I'm chiming a little late on my yearly roundup. Please accept my apologies. The past few weeks have been more hectic than usual.
Well, I'm still here. Horror Drive-In is a decade old. It's been a bumpy trail, but I survived this long. Maybe I'll be around for ten more.
I lost my brother ten years ago, almost to the day I am writing these words. My marriage ended five years ago. Pretty rough stuff that almost knocked me down for the count, but you have to get up and keep going. What choice do we have?
The world continues to go crazy, and I have seen more hatred and finger-pointing than I ever have in my life. Especially on Facebook. It sickens me.
Barnes and Noble is still around, despite some predictions that it would be gone by now. I think it's important that we all try to keep it alive. Competition is healthy for consumers. People are beginning to see the tarnish behind Amazon's glossy exterior. Disquieting reports from writers and allegedly atrocious working condition for employees have turned a few people away from the internet juggernaut. I just hope people spread the wealth a little.
The small press is busier than ever. Ease of independent publishing makes it possible for everyone to be an author. We've seen a deluge of new writers come along that makes the so-called boom of the 80's look like the biggest drought in history. It's definitely a mixed blessing. Deserving talents are getting their work out.
Movies are changing. Many theaters in my area are converting to recliner seats. Most people love it. I don't. It puzzles me that as people try to make their homes into theaters, theaters are trying to be more like homes. What, did theater chain execs decide that there wasn't enough chatter from dumbasses in their auditoriums and want to make the cretins feel like they were at home in their own chairs? I don't really like choosing my seat in advance either. What if you get there early and you are next to a bunch of ass crack bandits who act as thought they are in their homes and can behave any way they feel like behaving? And then the theater fills up? You are fucked, Charlie.
Movies seem more removed from reality than ever. So many of them look like they were made on a computer. The sky, the grass, everything looks completely phony.
It wasn't the best year at the movies for me, but I did enjoy some of them very much. My top pick of the year is Woody Allen's Irrational Man, which would have made Bergman proud. It seems like I am just about the only person who saw it. Irrational Man is a dark tale of despair and desperation as only Woody can make them. It's also one of his movie about murder and conscience, or the lack of it.
I've always loved teen movies, and there were two powerful ones in 2015. Paper Towns is a lovely story that is generous in wit and wisdom. It was based upon a John Greene novel, and most people decided that he sucks after the enormous success of The Fault in Our Stars. Those who pass on Paper Towns are doing themselves a big disservice.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is also based on a good novel. I have not read the book by Jesse Andrews, but if it is anywhere near as moving and emotional as the movie, I will adore it. The title gives away the bare bones of the plot, but it isn't just a clone of the aforementioned Fault in Our Stars. It's telling that Brian Eno provided the music for the film. He has enough integrity not to be involved in a crap project. I was blown away by Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
It was a decent year for horror movies. It Follows is a smart, multi-faceted gem and should be seen by everyone who even has the slightest interest in the genre. Krampus was fun in a Joe Dante/80's Amblin kind of way. Eli Roth's The Green Inferno is exactly what you hope it will be. If you are the kind of individual who hopes for this kind of thing. Some were disappointed in it, but I felt that it was a worthy updating to the maligned/beloved Italian cannibal subgenre. Unfriended is unique and mesmerizing.
I also really enjoyed The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, and Foxcatcher. To date I have not seen The Hateful Eight, The Visit, The Gift, Crimson Peak, Carol, Spotlight, or The Gift. I avoided all the big budget fantasy/escapist movies and have no regrets about that.
My favorite book of 2015 was Daniel Kraus's The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch. His 2011 novel, Rotters, blew me away, but Finch topped it.
The second placeholder is Paul Tremblay's harrowing and heartbreaking A Head Full of Ghosts. This is the first time I have read the man, and it definitely won't be the last time I do so.
You, the debut novel by Caroline Kepnes, would have taken the top spot in other years, and had the above choices not been so strong. You is unique, horrifying, and addictive. I cannot wait for the sequel, Hidden Bodies.
McCammon's The Border is a deceptively simply story of alien invasion. The plot sounds like strictly Michael Bay material, but nothing is simple in a McCammon story. Probably not his best novel, but The Border is a fantastic read.
Stephen King continues his hot streak with part two of his Hodges trilogy, Finders Keepers. His prose has never been more effective and enthralling. The Bizarre of Bad Dreams is my favorite King collection since Skeleton Crew.
Joe R. Lansdale had a major hardcover in 2015 called Paradise Sky, but I liked his quiet YA novel, Fender Lizards, more. I honestly can say that I have never loved one of his books more than it.
I continue to be impressed by the suspense novels of Chevy Stevens, and Those Girls is probably her best book. Its heartrending and heartbreaking. A white knuckle tale of bravery and depravity. I wish more horror reader would give her a chance.
Other books of note include Jonathan Janz's Wolf Land, Brian Keene's Where We Live and Die, Richard Chizmar and Ed Gorman's Brothers, and Bentley Little's The Consultant.
Death is never far away, and He came calling too much in 2015, with devastating results. As usual. We said goodbye to Tom Piccirilli, Christopher Lee, T.M. Wright, Wes Craven, George Clayton Johnson, Stan Freberg, Amanda Peterson. Here it is only days into 2016 and we lost David Bowie, Angus Scrimm, and A. R. Morlan.
