James Dorr's Blog, page 61

Beyond The Visible Thursday IU Cinema Extra

Four years before Wassily Kandinsky painted his first abstract canvas, Swedish artist Hilma af Klint painted the first abstract canvas.  Until recently, her contributions have been forgotten, overshadowed by narratives of male genius.  In BEYOND THE VISIBLE, the story of af Klint’s own genius receives the spotlight it deserves.  Inspired by science and spiritualism, af Klint created an astonishing body of work rich in symbolism and meaning; her brilliance has been compared with that of Leonardo da Vinci.  Halina Dyrschka’s fascinating documentary investigates how this exceptional woman was erased from art history and makes the case that it’s finally time for that history to be rewritten.  In Swedish, English, and German with English subtitles.  (IU Cinema blurb)

This was one not in the Indiana University Cinema catalog for spring semester, but rather added at the semi-last minute (cf., e.g., the black and white version of PARASITE, February 20), and a very interesting film for me.  As a writer and poet, I’m presumably some kind of artist myself, so I have a professional need, if one will, to know how other artists do their thing.  Painters.  Musicians.  What is abstract art anyway, for instance?  So, home from the film I feel possibly more inspired than enlightened, but in some [image error]way I think it spoke to me — it’s presumably one way of finding one’s place in the world.  Or maybe trying to “see” what the world is?  That is, it’s powered not just by aesthetics — some of af Klint’s work may be visually beautiful, but that’s not the point.  Or if symbolism (in part anyway), symbolism of what?

Some may come down to zeitgeist, the spirit of the time:  if af Klint was the first, Kandinsky and others were working along the same lines and ultimately with similar results, and they seem to have been working independently (e.g., it’s possible Kandinsky may have met or seen something by af Klint, but she wasn’t selling or generally displaying her work so it seems unlikely).  But both, along with other pioneer abstract artists, were into spiritualism to some degree — a popular belief in the early 1900s — while elsewhere scientists were discovering such things as atoms, and theories of relativity.  Things you can’t really see with your eyes, but now understood to be a basic part of reality.  So how do you express something like that?

As I say, I don’t think the film gave an answer as such, but it may have given some insight into how a particular artist searched for it.  And so, for me, maybe some hints for my own search.

Comedy King at March First Wednesday Spoken Word

Humor pervaded the featured portion of this evening’s Writers Guild ” First Wednesday Spoken Word Series” at local tavern Bears Place (cf. February 5, et al.) with storyteller Nell Weatherwax opening with two pieces on her first amateur comedy club presentation and an up-coming radio gig morphing into the eccentricities of her father; stand-up comedian Shanda Sung on the everyday challenges of being a 35-year-old woman and mother of three kids; an[image error]d Mary Armstrong-Smith with “I Teach at the Walgreen’s,” about an encounter with a bigot, and “Watering the Flower” on a childhood memory about family relations and the evening the puppy peed on her grandmother, all presentations extremely funny but with their serious sides as well.  Then, along with musical guest Trillium, a well-populated open mike portion brought nine readers, with me number four with another in my “Casket Girls” series, “Fit for a King,” with the irrepressible Claudette and more poetically-minded Yvonne discussing the pre-Mardi Gras carnaval tradition of sharing a king cake.

Sunday Saw Blood Tomes, “Creatures” Novelettes Paperback Up On Amazon

A xenological invasion.  A creature in the pipes.  A monster in the dark.  A dragon.  And childhood toys that are more than they seem.  Five novelettes.  Five stories that will force you to get in touch with our undeniable connection to the animal and insect worlds and the monster within . . . for are we really all that different from the monsters that we loathe?  Our deft and expert authors have won awards and had work in award-winning anthologies, and these stories showcase their gift for terrifying us but also in finding the humanity through our fear.  They are . . . Gordon B. White, James Dorr, Mark [image error]Pantoja, Jon Gauthier, Peter Emmett Naughton.  We challenge you to read these stories, but only if you’re ready to explore the nightmarish creatures within us all.

