The Tao of Steve
*Originally published on 11/6/09
As many are aware, Stephen King also writes a monthly column for Entertainment Weekly called The Pop of King. He's been writing it for some time. I've been so busy with the books, comics, and movies that I almost forgot about it. Well, no more, I intend to cover all things King and leave no stone unturned. I was debating whether or not to cover the early columns. At first, I figured I'd just cover the ones that are released from this point onward, but then again, I've been talking about movies and books that were made and written decades ago. If there is a statute of limitations on what material I can cover, clearly these fall well within it. So, I'm going to start with the first one and work my way up. You'll notice I'm fond of that pattern, working with the material in chronological order.
Oddly enough, I don't follow that with the movies, I just review those as I come across 'em.
King's first column discusses his opinions on various nuggets of pop culture. Oddly enough, this actually isn't his first column. The website lists three others that were published before this one (I'll talk about those too at some point), but they didn't fall under the banner of The Pop of King and this is where he became a featured writer as opposed to occasional contributor.
King wrote about movies he liked such as T3 and 28 Days Later. I didn't like the latter, but it does have it's fans. The general reception of T3 has been negative, but others say that it's a great action flick. The biggest complaint I've heard is that it's not as good as the first two; which may very well be true, but in fairness, that's a very high bar to jump.
On the other side, he disliked Anger Management. I agree with this one, it could've been a heck of a lot better than it was. He didn't like Antwone Fisher either. The name rings a bell, but I'm having trouble recalling that particular film. I dare not check Wikipedia, for that would be undignified. It'll come to me sooner or later.
As for music, King restates his love for classic rock bands like AC/DC and Metallica. We learn that he's not a fan of the single name artists like Beyonce and Jewel. He does like Eminem though. I don't know why the image of Stephen King listening to Eminem is as amusing to me as it is. It just is. He also likes bands like The Jayhawks and The White Stripes.
He states that he isn't a fan of Celine Dion's music, a point on which he'll get no argument from me.
I'd comment on his book section, but none of the titles or authors he listed rang a bell with me. He didn't like The Da Vinci Code though and stated it was a prime example of dreck that makes the best seller list.
King ends the column saying the he cares about the things he writes about and that he won't be indulgent or dismissive. He points out how he may make you angry, and that he actually hopes to make the reader angry.
Cue millions of geeks responding with, "don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry" or some variation of the phrase. Yes, I'm one of them. When I came across that sentence, my first thought was "but you wouldn't like me when I'm angry".
While the column is said to be monthly, you'll note that there isn't a set schedule. It's usually about three weeks to a month between each new column so it's a good approximation.
Always They Come Back
*Originally published on 11/9/09
This column was printed just before Freddy vs. Jason had come out. King admits that he's excited about the movie because he's seen almost all of the movies in both franchises. King states it like it's a shocking confession, but it's not all that surprising. He's a fan of the horror genre so he goes to see a lot of horror movies. It makes perfect sense to me.
He also points out how it's often enjoyable to imagine what would happen if two fictional characters were to get into a fight. I know first hand how fun that game is, in fact I've written a few articles that just speculate on who would win in various showdowns.
The article notes the problem with long running franchises like the Nightmare or Friday the 13th movies, saying that as the series progresses, you find yourself rooting for the bad guy and that that isn't scary. Internet critic, Noah Antwiler said the same thing when he reviewed Paranormal Activity. At the same time, I think that the idea of rooting for the villain can be scary on another level. Case and point, the Joker, many say that the best portrayals are the ones where he's a hardcore psychopath with no sense of humor. I would have to disagree. Yes, he should by psychotic and dangerous, but of course he would make jokes while he's doing it. When well written, you actually find yourself laughing alongside this demented madman and connecting with him, which is kind of a frightening thought.
I digress, King points out that the concept is indeed ludicrous but that it could be a good movie. Whether it was or not varies by opinion and odds are, what you're expecting to see will affect how satisfying the movie was for you.
Listen Up
*Originally published on 11/11/09
This column plugs a book that King swears you will never read. A lot of writers have at least one unpublished manuscript lying around, but King says that you can experience the book in a different way.
The work in question is a novel written by Ron McLarty, I recognized the name immediately. He's the guy who did the reading for the Blaze and Salem's Lot audiobooks. As such, I understood why King would take the time to plug the man's work.
He laments the state of publishing saying that you either have a choice of "dopey best sellers' or "dull, serious fiction" and says that the Corporate bottom line is hurting literature. It's a bit cynical, but kind of sad at the same time. With all of the aspiring writers out there, you would like to think that quality would be a publisher's first priority and that that alone would sell itself, but that does not seem to be the case. King goes on to say that McLarty's work is a good read and deserves a place on the bookshelf.
Fear not, dear readers, for McLarty has friends in high places and while you can't pick up a paperback copy of his book, you can get an audio version through a website (recordedbooks.com). King implores us to check it out, saying that it may not be literature, but it's still quality work in it's own right.
The First Annual Babble-On Competition
*Originally published on 11/12/09
In this column, King decides to start a new contest. He explains that he'll pick a sports location and reveal the location through movie quotes. You can figure out the location by spelling it using the first letter in each movie title that the quote comes from.
He states that he's disappointed with it and even says that it's really easy. Oddly enough, a lot of those lines didn't ring a bell with me. I'm something of a movie buff so that surprised me. Maybe I'm just getting sloppy in my old age.
The contest is long over of course. The grand prize was a signed copy of his "upcoming" novel, Wolves of the Calla so you can see that it's a tad dated by this point.
