more info about The Sugar Beet or to purchase your own subscription, visit <TheSugarBeet.com.
Verdana <Update your profile or <unsubscribe here. VerdanaDelivered by <Topica Email Publisher
< - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 10:49:10 -0700 From: Steve Perry Subject: [AML] Merrill JENSON on Creativity Hi Listers, Interesting first of three articles by composer Merrill Jenson on creativity: http://www.ldsmag.com/arts/031217creative.html Happy Holidays, Steve Perry - -- skperry@mac.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 11:53:43 -0700 From: "Eric Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] Eric Samuelson on Singles Ward FWIW. I have been, I guess, sort of famously hostile to Singles Ward and The RM. My criticisms of the film got back to John Moyer, who wrote the film, and he responded on his website. =20 Well, I emailed John, basically saying that life is too short on this bad ol' world to have enemies, and did he want to have lunch some time. He said yes, and we had some good Mexican food, and a very pleasant couple of hours together, found we had much in common, cordially agreed to disagree about some matters, and to find a way to work productively together on other matters. Without getting too specific, I just found it a positive experience. So maybe we can get along even with folks we've criticized. We would seem to have a religious requirement to at least try. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 23:59:35 -0600 From: LDS Film Festival (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] LDS Film Festival Last Call for Entries [MOD: This didn't come in until last Friday, so I can't do much about the fact that it's already past business hours on Monday. On the other hand, Monday was the 22nd, not the 20th...] LDS FILM FESTIVAL Newsletter #04/03 http://www.ldsbox.com email@ldsbox.com - --------------------------------------------------- LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES - --------------------------------------------------- Monday is the last day to mail in your submission(s) for the 3RD LDS FILM FESTIVAL 2004. All film and script entries have to be mailed off no later than Monday, December 20th (postmarked) to be eligible for the competition. If you only have a rough cut of your film, you can still submit it; just make a note on the entry form that your entry is a work in progress. You can email us at feedback@ldsbox.com if you have any questions regarding your submission. The 3RD LDS FILM FESTIVAL will be held January 22-24, 2004, in Provo, Utah. Prizes totaling $ 2,000.00 will be awarded to the three best films and screenplays. The LDS Film Festival is looking for entries demonstrating intelligence, spirituality, originality, integrity, and technical excellence in their approach to the subject matter and motto of the festival. For more information, go to: http://www.ldsbox.com/cgi-bin/04festival.php To download the entry form, go to: http://www.ldsbox.com/cgi-bin/04entryform.php To review the entry guidelines, go to: http://www.ldsbox.com/cgi-bin/04guidelines.php You either signed up for our newsletter or were recommended to us by a friend. If you would like to unsubscribe from future LDSBOX mailings, simply reply to this message with the word REMOVE in the subject line. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 17:27:48 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] KUSHNER, _Angels in America_ Nan P. McCulloch wrote: >While several list members see _Angels in America_as a work primarily about >homosexuality, I still see it as having a stronger underlying political >(anti-conservative) theme. I agree with much in this NR review. > As a person who thinks that we already have way too many pro-conservative voices in the land, I am glad that Angels in America has proven so popular as a play and now as a film. It makes me happy to realize, despite the ofttime strident voices of Rush Limbaugh and others, that America also has plenty of intelligent, compassionate, and articulate voices on the left. We need more such voices. Thom Duncan (the aging Hippie, still rooting for the 60's ideals) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 17:33:29 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Eric Samuelsen on Singles Ward Richard R. Hopkins wrote: >In the search for great cinema, I think we often forget that audiences go to >movies to be entertained. This does not necessarily mean the same thing as >we often think of in the term "great cinema." Shouldn't filmmakers consider >the need to entertain in addition to considering what makes great cinema? >Singles Ward was entertaining. > Not to me it wasn't. > Say what you will about its elements, it had >a lot of humor, > It has attempts at humor, it tried to be funny, I'll grant you that,. >an engaging romance I found the engaging frightening. How anyone could be attracted to the self-righteous heroine was beyond me. > and a positive resolution. These are elements that audiences enjoy. It has always made me somewhat incredulous to observe, both in Hollywood and on this List, that those who produce entertainment rarely see eye-to-eye with those whom they seek to entertain. Shouldn't we strive to be a little more in touch with our audience? Yes, we should, but we should try to lift our audiences above the mundane, not help them to wallow in it. Also, let's not forget the fact that, on occasion, art can serve to open and enlarge our minds -- make us see things as they are, but we didn' know it until seeing a certain film. Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 15:23:08 -0800 (PST) From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] Deseret News: Jerry Johnston on Paul Swenson Deseret Morning News, Saturday, December 20, 2003 Why waste space with ire? By Jerry Johnston Deseret Morning News Paul Swenson was a reporter here some 30 years ago. Yet even now, snippets of=20 "Swenson folklore" surface in newsroom conversations from time to time. There's=20 the story of the day he was sent to cover the annual Christmas parade. He wrote=20 the story as if it were a review, then gave the parade low marks. The following=20 day, a copy of the newspaper appeared on the assignment editor's desk with a=20 scribbled note from the publisher. It read: "Next year, don't send Scrooge." Now, after a varied career, Swenson is "raising his Ebenezer" once again. This=20 time, in a collection of poetry called "Iced at the Ward, Burned at the Stake." It's a harsh book. The kind of book that seems meant to put people off their=20 lunch. And it is not a book for all tastes. What the poet thinks tastes "tart," for instance, will taste "bitter" and "sour"=20 to many readers. What he sees as "edgy" feels "cutting." Provocative feels inflammatory. As for the slant of the book, you could call it a "repair manual." If the poet=20 were to picture the LDS Church as a house, he would likely see it as a=20 "fixer-upper." And he sees himself as the man with the toolbox. Most believers, of course, believe the opposite. They see themselves as=20 "fixer-uppers" and the church as a box of tools. But no matter, the poet pulls=20 out his repair kit and goes to work. And it's surprising how many things appear to be broken. The clothing. The music. The titles. The attitudes. He'd like to retool them=20 all. In short, he comes on like a man who shows up at church, pinches himself=20 into a pew and tries to make himself comfortable while those around him scowl. He pushes and prods to make room for himself and his friends. He apparently likes church. He goes. He wants to be there. And it is good for him to be there. He just doesn't feel good there. This isn't a tale told just in the LDS faith. The "uneasy believer" shows up=20 often in stories and churches, and has for centuries. And the faithful in the pews near him always ask themselves the same unspoken=20 questions. Why is he in the church but not of the church? Irony and anger are easy. Does he realize it's submission that's hard? So many religious writers have kind hearts and shoddy skills. He has the skills=20 but a misplaced heart. Does he know what wonders he could be doing? Does he know in a nation riddled with war, child abuse and despair, squabbling=20 over doctrine isn't on the list of "Things to do today"? The people in the pews would tell him there are bigger fish to fry. He's in church. They're in church. It's all to the good. They'd say instead of fresh phrases why not embrace the cliches? Put your shoulder to the wheel. Scatter the sunshine. Speak kind words. The debate over the tempo of the hymns will wait. E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com =A9 2003 Deseret News Publishing Company=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 08:14:51 -0600 From: "Preston Hunter" Subject: [AML] Angels in America The LDS/GLBT-themed 2-part miniseries "Angels in America" led the Golden Globe TV nominees with 7 nominations, announced just last week. 3 of the main characters in "Angels" are Latter-day Saints. All 3 of these were nominated for Golden Globes. Writer Tony Kushner and director Mike Nichols are not LDS. Most people agree that the play-turned-HBO film is not intended to be anti-LDS per se. In fact, although LDS stereotypes abound, the LDS characters, portrayed by such top-level actors as Meryl Streep, also have many sympathetic elements to them. Rather than being anti-LDS, "Angels" is more of an attempt to proselytize GLBT values and themes. Kushner used Latter-day Saints for contrast in the play, as they represented to him the antithesis of GLBT credos and culture. A number of writers have commented on the play's strong anti-capitalist, pro-Marxist/socialist themes. There are numerous fantasy elements in "Angels," perhaps the largest of which is the suggestion that AIDS in America was not spread by GLBT culture, but was promulgated primarily by conservative politicians. At its heart, "Angels in America" is not an intentionally dishonest play. It is simply is a play that remains true to the worldview of a writer who is either very naive and sheltered, or very self-delusional. - - Preston Hunter - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 