|
Saturday, April 26, 2008
I love comedy, even though I end up hating most comedy films I see. In the last week I saw three in the theater. One I thought was okay. One I intensely disliked. And one was pretty damned good. In order, they were Leatherheads, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Meet Bill.
What makes a movie funny? You can have a million answers to that one. I can wax philosophical and make claims about character and dialogue and emotional impact. Sure I can, but sometimes a story simply wins you over. I've often compared humor to sexual attraction. What is pleasing to some is repulsive to another. And I find most recent comedies to be repulsive.
I want to talk about a favorite comedy of mine and I want to go into exactly why it worked for me. It's one that most of you have seen, I'm sure. If you haven't seen it, I'll try not to disclose too many spoilers, but I can't help but include some. So if you haven't seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles, be forewarned. Also, if you haven't seen it, I urge you to do so.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles has the ingredients to a movie that I would probably hate. Two talented stars are in it. Talented guys that tend to make terrible movies. The trailers showed a lot of obvious sight humor and over-the-top situations. But this was written and directed by a guy that I think is really talented, John Hughes, so I saw it in the theater.
It's the night before Thanksgiving and Steve Martin only wishes to fly home from his business appointments to spend the holiday with his loved ones. It starts off badly, as his cab is hijacked by some fat guy. He later meets the man again, who of course is played by John Candy. Their fates are entwined for the next couple of days and every possible thing goes wrong in their attempts to reach their destinations.
Normally this is something that I'd dislike. The humor is broad, to say the least, and the two characters are pretty unlikable. Candy's character is completely annoying. He's bumbling, overbearing, loud and more than a bit clingy. Martin's character is pompous, smug, superior and contemptuous of most of the people he comes in contact with.
As the movie goes on, we learn more about these men. Their humanity overcomes their stereotypical exteriors. Most comedies attempt this sort of progression, but few are successful. One of the things that made Planes, Trains and Automobiles work is that I began to see myself in both of them. The awkward, clumsy pushy type that craves acceptance. And the impatient, sneering, cynical snob. I think most of us have that sort of duality in our personalities.
Another thing that makes this movie work is that a lot (not all) of the comedy is genuinely funny. And of course that is up to each individual's perceptions.
Toward the end of the picture, the two men discover that they really aren't all that different and that maybe both of them had been behaving in less than ideal ways. Through their trials and misfortunes, they come to enjoy each other's company. Again, this is the typical formula for this kind of comedy, but what sets this and other Hughes films apart is good writing.
Finally the two reach Steve Martin's home airport and make their farewells. At which point Candy's character reveals something about himself, a denouement if you will. It didn't take an astute viewer to have a good idea of what it was, but it still hits us in the gut. It's devastating and though Martin's tough veneer had mostly been broken down, he is checkmated by the truth about John Candy character's life. The last of the barriers he had built up for himself have broken. And we now know exactly why the Candy character was so desperate for friendship and acceptance. It's a powerful lesson about judging others and just plain good storytelling.
This to me is a great comedy. It's very funny, yet deeply emotional. Not unlike the odyssey the two characters go through in the film, the viewers have made a journey and we came through the other end of it slightly different. Maybe even a little wiser than we were before watching it.
|
|
Sunday, April 20, 2008
I look back on my life as a reader and I can think of plenty of writers that I've called my favorite. Robert A. Heinlein was the first and Kurt Vonnegut came after. I read a lot of science fiction early on and favorites of mine at various times included Frederik Pohl, Philip Jose Farmer, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Philip K. Dick. When I discovered Stephen King, he reigned supreme until I was blown away by the intricate writing of Peter Straub.
I remember the first time I happened across the name, Joe R. Lansdale. It was a triple review in Fangoria Magazine, praising Act of Love, the Magic Wagon and Dead in the West. I made a note to check out this Lansdale character as soon as I could. Then there was a full-page ad in The Twilight Zone Magazine (God, do I miss it) for a book called The Drive-In, by none other than Joe. R. Lansdale. The brief description convinced me that THIS was a book that I had to have. I found a copy on a Friday evening at WaldenBooks and started reading it around 11:00 PM. I couldn't finish it that night, but I picked up up immediately upon waking the next morning. Instantly, Joe R. Lansdale became my favorite writer. And he has held that position in my mind for a record breaking period of time.
Lansdale is an established literary phenomena by now. But it was fascinating and rewarding to watch this writer grow. His early career had a lot of extreme violence and showed a tremendous influence of movies in it. Over the years, Joe Lansdale has managed to mature, without getting stale or boring. Some of his stuff is really out there. My own favorites of his work have their feet firmly planted on Terra Firma. Suspense yarns like Cold In July, The Bottoms, A Fine Dark Line, Sunset and Sawdust, The Boar.
