The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

Author: Gerry Conway Artist: Ross Andru Embellishers: M. Esposito & D. Hunt We join our hero in mid-fall. The Jackal, Tarantula, and Gwen Stacy’s hypnotized clone escape with a portable jet pack, while an unconscious Spidey is left dangling for the police. (Though how he manages to withstand punches from supervillains is beyond me if he gets knocked out by a simple swing into a brick foundation.) Naturally, he escapes… An exhausted Peter Parker doesn’t respond well to an angry MJ, who confronts him in the spirit of “if you want to keep a man, you’ve got to fight for him.” Ned drops by later, and he and Peter have an important realization. Following up on Serba’s address, Spider-Man gets a surprise.  What “famed spider sense?” I don’t know that it’s exactly a secret, but I’ve never had the impression that this power is widely known. Nor that the distinction between friends and enemies has ever been relevant. It’s always been about the presence of danger. The reveal of Professor ...

   A ranking of all the films released during the 1920s that have been reviewed on my blog. #7 Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) 1396 https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2022/09/steamboat-bill-jr-1928.html #6 The Hands of Orlac (1924) 1080 https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-hands-of-orlac-1924.html #5 The Cat and the Canary (1927) 1078 https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-cat-and-canary-1927.html #4 Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler (1922) 953 https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2024/03/dr-mabuse-gambler-1922.html #3 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) 926 https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/07/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-1920.html #2 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) 858 https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920.html #1 The Phantom of the Opera (1925) 622 https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-phantom-of-opera-1925.html I haven't reviewed these films yet, but they would go toward the top of my lis...

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Writer: Yuji Sakamoto Stars: Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, Akihiro Kakuta, Mitsuki Takahata, Shido Nakamura, Yuko Tanaka A mother (Sakura Ando) is convinced by her son’s (Soya Kurosawa) disturbing behavior that he is being abused by a teacher at his school.  When she confronts them, the staff seems defensive and the teacher himself (Eita Nagayama) seems highly suspicious.  This is our entry into a deeply compassionate story that invites us to think the worst of characters before circling around with more context that changes our perspective.   This is another masterpiece from Hirokazu Kore-eda.  The structure of shifting perspectives builds to a powerful conclusion.  “Who’s the monster?” is a question that hangs over this film.  One possible answer: Maybe no one is a monster once we know enough about them.  This film is also a very touching coming-of-age story with beautiful performances from two ...

  A ranking of all the gothic films that have been reviewed on my blog. #22 The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-ghost-of-frankenstein-1942.html #21 The Black Cat (1934) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-black-cat-1934.html #20 Black Sabbath (1963) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/09/black-sabbath-1963.html #19 Suspiria (1977) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/10/suspiria-1977.html #18 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/10/sweeney-todd-demon-barber-of-fleet.html #17 Dracula (1931) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2025/09/dracula-1931.html #16 Corpse Bride (2005) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/04/corpse-bride-2005.html #15 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920.html #14 The Devil’s Backbone (2001) https://thericochetreviewer.blog...