Well, I'm still here. Horror Drive-In is a decade old. It's been a bumpy trail, but I survived this long. Maybe I'll be around for ten more.
I lost my brother ten years ago, almost to the day I am writing these words. My marriage ended five years ago. Pretty rough stuff that almost knocked me down for the count, but you have to get up and keep going. What choice do we have?
The world continues to go crazy, and I have seen more hatred and finger-pointing than I ever have in my life. Especially on Facebook. It sickens me.
Barnes and Noble is still around, despite some predictions that it would be gone by now. I think it's important that we all try to keep it alive. Competition is healthy for consumers. People are beginning to see the tarnish behind Amazon's glossy exterior. Disquieting reports from writers and allegedly atrocious working condition for employees have turned a few people away from the internet juggernaut. I just hope people spread the wealth a little.
The small press is busier than ever. Ease of independent publishing makes it possible for everyone to be an author. We've seen a deluge of new writers come along that makes the so-called boom of the 80's look like the biggest drought in history. It's definitely a mixed blessing. Deserving talents are getting their work out.
Movies are changing. Many theaters in my area are converting to recliner seats. Most people love it. I don't. It puzzles me that as people try to make their homes into theaters, theaters are trying to be more like homes. What, did theater chain execs decide that there wasn't enough chatter from dumbasses in their auditoriums and want to make the cretins feel like they were at home in their own chairs? I don't really like choosing my seat in advance either. What if you get there early and you are next to a bunch of ass crack bandits who act as thought they are in their homes and can behave any way they feel like behaving? And then the theater fills up? You are fucked, Charlie.
Movies seem more removed from reality than ever. So many of them look like they were made on a computer. The sky, the grass, everything looks completely phony.It wasn't the best year at the movies for me, but I did enjoy some of them very much. My top pick of the year is Woody Allen's Irrational Man, which would have made Bergman proud. It seems like I am just about the only person who saw it. Irrational Man is a dark tale of despair and desperation as only Woody can make them. It's also one of his movie about murder and conscience, or the lack of it.
I've always loved teen movies, and there were two powerful ones in 2015. Paper Towns is a lovely story that is generous in wit and wisdom. It was based upon a John Greene novel, and most people decided that he sucks after the enormous success of The Fault in Our Stars. Those who pass on Paper Towns are doing themselves a big disservice.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is also based on a good novel. I have not read the book by Jesse Andrews, but if it is anywhere near as moving and emotional as the movie, I will adore it. The title gives away the bare bones of the plot, but it isn't just a clone of the aforementioned Fault in Our Stars. It's telling that Brian Eno provided the music for the film. He has enough integrity not to be involved in a crap project. I was blown away by Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
It was a decent year for horror movies. It Follows is a smart, multi-faceted gem and should be seen by everyone who even has the slightest interest in the genre. Krampus was fun in a Joe Dante/80's Amblin kind of way. Eli Roth's The Green Inferno is exactly what you hope it will be. If you are the kind of individual who hopes for this kind of thing. Some were disappointed in it, but I felt that it was a worthy updating to the maligned/beloved Italian cannibal subgenre. Unfriended is unique and mesmerizing.
I also really enjoyed The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, and Foxcatcher. To date I have not seen The Hateful Eight, The Visit, The Gift, Crimson Peak, Carol, Spotlight, or The Gift. I avoided all the big budget fantasy/escapist movies and have no regrets about that.
My favorite book of 2015 was Daniel Kraus's The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch. His 2011 novel, Rotters, blew me away, but Finch topped it.
The second placeholder is Paul Tremblay's harrowing and heartbreaking A Head Full of Ghosts. This is the first time I have read the man, and it definitely won't be the last time I do so.You, the debut novel by Caroline Kepnes, would have taken the top spot in other years, and had the above choices not been so strong. You is unique, horrifying, and addictive. I cannot wait for the sequel, Hidden Bodies.
McCammon's The Border is a deceptively simply story of alien invasion. The plot sounds like strictly Michael Bay material, but nothing is simple in a McCammon story. Probably not his best novel, but The Border is a fantastic read.
Stephen King continues his hot streak with part two of his Hodges trilogy, Finders Keepers. His prose has never been more effective and enthralling. The Bizarre of Bad Dreams is my favorite King collection since Skeleton Crew.
Joe R. Lansdale had a major hardcover in 2015 called Paradise Sky, but I liked his quiet YA novel, Fender Lizards, more. I honestly can say that I have never loved one of his books more than it.
I continue to be impressed by the suspense novels of Chevy Stevens, and Those Girls is probably her best book. Its heartrending and heartbreaking. A white knuckle tale of bravery and depravity. I wish more horror reader would give her a chance.
Other books of note include Jonathan Janz's Wolf Land, Brian Keene's Where We Live and Die, Richard Chizmar and Ed Gorman's Brothers, and Bentley Little's The Consultant.
Death is never far away, and He came calling too much in 2015, with devastating results. As usual. We said goodbye to Tom Piccirilli, Christopher Lee, T.M. Wright, Wes Craven, George Clayton Johnson, Stan Freberg, Amanda Peterson. Here it is only days into 2016 and we lost David Bowie, Angus Scrimm, and A. R. Morlan.
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