Say what?  Let us hark back to June 11 2019, et al., when the Kindle edition was already up (and had been, in fact, since late May) with a print edition from Tell-Tale Press to be in the future.  So it’s been awhile, but the time has come — had actually come yesterday — and now it’s here, the paperback version of THE BLOOD TOMES VOLUME TWO, CREATURES, NOVELETTES EDITION for those of us who like the feel of a book in our hands, five long stories of beings both real and imaginary to kindle (sorry) the reader’s imagination.  My tale in this:  “The Bala Worm,”* set in modern-day Wales, of a quest for a dragon last seen in the Middle Ages.  Or at least one just like it.  And where do vampires come into all this?

For more on the new paperback edition one need but press here (or to check all titles on Tell-Tale Press’s own website, including the CREATURES, NOVELETTES Kindle version, one may press here).

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*”The Bala Worm” is a reprint first published in BLACK DRAGON, WHITE DRAGON (Ricasso Press, 2008) and reprinted in my 2013 collection THE TEARS OF ISIS.

Essays Again Main Feature of Writers Guild First Sunday Prose

Essayists again predominated, at least among the featured readers at this afternoon’s Bloomington Writers Guild “First Sunday Prose Reading and Open Mic” (see February 2, et al.) at Bear’s Place.  First up was Zilia Balkansky-Sellés with two pieces, the first with a folkloristic bent on “The Problem With Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey reframed as STAR WARS” and the second a personal memory of “The Terrible Shining Day” of her mother’s death, and was followed by Writers Guild Chair Joan Hawkins with “God and Joe DiMaggio,” a “creative memoir” of the death of Marilyn Monroe as seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl and (accompanying her mother) habitué of Ruby’s, a working-class San Francisco beauty salon.  This was followed by four — or actually five, the last an a cappella performance of two songs — open mike readers, of which I was second with a reprise of the recently re-published (cf. February 25, et al.) “A Cup Full of Tears,” a Valentine’s Day and/or Mardi Gras celebration of lesbian vampirism and love.

 

Jabberwocky “Not-Quite Midnight” IU Cine Fun

At the movies again, with a new 10 p.m. Friday night “Not-Quite Midnights” Indiana University Cinema feature, Terry Gilliam’s 1977 JABBERWOCKY.  Says the cinema’s program blurb:  Terry Gilliam’s first solo directorial film — less than two years after directing MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL with Terry Jones — is a wildly imaginative tale that follows a young peasant with no taste for adventure as he is mistakenly chosen to rid the kingdom of a ghastly monster threatening the countryside.  Though inspired by a line from a Lewis Carroll poem, “Beware the Jabberwock, my son!  The jaws that bite, the cl[image error]aws that catch,” the film is unquestionably a product of Gilliam’s creative genius.  Restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation.  Contains mature content, including nudity, strong language, and violence.

I recommend it!  I admittedly went with a slightly doubtful feeling, having seen MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL before, the first time enjoying it well enough, but more recently realizing that it was really more a series of skits, any of which could have been good alone on the old MONTE PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS TV show, but which became tedious strung together into a feature length movie.  That is they may have been agreeably silly, and all on a medieval theme tied into a sort of quest plot, but ultimately not really rising to much more than a series of jokes.  Indeed, the docent pointed out before the film that Gilliam himself was anxious to not just produce a repeat but to put his own stamp on JABBERWOCKY, and now having seen it I think he succeeded.  There’s silliness, yes, a lot of it, but now of a kind that grows out of the situations in the film as opposed to being there just for its own sake, and giving the whole a sense of more depth.  A fleshing out of, yes, a still fairly simple plot, but combined with much better production values as well, giving for me a greater sense of completeness.  And, attempted explanations aside, still a lot of fun.

Space Opera Paperback Copy Comes Thursday P.M.; Lust PDF Via Email Today

I live near the end of a postal route which means that my mail usually arrives in late afternoon or evening — sometimes in these winter months even after dark, possibly not to be discovered until the next morning.  That’s reflected here when an item often may not get posted until the next day (though of course email items can also not be received until very late) as, for instance, now.

