Yeah, I know, I’m a little late with this one. Usher, would you please show that heckler to the door? Thanks. I’ll wait until he’s… oh, okay, good now we can talk.
Last night, I was trying to look something up when I realized that I never got around to doing my customary overview of the books, movies, and home video I enjoyed in 2009. I’ve managed to hit every other year since 2005, but somehow ’09 got away from me. Well, anyone who knows me knows I can’t tolerate that sort of inconsistency! Luckily, I was able to find my handwritten notes for that year — yes, I keep notes about these things — so I’ve now been able to put together the official Simple Tricks and Nonsense 2009 Media Wrap-Up.
(I realize, of course, that this information is likely of very little interest to anyone but myself. I’m only going to the trouble of making a blog entry at this late date for my own records, and to satisfy my OCD. Thanks for your understanding. If you’re vacillating about whether to read on, it might help you to know that I’m not going to bother with any commentary on this one, it’ll just be lists of titles.)
Books Completed in 2009:
* indicates a re-read, i.e., something I’ve read before.
- The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine — Benjamin Wallace
- Heart-Shaped Box — Joe Hill
- On the Road — Jack Kerouac
- V: The Second Generation — Kenneth Johnson
- Ernie Pyle’s War: America’s Eyewitness to World War II — James Tobin
- To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles — Marc Eliot
- The Lion’s Paw — Robb White
- Why Evolution Is True — Jerry A. Coyne
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture — Gene Roddenberry *
- The Entropy Effect (Star Trek) — Vonda McIntyre *
- Hunt at the Well of Eternity — Gabriel Hunt (James Reasoner)
- A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts — Andrew Chaikin
- Have Spacesuit—Will Travel — Robert A. Heinlein *
- Red Planet — Robert A. Heinlein *
- Between Planets — Robert A. Heinlein *
- The Rolling Stones — Robert A. Heinlein *
- Space Cadet — Robert A. Heinlein *
- A Pirate Looks at Fifty — Jimmy Buffett
- Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World — Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
- Long Way Down: John O’Groats to Cape Town — Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
- The Guns of Navarone — Alistair MacLean
Movies Seen in a Theater in 2009:
- Milk
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Duplicity
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- Star Trek
- Terminator Salvation
- Up
- The Proposal
- Public Enemies
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- District 9
- Julie and Julia
- Zombieland
- Whip It
- Michael Jackson: This Is It
- The Men Who Stare at Goats
- Pirate Radio
Movies Seen at Home in 2009:
* indicates a repeat viewing, i.e., something I’ve seen before.
+ indicates something I own; everything else came from Netflix or was borrowed from friends.
- Transformers (2007)
- W. (2008)
- In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
- The Lost Boys: The Tribe (direct-to-video release, 2008)
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
- The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), * +
- Every Which Way But Loose (1978), * +
- The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)
- The Notorious Bettie Page (2005), *
- Justice League: The New Frontier (direct-to-video release, 2008)
- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (direct-to-video release, 2006)
- Car Wash (1976), +
- FM (1978), [VHS], * +
- Superman: Doomsday (direct-to-video release, 2007)
- Batman: Gotham Knight (direct-to-video release, 2008)
- Smokey and the Bandit (1977), * +
- My Name Is Bruce (direct-to-video release, 2007)
- The Sting (1973), * +
- The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
- Stand By Me (1986), * +
- The Right Stuff (1983), * +
- Goodfellas (1990), * +
- Across the Universe (2007)
- The Breakfast Club (1985), * +
- Sixteen Candles (1984), * +
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), * +
- Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (2003)
- Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (2004)
- The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)
- Rancho Deluxe (1975)
- Fanboys (2008)
- Gran Torino (2008)
- The Weather Underground (2002)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982), * +
- Free Enterprise: Extended Edition (1998), * +
- Ghost (1990), *
- Dirty Dancing (1987), *
- George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin (1994)
- Creepshow (1982), * +
- Avalon (1990)
- Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)
- Drag Me to Hell (2009)
- The Fog (1980), * +
- Halloween (1978), * +
- Lifeforce (1985)
- Prom Night (1980), +
- Strange Invaders (1983), +
- Invaders from Mars (1986), +
- Phantasm (1979)
- Giant (1956)
- The Hunt for Red October (1990), * +
- Horror of Dracula (1958)
- Hellraiser (1987)
- Liberty Heights (1999), +
- War of the Worlds (1953), * +
- Sneakers (1990), * +
- Dark Star (1974), * +
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), * +
- Bad Santa: Unrated Badder Santa Edition (2003), * +
- Foxy Brown (1974)
Final total: 61 (15 more than in 2010!), 25 of which I’d seen before, 27 of which I own, one of which was on the VHS format.
TV Shows Viewed on DVD in 2009:
- Michael Palin’s Hemingway Adventure, complete series (1999)
- Great Railway Journeys: Confessions of a Trainspotter with Michael Palin (one-hour special, 1980)
- Great Railway Journeys: Derry to Kerry with Michael Palin (one-hour special, 1994)
- Long Way Down, complete series (2007)
- Red Dwarf: Back to Earth, complete miniseries (2009)
- Route 66, Season 1, Disc One (did not view complete season; 1960)
- That 70s Show, Season 1 (1998-1999)
- That 70s Show, Season 2 (1999-2000)
- True Blood, Season 1 (2008)
- Genesis II (made-for-TV movie, 1973), +
- Planet Earth (made-for-TV movie, 1974), +
- Jesse Stone: Night Passage (made-for-TV movie, 2006)
- Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (made-for-TV movie, 2005)
- Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (made-for-TV movie, 2006)
