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Sunday, January 03, 2010
I hate to break out that hoary, Dickensian quote about the best and worst of times, but it seems applicable for the year 2009. It was an outstanding year for books and movies. Horror Drive-In flourished and my Cemetery Dance column finally became a reality.
My personal life wasn't so good, though. I tried like hell to save my marriage all through the year, but it came to no avail. Sometimes, no matter how badly you want something and no matter how hard you try, things do not come together.
I had thought that my machinist day job was nearly recession-proof, but things have been looking bad there, too. Hours have been cut and the future is uncertain. I like horror, but this is a little too scary for me.
Yet I had a better year than some. Death, as always, claimed a lot of people. I think that the older we get, the more we experience death. The loss of loved ones, public figures we looked up to, and our own faltering mortality tell us that Death is never far from our backs.
The biggest one for me came in February. Lux Interior, lead singer for the band, The Cramps, died suddenly. Everyone was shocked and it was a rare heart disorder that took his life. Lux embodied the very spirit of rock and roll. Music, and my life, will never be quite the same without him.
Then there was David Carradine, a hero of mine from Kung Fu and great exploitation films. He died in a particularly undignified way. It was simply tragic.
I met Joe Christ in 1998, but I had been a fan of his movies for a while before that. We became friends and he introduced me to my wife, Tanya, who was appearing in one of his productions. Joe passed away in his sleep. Again, it was sudden and shocking.
Another big blow was filmmaker John Hughes. His movies meant more to me than anyone else's. They may seem quaint to people now, especially younger people, but movies like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off were vital and they helped many of us make sense of our own messed-up lives.
 Paul Naschy was one of my favorite personalities in the world of horror cinema. His exotic movies were always colorful and exciting. Naschy was the only actor in history that played Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Hunchback, Fu Manchu, and a Werewolf. He played the latter character fifteen times! Paul Naschy died of pancreatic cancer, at age 75.
Chas. Balun was the ferociousus bigfoot of horror journalism. In his Deep Red Magazine, Fangoria, Gorezone, and his books, Balun championed bold, relentless, uncompromising horror films and he had little patience for weak, gutless Hollywood studio productions.
The death of Michael Jackson got the most attention in 2009. I'm hardly a fan, but I was surprised at how it affected me. His life, from innocence to corruption, seemed to symbolize the way America has been in decline. As well as my own life.
There are others. Dan O'Bannon. Robert Holdstock. Marilyn Chambers. Don Edmonds. Dick Durock. Robert Quarry. Ron Silver. Henry Gibson. Robert "The Exterminator" Ginty. Soupy Sales. James Whitmore. The genre, no the world, owes all of these people. May they all rest in peace.
Here's one you might not have heard about: Lou Perryman. L.G., from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. You know, the guy that built that li'l fry house? He was senselessly murdered in his home in Austin in April.
2009 was a good year for genre books. Many of the biggest stars are still putting out some of the best work of their careers. Dan Simmons blew me away with Drood. F. Paul Wilson continued his Adversary cycle with Ground Zero, and he also published his final collection, Aftershock and Other Stories. Joe R. Lansdale brought back his most beloved characters, Hap and Leonard, with Vanilla Ride. Bentley Little wrote the atypical His Father's Son, which I consider to be his finest novel. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child shocked their fans with Cemetery Dance, the best Pendergast book in years. Bill Pronzini put out another in his spectacular Nameless Detective series, Schemers, which ended with a grim cliffhanger. Ed Gorman put out two of the best books of his career: The Midnight Room and Ticket To Ride.
Many rising stars continued to shine brighter. Brian Keene put out his regular two books from Leisure, and one ranks among my favorites of his books: Urban Gothic. Ronald Damien Malfi scored a coup with his intensely personal Shamrock Alley.  Edward Lee's outrageous The Black Train was a scaled-back version of his small press book, Gast, which I haven't read. Still, The Black Train is possibly the most entertaining book I've read by him. Gillian Flynn proved that her stunning debut, Sharp Objects, was no fluke. Her second book, Dark Places, is at least as good as her first. Bryan Smith silenced the naysayers with his no-holds-barred Depraved. And Christopher Conlon wrote Starkweather Dreams, the best poetry book I've read in a decade. Never mind that it was the only poetry book I've read in a decade. That book is amazing.
 Outside the genre I read a few things. The big one for me was Last Night in Twisted River, the best book that John Irving has done since A Prayer for Owen Meany.
I reread a lot of books, which is a trend I intend to continue. Straub's Koko was better the second time around and so were Lansdale's Cold in July and The Magic Wagon, King's It, Ellison's Spider Kiss and perhaps most of all, David Lozell Martin's emotionally devastating Crazy Love.