So what Thursday’s mail brought was a fairly bulky padded package, in which was my long-awaited author’s copy of SPACE OPERA LIBRETTOS (cf. January 1, et al.), the boo[image error]k of [d]ramatic, large-scale stories of the distant future, focused on optimism and inclusion and blowing things up.  Weird mashups.  Actual arias.  Fat ladies singing on funeral pyres.  Watery tarts distributing swords optional.  So had said the guidelines and so, at last, it was here — part of the game is that authors’ copies, at least in print, often come slowly, publishers having to fulfill paid customers’ orders first — including my own tale in number three spot, “The Needle Heat Gun,” a saga of heroism and love on an uncharted planet with, if not formal singing, a lot of humming.

If interested, “The Needle Heat Gun” is one of twenty stories of music and outer-space (or thereabouts) mayhem, more on which can be found by pressing here.

Then for a quick Friday addendum (or electronic copies can come much faster), today’s email brought a PDF authors’ copy of SEVEN DEADLY SINS:  LUST (see post just below) with my “A Cup Full of Tears,” a brief recounting of sweet lesbian vampire love.  With it came instructions for also obtaining a paperback copy, but with a warning:  that its arrival might be less quick.

Lust Anthology Out On Kindle, Hard Cover, Plus Contents Revealed

The paperback edition was actually published on Valentine’s Day, so says Amazon, and today the Kindle edition is out.  And not only that, for those who like luxury with their lust, a hardcover option came out today also.  The book:  Black Hare Press’s SEVEN DEADLY SINS:  LUST (cf. February 11, December 8), edited by Ben Thomas and D. Kershaw, and appropriate 365 days a year — or maybe this year a full 366.  My part in this, originally published in MON COEUR MORT (Post Mortem Press, 2011), is “A Cup Full of Tears,” on an evening in the unlife of a female vampire on a recruiting mission.  Or in any event, below is a rundown of the contents from Amazon’s blurb for their paperback entry.

Safe Word by A.L. KingGoodbye, Casanova by A.R. DeanFlaunt by A.R. JohnstonLouve Garou by Blake JessopAramis and Shelby by Catherine KenwellPoison Lust by Cindar HarrellTruly Human by Clint FosterNice Face by D.J. EltonFair Game by Dannielle VieraSexcapades by Dawn DeBraalFreedom by Eddie D. MoorePrimal Urging by Edward AhernMarionet[image error]te by Erica SchaefZantiel by G. Allen WilbanksChad by Gabriella BalcomOf Oyster Shells and Shit by Hari Navarro#IAmHuman by J.L. RoyceThe Red Pierce Reunion Tour by J.M. MeyerThe Fae’s New Dawn by J.W. GarrettA Cup Full of Tears by James DorrPrey by James LipsonA Matter of Perception by Jason HoldenMermaid at War by Jessica ChaneseL’amour L’mort by Jo SeysenerThe Selkie’s Appetite by Jodi JensenLust for Life, or No Job for an Ordinary Woman by John H. DromeyThe Council of Six and a Half by K.B. ElijahLucifer’s Lament by Lyndsey Ellis-HollowaySanguine Enamel by M.J. ChristieUnplugged by M. Sydnor Jr.Podcast of the Dead by Mark MackeyTiger Nut Sweets by Maura YzmoreTaming the Beast by Maxine ChurchmanTortured Word Games by Michael D. DavisBlooming Day by N.M. BrownI Want You by Nerisha Kemraj My Girl by Nicola CurrieLocal Girls Are Waiting For You by Raven Corinn CarlukThe Stranger by Rhiannon BirdSome Body by Robin BraidGood Intentions by Sandy ButchersDigits of Doom by Serena JayneDamned by Stephanie ScissomI Warned You by Stephen HerczegI Got a Message for You by Sue Marie St. LeeDarkness Consumes by Terry MillerCoitus Interruptus by Thomas KearnesLittle Man of Apartment No 1610 by Tristan Drue RogersWhat Hears Your Prayers by Wondra VanianPi by Ximena EscobarThe Fallen: Lust of the Dragon by Zoey XoltonContains adult themes (my title thoughtfully set here in boldface for quick identification)

For the Kindle edition, from which one can reach its two hard copy manifestations as well, one need but press here.

