A Brief Note On Stephen King

Now. I do love Stephen King. The man has wit, he's- for good or for bad- the clearest literary decedent of Shirley Jackson, and something of a pop-culture icon. It's been a very long time since I've read a novel by Stephen King, but always look forward to his monthly column in Entertainment Weekly. That he is also willingly and openly critiques the writing of his peers make me love him more: It speaks to a lack of self-consciousness that we should all be so lucky to have. Our filter is really only for fear of open reflection on our own work, and Stephen King knows he's written some turds.

While I have cheered him in his unabashed criticism of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, or even Dean Koonz, I really must point out: This man should probably refrain from making "best of the year" lists for movies.

Shockingly, the writer/director of Maximum Overdrive doesn't have the best cinematic taste. This is what King dubs A material:

10) 2012

09) Fantastic Mr. Fox

08) The Taking of Pelham 123

07) Law Abiding Citizen

06) District 9

05) The Reader

04) Disgrace

03) The Road

02) The Last House on the Left

01) The Hurt Locker

I'm all for a man expressing his opinion, but let's not throw around the word "Best." If you ever needed proof as to why a Stephen King screenplay has never worked out very well, I think it has just been found. By the way, in case you're curious, only six of those ten even hit the "fresh" mark on Rotten Tomatoes. Only three are above 85%.