As for my favorite book of the year, nothing gives me greater joy than to report that Stephen King's Under the Dome comes in at Number One. This book blew me away and I raced through its 1088 pages as if my life depended on it.
 I simply must give a special call-out to Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain. This frenzied, wild vampire novel is the first in a proposed series, which I think could be the adrenaline shot that the genre needs. I loved it.
As far as I'm concerned, 2009 was an exceptionally good year for movies. I eschewed the high profile, FX heavy features for the most part, but I loved a lot of the littler movies that were released.
When I saw Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino in early January, I said that I would not see a better picture that year. I was wrong. So many great films came out.
 Adventureland was a big favorite and it was a bittersweet slice of nostalgia for people of my generation. It was billed as being from the director of Superbad, which hurt its chances. Adventureland isn't an uproarious comedy, but a drama with some funny moments.
Observe and Report was a funny-weird, not funny haha movie. I thought it was edgy and uncomfortably enjoyable.
Moon was that rare thing: An intelligent science fiction movie about ideas.
(500) Days of Summer was the best romcom of the year. Actually, it was just about the only one that didn't make you want to shove an icepick into your brain.
I Love You, Beth Cooper was despised by most, but I thought it was sweet and charming and very funny, with some thoughts in its head. For me it gets better with repeated viewings.
Woody Allen's Whatever Works is far from his best picture, but it's funny and it makes you feel good. And a lesser film from Woody is leagues above what most others are capable of.
World's Greatest Dad was a savage satire that might be too much for some people. It reaffirmed for me that despite a lot of terrible roles, Robin Williams has a lot of talent.
Brothers was a compelling drama about the effects of war, not only on soldiers, but on the families of those at home. Not exactly the most original subject, but the film was brilliantly acted (mostly by a surprisingly intense Tobey Maguire) and nicely shot.
Tarantino had a comeback of sorts with Inglourious Basterds. It featured some of the best writing and performances of his career. Thankfully it was the success he deserved.
The Hangover was funny. Almost sickeningly so. I almost thought it was too brainlessly vulgar, but it won me over.
Now on to the horror/exploitation movies of 2009.
 Drag Me To Hell was sam Raimi's high profile return to his roots. I thought it was outstanding. Others felt that it fell short of the mark.
Last House on the Left was one of the strongest of the modern remakes. In fact I thought it was better than Craven's original, which I always felt was uneven and overrated.
Orphan was a strong horror film, with superior performances and some genuine shocks. Easily the best Dark Castle production to date.
Jennifer's Body wasn't as strong as Juno, but Diablo Cody's screenplay was an all-stops-out blast. I had a ball with it.
Trick 'r' Treat was a fun movie that made me feel like I was  back in the 80's again.
I was all ready to hate Zombieland. In fact I had no intention of seeing it. But I went anyway and the movie won me over. Big time. The characters had chemistry with each other and the laughs were genuine.
Paranormal Activity was the big surprise. Like The Blair Witch Project, it was a runaway success. And like The Blair With Project, Paranormal Activity has its admirers and detractors. I thought it was fantastic.
Now for some of the bad news.
Halloween 2 was even worse than Rob Zombie's first Halloween. Give ME some of the drugs he was using when he made it.
The Final Destination wasn't as bad as some claim, but without the stunning 3D effects, there's not much there to recommend.
As an adaptation of a Richard Matheson story, and as a followup to Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly's The Box was a disappointment. I didn't thoroughly hate it, but it seemed too wildly over-the-top and unfocused.
And as for the worst horror film of 2009, I have to go with a tie. I sincerely hope that The Collector is the final nail on the coffin of the so-called Torture Porn subgenre. Yes, it was a lot like an old drive-in movie of the 70's. Too bad the 70's are over. This one just came off as ugly and unpleasant. Of course, that was the intention of the filmmakers. It just didn't work for me.
The other rock bottom horror film of 2009 was the long-awaited The Hills Run Red. Despite a screenpla y written in part by David J. Schow, I found this one to be virtually unwatchable. Maybe there was a good movie buried in there, but the repugnant use of flash-cut editing destroyed it.
But the big one for me was another one that most people didn't get. Or at least they didn't like it. For me, Judd Apatow's Funny People was easily the best of 2009. I thought it was so rich and filled with subtext. It even made me stop hating Adam Sandler. I've seen Funny People several times now, and I always get new things in it to marvel at with each viewing.
Well, there you have it. 2009 in a nutshell. Obviously, I didn't read or see everything, but I do keep my eyes on the movies screens and the book pages.
Let's hope that 2010 will be a better one. The world seems to be in insurmountable trouble and families are in dire circumstances. I have hopes for a happier tomorrow in my own personal life, but I honestly can't hope for a better year for books and movies than 2009.
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