No, It’s Not About Overeating (Or Otherwise “Stuffing” Humans), But Still Fascinating

STUFFED is a documentary about the surprising world of taxidermy. Told through the eyes and hands of acclaimed artists across the world, the film explores this diverse subculture, where sculptors must also be scientists, seeing life where others only see death.  From an all-woman studio in Los Angeles which has elevated taxidermy to the forefront of fashion and modern art, to fine artists in the Netherlands, these passionate experts push creative boundaries.  The film highlights a diversity of perspectives including an anatomical sculptor in South Africa and a big-game taxidermist in Ohio.  And, in an unexpected twist, STUFFED reveals the importance of preserving nature, using taxidermy as its unlikely vehicle, and the taxidermist as its driver.  So says the IU Cinema’s blurb, but of course, as horror readers and writers, what we’re interested in is psycho taxidermists handling people as subjects.

Aren’t we?  That is, I have at least one story on that subject making the rounds now, perhaps not so much about a psycho but about a group that considers human taxidermy not abnormal.  But that’s not the point in watching the film anyway, it’s about what is in its own right a fascinating [image error]subject (including in movies — anyone remember the furry fish in the 2001 film BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF?*).

That aside, very little taxidermy today involves things like hunting trophies, as the film pointed out, but rather combines both science and art, especially the former in venues like natural history museums where context — environmental details of an animal’s habitat — can be as important as the main subject.  But also there are artistic approaches, to tell a story perhaps in a scene with multiple subjects.  And there are such concepts as “rogue taxidermy” — creating perhaps a mythical concept combining parts from different animals — or “novelty taxidermy,” a particular fad in Victorian times but coming back, an equivalent of pictures popular not that long ago of things like dogs playing poker (I seem to recall, though the film didn’t say, that frogs in human-like poses were prized in the 1900s), or even fashion, like feathers in women’s hats — but also perhaps an entire small bird.  Also as to the animals themselves, most will have died from natural causes, often already in captivity (think zoos, for instance), or due to accidents as being hit by cars — indeed most taxidermists, having come to cherish life through their art, tend to be avid conservationists as well.

So actually, no, the movie did not discuss stuffing humans, nor did a post-film discussion including IU Biology Department Senior Director Susan Hengeveld and William R. Adams Zooarchaeology Laboratory Director and Anthropology Department Associate Professor Laura L. Schreiber.  But it was still fascinating to watch.

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*In the film’s parlance, an example of rogue taxidermy.

“Caterday” Cinema Brings CatVideoFest 2020

No, the Goth Cat Triana once again stayed at home, concentrating on her important work of holding down the bed.  After all, if she didn’t it could drift away — and then where would either of us be!  Be that as it may, “CatVideoFest 2020” (cf., for 2019, June 8) was also sold out at the Indiana University Cinema, though again I had bought my ticket early.  And it’s for a good cause, as notes the IU Cinema blurb:  A percentage of the proceeds from this event will directly support Lil BUB’s Big FUND, the first national fund for special-needs pets.
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We are excited to welcome Yorick and Grace from the Monroe County Humane Association’s V.I.Paws program to CatVideoFest 2020!  V.I.Paws is an MCHA program intended to share the support and success of the human-animal bond and provide animal-related therapies in the community.   V.I.Paws is a specialized group of volunteer handler and animal teams.
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Yorick and Grace will be positioned in our lower lobby prior to the CatVideoFest 2020 screening from 3:15–4 pm.[image error]
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The Ranch Cat Rescue will also be be present for CatVideoFest 2020.
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(In particular, we may recall the late Lil Bub, Bloomington’s own special-need cat and video star who passed, at the age of 8, on December 1 2019, having spent her short life, among other things, publicizing and raising money for animal rescue groups.)
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And of CatVideoFest in general:  CatVideoFest is a compilation reel of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and, of course, classic Internet powerhouses.  CatVideoFest is a joyous communal experience, only available in theaters, and is committed to raising awareness and money for cats in need around the world.
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Even without Triana’s presence, this afternoon’s presentation was great fun.  Lil Bub was represented too, in one of the videos, as well as a comeback of Henri, le Chat Noir (who in a way we owe for the whole thing), this time with “Part Deux.”  And otherwise, drama, action, thrills, and lots of humor — including a sequence on cats’ relation with beds!.
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For an idea of the Fest for yourself, to see the “official” trailer press here.