09:01:10 -0600 From: "webmaster" Subject: [AML] Golden Globe Nominations for Actors Playing LDS Characters All three of the actors who played major Latter-day Saint actors in the HBO miniseries "Angels in America" received Golden Globe nominations last week. Meryl Streep received a nomination in the category "Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television" for her portrayal of, "Hannah Pitt" the Latter-day Saint mother from Utah who comes to New York City and ends up befriending a wide assortment of characters from outside her traditional social framework. Patrick Wilson played Hanah's son, "Joe Pitt." Wilson received a Golden Globe nomination in the category: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Joe Pitt is described by the National Review as a "closeted Republican Mormon do-gooder extraordinaire." Joe Pitt's Latter-day Saint wife "Harper", played by Mary-Louise Parker was played in the HBO miniseries, embodies a popular liberal myth about Latter-day Saints: that because Latter-day Saints shun alcohol, narcotics, coffee, tea and tobacco they must abusing something else addictive: prescription drugs. Harper is addicted to valium. Mary-Louise Parker was nominated for a Golden Globe nomination in the Supporting actress category. It is true that THREE Golden Globe nominations in a single film for actors playing LDS characters is unprecedented. But Golden Globe awards and nominations have gone to portrayals of LDS/Mormon characters before. In fact, the movie "Melvin and Howard" garnered TWO nominations for actors playing LDS characters. So the three "Angels in America" nominations is not really revolutionary. The movie "Melvin and Howard" is based on real-life events and people: billionaire aviator, industrialist and movie producer Howard Hughes and Hughes' so-called "Mormon Will, which was produced by Melvin Dummar, a Utah gas station attendant. Paul Le Mat received a Golden Globen nomination in the "Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy" category for his portrayal of the Latter-day Saint who befriended Hughes. Le Mat did not win, but the actress playing his LDS wife Lynda Dummar did win a Golden Globe: Mary Steenburgen won in the Best Supporting Actress category. Not only that, Steenburgen ALSO the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role. Other awards that Steenburgen received for playing this LDS character include: Boston Society of Film Critics Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, National Society of Film Critics Award and New York Film Critics Circle Award. Dustin Hoffman is another actor who won a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of a character based on a real-life Latter-day Saint. Hoffman won the "Best Actor" Golden Globe for his role as the autistic savant "Raymond Babbitt" in the movie "Rain Main." Although Babbitt's character is not explicitly identified as a Latter-day Saint in the movie, the character was based on real-life autistic savant Kim Peek. Hoffman also received the Academy Award for this role. Actor Lee Marvin received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as a miner who married a Latter-day Saint woman (played by Jean Seberg) in the musical "Paint Your Wagon." (But Marvin's character never joined the Church.) Clint Eastwood played the OTHER man who married Seberg's character. Yes, she was polygamous. (The story is set during pioneer times when polygamy was still practiced in the Church, although Seberg's character clearly had a somewhat alternative take on the idea.) Aside from Golden Globes, actors have received other awards and nominations for playing Latter-day Saint/Mormon characters, including BAFTA Awards, MTV Movie Awards, AFI (American Film Institute) Awards, etc. These include Paul Newman, for his portrayal of real-life Mormon outlaw Butch Cassidy in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", Kate Winslet for her portrayal of real-life Latter-day Saint convert Juliet Hulme in Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures", Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jan-Michael Vincent for his lead role in the science fiction flick "Damnation Alley," based on the Roger Zelazny novel. Tommy Lee Jones even won an Emmy Award for playing a Mormon. The fact that Tommy Lee Jones' character was the infamous Gary Gilmore explains why this little factoid is not more widely circulated. Gilmore was NOT an active churchgoer as an adult, and his father was not LDS, but his mother was a Church. Gilmore's Latter-day Saint background is an element explicitly touched upon in both "The Executioner's Song", for which Jones won the Emmy, and in the 2001 HBO movie "Shot in the Heart." Actor Giovanni Ribisi won AFI Actor of the Year Award for his portayal of Mormon writer Mikal Gilmore in "Shot in the Heart." A table with further details about these awards and nominations for actors playing LDS/Mormon characters can be found at: http://www.ldsfilm.com/lds_chars_awards.html - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V2 #234 ******************************