As a kid growing up in the lat 60s and 70s I got a steady dose of Curt Russell on the Wonderful World of Disney and Gun Smoke reruns. So when Escape from New York came out, it was a shock for me and my friends to see Curt Russell as a malevolent bada$$. We loved it then and still love it to this day.

Terminator was the best of these movies by far. Then Die Hard. I've never been much of a horror fan so don't care for Nightmare on Elme St ect. BTW, Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

I actually read Swan Song before I read The Stand. It's a very good book. The stand kind of follows two groups but at first Swan Song is all over the place with character development. I've read several of Robert McCammon's books and liked every one. The road is good too, but McCarthy's books get a little heavy at times. Not for the weak spirited.