 Joe Lansdale has published in most conceivable genres. Though a lot of it (especially his shorter works) can be described as horror, you can't really call Lansdale a horror writer. He is, however, very popular among horror readers. I think the only way to truly pigeonhole Lansdale into one particular genre is to say that his style is Joe R. Lansdale. Many have tried, but none touch his own unique ability to weave words into stories.
One of Joe's earliest, and best, books is called The Nightrunners. It's a wonderful horror novel that sits nicely next to the so-called Splatterpunk books of its time. Now, Joe insisted that he was emphatically not a Splatterpunk writer and I definitely agree with that. Still, The Nightrunners is a prime example of the type of visceral, hard-hitting horror story that was associated with that semi-facetious term.
The Nightrunners was originally published as small press edition by Dark Harvest and it came out later as a mass-market paperback. It was reprinted again later in paperback, but it went out of print and has been something of a legend ever since then. Finally, last year Joe's primary small press publisher, Subterranean Press, reprinted The Nightrunners in an omnibus collection called The God of the Razor. This handsome volume also contains an interesting Introductory piece and several stories that either take place or were inspired by The Nightrunners.
The Nightrunners shows Joe's early talent in full, unbridled force. It's kind of frantic, as if he could barely maintain control of his imagination and enthusiasm. It's raw, it's powerful and it's funny and frightening and massively entertaining. And it is one of the finest novels of horror that came out in an exciting and fertile time for the genre.
Some books are good and enjoyable and then you may set it aside. Possibly on a shelf and maybe you'll give it away. Or it ends up in a box or to the paperback exchange store. The God of the Razor is not such a book. This is one that is the kind that you need in a deluxe, sturdy edition. One to proudly sit amid the classics of the horror and suspense genres. The Limited edition of The God of the Razor is sold out, but a deluxe, unsigned hardcover is still available. You can get it direct from Subterranean, or, if you are always looking to save a buck like me, from Amazon
If you come to this site with an interest in horror fiction, The God of the Razor is a mandatory book for your collection. If you've read it, then you already know that. If you haven't, you'd better grab one before it sells out again.
|
|
Saturday, April 05, 2008
When was the last time you bought a signed small press book for five bucks? And I'm not talking about some crummy printed-off-the-computer-and-stapled-together hackjob. No, from a writer that cut his teeth in the mass market. Professionally manufactured and beautifully illustrated, with a signature sheet! Now when can you say you've gotten such a deal? Ten years ago? More?
Croatoan Publishing is a new company and I can already see that they are worthy of our support. Their first publication is here and it's called Flesh Welder. This is the long-awaited return to publishing for southern horror writer Ronald Kelly. You remember him right? His book, Fear, is a classic.
At a time when the economy is at its worst in a looong time, we need a publisher that gets us quality horror at affordable prices. Here's a quote by Croatoan head honcho, Steven Lloyd, copied from the Horror Drive-In message board: "Affordable is key. I’m not saying we won’t ever release a high priced book, but at the same time I think about John Doe and Jane Doe working ten hours a day just to put food on the table, wishing they could afford a signed book by one of their favorite writers, or someone new they’ve never read. I have no problem with collectors; I use to be one, but we’re geared toward the working class folks. "
I was so grateful to see these words. America is hurting and certain publishers still continue to try to gouge their customers with ever-increasing book prices. A forty-dollar hardcover is one thing. I don't like it, but I can afford to get the ones I really need to have. But on the other hand, whereas it was once just a few specialty presses, now new ones are popping up all the time. Who can keep up with it? Who would be crazy enough to try to?
Flesh Welder is a chapbook, with cover art by Zach McCain and interior art by Alex McVey. It has a signature sheet signed by the author, Ronald Kelly, and by McCain. This 88 page book has the feature short story, a lengthy interview with Kelly and an excerpt to the upcoming full-length Ronald Kelly werewolf novel, Undertaker's Moon.
This is, quite simply, the best deal I've seen in some time. And it's what we desperately need. A nicely made collector's item, with an established writer and the unbeatable price of five dollars. How can you pass that up? The answer is, you can't. And you most certainly shouldn't.
Hellbound Books offered wonderful deals on quality books and they folded. I just heard that Keith Minnion's marvelous White Noise Press is going to stop publishing after the planned Brian Keene chapbook comes out. I'll say it again: We need publishers like Croatoan.
Upcoming works from Croatoan include the aforementioned Ronald Kelly novel, Undertaker's Moon, a James Newman collection called People Are Strange and works by Robert McCoy and Mark Hickerson. I'm unfamiliar with the latter two writers, but I'm going to take a chance and check them out.
Please check out the Croatoan site and consider buying Flesh Welder. You really can't lose with such a deal. And the James Newman collection is currently at the printer. That one'll cost you $20.00, but you can't lose with it either.
|
| |
|