Parasite: An Oscar “Best Picture” In Black And White?

You don’t get many movies at the IU Cinema that are announced as sold out only days after first being announced, but this was an exception.  The Korean “Best Picture” Oscar winner, PARASITE, but with an added twist.  This would be the black and white version.

Why black and white?  As noted by HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM, Director Bong Joon Ho has suggested, first, that movie classics we remember, the NOSFERATUs, earlier Alfred Hitchcock, et al., were in black and white, so why not modern films as well?  But it’s not done lightly:  The new version of PARASITE was actually made before the original color edition had its premiere in Cannes, where it won the Palme d’Or.  Bong, with his director of photographer and colorist, worked on the new grading shot by shot.

“You can’t just put it in a computer and turn it into black and white,” he said, adding that he faced extra difficulties because he hadn’t considered black and white when working on the film’s production design or art direction, making particular scenes — such as the flooding, with mud water floating around — require extra consideration.

With the color removed, he said, viewers were given a stronger sense of contrast between the rich family and the poor.

“We can focus more on the texture,” he said, emphasizing the “very glossy and clean” surfaces in the house of the rich family.

Or, as the IU Cinema itself put it:  Regarding this version, which was created prior to the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Director Bong Joon Ho said:

“I’m extremely happy to present PARASITE in black and white and have it play on the big screen.  It will be fascinating to see how the viewing [image error]experience changes when an identical film is presented in black and white.  I watched the black and white version twice now, and at times the film felt more like a fable and gave me the strange sense that I was watching a story from old times.”

“The second time I watched it, the film felt more realistic and sharp as if I was being cut by a blade.  It also further highlighted the actors’ performances and seemed to revolve more around the characters.  I had many fleeting impressions of this new version, but I do not wish to define them before it is presented.  I hope everyone in the audience can compare their own experiences from the color version and find their own path to PARASITE in black and white.”

And so it goes.  I have not myself seen the color version, however, so — with memories, granted, of the films cited above, as well as Japanese films like RASHOMON and the original SEVEN SAMURAI, as well as American film noir classics — I (having bought my ticket well in advance), went into the theater prepared for what might be an unusual experience.  And in short, it was, with I thought the black and white version working quite well as an Asian sort of film noir in its own right, but quite a bit more too.  And — very possibly — better than it might have been in the color version.

Beyond that, the docent said before the film that “a lot of fun for this movie comes from not knowing anything about it,” though adding three points that pervade the film:  (1) that “money tends to smooth rich people out” — that is, despite being ignorant of those below them, they seem nice; (2) a lack of class solidarity (particularly in the lower orders); (3) the hand of American capitalism coloring all, e.g. “[knowledge of] English is almost like a commodity.”  In an earlier blurb, the IU Cinema classed the film’s genres as Drama and Thriller, though I was also struck by how funny the film is, in a knowing, satirical manner at first but, in the end, also darkly hilarious.  Also while not a horror film, really, there are horror tropes.  And mostly, in a perverse kind of sense, it’s a film about family — at least in my opinion.

Then, finally, to quote the “earlier” IU Cinema blurb:  Winner of the 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or, Bong Joon Ho’s newest film is a darkly comedic, genre tale of class struggle that has drawn comparisons to Jordan Peele’s US.  Ki-taek’s family is close, but fully unemployed, with a bleak future ahead of them.  Ki-woo, Ki-taek’s son, is recommended for a well-paid tutoring job, spawning the promise of a regular income.  Carrying the expectations of all his family, Ki-woo heads to the Park family home for an interview.  Arriving at the house of Mr. Park, the owner of a global IT firm, Ki-woo meets Yeon-kyo, the beautiful young woman of the house.  Following this first meeting between the two families, an unstoppable string of mishaps lies in wait.  In Korean with English subtitles.  Contains mature content.