Friday, January 01, 2016

What I Watched and Read in 2015

I watched 350 movies last year, which is up from 2014's total of 322. I also read 98 books, way up from last year's total of 66 (I read more magazines and comic books in 2014). However, I watched 625 television episodes, which is way down from last year's 760.

The best movies I saw for the first time last year (in no particular order):
THE MARTIAN (2015)
SPOTLIGHT (2015)
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2015)
SKYFALL (2012)
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2015)
THE MAZE RUNNER (2014)
IT FOLLOWS (2015)
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)
THE GIFT (2015)
DEATH HUNT (1981)
THAT GUY DICK MILLER (2014)
CREED (2015)
ENEMY TERRITORY (1987)

Honorable Mentions:
ALLEY CAT (1984)
MR. HEX (1946)
UNTAMED YOUTH (1957)
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (2014)
RED SUN (1971)
FRIDAY THE RABBI SLEPT LATE (1976)
SAW VI (2009)
HOMEFRONT (2013)
SMUGGLERS' COVE (1948)
DEADLY TAKEOVER (1995)
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
DIG THAT URANIUM (1955)
THE SCORCH TRIALS (2015)
GET CRAZY (1983)
NIGHTMARE IN CHICAGO (1964)
INSOMNIA (2002)
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013)
THE WRECKING CREW! (2015)
KRAMPUS (2015)

Of the 98 books I read, 95 of them were first-time reads. A few recommendations by genre:
Action/Adventure/Thriller:
TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD by Fritz Leiber
THE SATAN BUG by Alistair MacLean
TESTAMENT by David Morrell
THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL by Ira Levin
BLACK CHRISTMAS by Thomas Altman

Biography:
SUPER BOYS: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF JERRY SIEGEL AND JOE SHUSTER by Brad Ricca
HARVEY KURTZMAN: THE MAN WHO CREATED MAD AND REVOLUTIONIZED HUMOR IN AMERICA by Bill Schelly

Comics:
THE BRONZE AGE OF DC COMICS by Paul Levitz
CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED: A CULTURAL HISTORY (2nd Edition) by William B. Jones Jr.
THE LEAGUE OF REGRETTABLE SUPERHEROES by Jon Morris

Crime Drama:
SHARKY'S MACHINE by William Diehl (not a first-time read)

Mystery:
THE MIDNIGHT LADY AND THE MOURNING MAN by David Anthony
(I read five Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner; all are recommended)

Film/Television:
RETURN TO TOMORROW: THE FILMING OF STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE by Preston Neal Jones
THESE ARE THE VOYAGES: TOS SEASON THREE by Marc Cushman
THE MAKING OF STAR WARS by J.W. Rinzler
FILM IS HELL: HOW I SOLD MY SOUL TO MAKE THE CRAPPIEST MOVIES IN HISTORY by Matthew Howe
AN ATHEIST IN THE FOX HOLE: A LIBERAL'S EIGHT-YEAR ODYSSEY INSIDE THE HEART OF THE RIGHT-WING MEDIA by Joe Muto
LIVE FROM NEW YORK: THE COMPLETE, UNCENSORED HISTORY OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE AS TOLD BY ITS STARS, WRITERS, AND GUESTS by James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales (not a first-time read)

Sports:
CONNECTICUT GRIDIRON: FOOTBALL MINOR LEAGUES OF THE 1960S AND 1970S by William J. Ryczek
PENNANT RACE by Jim Brosnan
THE $400,000 QUARTERBACK OR: THE LEAGUE THAT CAME IN FROM THE COLD by Bob Curran

I'm still trying to catch up with classic television series. A few shows I watched for the first time in 2015:
DIANA
DICK TRACY
GRAND JURY
GUNG HO
HAWKINS
HE SAID SHE SAID
HOLLYWOOD OFFBEAT
I'M THE LAW
THE INTERNS
THE JIMMY STEWART SHOW
MADIGAN
THE OUTCASTS
SEA DIVERS
SECOND CHANCE
THE SENATOR
SPENCER'S PILOTS
WORKING
WORLD OF GIANTS





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