1942-2008

To say Michael Crichton was an amazing author, director or producer would be an understatement ... and his passing, after a private battle with cancer deeply saddens me. Especially, following recent announcements of a 4th Jurassic Park film, and a remake of Westworld. I remember getting soooo excited when the sequel, Futureworld, came out ... that I spent most of my newspaper route money that summer, sneaking in (had to buy tickets to a non-R-rated flick, at the time) to watch it over and over again.

It feels very odd to me that I would have started this website, with an article of this past year's mini-series, a re-telling of  The Andromeda Strain.

I wasn't a fan of the looong running tv series, ER, but I remember the short-lived Beyond Westworld series. Here are some highlights of the work of his that I enjoyed so much:

The first novel of his I read was Sphere, in 1987. I was a very poor cab driver on the east coast, at the time, and reading was the one luxury I could afford to enjoy between pick-up calls. Most of the books I have read in my past, have gotten lost moving from place to another over the years, but Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Airframe remain on my shelves. I will be putting Eaters of the Dead, Prey and Next on my Xmas list. He has another novel to be released next spring.

I have seen most of the films, his own or adapted works or characters: The Andromeda Strain, Westworld, The Terminal Man, Futureworld, The First Great Train Robbery, Looker, Runaway, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun,  Disclosure, Congo, Twister, The Lost World, Sphere, The 13th Warrior, Jurassic Park 3, and Timeline.

My favorite of them all was definitely, Coma, a film adaption of another favorite writer of mine, Robin Cook, that Michael Crichton directed. One of the most suspenseful thrillers of all-time, IMHO.

For more info about the man and his incredible works, visit the Official Website for Michael Crichton:

http://www.crichton-official.com/