I don't know if he kept it going. I find it odd that he would cite it as his "first annual" if he only did one, but maybe he didn't think it was worth the effort. We'll find out in the coming weeks to see if he brings the concept back. It's not a bad idea, it has an element of fun and it does put your brain to the test as far as movie trivia goes.
I didn't see anything about it in the recent article titles, but he may have moved the date, if he hasn't given up on the concept all together.
No Pain, No Fame
*Originally published on 11/13/09
In this column, Stephen King discusses the celebrity lifestyle and how it affects people such as the then couple of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
He points out that many people don't really feel sympathy for them. When celebrities start to whine about how hard their life is, our natural reaction is to whip out the "tiny invisible violin" by rubbing our thumb and index finger together. While they can't even go to a Burger King without papparazzi following them, we roll our eyes and tell them to cry us a river.
King does bring up a point though. The celebrity lifestyle puts you under a microscope of sorts all day, every day. If a photographer can get a good shot of you through your window with a telephoto lens, he or she will. Everytime you walk out the door, there are people there to ask what you're doing.
For all the money that celebrities have, and for all the lavish things they buy, privacy seems to forever elude them. Even the slightest transgression gets blown up into a huge scandal and your status as "role model" will be questioned repeatedly.
The celebrity lifestyle isn't as easy as it sounds. Heck, there are a lot of people who work in front of a camera for a living who aren't comfortable with being swarmed by the press. It has it's benefits, sure, but there are some things more valuable than money and this article reminds us of that.
Movie Review
*Originally published on 11/15/09
Rather than give us a review of a specific movie, King decides to give us a general overview in this first part of a 2 article piece describing his favorite movies in recent years. By recent years, I mean in the years between 1988 and 2003 (when this article was published). He also gives honorable mention to films like Night of the Living Dead and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for being great works of cinema.
He opens the article by describing some of the more memorable scenes in film, in particular, the death of Bambi's mother. He also mentions that a lot of movies have been made that were quite forgettable. King inquires what a film called Demon Knight was even about (a knight who's a demon ha cha cha cha cha) and doesn't recall anything about Rumble in the Bronx. I haven't seen that, but I remember it was a Jackie Chan flick.
King talks about his love for The Little Rascals, I agree, those were quite funny. He also talks about his first screen crush being Kim Novak in a movie called Picnic. Mine was Christina Applegate in Married with Chlldren.
The article closes with King listing 16 of his favorite movies that were made in recent years.
The Usual Suspects
Fargo
There's Something About Mary
Sling Blade
Frequency
The Matrix
Stir of Echoes
American Beauty
Wonder Boys
The Sixth Sense
High Fidelity
L.I.E
In the Bedroom
Cinema Paradiso
Iris
and Mystic River.
I haven't heard of a few of these, but the ones I have seen were quite good. As good as Sling Blade was, it was pretty mockable just because of the voice Thornton decided to use. I can't argue with The Usual Suspects or High Fidelity being on the list though, those were both really good.
King tells us that the next article will focus on Kill Bill and Mystic River. That should be an interesting read.
Do Movies Matter part 2
*Originally published on 11/16/09
This article picks up where the last one left off. As I mentioned in the previous "Pop of King" article, King spends a large portion of this article talking about two films in particular, Kill Bill and Mystic River.
The piece opens with King talking about Francis Ford Coppola. Back in the 60's Coppola made a film called Dementia 13. King gives the movie high praise, even going so far as to say it surpasses the likes of Psycho and Night of the Living Dead, or at the very least, "make them look tame" to quote the article. King then flashes forward to Godfather III, commenting that one film mattered where the other didn't.
This brings us to the two movies in question, Kill Bill and Mystic River. Much like with the two Coppola movies, King says that one film matters where the other doesn't. I'm pretty sure you can tell which one is which.
King says he found the Tarantino flick boring. This kind of surprised me a little. The film's an over the top piece of fluff, self indulgent at times to be sure, but every time some mook got their arm cut off and sprayed out a geyser of blood I couldn't help but laugh. The movie's a cartoon, putting style way, way over substance. Oddly enough, the second part is a much deeper, character driven film.
King greatly enjoyed Mystic River, that much is clear. He praises the character development and the focus on story. I saw the movie back when it was in theaters, I too liked it, but it doesn't have much in the way of replay value.
It should also be noted that King tells us not to trust EW movie critics, as they get free movie passes and don't have to deal with the everyday stresses of finding a babysitter or paying for parking. I can't tell if the statement is ironic, given that he writes for the magazine. Whether you're supposed to read that straight or with some degree of irony is up to the reader I suppose.
Don't Go To Sleep
*Originally published on 11/17/09
This article discusses the baby boomer's reluctance to go out and see movies or buy a new book. He says that his generation has gotten lazy and that you're, in his words, "still young enough to boogie".
I found it rather ironic, when it comes to laziness, I figured my generation had the hold on it. I mean, when a new movie comes out, we shrug and say we'll wait til it comes out on DVD or Bluray and rent it through Netflix; when a new comic arc starts, more and more people shrug and say they'll wait for the trade paperback.
King informs us that it's not just the current generation of teens and young whippersnappers who refuse to stay off your lawn, but the generation that came before as well. Maybe it's genetic.
King points out that the baby boomers would rather sit at home with a beer and watch television. I myself see nothing wrong with that, sounds like good times to me. He tells us, or them rather, to branch out and go pick up a new book or a new CD and to live. Most importantly, that they shouldn't go to sleep. I can see his point, but I for one am a huge advocate for sleep. Sleep is awesome. You should still go out and seek out new things in between sleep sessions though because, as King said, there's a lot of great stuff out there.
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